The New York Yankees have several key bullpen arms hitting free agency, including Clay Holmes, Tommy Kahnle, and Tim Hill. This leaves the team needing to fill high-leverage innings and find effective replacements through free-agent additions. On Saturday, the Yankees took a step to address this by signing left-handed pitcher Brandon Leibrandt.
Who is Brandon Liebrandt?
Leibrandt, a 31-year-old lefty standing at 6’4″ and weighing 195 pounds, brings a mix of experience and potential. He pitched 6.1 innings for the Cincinnati Reds in the majors last season and has a career total of 15.1 MLB innings. Despite his limited major-league time, Liebrandt has extensive minor-league experience and could fill a specific role for the Yankees.
Pitch Repertoire and Strengths
Leibrandt’s arsenal includes a change-up, slider, and four-seam fastball. Notably, his change-up is a standout pitch, clocking in at just 78.5 mph and generating a .091 batting average and slugging rate. It boasts 35.2 inches of vertical drop, making it particularly effective at deceiving hitters. His fastball, while not overpowering at an average of 88.6 mph, offers 2 inches more horizontal break than the average pitcher, adding to its appeal.
In the minors last year, Leibrandt’s change-up produced a 53.8% whiff rate, consistently getting batters to miss. By signing him to a minor-league deal, the Yankees can closely evaluate and develop his skills within their system, potentially refining his fundamentals to make him a valuable situational arm. While Leibrandt may not be expected to serve as a high-leverage piece, he could offer value against left-handed hitters who struggle with change-ups.
Yankees Can Tap Into Some Value
Interestingly, as noted by Empire Sports Media analyst Ryan Garcia, Leibrandt has shown better effectiveness against right-handed batters. He uses the movement on his slider and curveball to entice righties into chasing, suggesting that the Yankees could extract some value from his skillset at a minimal cost.
The Yankees’ ability to maximize Leibrandt’s strengths and deploy him strategically could help mitigate the losses from their departing bullpen arms. As they continue to reshape their roster, finding such low-cost, situational options will be key to maintaining a strong bullpen.