2021 Pittsburgh Pirates Previews: LHP Steven Brault
The Pittsburgh Pirates starting rotation looks a lot different entering Spring Training 2021 than it did a year ago. Three of the five projected starters from last year are gone as Ben Cherrington and his staff starts a rebuild. Despite the rotation's struggles last season, there was one pitcher who had a breakout season and pitched his way into the starting rotation. Left-handed pitcher Steven Brault has gone from a swingman to a permanent fixture in the rotation. He completely changed his approach last season calling himself a "Freaking Throwing Machine" and it ended up working as he worried about just throwing the ball rather than overthinking things.
In the end, he went from piggyback starter to full-time rotation member and went 1-3 with a 3.38 ERA in 42.2 innings of work. It was a big year overall for Brault as he performed at Heinz Hall with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, released a Broadway album, and had his best year on the mound. As the only left-handed option in the Pirates rotation, Brault is going to be counted on to provide a new look for opposing hitters. Brault will be turning 29-years-old at the end of April, and a good performance could put him on the trade block. He was on fire at the end of last season, but the question is whether or not he can bring that success into 2021.
2020: A Year to Remember
The 2020 season was the highlight of Steven Brault's career as he put together the best year of his Major League career. He was tabbed as the number five starter for the Pirates and was put in a Piggyback role with Chad Kuhl, who was coming off of Tommy John Surgery. Purely out of coincidence, Brault ended up starting the 2020 home opener and got his season off to a bang. He went the two innings that he was scheduled to go and allowed a hit while walking two and striking out one. That would kickstart his season as he went four consecutive starts without allowing an earned run as the first half of the PiggyBack tandem.
His only hiccup came in his one relief appearance on August seventh when he did not record an out and allowed four earned runs on three hits while walking three batters. Things were going good until he hit a stretch at the end of August where he couldn't recapture the magic of the beginning of the year. From August 25th through September 11th, Brault made four starts and pitched to a 6.75 ERA, and picked up all three of his losses. He knew something had to change if he wanted to stay in the rotation and not get moved back to the bullpen. That is when he sat down with catcher Jacob Stallings and the two talked about Brault just throwing and not thinking. Brault proclaimed after that he would be a "Freaking Throwing Machine", and changed his approach completely.
It was this change of approach that led to the best start of Brault's career on September 17th, 2020, against the St. Louis Cardinals. Brault pounded the strike zone picking up a career-high eight strikeouts while walking just two. He gave up a run early, but he just kept battling and his offense rewarded him with five runs in the fourth and fifth innings to take a 5-1 lead. Brault took things from there and finished the first complete game of his MLB career. It went down as his only win of the season and gave him momentum heading into his final start. He allowed just one earned run over his final 16 innings of work and set himself up for success as he moves into 2021.
Projecting Brault's 2021 Season
As Pirates fans, we are hoping that Brault can continue his success in 2021, but there are also some reservations. Brault has had success in the past, but it has never stayed consistent throughout his career. He enters 2021 with a new approach and a guaranteed spot on the Major League roster for the first time in his career. He joins Jameson Taillon and Mitch Keller as the three pitchers who are essentially locked into the Pirates rotation. The only problem is Brault has never spent a full season as a starting pitcher in his first five Big League seasons. He has always spent time between the rotation and the bullpen wherever the Pirates needed him.
In fact, the most starts he has ever made in a season is 19 back in 2019, and the most innings pitched he has ever had is 113.1 in that same season. If the 2021 season is to be a full Major League season, Brault is going to have to be counted on to eat innings and go deep into games to keep the bullpen rested up. He showed an ability to do that at the end of last season and as long as he can continue that into 2021, he will be a quality starter in Pittsburgh. However, being that he is 29-years-old, there is also a good chance the Pirates could trade Brault halfway through the season for prospects to stock up the Minor League system.
Overall, I think Brault will be an average starting pitcher in 2021, but will more than likely be traded before the Trade Deadline. I could see him pitching to an ERA in the high threes to low fours, and then being flipped for prospects at the deadline. He isn't going to bring in nearly the value that Musgrove did, but a quality left-handed pitcher is hard to find on the market. I am a huge fan of Steven Brault, even have his jersey, and think he is a great guy both on and off the field. I would love to see him stay in Pittsburgh, but if he can bring back a nice return, it may be worth trading him. Brault pitched his way to the starting rotation in 2021, now it's his time to stay there for good.
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