SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - SEPTEMBER 14: Manager Dan Wilson #6 of the Seattle Mariners talks with home plate umpire Bill Miller #26 during the fifth inning against the Texas Rangers at T-Mobile Park on September 14, 2024 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)
Brash ramps up return from surgery with emphasis on breaking balls
PEORIA, Ariz. — Dan Wilson called Harry Ford over shortly after the bullpen session ended on Saturday, and the Mariners manager asked the club’s top catching prospect how it went. Moments earlier, while it was still underway, a batter asked Ford about the shapes to the breaking balls he was catching.
“Dude, he’s got like the nastiest slider in the league,” Ford said.
The subject of those confabs was Matt Brash, the hard-hurling spin specialist who is working his way back from Tommy John surgery that sidelined him for the entire 2024 season.
Saturday’s session was Brash’s second of Spring Training but far more deliberate than any he’s thrown since undergoing the procedure last May — one in which he was throwing more breaking balls to further challenge his arm
Over roughly 20-25 pitches, most were sliders and curveballs, but he did mix in a few fastballs, too, at an exertion not close to what he’ll be at when he returns — with a target date of late April to early May.
“I haven’t put too much effort into them so far, so it was nice to get off the mound and actually see the shape and all that,” Brash said. “But yeah, it feels good. I feel like some days are more off-boot focus, and others are more seeing where my velo is, that kind of thing. So it’s kind of feeling it through the process there, but it was nice.”
Brash is balancing the competitive urgency to let things rip with the patience of not rushing this elongated and mentally draining process. By design, his fastball velocity was in the high-80s. The next major benchmark will be throwing a live batting practice at some point this spring, though he’s not expected to pitch in Cactus League games.
“There’s no point [in pushing it] right now,” Brash said. “Obviously, I would love to be up there and guys are throwing live at-bats today and doing all that. But I get it. It’s been a long throwing program over last summer and into this year, so I’m not going to push it. I know I’ll be back soon, and I’m not going to miss too much of the year anyways.”
