Despite late arrival to camp, Marlins reliever ‘a lot closer’ to being ready than anticipated
Huascar Brazoban on Thursday, finally, was able to throw off a mound in front of his Miami Marlins coaches for the first time this spring training.
He fired off 36 pitches in rapid succession with bullpen coach Wellington Cepeda close behind him and pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr. not too far away.
“I felt a lot closer than I thought I was going to feel,” Brazoban said.
That’s a positive, considering Brazoban’s situation. Before that bullpen session, he had to bide his time.
Brazoban was in the Dominican Republic as he waited for visa issues to get resolved as the first two weeks of spring training came and went. The 33-year-old right-handed relief pitcher finally made it to Marlins camp in Jupiter on Wednesday.
In the interim, Brazoban made sure he was as ready as possible for when he made it stateside. He worked out at the Marlins’ new state-of-the-art complex in the Dominican Republic and threw a 25-pitch live batting practice session against prospects also working out there before making his way to Jupiter.
The Marlins expect he will have plenty of time to get ready and be available for the start of the regular season March 30 when Miami hosts the New York Mets.
“I was working really hard over there,” Brazoban said, “trying to catch up with my teammates.”
And the Marlins have high hopes for Brazoban after his showing last season. Brazoban made his MLB debut on July 24 against the Pittsburgh Pirates, throwing a scoreless seventh inning in the Marlins’ eventual 6-5, 10-inning win.
He went on to make 27 total relief appearances, many in high-leverage spots, and pitched to a 3.09 ERA with 40 strikeouts against 21 walks and holding opponents to a .222 batting average against over 32 innings.
Brazoban induced a swing-and-miss rate of at least 45 percent with both of his most-used pitches last season — the cutter (45.5 percent) and changeup (46.7 percent). His fastballs, he throws both a four-seam and a sinker, both averaged about 97 mph.
The two-plus-month run in the big leagues was a solid first step for Brazoban — and a long-awaited step in his career that was never guaranteed. Prior to the Marlins signing him to a minor-league deal ahead of the 2022 season, Brazoban hadn’t played for an MLB-affiliated team since 2017. That four-season gap included two stints in the independent Atlantic League and time playing winter ball in the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Venezuela.
“It was an amazing opportunity, as you can imagine, being able to compete at that level,” Brazoban said. “I still don’t think I’ve shown 100 percent of all I’ve got. I think if I get the opportunity here, I can show them more of the things I’m able to do.”
Specifically, Brazoban knows he needs to get more pitches in the zone. While he is great at inducing swings and misses, the reliever also knows hitters are more advanced at the MLB level and are more willing to take pitches that they aren’t going to be able to hit compared to the competition he faced in the minor leagues.
“Last year, I thought I was throwing in a good zone for batters to chase,” Brazoban said, “but they were actually letting it go. This year, I’m going to have to attack more.”
Marlins manager Skip Schumaker on Wednesday said Brazoban is where the club wants him with his pitching progression. He will throw bullpen and live batting practice sessions before the team figures out the rest of his plan for spring training.
“He was a big part of the back end of the bullpen last year,” Schumaker said Tuesday, “so there’s no reason not to think he can be part of that this year.”
Brazoban being ready for the start of the season would add yet another layer of competition and depth to the Marlins’ relief pitcher corps.
Barring injuries, six spots in Miami’s bullpen seem to be locked up in lefties Tanner Scott, A.J. Puk and Steven Okert plus righties Matt Barnes, Dylan Floro and JTChargois. That leaves one or two spots open for the Opening Day roster depending on if the Marlins go with a five- or six-man starting rotation, a decision the organization is still mulling over during spring training.
In addition to Brazoban, righty Tommy Nance and lefty Andrew Nardi are relief pitcher options on the 40-man roster with a chance to break camp with the team although Nance is dealing with shoulder discomfort. Four prospects — lefty Josh Simpson and righties Sean Reynolds, Eli Villalobos and George Soriano — are also on the 40-man roster and part of big-league camp. Chi Chi Gonzalez and Devin Smeltzer are two non-roster invitees to watch for as well, along with Richard Rodgriguez, who the club agreed to terms with on Tuesday for a minor-league deal with an invite to spring training on Tuesday.
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