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 (1993) 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. Two Tommy John surgeries kept Brocail out of the major leagues for nearly four years (2000–04). He returned in 2004 with the
Texas Rangers and was placed on the disabled list in May for 15 days due to an appendectomy. He pitched for San Diego in 2006 and 2007. On June 20, 2007, Brocail hit Orioles shortstop
Miguel Tejada with a pitch that broke Tejada's wrist, leading to Tejada being placed on the disabled list a few days later, ending his consecutive games streak at 1,152, the fifth longest in Major League history. Brocail underwent an
angioplasty on March 11, 2006, to clear a 99% blockage of his
left anterior descending artery. He had complained of chest tightness that radiated into both arms. He already was being treated for an
abscessed tooth and
asthma. Weeks later, Brocail underwent a second, more complex angioplasty in which he received three
stents in his heart in addition to the one put in prior. Post-heart surgeries, Brocail returned to the mound on July 14, 2006. Brocail pitched relief for the Astros in 2008 and 2009 before retiring at the age of 42. ==Coaching career==