Sometimes a minor league campaign is simply about survival, particularly for a pitching staff. Due to a number of factors, only 5 of the 13 pitchers who began the 2010 campaign here are still around – James Brandhorst is one of them.
That’s not to say James has been ineffective – in fact, he’s unscored upon in his last 5 appearances covering seven innings. But perhaps it’s Brandhorst’s size (at 6′-4″ and 245 pounds he’s one of our bulkier pitchers) or careful usage which has led to his durability over the course of a 140 game season. Overall, he’s made a team-leading 40 appearances covering 51 innings.
Obviously he’s been on the wrong end of some decisions as his 1-7 record would indicate, but a losing record is not atypical for a reliever who tends to come into the final innings of a close game. He also has 4 saves as the backup closer to the now-departed Josh Dowdy. But in 51 innings he’s piled up 60 strikeouts while allowing only 44 hits and 24 walks and a decent 3.53 ERA. The resulting 1.33 WHIP could be improved upon by allowing fewer walks but the 2009 20th round draft choice out of Lamar University is probably progressing on schedule.
James pitched well for Aberdeen last season (0-1 but with a 1.30 ERA and 4 saves in 27.2 innings) and appears destined to remain a reliever for his career. I’m sure the 22-year-old Texan (he turns 23 next week) doesn’t really mind so long as he continues to advance through the system.