Brewers Starting Pitcher of the Month - April 2024

We have made it through the first month of the season. This means it’s now time to announce the Brewer Fanatic Awards for best hitting and pitching for April. This month, Jason Wang is handling the best hitters. You can find the Hitter of the Month of April 2024 elsewhere on the site this week.

I will be handling the Pitcher of the Month this year. However, we are going to do a little bit of a twist from last season. Last year, we looked at each pitcher and crowned one pitcher as the pitcher of the month. This season, (at least for this month), just like MLB, we are going to give love to both the starters and the relievers.

For this story, we will be looking at the ones who start the game. These pitchers’ goal is to hold the opposing team to as little production as possible. While we would love to see these guys for the entire game, MLB recognizes a quality start as a pitcher who allows fewer than three runs in at least six innings.

The Brewers had nine different starters in April. We have narrowed it down to the three top performers within the organization. With that being said, it’s time to announce Brewer Fanatic's Starting Pitcher of the Month: April 2024

Honorable Mentions
The Brewers were plagued with a ton of injuries, including Wade Miley and Jakob Junis, who each had two or fewer starts before hitting the injured list. Junis did have a decent first start, yielding one run in four innings of work, but it sounds like the team might transition him to the bullpen.

We can’t include raw talents like DL Hall or Tobias Myers. While Hall had four starts before he was moved to the injured list, the jury is out on how big of an impact Myers will make on the rotation who made his debut in Pittsburgh. Despite a rude welcome from Andrew McCutchen, he got through his first start allowing just one run. Pay no attention to his recent outing against the Yankees, although he was arguably the best pitcher on the mound that Sunday.

The same could be said for Joe Ross, who had a rough outing, allowing six runs in five innings of work. But before that, he did have a 4.05 ERA and a 1.55 WHIP in 20 innings across four starts. That’s impressive coming from a pitcher who hasn’t seen the big leagues since 2021. Wouldn’t be surprised if we see him in the top three in the future.

Third Place: Bryse Wilson - 9 G, 3 GS, 3.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 24.0 IP, 17 H, 7 BB, 21 K

Alright, put your pitchforks and torches down for a second. I know he started in the bullpen this year and can very much go back to the pen in May. But for this month, he showed great potential as a starter in the rotation going forward.

Wilson has had three starts this month and while they might not be long starts, they weren’t spot starts either. While his first start only lasted 3 2/3 innings, the next two were stretched out to the length of a starter, throwing in the range of 75-90 pitches per start.

While he may have more appearances as a reliever (6), he now has three starts and is better statistically as a starter. In his three starts, Wilson has a 1.93 ERA, a 1.07 WHIP and a .184 batting average.

His 1.83 strikeouts per walk may be concerning but has shown signs of being a reliable starter for the future. In Monday’s start against the Rays, Wilson struck out six batters in six innings allowing only four hits and one run.

With Miley and Hall both gone, Wilson needed to step up as a starter and prove himself and the team that was the right decision. There’s a chance he will remain in the rotation entering May and could be a staple in this already superb starting rotation.

Second Place: Colin Rea 5 G, 3.25 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 27.2 IP, 26 H, 9 BB, 18 K

It’s hard to believe Rea was once added to the Brewers organization on a minor league deal with an invite to camp. A season later, he earned a major league contract and a regular spot on the Brewers starting rotation.

He's not going to be the guy that strikes out a ton of batters (15.1% strikeout rate), but he has gotten out of a ton of tough situations. The closest thing to a put-away pitch is his sweeper which has been used in 13 separate plate appearances and has yet to have gotten a hit off it.

The only reason he takes second is because of one recent outing. He too is a victim to a New York Yankees shellacking in Friday’s extra innings victory allowing five runs, three of which being home runs. However, he only allowed four hits and three walks which led to a lower WHIP. The five earned runs didn’t do him any favors. Entering the series, he had a 2.08 ERA with a 1.31 WHIP and 14 strikeouts.

If he can continue coming up clutch and continue to improve in the rotation, he might take the number one spot in a future month. But for now, that title belongs to a pitcher who just might be in the Cy Young Award conversation.

April Starting Pitcher of the Month: Freddy Peralta 6 G, 3.21 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, 33.2 IP, 20 H, 9 BB, 45 K

Peralta was once one head of a three-head monster that included Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff. With Burnes starting games for Baltimore and Woody expected to be out for the entirety of the 2024 season, Peralta had to step up as the ace of the starting rotation.

In his first four starts, he allowed only five runs in 23 2/3 innings striking out 33 batters over four walks. For the month Peralta had a .171 opponent batting average and continued to mow down hitters. He may be Fastball Freddy, but his off-speed pitches have a higher whiff percentage and have been his go-to put-away pitch.

There was a chance that the number could've been a lot lower. However, thanks to an ejection with one out in the sixth and a second earned run allowed that was out of his control, the earned run average above three. But that's baseball and he can bring that number down as soon as next Monday.

The only real blemish on his April 2024 resume is his start against the Pirates where he allowed five walks, five hits, and five runs in less than five innings of work. However, he had enough run support as the Brewers went on to win 7-5. Every pitcher has their bad and this could be Peralta’s. But even if he continues at this rate, the rest of MLB needs to take notice as he could be a problem for playoff-fighting teams.

Do you agree with our picks? What other pitchers should be in consideration for our monthly awards? Tune in tomorrow, when we'll look at the best relief performances of the last month.