Could Two Current Brewers Relievers Follow The Path Of Two Brewers Pitching Legends?

Six years ago, a couple of highly-touted Brewers pitching prospects helped propel the 2018 Brewers to a 96-win regular season that year (counting Game 163), a mark reached only once in the team’s history. You may have heard of them: The prospects in question were Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff. The latter even chipped in a memorable blast against Clayton Kershaw in Game One of the 2018 NLCS.

Burnes and Woodruff's legacy needs little discussion. Both became potent 1-2 punches in the Brewers rotation after their 2018 turns as multi-inning relievers in the bullpen, propelling the team to playoff appearances in 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2023. Both rank among the all-time leaders in multiple rate statistics for the Crew career-wise.

In 2024, DL Hall and Aaron Ashby were highly-touted starting pitching prospects. Hall was acquired in the deal that sent Burnes to Baltimore, placing some pressure on him. Ashby had missed virtually all of 2023 with a shoulder injury. Their 2024 seasons were not exactly smooth rides, though.

Hall had a rough adjustment before missing time with injury, while Ashby spent most of 2024 regaining the form he had before his shoulder injury. Both currently work as multi-inning relief options out of the Brewers, where they excel. But could something greater be in the offing in the future?

Now, each baseball player is unique – but for Brewers fans, the parallels offer quite an exciting future, not just because of the track record Burnes and Woodruff put together. But there will be openings come 2025.

This year, the Brewers rotation has been solid, with Freddy Peralta, Colin Rea, Tobias Myers, and Aaron Civale, while Frankie Montas has not done poorly for the team at this time. Other players have chipped in, whether planned from the start or filling in until they, too, were sidelined.

With Rea’s age (34), Freddy Peralta’s pending free agency after 2026 (leading to a probable trade), and Montas’s likely departure in free agency, the team will be looking for some new starters sooner rather than later.

This is where Hall and Ashby can come in. Hall is already forcing some consideration for a rotation move as early as this year. His seven shutout innings against the Reds during an August 30 doubleheader was a major boost for the team. If Ashby can be stretched out during spring training next season, the Brewers could come into 2025 with a much better pitching situation than they did at the start of the season.

Adding Hall and Ashby to Peralta, Myers, Civale, and Rea gives the Crew excellent rotation depth, regardless of whether they have Bryse Wilson on the roster. For starters, it gives the Crew more time to refine Jacob Misiorowski and Carlos F. Rodriguez in Triple-A Nashville while allowing Robert Gasser and Woodruff more time to properly recover from injuries that have kept them on the shelf for most or all of 2024.

The Brewers could have a very strong rotation in 2025 and beyond, and the 2024 bullpen could contribute significantly to that rotation.