Chicago Cubs’ Brad Brach proving his worth as notable offseason addition

When the Chicago Cubs signed veteran reliever Brad Brach to shore up their bullpen depth, not too many knew what to expect.

Sure, the Chicago Cubs Brad Brach had posted a 2.99 career ERA with the Baltimore Orioles and dominated during his second-half stint with the Atlanta Braves in 2018. But he was hardly a “household name” like Craig Kimbrel.

Then, of course, Brach was at the center of a mini-controversy after his physical turned up with a positive reading for mononucleosis, which drastically altered the original contract that he signed with the Cubs. When Brach’s velocity was down in Spring Training, fans feared that he had yet to regain full strength from the illness.

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But after the first month-plus of play, Brach is proving why his addition could be a critical piece to the 2019 championship puzzle. The right-hander has tossed 15 innings in 15 appearances, with a 2.40 ERA and 10.2 K/9, his highest since he was an All-Star with the Orioles in 2016.

Brach has been especially effective as of late. In his last seven appearances, the 33-year-old has allowed just one hit and no runs while striking out nine in seven innings of work. His ability to pitch in both high and low leverage situations has made him a commodity for manager Joe Maddon, who has used him both in long and short relief.

Considering the turmoil surrounding Brandon Morrow‘s injury situation and Carl Edwards’ quick stint in Triple-A, Brach has been the perfect stop-gap for a bullpen unit that needed some steadiness. In fact, Brach and Brandon Kintzler have arguably been the two most valuable arms in Chicago’s entire staff.

Part of the reason Brach is still so effective is his ability to throw every pitch in his arsenal. Though he has had inconsistent results with his slider, his fastball and changeup have often worked in tandem, with a sinker that bites in on righties for good measure. Thus far, Brach has a 2.5 value with the fastball and 1.6 value with the change, according to FanGraphs.

Of course, he has been far from flawless. Brach is running an egregious 9.6 BB/9 as of May 8, and his 4.07 FIP points to some possible regression. Still, Brach has yet to allow a homer, and his current 4.8 H/9 rate would be the lowest of his career.

For all of his shortcomings, Brach has managed to get critical outs in critical points in games. Opponents are hitless against him in high leverage situations, and batting just .125 in medium leverage situations.

The Cubs have gotten hot in recent weeks, and so too has Brach, who remains a vital arm in a rather makeshift bullpen unit.

*Stats current as of 5/8

When the Chicago Cubs signed veteran reliever Brad Brach to shore up their bullpen depth, not too many knew what to expect.

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