Left-handed reliever Rex Brothers has been two different pitchers. He was lights out in 2013 but struggled with a 5.59 ERA in 2014. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)
2014 PITCHING STATS
GP… IP…. W-L … ERA …. BB … SO … HR … SV … BSV … WHIP
74… 56.1…4-5 ….. 5.59 ….. 39 ….. 55 …. 7 …. 0 …. 6 … 1.85
Rex Brothers was both the biggest disappointment and the most confounding mystery of the 2014 season. His 5.59 ERA and 1.85 WHIP were shockingly bad, especially after his breakout 2013 season.
He was ineffective against both right-handed batters (271/.366/.395) and left-handers (.309/.424/.485) and his late-inning role was taken away in the second half of the season.
Brothers still threw hard, though his velocity was down a couple of ticks. According to Fangraphs, his average fastball velocity was 92.9 mph in 2014, down from 93.4 in 2013 and down from 95.2 in 2012. That’s not troubling in and of itself, but Brothers’ delivery looked out of synch at times and the sight of him bouncing curveballs in front of the plate was tough to watch.
There are two theories as to what caused the implosion. One is this that the Rockies tweeked his mechanics in hopes of helping him avoid future injuries and cut down on walks. The second theory is that Brothers simply lost confidence and came down with something akin to the yips.
I think it’s a little bit of both. I was told that there were nights when Brothers threw the ball well in the bullpen and then couldn’t repeat his delivery when he got into the game.
It’s all very perplexing because he was so good in 2013 and it would be hard to find a Rockies pitcher who works harder or studies more.
Brothers’ outstanding numbers in 2013 — a 1.74 ERA, 19 saves and a strikeout rate of 10.2 hitters per nine innings — led many to call him “the closer of the future.” I was among those who projected that role upon the lefty, and I was perplexed when the Rockies signed veteran righty LaTroy Hawkins and almost immediately anointed him the closer.
Looking back, there were signs that Brother wasn’t quite ready for the hottest seat in the bullpen. He got hit hard at times in 2013, but those hard hit balls always seemed to find leather. More disconcerting was his high walk rate (4.8 walk per nine innings).
Still, even Hawkins said he was “just keeping the closer’s seat warm for Rex.”
Manager Walt Weiss repeatedly said he had to lean on Brothers too heavily in the early going, but that doesn’t explain Brothers’ total ineffectiveness at times in the second half of the season.
At season’s end, Weiss said he fully expected Brothers to regain his form and once again “become one of the elite left-handed pitchers in the National League.” A lot must happen for that to come true, but if Brothers regains his 2013 form, the Rockies bullpen will receive an instant and dramatic upgrade.
2014 Salary: $502,000
2015 Salary: $508,000
Stat of Note: .341 That was his BABIP (batting average when the ball is put in play). In 2013, Brothers’ BABIP was .280, so it’s clear that hitters were teeing off on Brothers in 2014.
GRADE: F
Tags: LaTroy Hawkins, Rex Brothers, Walt Weiss
