Steven Brault

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Pittsburgh Pirates #7 prospect in 2017
  The Pirates acquired Brault and fellow lefthander Stephen Tarpley in a trade with the Orioles for journeyman outfielder Travis Snider in 2015. While Snider spent 2016 in the minors, Brault made his major league debut with the Pirates. It was the culmination of a stunning ascent for Brault, who three years earlier was majoring in music performance as an aspiring singer and just playing baseball on the side at the Division II level. Brault does not have a wipeout pitch. He succeeds by mixing three offerings and throwing them all for strikes with a deceptive, athletic delivery that features a low three-quarters arm slot. His fastball sits 87-90 mph and touches 92 with good sinking action. Some scouts give both his secondary pitches above-average grades. After throwing two breaking pitches earlier in his career, Brault now throws only a slider, and the pitch continues to improve along with an at-times plus changeup, which is becoming a better pitch against righthanders. An above-average athlete, Brault got hit in his first shot at the majors but attributed much of that to nerves. He also was uncharacteristically wild in 2016. Brault has a shot to win a rotation spot in 2017 out of spring training. While his stuff is ordinary, he has the smarts to eventually become a reliable back-end starter.
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  Ranked Pittsburgh Pirates #15 prospect in 2016
  The Pirates traded Travis Snider to the Orioles for Brault and fellow lefthander Stephen Tarpley just before spring training last year. Snider was released by the Orioles in August (and subsequently re-signed with the Pirates), while Brault had one of the best seasons of any pitcher in the Pirates system. Brault was a standout high school player in Grossmont, Calif., but he opted to play at the NCAA Division II level because he is a talented singer and Regis (Colo.) is one of the few schools that offer a vocal performance major. He also is a fine athlete and played center field in college when he wasn't pitching. Brault's stuff isn't overwhelming. His fastball tops out at 92 mph and sits at 89-91, while his curveball and changeup are ordinary. However, he has outstanding command of his pitches and pounds the bottom of the strike zone. That allows him to induce a healthy ratio of groundball outs and keep the ball in the park. He allowed just four home runs in 28 starts in 2015, which he finished with 90 innings at Double-A Altoona. Brault also knows how to swings the bat--he went 7-for-16 (.438) in 2015--which makes him even more useful to a National League team. He profiles as a back of the rotation starter, but he has the pitching know-how and athletic ability to push past that.
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  Ranked Baltimore Orioles #18 prospect in 2015
  A former two-way college player, Brault has produced on the mound since being drafted in 2013 out of D-II Regis in Denver. He was the first player to be Rocky Mountain Conference first-team as a pitcher and outfielder. Brault played center field and hit .397, and his athleticism has helped him on the mound. In two pro seasons, he has logged a 2.61 ERA and 1.01 WHIP, yielding just five homers over 189 innings. Brault profiles as a command-and-control lefty with a fastball that ranges from 88-92 mph. His changeup is his best secondary pitch, and he also throws a slider. Brault has a solid delivery, fields his position well and changes speeds. After throwing 130 innings at low Class A Delmarva, Brault should get a shot at the high Class A Frederick rotation in 2015. His ceiling is a back-end starter.
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  Ranked Baltimore Orioles #14 prospect in 2014
  Division II Regis in Denver never has produced a single-digit draft pick, but Brault came close. A two-way player in college, he had a tremendous junior season, ranking among the D-II leaders in doubles (20) as a hitter and strikeouts (103, ninth in the country) on the mound. All-conference as both a hitter and pitcher, he signed as a lefthander with the Orioles and had a strong debut in the short-season New York-Penn League, helping Aberdeen to its first-ever playoff berth. Also a talented vocalist, he sang the national anthem before an Ironbirds playoff game in September. The Orioles were careful with Brault's workload after he threw 78 innings in college, and he tossed more than four innings just three times. He showed a four-pitch mix, using a fastball, curve, slider and changeup. He pitches at 89-90 mph, touching 92, and uses an aggressive tempo. He pitched ahead in the count, kept the ball down and showed good sink. He repeats his delivery, which includes some deception because he hides the ball behind his body. His secondary pitches are fringe-average, with his slider being the best of the bunch. He likes to expand the zone with it. Brault's stuff could improve as he concentrates on pitching full-time, and he has solid athleticism. He fields his position and holds runners well and should begin 2014 in the low Class A Delmarva rotation. With solid command and a four-pitch mix, his ceiling is as a back-end starter.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #419 prospect in 2013 draft
  Division II Regis has never produced a single-digit pick, but Brault could change that after going 8-3, 2.63 with 103 strikeouts and 18 walks over 79 innings. He came to Regis from Grossmont High in San Diego, where he was a teammate of 2011 Blue Jays supplemental first-round pick Joe Musgrove. Brault has an athletic frame at 6-foot-1 and 170 pounds and plays center field when he's not on the mound. Scouts expect him to take his stuff up a notch when he focuses on pitching full-time. His fastball sits in the 88-90 mph range, topping out at 92, and he mixes in a decent slider. He can spot his fastball to both sides of the plate, but will need to improve his changeup. Even though he's a college pitcher, he's relatively raw. Brault, a vocal performance major, is also a talented singer.

Minor League Top Prospects

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  Ranked New York-Penn League #16 prospect in 2013
  A quick-twitch athlete, Brault played center field and pitched for Division II Regis, where he majored in vocal performance (he even sang the national anthem before an Aberdeen playoff game). The Orioles limited his workload this summer, but he dominated NY-P hitters, proving more polished than expected. ?He?s one of those cerebral lefties, but he also has a good arm and is very athletic,? Merullo said. ?He?s gifted and bright?just loves to pitch. And he?s been soaking up everything he can.? Brault has a loose, whippy arm action and uses a deceptive three-quarters arm slot, helping him hide the ball from lefties (who hit .194 off him) and righties (.237) alike. He worked in the 90-92 range with his fastball this summer, and it plays up because of its above-average sinking life and the deception in his delivery. He isn?t afraid to pitch inside with his fastball, which he can spot effectively to either corner. When Brault stays on top of his slider, it looks just like his fastball out of his hand but darts away from lefties at the last instant. He also can locate it down and in against righties. Brault even showed feel for a changeup with good arm speed this summer, giving him a chance for three average or slightly better pitches in time. The biggest knock on Brault is his lack of track record against quality competition prior to this summer, but he proved in the NY-P that he is a legitimate prospect with a chance to become a big league starter.

• December, 2016 Scouting Report
  Background: The Pirates acquired Brault and fellow lefthander Stephen Tarpley in a trade with the Orioles for journeyman outfielder Travis Snider in 2015. While Snider spent 2016 in the minors, Brault made his major league debut with the Pirates. It was the culmination of a stunning ascent for Brault, who three years earlier was majoring in music performance as an aspiring singer and just playing baseball on the side at the Division II level. Scouting Report: Brault does not have a wipeout pitch. He succeeds by mixing three offerings and throwing them all for strikes with a deceptive, athletic delivery that features a low three-quarters arm slot. His fastball sits 87-90 mph and touches 92 with good sinking action. Some scouts give both his secondary pitches above-average grades. After throwing two breaking pitches earlier in his career, Brault now throws only a slider, and the pitch continues to improve along with an at-times plus changeup, which is becoming a better pitch against righthanders. An above-average athlete, Brault got hit in his first shot at the majors but attributed much of that to nerves. He also was uncharacteristically wild in 2016.
  
  The Future: Brault has a shot to win a rotation spot in 2017 out of spring training. While his stuff is ordinary, he has the smarts to eventually become a reliable back-end starter.