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Jason Wang

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Jason Wang last won the day on December 24 2023

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  1. Image courtesy of © Benny Sieu-Imagn Images Jacob Misiorowski took over baseball headlines last year by being a flamethrowing rookie who was controversially nominated to the All-Star game after just five career games. At the time, his numbers looked good, but things deteriorated in the second half, during which he posted a 5.36 ERA over 40 ⅓ innings. Now, he has recaptured the attention of fans across the sport—not because of some gimmick or contentious award, but because he has simply been dominant. He's currently tied with Cristopher Sánchez for the most strikeouts in MLB (80) and has absurd Statcast numbers, landing in the top decile for several statistics, including whiff rate (39.5%) and barrel rate (3.0%). He’s just nine starts into the season, but after 51 innings, how do his other rate stats compare to some of the best pitching seasons in Brewers history? Here are the top five single-season performances by descending fWAR and how Misiorowski’s current numbers stack up. fWAR IP ERA FIP K% BB% Ben Sheets (2004) 8.0 237.0 2.70 2.65 28.2% 3.4% Corbin Burnes (2021) 7.5 167.0 2.43 1.63 35.6% 5.2% Teddy Higuera (1987) 6.7 261.2 3.85 3.25 22.1% 8.0% Mike Caldwell (1978) 6.3 293.1 2.36 2.94 11.1% 4.6% Teddy Higuera (1988) 5.9 227.1 2.45 2.80 21.5% 6.6% Jacob Misiorowski (2026) 1.9 51.0 2.12 2.27 39.6% 8.4% Because nearly five decades separate Caldwell’s 1978 campaign and Misiorowski’s current work, there are quite a few differences that jump out almost immediately, with pitcher workload being perhaps the most notable. Caldwell’s workload in 1978 was already a Herculean task by his standards, but the culture of the modern game likely means that no Brewer will ever get anywhere close to that number of innings again. In fact, the only player to pitch more than 200 innings for Milwaukee since 2012 was Corbin Burnes in 2022. Burnes just barely crossed the milestone marker, logging 202 innings of work. Another key difference is strikeout rates, which have steadily climbed over the years. While Caldwell managed to accumulate 6.3 fWAR with a strikeout rate that would’ve been the worst among qualified pitchers in 2025, the team’s modern aces (Burnes and Misiorowski) have thrived by punching as many tickets as they could. Misiorowski is the most extreme example of this contemporary pitching philosophy, which seems to prioritize dominance in shorter spans over longevity. Of his nine starts so far, only one has been more than six innings. It doesn’t help that he has been exiting games early due to cramping in his legs, but those injuries are a side effect of averaging 92 pitches per start, 61% of which are fastballs that average nearly 100 mph. To some, this may seem like a problem, but to the Brewers, this is sort of the desired outcome. So while he might not be able to reach the counting-stat excellence of preceding franchise greats, he has a solid chance of having one of the most impressive rate-stat seasons in Milwaukee history. Assuming he maintains his current rate stats for the remainder of the year, this is where he’d stand compared to every other qualified pitching season for the Brewers. ERA 2.12 (1st) FIP 2.27 (2nd) K% 35.6% (1st) AVG .161 (1st) WHIP 0.90 (1st) Figures like SIERA and expected statistics are excluded because we don’t have data for earlier seasons. Naturally, maintaining this torrid pace is much easier said than done. There’s still a chance that, like last year, the wheels of his season start to fall off once we approach the dog days of summer. Conversely, a year of working with Chris Hook and the Brewers’ pitching development program can do wonders for a young baseball talent, and there’s good reason to believe that he’s much closer to his true potential than he was as a rookie. Strikeouts and whiffs are up, walks are down, and he’s no longer solely reliant on his fastball to get through at-bats. There are still plenty of things to nitpick, like how inefficient his outings can be or what things will look like if he does experience diminished velocity in later innings, especially since he opts to fill up the zone. Can he continue to get away with a three-pitch arsenal that’s really more like a two-pitch arsenal? Maybe, but it’d be nice to have some more fun offerings. The question of where this season by Misiorowski will land in the history of all-time great campaigns by Brewers pitchers is one worth revisiting at the end of the season, even if it’s not the only year we’ll be on watch. In fact, it’d be quite surprising for a player to peak at just 24 years old, so his best years may even be ahead of him. The organization has had no shortage of premier pitching talent over the years, but finding someone of his caliber may be a first. This season should be the first of many to prove it. View full article
  2. Jacob Misiorowski took over baseball headlines last year by being a flamethrowing rookie who was controversially nominated to the All-Star game after just five career games. At the time, his numbers looked good, but things deteriorated in the second half, during which he posted a 5.36 ERA over 40 ⅓ innings. Now, he has recaptured the attention of fans across the sport—not because of some gimmick or contentious award, but because he has simply been dominant. He's currently tied with Cristopher Sánchez for the most strikeouts in MLB (80) and has absurd Statcast numbers, landing in the top decile for several statistics, including whiff rate (39.5%) and barrel rate (3.0%). He’s just nine starts into the season, but after 51 innings, how do his other rate stats compare to some of the best pitching seasons in Brewers history? Here are the top five single-season performances by descending fWAR and how Misiorowski’s current numbers stack up. fWAR IP ERA FIP K% BB% Ben Sheets (2004) 8.0 237.0 2.70 2.65 28.2% 3.4% Corbin Burnes (2021) 7.5 167.0 2.43 1.63 35.6% 5.2% Teddy Higuera (1987) 6.7 261.2 3.85 3.25 22.1% 8.0% Mike Caldwell (1978) 6.3 293.1 2.36 2.94 11.1% 4.6% Teddy Higuera (1988) 5.9 227.1 2.45 2.80 21.5% 6.6% Jacob Misiorowski (2026) 1.9 51.0 2.12 2.27 39.6% 8.4% Because nearly five decades separate Caldwell’s 1978 campaign and Misiorowski’s current work, there are quite a few differences that jump out almost immediately, with pitcher workload being perhaps the most notable. Caldwell’s workload in 1978 was already a Herculean task by his standards, but the culture of the modern game likely means that no Brewer will ever get anywhere close to that number of innings again. In fact, the only player to pitch more than 200 innings for Milwaukee since 2012 was Corbin Burnes in 2022. Burnes just barely crossed the milestone marker, logging 202 innings of work. Another key difference is strikeout rates, which have steadily climbed over the years. While Caldwell managed to accumulate 6.3 fWAR with a strikeout rate that would’ve been the worst among qualified pitchers in 2025, the team’s modern aces (Burnes and Misiorowski) have thrived by punching as many tickets as they could. Misiorowski is the most extreme example of this contemporary pitching philosophy, which seems to prioritize dominance in shorter spans over longevity. Of his nine starts so far, only one has been more than six innings. It doesn’t help that he has been exiting games early due to cramping in his legs, but those injuries are a side effect of averaging 92 pitches per start, 61% of which are fastballs that average nearly 100 mph. To some, this may seem like a problem, but to the Brewers, this is sort of the desired outcome. So while he might not be able to reach the counting-stat excellence of preceding franchise greats, he has a solid chance of having one of the most impressive rate-stat seasons in Milwaukee history. Assuming he maintains his current rate stats for the remainder of the year, this is where he’d stand compared to every other qualified pitching season for the Brewers. ERA 2.12 (1st) FIP 2.27 (2nd) K% 35.6% (1st) AVG .161 (1st) WHIP 0.90 (1st) Figures like SIERA and expected statistics are excluded because we don’t have data for earlier seasons. Naturally, maintaining this torrid pace is much easier said than done. There’s still a chance that, like last year, the wheels of his season start to fall off once we approach the dog days of summer. Conversely, a year of working with Chris Hook and the Brewers’ pitching development program can do wonders for a young baseball talent, and there’s good reason to believe that he’s much closer to his true potential than he was as a rookie. Strikeouts and whiffs are up, walks are down, and he’s no longer solely reliant on his fastball to get through at-bats. There are still plenty of things to nitpick, like how inefficient his outings can be or what things will look like if he does experience diminished velocity in later innings, especially since he opts to fill up the zone. Can he continue to get away with a three-pitch arsenal that’s really more like a two-pitch arsenal? Maybe, but it’d be nice to have some more fun offerings. The question of where this season by Misiorowski will land in the history of all-time great campaigns by Brewers pitchers is one worth revisiting at the end of the season, even if it’s not the only year we’ll be on watch. In fact, it’d be quite surprising for a player to peak at just 24 years old, so his best years may even be ahead of him. The organization has had no shortage of premier pitching talent over the years, but finding someone of his caliber may be a first. This season should be the first of many to prove it.
  3. Image courtesy of © Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images Matt Arnold’s tenure with the Brewers has been highlighted by some brilliant moves. The strategy of buying low and selling high has brought some intriguing talent to the team, like Caleb Durbin (acquired from the Yankees in the Devin Williams trade), Joey Ortiz (acquired from the Orioles in the Corbin Burnes trade), and most recently, Kyle Harrison (acquired from the Red Sox in the great infield culling of 2026). That said, not all of his deals have been as successful. Sure, some of the smaller trades were duds on both ends, and any depth pieces that ultimately fail to exceed expectations can’t necessarily be deemed failures. However, one recent trade this offseason is looking like one of the tougher sells in hindsight. On Dec. 14, 2025, the Brewers acquired left-handed reliever Ángel Zerpa in exchange for Nick Mears and Isaac Collins. It came as a surprise to some, since both Collins and Mears were solid contributors in 2025, while Zerpa’s abilities were less obvious. Collins posted a 122 wRC+ over 441 plate appearances and placed fourth in NL Rookie of the Year voting, while Mears made 63 appearances for Milwaukee and pitched to a 3.49 ERA. On the other hand, Zerpa had pitched a total of 177 innings over five seasons for the Royals and managed an ERA of 3.97, with a 4.13 FIP. By all estimates, that's a satisfactory big-league resume, but it's hardly worth giving up two players. Nonetheless, our very own Jack Stern had his thoughts on why the implicit upside of Zerpa and impending regressions of Mears and Collins could still swing the deal in Milwaukee’s favor. Even when Zerpa hit a snag and struggled to find his footing to start the year, Stern remained optimistic on what he could accomplish down the stretch. Unfortunately, now that Zerpa’s season will draw to a premature close as a result of UCL surgery, the statistics of his debut season with the Brewers will remain as they are: underwhelming. Across his 12 ⅔ innings pitched, he posted a 6.39 ERA with a 5.33 FIP and -0.2 fWAR. Over in Kansas City, the two former Brewers are faring just a bit better. Collins has seen some defensive regression but has remained solid at the plate so far, posting a 102 wRC+ with a nifty 13.3% walk rate. Mears has pitched 14 innings to a 3.07 ERA and 3.93 FIP, sacrificing chase rate for more ground balls. As the saying goes, hindsight is 20/20, and at the time, the thesis behind the trade was probably sound. Although Collins had strong numbers over the entirety of last season, his offensive production took a tumble in the fall, posting a .664 OPS in the final month of the regular season and managing just one walk with seven strikeouts in ten postseason plate appearances. Similarly, Mears had a second-half ERA of 5.59 and pitched just 1 ⅔ innings in the playoffs. Zerpa, a hard-throwing southpaw with some potential left to unlock, seemed like a natural project for the organization’s pitching staff. His showing in the WBC helped his case quite a bit. The tournament that took his hype to all-time highs for Brewers fans may have also been the very thing that led to his brutal start to the season and eventual addition to the injured list. It’s possible that getting ramped up too early and quickly may have been too much of a workload for his body to handle, but while it’s easy to blame the WBC, it’s far from the definite cause of his worries. Pitching injuries are more common than ever, and with teams making endless demands for more velocity and spin, injuries such as Zerpa’s are typically caused by a slew of different factors, rather than having a single smoking gun. Zerpa will now be sidelined until next spring or summer, which (assuming there’s no labor stoppage in 2027) means that Milwaukee will have, at most, just over a season more of club control over him. Meanwhile, the Royals will have Mears until 2028 and Collins until 2031. Unless Zerpa goes on a ridiculous run to conclude his time with the Brewers and/or Collins and Mears become negative contributors to the Royals, it’s likely the result of this trade will be disappointing. But misses can’t always be avoided, and for an organization as galaxy-brained as the Brewers, not all bets will pay off. View full article
  4. Matt Arnold’s tenure with the Brewers has been highlighted by some brilliant moves. The strategy of buying low and selling high has brought some intriguing talent to the team, like Caleb Durbin (acquired from the Yankees in the Devin Williams trade), Joey Ortiz (acquired from the Orioles in the Corbin Burnes trade), and most recently, Kyle Harrison (acquired from the Red Sox in the great infield culling of 2026). That said, not all of his deals have been as successful. Sure, some of the smaller trades were duds on both ends, and any depth pieces that ultimately fail to exceed expectations can’t necessarily be deemed failures. However, one recent trade this offseason is looking like one of the tougher sells in hindsight. On Dec. 14, 2025, the Brewers acquired left-handed reliever Ángel Zerpa in exchange for Nick Mears and Isaac Collins. It came as a surprise to some, since both Collins and Mears were solid contributors in 2025, while Zerpa’s abilities were less obvious. Collins posted a 122 wRC+ over 441 plate appearances and placed fourth in NL Rookie of the Year voting, while Mears made 63 appearances for Milwaukee and pitched to a 3.49 ERA. On the other hand, Zerpa had pitched a total of 177 innings over five seasons for the Royals and managed an ERA of 3.97, with a 4.13 FIP. By all estimates, that's a satisfactory big-league resume, but it's hardly worth giving up two players. Nonetheless, our very own Jack Stern had his thoughts on why the implicit upside of Zerpa and impending regressions of Mears and Collins could still swing the deal in Milwaukee’s favor. Even when Zerpa hit a snag and struggled to find his footing to start the year, Stern remained optimistic on what he could accomplish down the stretch. Unfortunately, now that Zerpa’s season will draw to a premature close as a result of UCL surgery, the statistics of his debut season with the Brewers will remain as they are: underwhelming. Across his 12 ⅔ innings pitched, he posted a 6.39 ERA with a 5.33 FIP and -0.2 fWAR. Over in Kansas City, the two former Brewers are faring just a bit better. Collins has seen some defensive regression but has remained solid at the plate so far, posting a 102 wRC+ with a nifty 13.3% walk rate. Mears has pitched 14 innings to a 3.07 ERA and 3.93 FIP, sacrificing chase rate for more ground balls. As the saying goes, hindsight is 20/20, and at the time, the thesis behind the trade was probably sound. Although Collins had strong numbers over the entirety of last season, his offensive production took a tumble in the fall, posting a .664 OPS in the final month of the regular season and managing just one walk with seven strikeouts in ten postseason plate appearances. Similarly, Mears had a second-half ERA of 5.59 and pitched just 1 ⅔ innings in the playoffs. Zerpa, a hard-throwing southpaw with some potential left to unlock, seemed like a natural project for the organization’s pitching staff. His showing in the WBC helped his case quite a bit. The tournament that took his hype to all-time highs for Brewers fans may have also been the very thing that led to his brutal start to the season and eventual addition to the injured list. It’s possible that getting ramped up too early and quickly may have been too much of a workload for his body to handle, but while it’s easy to blame the WBC, it’s far from the definite cause of his worries. Pitching injuries are more common than ever, and with teams making endless demands for more velocity and spin, injuries such as Zerpa’s are typically caused by a slew of different factors, rather than having a single smoking gun. Zerpa will now be sidelined until next spring or summer, which (assuming there’s no labor stoppage in 2027) means that Milwaukee will have, at most, just over a season more of club control over him. Meanwhile, the Royals will have Mears until 2028 and Collins until 2031. Unless Zerpa goes on a ridiculous run to conclude his time with the Brewers and/or Collins and Mears become negative contributors to the Royals, it’s likely the result of this trade will be disappointing. But misses can’t always be avoided, and for an organization as galaxy-brained as the Brewers, not all bets will pay off.
  5. Image courtesy of © Brad Mills-Imagn Images Honorable Mentions DL Hall 10 G, 12 IP, 2.25 ERA, 4.31 FIP, 25.5 K%, 15.7 BB% Hall’s season is off to a great start. With his injury issues hopefully long behind him, he’s finally looking like the prospect that was advertised when he was in the Orioles system, posting a 1.59 ERA over 17 innings pitched thus far. Not much has changed. The Brewers still depend on him to make multi-inning relief appearances, and his arsenal has far more variety than your typical reliever. He has begun to phase out his four-seam fastball and slider in favor of a new sweeper and heavier reliance on his sinker. He has been successful, but there are a few points of concern. His walk rate is much higher than it should be, and his changeup has been giving up a considerable amount of hard contact, especially compared to last year. Statistical Nugget: Hall has thrown 42 sweepers so far this year, limiting opposing hitters to a .000 slugging percentage with a 60% whiff rate. Aaron Ashby 12 G, 13 ⅔ IP, 2.63 ERA, 2.04 FIP, 33.3 K%, 14.3 BB% As the bullpen’s iron man, Ashby has been Milwaukee’s busiest reliever by far. Not only does he have 17 appearances this year, but eight of those outings were for more than one inning. The former starter has been excellent since returning to full health and has been an invaluable part of the pitching staff. His walk rate is the only real blemish on his profile this year, and his breaking balls have given opposing hitters fits. They are averaging .333 against his sinker, which has been more hittable this year than in years past, but with a robust arsenal of five pitches, he has plenty of weapons to get the outs he needs. Statistical Nugget: Ashby has thrown 83 curveballs this year. Opposing hitters have whiffed 70.8% of the time while failing to record a single hit. Jacob Misiorowski 5 GS, 27 ⅔ IP, 3.58 ERA, 3.28 FIP, 34.2 K%, 8.5 BB% Misiorowski dazzled the big leagues in his rookie year, but so far, it looks like his sophomore campaign is going to take his player stock to new heights. His strikeout rate (38.1%) and whiff rate (38.8%) are both in the 99th percentile, and the only qualified pitcher with a higher average fastball velocity is Mason Miller. His slider has shown major improvement over last year, generating less hard contact and serving as a more effective put-away pitch in two-strike situations. His curveball has taken a similar step forward but the star of the show is still his heater, which has a whiff rate of 47.1%. Statistical Nugget: This year, Misiorowski has a zone swing and miss rate of 29.1%, the highest among all qualified pitchers. Pitcher of the Month — Kyle Harrison 4 GS, 18 ⅔ IP, 2.41 ERA, 3.08 FIP, 28.9 K%, 9.2 BB% Harrison is the latest victory in a long list of successful trade deals executed by the Brewers under Matt Arnold. After three unremarkable seasons with the Giants and Red Sox, it took Milwaukee just a handful of starts to unlock his exceptional upside as a starting pitcher. After 29 ⅔ total innings of work this season, he has a 2.12 ERA and a 2.87 FIP. He has been known for his fastball since he was a top prospect in San Francisco’s system, but this is the first year that his slurve has been a viable secondary offering. The shape hasn’t changed much, but it has been located far better this year, ending up outside of the zone and limiting meaningful contact. The Brewers getting the best out of a discarded pitcher is a tale as old as time, but Harrison, who’s under club control until 2031, is looking like he’ll be a core component of Milwaukee’s rotation for the foreseeable future. Statistical Nugget: By pitching run value, Kyle Harrison currently has the most valuable slurve in all of MLB. View full article
  6. Honorable Mentions DL Hall 10 G, 12 IP, 2.25 ERA, 4.31 FIP, 25.5 K%, 15.7 BB% Hall’s season is off to a great start. With his injury issues hopefully long behind him, he’s finally looking like the prospect that was advertised when he was in the Orioles system, posting a 1.59 ERA over 17 innings pitched thus far. Not much has changed. The Brewers still depend on him to make multi-inning relief appearances, and his arsenal has far more variety than your typical reliever. He has begun to phase out his four-seam fastball and slider in favor of a new sweeper and heavier reliance on his sinker. He has been successful, but there are a few points of concern. His walk rate is much higher than it should be, and his changeup has been giving up a considerable amount of hard contact, especially compared to last year. Statistical Nugget: Hall has thrown 42 sweepers so far this year, limiting opposing hitters to a .000 slugging percentage with a 60% whiff rate. Aaron Ashby 12 G, 13 ⅔ IP, 2.63 ERA, 2.04 FIP, 33.3 K%, 14.3 BB% As the bullpen’s iron man, Ashby has been Milwaukee’s busiest reliever by far. Not only does he have 17 appearances this year, but eight of those outings were for more than one inning. The former starter has been excellent since returning to full health and has been an invaluable part of the pitching staff. His walk rate is the only real blemish on his profile this year, and his breaking balls have given opposing hitters fits. They are averaging .333 against his sinker, which has been more hittable this year than in years past, but with a robust arsenal of five pitches, he has plenty of weapons to get the outs he needs. Statistical Nugget: Ashby has thrown 83 curveballs this year. Opposing hitters have whiffed 70.8% of the time while failing to record a single hit. Jacob Misiorowski 5 GS, 27 ⅔ IP, 3.58 ERA, 3.28 FIP, 34.2 K%, 8.5 BB% Misiorowski dazzled the big leagues in his rookie year, but so far, it looks like his sophomore campaign is going to take his player stock to new heights. His strikeout rate (38.1%) and whiff rate (38.8%) are both in the 99th percentile, and the only qualified pitcher with a higher average fastball velocity is Mason Miller. His slider has shown major improvement over last year, generating less hard contact and serving as a more effective put-away pitch in two-strike situations. His curveball has taken a similar step forward but the star of the show is still his heater, which has a whiff rate of 47.1%. Statistical Nugget: This year, Misiorowski has a zone swing and miss rate of 29.1%, the highest among all qualified pitchers. Pitcher of the Month — Kyle Harrison 4 GS, 18 ⅔ IP, 2.41 ERA, 3.08 FIP, 28.9 K%, 9.2 BB% Harrison is the latest victory in a long list of successful trade deals executed by the Brewers under Matt Arnold. After three unremarkable seasons with the Giants and Red Sox, it took Milwaukee just a handful of starts to unlock his exceptional upside as a starting pitcher. After 29 ⅔ total innings of work this season, he has a 2.12 ERA and a 2.87 FIP. He has been known for his fastball since he was a top prospect in San Francisco’s system, but this is the first year that his slurve has been a viable secondary offering. The shape hasn’t changed much, but it has been located far better this year, ending up outside of the zone and limiting meaningful contact. The Brewers getting the best out of a discarded pitcher is a tale as old as time, but Harrison, who’s under club control until 2031, is looking like he’ll be a core component of Milwaukee’s rotation for the foreseeable future. Statistical Nugget: By pitching run value, Kyle Harrison currently has the most valuable slurve in all of MLB.
  7. Honorable Mentions Gary Sánchez 69 PA, .200/.362/.436, 11 H, 2 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 13 BB It’s too soon to call it a comeback, but his second stint with Milwaukee is certainly trending that way. Sánchez spent much of his first season with the Brewers as a designated hitter, with lukewarm results, and he was limited to just 101 plate appearances with the Orioles last year due to a right knee sprain. This season, he looks much better at the plate and has posted a 150 OPS+ thus far. Despite a low batting average, his absurd 19.0% walk rate and .542 slugging percentage helped keep his overall production afloat. Unfortunately, his numbers are as impressive as they are unsustainable. Sánchez does have good plate discipline, boasting a career walk rate of 9.6%, but he’s no Juan Soto. He has a better chance of holding onto his power, although some regression in his slugging percentage should also be expected. Indeed, he hit all five of his homers before the midpoint of April. Statistical Nugget: This season, Sánchez has a slugging percentage of .950 against four-seam fastballs. Garrett Mitchell 85 PA, .250/.400/.397, 17 H, 5 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 17 RBI, 16 BB, 3 SB This is the most we’ve seen of Garrett Mitchell in a while, and the results have been solid so far. He’s still one of the most athletic players in the sport, demonstrating exceptional bat speed and sprint speed, and his quality of contact has been above average. His on-base percentage has been helped immensely by his 18.1% walk rate, but there are two glaring weaknesses preventing us from seeing him at his best. He’s a peculiar case of having a chase rate (19.3%) in the 95th percentile and a whiff rate (41.8%) in the 1st percentile. His zone contact rate of 65.0% is abysmal and is likely a major contributor to his other weakness, which is his squared-up rate. It’s a bat-tracking metric that measures how often a hitter is getting the most out of his swing, and Mitchell’s 13.9% squared-up rate is also in the 1st percentile. Getting the bat to the ball is much easier said than done in the majors, and even with these issues, his OPS+ of 112 isn’t too shabby for a center fielder. Statistical Nugget: This season, Mitchell has a .642 OPS at home and a .883 OPS away. William Contreras 101 PA, .304/.366/.424, 28 H, 5 2B, 2 HR, 15 RBI, 9 BB It’s great to see the Brewers backstop posting Silver Slugger numbers once again. Cutting down on the whiffs and strikeouts this season has been a boon to his production at the plate, and his power has remained largely unfazed. He still has a bit of a launch-angle problem, but on the bright side, he’s pulling the ball in the air at a rate of 20.6%, almost twice his career average of 11.3%. The one potential concern is his average exit velocity, which has taken a slight dip from years past, both in terms of average and max. However, his squared up rate of 30% indicates that he’s getting what he can out of his swing often enough, suggesting a larger sample size will allow the data to return to his career norms sooner rather than later. Statistical Nugget: This season, Contreras has an OPS of 1.017 with runners in scoring position. Hitter of the Month – Brice Turang 106 PA, .265/.410/.482, 22 H, 4 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 17 RBI, 21 BB, 5 SB Turang hit his stride early this year and hasn’t slowed down since. In fact, he has arguably been hot since the WBC, wherein he posted a .937 OPS, the third-best mark in a lineup that had the best hitters the United States could offer. After finishing last year with a 120 OPS+, it seems clear that the days of below-average hitting production are now behind him. He has always had elite contact skills, but a dramatic increase in power is what’s driving this offensive surge. Aside from his barrel rate, his quality of contact numbers are all in the top quartile, and his hard-hit rate is at 51.9% for the season. In 2024, he had a hard-hit rate of just 29.7%. Interestingly, his bat speed is still on the lower en, despite increasing by 4 mph over the past two years. He also pulls the ball in the air at a measly 7.4% clip, less than half of the MLB average. This hasn’t held him back much, since many of his extra-base hits are to the opposite side of the field, but it raises the question of whether there’s even more juice left in Turang’s swing to unlock. Statistical Nugget: This season, Turang has seen 78 sinkers and has a whiff rate of 0.0% against the pitch.
  8. Image courtesy of © Benny Sieu-Imagn Images Honorable Mentions Gary Sánchez 69 PA, .200/.362/.436, 11 H, 2 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 13 BB It’s too soon to call it a comeback, but his second stint with Milwaukee is certainly trending that way. Sánchez spent much of his first season with the Brewers as a designated hitter, with lukewarm results, and he was limited to just 101 plate appearances with the Orioles last year due to a right knee sprain. This season, he looks much better at the plate and has posted a 150 OPS+ thus far. Despite a low batting average, his absurd 19.0% walk rate and .542 slugging percentage helped keep his overall production afloat. Unfortunately, his numbers are as impressive as they are unsustainable. Sánchez does have good plate discipline, boasting a career walk rate of 9.6%, but he’s no Juan Soto. He has a better chance of holding onto his power, although some regression in his slugging percentage should also be expected. Indeed, he hit all five of his homers before the midpoint of April. Statistical Nugget: This season, Sánchez has a slugging percentage of .950 against four-seam fastballs. Garrett Mitchell 85 PA, .250/.400/.397, 17 H, 5 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 17 RBI, 16 BB, 3 SB This is the most we’ve seen of Garrett Mitchell in a while, and the results have been solid so far. He’s still one of the most athletic players in the sport, demonstrating exceptional bat speed and sprint speed, and his quality of contact has been above average. His on-base percentage has been helped immensely by his 18.1% walk rate, but there are two glaring weaknesses preventing us from seeing him at his best. He’s a peculiar case of having a chase rate (19.3%) in the 95th percentile and a whiff rate (41.8%) in the 1st percentile. His zone contact rate of 65.0% is abysmal and is likely a major contributor to his other weakness, which is his squared-up rate. It’s a bat-tracking metric that measures how often a hitter is getting the most out of his swing, and Mitchell’s 13.9% squared-up rate is also in the 1st percentile. Getting the bat to the ball is much easier said than done in the majors, and even with these issues, his OPS+ of 112 isn’t too shabby for a center fielder. Statistical Nugget: This season, Mitchell has a .642 OPS at home and a .883 OPS away. William Contreras 101 PA, .304/.366/.424, 28 H, 5 2B, 2 HR, 15 RBI, 9 BB It’s great to see the Brewers backstop posting Silver Slugger numbers once again. Cutting down on the whiffs and strikeouts this season has been a boon to his production at the plate, and his power has remained largely unfazed. He still has a bit of a launch-angle problem, but on the bright side, he’s pulling the ball in the air at a rate of 20.6%, almost twice his career average of 11.3%. The one potential concern is his average exit velocity, which has taken a slight dip from years past, both in terms of average and max. However, his squared up rate of 30% indicates that he’s getting what he can out of his swing often enough, suggesting a larger sample size will allow the data to return to his career norms sooner rather than later. Statistical Nugget: This season, Contreras has an OPS of 1.017 with runners in scoring position. Hitter of the Month – Brice Turang 106 PA, .265/.410/.482, 22 H, 4 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 17 RBI, 21 BB, 5 SB Turang hit his stride early this year and hasn’t slowed down since. In fact, he has arguably been hot since the WBC, wherein he posted a .937 OPS, the third-best mark in a lineup that had the best hitters the United States could offer. After finishing last year with a 120 OPS+, it seems clear that the days of below-average hitting production are now behind him. He has always had elite contact skills, but a dramatic increase in power is what’s driving this offensive surge. Aside from his barrel rate, his quality of contact numbers are all in the top quartile, and his hard-hit rate is at 51.9% for the season. In 2024, he had a hard-hit rate of just 29.7%. Interestingly, his bat speed is still on the lower en, despite increasing by 4 mph over the past two years. He also pulls the ball in the air at a measly 7.4% clip, less than half of the MLB average. This hasn’t held him back much, since many of his extra-base hits are to the opposite side of the field, but it raises the question of whether there’s even more juice left in Turang’s swing to unlock. Statistical Nugget: This season, Turang has seen 78 sinkers and has a whiff rate of 0.0% against the pitch. View full article
  9. Image courtesy of © Dave Kallmann / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Back in mid-March, it was announced that Quinn Priester would be starting the season on the injured list due to thoracic outlet syndrome, a nerve issue that caused him to experience pain in his wrist starting last August. It was estimated that he would miss at least the first month of the season. He began his rehab assignment on April 22, making his first start with Triple-A Nashville. Unfortunately, he looks like a work in progress. He failed to get out of the first inning that day, recording just two outs, and gave up four earned runs, three walks, and a hit by pitch. He made his second start on April 26, and while it was a step in the right direction, he’s not close to where he needs to be, pitching 2 ⅓ scoreless innings with three walks and just two strikeouts. The most glaring concern is his velocity. Priester has never been a power pitcher, by any means, but both his sinker and his cutter have consistently sat between 92 and 93 mph over his career. In his first start, he averaged just 91.2 mph on his sinker and 88.9 mph on his cutter. In his second start, he only managed to top out at 92 mph. To be fair, this isn’t totally unexpected, given how little time he has had to ramp up. In addition to the injury, he still has to build up his arm normally because he missed all of spring training. He’s slowly working on building his pitch count and finding the zone, something he has struggled with immensely in Nashville so far. But it also means that he’s quite a ways away from returning to big-league action. It’s not a fatal flaw, but Milwaukee would love to have more starters capable of pitching more than four to five innings per start, reducing the load on their already overburdened bullpen. For Priester to be worth a roster spot at this time, he needs to be capable of getting through at least five innings. Aside from having to restore his stamina, his control has deteriorated considerably. Of the 74 pitches he has thrown for the Sounds, just 30 have been for strikes. Conceding free passes is the obvious downside of missing the zone, but getting behind in counts also leads to more hitter-friendly pitches and more damage. Pitchers with elite velocity can get away with this by simply blowing down the doors of opposing hitters, but Priester’s profile simply doesn’t fit the bill for that to work. For the time being, it doesn’t seem like there’s a huge rush for him to return. The Brewers are willing to be patient as he works his way back. Pat Murphy said as much when stating that Priester will likely need more than the original target of three rehab outings. Luckily for the Brewers, the rotation has held its own in Priester’s absence Some of the younger arms, like Kyle Harrison, have already shown flashes of their incredible upside. A possible silver lining to this delay is that it should give Milwaukee more data to decide whose spot in the rotation will be taken over by Priester when he’s finally back to full strength. Currently, it seems like Brandon Sproat, a young arm with options remaining and a few underwhelming outings this season, is the favorite to cede his place, but he’s not the only candidate. Chad Patrick is another pitcher who could be headed in the wrong direction this season. His 2.35 ERA over 23 innings looks great, but his 4.34 FIP and 11.7% strikeout rate are warning signs of an upcoming downturn. We got a glimpse of what might be to come in his most recent start against the Tigers, in which he gave up four earned runs and a walk with just two strikeouts. There’s still plenty of baseball left to be played this year, and the Brewers are doing what they do best: staying patient, taking their time, and laying the groundwork to be successful. They’ve consistently treated the season as a marathon, not a sprint, and it’s still early in the race. Whether Priester joins them in one mile or 10, what matters is that when he does make his return, it’ll only be when he’s fully ready to give his best. By then, odds are that the team will have a place waiting for him—though it's more likely to be created by another injury than by shoving aside a healthy hurler. View full article
  10. Back in mid-March, it was announced that Quinn Priester would be starting the season on the injured list due to thoracic outlet syndrome, a nerve issue that caused him to experience pain in his wrist starting last August. It was estimated that he would miss at least the first month of the season. He began his rehab assignment on April 22, making his first start with Triple-A Nashville. Unfortunately, he looks like a work in progress. He failed to get out of the first inning that day, recording just two outs, and gave up four earned runs, three walks, and a hit by pitch. He made his second start on April 26, and while it was a step in the right direction, he’s not close to where he needs to be, pitching 2 ⅓ scoreless innings with three walks and just two strikeouts. The most glaring concern is his velocity. Priester has never been a power pitcher, by any means, but both his sinker and his cutter have consistently sat between 92 and 93 mph over his career. In his first start, he averaged just 91.2 mph on his sinker and 88.9 mph on his cutter. In his second start, he only managed to top out at 92 mph. To be fair, this isn’t totally unexpected, given how little time he has had to ramp up. In addition to the injury, he still has to build up his arm normally because he missed all of spring training. He’s slowly working on building his pitch count and finding the zone, something he has struggled with immensely in Nashville so far. But it also means that he’s quite a ways away from returning to big-league action. It’s not a fatal flaw, but Milwaukee would love to have more starters capable of pitching more than four to five innings per start, reducing the load on their already overburdened bullpen. For Priester to be worth a roster spot at this time, he needs to be capable of getting through at least five innings. Aside from having to restore his stamina, his control has deteriorated considerably. Of the 74 pitches he has thrown for the Sounds, just 30 have been for strikes. Conceding free passes is the obvious downside of missing the zone, but getting behind in counts also leads to more hitter-friendly pitches and more damage. Pitchers with elite velocity can get away with this by simply blowing down the doors of opposing hitters, but Priester’s profile simply doesn’t fit the bill for that to work. For the time being, it doesn’t seem like there’s a huge rush for him to return. The Brewers are willing to be patient as he works his way back. Pat Murphy said as much when stating that Priester will likely need more than the original target of three rehab outings. Luckily for the Brewers, the rotation has held its own in Priester’s absence Some of the younger arms, like Kyle Harrison, have already shown flashes of their incredible upside. A possible silver lining to this delay is that it should give Milwaukee more data to decide whose spot in the rotation will be taken over by Priester when he’s finally back to full strength. Currently, it seems like Brandon Sproat, a young arm with options remaining and a few underwhelming outings this season, is the favorite to cede his place, but he’s not the only candidate. Chad Patrick is another pitcher who could be headed in the wrong direction this season. His 2.35 ERA over 23 innings looks great, but his 4.34 FIP and 11.7% strikeout rate are warning signs of an upcoming downturn. We got a glimpse of what might be to come in his most recent start against the Tigers, in which he gave up four earned runs and a walk with just two strikeouts. There’s still plenty of baseball left to be played this year, and the Brewers are doing what they do best: staying patient, taking their time, and laying the groundwork to be successful. They’ve consistently treated the season as a marathon, not a sprint, and it’s still early in the race. Whether Priester joins them in one mile or 10, what matters is that when he does make his return, it’ll only be when he’s fully ready to give his best. By then, odds are that the team will have a place waiting for him—though it's more likely to be created by another injury than by shoving aside a healthy hurler.
  11. Last December’s trade to acquire Ángel Zerpa in exchange for Isaac Collins and Nick Mears was a surprising move to many. There were layers of complexity to the front office's thesis, but most of it was based on the idea that Zerpa had far more upside than the pieces that Milwaukee was sending to Kansas City. It seems obvious, but deriving the future value calculation is easier said than done. Luckily, our very own Jack Stern did an excellent job discussing what he could bring to the table. Fans didn’t get to see much of Zerpa in spring training, because he spent his time representing Team Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic, but his participation in the tournament arguably offered more optimism than any work in the Cactus League could have. On the way to winning it all, Zerpa posted a flawless 0.00 ERA over 5 ⅓ innings pitched with three hits, two walks, and eight strikeouts—one of which came against a young up-and-comer by the name of Shohei Ohtani. His stock quickly reached an all-time high, at least in the eyes of Brewers fans, but after seven regular-season appearances, his numbers don’t seem to be those of the pitcher Milwaukee thought they were getting. Across eight innings, Zerpa has a 6.75 ERA, with an 11.1% strikeout rate and below-average peripherals across the board. It’s worth pointing out that four of his six earned runs came on April 12 against the Nationals. In this outing, he gave up four hits and one walk while getting just two outs. Part of this was Washington playing a particularly aggressive brand of baseball, looking to steal bases and put balls in play by any means necessary. One could argue that this added an atypical amount of pressure, but it’s still not enough to explain why Zerpa hasn’t looked dominant at all this year. As a sinker/slider pitcher with league-average velocity, it’s expected that his run prevention comes mostly in the form of ground balls, and he does have a respectable 57.1% ground-ball rate. However, striking out one in nine hitters is just too low to be effective in the long term. He’s not expected to miss too many bats with his sinker, but opposing hitters are making quality contact too often, averaging .286 with a .429 slugging percentage against the pitch. Although he has only thrown it nine times, his changeup already carries a run value of -3. It has only been put into play once, ending up as a home run for Willson Contreras. Otherwise, it has lackluster numbers across the board. Part of the issue could be its similarity to his sinker, coming in just 5 MPH slower and sharing similar movement profiles. It has never been a particularly effective weapon for him in the big leagues, and it may be time to make (pardon the pun) a change. Nonetheless, it’s far too early for the Brewers to be out on Zerpa. Reliever ERAs are notorious for being easily inflated, especially early in the season, and he’s far from the only bullpen arm whose results have been subpar. Eight innings may not be enough to decide whether he’s suitable for the team, but there’s enough data to raise some important red flags. Whether it ends up being his sequencing, pitch mix, or some other esoteric mechanical adjustment, Milwaukee will likely need to change something if they want this bet to pay off.
  12. Image courtesy of © Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images Last December’s trade to acquire Ángel Zerpa in exchange for Isaac Collins and Nick Mears was a surprising move to many. There were layers of complexity to the front office's thesis, but most of it was based on the idea that Zerpa had far more upside than the pieces that Milwaukee was sending to Kansas City. It seems obvious, but deriving the future value calculation is easier said than done. Luckily, our very own Jack Stern did an excellent job discussing what he could bring to the table. Fans didn’t get to see much of Zerpa in spring training, because he spent his time representing Team Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic, but his participation in the tournament arguably offered more optimism than any work in the Cactus League could have. On the way to winning it all, Zerpa posted a flawless 0.00 ERA over 5 ⅓ innings pitched with three hits, two walks, and eight strikeouts—one of which came against a young up-and-comer by the name of Shohei Ohtani. His stock quickly reached an all-time high, at least in the eyes of Brewers fans, but after seven regular-season appearances, his numbers don’t seem to be those of the pitcher Milwaukee thought they were getting. Across eight innings, Zerpa has a 6.75 ERA, with an 11.1% strikeout rate and below-average peripherals across the board. It’s worth pointing out that four of his six earned runs came on April 12 against the Nationals. In this outing, he gave up four hits and one walk while getting just two outs. Part of this was Washington playing a particularly aggressive brand of baseball, looking to steal bases and put balls in play by any means necessary. One could argue that this added an atypical amount of pressure, but it’s still not enough to explain why Zerpa hasn’t looked dominant at all this year. As a sinker/slider pitcher with league-average velocity, it’s expected that his run prevention comes mostly in the form of ground balls, and he does have a respectable 57.1% ground-ball rate. However, striking out one in nine hitters is just too low to be effective in the long term. He’s not expected to miss too many bats with his sinker, but opposing hitters are making quality contact too often, averaging .286 with a .429 slugging percentage against the pitch. Although he has only thrown it nine times, his changeup already carries a run value of -3. It has only been put into play once, ending up as a home run for Willson Contreras. Otherwise, it has lackluster numbers across the board. Part of the issue could be its similarity to his sinker, coming in just 5 MPH slower and sharing similar movement profiles. It has never been a particularly effective weapon for him in the big leagues, and it may be time to make (pardon the pun) a change. Nonetheless, it’s far too early for the Brewers to be out on Zerpa. Reliever ERAs are notorious for being easily inflated, especially early in the season, and he’s far from the only bullpen arm whose results have been subpar. Eight innings may not be enough to decide whether he’s suitable for the team, but there’s enough data to raise some important red flags. Whether it ends up being his sequencing, pitch mix, or some other esoteric mechanical adjustment, Milwaukee will likely need to change something if they want this bet to pay off. View full article
  13. Image courtesy of © Michael McLoone-Imagn Images Brandon Woodruff is a Milwaukee Brewers lifer. He was drafted by the organization in the 11th round in 2014, and it’s safe to say that he has greatly surpassed expectations since then. Over his career, all of which he has spent in the Brewers organization, he's pitched in nine big-league seasons to a 3.11 ERA and 3.21 FIP. Sadly, fans haven’t seen quite as much of him as that implies. Injuries have limited him to just 750 innings over that span, and he has pitched more than 100 innings in just three seasons. Things have gotten especially bad since he turned 30, as he's pitched a total of just 136 ⅔ innings over the past four years. For the first several years of his career, he was an outstanding starter, thanks to his stuff staying intact through various injuries. Unfortunately, it's clear now that his stuff will not come all the way (or, arguably, even most of the way) back from the major shoulder injury that kept him off a big-league mound for 20 months. The most notable difference is his average fastball velocity, which has dropped from 95.5 mph in 2023 to just 92.9 mph in 2026. Woodruff is undeterred and has continued to adapt his pitching to fit his new limitations. Upon his return in 2025, he added a new cutter and sweeper, while phasing out his slider and decreasing his four-seam fastball usage. This allowed him to pitch to a 3.20 ERA and 3.17 FIP over 64 ⅔ innings, but can he repeat the same success this year? In his first start of the year against the Rays, he struck out six over five innings. Overall, it was a strong outing, but it highlighted that his sinker may not stick around in his arsenal for long. Of the four hits he gave up, three came against his sinker, and two of those were solo home runs. Looking back, it should be unsurprising that two 90-mph sinkers located in the heart of the zone ended up in the seats. The sinker seems to have suffered the most from the dip in velocity, as Woodruff no longer has the ability to sneak it by hitters who fouled it off consistently in the past. Conversely, his four-seam fastball is still effective, thanks to its impressive 17.9 inches of induced vertical break. He also commanded it remarkably well, hitting William Contreras’s glove precisely where it was set up multiple times. His new cutter has also been effective and shares remarkable similarities to Chad Patrick’s, coming in in the upper 80s and featuring more movement than your average big-league cutter. Given how effective it has been since debuting in 2025, it’s feasible that it’s used more frequently against right-handed hitters instead of his sinker. We didn’t get to see much of his secondary pitches, since 56 of the 67 total pitches he threw against the Rays were fastball variants, but if 2025 was any indication, his changeup could play an important role this year. Hitters really struggled against Woodruff’s off-speed pitch last season, slugging just .063 while whiffing 35.4% of the time. Woodruff seems undecided on his sweeper thus far, throwing it occasionally but without enough consistency for it to really have a dedicated place in his arsenal. When he did throw it last year, it didn’t seem to do what he wanted and would end up in a suboptimal part of the strike zone. It’s an overplayed stereotype that pitchers who lack the stuff to be competitive must instead rely on being “crafty,” but in the case of Woodruff, that seems to be exactly what he’s doing. Precise command will be the name of the game, and if the ability to miss bats isn’t there, he’ll have to settle for soft contact—even if it’s something he hasn’t been historically good at. Fastballs up in the zone and changeups down and away should be his bread and butter moving forward. If he is intent on keeping one or both of the sinker and cutter, he’ll have to figure out how to get more ground balls out of them. At 33 years old, Woodruff isn’t quite over the hill, but his days of dominating hitters in the zone with upper-90s velocity are behind him. Luckily, if there’s any team that can get the most out of him, it’s the Brewers. This is likely the last year that he’ll stay in Milwaukee’s rotation, given their logjam of young pitching talent rising up the ranks, but if it's the year the Crew finally returns to the World Series, it will be the crowning achievement of Woodruff's long service to the franchise. View full article
  14. Brandon Woodruff is a Milwaukee Brewers lifer. He was drafted by the organization in the 11th round in 2014, and it’s safe to say that he has greatly surpassed expectations since then. Over his career, all of which he has spent in the Brewers organization, he's pitched in nine big-league seasons to a 3.11 ERA and 3.21 FIP. Sadly, fans haven’t seen quite as much of him as that implies. Injuries have limited him to just 750 innings over that span, and he has pitched more than 100 innings in just three seasons. Things have gotten especially bad since he turned 30, as he's pitched a total of just 136 ⅔ innings over the past four years. For the first several years of his career, he was an outstanding starter, thanks to his stuff staying intact through various injuries. Unfortunately, it's clear now that his stuff will not come all the way (or, arguably, even most of the way) back from the major shoulder injury that kept him off a big-league mound for 20 months. The most notable difference is his average fastball velocity, which has dropped from 95.5 mph in 2023 to just 92.9 mph in 2026. Woodruff is undeterred and has continued to adapt his pitching to fit his new limitations. Upon his return in 2025, he added a new cutter and sweeper, while phasing out his slider and decreasing his four-seam fastball usage. This allowed him to pitch to a 3.20 ERA and 3.17 FIP over 64 ⅔ innings, but can he repeat the same success this year? In his first start of the year against the Rays, he struck out six over five innings. Overall, it was a strong outing, but it highlighted that his sinker may not stick around in his arsenal for long. Of the four hits he gave up, three came against his sinker, and two of those were solo home runs. Looking back, it should be unsurprising that two 90-mph sinkers located in the heart of the zone ended up in the seats. The sinker seems to have suffered the most from the dip in velocity, as Woodruff no longer has the ability to sneak it by hitters who fouled it off consistently in the past. Conversely, his four-seam fastball is still effective, thanks to its impressive 17.9 inches of induced vertical break. He also commanded it remarkably well, hitting William Contreras’s glove precisely where it was set up multiple times. His new cutter has also been effective and shares remarkable similarities to Chad Patrick’s, coming in in the upper 80s and featuring more movement than your average big-league cutter. Given how effective it has been since debuting in 2025, it’s feasible that it’s used more frequently against right-handed hitters instead of his sinker. We didn’t get to see much of his secondary pitches, since 56 of the 67 total pitches he threw against the Rays were fastball variants, but if 2025 was any indication, his changeup could play an important role this year. Hitters really struggled against Woodruff’s off-speed pitch last season, slugging just .063 while whiffing 35.4% of the time. Woodruff seems undecided on his sweeper thus far, throwing it occasionally but without enough consistency for it to really have a dedicated place in his arsenal. When he did throw it last year, it didn’t seem to do what he wanted and would end up in a suboptimal part of the strike zone. It’s an overplayed stereotype that pitchers who lack the stuff to be competitive must instead rely on being “crafty,” but in the case of Woodruff, that seems to be exactly what he’s doing. Precise command will be the name of the game, and if the ability to miss bats isn’t there, he’ll have to settle for soft contact—even if it’s something he hasn’t been historically good at. Fastballs up in the zone and changeups down and away should be his bread and butter moving forward. If he is intent on keeping one or both of the sinker and cutter, he’ll have to figure out how to get more ground balls out of them. At 33 years old, Woodruff isn’t quite over the hill, but his days of dominating hitters in the zone with upper-90s velocity are behind him. Luckily, if there’s any team that can get the most out of him, it’s the Brewers. This is likely the last year that he’ll stay in Milwaukee’s rotation, given their logjam of young pitching talent rising up the ranks, but if it's the year the Crew finally returns to the World Series, it will be the crowning achievement of Woodruff's long service to the franchise.
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