Weekly Pebble Report: Brody Brecht is gaining confidence in 2026

“I’m a big believer that the wrong pitch thrown with conviction is better than the right pitch thrown with doubt,” he said. “I think any time I step on that rubber, I want to already know what pitch I’m throwing and I want to be committed to it. And I think that’s the best way to go about it.”

Another big lesson Brecht learned in Fresno was how to get into a routine.

“You try to find it in spring training, but it’s a little different just getting up to speed and trying to stay healthy,” he said. “That’s the biggest thing in spring training. But once you get in the season, you get those first couple of road trips and a couple of home series – I think after that first month, you really start figuring out a groove and what works for you. So I feel like I found that.”

Part of the reason that Brecht chose to attend the University of Iowa instead of going pro right out of high school was his interest in playing football as well as baseball. He redshirted his first season in 2021, but saw action in 11 games in 2022. Injuries derailed his football career, though, so he turned his focus back to baseball. However, he still has a lot of lessons that he took from his time as a two-sport athlete.

“It’s in me for sure, just being an athlete,” he said. “I try to stay with my training – sprinting, running, all that stuff – and still stay explosive like when I was playing. And then just the mentality of hard work and showing up every day. You may not feel like it, but you’ve got to get it done. That’s still in there for sure. Could I go out there right now and play? You might have to give me a few months to start training, but I definitely try to still be an athlete out there.”

During spring training, Brecht focused on “getting back to [he] was and being an athlete out there.”

“Once I stopped playing football, I feel like I tried to get perfect mechanics and just tried to be a pitcher. And that’s just not who I am. I’m an athlete out there. So I think just switching up some training and arm build up, just making sure I can stay healthy out there was a big thing this offseason. And then learning a curveball, adding that so we can have a four-pitch mix was good. And just staying in the zone – attacking and getting ahead is the biggest thing.”

Aside from the physical adjustments he’s made, Brecht is also working on the mental side of his game. Notably, he works with Brian Kane – Chase Dollander’s mental skills coach.

“He talks about that: if you get behind 0-2 or 1-2, in the past, for me – and something I still struggle with – is that it can quickly turn into 2-2 or 3-2 because you’re trying to throw the nastiest slider you’ve ever thrown. But you don’t need to – just make it competitive… And for me, my mindset is that I’m throwing it down the middle until I get to two strikes and the eight guys behind you can get outs for you.”

Additionally, Brecht has a goal of going deeper into games while also “not trying to punch everybody out.”

“I think if you get ahead and you stay ahead, then the strikeouts will come. But my goal out there isn’t to strike out 10 every time I go out there. It’s just to execute one pitch, and if I strike him out, great. If it’s 0-2 and I strike him out, great. If he gets a pop up, great. Like, it doesn’t matter to me. I’m just trying to go deep in the ballgame.”

He also has his routine that he follows on game days that help him get in the mental space to perform.

“For me, sitting around all day thinking about the game isn’t beneficial for me. I just feel that my anxiety goes up and my stress goes up,” he said. “So for me, just getting away from the game – whether it’s playing some video games, spending time with family, I think that’s really good. I like to go on walks and just get the body moving. I don’t want to sit around all day.

“And then once I get into my routine, I’ll listen to a podcast out there over the execution of baseball and talk about the execution of a pitch. It’s by Harvey Dorfin called The Mental ABC’s of Pitching,” he continued. “So I do a chapter on game days and then I’ll go watch a video of me executing pitches – I call it my mind movie – swings and misses, attacking and getting ahead and all that. And I’ll do mental imagery. But on game days, I’ll do that before and then just listen to some Christian music to keep me calm so I can go out there and just be in control of myself.”

Brecht was chosen to not only represent the Rockies in the 2026 Spring Breakout game, but also to start the game. Unfortunately, he got lit up early and posted a final line of five runs (four earned) on four hits with four walks and two strikeouts over 1.2 innings. So far in Spokane, he’s been pitching alright but he still has some goals that he’s hoping to achieve in 2026.

“I think the biggest thing is just staying healthy,” he said. “I missed some time last year [with a back injury], so just getting out of here healthy and staying healthy throughout the season is going to be the biggest thing. And then just continue to build upon each outing, and know that each time I put on a Rockies jersey is definitely a blessing. So just not taking any day for granted.”

Weekly Pebble Report: April 13th-19th

Triple-A: Albuquerque Isotopes (4-2, 12-9 Overall)

It was another successful week for the Albuquerque Isotopes. Hosting the Oklahoma City Dodgers (Los Angeles Dodgers) at home, the Isotopes won four games to take back-to-back series for the first time since June 2024. It was also the first time Albuquerque earned a home series victory over Oklahoma City since May 20-25, 2021, and just their third since 2012. The Isotopes lost the series opener, won games two and three, dropped game four 13-12, then won the next two to close out the series.

The offense produced plenty during the series, slashing .329/.439/.472 with their 71 hits and 56 runs scored, topping the Pacific Coast League. Additionally, the Isotopes ended up with more walks (41) than strikeouts (40) by the end of the series. On the mound, the pitching staff posted a 6.67 ERA over 54 innings, though the Isotopes only allowed more than six runs in a game twice, each game resulting in a loss. They managed 58 strikeouts against 36 walks and gave up six home runs.

⬆️ Stock Up: Sterlin Silver

Sterlin Thompson (No. 13 PuRP) had a productive week at the plate, slashing .368/.500/.526 with a home run and a team-leading seven RBI. He went 7-for-19 with five walks against one strikeout and added a stolen base for good measure while scoring seven runs. Thomspson is now batting .309/.427/.412 on the season through his first 18 games. While quite a bit of attention is being given to other prospects in Albuquerque, Thompson also has a good chance of debuting this season, especially since he is already on the 40-man roster.

⬇️ Stock Down: Veen Losing the Sheen

Consistency and success continue to elude Zac Veen (No. 9 PuRP) in Albuquerque. While he displayed solid plate discipline in the series with four walks against five strikeouts, he went 5-for-23 with a double. On the season, Veen is now batting just .227/.288/.288 with 17 strikeouts and six walks in 17 games. The improvement with swing decisions is nice to see, but he will need to start producing a little more pop at the plate, as he now has just four extra-base hits, all of which are doubles.

Upcoming

The Isotopes head on the road to face the Sacramento River Cats (San Francisco Giants) to start a new series on Tuesday.

Double-A: Hartford Yard Goats (4-1, 5-9 Overall)

The Yard Goats stumbled out of the gate against the Richmond Flying Squirrels (San Francisco Giants) with back-to-back losses in which they gave up a combined 24 runs. Hartford yielded 42 total runs to the Flying Squirrels in five games after the series finale was rained out.

⬆️ Stock Up: Longwell Long Ball

Slugging first baseman Aidan Longwell seemed to finally find his footing at the end of last week’s series against the Fightin’ Phils. Against the Flying Squirrels he continued to hit the ball well. In five games he went 8-for-21 with a home run—his first at the Double-A level—two doubles, and just one strikeout.

⬇️ Stock Down: Stormy Weatherly

Left-handed reliever Sam Weatherly hasn’t quite found his way through the clouds to start the 2026 season. He’s given up an earned run in all five of his appearances and given up at least two in three of those outings. Weatherly made two appearances against Richmond at two innings each and gave up two earned runs in both. He allowed seven total hit, including a home run. He walked two batters and struck out three.

Upcoming

The Yard Goats will look to right the ship in a six game road series against the Portland Sea Dogs (Boston Red Sox).

High-A: Spokane Indians (2-4, 6-9 Overall)

It was a tough week for the Spokane Indians. They won their first game against the Vancouver Canadians (Toronto Blue Jays), but won just one game the rest of the series. Lack of offense was a prominent issue, especially over the final three games of the set. In those last three games the Indians scored just four runs while the Canadians scored 16.

⬆️ Stock Up: Vancouver Got Brecht

The titular Brody Brecht had an excellent week on the mound. Divided into two three-inning starts to bookend the series, Brecht pitched six total innings and gave up just one earned run on three hits and three walks with a total of 11 strikeouts. Brecht’s best outing came on the Sunday finale, where he held the Canadians hitless with five strikeouts.

⬆️ Stock Up: ¡Vamos, Vargas!

Jordy Vargas (no. 21 PuRP) has continued his excellent start to the season with a quality start against the Canadians. Vargas shut out Vancouver for six innings, giving up just two hits and a walk while striking out seven batters. Through his first three starts he has a 1.29 ERA over 14 innings with 17 strikeouts and a 0.79 WHIP.

Upcoming

The Indians are off to Everett to take on the AquaSox (Seattle Mariners) for the second time this season.

Low-A: Fresno Grizzlies (4-2, 10-4 Overall)

The Grizzlies faced off against the newly formed Ontario Tower Buzzers (Los Angeles Dodgers) for the first time and walked away with a fairly dominant 4-2 series win. Offense was the name of the game, as the Grizzlies scored at least seven runs in four of the six games. They also had two games—both victories—in which they scored a whopping 18 runs, though they did give up 23 runs in a loss for the series finale.

⬆️ Stock Up: Thach Smash

The series against Ontario was quite the coming-out party for 21-year-old first baseman Tanner Thach, the 2025 eighth round selection out of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Thach tore the cover off the ball against the Tower Buzzers, going 13-for-28 at the plate with five doubles, three home runs, and 18 RBIs as he played in all six games. He also drew more walks (four) than strikeouts (two). Thach went 4-for-6 in the series opener with seven RBI and two of his home runs.

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⬇️ Stock Down: Jhon Doe

The Rockies signed left-handed pitcher Jhon Medina out of the Dominican Republic as part of their 2023 international class. After three solid seasons in the Dominican Summer League and Arizona Complex League, the 20-year-old was assigned to Low-A Fresno for the season. Unfortunately, his Low-A debut has been a difficult one. In four appearances—including one start—he has an ERA of 19.96 over 7.2 innings. He has six strikeouts to 13 walks and has given up at least three earned runs in three of his four appearances. His first outing against Ontario lasted just 0.2 innings as he gave up eight earned runs on four hits and four walks. His second outing was smoother by comparison with three earned runs on four hits and three walks over three innings.

Upcoming

The Grizzlies are back in Fresno this week for a series against the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. The former Dodgers affiliate now operates as the Low-A team for the Los Angeles Angels.

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