7 years agoWith the fifth spot in the Pittsburgh Pirates starting rotation open, manager Clint Hurdle views pitcher Steven Brault as a legitimate contender, reports the Post-Gazette's Bill Brink. Brault went 10-5 with a 1.94 ERA in 120 1/3 Triple-A innings last year, though his strikeout (22.7 percent) and walk (9.2 percent) rates were nothing to write home about. The southpaw was eventually promoted to the majors, where he split his time between relieving and starting and posted a 4.67 ERA in 34 2/3 innings. Brault made a strong first impression in his spring debut, firing two scoreless frames on Tuesday with one strikeout. Based on spring results alone, the 25-year-old has an early leg up on Tyler Glasnow (two innings, two earned runs) and Joe Musgrove, who hasn't pitched due to a shoulder issue. That said, Brault doesn't have the prospect pedigree or raw stuff of his competitors, so he has a long way to go to earn a rotation spot or fantasy relevance.--Matt Wilkes
Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette