Article: Checking in on Our Overlooked Brewers Prospects: Pitchers

[Harold Hutchison]

Brewer fans have been spoiled by the recent development of Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff, and Freddy Peralta into a trio of aces. But the team has also benefited from seeing some surprise pitchers develop. They don’t get the hype of a Jacob Misiorowski or Abner Uribe, but then again, how many fans thought Brent Suter would blossom into such an asset? Let’s look over the “overlooked” pitching prospects in the Brewers system,

Image courtesy of © Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

Starters

RHP Max Lazar

Lazar missed a lot of time in 2022, but seemed to return to form in Brisbane over the winter. So far, he’s seeing more time as a long man out of the bullpen, and has some excellent peripheral numbers–despite his last outing being a little rough.

RHP Kevin Briceno

Briceno appears to be slated to return to the ACL Brewers this summer.

RHP Cameron Wagoner

Wagoner was aggressively pushed to High-A Wisconsin after a total of 20 innings at the ACL and Carolina, with a solid showing in Brisbane. He’s struggled with a 7.33 ERA, and has looked a bit more hittable than he did last year.

LHP Brandon Knarr

Following a 2022 breakout season, Knarr’s had a start and a bullpen outing, and it’s been a bit of a rough go, with a few more walks than usual. Knarr’s kicked his strikeout pace up a bit, though, and he still looks promising.

LHP Anferrny Reyes

Reyes will likely start at the ACL this year.

LHP Osbriel Mogollon

Mogollon, like Reyes, will make the jump from the DSL to the ACL this year.

Relievers

RHP Michele Vassalotti

So far, he’s not had any saves at Appleton, but he’s punched out 15.8 batters per nine innings, which is a very encouraging sign. Will he create a closer controversy in Appleton with Kaleb Bowman?

RHP James Meeker

Meeker put himself on the map in Brisbane with sheer dominance. He recently moved to Biloxi’s development list, but so far, the dominance has continued. Since being promoted to Biloxi in 2022, Meeker has an ERA of 0.00.

RHP Lucas Erceg

Erceg has reinvented himself the last couple of seasons after struggling as a position player. In Nashville, he’s been a solid part of their bullpen and is making himself relevant if the team continues to churn through bullpen options as the season wears on.

RHP Jeison Pena

Pena’s adjustment to full-season ball has had a bumpy start, but the 20-year-old has rebounded in his last two outings. Pena has given up a pair of go-fer balls so far.

RHP/1B/DH Quinton Low

Low looked to be a potential option as a closer, but is being stretched out in Carolina for what looks to be multi-inning work at the very least, if not a move to the starting rotation. How this might affect his development at the plate is a fascinating but open question.

LHP Clayton Andrews

Andrews looks to be rebounding very nicely from a rough 2021 and 2022. He’s not quite flashed the multi-inning capability he showed prior to the lost 2020 season, but he can still be an excellent replacement for Hoby Milner.

LHP Pablo Garabitos

Garabitos started the season on the 60-day injured list.

LHP Karlos Morales

Morales has dominated in Wisconsin so far, with a 0.79 WHIP and 1.24 ERA. In addition, he has notched four outs or more in three of his four outings to date. As a 2017 draftee, Morales could be a free agent, and the Brewers would be well-served to find a way to keep him on board.

Overview

Many of the pitchers who don’t make the prospect lists are performing well, which gives the Brewers a lot of options. This is a good thing, as they could not only fill many roles without breaking the bank, but also become useful as trade assets.

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