Milwaukee Brewers: 3 players that are in store for big seasons
By Sam Brahm
Junior Guerra
After being a starter for the past three seasons with the Brewers, Junior Guerra will now come out of the bullpen this year and has the ability to make a big impact. Going into his age 35 season, Guerra is looking to reset and be a key guy throwing in the late innings.
Counsell said Junior Guerra will be looked at in relief role in camp. Brandon Woodruff will be stretched out as starter.
— Tom (@Haudricourt) February 14, 2019
Guerra had an average season in 2019. He went 6-9 with a 4.09 ERA in 26 starts for the Milwaukee Brewers. He was then moved to the bullpen at the end of the season and did an exceptional job.
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With a small sample size of six innings, Guerra didn’t give up a run and during the playoffs, he may have been stuck the loss, but Guerra threw four and two-thirds innings giving up one run against one of the best offenses in the National League, the Los Angeles Dodgers. He didn’t get much work, but he showed what he could do in that certain roll and made a great first impression.
In winter ball and going into Spring Training, Guerra is working as a relief pitcher. The transition will be a little difficult, but this move to the bullpen could turn into something special and Guerra could turn into a key pitcher late in games.
At the end of the season, manager Craig Counsell put a heavy workload on the bullpen and pushed guys to throw multiple innings and heading into 2019, the Brewers may keep going that direction. The starting rotation isn’t the strongest, so the Milwaukee Brewers may lean on that bullpen still.
They need guys other than Josh Hader to throw multiple meaningful innings and Junior Guerra could be a perfect fit. Having him come out of the bullpen throwing low to mid-nineties with a nasty splitter for two to three innings could end up being another crucial weapon in the bullpen.