Brewers Relief Pitcher of the Month for April 2023: Devin Williams

As a whole, the Milwaukee Brewers pitching staff has been the primary reason for their early success–particularly during the recent stretch where they’ve found big (or any) hits hard to come by. The relievers, in particular, have been lights-out, tied for third in ERA in all of baseball with a 2.97 mark, despite being 29th in strikeouts. Craig Counsell has been very effective in how he used each of his pitchers, but it’s important to note how much weak contact they have generated, which is a key contributor to their success so far. While there have been several notable performances, one in particular has been devastatingly good.

Reliever of the Month

Devin Williams likes to test the hearts of his fanbase, particularly in THAT Padres game, but his calmness under the highest pressure has been incredible. He’s yet to give up a run this season in 9 1/3 innings, with 14 strikeouts and five saves. He is above the 90th percentile in almost every expected statistic, and the 99th for strikeout percentage and whiff percentage. If you needed a Josh Hader replacement, here he is.

One thing Williams has been doing so far this season is using his fastball more effectively and more often (5% more than 2022). He gets more extension off the mound than anyone else in baseball, making the fastball play above it’s velocity, and has been targeting either up in the zone and inside to right handers, or slightly down and away to tunnel well with his changeup, a big reason for his success so far (given how well some teams have laid off the changeup). The fastball he threw, in a 3-2 count with one (half-)second on the pitch timer and the bases loaded to Trent Grisham was a key example, and a great call from Contreras to finish off a hitter who wanted nothing more than to walk.

The fastball generated a 34.9-percent whiff rate in 2022, but has increased to a stunning 43.5% in 2023, putting away 50% of hitters when he goes to it with two strikes. He has increased vertical break on it, which has helped, but it’s mostly how he’s used it as a weapon rather than merely to set up the changeup that has changed the outcome. When batters sit on it, it can get hit hard, and that’s where the intelligent pitch calling is so crucial to his success. The changeup has still been as dominant as ever, with a 47.5% whiff rate, and producing just an 82.5-mph average exit velocity. He has been viciously consistent in his location of the pitch, down and in to right-handers either on the edge of the zone or dipping below it almost every time, and it’s made the pitch even more unhittable than it was last season.

Honorable Mentions

Peter Strzelecki

Since Matt Bush was put on the 15 day IL, Strzelecki was put into the eighth-inning slot and has been a strong performer all season. As Matthew Trueblood has written, a big development in his arsenal is his new sinker, which has minimized his strikeouts but made him a very effective reliever (in the 82nd percentile for hard hit rate), and he’s refusing to walk players with just a solitary free pass issued so far this season in 13.2 innings. He has recorded a 0.66 ERA, and if not for Williams's outstanding numbers, Strzelecki would have been right in the mix for this award. He is in the top 10% for WOBA, and has been incredibly effective behind the changeup in particular, with a -21 degree launch angle and an average exit velocity of just 80.4 mph.

Bryse Wilson

Wilson has been an underrated gem so far in the Brewers bullpen, recording a 2.16 ERA across 16.2 innings, taking on long relief roles and even recently helping out in certain situations in the seventh and eighth innings of tight contests. He recorded 18 strikeouts in this span, and compared to last season, has produced significantly better expected statistics, strikeout rate and exit velocity numbers. He hasn’t used the splitter quite as often as we expected given how well it played last season, but has yet to record a hit against his four-seam fastball, with the only pitch that’s received any damage so far being his sinker.

Joel Payamps

Payamps was considered an afterthought that the Brewers somehow obtained in the deal for William Contreras, but has been an incredible performer so far this season, with a 2.92 ERA, just three walks allowed through 12 1/3 innings, and his underlying metrics showing him in the 98th percentile for average exit velocity and 85th percentile for hard-hit rate. Opponents have an average exit velocity under 80 mph on Payamps’s sinker and his changeup, both of which have above-average movement, and although he has given up damage on the slider, in terms of its profile it may be his best pitch, and the expected numbers are much lower against it. This doesn’t seem to be a case of someone over-performing their ability, but rather someone playing exactly as they expect to, and we can maybe expect him to make the seventh-inning job his own with performances like this. His strikeout numbers aren’t the strongest, but with this defensive corps, he’s exactly the player the Brewers needed.

What do you think, Brewer Fanatics? Was there anyone you would argue should be on this list? And who can you see dominating in the month of May?