Eude Brito

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Philadelphia Phillies #15 prospect in 2006
  When Brito was in high school, a teacher told him he was too skinny and short to become a major leaguer, and that he should focus on his other passion, singing. Brito became the first major leaguer from Sabana de la Mar in the Dominican Republic. Entering 2005, he was tagged as a situational reliever who would get extra work in the rotation at Triple-A. Yet he wound up filling in as an emergency starter for the Phillies down the stretch and beat the Braves with six shutout innings on Sept. 12. Nevertheless, his inconsistent command caught up with him in his final two starts for Philadelphia and means his future remains in the bullpen. Brito's fastball and power slider have shown flashes of being plus pitches. His fastball gets up to 95-96 mph out of the bullpen, but sits around 90 when he's forced to work longer stretches. It features sinking and tailing action. A jump in velocity during the 2004 season enhanced Brito's prospect status, but his command failed to improve. His changeup did, developing into an average pitch when Brito worked out of the rotation. He's most likely to open 2006 as a middle man in the Phillies bullpen.
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  Ranked Philadelphia Phillies #18 prospect in 2005
  Brito's fastball jumped from the low 90s to consistently hitting 95 and 96 mph out of the bullpen in 2004. It allowed the organization to project a much brighter future for him. Brito made a few spot starts in 2004, but was much more effective out of the bullpen. He posted a 61-28 strikeout-walk ratio in 69 relief innings, working predominantly off his fastball and slurvy slider. Lefties hit .276 in 105 at-bats against Brito, but the Phillies don't necessarily see lefty specialist as his long-term role anyway. The sinking, tailing action on his fastball should give righthanders fits as well, and he can show a changeup when needed. Once he hones his command--no reliever should walk a batter every other inning--Brito could be used as a two- or three-inning arm out of the bullpen. He could work out of the Triple-A rotation to get more innings in 2005, but he could also have a shot at making the Phillies bullpen out of spring training if he shows improved command.