IN FOCUS: NATIONALS
Ryan Brinley learned many life lessons from his father, but the one that he comes back to on a daily basis is that he needs to be ready to anticipate anything that might happen on or off the field.
The Potomac (Woodbridge, Va.) right-hander has stayed prepared by keeping a book on hitters in the Class A Carolina League. That book might turn out to be a best-seller based on how well Brinley has performed in the first two months of the season.
Brinley, drafted in the 27th round in 2015 by the Washington Nationals, is 2-0 with nine saves and a 0.42 ERA through 211⁄3 innings (16 games). He has a 1.03 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched) through 522⁄3 career innings.
“I started it (the book) and am filling it with stuff that I have seen on certain guys,” said Brinley, who had 12 saves and four victories in 40 appearances over his final two seasons at Sam Houston State. “It’s kind of tough to watch another guy throw and be successful at it. It doesn’t help me as much as when I experience it myself. I think that’s the biggest part about this book, it is stuff that I have learned.”
Brinley’s father, Dusty, played professionally in Canada in the 1990s on an independent contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was a catcher and shared his experiences with his son.
“It’s been nice to have someone that played and was on the receiving end of my job to teach me things,” Ryan Brinley said. “My dad is huge on composure, too. No matter what happens, you can control that (your composure). He taught me that at a young age and I think that helps me a lot. If you make a bad pitch, don’t ever let anyone know that you are struggling. Don’t let something you can’t control affect the way you act. I try to keep that one close.”
Those lessons have served Ryan Brinley well through his first 12 months as a pro. Brinley played at three levels last season — the rookie Gulf Coast League, the short-season New York-Penn League and the Class-A South Atlantic League — posting a 1.44 ERA in 311⁄3 innings. He won a game, picked up a save and had a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 16-1.
Brinley has matched that success this season. He began the season by throwing 13 consecutive scoreless innings and was riding a seven-inning scoreless streak through June 2. Brinley held the first 79 batters he faced this season to a .164 batting average and didn’t surrender a home run.
As good as those numbers are, they aren’t what impresses his father the most.
“There are a couple of things I can tell you about my son,” said Dusty Brinley, a teacher and baseball coach in Texas. “If you are looking for someone with a work ethic and how to carry themselves like a baseball player and a man, he’s it. The way you carry yourself and how you treat other people is the thing people will most remember about you.
“There are a couple of things that are guarantees in life, and one of them is that once in a while you’re going to get punched in the mouth. When that happens, how are you going to react? The ability to stand strong in the face of adversity is one of the greatest characteristics a person can have. Life is awesome and a blessing but you’re going to have tough times and you need to have the ability to understand adversity when that happens.”
Ryan Brinley hasn’t had to face much adversity as a professional. But he has been well trained in how to deal with it when those situations inevitably arise.