Brewer Fanatic Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year - 2024

Honorable Mentions
Enoli Paredes (Nashville Sounds)
26.0 IP, 1.73 ERA, 1.41 FIP, 0.96 WHIP, 14.2 K/9, 3.8 BB/9
Paredes signed a free agent contract early in the 2023 offseason, coming off an unremarkable year with the Astros Triple-A affiliate, the Sugar Land Space Cowboys. After a stellar stretch of games with Triple-A Nashville, he was called up to the Brewers in may and stuck around for quite a while, amassing 20 ⅔ innings at the big league level. He ran into some right forearm tendinitis in early July and wasn’t activated until mid-September where he made three more appearances for Milwaukee. 

Unfortunately for Paredes fans, he was designated for assignment in the final days of September and was claimed off waivers by the Cubs who managed to trot him out for a single inning against the Phillies. 

Dikember Sanchez (Carolina Mudcats)
32.2 IP, 1.38 ERA, 3.39 FIP, 0.98 WHIP, 8.0 K/9, 3.0 BB/9
Signed as an international free agent in 2021, this year was his first in the minor league system, having spent the previous three years in the Dominican Summer League. He was impressive as a 20 year old, often pitching multiple innings of relief and amassing nearly 33 innings in just 19 total appearances. He was moved up to High-A Wisconsin at the end of August and he was less effective over a smaller sample size. He’ll likely start the year at the level and potentially see a jump to Double-A Biloxi if all things go well.

Top Three Minor League Relief Pitchers Of 2024

3. Kevin Herget (Nashville Sounds)
47.2 IP, 2.27 ERA, 2.07 FIP, 0.94 WHIP, 11.1 K/9, 2.1 BB/9
After being designated for assignment by the Reds at the end of 2023 and electing free agency, Herget signed a minor league deal with the Brewers and spent the majority of his season with the Sounds. He had a few trips to the major-league level (three, to be exact) but never stayed for more than a few consecutive appearances. Nonetheless, he was a great bullpen piece for Triple-A Nashville and was also a strong performer in his 11 1/3 total innings pitched for Milwaukee, posting a 1.59 ERA.

2. Sam Gardner (Biloxi Shuckers)
34 2/3 IP, 2.34 ERA, 1.82 FIP, 0.87 WHIP, 12.5 K/9, 3.1 BB/9
Gardner was an undrafted free agent who had spent some time in the independent leagues and Australia after his college career at Murray State. 2024 was his first full year in an affiliated system and he seemed to have made big strides in the right direction, dominating Double-A Biloxi while racking up outstanding strikeout numbers. He dealt with recurring injury issues throughout the year, hitting the injured list several times and ending the season on the 60-day IL but there haven’t been any reports about him receiving surgery of any kind. 

Brewer Fanatic Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year for 2024
Craig Yoho (Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, Biloxi Shuckers, Nashville Sounds)
57 2/3 IP, 0.94 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 15.8 K/9, 3.6 BB/9
Yoho’s rise to the top has been a sight to see. An eighth-round draft pick out of Indiana University (go Hoosiers!) in 2023, he rocketed through the minor league ranks and graduated from High-A Wisconsin, Double-A Biloxi, and finished the year with dominant numbers in Triple-A Nashville. 

His walk rate of 9.7% is a little high but with a strikeout rate of 42.4% and an opposing slugging percentage of just .190, it seems that free passes are any hitter’s best shot of beating Yoho. His upside has far exceeded his initial expectations and it wouldn’t be surprising if he was called up at some point in 2025, maybe even making the Opening Day roster. At just 24 years old, he’s clearly immensely talented and could be the latest star reliever to come out of the Milwaukee system.

Congratulations to Craig Yoho on a tremendous season across three Brewers affiliates on an absolutely remarkable season. It's almost surprising that he wasn't called up to the big league club. That should happen early in the 2025 season. 

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