The Cincinnati Reds have signed utility player to a minor league deal, assigning the 29-year-old to Triple-A Louisville.
Now, before you dismiss this as just another signing of a veteran minor leaguer, it’s worth noting that he batted .334/.383/.474 in Triple-A last season while playing in the Arizona Diamondbacks’ system.
A third-round pick by the Mariners in 2016, he was traded to the Marlins in 2018. After the 2022 season, he joined the Dodgers on a minor league deal, then signed with Arizona for 2024. Despite leading all Triple-A hitters with a minimum of 400 plate appearances in batting average, he didn’t land a deal with any MLB teams and instead agreed to join the Caliente de Durango of the Mexican League in early February.
He never ended up playing a game for them. Before the Mexican League season could start, the Reds stepped in and purchased his contract.
So, what kind of player is Brigman? In 2024, he posted a 15.3% strikeout rate in Triple-A—27th best among 247 players with 300+ plate appearances. He’s always had a knack for making contact. While he has solid speed, it hasn’t translated into big stolen base numbers—his career high is 20, and that was back in 2018.
What Brigman doesn’t bring is power. His average exit velocity was just 84.3 MPH, and although he hit a personal-best nine home runs and 30 extra-base hits last year, he’s far from a slugger.
Defensively, Brigman is versatile. He’s logged over 3,000 minor league innings at shortstop and second base, and recently added experience in left and right field with two different organizations over the past two seasons.
It may be just a minor league signing, but getting a versatile player who can cover multiple positions and hit .334 at Triple-A is a solid depth move for Cincinnati.
