Miami Marlins 2018 Review: Bryson Brigman, the New Edition

Throughout the 2018/2019 offseason, Marlin Maniac will devote one article each for every player who appeared in the Miami Marlins system for the 2018 season. Every. Single. Player. This is Part 81 of 286. Stay tuned.

Bryson Michael Brigman is a 5’11”, 180 lb. middle infielder from San Jose, California. Born on June 19th, 1995, he was a 40th round draftee of the Oakland Athletics in the 2014 draft, the third pick from the very end.

Brigman was smart, though, and instead decided to go to college a bit south of San Jose. He played two seasons with the San Diego Toreros, in the West Coast Conference. In two seasons of work there, he slashed .355/.411/.430 over 102 contests, with two homers and 50 RBI. He stole 22 bases in 32 tries. You can follow him on Twitter @brysonbrigman.

Whatever experience Brigman gained for the Division I institution was exactly what clubs were looking for in the 2016 draft. The Seattle Mariners would spend the 87th choice off the board on Brigman, in the third round. He was one of four players drafted off the 2016 team, along with Ryan Kirby (12th, San Francisco Giants), Gary Cornish (19th, New York Mets), and Taylor Kaczmarek (40th, Kansas City Royals).

The fraternity of the 87th overall choice includes 14 players who have thus far made it to the majors. The group is led by Doug Drabek (1980, Cleveland Indians, 29.3 career WAR), Danny Espinosa (2008, Washington Nationals, 7.6 WAR), and Jack Hannahan (2001, Detroit Tigers, 6.5 WAR). According to the MLB Pipeline:

Brigman does a lot of things fairly well, though no single tool is plus. He has a solid approach, makes consistent contact from the right side of the plate and can steal some bases now and again. The quality of Brigman’s contact leaves something to be desired, though, leading some scouts to question whether he’ll ever be strong enough to consistently drive the baseball. He’s a capable defender at shortstop, though most believe he’ll need to move over to second base, where his below-average arm strength is a better fit. But he was impressive with his glove on both sides of the second-base bag in the Northwest League, committing just two errors apiece at the positions.

After signing with the Mariners for a $700,000 bonus, Brigman joined their short-season-A Northwest League team, the Everett Aqua Sox. He led the team with 68 games, also leading the club with 41 walks, 17 stolen bases, and unfortunately, 12 caught stealing attempts. He slashed .260/.369/.291, showing a lot of hit potential, patience at the plate (only 43 whiffs in 318 plate appearances), and speed. Brigman appeared in 51 games at shortstop, suffering to a .938 fielding percentage. At second, however, he logged a .984 clip.

After getting promoted to the single-A Clinton LumberKings in 2017, in the Midwest League, Brigman showed a lot of improvement on the fielding side of the ball, making only two errors each at each middle-infield position. By then the number 17 Mariners prospect, he racked up a .994 at second and a .986 at shortstop. Brigman stole 16 bases in 24 tries, and slashed a disappointing .235/.306/.296 in a team-high 120 contests.

Brigman started the 2018 season with the high-A Modesto Nuts, in the California League. He got into 98 games for them, and improved his hit line to .304/.373/.391 with a career-high 38 RBI. He also stole 15-of-21 bases, and scored 47 runs. At the trade deadline, the Mariners sent Brigman to the Miami Marlins for centerfielder Cameron Maybin.

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• Miami Marlins: Farm System rankings part 1

In his first 17 games with the Marlins system, spent with the Jupiter Hammerheads in the high-A Florida State League, he went 24-for-71, a .338 clip. He also stole four bases without getting caught and went perfect in 69 chances at shortstop.

The Miami Marlins, sufficiently impressed with Brigman in the short look, pushed him up a level to the double-A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp in the Southern League on August 22nd. Brigman closed out the season by hitting 13-for-42 and stealing another two bases. The Shrimp started him mostly at second base, and he was perfect in 35 chances.

Currently ranked as the Miami Marlins 27th prospect, Brigman looks to begin 2019 with the Shrimp. A decent start to the season will see him likely moved up to the triple-A New Orleans Baby Cakes in the Pacific Coast League. The soonest we can expect to look for Brigman at the major league level would be in September, 2019, but more likely he’ll get a chance to stick with the big boys out of 2020 Spring Training.

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