Rex Brothers Stats & Scouting Report

IP	322
ERA	4.081
WHIP	1.488
BB/9	5.366
SO/9	11.012

Full name Rex Colman Brothers
Born 12/18/1987 in Unionville, TN
Profile Ht.: 6'0" / Wt.: 205 / Bats: L / Throws: L
School Lipscomb
Debut 06/06/2011
Drafted in the C-A round (34th overall) by the Colorado Rockies in 2009 (signed for $969,000).

View Draft Report

As a prep player in Tennessee, Brothers made the rounds of baseball camps in the state, attending Vanderbilt and Middle Tennessee State, among others. Still, his best offer came from Lipscomb, which became a full NCAA school in 2004. He was the Atlantic Sun Conference's top freshman in 2007, going 7-4, 3.51, then led the Bisons to a regional bid last season, striking out 96 in 97 innings. He pitched in the Cape Cod League last summer, showing a power arm, and has improved significantly this spring, coming out of the gate throwing 92-94 mph with low-80s sliders against Georgia Tech. His stuff got better as he showed a smoother delivery, eliminating a head whack that hampered his command. At his best, Brothers showed two plus pitches: a fastball in the 94-96 mph range that touched 97, and a filthy slider in the 85-87 mph range. Some scouts see Brothers' delivery, which is still not smooth or easy, and want to put him in the bullpen. Several compare him to Randy Myers, who had similar size and stuff and fashioned a 14-year major league career. Others note that Brothers holds his velocity deep into games and should get a chance to start. His matchup with Kyle Heckathorn and Kennesaw State--a huge weekend in the Peach State, when North Carolina visited Georgia Tech and Louisiana State was at Georgia--was perhaps the heaviest-scouted game of the spring, and he delivered with his best stuff, making himself a surefire first-round pick.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

The 34th player taken in the 2009 draft, Brothers has moved quickly since signing for $969,000. Converted to a reliever after turning pro, he reached Double-A in July of his first full pro season, struggling initially but finishing with a 1.50 ERA and 18 strikeouts in his final 12 innings. He continued to perform well in the Arizona Fall League, where he appeared in the Rising Stars Game. Brothers has just two pitches, but they're both nasty and he goes right after hitters with them. His fastball touches 97 and sits comfortably in the low to mid-90s with running movement. His mid-80s slider has dramatic late tilt, allowing him to use it as an out pitch against both lefthanders and righthanders. Command and control are all that stand between him and a big league promotion. Tulsa pitching coach Bryan Harvey helped smooth out Brothers' mechanics, getting him to eliminate a shoulder rotation that caused his pitches to stay up in the zone. Harvey draws compares Brothers to Billy Wagner. The Rockies will give Brothers a long look in big league camp after nearly promoting him to the majors last September. The team's closer of the future, he'll probably open 2011 in Triple-A and reach Colorado during the season.
After setting a Lipscomb record with 132 strikeouts in 94 innings, Brothers projected to go in the middle of the first round of the 2009 draft. The Rockies gladly scooped him up with the No. 34 pick, making him the second-highest drafted player in school history behind Bo McLaughlin--who's now Colorado's minor league pitching coordinator. Brothers signed for $969,000. Though he was a starter in college, Colorado envisions him as a power lefthanded closer in the mold of Randy Myers. Brothers' fastball sits at 94-96 mph and touches 97, while his slider parks in the mid-80s and peaks at 89. He has plenty of life on his pitches to go with his velocity, making it very difficult for hitters to square him up. He has a resilient arm that will serve him well in the pen. Brothers' pitches move so much that he has trouble commanding them at times. He focused on developing his changeup during instructional league, though it will always be his third option and he won't need it as much as he would as a starter. Brothers reached low Class A at the end of his pro debut and could advance to Double-A to start 2010. He should move very quickly as a reliever, and if he throws enough strikes, he has the type of stuff that could land him in Colorado by the end of the season.

Minor League Top Prospects

The 34th overall pick in the 2009 draft, Brothers spent just one full season in the minors before getting called up to Colorado in early June. He was just as dominating with the Rockies as he had been with the Sky Sox, averaging 13.1 strikeouts per nine innings against big league hitters. With a lethal fastball-slider combination, Brothers has the stuff to eventually become Colorado's closer. His heater sits in the mid-90s and can reach 99 mph. His slider has sharp bite and is a true power pitch in the mid-80s. There's a lot of effort in his delivery, which sometimes hampers his control.
A starter in college, Brothers has worked exclusively as a reliever as a pro and is on the fast track to Colorado. He spent the first half of the season in high Class A, joining Tulsa at the beginning of July and limiting TL opponents to a .177 average. Lefthanders hit just .098 against him. Brothers is a stocky, aggressive pitcher who loves to go after hitters with his power arsenal. His fastball peaks at 97 mph, though he pitches more often around 95, and it shows good movement. His hard slider is also tough for hitters to square up. He doesn't use his changeup much and shouldn't really need it. Brothers' control and command still need some work but should be plenty good enough. He looked at home in the back of the Drillers bullpen and should find a role in the Colorado next season.
Brothers has one surefire plus pitch in his explosive fastball, and the makings of a second in his slider. That repertorie, combined with his bulldog attitude and work ethic, ultimately should land him a late-inning role in a major league bullpen. Brothers, who compares to a young Billy Wagner because of his short, quick-arm delivery, works off a mid-90s fastball that tops out at 97 mph. His heater gets on top of hitters quickly and has two-plane sink. He complements his fastball with an 84-86 mph slider peaks at 89. Though he worked on a changeup during spring training, Brothers didn't use it much this season. Control and command are the only hurdles between him and the big leagues.