Zach Brzykcy

American baseball pitcher (born 1999)

Baseball player

Zach Brzykcy
Washington Nationals – No. 66
Relief pitcher
Born: (1999-07-12) July 12, 1999 (age 25) Hickory, North Carolina
Bats: Right Throws: Right
MLB debut
September 1, 2024, for the Washington Nationals

Teams
Washington Nationals (2024–present)

Zachary John-William Brzykcy (BRIK-see^[1], born July 12, 1999) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2024.

Career

Brzykcy attended Alexander Central High School in Taylorsville, North Carolina, where he was named Northwestern Conference Pitcher of the Year in 2017.^[2] He went on to attend Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, where he was the regular closer for the Hokies.^[3] He also played in the Cape Cod Baseball League during the summer of 2019, leading the league that summer with seven saves for the Falmouth Commodores.^[4]^[5] With the 2020 Major League Baseball draft shortened to just five rounds, despite ranking as the 180th-best draft prospect in 2020 according to MLB Pipeline,^[3] Brzykcy went undrafted. Brzykcy was scouted by longtime Washington Nationals scout Bobby Myrick and chose to sign with the Nationals as a non-drafted free agent.^[6]

In 2021, Brzykcy was assigned to the High-A Wilmington Blue Rocks to begin his professional baseball career. He earned his first win on May 12, 2021, striking out seven in four scoreless relief innings.^[2]

On November 14, 2023, the Nationals added Brzykcy to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. He was optioned to the Triple–A Rochester Red Wings to begin the 2024 season.^[7] On September 1, 2024, Brzykcy was called up to the major leagues.^[8]

On the mound, Brzykcy is a right-handed pitcher noted for a fastball that has been clocked up to 100 miles per hour (160 km/h), although it typically registers in the mid-90s. He complements that primary pitch with a sharp breaking ball.^[4]

References

^ https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/01/12/zach-brzykcy-nationals-player-development/
^ ^a ^b Gilbert, Richard C. (May 13, 2021). "Brzykcy Gets First Professional Win". Apple City Broadcasting. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
^ ^a ^b Newman, Stephen (July 2, 2020). "Virginia Tech Pitcher Zach Brzykcy Signs with the Washington Nationals". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
^ ^a ^b Kerr, Byron (July 2, 2020). "Brzykcy brings 100 mph fastball to future Nats bullpen". MASN Sports. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
^ "#38 Zachary Brzykcy". pointstreak.com. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
^ Driver, David (October 13, 2020). "Virginia Tech pitcher Zach Brzykcy part of Nationals' 2020 NDFA class..." Federal Baseball. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
^ "Nationals' Zach Brzykcy: Optioned to Rochester". cbssports.com. March 16, 2024.
^ "Nationals add Darren Baker, son of ex-manager Dusty Baker". ESPN.com. September 1, 2024. Retrieved September 1, 2024.