Right hand pitcher Brooks Kriske has agreed to a contract with the Cubs, the 30-year-old announced on his Instagram account with X. It is likely a minor league contract, although the team has not confirmed the move and other details have not been disclosed.
After growing up a Cubs fan, Kriske was selected by the Yankees in the 2016 draft. Although he was never a top prospect, the righty made an impressive comeback from early Tommy John surgery and quickly rose through the minor leagues. In August 2018, he was still pitching in Low-A after missing a significant amount of development time due to injury. However, in July 2020, he was playing for a major league club. Entering the 2021 season, he earned a spot on the Yankees’ prospect list at both FanGraphs (no. 34) and Baseball America (no. 28).
Unfortunately, the big leagues have never been kind to Kriske. In parts of two seasons in the Bronx, he gave up 20 runs (19 earned) in 11 1/3 innings, good for a 15.09 ERA. He allowed six home runs and walked over 20% of the batters he faced. He also threw seven wild pitches – four of which came in the same inning. Following a poor outing in September 2021, Kriske was optioned to Triple-A and assigned a few days later.
The Orioles must have liked what they saw when Kriske held them scoreless and hitless in two games in 2020, striking out four of the eight batters he faced. They released him from suspension, and he played in four more games down the stretch. However, his results were not much better than in New York. While Kriske walked no batters, he gave up five runs on two homers in 3 1/3 innings of work. By the end of the 2021 campaign, he had a career 14.40 ERA, 5.11 SIERA, and -0.8 FanGraphs WAR.
Baltimore released Kriske that fall, allowing him to sign with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of the NPB. A successful season in Japan (21 IP, 2.57 ERA, 11.1 K/9) earned him a minor league contract with the Royals in December 2022. However, Kriske struggled in his return to major league ball. He pitched to a 5.52 ERA and 4.29 FIP over 29 1/3 innings at Triple-A Omaha. His 4.05 ERA over 6 2/3 MLB innings represented an improvement, but his 16% walk rate and 5.30 SIERA showed a pitcher who still struggled to retire big league hitters. Midway through the 2023 season, he was given permission to pursue another opportunity in Japan, this time with the Saitama Seibu Lions.
Once again, Kriske looked sharp overseas, posting a 1.93 ERA in 14 innings with the Lions over the remainder of the 2023 campaign. He decided to return stateside last winter, inking a minor league deal with the Reds. However, despite a solid performance in spring training (6 IP, 3.00 ERA, 8 K, 1 BB) and solid numbers at Triple-A Louisville (49 1/3 IP, 3.10 ERA, 36.7 K%, 4.06 FIP), he never got a chance. to play for Cincinnati at the major league level. The Reds selected him from their 40-man roster in June (presumably to prevent him from exercising the opt-out clause in his contract) but never called him up. BamDFA after two months.
For the second time in three years, the Orioles said Kriske was fired, ending the 2024 campaign in the O’s organization. In eight games at Triple-A Norfolk, he pitched to a 5.00 ERA and 6.79 FIP in nine innings of work. He opted for free agency at the end of the season.
Although he struggled late in the year with the Norfolk Tides, Kriske still finished his age-30 season with respectable Triple-A numbers: a 3.39 ERA and 4.48 FIP over 58 1/3 innings. He hit 34.2% of his opponents. The free pass continues to be an issue for the righty – he walked 14.8% of batters this past season – but the high walk rate is tolerable as long as he can maintain a high strikeout rate and keep home runs to a manageable level. He will provide depth for the Cubs in the minor leagues, and the fewer hits he walks, the better his chances of returning to the big leagues in 2025.
