Brothers Kyle and Bradley Zimmer could pull off rare MLB feat
It never took Eric Zimmer much effort to get his athletically gifted sons to compete against each other. Merely suggesting one couldn’t eat a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich as fast as the other, or dropping his arms from a starter’s position on a beach, would get them to try to outdo each other.
Before long, they might have a chance to do the same at the major league level.
Kyle Zimmer, the No.5 overall pick in the 2012 draft, is regarded as the Kansas City Royals’ top pitching prospect despite a litany of injuries that have delayed his progress. Brother Bradley Zimmer, 14 months younger, was drafted No.21 overall by the Cleveland Indians in 2014 and might have a shot at cracking their depleted outfield this season.
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The possibility of facing each other — a rarity in a sport that has seen several brother combinations play in the majors at the same time — gives the Zimmers no trepidation. They actually can’t wait for it to happen.
“We’ll probably treat it like any other at-bat and game, but I’m sure at some point there will be plenty of bragging on whatever the outcome is,” said Bradley, ranked by Baseball America as the Indians’ best prospect. “There’s always been a competitive drive between us, that brotherly rivalry, from Day 1. But we’re definitely very close.”
The fraternity they’ll join when that first encounter happens is a tight-knit group.
The last time it happened was in 2013, when Colby Rasmus, then with the Toronto Blue Jays, doubled against the Atlanta Braves’ Cory Rasmus. Afterward, Colby said, “Man, that was a lot of mixed emotions. It was probably the weirdest feeling I’ve had since I’ve been in pro ball.”
Except for pitcher vs. pitcher encounters — such as Jered and Jeff Weaver having a hitless at-bat against each other June 13, 2010 — the only brotherly confrontations in the last 40 years occurred between Julio and Ruddy Lugo, twice in September 2007, and between George and Ken Brett, 20 times between 1976 and 1979.
That the Zimmers are on course to join this group is a testament to Bradley’s willingness to follow Kyle’s lead.
Bradley had the option to play for bigger college programs but joined Kyle at the University of San Francisco. They had been on the same team in Little League, in travel ball and at La Jolla High School in San Diego, so they never opposed each other.
They probably wouldn’t have even if they played for different teams, because Kyle wasn’t a full-time pitcher until converting from third base during his freshman year at USF. In fact, he pitched a mere 21 1/3 innings in high school, mostly filling in because of injuries.
But when he arrived at USF, Kyle found his path blocked by Stephen Yarrow, a four-year starter who went on to win all-West Coast Conference honors twice. Kyle wasn’t ready defensively to move to another position, and then-pitching coach Greg Moore had coveted his powerful arm even while the school recruited him. Kyle finished his three-year career with zero college at-bats.
“He never wanted to give up being a position player. He loves to hit,’’ USF coach Nino Giarratano said. “That was very difficult for him, to transition, but Coach Moore did such a wonderful job with Kyle. And their minds are very similar. They’re both geared toward trying to be great, and I think that connection is what made the difference.’’
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After pitching only 5 1/3 innings as a freshman, Kyle worked on his new position in the summer and developed quickly, complementing his upper-90s fastball with a hammer curveball that remains his signature pitch. He led the team in strikeouts as a sophomore and the league as a junior, fanning 104 against 17 walks. Having grown to 6-4 and with a fresh arm, he was the second pitcher chosen in the draft and promptly agreed to a $3million signing bonus with the Royals.
The realization of what a momentous occasion the family was about to experience hit their dad on the day of the draft. Eric Zimmer, an anesthesiologist, pitched and played the outfield at UC-San Diego and even had a tryout with the Chicago Cubs during one of the baseball work stoppages before deciding to focus on his medical career.
His mind had been on studying draft projections and dealing with prospective agents, then on draft day a TV satellite truck pulled up in front of their house.
“They were running cameras and cables and lights all through my house and I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, this is really going to happen. He’s going to go in the first round,’” Eric Zimmer recalled. “And I knew this was going to happen again in two years, because his younger brother, he’s the real ballplayer. All their youth I’d say, ‘Kyle, you’re pretty good, but you’re no Bradley, so you better study.’”
Indeed, two years later it was Bradley’s turn to go in the first round, and Kyle made a point to stay in the background so his kid brother would get all the attention.
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Then again, Bradley shined plenty on his own, batting .368 with 21 steals and a .573 slugging percentage as a junior. At 6-5, lefty-swinging Zimmer is a muscular 218 pounds and a five-tool player who flashes the speed inherited from their mother, Cathy Hutchins, once a standout 400-meter hurdler at San Diego State.
“Bradley can change the game all by himself,” Giarratano said. “I don’t think we’ll ever see a player of Bradley’s caliber here at USF again. He’s going to do well in professional baseball.”
Bradley Zimmer, who received a $1.9million signing bonus out of college, enjoyed a terrific first half at Class A last season, earning the starting nod at center field for the U.S. team in the Futures Game. But sometime after his promotion to Class AA he suffered a hairline fracture on his right foot that went undiagnosed. He played through it and slumped badly at the end, but he still finished with a combined batting average of .273, a .814 on-base-plus-slugging percentage, 16 home runs and 44 steals.
A postseason MRI discovered the fracture, now healed, and prompted cancellation of plans for Bradley to play in the Arizona Fall League. His brother can commiserate when it comes to ailments.
Kyle’s four years in the minors have been an extended tale of injuries that have included bone chips in his elbow that had to be surgically removed in 2012, elbow tendinitis in 2013 and damage to his shoulder (labrum and rotator cuff) that required surgery in 2014, abbreviating that season and the next one.
“It was frustrating, but it really taught me patience and to trust the process,” said Kyle Zimmer, 24. “Throughout this long a season, there’s going to be days when you’re not feeling great. So by learning how to deal with that mentally and how to get through it physically, I definitely think I came out of it stronger.”
Kyle has pitched as many as 100 innings only once, in 2013, but has been effective enough — a 3.28 ERA and 259 strikeouts in 216 2/3 innings — to validate the Royals’ faith in him. This spring he has allowed one run in two Cactus League starts covering five innings.
“Terrific athlete. Great competitor. Highly talented,” Royals general manager Dayton Moore said of Zimmer. “It’s unfortunate he just hasn’t been able to stay healthy. With the fact he didn’t throw a lot of innings in college, I think his body’s still adapting. We’re very positive about his future.”
That future in the majors could arrive as early as this year. Kyle figures to open the season with Class AAA Omaha but, depending on how he performs, could be first in line if a starter is needed.
It’s conceivable the division-rival Indians will have called up Bradley by then, although he looks to be on schedule to reach the majors next season.
By then, Kyle could be a rotation fixture for the Royals, setting up what could be a handful of annual sibling matchups should both brothers find health and prosperity.
The Zimmers didn’t know the history of such matchups, only that they expect theirs to be fun. They’re thrilled to be reunited during the spring, when they’re rooming together, and can’t wait to meet at a distance of 60 feet, 6 inches.
“We joke about it,” Kyle said. “I was telling him I’ll throw it behind him. He says he’s going to hit a home run. We’ll see. I think the competitive juices will definitely pick up when I see him step in the box.”
Ortiz reported from Surprise, Ariz., and Goodyear, Ariz.
