Iowa Hawkeyes pitcher Brody Brecht is at the top of prospect rankings for next year’s 2024 MLB Draft again. As a high school senior, Brecht was a two-sport athlete playing football and baseball ahead of the 2021 MLB draft. Ranking as high as the 77th prospect in the class of potential players and having just been named the Iowa Gatorade Player of the Year. He went 10-0 with a 0.57 ERA as a senior with 126 strikeouts.
In his first two years at Iowa, Brecht focused his time between football and baseball. However, he switched to baseball full-time before the Iowa spring football game. Leading up to the 2023-24 season, Brecht is likely a top-ten prospect in the 2024 MLB Dragt.
Brody Brecht 2024 Draft Profile
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 60| Curveball: 50| Slider: 60| Control: 50| Overall: 50
Strengths
At 6’4″, Brecht packs quite the punch with his fastball. He topped out at 100 miles per hour numerous times throughout his tenure with the Hawkeyes. Mixed in with his fastball is an above-average slider that has created a ton of swing and misses, leading to Brecht at the top of the Big Ten in strikeouts per nine innings at 12.74. This also included an opponent batting average of .143. For the 2023 season, he recorded a record of 5-2, 3.74 ERA with 109 strikeouts.
In his early starts this spring, Brecht hit 92-94 mph throughout his starts and topped out at 96. His slider is a must-watch, too, ranging from 82-85 mph with late bite. He also employs a curveball with some power in the upper 70s despite lacing a sharp break.
Brody Brecht, Wicked Sliders. 🤢 pic.twitter.com/JfV0egTdoB
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) February 25, 2023
Weaknesses
Being a two-sport athlete certainly has its advantages and disadvantages. For a player like Brecht, focusing more than his baseball craft during the first two seasons of play played a factor in some weakness in his game. He’s only 20 years old, but many believe that his command and control of his pitches need improvement for him to take the next step as a top-tier prospect. It’s a common struggle for pitchers, but if Brecht continues to improve the flaws in his game, he can prevail as a top-three pitcher in any starting rotation.
This last season with giving up 66 walks and a rate of 7.1 walks per nine innings, it’s an aspect of Brecht’s game that is key to watch for in the 2023-24 college baseball season. Now that Brecht is focused on baseball, these issues can be fixed to increase his draft value further.
MLB Comparison
Being a big, bodied flame thrower, the easy comparison here is to Cincinnati Reds pitcher Hunter Greene. That comparison resembles Chase Burns, another top pitching prospect for the 2024 MLB Draft. The strikeout rates for Brecht last season compared to Greene this season are very similar, with Greene having a 12.3 strikeout per nine innings. Being able to throw the ball 100 miles an hour is also comparable. Greene is one of the hardest-throwing pitchers in the big leagues this season.
This upcoming college season for Brecht is vital for his development to make the next jump as the top-tier prospect many believe he can be.
Main Photo Credits: Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK
Players Mentioned: Brody Brecht, Hunter Greene, Chase Burns
