Brewers Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month - April 2024

The qualifications for making this list were a minimum of seven innings pitched, and all appearances had to be made out of the bullpen. 

We begin with quite a few honorable mentions:

HONORABLE MENTIONS
LHP - Rob Zastryzny - Nashville Sounds -  10 G,  10.1 IP, 3-0, 1.74 ERA,  1.06 FIP,  0.39 WHIP, 3 H, 1 BB, 15 K
Zastryzny deserved to be on this list due to his performance, but as a 32 year old, he was left off. Apologies for the ageism, Rob.

LHP - Adam Seminaris - Biloxi Shuckers -  5 G, 14.2 IP, 0-0, 1.84 ERA, 2.03 FIP,  1.02 WHIP, 10 H, 5 BB, 17 K, 1 SV
Acquired as part of the Hunter Renfroe deal prior to the 2023 offseason, Seminaris got off to a bad start in Biloxi last season. He began to put it together before hitting the IL for an extended period of time. He got off to a fantastic start in April, narrowly missing the top 5.

RHP - Nick Merkel - Biloxi Shuckers - 7 G, 11.1 IP, 2-2, 1.59 ERA, 2.09 FIP, 0.88 WHIP, 8 H, 2 BB, 10 K
Merkel was last June’s Reliever of the Month and you can learn more about the 6’7 man nicknamed “Large Mammal” within that article. 

RHP - Kaleb Bowman - Biloxi Shuckers - 6 G, 7.0 IP, 2-2, 1.29 ERA, 2.18 FIP, 1.29 WHIP, 6 H, 3 BB, 10 K
Bowman was signed out of Independent ball prior to the 2023 season and performed well at High-A in 2023. Per Tru-Media, his 43.3% whiff rate was in the 97th percentile for Double-A pitchers with at least seven innings thrown in April.

TOP FIVE RELIEF PITCHERS FOR APRIL

#5 RHP - Enoli Paredes - Nashville Sounds - 11 G, 13.0 IP, 1-0, 1.38 ERA, 1.60 FIP, 1.00 WHIP, 8 H , 5 BB, 21 K, 2 SV.
Unranked by all publications
The 28-year-old Paredes was signed as a minor-league free agent this past offseason by the Brewers. After his performance in April, he looks like he could be an option for the major league club soon. 

Paredes is largely a two-pitch pitcher. He threw his four-seam fastball around 48% of the time in April, and his slider about 42% of the time. The four seamer only gets around 13 inches of Induced Vertical Break, but it comes in at a -4.2 degree Vertical Approach Angle, allowing it to play pretty well at the top of the zone. The pitch averages around 94.6 MPH, and has been up to 96. He was able to generate a whiff rate of 40.6% on the four seam in April.

His other main pitch, the slider, generated a whiff rate of 37%. This is the pitch he commands best and per Tru-Media, he actually used it more often than the fastball when the count was even, or he was behind in the count. Paredes also mixes in a rare sinker, though it doesn’t have very good characteristics and there is probably a reason he uses it under 10% of the time. It can be used to help keep hitters guessing just a bit more at the plate though, and that seems to be how he deployed it in April. 

After his performance in April, and considering the number of arms the Brewers have already cycled through in MLB, Paredes looks like he could be an option for the major league club soon. 

#4 RHP - Yerlin Rodriguez - Wisconsin Timber Rattlers - 8 G, 8.0 IP, 1-0, 1.08 ERA, 4.56 FIP, 0.84 WHIP, 2 H, 9 BB, 12 K, 4 SV.

Signed as part of the Brewers 2019 international signing class, Rodriguez was one of the breakout arms in 2023. He finished the campaign with a 4.00 ERA, but his stuff took a big step forward.

One of the largest fastball increases in all of baseball from 2022, Yerlin went from averaging 92.1 in 2022 to averaging 96.5 MPH in 2023, per Baseball America. His fastball regularly sits in the mid-upper 90’s now and has touched 99. He did post some triple digit fastballs in 2023, so he has that in the tank. It works well up in the zone, though he also seems to throw a fastball with a bit more sink at times. 

His slider is a wipeout offering that has reached 3000 RPM’s a number of times and sits in the mid-80’s. Rodriguez also mixes in a cutter in the 90 MPH range that he seems to command as well as any of his pitches. There were reports that he was working on a splitter this offseason, though he has not appeared to break that out in games yet. It’s a somewhat similar profile to that of Abner Uribe, though he doesn’t quite have the ability to reach 102+ like Uribe. Unfortunately for Rodriguez, he has had similar issues with throwing strikes to those that Uribe has battled throughout his career. 

In April Rodriguez was unable to curb the control issues and issued nine walks in his 8 1/3 innings. The good news was that hitters weren’t able to do anything whenever Rodriguez was in, or around, the zone. His 44.6% whiff rate placed him in the 97th percentile for High-A pitchers with at least seven innings, per Tru-Media. His 58.3% ground ball rate was also in the 88th percentile. While the walks piled up, he did only allow two hits, which helped him avoid giving up any runs for the month. As his 4.56 FIP suggests, Rodriguez will need to improve upon those walk numbers moving forward if he wants to continue to see this type of success in the ERA column.

Rodriguez has the stuff to advance quickly through the system, but command will be the tool that ends up deciding where he goes and how fast he goes there. 

#3 LHP - Russell Smith - Biloxi Shuckers - 5 G, 8.1 IP, 0-0, 2.16 ERA, 0.44 FIP, 0.96 WHIP, 6 H , 2 BB, 15 K
Unranked by all publications

Smith was the Brewers third selection in the 2021 draft, and had unfortunately gotten off to a pretty tough start in pro ball. Drafted as a starter, Smith made the transition to the bullpen in 2023, and that seems to have been the correct call. He finished this past season with a 1.40 ERA over his final 19.1 innings, and carried that strong production into April of 2024. 

Smith’s velocity sat in the 91-93 range as a starter. Given his 6’7, 255 pound frame that was always a bit of a surprise. Since his move to the bullpen, that velocity has climbed more into the 95 MPH range with consistency. His huge frame allows for him to get down the mound, and generate a good amount of extension, though his stride isn’t quite as big as you might expect from someone his height. Smith’s changeup has been his best secondary since he was drafted, and that continues to be the case. However, his slider has transformed since his move to the bullpen. The shape is more of a slurve than a true slider, and it is now an above average pitch as well.

Per Tru-Media, Smith struck Double-A hitters out at a 45.5% clip In April, which placed him in the 97th percentile for pitchers throwing seven or more innings at the level. His 37.1% whiff rate was good for the 85th percentile, and his strikeout to walk ratio of 7.5 was good for the 93rd percentile. His final outing of the month was his worst, and it brought his ERA up, but his ability to strike hitters out, avoid walks and avoid the home run ball gave him the best FIP of any Brewers reliever in April.

Smith is going to be Rule 5 eligible this offseason, meaning the Brewers will have to decide if he’s worth protecting and putting on the 40 man roster. If he continues this type of production, he will be somebody that they push to Nashville to get a better idea of how close he is.

#2 RHP - Craig Yoho - Wisconsin Timber Rattlers - 8 G, 8.0 IP, 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.94 FIP, 0.62 WHIP, 3 H , 2 BB, 16 K, 3 SV.
Unranked by all publications
The Brewers 8th round selection in the 2023 draft out of Indiana, Yoho is the only one of these arms that appears to already be slotted into a relief role in the future. At one time a position player in college, he transitioned to a two-way role for a couple of seasons, but after battling quite a few injuries, he finished his college career as a pitcher-only. He and Yerlin Rodriguez have been splitting the closer role in Appleton so far in 2024, and the results have been quite good.

Yoho may not throw as hard as most elite relievers, only sitting in the 91-93 range with his fastball, but his pitch mix is as impressive as any pitcher in the system. He throws his fastball with nearly 20 inches of arm side run, a changeup that appears to be very similar to the Devin Williams “Airbender”, as well as a curveball and a cutter. You can read more about the pitch mix in this article from April 22nd. 

Yoho used his four pitches to keep hitters off balance all month. Per Tru-Media he racked up a whiff rate of 46%, which placed him in the 98th percentile among High-A pitchers with seven or more innings. Under those same qualifications, Yoho was in the 100th percentile for called strike rate, coming in at 47.6%. He was freezing hitters and landing his pitches in the zone as often as anybody, and when they did swing, there was not much contact. That is a good place to be as a pitcher, and that’s not to mention that when hitters did make contact, it was on the ground 63.6% of the time, which also placed him in the 94th percentile. Hitters were simply hopeless against Yoho in April.

Yoho is 24 years old, and is clearly a step above his competition. This past offseason, Baseball America actually tagged him as a potential fast mover, who could impact the Brewers major league bullpen at some point this year. If that is going to happen, he likely needs to move to Double-A soon. Even if they don’t plan for him to move quite that fast, Double-A would present a better challenge for him.

#1 RHP - K.C. Hunt - Carolina Mudcats - 5 G, 11.1 IP, 2-0, 0.00 ERA, 1.33 FIP, 0.62 WHIP, 5 H , 2 BB, 18 K
Unranked by all publications
Hunt beat out a number of very qualified candidates for the number one spot this month. Signed as an Undrafted Free Agent following last year's draft, Hunt has gotten himself off to a fantastic start in pro ball. In 4 1/3 innings with the Arizona Complex League Brewers at the end of 2023, Hunt did give up a few runs, but followed that up with a scoreless April to begin 2024.

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 though, and the secondaries are all strong as well.

His curveball stands out more than the rest, a true hammer of a pitch that he throws in the 76-78 range. He gets a lot of his chases with the pitch, but is also comfortable landing it for strikes. His slider is a sharper and shorter offering that sits in the 83-84 range and has been a good swing and miss pitch for him as well. Hunt also uses a changeup that is thrown a bit harder than the slider and shows flashes of being a good option, particularly against left-handed hitters. He is not afraid to use any of the pitches against righties or lefties.

Hunt’s April was highlighted by his outing on April 17th, going three scoreless and hitless innings while striking out four. He only allowed one baserunner in that outing, by way of a walk (one of only two walks he allowed the entire month). Hunt’s 40.9% strikeout rate put him in the 93rd  percentile for pitchers with at least seven innings pitched in Low-A. His walk rate of 4.5% was in the 92nd percentile, making him one of only six pitchers to rank in the 90th percentile or higher in both of those categories. Hunt limited walks, racked up strikeouts and only allowed five hits, none of which were of the extra base variety.

Hunt has been utterly dominant at Low-A. Given his advanced age, it seems that he should be pushed to High-A, and perhaps will even have a chance to follow the Shane Smith path of 2023, making it to Double-A by the end of the season.

Thanks for following along with this three part series on the Brewers minor league system. Let us know your thoughts below! Did we miss anybody?

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