2023 Mets Draft profile: Brady Kirtner

Brady Kirtner’s aunt, Brittney, played basketball at the collegiate level while attending East Tennessee State University, but the youngster did not follow her lead, instead playing baseball at Christiansburg High School. After graduating in 2020, he honored his commitment to Virginia Tech, literally 10 minutes up US-460. He red shirted in 2021 for developmental reasons, working out, building up muscle and athleticism that was lost after missing the entire 2020 season due to COVID-19.

The right-hander made his Hokies debut in 2022, roughly 20 pounds heavier than he was when he first joined the program. Appearing in 18 games, all in relief, he posted a 7.31 ERA in 16.0 innings, allowing 13 hits, walking 9, and striking out 21. This past spring, the right-hander posted an improved 4.62 ERA in 25.1 innings over 23 appearances, all out of the bullpen, with 21 hits allowed, 15 walks, and 36 strikeouts.

Kirtner throws from a high-three-quarters arm slot. There is effort and violence in his delivery, negatively affecting his control and command. His fastball sat in the low-90s this past spring, averaging 93 MPH, and is a bat misser despite its pedestrian velocity because the pitch features a high spin rate, registering as high as 2790 RPM during exhibition games while still in high school. He complements the pitch with a gyroscopic slider that sits in the mid-80s, developed from a curveball that he threw in high school. Like his fastball, the pitch has registered very favorable spin rates during his high school exhibition tournament days, measuring as high as 3085 RPM.