Jonathan Trey Brubaker (born November 17, 1993) is an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

for the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...

. Brubaker played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

for the

Akron Zips The Akron Zips are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Akron in Akron, Ohio, United States. The Zips compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the NCAA Division I, Division I level as a memb ...

. He was selected by the Pirates in the sixth round of the 2015 MLB draft, and he made his MLB debut in 2020.

Early life and amateur career

Brubaker was born in Ohio to Frank and Teresa Brubaker. Frank played in

Minor League Baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...

as a

. Brubaker attended Tecumseh High School in

New Carlisle, Ohio New Carlisle ( ) is a city in Clark County, Ohio, United States. The population was 5,559 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Ohio metropolitan area. History New Carlisle was originally called Monroe, and under the latter name w ...

, and the

University of Akron The University of Akron is a public university, public research university in Akron, Ohio, United States. It is part of the University System of Ohio. As a STEM fields, STEM-focused institution, it focuses on industries such as polymers, advance ...

, where he played

for the

. In 2015, his junior year, he had a 5–4 win–loss record with a 3.63

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA) over 15

games started In baseball statistics, games started (denoted by GS) indicates the number of games pitched, games that a pitcher has starting pitcher, started for his team. A pitcher is credited with starting the game if he throws the first pitch to the first opp ...

Professional career

Pittsburgh Pirates

The

selected Brubaker in the sixth round of the 2015 Major League Baseball draft. He signed with Pittsburgh for a $200,000

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

and made his professional debut that season with the West Virginia Black Bears, compiling a 6–4 record with a 2.82 ERA over 15 starts. In 2016, he played for the West Virginia Power and the Bradenton Marauders where he pitched to a combined 6–11 record with a 4.44 ERA in 26 starts between the two clubs, and in 2017, he pitched with the

Altoona Curve The Altoona Curve are a Minor League Baseball team based in Altoona, Pennsylvania, named after nearby Horseshoe Curve (but also alluding to the curveball, a type of pitch). The team plays in the Eastern League and is the Double-A affiliate of ...

, going 7–6 with a 4.44 ERA in 26 games (24 starts). Brubaker began 2018 with Altoona and was promoted to the

Indianapolis Indians The Indianapolis Indians are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and play their home games at Victory ...

in May. In 28 starts between both teams, he went 10–6 with a 2.81 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. After the season, the Pirates named Brubaker their minor league pitcher of the year. The Pirates added him to their 40-man roster after the season. He returned to Indianapolis to begin 2019, but appeared in only six games during the season due to a strained forearm. Brubaker made the Opening Day roster in 2020 and made his major league debut on July 26, pitching two scoreless innings against the St. Louis Cardinals. He finished the shortened 2020 season with a 1–3 record, a 4.94 ERA and 48 strikeouts in innings. In 2021, he went 5–13 with a 5.36 ERA and 129 strikeouts in innings over 24 starts. The Pirates named Brubaker their starting pitcher for

Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent year ...

of the 2022 season. In 2022, Brubaker made 28 starts for Pittsburgh, logging a 3–12 record and 4.69 ERA with 147 strikeouts in 144 innings pitched. On January 13, 2023, Brubaker agreed to a one-year, $2.275 million contract with the Pirates, avoiding salary arbitration. Brubaker was placed on the injured list to begin the 2023 season due to forearm/elbow discomfort. On April 12, Brubaker underwent

Tommy John surgery Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, sometimes referred to as Tommy John surgery is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's body, ...

, ending his season. He rehabilitated from the surgery and agreed to a $2.275 million salary for the 2024 season.

New York Yankees

On March 29, 2024, the Pirates traded Brubaker and international signing bonus pool space to the

in exchange for a

player to be named later In Major League Baseball, a player to be named later (PTBNL) is an unnamed player involved in exchange or "trade" of players between teams. The terms of a trade are not finalized until a later date, most often following the conclusion of the seaso ...

. Keiner Delgado was traded to the Pirates as the PTBNL on April 30. He made eight rehab appearances split between the rookie-level Florida Complex League Yankees, Single-A

Tampa Tarpons The Tampa Tarpons are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They are located in Tampa, Florida. The Tarpons play their home games at George M. Steinbrenner Field, which is a ...

, Double-A

Somerset Patriots The Somerset Patriots are an American professional Minor League Baseball (MiLB) team based in Bridgewater, New Jersey. They are the Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They compete in the Eastern League (EL), known as the Double-A Nort ...

, and Triple-A

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, often abbreviated to SWB RailRiders, are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They are located in Moosic, Pen ...

. On February 28, 2025, it was announced that Brubaker suffered three fractured ribs trying to avoid a comebacker. He began the season on the injured list as a result, rehabbed with Scranton, Somerset, and the High-A Hudson Valley Renegades, and was activated on June 18.

Personal life

Brubaker and his wife, Darci, had their first child, a son, in August 2022.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brubaker, J.T. 1993 births Living people Akron Zips baseball players Altoona Curve players Bradenton Marauders players 21st-century American sportsmen Florida Complex League Yankees players Glendale Desert Dogs players Hudson Valley Renegades players Indianapolis Indians players Major League Baseball pitchers Pittsburgh Pirates players Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders players Somerset Patriots players Baseball players from Springfield, Ohio Tampa Tarpons players West Virginia Black Bears players West Virginia Power players

Early life and amateur career

Professional career

Pittsburgh Pirates

New York Yankees

Personal life

See also

References

External links