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Milwaukee Brewers: Assessing starting rotation options

By Kenny Jilek

MILWAUKEE, WI - OCTOBER 05: Starting pitcher Jhoulys Chacin #45 of the Milwaukee Brewers throws in the fourth inning of Game Two of the National League Division Series against the Colorado Rockies at Miller Park on October 5, 2018 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WI - OCTOBER 05: Starting pitcher Jhoulys Chacin #45 of the Milwaukee Brewers throws in the fourth inning of Game Two of the National League Division Series against the Colorado Rockies at Miller Park on October 5, 2018 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 16: Corbin Burnes #39 of the Milwaukee Brewers delivers a pitch in the sixth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game Four of the National League Championship Series at Dodger Stadium on October 16, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 16: Corbin Burnes #39 of the Milwaukee Brewers delivers a pitch in the sixth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game Four of the National League Championship Series at Dodger Stadium on October 16, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

Milwaukee’s Young Three-Headed Pitching Monster

The Brewers boast possibly the best collection of young pitching in the MLB, none of which are over 25 years old. Brandon Woodruff has had success as a starter and out of the bullpen as one of Craig Counsell’s most versatile out getters. Freddy Peralta shined in his MLB debut with 13 strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings. Corbin Burnes came through the minors as a starter but was placed in the bullpen to bolster an already top-notch group. He did well in that role but he has starting-caliber stuff. So who out of this group will seize the opportunity and grab a spot? Let’s take them one by one and see exactly what they all have to offer.

Brandon Woodruff

Woodruff is the most established of the young three. He started his MLB career in 2017, starting all 8 games he pitched in and had an ERA of 4.81. This can be misleading because of a small sample size. In his final two games he gave up 10 earned runs in only 7 1/3 combined innings and his ERA skyrocketed. After his first 6 starts it was a solid 3.28.

He came back with a vengeance in 2018, starting 4 games and appearing 15 times in relief while bringing his ERA down over a whole run from 2017 at 3.61. It was not just giving up fewer runs. His K/9 boosted from 6.7 to 10.0 and his K/BB up a whole strikeout per walk from 2.29 to 3.36. He also was giving up fewer hits as his H/9 fell from 9.0 to 7.7 which lead to a drop in his WHIP from 1.32 to 1.18.

Hopefully, his stats keep trending downward in 2019 and he can solidify himself as a solid MLB starting pitcher. His pitching is ready for the rotation, and so is his bat. Every successful start for a National League pitcher entails hitting twice. In 2 years he has hit for a .222 batting average in the MLB, but that is a small sample size of only 22 at-bats. Taking a larger sample size of 71 at-bats throughout the minor and major leagues he has a slightly better .225 average. This man can swing a stick and drive in a couple unexpected runs at the bottom of the order. He even boasts a postseason home run off of Clayton Kershaw in game 6 of last years NLCS. That home run was when Woodruff really became a solidified fan favorite if he wasn’t already for his glorious ginger beard.

Woodruff should be able to grab a spot in the rotation this year and continue his progression. There is the possibility of using him out of the bullpen as a right-handed version of Josh Hader, but he has the mix of pitches to start and make a bigger impact there. I won’t put him as a lock for a starting spot but if he has a Spring Training that is at least decent and shows he has continued to improve he should be included among the starters to open the regular season.

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