 He was originally signed by the Cardinals as an amateur free agent before the season.Brandt made his big league debut on April 21, 1956, against the Milwaukee Braves at Sportsman's Park, then was traded to the New York Giants almost two months later.In a noteworthy rookie season, he posted a .298 batting average (BA), 125 games played (G), 12 home runs (HR), and 50 runs batted in (RBI).