Brewers Pitcher of the Month - August 2023

In the month of August, Milwaukee pitchers combined to post a team ERA of 3.36, third best in the big leagues. More impressively, they had the lowest opposing batting average of .206. That being said, some guys pulled their weight more than others. 

Andrew Chafin struggled immensely out of the bullpen after coming to the team in a trade deadline move and Adrian Houser posted a 5.01 ERA before once again heading to the IL . But enough negativity, who put the team on their back?

Honorable Mention
Abner Uribe - 14 G, 2.08 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 13.0 IP, 7 H, 6 BB, 15 K
In his second month of major league action, Abner Uribe continued to impress. One of the most exciting up and coming relievers, Uribe is another classic example of a live arm with some control issues. With an average fastball velocity of 99.5 mph and a slider that moves like magic, further development and time spent with the Brewers pitching lab could make him even more lethal than he already is. He also managed to throw the fastest pitch ever thrown by a Brewer in the Statcast era.

August Pitchers of the Month
#4. Bryse Wilson - 7 G, 1.35 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 13.1 IP, 10 H, 3 BB, 11 K
Bryse Wilson’s value as a long reliever continues to pay dividends for the Brewers, most notably in a game against the Padres on August 27th that saw him pitch four scoreless innings. In total, he made four relief appearances of two innings or more, giving up earned runs in only one of those games. After a rough end to July that saw him concede four runs in one inning against the Braves, this was a great way to bounce back.

#3. Devin Williams - 11 G, 1.00 ERA, 0.67 WHIP, 9.0 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 15 K
It’s almost repetitive to continue lauding praise upon one of the best closers in professional baseball, but it’s important to recognize his contributions nonetheless. Along the way to giving up a single earned run all month, Williams recorded five saves and posted his best WHIP figure of his already superlative season. 

Still heavily dependent on his signature airbender, his opponent batting average on that pitch this season is a pitiful .106, but what do you expect when major-leaguers are struggling to make contact on bunts? 

#2. Trevor Megill - 6 G, 0.00 ERA, 0.682 WHIP, 7.1 IP, 5 H, 0 BB, 13 K
In a surprising twist, Megill went from being optioned to AAA three times this season to having one of the most dominant months a relief pitcher can have. He’s always had intimidating power, averaging a blistering 99.0 mph on his four-seam fastball and sometimes getting into the triple digits, but better placement of his pitches within the zone was largely to credit for his improvement. 

Rather than dumping all of his pitches right into the heart of the zone like he did in 2021-22, he began to attack the edges of the zone, allowing him to cruise through August without giving up a single run. Matt Trueblood published a great analysis on the changes he made if you want to know more.

#1. Freddy Peralta - 5 G, 2.10 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 30.0 IP, 17 H, 10 BB, 46 K
August was the month where we saw what Freddy Peralta is truly capable of. Reminiscent of his 2021 all-star season, Peralta performed spectacularly in his five starts, posting his highest cumulative K/9 and K/W figures of the season at 13.8 and 4.60 respectively. 

While his last two starts were a little shaky and didn’t see him go a full six-innings, he had three starts that saw him strike out more than nine batters on the way to going 5-0. While the rest of the rotation had somewhat inconsistent performances throughout the month, Freddy Peralta was an unmoving beacon of hope, anchoring the pitching staff every five days.