In Brian O’Grady’s quest to fulfill the ultimate baseball dream, two of his most important moments occurred in Pensacola.
A two-season stop with the Pensacola Blue Wahoos in 2017-2018 is where confidence grew of his chance to reach the Major Leagues with the Cincinnati Reds.
Equally meaningful, this is where he met his future wife, Delaney, which is now a family of four, and happily settled as Pensacola residents. He’s also gotten to know Blue Wahoos owners Quint and Rishy Studer.
“Very special place to me,” said O’Grady, who was honored Sept. 12 during the Blue Wahoos final homestand for his extensive professional career and now impact with the community.
“Pensacola and that league (Southern League) is to me where it felt like everything got real,” he said. “All the players were very, very good. You can tell the difference from High-A to Double-A. And once I got on a roll here, it was like I was really on my way to accomplishing my goal.”
Two other memories exist as well.
“One is about how beautiful the ballpark is (Blue Wahoos Stadium). I really meant that,” O’Grady said. “I loved playing there. Loved showing up every day. They treated the players great. Quint really cares about the player experience and that was evident during my (playing) time here.”
O’Grady was joined by his wife and children, 4-year-old Myla and 2-year-old Jagger, during a pregame recognition that night and ceremonial first pitch. He also received a glass-framed Blue Wahoos jersey with his name and uniform number.
FINISH WITH FLOURISH
It was part of an eventful final home series against the Biloxi Shuckers, the same team the Blue Wahoos immediately transitioned to face again on Tuesday in Game 1 of the Southern League division playoffs at Blue Wahoos Stadium. That series now shifts to Biloxi, following the Shuckers first game win.
But the season’s final homestand was filled with a variety of elements.
The Blue Wahoos held a Special Needs Night and 9/11 memorial on Friday, then staged their final fireworks night and the annual Beré Jewelers “Diamond Dig” on Saturday, along with O’Grady’s recognition, followed by Princess Day and family Sunday in the series finale.
O’Grady was on the injured list in 2017 when the Blue Wahoos won their first Southern League trophy as co-champions in a postseason shortened by a hurricane threat.
It was two seasons before O’Grady made his MLB debut with the Reds, who were the Blue Wahoos’ Double-A affiliate from the inaugural 2012 season through 2018.
“That was a tough year for me personally,” he said. “I was hurt for most of it. But I was part of that team and (Pat Kelly) PK was the manager and PK is great. He is one of the absolute legends. Loved having him and in 2018 I had Jody Davis (as manager) who I loved too and I had him in Triple-A as well.
“So both my managers here (in Pensacola) were awesome.”
O’Grady was playing centerfield on April 22, 2017 when pitcher Tyler Mahle – now part of the Atlanta Braves starting rotation -- made history, along with the Blue Wahoos by throwing a perfect game. It was the first perfect game since 1970 in the Southern League and a feat unlikely to be repeated again.
“That was pretty awesome. I was pretty close with Tyler, so it was cool to be part of that, definitely,” O’Grady said. “And then in 2019, I was in the (indoor batting) cage with (Reds legend) Barry Larkin working with me. That was the start of my turnaround. Those are moments that stand out.”
DREAM FULFILLED
The turnaround led to Jody Davis calling O’Grady late one night, while Grady was at home with his parents. It was to let him know the Reds were calling him up from their Triple-A team in Louisville to make his MLB debut, which occurred on August 8, 2019.
“It meant everything to me, because that’s all I worked for, as long as I can remember,” said O’Grady, a Philadelphia native, who was drafted by the Reds in the eighth round of the 2014 draft out of Rutgers University.
“The only thing I ever wanted to be was an MLB player and it was very special. It was a really, cool moment and I had had scramble to figure out how I was getting from just outside Philiadelphia to Cincinnati in four hours, but it was really cool.
“I got to the game (previous night on Aug. 7) late and I was on-deck to pinch hit when (former Blue Wahoos catcher) Tucker Barnhart made the last out in the 8th, so I didn’t debut that night.
“The following night I pinch hit and standing on the on-deck circle and just trying to take it all in was incredible. My legs were kind of shaking walking up to the plate. And it was just surreal to finally make it there.”
O’Grady wound up playing 62 MLB games – parts of three seasons with the Reds in 2019, Tampa Rays in 2020 and the San Diego Padres in 2021.
He then traveled the world, playing for pro teams in Japan, Korea, Mexico and three different Independent League teams in the U.S. He was part of a post-season team last year with an Independent League team in Mexico. He played briefly again in Mexico to begin 2026, but officially retired in June.
He’s now an investor and working at BuggyWorx, the golf cart dealership in Pensacola’s Car City section.
All told, O’Grady played 12 years of professional baseball. He was a part of an Independent League championship with the Kansas City Monarchs, a franchise recently purchased by Blue Wahoos owner Quint Studer.
“I mean that is a heckuva career no matter what,” O’Grady said. “And I am very grateful and very blessed for everything that goes into it, for my career to last that long. But it’s all I ever wanted to do until my kids came along and now my wife and I are busy with them.
“But man, I got to play ball all over the world. I thought I was done and ended up going back. And Mexico last year was an absolute blast.”
In the playoff series, McGrady’s Union Laguna team in Mexico trailed by two runs in Game 6 of their playoff series when O’Grady hit a tying 2-run homer, then a teammate followed with a ninth-inning walk-off homer. In the deciding Game 7, O’Grady had a 2-run go-ahead single, but his team lost in the later innings.
“I realized how much people there care about winning,” he said. “It was just really fun to be part of it and the atmosphere in those games was incredible.
DIAMOND DIG THRILL
For the fourth consecutive year, the Blue Wahoos held their special theme event, “Diamond Dig,” sponsored by Bere’ Jewelers, following a game.
In this case, the winner reacted with jubilation, as he unearthed a trinket that was buried as treasure to exchange for a diamond and ring setting at Bere’ Jewelers. Following the Blue Wahoos game Sept. 12 and post-game fireworks hundreds of fans began digging with plastic spoons in a selected area of the infield.
Store owners Barry and Laura Cole were there to celebrate, just as they have the previous times.
“The greatest thing about it is Bere Jewelers providing an opportunity for people.. engaged couples… to get their engagement ring,” said Blue Wahoos president Jonathan Griffith. “The last person (2025 winner) was a school teacher and it made a difference in their life.
“Laura and Barry both talked about how great it was because they came into their store and took them around to get the ring. So that is the impactful thing about the night.”