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Countdown to Arizona Diamondbacks Opening Day: D-40, Silvino Bracho

Hopes were high in 2016 for Bracho, but it was a disappointing year.

By Jim McLennan
MLB: Philadelphia Phillies at Arizona Diamondbacks Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

We asked you to rank the 40-man roster along with the 16 non-roster invitees to spring training, and every day between now and the eve of Opening Day, we’ll have a profile of one of those Diamondbacks.

D minus 40: Silvino Bracho

  • Date of birth: July 17, 1992
  • Ht/Wt: 5’10”, 190 lbs
  • Position: Pitcher
  • Status: 40-man roster
  • Bats/Throws: R/R
  • 2016 MLB numbers: 7.36 ERA in 26 games, 24.2 IP, 17:10 K:BB
  • SnakePit Rating: 3.90 [pattern of votes below]

After making his major-league debut at the end of August 2015, Bracho buzz-sawed his way through opposing hitters over 13 games from then on. In 12.1 innings, he struck out 17 batters, and a pair of solo home-runs were all the opposition could muster off him. He looked in line to see some higher leverage innings, and was even discussed as perhaps being a potential future closer for the team. Silvino did make the Opening Day roster in 2016, but was unable to capture anything like the same form. He ended up with the same number of K’s, but took twice as many innings to record them, and his walk-rate also increased.

Perhaps his struggles partially were a result from the disruption of Bracho being called up and sent down so often, being optioned to Reno on four separate occasions before the end of July. However, he wasn’t exactly lights out for the Aces either: he had a 4.81 ERA over 33.2 innings there, though his K:BB ratio was better, at 43:8. The main problem at the big-league level appeared to be Bracho’s poor location, grooving a number of pitches, with hitters taking full advantage. He ended up allowing seven home-runs in only 24.2 innings, and that’s a tater-rate that won’t let you keep a roster spot in the majors for long.

But he’s still relatively young, at age 24, and if you want to compete for a spot on any major-league roster, the Diamondbacks’ bullpen is likely more achievable than most. There will be a lot more competition than last spring, and Bracho likely won’t be as high up the depth chart. He needs to return to the pitcher he showed he could be at the end of 2015, rather than the one we saw last year, who racked up all those miles on his Greyhound loyalty card from Reno. Below, here’s a flashback to that pitcher, striking out the opposing side at Wrigley Field.

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