Brewers Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month: July 2024

[Spencer Michaelis]

We begin our MiLB Player of the Month series with our top five Starting Pitchers for the month of July. In order to qualify for the top five, there was a minimum requirement of 13 innings pitched and at least one start made. 

Image courtesy of Wisconsin Timber Rattlers

We will begin, as always, with a couple of honorable mentions from another successful month by the Brewers starting prospects.

Honorable Mentions:

RHP - Jacob Misiorowski - Biloxi Shuckers - 4 G, 4 GS, 19.1 IP, 1-1, 3.26 ERA, 4.98 FIP, 1.09 WHIP, 8 H , 13 BB, 27 K.

RHP - Eric Prado - ACL Brewers - 3 G, 2 GS, 13.2 IP, 1-0, 1.98 ERA, 3.16 FIP, 0.88 WHIP, 8 H, 4 BB, 12 K.
Unranked by all publications

Some video of Prado here!  

TOP FIVE STARTING PITCHERS FOR JULY
#5 RHP - Patricio Aquino - Wisconsin Timber Rattlers - 6 G, 2 GS, 22.2 IP, 1-0, 1.22 ERA, 2.87 FIP, 0.89 WHIP, 14 H, 6 BB, 19 K, 1 SV

A member of the Brewers 2021 international signing class, Aquino signed for $16k and moved quickly, reaching full season ball last year and pitching with a lot of success, as evidenced by his 2.75 ERA. His results have taken a step back in High-A this season, but he has started to turn things around of late, and July was a great step in the right direction. 

Aquino’s fastball sits in the 92-94 range, but he can reach back for 95 or 96 at times as well, even touching 98 MPH on a stadium gun a few times this year. At only 21 years old, he may be able to develop a bit more consistency in terms of sitting in the mid-90’s, rather than just flashing that ability. 

His best pitch is his slider, which he throws on two different planes. He may be considering it as a slider and a curveball, though the slider version is more of a “slurve”. The breaking balls spin in the 2600 RPM range and generate a lot of whiffs, but is also the pitch he lands for strikes the best. His changeup has made some real strides this season, and he’s comfortable using it against right handed hitters, as well as lefties.

In July, Aquino was used in relief as well as in a starting role. He wasn’t dominating by any means, but he was getting a lot of harmless fly balls. We will hope to see the strikeout numbers catch up to the pure stuff he has at some point, as his strikeout rate and whiff rates were both below average in July, as they have been over the course of the entire season.

Aquino has shown flashes, and his surface numbers were very strong in July. He’s a name to watch moving forward, but the hope is that he will begin to generate more swing and miss.

#4 LHP - Tate Kuehner - Wisconsin Timber Rattlers - 4 G, 4 GS, 18.2 IP, 2-1, 2.41 ERA, 3.10 FIP, 1.18 WHIP, 13 H, 9 BB, 20 K.
Unranked by all publications

The Brewers 7th round selection in 2023 out of Louisville, Kuehner was used in a swing man role by the Cardinals his senior year. He only threw three innings at the Complex League level last year after being drafted, but began the 2024 season with High-A Appleton where he has continued that swing man role, but in a more consistent starter role. 

Kuehner was sitting in the upper-80’s as a junior in college, but made a jump into the 92-95 range as a senior, which is where he is at now. He throws from a low slot, and started generating more run on the pitch his senior year. That slot allows the pitch to play well up in the zone due to the Vertical Approach Angle, and also to play down, because of the run. 

His best secondary offering is his low-80s sweeper, which has a lot of sweep, but also quite a bit of vertical drop and is his best swing and miss pitch. He mixes in a changeup as well, which appears to be in a better spot than where it was at Louisville, where he struggled to land any of his secondaries for strikes.

In July he posted a whiff rate of 38.9%. His season long rate of 35.9% for the season puts him in the 4th percentile out of 371 High-A pitchers with at least 35 IP. His ground ball rate of 45.5% in July was a solid number, but doesn’t stand out in the crowd. Despite that, Kuehner only allowed two extra base hits (both doubles) in July. He also only allowed two in May, one in June and his 3.9% extra base hit rate is in the 92nd percentile in High-A for the season (minimum of 35 IP). Kuehner has been generating a lot of swings and misses, and on the occasions that the ball is put in play, it is rarely hit with authority. 

Kuehner’s next appearance will come as a Biloxi Shucker, as he was promoted at the end of the month.

#3 RHP - Bishop Letson - Carolina Mudcats - 3 G, 2 GS, 13.1 IP, 0-1, 1.98 ERA, 2.21 FIP, 0.96 WHIP, 9 H, 4 BB, 17 K

The Brewers 11th round selection in the 2023 draft, Letson has been one of the fastest risers on prospect lists this year. A bit of an older high school pick, he will turn 20 in September. Despite his somewhat advanced age at the time of the draft, Letson was seen as a very projectable arm that had the potential to break out over the next few years. That has proven to be the case in his first full season.

Throwing both a four seamer that rides, and a two seamer with a good amount of run on it. At the time he was drafted, Letson was topping out at 93 MPH, and sitting more in the 89-91 range. This season he is sitting at 93-95 MPH and has even touched 98. A wiry 6’4 build and an athletic delivery allows him to generate as much extension as anyone at the Low-A level, helping that velocity play up even further. 

Letson throws a slider and a changeup for his secondaries. The low-80’s slider is the better of the two currently. He commands it well to both sides of the plate and can change the shape of it at times. It’s a big swing and miss pitch against righties, but also one he can land for strikes against lefties. His changeup is also used against both handed hitters, but in the opposite function, getting whiffs against lefties and backdooring it against righties.

In July, Letson only made three appearances, likely in an attempt to limit his innings during his first full season of pro ball. He made the most of his opportunities though, going five and 5.2 innings in his two starts. His other appearance came in relief, though it was at the restart of a game that had been postponed the day prior, so he got to treat it like a start still. In that appearance he went three hitless, scoreless innings and struck out six.

Overall, his July whiff rate was 32.3% and his strikeout rate was 32.1%. The whiff rate placed him in the 79th percentile for Low-A pitchers throwing at least 13 innings, and the strikeout rate in the 85th percentile.

Letson will likely continue to have his innings limited this season, but this has been an extremely successful first four months of pro ball for him, and he has the type of talent to move pretty quickly for a high school pick.

#2 RHP - Ayendy Bravo - DSL Brewers 1 - 5 G, 2 GS, 20.1 IP, 2-0, 0.44 ERA, 2.96 FIP, 0.84 WHIP, 11 H, 6 BB, 19 K
Unranked by all publications

Signed out of the Dominican Republic in this past January’s class, Bravo turned 17 a couple of weeks after signing. While the first month of his professional career had some bumps in the road, he turned in an extremely impressive July. 

An unheralded signing, his bonus went unreported, and there is not much information available to the public. With some social media investigating, we were able to find a TikTok showing some of his repertoire off. He appears to throw in the low-90’s with a firm fastball and an over the top delivery. He also mixes in an upper-70’s slider that takes a little more of a curveball shape, due to that previously mentioned arm slot. It’s unclear if he has more secondaries in his repertoire, but it’s certainly possible that he does.

Bravo threw at least 3 2/3 innings in all five appearances, and struck out at least three in each outing. After striking out only 10.3% of hitters in June, he increased that number to 25.3% in July. His WHIP of 0.84 was the third best in the system for July. 

It’s so hard to project DSL level pitchers, but a solid strikeout to walk ratio is one of the better indicators, and Bravo had that in July. He seems like a candidate for the Complex League next year, though there will be limited spots available.

#1 RHP - K.C. Hunt - Wisconsin Timber Rattlers - 3 G, 3 GS, 16.1 IP, 1-0, 1.10 ERA, 2.50 FIP, 0.92 WHIP, 10 H, 5 BB, 22 K.
Unranked by all publications

Taking home the number one spot in April’s version of the Reliever of the Month list, the 2023 Undrafted Free Agent signee transitioned to the rotation in June, and he has taken to it quite well so far. 

Hunt’s high-spin fastball sits in the 92-94 range and works well at the top of the zone, though he also does a good job of hitting the low and outside corner with the pitch. He has a four pitch mix and while the fastball is closer to average than great, his breaking balls are a different story.

His mid-80’s bullet slider is a plus pitch that generates a ton of swing and miss. He also throws an upper 70’s curveball that is a little more inconsistent, but also flashes as a plus pitch and has a lot of depth to it. Hunt will also mix in a changeup on occasion. The changeup is a work in progress, but does give a hitter something else to think about.

Hunt started his month with two dominant starts, first going 5.1 shutout innings against Beloit, striking out 10 in the process. His next time out he went six innings against West Michigan, allowing one earned run and striking out nine. Overall, his 34.9% strikeout rate was in the 88th percentile out of the 171 High-A pitchers throwing at least 13 innings in July, and his 35.9% whiff rate also put him in the 88th percentile. 

Hunt’s July was a continuation of a very impressive season, in which an Undrafted Free Agent from last year has gone from Low-A to High-A, and then made the transition from relieving to starting, never breaking stride along the way. A promotion to Double-A in the near future is hard to rule out. 

Please share your opinions! Do any of these names stand out?

 

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[James Zumstein]

Thanks as always for the great write-up, Spencer.  It's great to see some new names performing so well.  The 2023 Brewers draft and signees is going to be tough to beat, as they added a ridiculous amount of talent last year.  Getting Bishop Letson in the 11th appears to have been a steal, and signing K.C. Hunt as a UDFA was highway robbery.  Our minor league system may not have as much top-level talent as other teams currently, but I find it hard to believe anyone has as much depth of talent as the Brewers.

[Austin Tatious]

Nice piece, Spencer.  Wanted to add I got around to listening to your Cream City podcast reviewing the draft.  You and Gunner did an excellent job.  I listened to all of your analysis and liked how you broke down each player.  I recommend it to all who follow the Brewers’ draft and system.  

[Joseph Zarr]

9 hours ago, Austin Tatious said:

Nice piece, Spencer.  Wanted to add I got around to listening to your Cream City podcast reviewing the draft.  You and Gunner did an excellent job.  I listened to all of your analysis and liked how you broke down each player.  I recommend it to all who follow the Brewers’ draft and system.  

I couldn't disagree more - it was total fluff! 😜

Aquino was used out of the Pen for his first four of six outings in July. His first start (of two at the end of the month) he only lasted 3 2/3 IP - seems like a stretch here tho we both know historically he has been used as a Starter. I just don't see it applying in this category in July. Aquino was much better in July but if we're going off pure stuff Fitzpatrick - in only three outings - was a more dominant pitcher. However, just like Aquino he only started a small percentage of his outings (1-of-3). I am strictly speaking to 'stuff'. And, to the caveat of what you are writing about above, I'd easily go RHP Will Rudy as a pure starter over Aquino as well in terms of pure starting pitching results. Rudy was actually quite good in July. To that end, leaving RHP Manuel Rodriguez out of the list entirely is a choice. 3-of-4 outings true Quality Starts for the 18-year-old. Continues to do things every month no single starting pitcher is doing. The other start a mere 5 IP performance. 20 K-to-3 BB (2 HB) in 23 IP. 0.157 BAA and a 0.70 WHIP with a 3.52 ERA begs me to ask: are you suffering 'Rodriguez Atrophy'? 😅

Anyhow, RHP K.C. Hunt naturally gets my nod of approval. As you well know, Hunt was my guy from his first outing. Just an absolute stud who will be pitching Double-A ball sooner than later.

[Spencer Michaelis]

1 hour ago, Joseph Zarr said:

I couldn't disagree more - it was total fluff! 😜

Aquino was used out of the Pen for his first four of six outings in July. His first start (of two at the end of the month) he only lasted 3 2/3 IP - seems like a stretch here tho we both know historically he has been used as a Starter. I just don't see it applying in this category in July. Aquino was much better in July but if we're going off pure stuff Fitzpatrick - in only three outings - was a more dominant pitcher. However, just like Aquino he only started a small percentage of his outings (1-of-3). I am strictly speaking to 'stuff'. And, to the caveat of what you are writing about above, I'd easily go RHP Will Rudy as a pure starter over Aquino as well in terms of pure starting pitching results. Rudy was actually quite good in July. To that end, leaving RHP Manuel Rodriguez out of the list entirely is a choice. 3-of-4 outings true Quality Starts for the 18-year-old. Continues to do things every month no single starting pitcher is doing. The other start a mere 5 IP performance. 20 K-to-3 BB (2 HB) in 23 IP. 0.157 BAA and a 0.70 WHIP with a 3.52 ERA begs me to ask: are you suffering 'Rodriguez Atrophy'? 😅

Anyhow, RHP K.C. Hunt naturally gets my nod of approval. As you well know, Hunt was my guy from his first outing. Just an absolute stud who will be pitching Double-A ball sooner than later.

Rodriguez was definitely supposed to be on my list for HM. Writing these while I’m at work can sometimes lead to an oversight on the HM’s, and I totally forgot to add his numbers. You know I’m a big fan of his lol.

As for the Aquino/Fitpatrick part, I’ve been holding the minimum of 13 IP and at least one start made, as the qualifier for this list every month. I just have to put it somewhere. Aquino made it under those qualifiers, Fitzpatrick didn’t have enough innings.

Edit: and on Rudy… the 5.38 FIP for the month was what kept him off the list.

[Joseph Zarr]

6 minutes ago, Spencer Michaelis said:

Rodriguez was definitely supposed to be on my list for HM. Writing these while I’m at work can sometimes lead to an oversight on the HM’s, and I totally forgot to add his numbers. You know I’m a big fan of his lol.

As for the Aquino/Fitpatrick part, I’ve been holding the minimum of 13 IP and at least one start made, as the qualifier for this list every month. I just have to put it somewhere. Aquino made it under those qualifiers, Fitzpatrick didn’t have enough innings.

Edit: and on Rudy… the 5.38 FIP for the month was what kept him off the list.

That makes a lot of sense, then. Cool beans. 

[Ro Mueller]

11 hours ago, Spencer Michaelis said:

Rodriguez was definitely supposed to be on my list for HM. Writing these while I’m at work can sometimes lead to an oversight on the HM’s, and I totally forgot to add his numbers. You know I’m a big fan of his lol.

As for the Aquino/Fitpatrick part, I’ve been holding the minimum of 13 IP and at least one start made, as the qualifier for this list every month. I just have to put it somewhere. Aquino made it under those qualifiers, Fitzpatrick didn’t have enough innings.

Edit: and on Rudy… the 5.38 FIP for the month was what kept him off the list.

Writing sports articles at work!?!

Well, I never… 😳🤦‍♂️😀

[Joseph Zarr]

BUMP:

On 8/4/2024 at 5:06 PM, Joseph Zarr said:

Anyhow, RHP K.C. Hunt naturally gets my nod of approval. As you well know, Hunt was my guy from his first outing. Just an absolute stud who will be pitching Double-A ball sooner than later.

RHP K.C. Hunt has officially been promoted to the Biloxi Shuckers. I've been telling y'all about this absolute Stallion of a starter since his first relief appearance as a Mudcat. The joy I feel for this young man's journey and his season in 2024 can not be understated.

[biedergb]

1 hour ago, Joseph Zarr said:

RHP K.C. Hunt has officially been promoted to the Biloxi Shuckers.

So that rotation now goes Logan Henderson (2021 draft pick), Shane Smith (2021 UDFA), Brett Wichrowski and Tate Kuener (both 2023 draftees!) and KC Hunt (2023 UDFA). So 6 players signed from the draft pool last year at in AA now a mere 13 months later (Wilken, Boeve, Wichrowski, Yoho, Kuener, Hunt). That's impressive. I mean not 2023 draft pick starting in the ASG in 2024 (Skenes) impressive, but wow pretty darn close to have that many in AA already.

 

EDIT: WELP - with Yoho now in AAA, nix that first sentence, and make that impressiveness now an 11.