Conversations with the Herd: White Sox Reliever Brandon Eisert

By: Brian Frank

Brandon Eisert, a fixture out of the Bisons bullpen the last three seasons, returned to Rogers Centre this weekend, the scene of his major league debut. Eisert, now with the Chicago White Sox, made his big-league debut last June against the Boston Red Sox, when he worked two scoreless innings for the Blue Jays.

“Yeah, it brings back some memories,” Eisert said about being at Rogers Centre. “It’s a little weird being on the other side. But it’s fun to see some old teammates that you came up with on the Blue Jays, or that I got to meet when I got called up. So, it’s been fun. It’s a great stadium to play at, good fans, all the amenities and stuff, so it’s been fun so far.”

The Beaverton, Oregon native was drafted by the Blue Jays in the 18th round of the 2019 MLB June Amateur Draft after an incredible college baseball career at Oregon State University. Eisert went to back-to-back College World Series with the Beavers, beginning during his freshman season.

“Freshman year was awesome,” Eisert said. “I think we finished the year 56-6 or something like that. Lots of winning. I ended up pitching a lot more than I expected going into the season. It was a lot of fun to be able to play for that team. Omaha is awesome. I’ve gotten to experience it twice. As a freshman, it’s an awesome experience.”

During Eisert’s sophomore season, Oregon State returned to the College World Series – and won it. The Beavers defeated Arkansas in the finals.

“The year before ended before we wanted it to, losing twice in a row, but we had the core coming back so we knew we had a good chance that following year” Eisert said. “We were able to put it together. We lost the first game in Omaha and had to do it the hard way, but we figured it out. Lots of talent on that team between (Adley) Rutschman, (Steven) Kwan, (Trevor) Larnach, a lot of big-league guys. We knew we had the talent to do it and it was a lot of fun to just kind of go through that season and battle through the losers’ bracket and to come out on top. The College World Series is going on now and you kind of get those memories coming back when you see it on TV.”

Eisert pitched in a Bisons modern-era record 146 games. Photo Credit: Brian Frank, The Herd Chronicles

After being drafted by the Blue Jays following his junior season, Eisert pitched six seasons in the Toronto organization. He joined the White Sox last offseason when they claimed him off waivers.

“It’s been good,” he said of his adjustment to a new organization. “The team’s been great, with all the guys on the team. Everyone’s been nice, friendly, getting along, so the transition wasn’t too hard. I think the biggest change was spring training, having to meet all the new staff and players and getting adjusted. But as each day goes by you get more and more comfortable.”

Eisert was one of the most durable pitchers of the Bisons’ modern era in his three seasons with the Herd. He holds Buffalo’s modern-era record for career games pitched with 146. His 56 games pitched in 2023 is the team’s modern-era single season games pitched record. The winner of the Bisons’ Joe DeSa Most Inspirational Player Award last season has continued to be a workhorse on the mound, leading the White Sox with 34 pitching appearances this season.

“It’s just kind of routines,” he said of the secret to his durability. “Always trying to take care of the body with recovery, sleep. Just make sure you’re ready each day, so you just kind of have to prepare your body each day and get ready to go. Then when you’re out there, perform your best. You’re not always going to feel great when you’re out there, so just get through that, the ones where you don’t feel great. Still, just competing out there is the biggest thing. That’s what I can do is compete, so I always want to be available for the team to do that.”

Eisert leads the White Sox with 34 pitching appearances this season.

He tries to keep his routine as similar as possible with some minor tweaks as the season wears on.

“It mostly stays the same,” he said. “Every once in a while, I might cut back on some throws or when you’re warming up maybe throw a little less pitches just to try to save the arm a little bit. As the season goes on, the wear and tear will happen to everybody, but the routine for the most part stays pretty similar.”

The 27-year-old southpaw feels he’s improved in multiple ways on the mound since he first arrived in Buffalo three years ago.

“I think just learning the game and seeing how hitters swing, and what pitches to throw,” he explained. “A few mechanical changes on where I stand on the rubber has kind of helped promote getting lefties out. Just kind of using all my pitches to try to get ahead. Throwing strikes and mixing things to keep them off-balance and not relying on just one pitch. Just learning that the hitters are good, they’ll hit mistakes. You’ve got to avoid mistakes as much as possible, but really it all comes down to just competing.”