Left-handed pitcher Justin Bruihl had a tremendous 2019 season that saw him go from extended spring training to high-A Rancho Cucamonga, before finishing up with the low-A Great Lakes Loons.
Pitching 41.2 innings between the two levels, Bruihl racked up 51 strikeouts with opposing hitters batting just .185 against him, as he finished the year with a 0.89 WHIP.
Despite being in different leagues, Bruihl didn’t see too much of a difference between the hitters in the low-A Midwest League and the high-A California League.
“I wouldn’t say there’s much of a difference,” said Bruihl. “Hitting wise the ball travels more in the California League. It’s more of a strikeout and home run league. That’s the biggest difference between the two is where you’re playing and the way the ball flies.”
And the slight difference didn’t faze Bruihl, who found success all season with his cutter and slider combo.
“My cutter is my main pitch, and my slider complements it because it comes out of the hand the same way,” explained Bruihl.
But Bruihl has big plans for this offseason, as he plans to go to the Dodgers Instructional League and add to his repertoire by re-establishing his fastball and sharpening his changeup.
“I’m going to instructs to learn how to throw a fastball again,” stated Bruihl. “I’ll be learning how to place it in the zone and how to use it as an out pitch. I’m also going to play with my changeup a bit and see what it does.”
After instructs, Bruihl is going to head to Los Angeles to workout with major-league facilities this offseason, too.
“I’m going to head home for a bit, before heading to Dodger Stadium to workout this offseason.” said Bruihl.
Be sure to follow Justin Bruihl’s hard work this offseason, as he looks to add to his pitching repertoire for more options moving forward.
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