Ryan Brasier found himself with the Dodgers. Could a return to the AL East be in the cards
Every season, MLB is filled with stories of players who struggle with one organization and then move to a new club, only to see their performance level change dramatically. Sometimes it’s a fix, sometimes it’s just a change of environment, but it’s a very common occurrence.
One of the big names who will experience this phenomenon in 2023 is a veteran who is all too familiar with the AL East environment. Ryan Brazier went from being claimed off waivers to a dominant nightly option for a World Series contender. Brazier, who turns 37 midway through next season, was the epitome of a latecomer, pitching nine innings for the Angels in the major leagues before playing the under-30 season. Five years later, the right-hander found great success in Boston, where he played a key role in the 2018 World Series winning roster.
After that year, Brazier made some progress in subsequent campaigns, but faced volatility for most of his tenure in Boston.In 2022, Brazier had an outstanding campaign. He did it with a 5.78 ERA in 62.1 IP, but a very respectable 3.61 FIP. There’s definitely something left in the tank to work with, but that wasn’t the case for the Red Sox.
He still opened 2023 with the team, but was released on May 21 after playing 20 games. Then the Dodgers came in.
Los Angeles signed Brazier to a minor league contract on June 5, and the veteran pitched just three innings before being called up to the major leagues with Oklahoma City (the Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate). West Coast Brasier’s most significant change was the addition of a cutter, which had not previously been part of his arsenal. He was primarily used against lefties, with a 27.2% chance of seeing him there. Brazier also started throwing more often and generally had a balanced arsenal in Dodger blue. And the result was this. His BABIP (.344), which was ridiculously high in Boston, was very low (.183) during his time with the Dodgers. With a more efficient payout, his ground speed went through the roof. He hit 34.1% in 21 innings with Boston and 51.1% in 38.2 innings with the Dodgers. Let’s take a look at how much the beating heart has sunk in 2022 compared to last season.
The bottom line is that opposing hitters stopped getting as many meatballs and couldn’t square up against Brasier’s extended arsenal, and although that BABIP will likely regress somewhere closer to the middle of those two extremes, the changes are sustainable and Brasier could very well have found his best form again. As far as the team fit, Brasier falls in line with a few of the relievers we’ve discussed here recently, especially in the sense that a variety of factors probably limit him to a one-year deal at an affordable rate for this organization.
Boston wasn’t able to find these refinements in Brasier’s game in time, but the Yankees could be the beneficiaries if they pick him up after his season abroad outside of the AL East.
There has already been smoke indicating interest from New York, and rumored target of intrigue Hector Neris is now off the board. Matt Blake’s coaching philosophy fits well with the changes he made out west, providing a sounding board to continue his fine tuning and keep this new repertoire thriving.
Brasier shouldn’t be too costly on the open market due to his age and short-term record of success, but he’s an ideal target to add to the middle of the bullpen.
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