Walking was a huge problem for Brecht. He had more walks than innings as a freshman, and 135 walks in 178 career innings for the Hawkeyes. He was also one of the top picks in the 2024 draft class and has a rare combination of physicality and athleticism.
Brecht will be sitting 96 (he was 95-98 during the instructions) and has touched 101. He has a relatively short stride down the mound for someone as big and athletic as he is, and his overall three-quarter lock negatively impacts the shape and movement of his fastball. It plays well below average pitch, even though it has plus-plus speed. Whatever can be done to help Brecht control his fastball or improve its motion will ideally be done without changing his slider, which is an 80-grade SOB reminiscent of Dinelson Lamet‘s circuit breaker from the 80s. Brecht also has a crazy low-90s change with big tail and fade. His secondary throws are so varied that it becomes difficult to stay on both at the same time.
Brecht is built like a marble statue standing six feet tall and weighing 235 pounds. He hasn’t been focused on baseball for very long nor is he in a developmental environment that can maximize his potential, although that may still be true because Colorado’s track record in developing weapons isn’t great. The gap between where he is now as a pitcher and what he could be is very large. There is precedent for teams solving problems like Brecht’s (Carlos Rodon‘s command was also a mess, although maybe not that bad), and he has a huge advantage if anyone can do that. Those right tail results are definitely baked into his FV figure, just like Brecht’s risk. At worst, Brecht looks like a potential late-inning reliever who works more on his secondary pitches than his fastball. He could be a three-pitch stalwart mid-rotation if he and Colorado can find better control.
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