Brash Takes Center Stage: Mariners Reliever Shines in First Live Bullpen Session of Spring Training
The Seattle Mariners bullpen could get a big boost in the near future.
High-leverage reliever Matt Brash missed all of 2024 due to recovering from Tommy John surgery. By several accounts from team executives, Brash has been ahead of schedule and is on his way for a return in the first month of the season. That’s roughly two months ahead of his original timeline, which had him making his way back around the All-Star break.
The Seattle hurler took the latest step in his recovery and threw his first live bullpen of spring training on Wednesday morning in Peoria, Ariz.
Brash faced Ryan Bliss and Luke Raley in the live BP session.
The environment was very controlled for Brash. Per a report from Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times, Bliss and Raley weren’t allowed to swing.
A subsequent report from Divish said that Brash had full spin rate on his breaking balls. His fastball was in the 93-95 mph range. That’s roughly three-to-five mph off of his average velocity of 98.1 in 2023, per Baseball Savant.
Brash made the most appearances for the Mariners in 2023. He had a 3.06 ERA in 78 outings and struck out 107 batters in 70.2 innings pitched.
Brash’s consistency made him one of the most important pitchers on the team. If he returns to the fold ahead of his original timeline, he’ll rejoin a bullpen that includes a solid back-end of Collin Snider, Gregory Santos, Troy Taylor (when healthy) and closer Andres Munoz. Barring any setbacks, that has the potential to be a very dangerous group of relievers.
