Lesli Brea
Encyclopedia
Lesli Guillermo Brea is a former Major League Baseball
player. A right-handed relief pitcher
, Brea is 5'11" tall, and he weighed 170 pounds during his playing career. Some records list his year of birth as 1978, but this figure was subsequently found to be inaccurate.
as an undrafted free agent
. He was 22 years old, but represented himself as a 17-year-old in order to secure a more favorable response from Mariners scouts. Baseball scouts are sometimes reluctant to sign older international players, since younger players are generally farther from their physical peak, and thus are perceived as having a comparatively higher ceiling to their future performance.
Brea established himself as a prospect in 1998, when he saved 12 games as the closer for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
of the Midwest League
. He compiled a 2.76 ERA
and struck out
86 batters in only 58 2/3 innings pitched
, but also struggled to control his pitches, walking
40 batters and throwing five wild pitch
es. This type of performance would continue to be the norm as Brea advanced through the minors; he finished his professional career with more than a strikeout per inning pitched, but also walked almost five batters per nine innings.
, in exchange for outfielder Butch Huskey
. Huskey played well as a regular for the Mariners in 1999, before being traded to the Boston Red Sox
at midseason.
Two years later, Brea was one of six players involved in a trade deadline deal between the Mets and the Baltimore Orioles
. The Mets sent Brea, Melvin Mora
, Mike Kinkade
, and pitching prospect Pat Gorman to the Orioles, receiving All-Star
shortstop Mike Bordick
. Bordick helped the Mets reach the 2000 World Series
, but the deal was costly for the Mets, as Mora developed into a star and Bordick returned to the Orioles as a free agent that offseason. Questions about Brea's actual age surfaced after the deal, embarrassing Orioles' General Manager Syd Thrift
.
. In his only major league start, he surrendered six runs in 3 1/3 innings, and the Orioles lost 10-5. Over the next two years, he pitched in eight major league games, surrendering 15 earned runs in 11 innings, for an ERA of 12.27. Control continued to be a problem, as he walked 13 batters and struck out only five, also hitting
one batter and throwing one wild pitch. The loss on August 13 was his only decision.
Brea left the Orioles as a minor league free agent after the 2002 season. He signed with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays but did not make the team out of spring training and was released on March 10, 2003. Brea spent the remainder of that year, his last as a professional, with the Somerset Patriots
of the Atlantic League
.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player. A right-handed relief pitcher
Relief pitcher
A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...
, Brea is 5'11" tall, and he weighed 170 pounds during his playing career. Some records list his year of birth as 1978, but this figure was subsequently found to be inaccurate.
Minor leagues
In 1996, Brea began his professional career by signing with the Seattle MarinersSeattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July...
as an undrafted free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
. He was 22 years old, but represented himself as a 17-year-old in order to secure a more favorable response from Mariners scouts. Baseball scouts are sometimes reluctant to sign older international players, since younger players are generally farther from their physical peak, and thus are perceived as having a comparatively higher ceiling to their future performance.
Brea established himself as a prospect in 1998, when he saved 12 games as the closer for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers are a minor league baseball team of the Midwest League, and the Class A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Grand Chute, Wisconsin, and are named for timber rattlesnakes. The team plays its home games at Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium...
of the Midwest League
Midwest League
The Midwest League is a Class-A minor league baseball league which operates in the Midwestern United States.-History:Six teams – the Belleville Stags, the Centralia Cubs, the Marion Indians, the Mattoon Indians or East Frankfort White Sox, the Mount Vernon Braves, and the West Frankfort...
. He compiled a 2.76 ERA
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
and struck out
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
86 batters in only 58 2/3 innings pitched
Innings pitched
In baseball, innings pitched are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one inning pitched. One out counts as one-third of an inning, and two...
, but also struggled to control his pitches, walking
Base on balls
A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08...
40 batters and throwing five wild pitch
Wild pitch
In baseball, a wild pitch is charged against a pitcher when his pitch is too high, too short, or too wide of home plate for the catcher to control with ordinary effort, thereby allowing a baserunner, perhaps even the batter-runner on strike three or ball four, to advance.A wild pitch usually...
es. This type of performance would continue to be the norm as Brea advanced through the minors; he finished his professional career with more than a strikeout per inning pitched, but also walked almost five batters per nine innings.
Trades
Brea was involved in two noteworthy trades before reaching the major leagues. On December 14, 1998, the Mariners traded Brea to the New York MetsNew York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
, in exchange for outfielder Butch Huskey
Butch Huskey
Robert Leon "Butch" Huskey , is a former professional baseball player who played in the Major Leagues primarily as an outfielder from 1993 and 1995-2000....
. Huskey played well as a regular for the Mariners in 1999, before being traded to the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
at midseason.
Two years later, Brea was one of six players involved in a trade deadline deal between the Mets and the Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
. The Mets sent Brea, Melvin Mora
Melvin Mora
Melvin Mora , affectionately nicknamed Melmo or Melvy, is a Venezuelan professional baseball infielder who is a free agent...
, Mike Kinkade
Mike Kinkade
Michael Arthur Kinkade is a former Major League Baseball player who was primarily a left fielder, but also spent time as a first baseman, right fielder, third baseman, designated hitter, and catcher....
, and pitching prospect Pat Gorman to the Orioles, receiving All-Star
All-star
All-star is a term designating an individual as having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry...
shortstop Mike Bordick
Mike Bordick
Michael Todd Bordick is an American retired professional baseball shortstop. He played in Major League Baseball from 1990 to 2003 with four different teams: the Oakland Athletics, Baltimore Orioles, New York Mets, and Toronto Blue Jays.-Early life:Bordick's father, Michael, was in the Air Force,...
. Bordick helped the Mets reach the 2000 World Series
2000 World Series
-Game 1:Saturday, October 21, 2000 at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New YorkThe opener fell on two anniversaries. Twenty-five years prior, Boston Red Sox's catcher Carlton Fisk ended Game 6 of the 1975 World Series with his famous home run off the left field foul pole in Fenway Park in Boston to beat...
, but the deal was costly for the Mets, as Mora developed into a star and Bordick returned to the Orioles as a free agent that offseason. Questions about Brea's actual age surfaced after the deal, embarrassing Orioles' General Manager Syd Thrift
Syd Thrift
Sydnor W. Thrift Jr. was an American scout and executive in Major League Baseball who served as the general manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1985 to 1988, and the de facto general manager of the Baltimore Orioles from 1999 to 2002...
.
Major leagues
Brea made his major league debut on August 13, 2000, starting against the Kansas City RoyalsKansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
. In his only major league start, he surrendered six runs in 3 1/3 innings, and the Orioles lost 10-5. Over the next two years, he pitched in eight major league games, surrendering 15 earned runs in 11 innings, for an ERA of 12.27. Control continued to be a problem, as he walked 13 batters and struck out only five, also hitting
Hit by pitch
In baseball, hit by pitch , or hit batsman , is a batter or his equipment being hit in some part of his body by a pitch from the pitcher.-Official rule:...
one batter and throwing one wild pitch. The loss on August 13 was his only decision.
Brea left the Orioles as a minor league free agent after the 2002 season. He signed with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays but did not make the team out of spring training and was released on March 10, 2003. Brea spent the remainder of that year, his last as a professional, with the Somerset Patriots
Somerset Patriots
The Somerset Patriots are an American professional baseball team based in Bridgewater Township, New Jersey. They are a member of the Freedom Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball...
of the Atlantic League
Atlantic League of Professional Baseball
The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball is a professional, independent baseball organization located primarily in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, especially the greater metropolitan areas of the Northeast megalopolis. It operates in cities not served by Major or Minor League...
.