MILWAUKEE -- Milwaukee Brewers minor leaguer David Denson has become the first openly gay active player on a team affiliated with Major League Baseball.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel said Denson, with the help of former major leaguer Billy Bean, reached out to the newspaper to tell his story.
The 20-year-old first baseman plays for the Helena Brewers in the rookie Pioneer League. Bean, Major League Baseball's first ambassador for inclusion, revealed he is gay after his playing career.
"Talking with my teammates, they gave me the confidence I needed, coming out to them," Denson told the newspaper. "They said, 'You're still our teammate. You're still our brother. We kind of had an idea, but your sexuality has nothing to do with your ability. You're still a ballplayer at the end of the day. We don't treat you any different. We've got your back.'
"That was a giant relief for me. I never wanted to feel like I was forcing it on them. It just happened. The outcome was amazing. It was nice to know my teammates see me for who I am, not my sexuality."
In June, pitcher Sean Conroy of the Sonoma Stompers of the independent Pacific Association revealed he is gay. The Pacific Association is not affiliated with Major League Baseball.
Denson was selected by the Brewers in the 15th round in 2013 after playing for South Hills High School in West Covina, California. He spent last season with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers in the Class A Midwest League, hitting .243 with four homers and 29 RBI in 68 games. He started this season with Wisconsin, hitting .195 with one homer and eight RBI in 24 games before being sent to Helena. In 42 games with the Montana team, he's hitting .245 with four homers and 18 RBI.
On Saturday night in a doubleheader at Idaho Falls, Denson was 1-for-3 in a 6-1, seven-inning loss and 0-for-5 with an RBI in an 8-7 loss in nine innings.
"It's a lot to take in right now,'' Denson told the Idaho Falls Post-Register. "I'm a ballplayer first. That's what I'm focusing on.''
