Brewer Fanatic's Pitcher of the Month: March/April 2025

Honorable Mentions
Grant Anderson
14 ⅓ IP, 1.88 ERA, 12 H, 3 ER, 7 BB, 15 K
Anderson is one of the bullpen arms to keep an eye on this year. After a tough first two years in the big leagues, Milwaukee’s pitching development crew seems to have figured out how to unlock the best version of him. Some of this may simply be the result of new scenery but there is quite a bit of evidence to suggest that the Brewers have made very real improvements.

One of the major changes has been to change the shape of his breaking ball from a slider into a sweeper which has quickly become his best pitch. Opposing hitters have averaged just .115 with an ISO of .000 against it and the benefits have carried through to the rest of his arsenal, particularly his fastball. It may not be realistic to expect all of his Statcast metrics to go up so drastically but he’s looking very good so far.

Statistical Nugget: Anderson’s OPS after getting to an 0-1 count is a perfect .000 over seven plate appearances.

Freddy Peralta
34 ⅓ IP, 2.36 ERA, 24 H, 9 ER, 13 BB, 33 K
Peralta should be a constant reminder that spring training numbers shouldn’t be overanalyzed. After a very concerning final outing before Opening Day, the team’s ace has locked it in and returned to peak form. Fans have come to know Peralta as a pitcher who has his ups and downs and the larger question is whether he’ll be able to sustain his great numbers.

The biggest adjustment he has made has been to seemingly retire his slider. Last year, it was his worst pitch by run value (-3) but he threw it 21.6% of the time. This year, he has thrown it just 7.9% of the time, increasing the frequency of his four-seam fastball and changeup while using his curveball as his primary breaking ball. The results have been good so far, especially with his secondary pitches. Opposing hitters are whiffing 44.6% of the time against his changeup and 56.8% of the time against the curveball.

Statistical Nugget: Opposing hitters have a .295 OPS against Peralta with runners in scoring position.

Chad Patrick
24 ⅔ IP, 1.82 ERA, 21 H, 5 ER, 10 BB, 21 K
Like Tobias Myers before him, Patrick has the potential of exceeding his rookie expectations with strong numbers as a starter. Originally slated to begin the season in Triple-A Nashville, he was elevated to the rotation after a slew of injuries to his big league coworkers. Since getting called up to the show, he has performed like he has been here before.

Patrick is a cutter-first pitcher but is quite different from fellow cutter hurler and former Brewer Corbin Burnes. While Burnes is able to sit in the high-90s, Patrick’s cutter averages just 87.4 mph. He has been able to make it work so far but his lack of swing-and-miss might come to bite him later down the line. The biggest concern is that he has given up quite a bit of loud contact and opposing hitters are pulling his pitches in the air 27.5% of the time. Funnily enough, his barrel rate is still just 5.5%.

Alas, one’s rookie year is often rife with lessons and adjustments. The Brewers have dealt with lower power arms before and Patrick’s average fastball velocity of 93.0 mph is only slightly below average so there’s a good chance he’ll still end up making the most out of what he has.

Statistical Nugget: Opposing hitters have an .860 OPS against Patrick with the bases empty but a .467 OPS with men on.

Pitcher of the Month - Jose Quintana
23 ⅔ IP, 1.14 ERA, 19 H, 3 ER, 8 BB, 15 K
It can’t be understated how many times the Brewers have dug up an undervalued starting pitcher from a trade or free agency to turn them into a top-tier arm. Jose Quintana is the latest example of this practice. After signing in the latter half of spring training and being left off of the roster to get caught up in his preparation, he has quickly become one of the most valuable players on the roster.

A master of deception, Quintana’s raw stuff doesn’t exactly jump off of the page, especially as a 36-year old, but he has created some frustrating at-bats for his opponents, especially with his curveball which opposing batters are yet to record a hit against. With the sinker as his primary weapon, his whiff and strikeout rates have been in the bottom quartile of qualified pitchers for the past few years but his quality of contact figures have been excellent. He isn’t getting as many ground balls as he has in years past but a more subtle ability to keep exit velocities within a reasonable amount keeps most of his batted balls in the park.

Who knows if he’ll keep up this torrid pace (he won’t but one dream) and what his role will look like once major names like Brandon Woodruff finally return from the IL. Until we find out, let’s just enjoy what he’s been able to do for the team.

Statistical Nugget: Opposing hitters have a .935 OPS against Quintana when swinging at the first pitch and a .478 OPS when taking the first pitch.