Brian Bruney is a bullpen anomaly.
After posting a 4.86 ERA in the first half, Bruney has seemingly settled down since the All-Star break, throwing 16 1/3 innings of 3.31 ERA ball. However, Bruney’s ERA is a beautiful illusion—the product of good luck and good defense. Over the last 30 days, Bruney has pitched 7 1/3 innings. During this period, he has a .176 BABIP and an 8.81 FIP. He also has a 2.45 K/9 and a 12.27 BB/9. Still, despite these numbers, Bruney’s ERA is a mere 1.23 over the last 30 days. Remarkable, right?
Because of his second half, Bruney’s season ERA has fallen to 4.09 (his season FIP is 5.33). As evidenced by his 8.18 K/9, Bruney can still punch out batters with regularity, however, his main problem is command. He walks 6 per 9 and has not been an efficient reliever.
At some point—not this season, but over the winter—the Yankees are going to have to figure out what they have with him. He can’t really be trusted in the later innings due to his propensity to walk batters, so what’s the point of keeping him around? Does he really deserve to be with the team? He has good stuff, but, at what point does stuff become irrelevant if you can’t throw strikes?
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10 Responses to What to make of Brian Bruney
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TIQ IQ
A few things, Chris. First, he only makes 1.25 mil, so there’s no need to get rid of him. Even if he never figures out how to throw enough strikes he would still have value as a low leverage 6th-7th inning guy.
Next, if we were to let him go we’d need to figure out who’s taking his place. Hughes is targeted for the rotation next year, so the bullpen will be down one of its best arms next year. Will Marte be healthy? Can D-Rob step up or is he a one year wonder? Will Edwar or Alby ever stick at this level? Until we answer all those questions, I can’t see cutting him loose.
THE secondary pitch hasn’t been there since the elbow.Don’t give up on a 96-97 mph heater and past success because of a lack of patience.That attitude has already ruined Wang.
Comparing Bruney to Wang is really not close… Wang lost velocity on his sinker was getting destroyed and never really recovered it at any point so he was never going to be a factor with that sinker.
The comparison is the fact Yankees handled Wang poorly by pressuring him when he wasn’t 100% yet off of a winter of sitting around doing nothing.The sinker would have returned with better and better conditioning.INSTEAD, yankees fooled around with arm angles and pressured him and ruined a top pitcher.
Don’t ruin Bruney with a lack of patience also.Wang had done it before and would have again by now also.Wait on Bruney, keep sending him out there, he’s done it before and the velocity is there.
Bruney has also had very bad times before, I mean for a guy with his velocity and stuff he was released by the Diamondbacks because he couldn’t get his control down and he couldn’t get the ball over the plate. You don’t have to cut him this year but look at Jose Veras, he throws 97 but can’t find the strike zone and last year he did OK with some inconsistency but a year later he can’t finish a game in the 9th with a 10 run lead earlier in the year against the Indians and he got DFA’d now Bruney can’t close down a game with a 10 run lead. Just because you throw hard doesn’t mean you are a good pitcher, ask Daniel Cabrera and the Orioles and Nationals about that one.
As far as Wang goes the Yankees may have rushed him back but to say he for sure would have got his velocity back is bogus… He never lost velocity like that before so you have nothing to go off of to say “he’s done it before” yes he has been injured before but he never lost his hard sinker this year he did and it wasn’t because he was lazy in the off season or was told not to work out his legs or whatever he just wasn’t right after hurting his foot he never had the footing down and he was aiming the ball and the sinker had no sink he was just plain bad. It’s a lot easier to blame the team when you have absolutley no idea what was really going on because you weren’t there.
I don’t expect to you to agree because I don’t expect you to say anything I agree with you over react and look to blame the team you claim to “root for” for everything that ever goes wrong.
The Yankees need to do better then an inconsistent Bruney. After he lied about his health earlier this season do the Yankees owe him any loyalty?
HE lied about his health to play for the team… Should Damaso be cut from the team too? He did the exact same thing and so did Alex last year so we should probably DFA Bruney, Marte and Arod because we don’t owe them loyalty.
His lie forced the team to DFA a player at the time.
only if they need a strikeout in the playoffs and series.Bruney is very close.
Gaudin has a better K/9 rate then Bruney. I would much rather have him on the post season roster.