The Arizona Diamondbacks are going into a critical offseason in which they are challenged by an impending lockout in Major League Baseball and a desire by owner Ken Kendrick to trim payroll. 

The Diamondbacks have been good, posting an 86-76 record this season, but not good enough in the National League landscape to make it to the playoffs. 

With the possibility that multiple veterans will be off the roster sooner rather than later, there will be an increasing responsibility on Arizona's young players to pick up the torch and do the most with it. 

For the Diamondbacks' pitching staff, that is especially true, and one such player who needs to step up in his second MLB season is left-hander Mitch Bratt.

Bratt’s professional baseball journey originally began with the Texas Rangers when they selected him with the 134th pick in the fifth round of the 2021 MLB Draft. 

On July 31, 2025, Bratt was traded to the Diamondbacks in a deal that sent veteran right-hander Merrill Kelly to Texas. Bratt finished up the rest of the 2025 season in Arizona's minor-league system, and on June 24, he made his MLB debut.

This season, Bratt got to toe the rubber 10 times for the Diamondbacks, all of which were starts. Over that span, he posted a 1-3 record with a 4.70 ERA and a 1.52 WHIP in 44 innings pitched. 

However, Bratt struggled immensely with putting runners on base and allowing earned runs. Over the 44 innings of work he put in, Bratt struck out 30 batters but also allowed 27 walks, 23 earned runs, and 40 hits. 

It is understandable for rookies to have growing pains in the big leagues, and Bratt, 23, has demonstrated what those growing pains look like. However, if he wants to stay on the mound and be a contributor for Arizona in the future, he must limit the opportunities he gives to opposing hitters.

Additionally, Bratt needs to get up to the average velocities posted by left-handers. According to his Baseball Savant profile, Bratt primarily relies on a four-seam fastball, which he goes to 47% of the time in his six-pitch arsenal. 

The problem is that his average velocity on his heater is only 91 mph, while the left-handed average in MLB is 93.5 mph. The same can be said about his slurve, which is his second most-used pitch at a 23% usage rate. 

Bratt throws that pitch, on average, at 79.6 mph, while the average for lefties employing it is 82.2 mph.

The Diamondbacks relied heavily on their offense to help them win games this season, and if they want to get back to being a playoff team, they need to demonstrate more productivity on the mound. 

All-Star-level pitchers like Eduardo Rodriguez and Corbin Burnes should be back on the mound next season, but there is a strong chance Bratt will be relied upon at some point, and he needs to deliver.