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Brad Wieck

Brad Wieck
Wieck with the Brooklyn Cyclones in 2014
Free agent
Pitcher
Born: (1991-10-14) October 14, 1991 (age 33)
Amarillo, Texas, U.S.
Bats: Left
Throws: Left
MLB debut
September 14, 2018, for the San Diego Padres
MLB statistics
(through 2021 season)
Win–loss record2–2
Earned run average3.77
Strikeouts89
Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Teams

Bradley Michael Wieck (/wɪk/ WIK;[1] born October 14, 1991) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres and Chicago Cubs.

Career

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New York Mets

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Wieck attended San Jacinto Christian Academy in Amarillo, Texas. After high school he attended Frank Phillips College and was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 29th round of the 2012 Major League Baseball draft.[2] He did not sign with the Phillies and transferred to Cisco College. After one year at Cisco, he transferred to Oklahoma City University and was drafted by the New York Mets in the seventh round of the 2014 Major League Baseball draft.[3]

Wieck signed and spent 2014 with the Brooklyn Cyclones, posting a 1–1 record and 1.40 ERA in 16 relief appearances. He started 2015 with the Savannah Sand Gnats.[4]

San Diego Padres

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In June, he was acquired by the San Diego Padres as the player to be named later in an earlier trade for Alex Torres.[5] The Padres assigned him to the Class A Fort Wayne TinCaps and later promoted him to the Class A Advanced Lake Elsinore Storm. In 23 total games started between Savannah, Fort Wayne, and Lake Elsinore, he pitched to a 7–11 record, 4.09 ERA, and 1.40 WHIP.

Whereas Wieck had been working as a starter in 2015, starting all 23 games he pitched in and averaging 51⁄3 innings, he began work as a reliever in 2016 and recovered a mid-90s fastball that had lost in the rotation.[6] Wieck pitched 2016 with Lake Elsinore, where he was named an All-Star, and the Double-A San Antonio Missions.[7] In 41 total relief appearances between the two teams, he was 4–1 with a 1.17 ERA along with 93 strikeouts in 61.1 innings. After the season, he played in the Arizona Fall League.[8] Wieck began 2017 with the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas, but after posting a 10.29 ERA in his first seven games, was reassigned to San Antonio, where he finished the season, going 2–1 with a 2.64 ERA in 31 appearances out of the bullpen.[9]

After the 2017 season, the Padres added Wieck to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.[10]

Wieck began 2018 with San Antonio, but was promoted to El Paso in late June after putting up a 1.93 ERA with the Missions.[11] He had a 3.44 ERA in El Paso and struck out 34 batters in 181⁄3 innings. Wieck was promoted to the Major Leagues in September 2018.[12] He made it into five games in September, striking out 10 while allowing 1 earned run in 7 innings.

Wieck had cancer surgery in January 2019, but returned to the Major League camp in February and worked towards being at full strength by the end of Spring Training.[13] He was 0–1 in 30 games for San Diego.

Chicago Cubs

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Wieck was traded to the Chicago Cubs on July 31, 2019, in exchange for Carl Edwards Jr.[14] Wieck finished the 2019 season allowing only 4 earned runs in 10 innings pitched with the Cubs.[15] In 2020 for Chicago, Wieck appeared in only one game, allowing a two-run home run to Christian Yelich of the Milwaukee Brewers.[16]

Wieck made one appearance for Chicago in April 2021 before being optioned to the Triple-A Iowa Cubs. On May 9, Wieck pitched the seventh and eighth innings of a no-hitter against the Indianapolis Indians at Principal Park in Des Moines, Iowa.[17] Preceded on the mound by Shelby Miller and Tommy Nance, he struck out five batters over two innings before being relieved by Ryan Meisinger who completed the combined no-hit game.[18]

On July 23, 2021, Wieck was placed on the 60-day injured list with an irregular heartbeat. It was announced he would undergo an ablation procedure in an effort to address the issue, similar to another procedure he underwent in February 2020.[19]

On March 17, 2022, Wieck was placed on the 60-day injured list with a left elbow strain.[20] On July 22, it was announced Wieck had undergone Tommy John surgery, and would miss the remainder of the year. Wieck did not pitch during the regular season.[21] On November 10, Wieck was activated from the 60-day injured list and outrighted off the 40-man roster.[22] He elected free agency the following day.

On January 4, 2023, Wieck re-signed with the Cubs organization on a two-year minor league contract.[23] He did not play in a game in 2023 as he continued to recover from injury. Wieck made 21 appearances for Triple–A Iowa in 2024, compiling a 4.94 ERA with 29 strikeouts across 27+1⁄3 innings pitched. On June 25, 2024, he was released by the Cubs organization.[24]

Scouting report

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Wieck is a left-hander with a fastball, slider, and change-up. He is one of the tallest players in Major League Baseball at 6'9". He averaged 92.8 mph with his fastball in the minors in 2018, which was down from the 95 mph speed he had earlier, but all the pitches play faster because of his height.[25]

References

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  1. ^ Baseball Player Name Pronunciation Guide Retrieved May 10, 2023
  2. ^ "Phillies draft San Jac grad Wieck". Retrieved November 19, 2016.
  3. ^ "SJCA grad Wieck drafted by Mets". Retrieved November 19, 2016.
  4. ^ "Mets prospect coming up big in Brooklyn". Retrieved November 19, 2016.
  5. ^ "Game canceled on day TinCaps get new pitcher - Sports - Journal Gazette". Archived from the original on October 18, 2016. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
  6. ^ Cassavell, AJ (March 7, 2017). "Reliever Wieck getting job done in spring". MLB.com. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
  7. ^ "San Jac's Wieck making strong impression in AA". Retrieved November 19, 2016.
  8. ^ Sanders, Jeff (October 14, 2016). "Offseason: Padres relievers off to strong start in Arizona Fall League". Retrieved November 19, 2016.
  9. ^ "Brad Wieck Stats, Highlights, Bio – MiLB.com Stats – The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". MiLB.com. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
  10. ^ "Padres add Brad Wieck, Jose Castillo to 40-man roster". The San Diego Union-Tribune. November 21, 2017. Retrieved November 26, 2017.
  11. ^ Passmore, Lee (June 24, 2018). "Wieck promoted to El Paso". Amarillo Globe-News. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
  12. ^ "San Diego Padres: Brad Wieck and Javy Guerra Join The Club". Friars on Base. September 11, 2018. Retrieved September 14, 2018.
  13. ^ Acee, Kevin (February 13, 2019). "Padres pitcher Brad Wieck in camp after cancer surgery". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
  14. ^ "Padres get Edwards Jr. from Cubs for Wieck". MLB.com. July 31, 2019.
  15. ^ "Chicago Cubs: Brad Wieck could be key bullpen arm in 2020". January 14, 2020.
  16. ^ "2021 Cubs Projections: Kyle Ryan, Brad Wieck, Shelby Miller". March 16, 2021.
  17. ^ Maun, Tyler (May 9, 2021). "Miller Leads I-Cubs' Combined No-hitter". Major League Baseball. Retrieved May 10, 2021.
  18. ^ "Indians vs. Cubs Box Score 05/09/21". Minor League Baseball. May 9, 2021. Retrieved May 10, 2021.
  19. ^ "Cubs Claim Johneshwy Fargas, Move Brad Wieck to 60-Day IL". July 23, 2021.
  20. ^ "Cubs' Brad Wieck: Lands on 60-day IL". cbssports.com. March 17, 2022. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  21. ^ "Cubs' Brad Wieck: Undergoes Tommy John surgery". cbssports.com. July 22, 2022. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  22. ^ "Cubs' Brad Wieck: Sent to Triple-A". cbssports.com. November 10, 2022. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  23. ^ "Cubs' Brad Wieck: Rejoins North Siders". cbssports.com. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  24. ^ "Transactions".
  25. ^ Sanders, Jeff (January 25, 2019). "Padres roster review: Brad Wieck". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
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