Dan Wilson brought Harry Ford over shortly after the bullpen session ended on Saturday, and the Mariners manager inquired about the club’s top catching prospect’s performance. A hitter had just asked Ford about the forms of the breaking balls he was catching, while the game was still in progress.
“Dude, he’s got like the nastiest slider in the league,” Ford told me.
Matt Brash, the hard-hurling spin specialist who is recovering from Tommy John surgery that sidelined him for the whole 2024 season, was the focus of those discussions.
Saturday’s practice was Brash’s second of Spring Training, but it was significantly more intentional than any he’d thrown since the procedure last May, with him throwing more breaking balls to test his arm.
The majority of his throws were sliders and curveballs, but he did throw a few fastballs as well, at a lower level of intensity than he would be when he returns, which is expected in late April or early May.
Brash is managing the competitive impulse to let loose with the patience of not hurrying through this time-consuming and mentally draining exercise. By design, his fastball velocity was in the high 80s. The next major goal will be to throw a live batting practice this spring, though he is unlikely to pitch in Cactus League games.
“There’s no point [in pushing it] right now,” Brash remarked. “Obviously, I’d like to be up there, and the guys are throwing real at-bats today and doing all that. But I understand it. I’m not going to push it because I’ve been throwing since last summer and into this year. I know I’ll be back soon, and I won’t miss much of the year anyway.”
