Tigers southpaw Brant Hurter is an under-the-radar hurler hunting soft contact
Brant Hurter is a reliable target who flies a lot under the radar. Since signing with the Detroit Tigers in August 2024, the 6-foot-6, 250-pound southpaw has posted a 2.49 ERA and 3.41 FIP over 64 appearances spanning 119 1/3 innings. In addition, he registered a pair of saves and a 13-4 losing record.
He has started the current campaign well. Hurter pitched 11 times and allowed just three earned runs over 11 frames. His exit was timely. The 2021 seventh-round pick out of Georgia Tech won all three of his decisions.
In keeping with his low profile, Hurter wasn’t considered coming out of college, and he wasn’t considered a future star while down on the farm. That’s not to say our lead analyst didn’t see the future of the big league. Ranked 17th with a 40 FV on our list of Tigers Top Prospects for 2024, Hurter was described by Eric Longenhagen as a pitcher who “could see him in a key relief role.”
The lack of power profile was, and still is, a limiting factor. At 92.2 mph, Hurter’s fastball ranks in the 18th percentile for velocity, while his strikeout rate is 22.8% for his career, and just 16.3% this year. Mason Miller is not.
How does a classic Yellow Jacket fare? I asked him that question when the Tigers visited Fenway Park earlier this month.
“One of my strengths is going early,” answered Hurter, whose lineup relies heavily on the sinker (65.6%) and sweeper (23.6%), and also includes a changeup (7%) and four-seamer (3.8%). “I don’t need to clear the corners as much. I get soft contact, so the focus is on making sure I fill the space. If hitters aren’t expecting it. [pitches to be] balls, he can chase me.”
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The 27-year-old from Woodstock, Georgia isn’t exactly the epitome of a strikeout specialist, although his walk rate (7.0% on the season, 7.3% since becoming a Tiger) is indicative of a strikeout pitcher. In terms of soft touch, he gets his fair share. Hurter’s slugging rate is 6.1% this year, and his BABIP is a paltry .219. For his career, those numbers are 4.2 and .276.
Unlike many of today’s pitchers, he doesn’t aim for the middle and let his swing play from there.
“No, not much,” Hurter replied when asked if that’s his MO. “Against righties, a lot of times I’ll try to reverse my slider, or go in for a dip. Lefties have my power, so I’ll throw anything at them, anywhere. I’ll mostly walk, because that’s a lot easier, but I’ll go inside.”
Small sample sizes as they are — the calendar has yet to turn to May — the results of Hurter’s primary areas are curious enough to be worth mentioning. His batting average in sinks is currently .111, while his xBA is .268. In contrast, his pitcher got a .375 BA and a .210 xBA. Last season, those numbers were close (sinker .281/.272, sweeper .129/.124).
Asked for a summary of his most-used offerings, Hurter told me that his sink gets a good mix of horizontal and vertical motion, and while it tends to be pretty consistent over the course of a season, it “fluctuates a little bit” from year to year — much to his liking, it turns out. As he explains, “The vert has been going down. I don’t know why, but I’m not complaining. It’s a good problem to have.”
The numbers back that up. The vertical drop in Hurter’s sinker dropped from 28.0 inches in 2024 to 29.0 in 2025, and has reached 31.1 so far this year.
He started throwing his sweeper during his 2018 freshman season at Georgia Tech. Hurter called it a slide at the time, and although he now usually calls it a sweep slide, that’s mostly a matter of modern parlance. Usually, it’s the same tone he’s been throwing. However, he has raised the horizontal position. Hurter is averaging 13.3 inches on the glove side, up from 10.7 last year. Like his sink, his broom sees an increase in movement.
His delivery, which Eric described two years ago as “often found in the barn,” is still a big part of his performance.
“I think it’s very tricky for lefties, because it starts behind them,” explained the lower slot bowler. “It’s funny for the right-backs, and although it may not deceive them very much, I hide the ball well.
“And again, it’s about getting there early and keeping hitters off balance when you throw strikes,” Hurter continued. “If I can get a good sequence – and I won’t always have the same sequence, because not all hitters are the same – I’ll usually be successful. For me, it’s all about filling the space and, hopefully, getting some soft contact.”
