Doug Brocail


Douglas Keith Brocail is an American professional baseball pitcher and pitching coach. He played in Major League Baseball for the San Diego Padres, Houston Astros, Detroit Tigers, and Texas Rangers. He has coached in MLB for the Astros and Rangers.

Playing career

Brocail attended Lamar High School in Lamar, Colorado where he won All-State honors in football, basketball, and baseball. The San Diego Padres selected Brocail in the first round of the 1986 Major League Baseball draft. He did not make his major league debut until 1992 because of injuries sustained in the minors. Initially a starter, Brocail went 4–13 in his first full season before being converted to relief.
After the 1994 season, the Padres traded Brocail, Derek Bell, Ricky Gutiérrez, Pedro Martínez, Phil Plantier, and Craig Shipley to the Houston Astros for Ken Caminiti, Andújar Cedeño, Steve Finley, Roberto Petagine, and Brian Williams. After the 1996 season, the Astros traded Brocail, Brian Hunter, Todd Jones, Orlando Miller, and cash to the Detroit Tigers for Brad Ausmus, José Lima, Trever Miller, C. J. Nitkowski, and Daryle Ward. After the 2000 season, the Tigers traded Brocail, Ausmus, and Nelson Cruz to the Astros for Roger Cedeño, Chris Holt, and Mitch Meluskey.
More arm problems kept Brocail out of the major leagues for nearly four years. He returned in 2004 with the Texas Rangers. He pitched for San Diego in 2006 and 2007 and for the Astros in 2008 and 2009 before retiring.

Coaching career

After the Houston Astros fired pitching coach Brad Arnsberg on June 14, 2011, Brocail was named the interim pitching coach. In October 2013, Brocail was reassigned by the Astros to the role of special assistant.
In November 2015, Brocail was offered a spot as the Texas Rangers pitching coach by Rangers manager Jeff Banister. Brocail accepted the position, replacing the departed Mike Maddux. Brocail led a highly regarded pitching staff that included ace Cole Hamels in 2017. He was fired by the Rangers after the 2018 season.
In January 2019, Brocail was announced as the Baltimore Orioles pitching coach.

Personal life

Brocail and his wife Lisa have five daughters. The family lives in Missouri City, Texas.
On September 13, 2004, Brocail was involved in an incident at the McAfee Coliseum, when the Texas Rangers were playing the Oakland Athletics. His rookie teammate Frank Francisco, angry at a fan for heckling Brocail, hoisted a folded chair into the stands, striking a female fan and breaking her nose. Brocail would later pitch of an inning.
Brocail underwent angioplasty on March 11, 2006. He had complained of chest tightness that radiated into both arms. He already was being treated for an abscessed tooth and asthma.