Bradley Steven Bergesen (born September 25, 1985) is an American former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

and

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The f ...

, and in

Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''. Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...

(NPB) for the

Chunichi Dragons The are a professional baseball team based in Nagoya, the chief city in the Chūbu region of Japan. The team plays in the Central League of Nippon Professional Baseball. They have won the Central League pennant nine times (most recently in 2011) ...

. He has been a pitching coach in the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

organization since 2018, currently with the

Reading Fightin Phils The Reading Fightin Phils (also called the Reading Fightins) are a Minor League Baseball team based in Reading, Pennsylvania, playing in the Northeast Division of the Eastern League. The team plays their home games at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Re ...

since 2020.

Playing career

Baltimore Orioles

Bergesen was called up to the Baltimore Orioles from the Triple-A

Norfolk Tides The Norfolk Tides are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. They are located in Norfolk, Virginia, and are named in nautical reference to the city's location on the Chesapea ...

to make his first major-league start on April 21, 2009. He pitched 5 innings for the win against the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

, allowing three runs (one earned) on four hits and two walks, striking out four. Bergesen's starts for the next month would be much rockier, as his ERA quickly increased and sat at 5.49 after a start on May 24. BradBergesenOrioles

Bergesen's year turned around dramatically at this point. From May 29 through July 30 (a span of 12 starts), he pitched at least six innings each start and allowed more than three earned runs only once. He had a particularly impressive stretch from May 29 to June 14, when over four starts he pitched 32 innings and allowed just six runs (an ERA of only 1.69). The start on June 14 was his first career

complete game In baseball, a complete game (CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher. A pitcher who meets this criterion will be credited with a complete game regardless of the number of innings played—pitche ...

, an 11-2 victory over the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...

. Bergesen continued to pitch well over the course of the year, emerging as the Orioles' most dependable starting pitcher as the summer continued. Unfortunately for the Orioles, his final start would be on July 30, against the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...

. Bergesen was pitching another solid game, having allowed only one run thus far, and was one out away from getting out of a jam in the seventh inning when the Royals' Billy Butler hit a line drive straight into Bergesen's left shin. Bergesen collapsed immediately upon being hit, and the ball rolled back towards Orioles catcher

Matt Wieters Matthew Richard Wieters (; born May 21, 1986) is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles, Washington Nationals, and St. Louis Cardinals. Wieters played college basebal ...

, who threw Butler out at first. Bergesen managed to get up quickly, slap gloves with Wieters, and hobble into the Orioles' dugout unassisted before collapsing in the tunnel. X-rays and an MRI did not reveal any bone fracture, but the injury would end Bergesen's season. Bergesen finished the 2009 season with 19 starts, 123 innings pitched, a WHIP of 1.28, and an ERA of 3.43. Many writers have suggested that if Bergesen had continued to pitch as well as he had and had not been injured, he would have been a strong candidate for Rookie of the Year. On April 20, 2010, Bergesen was optioned to Norfolk. On May 14, 2011, Bergesen threw a complete game shutout of the

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. Since its inception ...

. Bergesen did not allow a single base hit throughout the last six innings of the game. It was his fourth career complete game, but it was his first complete game shutout of his career. On May 29, 2011, Bergesen was optioned to Triple-A

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

, giving up his spot in his rotation to

Brian Matusz Brian Robert Matusz ( ; born February 11, 1987) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles and the Chicago Cubs. College Matusz attended the University of San Diego, wh ...

. In June, he returned to MLB in a relief role in exchange for

Jeremy Accardo Jeremiah Lee Accardo (born December 8, 1981) is an American former professional baseball pitcher and coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants, Toronto Blue Jays, Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians, and Oakl ...

. Bergesen was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must within seven days, return the pla ...

on May 12, 2012. He was later re-added to the 40-man roster, but was designated for assignment again on July 18.

Arizona Diamondbacks

On July 20, 2012, he was claimed off waivers by the

Chunichi Dragons

On November 30, 2012, he signed with the

of the NPB's Central League. In 14 appearances (11 starts), Bergesen was 2-2 with a 3.71 ERA, but he posted a meager 3.7 strikeouts per 9 innings.

York Revolution

After sitting out the 2014 season, Bergesen signed with the

York Revolution The York Revolution is an American professional minor-league baseball team based in York, Pennsylvania. It is a member of the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, an independent baseball league, independent "partner lea ...

on May 22, 2015. He became a free agent after the 2015 season.

Lancaster Barnstormers

On February 28, 2017, Bergesen signed with the

Lancaster Barnstormers The Lancaster Barnstormers (colloquially known as the Stormers) are an American professional baseball team based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. They are a member of the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a "partner league ...

of the

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league based in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States. The Atlantic League's ...

Coaching

He was hired by the

to be the pitching coach with the Class A

Lakewood BlueClaws The Jersey Shore BlueClaws (formerly Lakewood BlueClaws) are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. They are located in Lakewood, New Jersey, and are named for their locat ...

for the 2018 season. He was promoted in a similar capacity to the

Class A-Advanced High-A (officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing) is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A and Double-A, and abov ...

Clearwater Threshers The Clearwater Threshers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. They are located in Clearwater, Florida, and have played their home games at BayCare Ballpark since 2 ...

in 2019 and the Double-A

beginning in 2020."2021 Fightins Field Staff Announced," Reading Fightin Phils, Wednesday, March 31, 2021.
Retrieved August 20, 2021

Pitching style

Brad Bergesen is a

finesse pitcher In baseball, a control pitcher, also known as a finesse pitcher, is a pitcher who succeeds mostly by using accurate pitches, as opposed to a power pitcher who relies on velocity. By issuing a below average number of bases on balls he exhibits goo ...

and groundball pitcher who relies primarily on a sinker (sinking/

two-seam fastball A two-seam fastball is a pitch in baseball and softball. It is a variant of the straight fastball. The pitch has the speed of a fastball and can also include late-breaking action caused by varying the pressure of the index and middle fingers on t ...

). He also uses a

slider Slider or Sliders may refer to: Arts * K.K. Slider, a fictional character within the ''Animal Crossing'' franchise * '' The Slider'', a 1972 album by T. Rex * ''Sliders'' (TV series), an American science fiction and fantasy television series * ...

and

changeup A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball and fastpitch softball. The changeup is a staple off-speed pitch often used in a pitcher's arsenal, usually thrown to look like a fastball but arriving much more slowly to the plate. Its reduced speed ...

, the slider being his typical strikeout pitch. Because his fastball averages a speed of about 89 mph, Bergesen relies on good control of his pitches and avoids walks, rather than striking many batters out. His ability to get many ground balls (50.1% ground ball rate in 2009) helps him limit hits to singles and get extra outs via the

double play In baseball and softball, a double play (denoted as DP in baseball statistics) is the act of making two outs during the same continuous play. Double plays can occur any time there is at least one baserunner and fewer than two outs. In Major Leag ...

. Though he still allows many home runs.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bergesen, Brad 1985 births Living people People from Fairfield, California Baseball coaches from California Baseball players from California Major League Baseball pitchers Bluefield Orioles players Aberdeen IronBirds players Delmarva Shorebirds players Frederick Keys players Bowie Baysox players Navegantes del Magallanes players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Norfolk Tides players Reno Aces players Baltimore Orioles players Arizona Diamondbacks players Minor league baseball coaches American expatriate baseball players in Japan Chunichi Dragons players York Revolution players Lancaster Barnstormers players