In a terrifying late July incident, Phillies prospect Daniel Brito collapsed during the first inning of a Triple-A game. The young infielder was rushed to a Rochester, New York hospital and details about his recovery were understandably sparse over the next few months. Matt Gelb of the Athletic provided a remarkable update on Brito’s story this morning, catching up with him, his family and members of the Philadelphia organization a bit more than six months later.
Brito suffered a brain hemorrhage, Gelb writes, the product of an arteriovenous malformation (AVM) that had been present since birth. He spent nearly two months in the hospital, half of it in a medically-induced coma and required a pair of brain surgeries. Doctors questioned at the time whether he’d be able to again perform basic life tasks, but Brito has already progressed far more quickly than expected. He’s even recently begun baseball activities, with the 24-year-old expressing a desire to continue his playing career. Gelb’s full post — which goes into detail about Brito’s condition, rehab process, and the support he’s received from family, teammates, medical staff and team personnel — is well worth a read in full. MLBTR sends our best wishes to Brito on his continued recovery.
Other news and notes from the Senior Circuit:
- As the Cardinals look for relief help post-lockout, the team is prioritizing pitchers who throw strikes, throw a sinkerball, and generate soft contact and a lot of grounders, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes. Goold lists several available free agents and trade targets who fit at least a couple of these parameters, and also provides some details on specific pitchers. Goold linked Joe Kelly (who pitched in St. Louis from 2012-14) to the Cardinals last week, and now adds that the club’s pre-lockout conversations with the right-hander were “initial but not aggressive.” The Cardinals hadn’t yet been in touch with Archie Bradley’s agents prior to the lockout, though Bradley is seemingly a good fit as a sinkerball pitcher who keeps the ball on the ground and doesn’t allow much hard contact.
- The Rockies tacked on a season to Bud Black’s contract yesterday, keeping their skipper in the fold through 2023. Nick Groke of the Athletic looks into that decision, writing that the organization’s faith in Black’s ability to coax the best out of their starting rotation played a key role. Black, who was also a longtime MLB pitcher and pitching coach, is well-regarded for his ability to work with young arms. Last season, Colorado starters posted a 4.77 ERA/4.44 SIERA — decent production given the extremely hitter-friendly nature of Coors Field. That said, Black and his staff could have an uphill battle in replacing Jon Gray, who signed a four-year deal with the Rangers before the lockout. Beyond the top four of Germán Márquez, Antonio Senzatela, Kyle Freeland and Austin Gomber, Peter Lambert and Ryan Rolison look to be the current favorites to step into the final rotation spot.
advplee
So glad Brito is recovering. I believe in miracles and I believe that this was a miracle.
Deadguy
Sounds about like it? Pair of brain surgeries and is recovering quickly? I wish I could have seen this happen in my life when my brother was in a coma? That doesn’t take away from this though, amazing story.
DarkSide830
DANNY! God, so happy for the dude that things seem to ge returning to normal for him.
Please, Hammer. Don't hurt 'em.
That is a surprisingly low SIERA for pitchers in Coors Field. That team is only going to compete if they figure out how to base their entire roster off of pitchers that can handle Coors Field. The hitting will be their. They have to focus on having good consistent pitching top to bottom. Even a slightly above average pitcher can turn horrendous in Colorado.
allweatherfan
The hitting will be their what?
gbs42
The hitting will be their downfall because it’s bad. Just like a high ERA/SIERA masks the true talent level of COL pitchers, hitting stats do the same for COL batters. It’s not a good group.
lemonlyman
I was at that game where Brito collapsed. I’ve never heard a stadium so quiet in all my life. I’ve been searching for info on Brito’s status ever since and was thrilled when the alert for Gelb’s article popped up on my phone yesterday. I’m just amazed that he’s already back to baseball activities from where he was just a few short months ago. Talk about an inspiration!
mrperkins
I could see the Cards inviting Joe Smith to spring training if he doesn’t get a big league offer. His numbers with Seattle the second half of last year look good.
Johnmac94
at least the rockies have a black manager.
Deadguy
Who Bud? Nah he’s a Baker! Oh whoops, Wrong sport
Deadguy
Cardinals need relievers who can throw strikes, I would to after setting a MLB record for walks with the basesloaded? If September wasn’t so awesome, there would have been alot of things that would have been hard to forget about the Cardinals 2021 season?