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Detroit Tigers' Beau Brieske banking on new breaking ball whatever his role is in 2024
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- Detroit Tigers' Beau Brieske banking on new breaking ball whatever his role is in 2024
LAKELAND, Fla. — Detroit Tigers right-hander Beau Brieske , a former 27th-round draft pick , has tasted a little bit of everything as a pitcher in two MLB seasons.
A starter? He started all 15 games in 2022. A reliever? He came out of the bullpen in 24 of 25 games in 2023. A high-leverage reliever? He pitched 15⅔ innings in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings in 2023. A closer? He picked up two saves in 2023.
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Brieske is confident in every role.
"I think I provide a unique ability to start, middle relief, long relief, leverage innings and close," said Brieske, whose role for the 2024 season hasn't been defined yet. "If I don't get caught up in what could be and allow things to unfold, and if I just focus on pitching, being a good pitcher will lead to success in any role that I have."
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Detroit Tigers pitcher Beau Brieske practices during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Friday, Feb. 16, 2024.
The best role for Brieske, who turns 26 in early April, appears to be as a multi-inning reliever with the Tigers , but depending on how the rest of the roster is constructed coming out of spring training, Brieske could also end up as a starter or a closer in Triple-A Toledo.
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He seemingly fits best as a reliever with the Tigers because of what he accomplished in the big leagues following his July 8 return from an arm injury : In 35 relief innings (over 25 appearances), he logged a 3.60 ERA with 12 walks and 31 strikeouts.
Brieske experienced a big velocity boost coming out of the bullpen, going from an average of 94.3 mph as a starter in 2022 to 96.7 mph as a reliever in 2023.
His fastball maxed out at 98.9 mph in 2023.
"The reality of the starting pitcher debate is about the opposite-handed hitter, all the time," manager A.J. Hinch said, "and obviously holding your stuff over a length of time. He is more than equipped to handle opposite-handed hitters. He is more than equipped to hold his stuff. We'll see where his opportunities go."
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In 2023, Brieske had success against right-handed and left-handed hitters. Righties hit .263 with a .768 OPS, while lefties hit .254 with a .668 OPS. He used fastballs, sinkers and sliders to righties, and he used fastballs and changeups to lefties.
His slider was his fourth pitch last season.
Getting more swings and misses with his slider would open the door to a long-term role as a starting pitcher, but doing so will also help him against right-handed hitters regardless of his role. That's why Brieske revamped his slider in the offseason.
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"I'm honestly just calling it a breaking ball now," Brieske said. "The way I approach it this offseason was to find something that I feel like I can rip and trust. It seems to have more depth."
The new breaking ball is something between a slider and a curveball.
Last spring, Brieske showed up to camp with an upper-80s slider and a low-80s curveball. He didn't use the curveball in games last season, but in the offseason, he morphed together the slider and curveball grips, creating the new breaking ball.
That's averaging 86 mph.
"It's been the forefront of what I need to do to make the next step," Brieske said. "My first year, in 2022, it was inconsistent with shape. Last year, the sharp of my slider was pretty consistent, but the execution was not at the level it needed to be."
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He struggled to execute last year's version of his slider because of how he released the ball. The quality of the pitch depended on his fingertips and his feel for the pitch.
And if he didn't have the feel, he didn't execute the pitch.
The new breaking ball is meant to be thrown as hard as possible, which is the same way Brieske throws his fastball, sinker and changeup. As a result, the new breaking ball features increased spin and vertical movement.
"I think that's the next step for me," Brieske said, "to be able to say that's a third weapon (after the changeup, fastball/sinker) and I'm going to be able to use it to both sides, righties and lefties, in any count. I think that's the next step for me as a pitcher."
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Detroit Tigers catcher Anthony Bemboom talks to pitcher Beau Brieske during spring training at Tigertown in Lakeland, Fla. on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024.
A better breaking ball — to complement an above-average changeup — will help Brieske regardless of his role. Soon the Tigers will decide whether to prepare him as a starter or a reliever for the beginning of the season. (The same is the case for right-hander Alex Faedo .)
The Tigers haven't officially determined Brieske's immediate future.
"He can help us in a lot of different roles," Hinch said. "That's why we keep explaining that whatever they are today doesn't mean that's what they're going to be tomorrow, and vice versa."
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Brieske is keeping an open mind.
"Good pitchers can do anything, so I take pride in that," Brieske said. "that's what I'm focusing on right now. I don't really want to focus on what could be or what should be. I think focusing on becoming the best version of myself is going to allow me to do whatever I need to do."
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold .
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers' Beau Brieske banking on new breaking ball
