The talk of the town this baseball season has been the auspicious emergence of the Milwaukee Brewers' elite young starting pitchers, and rightfully so. That core, led by the force of nature that is Jacob Misiorowski, has put Milwaukee in a position to reclaim the best record in baseball. But just as important as starting a game is closing it strong, and that's been the secret sauce behind the Brewers' success this year.
The three-headed dragon of Trevor Megill, Abner Uribe, and Aaron Ashby is the backbone of Milwaukee's success this season. With a combined 2.84 ERA and 19 credited wins between them, this Brewers trio has locked down the end of games with unique skill sets that come together to punish opposing batters who couldn't get their acts together early in games.
However, since they only play for short stints, it's easy to overlook just how important this rotation is to the team's success. But if not for their elite play late in games, the Brewers could be in a much different position in what's been a closely-contested Playoff race in the National League.
The Brewers have caught lightning in a bottle with the late-game trio of Trevor Megill, Abner Uribe and Aaron Ashby.
For three players with vastly different skill sets and approaches, there are core underlying factors that make them so impactful: talent, selflessness, vigilance, and consistency. But to truly give them their well-earned flowers, we need to look at them each individually, starting with one of the most underrated players in the entire sport — Trevor Megill.
Megill is one of the only true veteran presences in the bullpen at 32. After starting his major league career with the Cubs and Twins, Megill found a home in Milwaukee, growing into his role as their leading closer. Although his mix isn't as intricate as some other pitchers', he's extremely effective, and the underlying metrics prove it.
Through 47 appearances this season, Megill has the fifth-highest WAR among all relievers (2.0), largely off a killer fastball that averages out at 98 MPH. He ranks in the 94th percentile or higher in expected ERA, pitching run value, chase percentage, and breaking run value on the season, with a near 30% strikeout percentage, which puts him in the 92nd percentile among all pitchers.
By mixing in his curveball, Megill has a strong cadence to his pitch mix and the poise to put even the best of batters away. He's been the underrated backbone of Milwaukee's season, making everyone else's jobs much easier in the process.
And yet, we're seeing similar production from the endlessly entertaining Abner Uribe, whose eccentric personality is matched only by his seemingly elite talent. His 2.05 ERA is second only to Misiorowski on the Brewers, with an intricate pitch combination headlined by a killer sinker averaging out just under 99 MPH. He is in the top 3% of fastball velocity on the season and has a 1.6% barrel percentage, meaning his pitches consistently evade hard-hitting contact from the batters he faces.
We've long lauded Uribe as one of the most underrated pitchers in the sport, similarly to the biggest headliner of the three this season, Aaron Ashby, whose 13 wins on the season lead all relievers and remain tied for the third-best ranking in the league. His 12.79 strikeouts per nine innings rank seventh among all relief pitchers, deploying an unbelievable five-pitch mix en route to a 32.4% strikeout rate, putting him in the top four percent of all MLB pitchers this year.
As you can see, this trio is putting the Brewers in a position to win games every single night and gives manager Pat Murphy a wealth of tools to deploy when the team needs them. This type of depth puts Milwaukee in a position to make a postseason splash in a way that city has deeply craved for a long time. And while they might not always get the spotlight they deserve, this is the trio that's going to make or break the Brewers' season as we move into October.
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