Lefty-Pitcher Brayan De Paula’s Miami Marlins 2018 Review

You may not have heard much about left-handed pitcher Brayan De Paula, and the next time you see him, you may not remember he was a Miami Marlins prospect.

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 183 of 286. For the first 100, click here.

Brayan De Paula is a 6’3″, 175 lb. left-handed pitcher from Pedro Brand, Dominican Republic. If De Paula makes it to the major leagues, he will be the first native of Pedro Brand to get that far.

Born on June 25th, 1999 (the same day that Clinton LumberKings new manager Mike Jacobs signed his first pro contract), De Paula signed his first contract on April 26th, 2017, prior to his 18th birthday.

On June 26th, at age 18-plus-one-day, De Paula joined the DSL Marlins in the rookie-level Dominican Summer League. He started in one of his seven appearances over the course of the short-season, totaling 14 2/3 innings of work. De Paula struck out 12 batters and walked only four, but finished with a 5.52 ERA by allowing nine runs on 16 hits.

The 2018 season would begin with De Paula still entrenched with the DSL Marlins. He played in another 15 games, starting in four of them, and dropping his ERA all the way down to 2.23 with a 1-1 record. He struck out 45 in 44 1/3 innings, ranking third on the club with 9.14 K/9 while issuing a 1.29 WHIP.

On July 4th, De Paula held the DSL Red Sox1 to two hits over four shutout relief innings, striking out three in a 2-0 loss. On July 30th, he earned his only win of the season when he pitched five scoreless innings of relief, striking out six against one walk and three singles in a 9-2 victory against the DSL Rays1.

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On August 4th, De Paula faced the minimum over two relief innings, striking out three and issuing one walk in a 2-0 victory against the DSL Astros.

Someone in the Houston Astros organization was paying attention that day. Two weeks after the close of the season, the Miami Marlins traded De Paula along with Adonis Giron for “future considerations.” Namely, the Astros gave the Marlins additional international bonus pool money, freeing up enough for Miami to make a pitch for both of the Mesa brothers.

What’s unknown is how the Mesa brothers will eventually turn out, as far as their contribution to winning at Marlins Park. De Paula and Giron were two of the better performers for the DSL Marlins, and could turn up in the majors in four-to-seven seasons.

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