Brault returns to Harry Grove Stadium, this time as ace for Frederick ALPB team
Apr. 21—Steven Brault's last time on the mound at Harry Grove Stadium ended unceremoniously.
He started the Frederick Keys' final game of the 2014 season, cruising through the first 3 1-3 innings before the skies opened up and put an abrupt conclusion to his campaign.
"I didn't finish the game, but we waited two-and-a-half hours and then finished the game. Which was really unnecessary, but it's whatever," Brault recalled.
That was the last of three starts he made for the Keys before the Baltimore Orioles traded him to the Pittsburgh Pirates that offseason.
Nearly nine years later, Brault is back in Frederick with the newly created Atlantic League team. This time, he should receive more fanfare, taking the mound as the club's inaugural starter in next Friday's opener at Gastonia.
Brault, who was called up to the Pirates in 2016 and spent parts of the last seven seasons in the majors, joined the yet-to-be-named squad after meeting manager Mark Minicozzi and a few of his new teammates while working out in Arizona over the offseason.
He battled significant injury trouble each of the past two years and said he hopes a stint in independent ball will help him get back to where he once was.
"This is a year where I'm trying to prove I'm healthy. I'm trying to work through some stuff that has been bothering me the last few years," Brault said at Friday's media day. "I feel ready to get out there and start and hit the ground running."
The left-hander has the stuff to get there, sitting low-to-mid 90s with his fastball and a wipeout slider. He said he hopes to pitch more efficiently and work ahead of hitters, limiting his walks.
He's one of the Atlantic League players with the most major league service time and has a career 4.73 ERA and 299 strikeouts in 116 appearances, 52 of which were starts. That experience should serve him well as he adjusts to his third organization in three years, and if all goes well, he could be back with a big club in short order.
"You have to limit mistakes, and the biggest thing I learned is getting ahead," he said. "If you can get ahead of hitters, you get them taking completely different swings."
Brault, 30, is one of two former Keys set to return to Frederick this season.
The other is Jimmy Paredes, a former Baltimore Oriole who will help anchor the middle infield. His arrival, along with that of a few other players, is delayed due to visa issues, and Minicozzi said he hopes the full team will be in place by May 12.
For now, Brault will lead a veteran pitching staff in which all five starters have at least reached AAA, and three made the majors.
"Having a staff of five aces is a good start with any team," Minicozzi said.
The first of those is Brault, who is ramping up after signing just a week before the season gets started. He'll debut at Gastonia and is expected to return to Harry Grove Stadium for the first time in more than 3,100 days for his second start on May 4.
Barring rain, it should be a much more ceremonious affair than the last time he pitched in Frederick.
"I loved it here. I actually had a lot of friends I met in the Orioles organization when I played," Brault said. "I told all of them I'm coming back to play in Frederick, and they're all like, 'That's awesome.'"
