Yesterday, Brendan Feldmann re-signed with the Long Island Ducks after 1 start with the club at the end of 2019. It’s unreasonable to discuss what this could mean for the future of Feldmann (as well as the Ducks) without examining the wild past 3 seasons of the 6’4” right-hander’s career. Check out this summary of Brendan’s June 2017 to May 2019:
Was that all a bit too much to follow? No problem. Let’s check out some charts of Brendan’s performance by level leading up to his May 2019 release from the Astros.
There’s a lot to unpack here, but underneath it all is Brendan Feldmann. Brendan was very good in college. Brendan was a stand-out in Rookie ball. Brendan was very good in single-A. Brendan has also pitched very badly in high-A, double-A, and triple-A. However, when he found himself in the Frontier League (roughly equivalent to class-A) after his 2019 release, Feldmann was again very good (1.97 ERA over 86 and 2/3 inning).
It’s easy to see a year where Brendan Feldmann is again fins himself out-classed by his competition. The jump from Frontier League to Atlantic League is not an easy one. But I prefer to look at this signing in a different light. Feldmann was a free agent out of college who was thrown from Rookie ball straight up to triple-A, only to fall unceremoniously backward before yoyo-ing between levels until he found himself without a job. Brendan is a man with a lot to prove in the Atlantic League. A year without bouncing from team-to-team while facing challenging lineups is a tremendous development opportunity. It’s an opportunity that is vital to keeping a professional baseball dream alive.
Considering the amount of fluctuation in a short professional career, projecting Feldmann isn’t easy. At the low-end, the Ducks could be looking at a 5.00 ERA long reliever and 6th starter. On the other side, high-end projections show a potential 3rd or 4th starter with an ERA around 3.70. Setting the crystal ball aside, what we know for sure is that Brendan Feldmann is a young man worth rooting for in 2020.
Indy Ball Nation 