A's Spring Breakout spotlight: Brady Basso
This year Major League Baseball is doing something pretty cool by bringing the focus to some of the top minor leaguers around the game in what they're calling "Spring Breakout." Essentially, it'll be a game played between teams of every organization's top prospects with the games being played from March 14-17. For the A's, their game will be on Friday, March 15 against the San Francisco Giants at 4:05 as Game 2 of a doubleheader. The first game will be a regular spring training contest.
The full roster for the A's can be viewed here, but each day this week we're going to spotlight one member of the A's Spring Breakout roster. Today, that player is 26-year-old lefty Brady Basso.
The southpaw was a 16th round pick of the A's back in 2019 out of Oklahoma State and had an impressive showing in Rookie Ball that first year, posting a 1.75 ERA with a 1.09 WHIP and 38 strikeouts in 25 1/3 innings.
The 2020 season was cancelled, so Basso returned to the mound in '21 with the Lansing Lugnuts. He ended up on the IL in late June after getting Tommy John surgery, and it was nearly 700 days before he'd return to the mound again in May 2023. By mid-August he was promoted to Double-A after holding a 2.64 ERA in 44 1/3 innings across 15 appearances (12 starts).
Following the promotion, Basso put up a 1.89 ERA in five starts totaling 19 innings, walked just four, and struck out 19, giving him a 0.89 WHIP with the 'Hounds. For someone that hadn't pitched in quite awhile, he made quite the return and the A's certainly noticed.
Because of the numbers he put up last season, Basso was added to the A's 40-man roster ahead of the Rule 5 Draft so that he would be unavailable to other teams that may be interested.
Basso was just part of the A's cuts from camp on Sunday, but that was to be expected. He'll be starting in the minor leagues, and if he pitches well, there should be an opportunity for him in Oakland at some point this season.
The left-hander ranks as the A's No. 23 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, and with the command of four pitches that he's shown in his time on the mound, he could be in the mix for a spot in the A's rotation before long. He's definitely someone to keep an eye on.