Ryan Brasier

Ryan David Brasier

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 205 lb.
• School Weatherford College
• High School Wichita Falls Rider High School
• Debut May 2, 2013

• Born August 26, 1987 in Wichita Falls, TX USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Ryan Brasier made his major league debut in 2013. After four years without any big league time, he returned in 2018 with a remarkable run out of the bullpen for the World Champion Boston Red Sox.

Brasier was taken by the Los Angeles Angels in the 6th round of the 2007 amateur draft, one round after they selected Andrew Romine; the scout was Arnold Brathwaite. Ryan debuted with the Orem Owlz that year, going 1-2 with a 2.08 ERA, .212 opponent average and 9 saves, good for second in the Pioneer League, one behind Jhonny Caraballo. In 2008, Ryan pitched for the AZL Angels (1-0, a save, 3.86 in 4 games), Cedar Rapids Kernels (1-3, 9 saves, 1.59 in 23 games) and Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (a save, 2.70) with a combined average against of .214. The Texan split 2009 between the Quakes (5-4, 5.23) and Arkansas Travelers (2-1, 2 saves, 5.56) while being used in both relief and as a starter. Primarily a starter in 2010, he was 7-12 with a 5.07 ERA for the Travelers. He led both the Texas League and Angels farmhands with 28 homers allowed. His 11 wild pitches tied Trevor Reckling for second in the TL and he tied Michael Anton for third in defeats. Back in relief in 2011, he was with Arkansas (0-1, 16 saves, 0.71) and the Salt Lake Bees (2-1, 3 saves, 5.00 in his first 25 AAA games). He led Angels farmhands in saves and tied Barret Browning for second in appearances (50). With Salt Lake for all of 2012, he was 7-3 with 13 saves and a 4.37 ERA in 55 games. He tied Ryan Chaffee for third in the Angels chain in appearances and was third in saves. He tied Josh Wall for fourth in the 2012 PCL in games pitched and ranked ninth in saves. He opened 2013 back with Salt Lake and was at 0-1, 6.00 with 3 saves after 10 games.

Ryan was called up to the majors early in 2013 while Nick Maronde got demoted. In his big league debut, he relieved Joe Blanton in the 9th inning of a 5-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles, entering with a 3-0 deficit. After striking out Ryan Flaherty, he allowed a single to Nolan Reimold and a homer to Nate McLouth. He recovered to retire Manny Machado and Nick Markakis to end the inning. In 7 big league games, he posted a 2.00 ERA. Brasier would not return to the majors for nearly five years. He spent all of 2014 disabled with an elbow strain and eventual surgery to repair it and was outrighted off the Angels roster at the end of October. The following July, the Oakland A's took a minor league flier on him and he made 52 appearances over the next two seasons, primarily out of the bullpen of the Triple A Nashville Sounds. On December 14, 2016, Oakland sold his contract to the Hiroshima Toyo Carp. He made 26 appearances in NPB in 2017 to the tune of a 3.00 ERA. At the beginning of March 2018, Ryan caught on with a minor league deal with the Boston Red Sox. In 34 games, he was unbelievable, with a 1.34 ERA and 0.90 WHIP in 40 innings. This performance earned him a return to the big leagues.

Ryan returned on July 9th, with a scoreless inning of work against the Texas Rangers for the BoSox. In 34 big league appearances, he continued to shine, finishing 2-0, 1.60 with a 7/29 BB/K ratio in 33 2/3 innings. He saw action in 9 postseason games between all three rounds, allowing 1 earned run in 8 2/3 innings while striking out 7 as the Red Sox won the 2018 World Series in 5 games over the Los Angeles Dodgers. He made his first Opening Day roster in !2019 and recorded his first major league save on April 3rd against Oakland. The season was a bit tougher than the prior year. He spent a month back with the Pawtucket Red Sox during the summer, with another sparkling ERA (0.96 in 10 appearances) on the farm, and appeared in 62 big league games. His big league ERA ballooned to 4.85 in 55 2/3 innings as he recorded 61 strikeouts and 7 saves.

In 2020, Brasier appeared in 25 games (one start), compiling a 1–0 record with 3.96 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 25 innings pitched. In early December, Brasier and the Red Sox reached a one-year deal for the 2021 season. Before appearing in a 2021 game, Brasier was placed on the 60-day injured list with a calf injury on May 3rd. On June 3rd, he was hospitalized after being hit in the head by a line drive during a simulated game at Boston's training complex in Fort Myers, FL. He finally made it back on September 3rd and pitched 13 times for the Sox, going 1-1 with a 1.50 ERA. He then appeared in all three rounds of the postseason in which the Red Sox were present, but things did not go so well as he gave up 4 runs on 8 hits in 4 innings, spread over 7 outings. He pitched for the Red Sox in 2022 and 2023 as well, going 0-3, 5.78 with 1 save in 68 games the first year, and 1-0, 7.29 in 20 games the second.

On May 21st, 2023 the Red Sox released him, and it looked like he had reached the end of the line, but the Los Angeles Dodgers took a flyer on him on June 4th. He made his return to the majors on June 21st, and he immediately became one of the Dodgers' most reliable relievers, putting up a minute ERA of 0.70 over 39 games, with 1 save and a 2-0 record. Suddenly, no one was making good contact against his pitches, as he allowed just 18 hits in 38 2/3 innings, after giving up 24 in 21 innings for Boston, and his walk rate also improved significantly. He made only one appearance in the postseason, giving up 1 run in 2 1/3 innings as the Dodgers were upset by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the Division Series. He returned for another season with L.A. in 2024, and that brought him the second championship ring of his career. He went 1-0, 3.54 in 29 games in the regular season, including four starts in the role of opener. he missed more than three months due to a right strained calf, but was in full health for the postseason, where he appeared in 8 games, including two more as an opener as the Dodgers made do with only three true starting pitchers that fall, filling the holes with bullpen games. He gave up 5 runs in 9 innings, but his services were appreciated with all of the stress placed on relievers, and he pitched twice in the World Series in which the Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees in five games.

Following their championship conquest, the Dodgers set about on adding numerous pitchers to their staff, realizing that the strategy they had used in the post-season was not sustainable in the long run. When they signed yet another closer in Kirby Yates at the end of January, 2025, Ryan was designated for assignment to free up a roster spot and a few days later, on February 4th, he was sent to the Chicago Cubs for future considerations. In turn, the Cubs had Rob Zastryzny designated for assignment to make room for him.

Notable Achievements

• Won two World Series with the Boston Red Sox in 2018 and the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2024

Further Reading

• Mike DiGiovanna (Los Angeles Times): "Dodgers reliever Ryan Brasier's lasting motto: 'I just kind of kept going'", Yahoo! Sports, August 13, 2023. [1]
• Brian Murphy: "Cubs trade for Brasier from Dodgers to bolster bullpen", mlb.com, February 4, 2025. [2]
• Bob Nightengale: "From summonses to sky-high expectations, Red Sox welcome the problems brought on by a World Series title", USA Today, March 27, 2019. [3]

Related Sites

• Ryan Brasier on mlb.com
• BR Minors page