NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Steven Brault watched the right fielder, second baseman and first baseman converge on a ball hit to shallow right field, a play the left-hander pitcher has seen hundreds of times. Yet this one was different.
Brault wasn’t on the mound. He had queued up a random MLB game from 2023 on his laptop, muted the sound and was calling the action himself, a daily ritual the retired 31-year-old has adopted while preparing for his second act: broadcasting.
The moment might not have been one of Brault’s finest, a sequence he’d clip and add to a resume tape, but it was nonetheless informative. In Brault’s mind, every mistake means a chance to get a little bit better.
“I blew it,” Brault said with a laugh. “I got twisted up, and nothing coherent came out. But that’s part of it. I can listen back, hate myself real quick, get better and do it all again the next day.”
Former players routinely venture into broadcasting. But similar to how he has functioned throughout his life — a baseball player who majored in vocal performance at Regis University, released a Broadway album and performed at Heinz Hall, just to name a few — Brault doesn’t cut a conventional path.
After pitching for seven major league seasons, Brault wants to be a play-by-play announcer and arrived at MLB’s Winter Meetings at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center to network and meet with possible employers.
Brault eventually wants to become the next Duane Kuiper, who played for Cleveland and San Francisco and now calls Giants games alongside former teammate, Mike Krukow. At the same time, similar to playing, Brault knows that sort of thing won’t happen overnight.
With Brault’s playing days ending earlier than he would’ve liked due to recurring shoulder and lat injuries, he exhibits boundless excitement for broadcasting, taking great delight in practice and eagerly working to get his foot in the door.
“A lot of players go into broadcasting when they retire because it’s a natural transition, and that’s great,” Brault said. “But that’s not what I’m trying to do. However many years from now, I want people to say, ‘Steven Brault, oh, he played? That’s so weird. I forgot about that.’
“My playing career was awesome. I loved every second of it. But I always thought I’d be better suited for something like this.”
‘Be honest’
Brault may be transitioning into broadcasting at the perfect time. If the Pirates choose SportsNet Pittsburgh over MLB — a likely scenario — the result would be expanded pregame and postgame coverage, creating the need for an additional analyst or two.
And while Brault would rather become Greg Brown or Joe Block than Michael McKenry or Bob Walk, he also knows he has to start somewhere.
“There’s obviously a ton of ex-players who are doing color jobs,” Brault said. “Wherever I get into this, I’m definitely going to have to do that first. They don’t just go, ‘Oh, yeah, it’s your first year? Absolutely. Have the big-league play-by-play job. Good luck!’ It’s gonna take time.
“But I think that’s one benefit to my playing career ending early. I’m only 31. In this line of work and in life, that’s very young.”
Brault’s passion for broadcasting started as a kid growing up in La Mesa, Calif., when he’d fall asleep listening to Ted Leitner, Jerry Coleman and Mark Grant call Padres games. As he got older, Brault became fascinated by Vin Scully, even though he hated the Dodgers.
During Brault’s playing career, he always made it a point to chat up Brown, Block and other broadcasters, at one point making a play-by-play cameo on AT&T SportsNet.
Outside of Pittsburgh, Brault has gotten to know Mariners broadcaster Dave Sims. He also loved Joe Buck’s baseball work and befriended Boog Sciambi during his time in Chicago.
Along with Mike Ferrin, an ex-Diamondbacks broadcaster who’s now on SiriusXM’s MLB Network Radio, Brault has built a circle of broadcasting confidants, professionals from whom he has solicited advice and who will offer unfiltered criticism of his work.
“There are so many different personalities and ways people got to where they are, so it’s nice to hear their stories,” Brault said. “Then also to get their advice on how to practice. You can practice, but what’s the best practice? How can I get the most out of it?
Having those conversations with those guys, them allowing me to send them demo reels and get feedback — telling me why I suck and what I need to work on — has been hugely important.”
Brault isn’t kidding about the brutal honesty. He knows he’s not perfect. But much like his musical theater background or lifetime interest in singing, he’s also aware that there’s really only one way to improve.
“The only way you learn is to have someone who does it tell you why you’re terrible,” Brault said, laughing again. “I want honesty. Don’t be nice. Be honest. Then you can figure it out from there.”
‘A little cheese’
Drafted by the Orioles in 2013 acquired by the Pirates two years later in the Travis Snider deal, Brault pitched in Pittsburgh from 2016-21, going 12-18 in 107 games (57 starts) with a 4.77 ERA and 291 strikeouts in 343 1/3 innings.
Brault found traction in 2019 and pitched to a 3.38 ERA in 11 games (10 starts) the next year before incurring a bunch of shoulder and lat problems. The Pirates designated him for assignment when they signed Jose Quintana in November 2021.
Throughout Brault’s career, he was known for his ability to hit, something that dated back to his time as a two-way player in college.
Ironically, it framed the end of Brault’s pro carer. After making just nine appearances for the Cubs in 2022, Brault was unable to find major league work in 2023 and signed with Spire City of the Atlantic League.
In his first start, Brault pulled his lat again, effectively ending his pitching career, but he talked the team into letting him play outfield the rest of the way. It wasn’t bad, as Brault slashed .283/.327/.465 with 11 doubles, seven home runs, 27 RBIs and 30 runs scored in 58 games.
“I had a blast,” Brault said. “It was nice to feel like a baseball player again.”
Yet as much fun as he had, with about a week left in the season, Brault pulled his lat again. After feeling like he wasn’t ready to retire the first time, Brault had changed his tune. This was it.
“It’s been a struggle for so long that it felt like a weight off my shoulders,” Brault said.
Oddly, Brault said he’s becoming more obsessed with baseball on this side, reading books involving the history of the game and gobbling up articles about trade rumors and various signings.
Brault’s engaged and will get married in January. He also bought a home in Scottsdale, though he’d be thrilled if a move to Pittsburgh for a broadcasting gig became necessary, calling it “his second home.”
Brault met informally with a few teams, including the Pirates, pitching himself and learning about available opportunities. He also chatted with MLB Network about potentially appearing on some shows as an audition this offseason.
“I’m trying to get my foot in somewhere, somehow, and progress from there,” Brault said. “Right now, it’s making connections. Then when things open up, maybe people think, ‘Steven Brault, he’s a guy who could fit into this role.’”
Since the offseason started, Brault has called a game per day, doing pregame research, keeping a scorebook and tinkering with home run calls, intros, outros and descriptive language for the action on the field.
Brault said his pacing started fast but slowed down, the ballplayer-turned-broadcaster realizing that silence is OK. One of the quirkier personalities in recent Pirates history, Brault has also been trying to let his personality shine through more.
“It’s playing with all that stuff, seeing what sounds good and what sounds horribly cheesy and not doing that,” Brault said. “You’re trying to find a nice little middle ground. I think a little cheese is actually good. People love a little cheese. But not too much.”
Jason Mackey: jmackey@post-gazette.com and Twitter @JMackeyPG.
First Published: December 9, 2023, 10:30 a.m.
Updated: December 9, 2023, 7:37 p.m.