This story was excerpted from Thomas Harding's Rockies Beat newsletter, written by Allison Mast. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

In 2006, Jeff Samardzija was selected in the fifth round of the MLB Draft after an illustrious two-sport career at Notre Dame. Eighteen years later, another Midwesterner is walking away from the gridiron for his shot at a spot in a big league rotation.

Brody Brecht, who was selected 38th overall by the Rockies in this year’s Draft, grew up in Ankeny, Iowa, a suburb of Des Moines. He starred on both the baseball and football teams at Ankeny High School, setting records and catching the eye of an area scout. The scout reported back to a friend who was familiar with the archetype -- Samardzija’s brother, Sam.

“A close friend of mine who happens to be a scout that covers Iowa saw Brody throw early on in his high school career,” Sam Samardzija said. “The whole profile of being a multisport athlete, strong arm, larger build, competitor and still being somewhat ‘raw’ on the mound immediately reminded him of a young Jeff Samardzija.”

Jeff set single-season school records in receiving yardage and touchdown receptions for the Fighting Irish but removed his name from the NFL Draft after being selected by the Cubs. When Sam became Brecht’s advisor, he knew the dual-sport athlete would soon face the same decision.

“Sam has been my guy since Day 1 in high school, when I started to get some interest,” Brecht said of the early days of their partnership. “His brother is Jeff, so when he drew that comparison, he said, ‘I’ve been through this before, I know what it’s like and I think I can really help you.’ I think it was the perfect fit.”

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Brecht redshirted his freshman year at Iowa before compiling 87 yards at wide receiver as a sophomore. Meanwhile, on the mound, the 6-foot-4 righty went 1-4 with a 3.18 ERA in 17 appearances, including one start, earning himself a spot on the Big Ten All-Freshman Team. He picked up where he left off the following spring. In his first start of the 2023 season, Brecht threw five perfect innings, racking up 10 strikeouts against Quinnipiac. His 5-2 record and .143 opponents’ batting average resulted in numerous Big Ten accolades. On the national level, his 4.32 hits allowed per nine innings ranked No. 1 in Division I.

With one critical season left in his college baseball eligibility, Brecht had reached a crossroads.

“Like with any two-sport athlete, those decisions are never easy. Brody had spent his entire athletic career playing football, and if we’re being honest, I believe it was his first love,” Sam Samardzija said. “Yet he was also mature enough to self-evaluate the trajectory of his own professional career. Now while I truly believe he could have played in the NFL, the upside he was displaying on the mound was undeniable.”

After consulting with Samardzija, Brecht gave up his position on the Hawkeye football team and focused solely on pitching. The decision yielded immediate results. By the time the 2024 Draft rolled around, he had set a new Iowa single-season strikeout record (128) and career strikeout record (281). As a result, he became the highest Draft pick of head coach Rick Heller’s tenure at Iowa.

As is common with most top pitching prospects, Brecht didn’t report to an affiliate following the July Draft. Instead he made his way to the Rockies’ complex in Arizona, where he worked on refining his delivery. After three jam-packed years on Iowa’s campus, Colorado’s No. 6 prospect went back to the basics, focusing on pickoffs and fielding his position. Through the Instructional League, he was able to connect with fellow Rockies talent and coaches.

“I think they have great standards and great people. They obviously didn’t have the year they wanted to have at the Major League level, but throughout the affiliates, they had really good years,” Brecht said of his first impressions of the organization.

While Brecht was honing his mechanics in Arizona, major strides were made across the Colorado farm. High-A Spokane won the Northwest League title and Double-A Hartford finished runner-up in its division of the Eastern League thanks in part to strong seasons by fellow top pitching prospects Chase Dollander and Carson Palmquist. Although Rockies fans will have to wait a bit longer to see Brecht take the mound in affiliate ball, according to Sam Samardzija, it will be worth the wait:

“When you look at Brody Brecht, in my opinion, you see a workhorse starter that has a chance to give you 200 innings pitched per year,” he said. “However, what is the most exciting to me -- and hopefully to Rockies fans -- is that there is still legitimate upside here. He is still learning his craft and has a lot to unlock as a pitcher.”