A shift to the bullpen has worked wonders for Brody Hopkins.
The former Summerville High School star, who is the top pitching prospect and No. 7 overall prospect of the Tampa Bay Rays, is getting the call to the majors after shining in his new role. On Saturday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reported that the right-hander’s contract was selected.
Hopkins tore up the Southern League at Double-A Montgomery last season with a 2.72 ERA and 141 strikeouts in 116 innings pitched as a starter. But this year the right-hander had a 5.96 ERA and 1.89 WHIP in 19 starts this season at Triple-A Durham.
So in early August, Hopkins was moved to full-time relief, where he has straightened things out. Since then, the 24-year-old has a 3.00 ERA and 1.33 WHIP in nine innings with a 2.25 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in 12 overall relief appearances. In his last six outings, he’s been spectacular, not allowing a single run.
Even more stunning is the heat that he’s been throwing. In his last relief appearance, Hopkins hit 102.1 mph on the radar, his hardest-thrown pitch with Durham. Only 19 major leaguers and nine other pitchers in Triple-A have hit 102 mph this season.
Former Summerville star Brody Hopkins threw one pitch 102.1 mph in his last outing at Triple-A Durham.
“He’s a different cat right now on the mound,” said the Durham TV broadcasters. “He’s loving this new role.”
Control has been the struggle with Hopkins this season. As a starter, he was averaging a staggering 9.7 walks per nine innings even though hitters were only batting .226 against him. All five of his pitches were electric, but walks were too plentiful.
While control is still a bit of an issue — it’s down to 5.4 walks per nine innings as a reliever — batters are hitting a paltry .136 against him. Hopkins has gone to more of a three-pitch arsenal: four-seam fastball, cutter and curveball. In his last outing, he averaged 100.8 mph on his fastball and now has 47 pitches this season of 100 mph or more. Of those, 34 have come the last two months.
Despite the walks and move to the bullpen, Hopkins still remains tied for second among Rays minor leaguers with 122 strikeouts, and his .208 batting average against him leads the system among pitchers with at least 90 innings.
