Steven Okert

Position: LHP
Born: 7/9/1991
Height: 6'3
Weight: 210
B/T: L/L
Acquired: Drafted in the fourth round of the 2012 MLB First-Year Player Draft (SFG).

Most Recent Stats at Time of Debut
CURRENT SEASON STATS: 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA in four games in relief at Sacramento (Triple-A), striking out eight without walking a batter in 6.2 IP.

Info & MLB Debut Date
Contract purchased from Sacramento April 19 when P Chris Heston was sent down.
MLB Debut Date: 4/19/2016

Debut Details
April 19 in a 3-0 loss to the Diamondbacks. The last of five pitchers on the night, Okert allowed just one hit over two scoreless innings, walking two and fanning two. Coming on to start the eighth inning, he walked the first batter he faced, Welington Castillo, before getting Nick Ahmed to ground into a double play, and then got Chris Owings to fly out. In the ninth inning, he issued a leadoff double to Rickie Weeks Jr., who moved to third on a soft ground out by Jean Segura. After striking out Jake Lamb swinging, Okert intentionally walked Paul Goldschmidt before striking out David Peralta on three pitches to end the threat.

Player Notes
Okert was a three-time draftee, with the Brewers going after him after both of his two years at Grayson County College in Texas (43rd round in 2010 and 33rd round in 2011) before he transferred to Oklahoma. Okert has always pitched out of the bullpen, however he has worked specifically as a closer only once, in 2014, when he combined for 24 saves in 57 games between San Jose (High A)and Richmond (Double-A), posting a 2.11 ERA and striking out 92 batters while walking just 22 in 68.1 IP. Moving up to Sacramento in 2015, he posted a 3.82 ERA in 52 games out of the pen, fanning 69 in 61.1 IP, walking 29 and allowing 62 hits.

2080 Notes
2080’s Nick J. Faleris notes that “Okert’s power arm will show two plus pitches in his low-to-mid 90s fastball and mid-80s slider. He’ll tighten up the slider to more cutter action at higher velocity ranges, reaching the upper 80s. Changeup could be an average offering but needs be thrown with more confidence. Some deception in his crossfire delivery and creates tough angles. Capable of eating up left-handed bats, and his stuff is loud enough to tackle righties when he hits his spots. Upside is a high-leverage late-inning arm, with a fallback as a late-inning match-up arm or lefty specialist”.