The lefty is quietly emerging as a strong rotation option.
Not ranked particularly high in the Athletics farm, Brady Basso continued his strong comeback from Tommy John surgery. After dominating at Double-A Midland and holding his own with Triple-A Las Vegas, the southpaw made four late-season major league starts that solidified his candidacy for an A’s rotation spot moving forward.
How was he acquired?
The A’s drafted Basso all the way down in the 16th round of the 2019 MLB Draft, 494th overall. Clearly, he wasn’t considered a big talent at the time, especially after starting only seven games out of 46 NCAA games across three seasons. Oakland also had him pitch out of the bullpen in his first professional season season, a role in which he excelled to a 1.75 ERA with a whopping 38 strikeouts and just 8 walks in 25 2⁄3 innings. The team then decided to try him as a starter the next season at 23 years old, but he only lasted until June when he was forced to undergo Tommy John surgery.
What were the expectations?
After returning in 2023, the A’s used Basso almost exclusively as a starter, placing a great amount of faith in his new elbow. The 6’ 2” southpaw rewarded that faith with a 2.42 ERA across 20 appearances, maintaining his strong K/BB ratio. Despite having just 110 professional innings under his belt, prospect evaluators began to take notice of the 16th-rounder’s as an emerging talent. Fangraphs ranked him as high as 13th in the A’s farm system. Going into 2024, the team hoped he would stay healthy and double-down on his breakout performance.
2024 Results
Basso did just that, making all his scheduled appearances and continuing to put up tantalizing numbers. Across 25 1⁄3 innings at Double-A, he showed off his elite command by walking only 3 batters while also striking out 32 batters and putting up a 2.84 ERA, earning a quick promotion to Triple-A in early May. This became the first level at which Basso somewhat struggled, not uncommon for pitchers debuting in the extremely hitter-friendly confines of Las Vegas Ballpark. Though he maintained his strong strikeout and walk numbers, he clocked an ugly but not terrible 5.19 ERA.
The A’s saw past the numbers and gave him his first major league promotion, made up of a few appearances out of the bullpen in May and June. It wasn’t until September that Basso got his first full tryout in the Oakland rotation. In his first two starts, the lefty balled out, pitching 11 1⁄3 scoreless innings while issuing only 2 walks and striking out 8 batters. His final two starts weren’t as pristine, but he definitely showed he has the chance to be a long-term fixture in the A’s rotation.
2025 Outlook
With the recent signing of Luis Severino and all of the A’s young starters returning, Basso will have his hands full trying to compete for a roster spot. Depending on how many more pitching additions the A’s make this offseason, the 27-year-old may have to return to Triple-A to start the season. However, barring any health or performance setbacks, it’s likely he’ll play a significant role on the A’s pitching staff this year and beyond.
