As Brady Feigl found his way around his locker in the Pittsburgh Pirates locker room, the 33-year-old left-handed reliever couldn’t explain how his path had ultimately led him to the Major Leagues.
Feigl is known for having a namesake who looks almost identical but is more of a mirror image. They are almost the same height, but the other Brady is five years younger and a right-handed pitcher.
“The fact that we both have the same name is just a crazy story,” said Feigl. “I used to have a red beard, red hair and wear glasses. So it’s just a weird thing.”
This Feigl is a 6-foot-4, 195-pound player who pitched in the minor leagues for the Atlanta Braves and Texas Rangers and played two seasons of independent baseball to keep his dream alive.
On Sunday, that wish came true when the Pirates acquired Feigl’s contract from Triple-A Indianapolis. They needed a bullpen player to replace right-hander Hunter Stratton, who tore the patellar tendon in his left knee in Saturday’s 10-2 loss to the Cincinnati Reds at PNC Park and was placed on the 60-day injured list.
“I think just thinking about how close I was when I was with the Braves and the Rangers, just thinking about how close I was and knowing that I still have the ability to do it,” Feigl said. “Here I am.”
Feigl was 7-2 with a 3.83 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP while averaging 10.8 strikeouts and 2.3 walks per nine innings in 51 2/3 innings in 33 appearances, including one start, in Indianapolis this season. In seven games this month, he had a 0.82 ERA and a .167 batting average with 14 strikeouts and three walks, though two of them were intentional.
“I feel like I can handle both left-handed and right-handed hitters. I can play long. I can play short,” Feigl said. “I do everything I can to help the team win.”
Signed as an undrafted free agent out of Mount St. Mary’s in 2013, Feigl had a long road to the major leagues. He entered spring training with the Braves in 2015, but finished the season in Triple-A, injuring his elbow in his season debut and undergoing Tommy John surgery.
Feigl was traded to the Rangers in December 2016 for Luke Jackson and played in their minor league system before being selected by the San Diego Padres in the 2019 Rule 5 Draft. However, he missed the 2020 season due to the Covid pandemic and the following season due to injuries. He then played in the independent Atlantic League, first for the Long Island Ducks, then for Frederick and Lexington.
Feigl was playing for Pericos de Puebla in the Mexican League when the Pirates signed him to a minor league contract in late January, and he is now poised to make his major league debut.
“Absolutely. That’s the cool thing about baseball. There’s no direct path,” Feigl said. “Everyone has their own story. I’m just glad I’m still here.”
Feigl hopes to prove to the pirates that the wait was worth it.
“I just belong here,” Feigl said. “I’m going to try to make the most of my opportunity and do everything I can to help this team win.”
Kevin Gorman is a TribLive reporter who covers the Pirates. A Baldwin native and Penn State graduate, he joined the Trib in 1999 and covered high school sports, Pitt football and basketball, and was a sports columnist for 10 years. Reach him at [email protected].
