A Marlins reliever’s comeback journey unfolding in the minors
The game being played on a back field of the Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium complex on this Thursday afternoon in March didn’t hold significant merit on its own.
The stats didn’t count. It was another day of Marlins prospects getting work in toward the end of a month-long development camp being held in Jupiter at the tail end of MLB’s lockout, which coincidentally happened to end hours after the intrasquad scrimmage concluded on March 10 once the league and players came to terms on a new collective bargaining agreement.
But it marked a significant milestone for righthanded pitcher Jeff Brigham.
For the first time in more than a year and a half, Brigham was facing live hitters in a competitive setting.
It was his first on his journey back to professional baseball that has continued to unfold with the Triple A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp.
“You don’t realize how much you miss baseball until it’s taken away from you all of a sudden,” Brigham said on that March day.
A biceps nerve injury
that was initially diagnosed as a biceps strain kept Brigham off the mound for 19 months. He last appeared in a game on July 26, 2020, before being shut down. Brigham spent all of 2021 rehabbing the nerve injury in Seattle before finally being cleared to make his return.
“The nerve was pretty much dead at the time — or pretty close to being dead,” said Brigham, who was designated for assignment in October but opted to stay in the organization as a minor leaguer.
“It was a very patient process. It’s been a tough time with the pandemic and having baseball get taken from me.
“Definitely kind of wiped me out mentally and physically and emotionally.”
And now, Brigham is rounding back into form.
He has a 2.82 ERA over 22 innings with the Jumbo Shrimp, but his production has improved significantly as of late. He has allowed just three earned runs in 18 innings over his past nine outings while striking out 32 batters and allowing just 10 hits and eight walks. Brigham has pitched at least two innings in seven of those nine outings.
ENCARNACION TO TRIPLE A
The Jumbo Shrimp’s outfield is now filled with top Marlins prospects following Jerar Encarnacion’s promotion to Triple A Jacksonville this week after a strong start to the season with Double A Pensacola.
He wasted little time
picking up where he left off.
Encarnacion, ranked as the No. 22 overall prospect in Miami’s system by MLB Pipeline, hit .304 (7 for 23) with two home runs, two doubles and four RBI in his first six games with the Jumbo Shrimp. Five of those seven hits — including both home runs — came in his first two games on Tuesday and Wednesday. Encarnacion played three games in left field and three in right field.
He’s sharing the outfield with 2019 first-round pick JJ Bleday and 2019 third-round pick Peyton Burdick, respectively ranked as the Nos. 6 and 10 prospects in the Marlins’ system and both of whom have been viewed as contenders to potentially make their MLB debuts this season.
Neither Bleday nor Burdick, however, is necessarily at the point of a call-up just yet. Bleday is hitting just .203 with a .760 on-base-plus-slugging mark in 38 games this season although those numbers have slightly improved in May (.220 average, .845 OPS in 17 games). Burdick is hitting .226 on the season with an .803 OPS.
Elsewhere: Infielder Cody Morissette has found his stride with High A Beloit with a .274 average (17 for 62), .968 OPS, seven doubles and four home runs this month. … Catcher Joe Mack made his Single A Jupiter debut this week and hit .308 (4 for 13) with one home run, one double, two RBI and three runs scored through his first four games.