LAKELAND, Fla. — Miguel Cabrera received a Medusa-like treatment Monday morning from a pitching prospect.
Detroit Tigers right-hander Beau Brieske, one of the most advanced minor-league arms in MLB spring training, refused to look at Cabrera, a 38-year-old entering his 20th season in the big leagues with a Hall of Fame résumé.
“I didn’t want to look at him,” Brieske, 23, said. “I didn’t want to psych myself out. I just was like, I want to look at the catcher’s glove and zone out whoever is in that (batter’s box).”
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The Tigers think Brieske is the next big prospect, even though he was under the radar for his entire career before reaching Double-A Erie last season. Manager AJ Hinch paired Brieske with Casey Mize — the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 draft — for Monday’s live batting practice session.
Brieske and Mize, both righties, faced Cabrera, Javier Baez, Jonathan Schoop and Isaac Paredes.
“If I was looking at them, I’d get caught up in who I was throwing to,” Brieske said, standing near his locker in the clubhouse, where he hangs out with fellow prospects. “I tried to focus on what I can control, so that’s focusing on the glove and trying to execute my pitches.”
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That’s what makes Brieske special.
He’s calm, cool and collected, no matter the situation. What happened Monday was a “surreal” experience, considering Brieske has used the digital versions of Cabrera and Baez in video games.
Still, he wasn’t afraid of them.
“He looks good,” Hinch said. “I like his confidence. I like his stuff. I know he emerged last year. I’ve closely watched his demeanor and his confidence. I think he thinks he belongs. … I can see why the organization has been high on him and started mentioning his name last summer when he got to Double-A.”
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Brieske, a 27th-round selection in the 2019 draft, tossed about 45 pitches in Monday’s live batting practice, simulating three innings. He is slated to come out of the bullpen and pitch in one of the Tigers’ early spring training games.
“It goes to show the work I’m putting in is starting to pay off,” Brieske said. “But I’m not satisfied with it at all. It’s making me want to continue working around these guys. I’m trying to listen and learn as much as I can. I feel like I belong here, but I also have a lot to learn and improve upon.”
He throws a fastball, changeup, slider and curveball.
“That’s obviously a lot going into it,” Tigers catcher Eric Haase said. “That was the first time I caught him, and when you throw in a group like that, you want to put your best foot forward. You’re trying to get out some of the best guys in the game. I thought he looked very mature.”
When Brieske arrived to minor-league minicamp in mid-February, the Tigers’ player development department, specifically director of pitching Gabe Ribas, tweaked his slider grip.
Brieske’s goal is to throw his slider harder, creating consistent movement.
“It’s progressing,” Brieske said. “It’s not where I want it to be at, but I have seen what it could be. That would open up a lot for me, because then I feel like I would have three plus-pitches with my fastball, changeup and slider. Then I can focus on developing the curveball.”
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But Brieske’s calling card is his strike-throwing.
He posted a 3.12 ERA with 23 walks and 116 strikeouts over 106⅔ innings for High-A West Michigan (13 starts) and Double-A Erie (eight starts) last season. For the SeaWolves, he had a 2.66 ERA with eight walks and 40 strikeouts over 44 innings.
“My mindset going into that (live BP) was continuing to do what I was building on, so being aggressive in the zone and mixing my pitches,” Brieske said. “Feel good with my mechanics, find a rhythm, be aggressive. That’s pretty much the name of the game.”
After Monday’s workout, Brieske walked from the backfields to the Tigers’ clubhouse.
The person walking alongside him?
Casey Mize.
“Asking about grips, asking about sequences, asking about his mindset going into that specific live BP, just seeing how he’s approaching that and what he’s working on,” Brieske said, “all the way to the arm-care routine after, to be able to last an entire season.
“I’m trying to learn as many things as I can from the guy that’s already done it and proven to be pretty dang good and is also getting better. I definitely want to learn as much as I can from him and the other guys. I can learn a lot from him by watching what he does on a day-to-day basis.”
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold. Read more on the Detroit Tigers and sign up for our Tigers newsletter.