INDIANAPOLIS — One day after throwing eight shutout innings, Steven Brault was running steps throughout the Victory Field seating area.
Up a row, down a row. Nothing fancy, just part of his routine and there’s no reason he’s going to change now. Not when he’s in the midst of a dominating stretch that is putting him on the cusp of getting back to the major leagues.
Plus, those monotonous steps play a key part into his success. But first, let’s look at the successes Brault has put on his resume for organizational management to consider:
**Brault’s 2.04 ERA is the lowest in the International League after throwing eight shutout innings against a prospect-laden Durham lineup.
**He’s only allowed nine earned runs over his last 10 starts.
**Brault’s ERA was 1.26 in May and 1.32 in June, while his WHIP was 1.08 in May and dropped to 0.91 in June.
**Brault has faced nine prospects ranked in the top-100. They’re only hitting .172 (5-for-29) against him, with two walks and 10 strikeouts. Yankees’ prospect Dustin Fowler’s triple is the only extra-base hit Brault has allowed against any of those top prospects.
**Brault has made it through six innings in all but one of his last nine starts, including a pair of 7-inning outings, and an 8-inning start.
Those consistent extended outings might be what pushes Brault back to the Pirates, as general manager Neal Huntington has extolled the value of starting pitchers not putting extra stress on the bullpen by only getting through five innings every time on the mound.
“We’re looking for guys that can get us into the sixth and get us into the seventh as often as possible,” Huntington said. “Steven has done a really nice job statistically at Triple-A, but we need to be a little bit more efficient with pitches. He was with his last outing. Tremendous to see. Just like Tyler (Glasnow) two starts ago. If those guys continue to pound the zone and get early-count contact and then bury hitters that they get ahead of, they’ve got a chance to really help us at the major-league level.”
Not surprisingly, Brault was one of two starting pitchers elected to the International League All-Star Game, decided by a vote of media, fans, and managers/coaches. He just may not make it that July 11 game in Tacoma, Washington.
“I think he’s definitely making a case for himself and the way he threw (against Durham),” Indianapolis manager Andy Barkett said. “And the way he threw (against Durham) I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t make it to that all-star game because of the way he’s pitching and he’s a lefty. We don’t have a lefty in the rotation up there. I think he deserves a chance with the first-half numbers he’s had. But it also depends on opportunity. But if they need a starter they obviously have one ready here.”
His starts have been good from beginning to end during the past two months. In the last 59 innings Brault has started, 35.5 percent of those have been clean without any baserunners. He hasn’t allowed a hit in 47.4 percent of those innings.
And nine of those clean innings have been in the fourth inning or later. Those clean innings are allowing him to pitch deep, finishing at least six innings in nine of his last 10 starts. That’s an attribute that any major league-caliber starting pitcher has to possess in order to not stretch a bullpen too thin.
“The next step is just efficiency and being able to get deeper into games and not just put up one or two-run outings at five innings, but get deeper into the games,” Huntington said. “Let’s get six into the system. Let’s get seven. Especially at that level, because five at that level doesn’t translate to five up here, even if it’s limited hits. He’s done that. He’s used his fastball around the zone. The velocity is ticking up again. As we talked about, pre-injury last year there was more velocity than what we saw up here post-injury. Again, another guy that we feel will help us possibly sooner than later.”
But finishing those late innings, and in turn, getting deeper into games, well, that’s where running those steps comes into play. And the runs on the stadium’s concourse or warning track.
Or maybe a run on a treadmill.
“I think a big part for me is my stamina has been really good,” Brault said. “It’s been nice to get through late innings quickly. That’s something I used to be able to do and something that has helped me go deeper into games that I was struggling with last season.”
Brault suffered a hamstring injury last season, which pretty much derailed his ability to go on those runs or sprint up steps. And in turn, his cardio levels took a hit. The cardio work has an added benefit for late innings, but Brault’s overall mindset is one of the most critical aspects to his development.
“I think a big part of it is really committing to the idea that my stuff is good enough to compete in the zone, so that’s what I’ve really been trying to do,” Brault said. “That is what has helped me reduce the walks and reduce the pitch count, just knowing that I can compete in the zone.”
The goal for Brault has been simple: attack hitters. Barkett and Indianapolis pitching coach Stan Kyles have both said they don’t want Brault dancing on the edges, trying to paint corners like lefty Tom Glavine. Brault is athletic enough and his fastball has good enough life to simply go after hitters.
“Now he’s forming his own identity,” Kyles said. “I’ve always encouraged him to be a guy that attacks the hitters. I think he thought of himself as more of a guy that was a Tom Glavine-type, who commanded the ball. I told him ‘I watch you throw, watch you move around and watch you pitch, and you remind me more of an Al Leiter type – a guy that takes the game to the hitters and being aggressive with your mindset.’ I’ve encouraged him to take that mindset into his games.”
Brault has already thrown more innings at Triple-A this season than he did last year, partly due to missing more than a month last year with a hamstring injury. He has 83 strikeouts in 88.1 innings this season, with a GO/AO of 1.33; compared to 81 strikeouts in 71.1 innings with Indianapolis last season, and a GO/AO of 0.83.
“It’s just understanding what he is and what he has to do to be successful to be efficient with his pitches,” Kyles said. “He has to pitch for contact and he can’t hunt the swing-and-miss. Now a days that’s a huge part of our game and I understand the sexiness of it — guys that are able to get swings and misses. But to me, the meat and potatoes of a very good starting pitcher in the big leagues is a guy that induces weak contact and is efficient with his pitches.”
And Kyles had an easy example to illustrate that point.
“(Jameson Taillon) is a perfect model of that — a guy that throws strikes and hunts weak contact, trying to get the ball on the ground as quick as he can,” Kyles said.
Brault is active on social media and he can’t help but see some posts by fans that tag his name and reference the thought it’s his time to be promoted to the Pirates.
He just takes all of that in stride. Brault feels he can compete at the major league level, but he’s not going to come out and say he should be in the major leagues.
“I feel that I’m ready,” Brault said. “When given the opportunity I think I’ll be ready to prove to everybody that I should be there. And I think if you don’t have that sort of confidence, you definitely shouldn’t be there. Whenever it comes, I’ll be ready.”
Brault is on the cusp of reaching the major leagues again. He’s a major league-ready option at Triple-A if the Pirates feel they need another starting pitching option. If Brault’s starts in July keep pace with what he did in the previous two months, that phone call from the Pirates might come sooner than later.
