Before you decide to close out of the article, this isn’t another “Brach is deserving of an All-Star jersey” piece, simply because I don’t care about the All-Star game. However, I can tell you that Brad Brach has been a valuable asset for the Orioles in 2016, and really since he was acquired by Baltimore from the San Diego Padres via trade in 2013.
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What makes Brach so valuable – especially in 2016? The fact that the Orioles have a weak starting pitching staff and can typically only pitch into the 5th or 6th inning of every game. While I’m not ready to proclaim Brach is on the Dellin Betances or even Andrew Miller level – he’s just as valuable to the Orioles as the Yankees “No Runs DMC” crew.
Brad Brach’s three pitch arsenal (fastball, change-up and slider) have generated a 31.6% strikeout percentage, and while that percentage is not on the Betances, Miller or even Craig Kimbrel level, it certainly puts him among the top 25 among all qualified relief pitchers (according to FanGraphs). However, despite the strikeouts and low ERA, one thing that sticks out – the lack of ground-balls which is 39.3% – certainly a number you would love to see closer to 50% or even 45%. Despite the low overall total number of groundballs, his change-up has exceptional fade – resulting in a lot of swing and misses as well as groundballs.
As far as contact and exit velocity, Brach’s average exit velocity this season, according to MLB Statcast data has been 86.9 mph – which is below the league average of 89.2 mph for 2016.
Between his lower than league average exit velocity and his batting average on balls in play (.202) – I don’t think any Orioles fan is assuming he will continue to dominate after the All-Star break like he has during the first half of the season, but with late inning reliever Darren O’ Day still out with an injury and the fact that the bullpen is heavily used day in and day out, it’s easy to see why Brach has helped the Orioles remain in first place this late into the season.
Reggie Yinger has spent the parts of five seasons as a Player Development Coordinator for the Baltimore Orioles. He has extensive experience in computer programming and baseball.