JT Brubaker Bio
Jonathan Trey Brubaker, known professionally as JT Brubaker, is an American professional baseball pitcher for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Pittsburgh Pirates and the New York Yankees. Brubaker came up through the Pittsburgh organization after being selected in the 2015 MLB draft, and he made his major league debut in 2020. He is a right-handed starting pitcher who has battled back from arm injuries to remain active in the big leagues.
Early Life and Background
Jonathan Trey Brubaker was born on November 17, 1993, in New Carlisle, Ohio. He grew up in a baseball household, raised by his parents, Frank and Teresa Brubaker. His father, Frank, played in Minor League Baseball as a pitcher, giving his son a firsthand look at the life of a professional player from an early age.
Brubaker attended Tecumseh High School in New Carlisle, Ohio, where he developed as a pitcher on the local baseball circuit. He continued his career at the University of Akron, playing college baseball for the Akron Zips. In 2015, his junior year with the Zips, Brubaker went 5-4 with a 3.63 earned run average (ERA) across 15 games started, a strong enough showing to put him on professional scouts’ radar heading into that summer’s draft.
Path to Professional Baseball
Following his junior season at Akron, Brubaker entered the 2015 MLB draft and was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the sixth round. He signed with Pittsburgh for a $200,000 signing bonus and reported to the West Virginia Black Bears, the Pirates’ short-season affiliate, where he posted a 6-4 record with a 2.82 ERA over 15 starts in his first professional summer.
The following seasons moved Brubaker steadily through Pittsburgh’s minor league system. He split 2016 between the West Virginia Power and the Bradenton Marauders, going a combined 6-11 with a 4.44 ERA in 26 starts, and spent 2017 with the Altoona Curve, where he logged a 7-6 mark and a 4.44 ERA in 26 games. In 2018, he earned a midseason promotion to the Indianapolis Indians and finished the year 10-6 with a 2.81 ERA across 28 starts. The Pirates recognized his breakout by naming him their minor league pitcher of the year, and they added him to their 40-man roster that offseason.
JT Brubaker Career
Pittsburgh Pirates (2020-2024)
Brubaker broke into the majors during the shortened 2020 season, making his MLB debut on July 26 against the St. Louis Cardinals with two scoreless innings of relief. He finished his rookie year 1-3 with a 4.94 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 47 and a third innings. The following season, 2021, proved more demanding, as he went 5-13 with a 5.36 ERA in 24 starts, though he showed his strikeout ability with 129 punchouts in 124 and a third innings.
The Pirates named Brubaker their Opening Day starter for 2022, a clear sign of how highly the organization viewed him. He rewarded that trust with 28 starts, finishing 3-12 with a 4.69 ERA and 147 strikeouts across 144 innings. On January 13, 2023, he agreed to a one-year, $2.275 million contract to avoid salary arbitration, but the year quickly took a difficult turn. Forearm and elbow discomfort sent him to the injured list, and on April 12, 2023, he underwent Tommy John surgery, ending his season. He agreed to a $2.275 million salary for 2024 and continued to rehab his arm.
New York Yankees (2024-2025)
On March 29, 2024, the Pirates traded Brubaker, along with international signing bonus pool space, to the New York Yankees in exchange for a player to be named later. The trade gave him a fresh start in a new organization, but his recovery continued, and he spent time rehabbing across the Yankees’ farm system, including stops with the Florida Complex League Yankees, the Tampa Tarpons, the Somerset Patriots, the Hudson Valley Renegades, and the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.
His Yankees debut was further delayed in February 2025, when he suffered three fractured ribs while trying to avoid a comebacker off the bat during spring training. He began the season on the injured list, continued his rehab in the minors, and was activated on June 18, 2025. In 12 appearances for New York, Brubaker posted a 3.38 ERA with 10 strikeouts across 16 innings. On August 5, the Yankees designated him for assignment, and he cleared waivers and was released on August 7.
San Francisco Giants (2025-Present)
Brubaker did not stay out of affiliated baseball for long. On August 13, 2025, he signed a minor league contract with the San Francisco Giants organization and reported to the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats. In three appearances, including two starts, he went 1-0 with a 1.64 ERA and seven strikeouts over 11 innings. The Giants selected his contract on September 1, adding him to the major league roster for the stretch run.
Brubaker made five appearances for the Giants in 2025, compiling a 4.26 ERA with 12 strikeouts in 12 and two-thirds innings. Wearing jersey number 34, he returned to a starting role as the 2025 season wound down. Through games of June 20, 2026, his major league career totals stood at a 9-28 win-loss record, a 4.67 ERA, and 374 strikeouts.
Notable Events and Milestones
One of the most discussed moments of Brubaker’s Giants tenure came on June 12, 2026, when, alongside teammates Landen Roupp and Ryan Walker, he wrote the Bible passage Genesis 9:12-16 on his cap during the Giants’ Pride Night event, which featured a rainbow Giants logo. Following the game, all three players were reprimanded and issued warnings by Major League Baseball for writing on their caps. The demonstration drew attention from local outlets and fans, particularly given the region’s deep ties to the LGBTQ community.
JT Brubaker Career Wins
Brubaker’s win totals in the major leagues have been modest, in large part because of the injuries that have cost him significant time, including the 2023 Tommy John surgery and the rib injury that delayed his 2025 debut. His nine career major league wins through mid-2026 reflect a pitcher who has been trusted with regular starting opportunities when healthy, even when run support has been limited.
MLB Highlights
Brubaker’s first major league win came during his 2020 rookie season, a memorable early milestone in a year disrupted by the pandemic. He opened 2022 as Pittsburgh’s Opening Day starter, a clear sign of how the Pirates viewed him as a building block of their rotation. His strongest stretch came late in 2025, when he joined the Giants and gave them competent innings down the stretch before settling into a larger role in 2026.
JT Brubaker Family
Family Background and Baseball Lineage
Brubaker was raised in New Carlisle, Ohio, by his parents, Frank and Teresa Brubaker. The family’s ties to professional baseball run through his father, Frank, who played in Minor League Baseball as a pitcher, an experience that helped shape JT’s path toward the sport.
Personal Life
Brubaker is married to his wife, Darci. The couple welcomed their first child, a son, in August 2022, the same year Brubaker was serving as Pittsburgh’s Opening Day starter. Fatherhood, like his recovery from Tommy John surgery, has been a defining off-field chapter of his professional career.
JT Brubaker 2025 Season Performance
The 2025 season was a turbulent year for JT Brubaker, beginning with the fractured ribs he suffered during spring training that pushed his Opening Day arrival well into the summer. After being activated by the Yankees in mid-June, he pitched effectively in a middle relief role, recording a 3.38 ERA in 12 appearances before being designated for assignment in early August and released a few days later. The quick turnaround in Sacramento, where he posted a 1.64 ERA across three appearances, helped him land back in the majors with the Giants before the calendar turned to September.
Once in San Francisco, Brubaker gave the Giants a flexible arm who could start or relieve, finishing the year with a 4.26 ERA across five big league appearances and 12 strikeouts in 12 and two-thirds innings. The end-of-season opportunity set the stage for a larger role with the Giants in 2026, where he is expected to compete for innings in both the rotation and the bullpen. With his health finally stabilized and his arm back to full strength, Brubaker enters the next chapter of his career aiming to convert opportunity into consistent results.
