Former teammates reflect on newest Canadian big leaguer Brash



By Matt Betts

Canadian Baseball Network

Matt Brash left the Niagara Purple Eagles nest and found his way west to become the first player from Kingston to receive a major-league pay check.

But who is Matt Brash?

Ask his former Niagara University roommates and teammates Alex MacKinnon (Aurora, Ont.) and Joe Tevlin (Toronto, Ont.) and they’ll tell you all about the fearless competitor, tireless worker and Purple Eagle star.

“He’s the best pitcher I’ve ever played with,” MacKinnon said. “He plays with a certain level of confidence you can’t ignore.”

A right-handed pitcher himself, MacKinnon had heard the buzz about the former Kingston Thunder hurler — who pitched for coach Randy Casford — before stepping on campus. He quickly saw firsthand what the hype was all about.

“I remember one of our first scrimmages in the fall of our freshman year he absolutely dominated,” he recalls. “From there, he just continually improved, and I don’t mean year-to-year, it was literally week-to-week you could see him getting better. He’d go home for a few weeks at Christmas and come back after the break and you could tell he had put his work in. He’s just so competitive.”

That’s why MacKinnon wasn’t surprised to hear that Brash was being called up by the Seattle Mariners on Sept. 28. His numbers in the minors this season reflected his work ethic. In two stops -- with the class-A Everett AquaSox and double-A Arkansas Travellers, Brash went 6-4 with a 2.31 ERA. His most impressive numbers were at Arkansas. In 10 starts for the Travelers he posted a 2.13 ERA with 80 punch outs in 55 innings.

While MacKinnon and Brash were members of the same pitching staff and often swapped pitching secrets, Tevlin had the important job of handling him from behind the plate.

RHP Matt Brash pitched seven seasons for the Kingston Thunder and coach Randy Casford.

An indication of how well respected Brash was that Niagara coach Rob McCoy and Kingston Thunder coach Randy Casford (Kingston, Ont.) flew coast-to-coast after their pupil was promoted.

The catcher remembers back to their first encounter, a simple “hello” as they crossed paths at Tournament 12 in 2015. Little did they know then that they would soon form a lasting bond as battery mates during their time in Lewiston, NY.

“He did well his freshman year, he threw hard and had a good breaking ball,” Tevlin said. “By his junior season he was good at everything. He’d throw any pitch in any count. His breaking ball became the best I’ve ever seen.”

A prime example of his confidence and development came in his final collegiate start in 2019. Sitting nine strikeouts shy of the single season record at Niagara, Brash had struck out eight Canisius Golden Griffins through 5 2/3 innings. With a 3-2 count on what would be the final batter he’d face, Tevlin never hesitated and threw down the sign for a change up. Golden Griffin outfielder Andy Leader (Kitchener, Ont.) subsequently whiffed and Brash etched his name into the school record books.

“That was what we did,” Tevlin said. “Basically, anytime we were 3-2 on a hitter we went with the change up and he always had the confidence to execute it.”

Brash was 4-5 with a 2.43 ERA and 121 strikeouts in 85 1/3 innings making 14 starts that year and was named the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year. From there he became a fourth round pick of the San Diego Padres. He was then the “player to be named” Seattle acquired in a deal that sent reliever Taylor Williams back to the Friars in 2020. It’s a trade that may turn out to be one of Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto’s biggest steals.

Although he didn’t make an appearance in his brief stint with the Mariners to end the 2021 season, the fact that the team felt comfortable bringing him into their bullpen during an intense playoff push speaks volumes. It’s a tall task for any rookie, but it’s one his two former teammates knew he would be up for.

“He never seemed overmatched by any hitter,” Tevlin said. “He was humble and not a cocky guy at all, but if you asked him if he thought he was better than the hitter, the answer was always ‘yes’”

Tevlin had one of the highest Niagara batting averages this spring, hitting .333 (18-for-54) with three doubles and six RBIs. During his five years for coach Rob McCoy and recruiting guru Matt Spatafora (Scarborough, Ont.), he hit .241 with 18 doubles, three triples, two homers and 38 RBIs in 143 games, finishing with a .636 OPS.

In 2021, MacKinnon earned pitcher of the year in the independent Pecos League going 3-0 with a 1.63 ERA in nine games, making one start. He struck out 37 in 27 2/3 innings for the San Rafael Pacifics. He moved on to the Houston Apollos in the American Association, another indy loop. There he was 1-0 with a 7.15 ERA in nine games walking seven and whiffing five in 11 1/3 innings. MacKinnon was 7-9, with seven saves and a 5.40 ERA during his time at Niagara. He walked 56 and struck out 84 in 105 career innings, including eight innings this spring.

Brash’s mind set, the way Tevlin and MacKinnon described it, should serve him well as he hopes to make the Mariners out of spring training in 2022.