Jake McKibbin

Carlos F Rodriguez is nibbling and dotting his pitches, two strikeouts and a ground out for a clean first inning

Chourio in a ten pitch AB, fouling off a lot of pitches before a grounder up the middle. Unfortunately tagged out trying to stretch a single into a double

Brown Jr is back today in leadoff

In our final monthly award for April 2023, we turn to the bullpen, where the Brewers had some rocky performances in the early going--but also some very notable heroics, leading to several close wins. Who is Brewer Fanatic's Relief Pitcher of the Month? Image courtesy of © Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports 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? View full article

This, and more importantly just how bad he looked and how much his numbers regressed over the last few seasons. There was no way of predicting he would be prime Chapman, and I'm sure other contending teams passed on him for just this reason. Also injury history

hat's good to know, but I think in this case a coach got tossed in the 3rd inning after raging about it

Absolutely though I think law mentioned something about miller having question marks despite the below I'd actually take may and miller on their own perhaps

Just watching the AB's today, and I'm no guru on these things but last season it almost looked like the exact same swing for every pitch, he seems to be flatter to the ball up in the zone while maintaining his golf swing for those down in the zone. He battled really well for that homer

Misiorowski out to start the third for the first time

Judging from the gameday app, this seems an insanely tight strike zone for both pitchers. Misiorowski being really squeezed, unfortunate not to have racked up three quick strikeouts

Some tough games, but hoping for some more solidity in the offense, who have really struggled, and also have a feeling Corbin is starting to emerge from his slump... Cardinals, Tampa and Houston are going to create one helluva stretch of games

Only one of Feltner's starts so far have come in Colorado, and that was against the Nationals where he gave up 3 ER's Has been using his slider as his main pitch so far this season, with his changeup very well located and bringing a 40% whiff rate, other than that has struggled to generate significant swing and miss. If you get the ball in the air, you'll do damage

Three strikeouts in 22 PA's is huge for Keston, hopefully he has another month or two to keep refining himself and build confidence that lasts. He seems to be swinging and missing less on high stuff and demolishing pitches down in the zone. He definitely needs consistency though and I hope he gets that just to build his confidence back up in his base ability Same for Chourio to record just three for the week, potentially positive signs, if he can start to increase quality of contact on the back of it

Given the likes of Cleveland are never going to trade for Burnes as it's not their nature, I did see an interesting one with the Dodgers today on Baseball trade values Corbin Burnes for Dustin May, Bobby Miller as the center peices, with Graterol and Caleb Ferguson also in there. What would you guys think of May and Miller as two potentials?

Thankfully here's a whole separate reliever of the month award.. though some fierce competition there too

If anyone wants a quick recap of some big moments in the last month, I found this

It'll definitely look bad, but I'd also surmise that inflation will mean the big contracts are bigger at that point too Still the brewers at the time got a below market deal for an almost two time MVP and while it may look bad now, at the time it looked like an amazing deal

Anthony rendon with 38 million... Yikes! Yelich tbf isn't anywhere near as bad as some of these, 26 million isn't that huge in today's market, but also surprised that JT is worth so much less, he's such a catcher upgrade

It's May, which means that it's time to crown our Hitter and Pitcher of the Month for the Brewers here at Brewer Fanatic. Improbably, and despite several strong showings from more notable names, it's the wily returning veteran who claims our first honor of the year. Image courtesy of © Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports The Milwaukee Brewers pitching staff have been ravaged with injuries, with Aaron Ashby’s shoulder likely keeping him out for the season; Brandon Woodruff suffering a Grade Two sub-scapular strain; Adrian Houser missing every game in April; and even Corbin Burnes concerning us with a potential pectoral strain. That being said, they have the eighth-best starter ERA in baseball at 3.74, which is some feat considering the above injuries and the underwhelming performance of Burnes so far. Pitcher of the Month I’m not sure anyone would have picked Wade Miley to be the dominant force he’s been. He has been one of the best pitchers in baseball thus far. He’s pitched 29 innings, with a 1.86 ERA and a WHIP of 1.00–without striking out very many hitters at all. He’s in the 70th percentile for average exit velocity and hard-hit rate, consistently nibbling around the zone to limit both hard contact and walks. It’s a true masterclass of veteran pitching, without a single pitch averaging over 90 miles per hour. How has he done this? For starters, his four-seam fastball has been deadly, inducing an average 28-degree launch angle and a lot of short fly balls and pop-ups. This is less to do with high spin rates and rising movement, and more to do with deception and how he uses it off his cutter, which drops significantly more, with the four-seamer recording a batting average against of .160 and a slugging percentage of .240. (I will point out that the expected stats against each of the cutter and four seamer don’t look quite so rosy.) His offspeed offerings have been impressive–particularly the slider, with an xBA of .145 and an xSLG of .240, but also the changeup, which has been very cleverly used to keep the hitters off his fastball. The slider has a whiff rate of 37.5%, and has been key in both getting ahead and putting away hitters, despite being just 78 MPH and having roughly average horizontal and vertical movement. The key to this is location, and you’ll see just how well he locates and also tunnels his pitches below, as well as how effective he is at pummeling the strike zone. Picturing the movement on each of the changeup, slider, cutter and four seam fastball, all of these pitches will look to be starting around the middle of the strike zone, belt high, with the four seamer rising a little; the cutter breaking in to the right-hander; the changeup down and away; and the slider down and in. It makes it a nightmare for hitters to distinguish which pitch is coming next, and is a major reason for his 50th percentile chase rate despite being in the third percentile for velocity. It’s unlikely, with his underlying metrics, that Miley can continue to produce such fantastic starts, but he’s taken advantage of the fielding corps in both the infield and outfield behind him by minimizing line drives, with just a 14.3% line-drive rate, and creating far more fly balls and ground balls. He has also benefited from William Contreras's improved framing, allowing him to get ahead of hitters with more regularity. The numbers say he’s produced more value on the edges of the zone in one month of 2023 than he did in all of 2022. Honorable Mentions Freddy Peralta Fastball Freddy has been superlative to start the season, with just the one rough start against the Padres, and an unfortunate Red Sox outing hurting his ERA. His fastball has been up at velocities never before seen from him as a starter, with his extension and high spin rates making it incredibly difficult to hit even in the heart of the strike zone. He has been more hittable so far this season than previous years, but is using his pitch mix very effectively, with his changeup producing a -7 degree launch angle on average, and the slider generating a 40% whiff rate. However he is leaving his fastball quite regularly over the heart of the plate and could do with elevating it with more regularity into the upper half of the strike zone to generate more swing-and-miss against it. Corbin Burnes Burnes hasn’t been anywhere near his best in the first month of the season. Still, he started to induce whiffs on his cutter again in his last start against the Angels, and that’s a very good sign heading into May. Everything he does lives off the cutter’s effectiveness, but it’s to his credit that without being at his best, or anywhere close, he produced a 3.45 ERA, a .228 batting average against and a 1.08 WHIP. No one can be atop their game in every start, but we know at some point, Cy Burnes is going to get locked in. Brandon Woodruff Woodruff was absolutely lights-out to start the season, in the 95th percentile for Barrels allowed, 93rd percentile for chase rate and in the 90th percentile for expected slugging and wOBA. He was dominant. Then the injury bug bit, and a sub-scapular strain is likely to keep him out until at least the end of June as they start to rebuild his throwing schedule sometime in the next two weeks. It’s a very unfortunate injury for the Brewers and Woodruff, which may damage his prospects in free agency after 2024, and despite Colin Rea producing several strong starts in his absence, there’s no replacing a Brandon Woodruff. 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? View full article

Lefty on Wednesday, what are the chances of Taylor being activated for that game?

This is a bit strange, especially as the AA arms will likely be needing a promotion soon like Uribe, and you wonder how all this fits

That's a real quality first inning from Rea, dotting his pitches and striking out ohtani and trout

Trouts quality of contact this series has been monstrous. He's hit balls hard almost every time... Is this what prime yelich was like? Where you just hoped he'd find a fielder?