Rangers pitching prospect continues hot start, wins minor league pitcher of May honor

Mitch Bratt has come a long way since his tough start with Team Canada in the 2023 World Baseball Classic but he's proving the age old saying of "What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger."

Bratt, 21, was the Texas Rangers fifth round pick in 2021 as a high school arm out of prep academy in Statesboro, Georgia by way of Toronto. In his four professional seasons, including 10 starts in 2025, Bratt has a career 3.05 ERA in a little over 300 innings of work.

This season might be his shining star moment thus far, as he's complied a 4-1 record with a 2.26 ERA, 61 strikeouts and only eight walks in 51 2/3 innings with Double-A Frisco. The month of May was especially kind to him, winning the organization's starting pitcher of the month award after 27 innings of four run baseball, including a six inning scoreless outing where he struck out a career-high 10 batters.

One start doesn't define success and Bratt learned that firsthand in 2023

Everyone watching Bratt as a 19-year-old in the 2023 WBC facing some of the league's toughest hitters, knew that it pretty much a losing battle from the first pitch but he hung around. He was pulled from the game only recording one out, surrendering four runs and leaving runners on the corner.

But the best part of the whole experience was how he didn't let it get to him. He was emotional, obviously, but that season in High-A Hickory he made 16 starts and in 61 innings had a 3.54 ERA and 73 strikeouts.

Bratt is again only 21 years old and has seen a plethora of ups and downs in some high-level scenarios. I imagine that if Bratt finds himself with an ERA near or below 3.00 heading into the second half of the season, he could get a promotion to Round Rock to close out the year.