Getting to Know Quad Cities RHP Brett Daniels

RHP Brett Daniels, drafted in the 17th round in 2018 out of the University of North Carolina got off to a great start in his first professional season with short season A Tri-City last year, going 3-0 with a 1.62 ERA and a 0.840 WHIP in 33.1 innings. He has gone on to show that those early results were not a fluke as he has compiled a 1.87 ERA and a 1.220 WHIP in 82 innings for Low A Quad Cities in 2019. A side trip to AA Corpus Christi in April as a temporary fill-in elevates his season numbers a bit, putting him at a 2.30 ERA and 1.267 WHIP over a total of 90 innings (44 BB:91 K).

Brett Daniels - July 2019

Photo by Jayne Hansen

I asked Daniels about his success this season and he gave a lot of credit to his team, "A big part has been our defense. I would say they're picking me up in some big spots, getting me out of a lot of jams here recently. Earlier in the year I think I was able to put away a lot of guys, strike out a decent bit of guys. Then I hit a little bump in the road, started walking some people, but I was still striking guys out, getting out of jams, like bases loaded or a couple guys on. But now the defense is helping me out. I'm not getting as many strikeouts right now, but the balls that they're putting in play, they're making outs." As a side note, Daniels walked 18 batters in 23.2 innings in June while walking only 20 batters in the remaining 58.1 innings he has pitched with the Quad Cities team.

Quad Cities Pitching Coach Erick Abreu was quick to credit Daniels himself with his successful season. "What I like most about him is his work ethic. He's very consistent with his routine, He knows what to work on. He comes everyday to the field and just does his job. He's very consistent. He came a long way improving his delivery and pitch shapes and he's just a real good kid," said Abreu.

Daniels throws fastball, changeup, slider and curveball with the changeup being his best offspeed offering. His fastball sits in the low 90's right now and Daniels said of the fastball, "It's a little harder now than it was at the beginning of the season. Tweaked some things and worked on some things and finally getting some velo back."

Quad Cities Manager Ray Hernandez would like to see Daniels get a little bit stronger, but has been very happy with what he's seen out of Daniels this season. "He's just really mature. He's gone through North Carolina so he's a college guy and he makes good pitches. He knows how to work through lineups and he's been everything we've needed when he gets the ball," said Hernandez.

Daniels's college career at UNC didn't exactly go according to plan with a ball to the elbow and a hurt back derailing parts of his freshman and sophomore years, but things eventually worked out. Daniels described it, "Come back in my sophomore spring, get an opportunity the third week in and I get out of a bases loaded jam. Come in two days later. Same thing, bases loaded, no outs. Get out of a jam. After that, I pitched two or three times a weekend for the rest of my career. It started off weird and then after that, it picked up. I started getting confidence and just went from there." Primarily a reliever in college, Daniels has segued into more of a starting role since signing with the Astros last season.

When asked to give a scouting report on himself, Daniels told me, "I would say strength is being able to throw all my pitches for strikes in pretty much any count. That's what we preach here. Being able to throw any pitch 3-1. You don't want to just lay a fastball in there. And just pound the zone, other than that little bump where I started walking people, for the most part, I've thrown strikes. What I need to work on is increasing velo, also putting guys away." As far as intangibles go, he said, "I don't show a lot of emotion out there. I'm pretty poised. I don't let things get to my head. I just try to stay next pitch."

Quad Cities catcher Cesar Salazar obliged me with a scouting report on Daniels as well, "He really knows how to use, especially with his fast ball, the top and bottom of the zone. He uses his spin as a good weapon because he's got good spin with his fastball. He can get a lot of strikeouts with a fastball up, paints the bottom of the zone too. Offspeed he can throw for strikes whenever he wants, especially his changeup. That's his bread and butter. He has probably one of the better changeups that I've ever caught. Like I said, he's not afraid to throw it."

As far as what Daniels feels he needs to work on, he said, "I think right now, just being able to put guys away, two strikes. Right now I'm leaving the ball over the plate a little bit too much. 0-2, 1-2, 2-2 really. And then just developing all my pitches, making them better. Definitely the slider is the main focus right now. Just pretty much making all my pitches better, increasing velo ... I think everybody wants to do that."

During off days during the season and over the offseason, you will frequently find Daniels on the golf course. Last offseason, he worked in construction, a lot of it helping to clean up following the hurricanes that affected his home state of North Carolina in 2018, but although it paid well, he admits that an easier job would be welcomed for the coming winter. In the meantime, I feel certain that a promotion to Fayetteville would also be welcome to get him closer to family and to his girlfriend there.

Daniels talked a little about the early part of the season when the Quad Cities team was temporarily homeless because of the Mississippi River flood waters surrounding Modern Woodmen Park, "It was definitely something I've never done before. You just kind of have to make do and be positive. The coaches were great about it. If we needed a lower day because we just drove overnight and then next morning pick back up, drive another hour or two someplace else, they'll give us a low day. They were good about that. I thought the biggest thing was working out. I think that was one of the toughest things, not having our home weight room. And also you're not able to really get into a routine of things. Everything's kind of changing every day, every week. So now, I think that's the biggest thing that's helped a lot of us is getting in that routine."

Daniels may like a good routine, but he also seems pretty comfortable just going with the flow. In speaking about his Management and Society major from UNC, he admitted that he wasn't sure what he wanted to do with it, "I didn't have a Plan B. People asked me that all the time in college and I was like, I don't know. We'll figure it out when we get there." Daniels laid-back attitude, his North Carolina accent, his good humor and his modest self-appraisal combine to make him very likable. Coupled with his excellent season, he is definitely someone who is very easy to root for.

Thank you for your time, Brett, and best of luck as the season continues.

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