- 2018 rating: 4.52
- 2017 rating: 3.31
- 2018 salary: League Minimum
- 2018 performance: 31 G, 31 IP, 3.19 ERA, 9.87 K/9, 3.48 BB/9, 0.5 WAR
- 2019 status: Pre-arb eligible, no more options
Diamondbacks fans have heard the name Silvino Bracho for years now, some times good, but most times not so good. Since signing with the club in 2011, Bracho has seen MLB action in the last 4 years. And while most of it was limited time as a Reno call-up for a couple games, he still has close to 100 IP in his career, all while still under 26 years old.
Like most seasons, Silvino didn’t make the club out of Spring Training as poor performance and aging MLB veterans on minor league deals got preference while Bracho still had options to come up and down as the team pleased. And boy did the team abuse that fact, calling up Bracho to the major league club on 9 separate occasions in 2018. Including one time where he left a bag in the airport in order to make a flight to join the team. Zach Buchanan of The Athletic had an awesome article on that very subject:
The bag belonged to Diamondbacks reliever Silvino Bracho, and he had no time to ensure its proper stewardship. He was sprinting through security and to his gate, boarding pass in one hand and baseball glove in the other, desperate to make his flight. He was once again bound for the majors, but the news of his call-up had come too late to check a bag. A frantic call to Diamondbacks traveling secretary Roger Riley brought instructions: get your glove, leave your bag.
Fair or not, Silvino took advantage to show he belonged with the big league club, pitching to a 2.04 ERA over 17.2 innings before finally joining the club in September for good. He pitched not very well from that point on, struggling to a 4.73 ERA to close out the playoff stretch run. Though he was fairly unlucky with a .350 BABIP, he only appeared in one game in which the D-backs won in September.
With Silvino out of options, the D-backs will have no choice but to keep him on their MLB roster all season long, or try to push him through waivers, which he will be certainly picked up. Thanks to a quick rise through the minors and limited MLB action, Silvino Bracho will still only be 26 at the start of next year. Can 2019 finally be the year he sticks as a regular MLB bullpen member? Or will the D-backs cut bait and look outside the organization for their pressing bullpen help?
Be the first to comment