{"id":31764,"date":"2025-05-16T16:57:11","date_gmt":"2025-05-16T16:57:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/31764\/"},"modified":"2025-05-16T16:57:11","modified_gmt":"2025-05-16T16:57:11","slug":"huascar-brazoban-emerging-as-key-arm-in-mets-bullpen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/31764\/","title":{"rendered":"Huascar Brazob\u00e1n Emerging as Key Arm in Mets’ Bullpen"},"content":{"rendered":"

Huascar Brazob\u00e1n\u2019s<\/a> second year with the Mets is off to a much better start than the first.<\/p>\n

Brazob\u00e1n was one of four relievers acquired by the Mets last summer, joining Phil Maton<\/a>, Ryne Stanek<\/a>\u00a0and Tyler Zuber<\/a> in a July bullpen overhaul. While Zuber was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse and never appeared for the big-league club, Maton, Stanek and Brazob\u00e1n were all expected to play key roles down the stretch.<\/p>\n

That proved true for Maton and Stanek. Maton delivered much-needed stability in the later innings, posting a 2.51 ERA and 2.57 FIP across 31 appearances as a reliable bridge to Edwin D\u00edaz<\/a>. Stanek was similarly effective, compiling a 2.92 ERA and an impressive 2.27 FIP over 12 appearances from Aug. 13 onward, and became an invaluable asset in the postseason.<\/p>\n

Brazob\u00e1n, however, struggled to find his footing. Despite arriving amid the best season of his career \u2013 carrying a 2.93 ERA, 2.65 FIP and career-best marks with his WHIP (1.011) as well as his SO\/BB ratio (3.09) as a member of the Miami Marlins \u2013 the 34-year-old faltered early.<\/p>\n

In his second outing with the Mets, he surrendered a three-run homer to the Angels\u2019 Zach Neto<\/a> in the bottom of the seventh, blowing a 4\u20132 lead in a game the Mets would go on to lose. From that point on, he was largely kept out of high-leverage spots, finishing with a 5.14 ERA and 4.31 FIP across 21 innings, with 14 walks and 17 strikeouts in 19 appearances.<\/p>\n

Still, there were encouraging signs under the hood. Per Baseball Savant<\/a>, we can see Brazob\u00e1n excelled at limiting hard contact, ranking in the 100th percentile for all of MLB in both average exit velocity (82.3 MPH) and hard-hit rate (24.6%). He also generated swings and misses at an elite level, ranking in the 84th percentile in chase rate and 82nd in whiff rate.<\/p>\n

His most-used pitch, the changeup (thrown 28.9% of the time), was especially effective \u2013 holding opponents to a .160 expected batting average (xBA), a .198 expected slugging percentage (xSLG) and a. 205 expected weighted on-base average (xwOBA) with it. Each of those metrics ranked in the top 10 among pitchers who threw at least 200 changeups during the 2024 season.<\/p>\n

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Huascar Brazoban. Photo Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

So far in 2025, Brazob\u00e1n has been a revelation. Through 25 innings across 19 appearances, he owns a sparkling 1.08 ERA and a solid 3.30 FIP. He\u2019s provided much-needed versatility out of the bullpen, with seven of his appearances covering five or more outs, a crucial supplement to multi-inning options like Jos\u00e9 Butt\u00f3<\/a> and Max Kranick<\/a>. Brazob\u00e1n has also chipped in as an opener, tossing three scoreless innings in that role, and has even seen work in save situations.<\/p>\n

While some regression is likely \u2013 his expected ERA (3.16) and expected FIP (3.48) suggest he\u2019s been outperforming his peripherals \u2013 those figures still point to an above-average reliever. So what\u2019s changed for Brazob\u00e1n in 2025 that\u2019s driving this success?<\/p>\n

One notable development in Brazob\u00e1n\u2019s 2025 success has been a refined pitch mix. He features four pitches: a changeup, four-seam fastball, sinker, and cutter. After debuting in 2022 as primarily a cutter\/changeup pitcher, Brazob\u00e1n shifted to a more balanced mix last season. This year, however, he\u2019s leaned heavily on his two most effective weapons \u2013 the changeup and sinker \u2013 which now account for 79% of his total pitches.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s also begun tailoring his sequencing based on hitter handedness. Against right-handed batters, Brazob\u00e1n has significantly increased his sinker usage, throwing it 45.3% of the time \u2013 up from 31.3% in 2024 \u2013 while mixing in the cutter and changeup as secondary options. Against lefties, the changeup has become his go-to pitch, using it 48.1% of the time \u2013 up from 41.2% last season \u2013 while complementing it with a mix of four-seamers and sinkers. This more intentional, matchup-specific approach has helped him generate more consistent outs across the board.<\/p>\n

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For the first time in his career, Brazob\u00e1n\u2019s best pitch isn\u2019t his changeup: it\u2019s his sinker. With a fastball run value (the run impact of an event based on the runners on base, outs, ball and strike count) in the 97th percentile, his sinker has generated the third-highest run value among primary relief pitchers who\u2019ve thrown at least 100 sinkers in 2025, trailing only former Met Steven Matz<\/a>\u00a0and Tyler Rogers<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s made the difference? It\u2019s not increased velocity or movement \u2013 the underlying \u201cstuff\u201d is largely unchanged. Instead, the secret lies in command. According to FanGraphs\u2019 Location+<\/a> metric, Brazob\u00e1n\u2019s sinker has a 119 Location+ rating this year, meaning he\u2019s 19% better than league average at placing the pitch where it needs to be. That marks a significant improvement from 2024, when his Location+ on the sinker sat at just 94. The improved command is backed up by career-bests in walk rate metrics: just 2.2 walks per nine innings this year (career average: 4.5) and a 4.0 SO\/BB ratio (career average: 2.17).<\/p>\n

He\u2019s also jumped from the 11th to 77th percentile in walk rate. Combined with slightly above-average pitch quality (104 Stuff+), this improvement in command has helped transform his sinker from a liability into a legitimate weapon to pair with his already strong changeup.<\/p>\n

So far in 2025, hitters are managing a slash line of .133 BA\/.133 SLG\/.155 wOBA against his sinker. While the expected numbers, being .220 xBA\/.281 xSLG\/.245 xwOBA, suggest some regression is possible, they still represent a massive improvement from 2024, when opponents hit .400\/.567\/.466 against the pitch. If Brazob\u00e1n continues to command his sinker with this level of precision, the Mets may have uncovered a hidden gem in their bullpen.<\/p>\n

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