The Pittsburgh Pirates have officially completed their trade of Travis Snider to the Baltimore Orioles after announcing today that LHP Steven Brault has been acquired as the PTBNL in the trade that was first reported last month.
Brualt, a projected starter, compliments fellow left-hander Stephen Tarpley as the Pirates haul for Snider.
Listed at 175lbs, Steven Brault has a frame that could develop to increase velocity that already sits at 88-92mph to go along with a change-up and slider. Drafted in the 11th round of the 2013 draft by the Orioles, Brault is listed by Baseball America as the 18th best prospect in the Orioles organization.
After starting the year in Low-A ball, Brault finished the year in High-A with the Frederick Keys, producing a combined 11-8 with a 2.77 ERA in 146 innings. For his two-year minor league career, Brault has registered 162 strikeouts in 189.1 innings for a strikeout per nine rate of 7.7, showing the ability to make hitters swing and miss in the lower levels. As he issued just 30 walks issued all season and with a mere five home runs allowed in his professional career, Brault profiles as a starter with good strike zone command, similar to the form of Jeff Locke in the first half of the 2013 season.
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With Steven Brault turning 23 early in the 2015 season, the most likely path for Brault will be to begin the season with the Pirates advanced Class-A affiliate, the Bradenton Marauders, with a possible promotion to Class-AA before the season ends.
It will still be a couple of years before we see the results of this trade, but the Pirates appear to be continuing to stock their system with young, projectable lefties who are always held in high regard. Steven Brault certainly fits that profile.