Position: RHP
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 180 lbs
Bats/Throws: R/R
Born: 11/17/1993
College: University of Akron
How Acquired: Drafted 6th round, 187th Overall, 2015
Bonus: $200,000
40-man Roster: Yes
Rule 5 Eligible: N/A
Minor League Free Agency: N/A
Options Left: 2
Overview
Brubaker got on the draft charts with a good junior season at Akron, posting a 3.63 ERA. The Pirates selected him in the sixth round and he signed for $46,500 below the slot amount. He didn’t make a big impression in the low minors, but once he reached AA he started pitching much better. Brubaker throws the standard four pitches, although he doesn’t use his change much. His fastball averages a little over 93. He has a very high-spin curve, but uses his slider a lot more often even though the curve has been a more effective pitch. Since reaching the majors, he’s shown the ability to miss a lot of bats, but so far he hasn’t been consistent. Injuries have hit him a couple times.
2015-16
Brubaker pitched well in his draft year in short-season ball, then continued to do so in low A in 2016. He spent half the season there, then went to Bradenton — then in high A — and struggled. Oddly, he had very low K rates in short-season ball and at Bradenton, and a very high one (11.2 K/9) in low A. He had trouble with gopher balls and left-handed hitters.
2017-19
A little surprisingly, the Pirates sent Brubaker to Altoona, but it worked out well enough. The results were pretty similar to his performance in high A, but his xFIP (3.79) was better than his ERA (4.44), so he was probably better than some of the numbers showed. In 2018, the results finally started to match the stuff. The Pirates sent Brubaker back to AA, but he was outstanding through six starts and they moved him up to AAA. He got uneven results there initially, but improved in July and was outstanding in August. His biggest problem was left-handed hitters, as his opponents’ OPS was 200 points higher against them than against right-handed hitters.
The Pirates added Brubaker to the 40-man roster after the 2018 season, but he ended up with a lost season in 2019. After four starts he went out with a forearm strain. He returned for two rehab games in June, then suffered a setback and missed the rest of the season.
2020-22
Brubaker made the Pirates’ roster for the pandemic season. He appeared twice in relief early in the season, then moved into the rotation due to injuries and stayed there. Considering the time he missed in 2019, he did reasonably well, better than his 4.94 ERA. He was hurt by a slightly high BABIP of .321 and a slightly low strand rate of 68.8%, so his xFIP was 4.14. His ability to miss bats improved over what it had been in the minors, as he fanned just over a batter an inning Left-handed hitters remained his biggest problem.
In 2021, it looked like Brubaker was headed for a breakout season. He got off to a great start, posting a 2.58 ERA through seven outings. After that, things went south. The difference was almost entirely gopher balls. He gave up 22 in his last 86 innings, leading to an ERA of 6.59 in his last 17 starts. At one point he lost nine straight decisions. For the year, opponents slugged .480 against Brubaker. He missed the last month of the season due to right shoulder inflammation. The 2022 season was more of the same, as Brubaker continued missing bats and had good stretches, and even cut the gopher balls from 2.0 per nine innings in 2021 to 1.1. In the end, the numbers were similar to 2021.
2023
Brubaker was impressive during spring training and seemed ready to take the long-awaited step forward. Unfortunately, at the end of camp he went out with elbow discomfort and ended up having Tommy John surgery. He’ll be out at least until late in the 2024 season. That will be his second year of arbitration eligibility.
Stats
Transactions
June 9, 2015: Drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 6th round, 187th overall pick; signed June 12.
November 20, 2018: Contract purchased by the Pittsburgh Pirates.