Gabe Kapler and the SF Giants called on reliever John Brebbia a league-leading 76 times last season. But don't try to call him during the offseason. Bay Area News Group's Giants beat writer Evan Webeck tweeted that Kapler said that "Brebbia's a green texter," and recently acquired catcher Blake Sabol said it's easier to contact Brebbia via email than text.
The quirky Brebbia was a workhorse for the Giants in 2022, putting up a 3.18 ERA in his 65 relief appearances and 11 starts. But when the season ends, Brebbia becomes elusive. He goes off the grid, hanging out with his wife and three-year-old son Henry instead, leaving his phone off and turning his text messages green.
Or really, just email him. Brebbia can use the rest after his big workload, which happened two years after he had Tommy John surgery two days ahead of his 30th birthday in 2020. Before that, he'd been a strong candidate to be the St. Louis Cardinals' closer that season.
He wore down over the course of the season - batters hit .337 against him and slugged .576 from August 1 on. The Giants have a few more bullpen options this year, with Taylor Rogers and Luke Jackson on board. That means they should be able to limit Brebbia's workload to a more manageable 60-65 games.
Brebbia isn't just unusual because he collects umbrellas, reads intellectual books, carries a fanny pack full of snacks, and puts his beard in hair ties. He's unusual because he's a two-pitch pitcher - slider and fastball - and succeeds in spite of a low chase rate.
He gets by with a low walk rate, and at his best, preventing players from barreling up. Hitters simply don't make a ton of hard contact against Brebbia. And as anyone who texts him during the winter, he's a hard guy to contact in any sense.
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