Mets reliever Huascar Brazoban poised for breakout

NEW YORK – There may be bigger stars in the Mets’ bullpen, but Huascar Brazoban is proving to be a key piece for a team that will lean heavily on its relievers this year.

Brazoban helped guide the Mets’ bullpen through a perfect weekend against the Blue Jays. The Dominican right-handed reliever threw 2 1/3 scoreless innings on April 5 to help preserve a 3-2 victory at Citi Field.

“You’re trying to save starting pitchers for around 75-90 pitches early in the season,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “And having relievers that can pitch multiple innings and still throw strikes and keep you in the game is huge. … Brazoban has been unbelievable, and we’re going to continue to need him.”

Brazoban, 35, was acquired by the Mets from the Miami Marlins at the last trade deadline. His standout pitch is his changeup, which he used to strike out George Springer on April 5. That was his only outing of the series and he gave up one hit in 25 pitches. 

Huascar Brazoban off to strong start

Brazoban was not only good this past weekend, but he has arguably been the Mets’ most valuable reliever. He has thrown 7 1/3 scoreless innings this season. He leads the Mets’ relievers in innings. 

Brazoban is one of four Mets relievers not to surrender any runs in the early going. He has six strikeouts and a WHIP of 0.55 so far. Brazoban also features a sinker he uses 36 percent of the time. He uses his cutter and fastball less frequently. His sinker sits between 93-96 mph. 

“I believed in myself and looked at a lot of videos to make myself better on the Mets,” Brazoban said. 

Huascar Brazoban made his MLB debut with the Marlins in 2022. He pitched 51 2/3 innings combined with the Marlins and Mets last season. He had 51 strikeouts, an ERA of 3.83, and a WHIP of 1.21.

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Brazoban is enjoying the passion of the fans at Citi Field. The environment in Queens is drastically different from the vibe with the small crowds in Miami.

“It’s very great to see all of these people supporting us,” he said. “It gets me pumped up and very emotional.”

Mets Opening Day starter Clay Holmes, who was a reliever for the majority of his career, has been impressed with Brazoban. 

“He is efficient, pitched a lot of big innings, and has been really important for us,” Holmes said of Brazoban. 

X-factor

Pitching coach Jeremy Hefner has been pleased with Brazoban’s ability to stay on positive pitching counts. Hefner rates Hefner’s changeup as one of the best in the majors.

Huascar Brazoban, who is signed through 2028, will definitely be an X-factor in the Mets’ bullpen. On a team with a somewhat average rotation, Brazoban and the rest of the bullpen will be crucial this season. 

No Mets starter went longer and 5 ⅓ innings in the three-game sweep over the Blue Jays. Because of the strong bullpen, though, the Mets beat the Blue Jays 5-0, 3-2 and 2-1.

The Mets’ bullpen gave up only one run over 14 innings in the entire series. Brazoban has thrown 149 2/3 innings over his four seasons in the majors. He has 160 strikeouts and 3.61 career ERA with a 1.32 WHIP.

“We tried to uptick the changeup usage because we do value that pitch a lot,” Hefner said. “The main thing with him is trusting himself and trusting his stuff. It’s good enough that he doesn’t have to nibble. And he can come right after guys and get outs.”