For many Milwaukee Brewers fans, the trade that sent Caleb Durbin, Andruw Monasterio and Anthony Seigler to the Boston Red Sox was a terrifying transaction. Durbin, who flexes between second and third base, put together a fascinating debut season in Milwaukee en route to a third-place finish in Rookie of the Year voting. Little did they know, just a few months later, that trade would be reflected upon as the deal that brought Logan Henderson to Milwaukee — not the Durbin trade.
At just 24 years old, Henderson is making waves in his second season in the majors. The righty starter has a 2-1 record in five starts this season with only seven earned runs over 23 innings for a 2.74 ERA. Just recently, Henderson made MLB history by becoming the first pitcher to record 10 straight starts with two runs or fewer allowed, as first shared by Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Milwaukee is two runs shy of the MLB lead for fewest earned runs allowed this season with 163. Heading into Wednesday's slate, they were tied with the Atlanta Braves for the No. 2 spot and were just shy of the Los Angeles Dodgers for the league-best total.
Pitching was a serious concern entering this season, with many wondering if the Brewers' President of Baseball Operations, Matt Arnold, had done enough this summer to make up for the innings sacrificed by the Freddy Peralta trade. Little did they know, Arnold was assembling what is widely considered one of, if not the single best core of rising pitcher talent in professional baseball.
Early returns on Logan Henderson trade prove the Milwaukee Brewers won the trade, and aren't going away any time soon.
Let's get this out of the way early — Durbin, who is a talented and well-regarded player among many Brewers fans, has not lived up to the hype. Through the early stretch of this season, his batting average, OBP and slugging percentage are all down significantly. A slow start to the season has marred his slash line; he has shown signs of life after shaking the rust, but Durbin clearly hasn't been able to replicate his success from last season.
That's not to say he won't bounce back, or that the Brewers don't wish the best for him moving forward. But they clearly saw something that hinted at the fact that Durbin would struggle to replicate his success, making it clear that they've won the trade to this point.
And if you haven't seen the Red Sox fans on Twitter or elsewhere, they have been riled up about moving on from Logan Henderson.
The Houston-area native is showcasing a level of poise and determination that's rare for a player of his age. So often, young pitchers look a little lost under the bright lights of the majors, but that hasn't factored into Henderson's play at all. He has three starts with at least seven strikeouts and has only allowed more than three hits in a single game twice so far this season.
Right now, the Milwaukee Brewers are ensuring they can compete at the highest level while still giving themselves a path to the future. This type of teambuilding is not only highly entertaining from a fan perspective, but it also gives people a reason to believe in their favorite team moving forward.
The Brew Crew is in good hands under Arnold's stewardship, and the outcome of this Henderson/Durbin trade is just another data point to prove it.
Add us as a preferred source on Google