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BP Annual Player Comments

Year		Comment
2014		You don't have to look far to see the upside of Villarreal. That's not some metaphorical, thoughtful thing, either; there is literally an impressive stat line directly above where your eyes are now. Wedged right beneath it is the wild downside of the fireballing right-hander, and that's where things get iffy. The Red Sox acquired Villarreal and his inconsistency as a throw-in to the three-team swap that netted them Jake Peavy. He's out of options, so he's a few awful walks away from designation for assignment, especially given John Farrell's preference for relievers who throw strikes. In a less stacked 'pen, he might get a shot at holding his roster spot, but he could easily be elsewhere by the time you read this.
2013		Looking at his composite line, it is hard to quibble with anything the Tigers got from Villarreal last year, but he wore down in the dog days. There was some right-elbow inflammation in mid-August that may have been the primary cause. He had 13 walks in his first 33 innings through July, which is a passable 3.5 rate when you are striking out 11.7 per game. In the final two months, he walked 15 in 22 innings. That 6.1 rate is unacceptable on any level. His 3-mph spike in fastball velocity from 2011, combined with his strong slider, make him a deadly weapon out of the bullpen for the Tigers.
2012		Villarreal started last season in the Detroit 'pen but pitched his way back to the bus leagues, where his strikeout and walk rates then took two giant steps in the wrong direction. The organization still believes his stuff can make him an asset in the bullpen, as his mid-90s fastball and sharp slider has generated plenty of swing-and-miss in the past, but he’ll spend this spring competing with the likes of Duane Below and Adam Wilk for the last spot on the roster.
2011		Villarreal continued his steady climb up Detroit's minor-league ladder, blowing through High-A and into the high minors while continuing to whiff more than a man per inning and keep his walks in check. His fastball can reach the mid-90s, and his slider has become such a wipe-out pitch that minor-league batters often hear The Surfaris as they mutter their way back to the dugout. His changeup is a work in progress, however, and since he lacks ideal size many think his future lies in the bullpen—an especially bright future, if his stuff becomes even filthier in shorter appearances.

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PITCHf/x Pitcher Profile

A Collaboration between BrooksBaseball.net and Baseball Prospectus - Pitch classifications provided by Pitch Info LLC

Although he has not thrown an MLB pitch in 2024, Brayan Villarreal threw 1,377 pitches that were tracked by the PITCHf/x system between 2011 and 2013, including pitches thrown in . In 2013, he relied primarily on his Fourseam Fastball (97mph), also mixing in a Slider (86mph).