Jake Brigham Stats & Scouting Report

IP	16
ERA	9
WHIP	2.25
BB/9	4.5
SO/9	6.75

Full name Jacob Daniel Brigham
Born 02/10/1988 in Winter Garden, FL
Profile Ht.: 6'3" / Wt.: 210 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Central Florida Christian
Debut 06/30/2015
Drafted in the 6th round (178th overall) by the Texas Rangers in 2006 (signed for $200,000).

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Few players in the high school class took a bigger step back from last fall to this spring than Brigham. He has shown a feel for pitching, a pair of potential plus pitches in his fastball and breaking ball and a fluid, easy delivery in the past. His delivery looked more mechanical this spring, and his control and velocity suffered. At his best, Brigham features a low-90s fastball, which has been up to 94 mph, and a hard-biting 82 mph slider. His arm works well from a high three-quarters slot that allows him to pitch downhill. He has shown good command and a feel for pitching, though he isn't as aggressive as he should be. Brigham played at a small high school, and some scouts said he played down to his poor competition. He regained his command and velocity later in the year, with only a handful of scouts at some of his starts. Based on his past performance, he could still be drafted in the top three rounds, and a good performance at the Florida high school all-star game in Seabring could rekindle interest right before the draft.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Brigham's 2010 was a tale of two seasons. He started the year in high Class A Bakersfield and struggled, especially with the command of his overhand curveball. The Rangers sent him down to low Class A, where he turned his season around after abandoning his curveball in favor of a hard slider. Brigham's mid-80s slider acts almost like a cutter, and he showed the ability to throw it in the strike zone. His best pitch is his fastball, which ranges from 94-97 mph. He also dabbles with a splitter as a changeup but doesn't throw it often. Brigham has one of the best power arms in the organization, but he's still maturing on and off the field. Now that he's three full years removed from Tommy John surgery, Texas hopes he can turn the corner with his command and become more consistent in all facets of the game. Most club officials envision him as a late-inning reliever, but the Rangers will continue to develop him as a starter for now. They plan to challenge him with an assignment to Double-A to start 2011.
Brigham looked like a potential top-two-rounds pick heading into his senior year of high school, but he took a big step backward in the spring, and the Rangers signed him for a $200,000 bonus as a sixth-round pick in 2006. His velocity jumped in instructional league in 2007, when he touched 97 mph in short stints, but he had Tommy John surgery that fall and missed all of 2008. He started throwing bullpen sessions again that August and spent the next four months working on calming down his delivery and using his lower half better. By the time he got to spring training last year, he was comfortable with his new delivery, and the Rangers used him in tandem starts with Martin Perez at Hickory. Brigham has serious arm strength, and he sat at 92-96 mph touched 97 in 2009. He also flashes a plus downer curveball, a power pitch in the low 80s. His command is inconsistent, and sometimes he takes his hand out of his glove too late, throwing off his timing. His nascent changeup has a long way to go, but he might not need it if he winds up in the bullpen, where some club officials believe his power two-pitch repertoire and attacking mentality would be a good fit. For now he'll continue to work as a starter, and Texas likely will send him back to low Class A to work on his control and learn how to win games.

Minor League Top Prospects

Brigham has the components necessary to be a middle-of-the-rotation starter. He has a durable, athletic build and a clean, simple delivery that he can repeat. His fastball ranges from 90-94 mph and it jumps on hitters thanks to some deception in his delivery. He holds his velocity deep into games. He doesn't have tremendous arm speed, so Brigham will have to improve his command in order to achieve his ceiling. His breaking ball shows plus break with three-quarters tilt, though it's inconsistent. He'll mix in a cutter against lefthanders and has rudimentary feel for his changeup.