The Rangers released a veteran reliever Ryan Brasier from their Triple-A partners, by logging into the transaction at MiLB.com. Brasier has been playing well and was cut on June 1, suggesting there may have been an opt-out date in his contract with Texas. He joins the righty Josh Sborzwhich was also released from the Rangers’ Round Rock affiliate yesterday, when he returned to the open market.
Brasier signed a minor league deal with Texas in the offseason. He was in big league camp this spring but opted out of that minor league deal when he was told he wouldn’t make the roster. The 38-year-old righty and native of Texas eventually signed a new major league contract but never called up the majors despite strong results in the minors.
In 22 2/3 innings with the Express this season, Brasier has posted a respectable 3.97 ERA with some encouraging stats. He struck out an above-average 24.5% of his opponents, turned in a sharp 6.4% walk rate and induced grounders at a hearty 47.6% clip. He has struck out two batters so far – a 0.79 average in nine innings pitched.
Brasier’s velocity has been on the decline for a few seasons now, as one would expect for a veteran in his 20th professional season and approaching his 39th birthday (in August). He’s no longer hitting the 96 mph he once hit, but the 93.9 mph he averaged in Round Rock this season is in line with the 94 mph he averaged in the Cubs’ bullpen last year; Brasier threw 26 innings with a 4.50 ERA in Chicago last year (with a 3.74 SIERA and a very interesting 3.17 FIP).
Brasier pitched in parts of nine major league seasons and accumulated more than eight years of MLB service time. He made a brief MLB stint with the Angels in 2013 but didn’t establish himself as a big leaguer until he was 29 and a stint in Japan with the Hiroshima Carp helped turn his career around. A good performance in Japan earned him a minor league deal with the Red Sox, and he pitched with a 1.60 ERA in 33 2/3 frames for their club that won the World Series in 2018.
Since that return from NPB, Brasier owns a 3.96 ERA in 302 1/3 frames. As mentioned before, things aren’t where they were in his first 30 years, but even over the last three seasons, Brasier has worked to a solid 3.48 earned run average while striking out a league-average 22.3% of his opponents. His command is sharp at the end of his career; Brasier has posted a walk rate of less than 5% in three of the past four seasons, including each of the past two.
There are many teams around the league that have a much greater need for bullpen help than Texas. The Rangers shortstop has compiled a 3.39 ERA that ranks eighth best in the sport. They struggled a lot last month (4.43 earned run average), but they preferred to give the rookie a lefty. Robby Ahlstrom (just picked off the list yesterday) look over a veteran option like Brasier or Sborz. Brasier’s track record and solid performance in Triple-A this year should earn him a chance with another organization sooner rather than later – perhaps a major league contract.
