Brady Basso

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Oakland Athletics #23 prospect in 2024
  BA Grade: 45/High
  
  Track Record: Basso has a relatively limited professional track record since signing for $75,000 in 2019. The son of former minor league manager and scout Mike Basso, the lefty pitched primarily out of the bullpen at Oklahoma State, but the A’s have stretched him out as a starter. Basso missed all of 2022 due to Tommy John surgery and was built up slowly in 2023. The A’s added him to their 40-man roster after the season.
  
  Scouting Report: While his velocity didn’t quite reach pre-injury levels, Basso returned with a deeper arsenal that lacks an obvious plus offering. His four-seam fastball sat between 92-93 mph. His upper-80s cutter showed more encouraging shape and performance and has a chance to be his best pitch. Basso’s 12-6 curveball descends on hitters from his over-the-top slot, but the mid-70s offering could be more easily detected by better hitters. He uses the curve almost exclusively as a putaway pitch and it’s his best swing-and-miss offering. Basso deployed a mid-80s changeup sparingly. His command has been much sharper as a professional compared to his amateur career. Basso owned the second-best strikeout-to-walk ratio (20.2) of any pitcher with 50 or more innings in Oakland’s system. He fills up the strike zone with his two fastballs, although he’d benefit from sharper command of his secondaries.
  
  The Future: The 26-year-old has yet to reach Triple-A, but there’s an opportunity to push into a back-end role in Oakland at some point in 2024--especially if his stuff ticks up following a normal offseason.
  
  Scouting Grades Fastball: 45 | Curveball: 50 | Changeup: 40 | Cutter: 55 | Control: 55
• 
  Ranked Oakland Athletics #25 prospect in 2022
  Track Record: Basso flashed premium stuff but erratic control at Oklahoma State, walking 6.5 batters per nine innings in his draft year. The A’s gave him $75,000 in the 16th round and he pitched well out of the bullpen in a limited rookie ball debut. The A’s moved Basso to a starting role in 2021 and were encouraged with the results until an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery ended his season in mid June.
  
  Scouting Report: Basso worked with Oakland’s pitching development staff to smooth out his delivery, unlocking more consistent velocity. His fastball sat 94-95 mph and touched 97 mph with good spin and shape from the left side before he got hurt. He threw a hard slider in college that has morphed into a low-90s cutter as a professional. The gem of his arsenal might end up being his hammer of an upper-70s curveball, which High-A hitters whiffed on nearly 80% of the time in a small sample. Basso also features a work-in-progress changeup. There’s some length in the back of Basso’s arm stroke and he needed to prove he could maintain the changes to his delivery over time, even before elbow surgery.
  
  The Future: The A’s believed they had unlocked a potential gem in Basso, but his injury clouds his future. Basso has yet to pitch above High-A and turns 25 in October.
  

• December, 2021 Scouting Report
  Track Record: Basso flashed premium stuff but erratic control at Oklahoma State, walking 6.5 batters per nine innings in his draft year. The A’s gave him $75,000 in the 16th round and he pitched well out of the bullpen in a limited rookie ball debut. The A’s moved Basso to a starting role in 2021 and were encouraged with the results until an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery ended his season in mid June.
  
  Scouting Report: Basso worked with Oakland’s pitching development staff to smooth out his delivery, unlocking more consistent velocity. His fastball sat 94-95 mph and touched 97 mph with good spin and shape from the left side before he got hurt. He threw a hard slider in college that has morphed into a low-90s cutter as a professional. The gem of his arsenal might end up being his hammer of an upper-70s curveball, which High-A hitters whiffed on nearly 80% of the time in a small sample. Basso also features a work-in-progress changeup. There’s some length in the back of Basso’s arm stroke and he needed to prove he could maintain the changes to his delivery over time, even before elbow surgery.
  
  The Future: The A’s believed they had unlocked a potential gem in Basso, but his injury clouds his future. Basso has yet to pitch above High-A and turns 25 in October.