Milwaukee Brewers Minor Leaguer David Denson Reveals He’s Gay — Major League Baseball News

A first baseman for the Milwaukee Brewers’ rookie affiliate in Helena, Mont., Denson had just entered the clubhouse a month or so ago when a teammate jokingly referred to him using a derogatory term for a gay male.

In a historic day for Major League Baseball, Milwaukee Brewers farmhand David Denson has revealed himself to be a gay man, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (via the Associated Press).

“Talking with my teammates, they gave me the confidence I needed, coming out to them”, Denson told the publication.

“Be careful what you say”.

He told the team first, and says they told him his sexuality didn’t matter because it has nothing to do with his ability as a player.

Pack a picnic lunch for a day trip to the Smiths Falls’ Rideau Canal Visitor Centre and you’ll… We’ve got your back’.

Denson said he decided to come out after the pressure of keeping it to himself became too much.

“I wish that our game had someone in place to whom Billy and (Glenn Burke) could have turned when they played; a friend, listener, a source of support”, Selig said at the press conference, per MLB.com’s Alyson Footer. “It was nice to know my teammates see me for who I am, not my sexuality”.

Counsell, who in his previous front-office role often visited the Brewers’ minor league clubs to access players, also knows Denson and applauded the strength it took to come out publicly as gay. A 15th-round draft pick out of South Hills High School in West Covina, Calif., in 2013, Denson is hitting.

For so long, David Denson desperately wanted to reveal to his baseball teammates that he is gay.

Denson is not considered an elite prospect, but his power earned him a look. “I was so concerned about how they would feel”.

“When I finally told them about my sexuality, Reid said, ‘To me, it doesn’t matter. you’re still a ballplayer”.

“It started to affect my game because I was so caught up in trying to hide it”, Denson said.

Denson, 20, is hitting.232/.319/.368 with 14 doubles and five home runs in 65 games between Helena and Class-A Wisconsin in the Midwest League. No. Would it shock me to learn there might have been homosexual players on the team? No. “I’m hoping it will open the eyes of people in general that we’re all people, we’re human, we’re brothers in the sport”. “Hopefully this kind of gets something out of the way that allows all of his talents to shine through”. Sean Conroy became the first gay active professional baseball player when he came out in June, but he plays for an independent league that is not associated with MLB.