Report: Diamondbacks to Promote Jeff Brigham Amid Bullpen Shakeup

The Diamondbacks have shaken up their bullpen once again, as Arizona Sports insider John Gambadoro reports that the team will select the contract of right-hander Jeff Brigham. No corresponding roster move, both on the active and 40-man rosters, was reported.

Brigham, 33, is a veteran of five major league seasons. In 90 career appearances with the Miami Marlins and New York Mets, the right-hander has a 4.76 ERA with 121 strikeouts and 55 walks in 117.1 innings.

Following a failed attempt to reach the majors with the Minnesota Twins in 2024, Brigham signed a minor league deal with the Diamondbacks that December with an invite to Spring Training. While he did not make the club, he started the year with the organization's Triple-A affiliate in Reno. There, Brigham is 6-2 with a 5.23 ERA in 17 appearances.

Brigham utilizes a three-pitch mix: a four-seam fastball, cutter, and sweeper. The four-seamer averages just under 95 MPH and gets an impressive number of whiffs at 36.6%. He utilizes the cutter mainly against left-handed hitters, preferring to use his sweeper against right-handed hitters, where the pitch is theoretically more effective.

It's worth noting that it's important to look past a pitcher's ERA when evaluating player performances in the Pacific Coast League. The main takeaway from his numbers is that he misses bats at an exceptional level, with 32 of the 86 hitters faced (37.2%) going down on strikes. The walk rate is slightly elevated at 10.7%, but a significant difference between strikeout and walk rate suggests he can put away hitters when he executes pitches.

The one negative in his profile is that he's susceptible to the long ball. He's surrendered five home runs in 20.2 innings, which is still exceptionally high for the PCL. A deeper dive into the batted ball metrics indicates some poor luck, as two of the three tracked home runs have an exit velocity under 95.0 MPH.

Such contact resulting in a home run is rare at the major league level. In the Statcast era, there have been 314,246 fly balls or line drives hit with an exit velocity under 95.0 MPH. Only 1,591 (0.5%) have resulted in home runs. Chase Field is also a traditionally more difficult ballpark to homer in.

It may also explain a huge discrepancy between his actual and expected results on his cutter. Opposing hitters are batting .444 with an .889 slugging percentage, although based on quality of contact, he has a .156 xBA and .197 xSLG. One of the two home runs he surrendered with an exit velocity under 95.0 MPH came on the cutter to Drew Avans on March 30.

With the front side of the bullpen being a revolving door for much of the season, the Diamondbacks are hoping that Brigham can add some stability there.