Rangers Prospect Mitch Bratt Joins Team Canada
The Texas Rangers will have a third pitcher in the World Baseball Classic, as Top 30 prospect Mitch Bratt will pitch for Team Canada next month.
Rangers ace Martín Pérez will pitch for Venezuela.
Team Canada is led by Freddie Freeman, Tyler O’Neill, Bo Naylor and Nick Pivetta.
Bratt pitched his first season of professional baseball in 2022, going 5-5 with a 2.45 ERA in 19 games (18 starts) with the Rangers Low Class-A affiliate Down East. He struck out 99 and walked 28 and allowed hitters to bat .218 off of him.
Bratt won all five of his games after mid-June, shaved his ERA under 2.00 as late as the end of July and never allowed it to creep over 3.00 again. His strikeout-to-walk ratio in June was incredible, fanning 21 and giving up two walks in four starts (19 innings).
The Canadian lefty migrated to Georgia Premier Academy to get seen by MLB scouts when COVID-10 limited international travel.
He competed in the MLB Draft League and, based on that, the Rangers made him a fifth-round pick in 2021 and paid him an $850,000 bonus. Bratt pitched just six innings in rookie ball, but didn’t give up a run and struck out 13.
Rangers pitchers and catchers report to Surprise for Spring Training on Feb. 15. Because Bratt is playing in the WBC, he can report a few days early.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard
Catch up with Inside the Rangers on Facebook and Twitter.
Need to catch up on the Rangers? Check out our Texas Rangers Offseason Central Page!
Need to get ready for Spring Training? Check out our Rangers Spring Training Tracker
