Article: Forum Friday: Starting Pitching Depth and Jackson Chourio

[BillScottCanRake]

Greetings, Forum.  This past forum week has seen another starter land on the injured list, this time Brandon Woodruff with an Adames-like high ankle sprain.  His injury, along with Freddy Peralta's from last week, and a double-header against the Cubs, lead to a flurry of roster activity for the Brewers.  Let's look back at the week that was.

The big news this week was Woodruff's injury on Friday against the Cards.  While there was some hope Woody might not miss a start, he ended up getting placed on the injury list Monday.  @Frisbee Slidernoted Jason Alexander was well rested, and it was indeed Alexander who started and made his Major League debut Wednesday night.   While the inevitable Costanza references make their appearance in the thread, they unsurprisingly well done.  Thank you for not disappointing us, forum!

Alexander wasn't the first Brewer starter to make his Major League debut this week.  That honor went to Ethan Small, who started Game 1 of Monday's doubleheader against the Cubs.  As @Eye Blacknoted in the game thread, Monday's game was just the 29th featuring two starters making their Major League debut.  Small struggled, only lasting 2.2 innings, allowing two earned runs on four hits, four walks, and four strikeouts. He was optioned back to AAA Nashville after game 1. @markedman5 found this two interesting nuggets, first reported by Curt Hogg.  Small's four third-inning walks were the most for a pitcher making their debut.  On the bright side, being a bit wild in start one isn't necessarily foreboding, as Ben Sheets walked five in his first start for the Crew and he did alright for himself.  Best of all, Milwaukee came back to win game one and game 2 later that night to sweep the doubleheader. Game two starter Aaron Ashby was, as @Fear The Chorizo noted, "electric", and Josh Hader did Josh Hader things by closing out both games. He is the first Brewer two save both games in a doubleheader since Jim Henderson way back in 2013.  @reillymcshane was right when he called Monday a "nice day."

With the injuries and full schedule, there were plenty of roster moves over the past seven days.  @djoctagone has all of the transactions related to the 40-man roster covered.  Luke Barker spent three days with the Crew before being optioned back to Nashville without making an appearance.  And just this evening Omar Narvaez was added the Covid-19 list, with Milwaukee selecting Wisconsin catcher Alex Hall's contract.  And, finally, @Brewcrew82 reported earlier this evening Willy Adames was expected to begin his rehab assignment tonight in Nashville.

Checking in on the "kids", the current Brewer Fanatic Featured Discussion gets on board the Jackson Chourio hype train.  While the thread stared earlier in May when Chourio debuted as the Brewers top prospect and number 99 overall according to Baseball America, the 18-year old centerfielder has given fans plenty to talk about recently with his 350/400/530/930 slash line.  @Manty Brewer Fanmade what appeared to be a bold prediction when he thought Chourio would appear at number 51 when Baseball America's updated prospect rankings were released today.  Who could have guessed a 48-spot jump wasn't bold enough, with Chourio landing at the number 43 slot.  @igor67 talks about being both reserved and confident the Brewers are building a minor league system to sustain their Major League success.  It is a good time to be a Brewer fan to be sure.

Finally for this week, be sure to check out the results from last week's 2022 Brewers Top Prospect Rankings.  And thank you to everyone who voted.

Until next Friday, Go Crew!

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