Shorebird of the Week – June 26, 2014

His stats and accolades have not been as gaudy as those of others in the Shorebird starting sextet, but lefthander Steven Brault is piling up impressive numbers this season for Delmarva.

This is a guy who may be considered a fringe prospect, as he was drafted in the 11th round last year out of Regis University in Colorado. But the California native did just fine at Aberdeen last season, posting an impressive 38/12 K/BB ratio in 43 innings last season, with a WHIP of 1.09 and ERA of 2.09 in 12 starts.

And that success has carried on to Delmarva, where Brault is now 7-3 despite a tough 1-0 loss in his last outing last Friday. It was the third time Brault had gone seven innings, but the first time he lost such an outing. He also went seven against Greensboro on April 17 and threw a complete seven-inning game against Hagerstown May 26. The latter was distinctive because Steven gave up six runs in the second inning but shut down the Suns after that, allowing the Shorebirds to come back for a 7-6 win.

Just like in Aberdeen, Steven boasts an impressive strikeout/walk ratio of 70/15, but has maintained a stinginess for allowing hits with just 60 given up in 79 innings. It leads to an outstanding 0.95 WHIP that leads the team among active pitchers. His ERA is a solid 2.73 to date.

Since he just turned 22 in late April, Brault is on a good schedule for development, providing yet another link in a chain of outstanding starting pitching for Delmarva – the Shorebirds led all of organized baseball with a 2.11 team ERA in May, which allowed them to make a run at the first half title. Success in the second half could depend on how many innings Brault is allowed to complete, since many prospects are limited by the Orioles to about 100-120 innings in their first full season and Steven has gone 79. His appearances may start being limited to 4 or 5 innings to keep his arm fresh – in a six-man rotation he could expect to have about 10 more starts this season. Certainly they want this lefthander to show his stuff at an advanced level next season.