2013 Brewers Pitching Staff

[DR28]

How would everyone feel about this staff going into 2013?

 

Rotation

Gallardo

Dempster or Jackson

Peralta

Fiers

Rogers

 

Bullpen

Axford

Henderson

Howell or Gonzalez

Kintzler

Badenhop

Estrada

 

Last spot in the bullpen goes to FA RH reliever.

[Mass Haas]

The Brewers absolutely love Estrada in his starting role, I think you need to swap he and Fiers in your scenario.

[DR28]

The Brewers absolutely love Estrada in his starting role, I think you need to swap he and Fiers in your scenario.

Fiers pitching in the bullpen in 2013?

[logan82]

I hate to say it but in the scenario laid out, Peralta is probably the odd man out. I would say Rogers but Peralta has an option.

[Ennder]

Yeah I don't see them going with a rotation of 3 guys who can't go 200 innings. Estrada is much more likely to be in that mix.

[SRB]

Last season Mark Rogers set a career best by finally reaching 130 IP across AAA/MLB. I'm skeptical that he will be in the opening day rotation and not the bullpen.

[trwi7]

Yeah I don't see them going with a rotation of 3 guys who can't go 200 innings.

 

Just because they haven't doesn't mean they can't. Peralta and Fiers each went at least 175 innings last year.

[ewitkows]

is see a Rodgers/Estrada split for that 5th spot both getting somewhere around 90 innings

[Vgmastr]

So has everyone just written Narveson off?

[Eye Black]

Roenicke said in an MLB Radio interview during the Winter Meetings that he considers Estrada his #2 starter this year. He will be in the rotation.

[TheCrew07]

Gallardo can pitch 200 innings.

 

A FA pitcher (which I'm agains) could pitch 200 innings.

 

Peralta pitched 175.2 innings last season, he can easily bump to 200, in fact it would be prudent to do so.

 

Fiers pitched 182.2 innings last season, he can also easily bump to 200 innings if he remains a starter.

 

Based purely on last years' totals the only 2 question marks are Estrada and Rogers from a 200 inning perspective. I'm not sure where this "200 innings" thing came from unless people were sloppy and forgot about minor league innings?

 

Rogers is going to be in the rotation because the organization doesn't have a choice to do otherwise, he pitched 134 innings last season, I could see him getting bumped to 160-170. He's not young anymore, they have to push him a little to see if he can hold up.

 

Estrada's career high for IP was 160 in 2008, he'll be 29 next season and I'd be surprised if he unable to go 180+ if he's in the rotation.

 

Basically I think the inning situation has been totally overblown by those pushing for a FA pitcher to be signed. If/when Rogers and or Estrada would get shut down tire we'll have whomever is in the bullpen out of Estrada/Fiers to cover a spot and plenty of depth in AAA to pickup the last 30 innings or so of that #5 spot. Chances are someone gets hurt with something and we'll have to dip into our internal depth regardless. Heck even Narveson went 167.2 innings in 2010, if he's back he could cover some starts.

 

I don't see any issue with innings unless we start talking 210+ and if Peralta is effective enough that he starts pushing that inning limit, what exactly are we worried about? 33 starts averaging exactly 6 innings is 198 innings for the season. For reference Gallardo only pitched 204 innings last season.

 

"Innings" should be mostly a non issue because of what happened at the end of last season.

[SRB]

Roenicke said in an MLB Radio interview during the Winter Meetings that he considers Estrada his #2 starter this year. He will be in the rotation.

That makes sense to me. I think people are maybe undervaluing how good Estrada has been. Over the last two seasons he has 231 IP, 9.0 K/9, 2.3 BB/9, 3.82 ERA, 3.48 FIP, 3.52 xFIP. Statistically that's not far behind Yovani, to be honest (9.0 K/9, 3.1 BB/9, 3.59 ERA, 3.76 FIP, 3.36 xFIP from 2011-12). I don't think Estrada is comparable to Gallardo going forward, of course, but he's certainly earned a rotation spot. To me he is clearly better than Fiers, Rogers, and Peralta (at this point in Peralta's career).

[DR28]

Or do we say forget signing a FA and go with:

 

Gallardo (204 IP/3.66 ERA)

Estrada (138 IP/3.64 ERA)

Peralta (29 IP/2.48 ERA)

Fiers (127 IP/3.74 ERA)

Rogers (39 IP/3.92 ERA)

 

I know Peralta & Rogers didn't have many Major League innings last year but could we have all 5 SP's finish 2013 with an ERA under 4.00?

[JohnBriggs12]

Everyone is forgetting Narveson. If they didn't think Narveson were able to come back they wouldn't have offered him arbitration. I seem to recall he was throwing by the time the season ended. Don't be surprised if the rotation starting the year is Gallardo, Estrada, Fiers, Rogers and Narveson.

 

Peralta has options. So does Fiers, but I think they'll give Fiers the benefit of doubt unless he's awful in the spring, and he'll start the season in the rotation. They'll give this group 8 times through, then adjust if need be.

 

Figuring out the bullpen at this point beyond Axford, Henderson, Kintzler and Bradenhop is anyone's guess. There are a half dozen arms that have a chance and that's not counting at least one FA addition. They could stick Narveson out there too.

[logan82]

I don't think the innings are as much of an issue for guys coming back from an injury or older guys as much as younger guys who have never pitched many innings. In other words I don't worry about the innings as much for Rogers and Estrada as much as I would for Peralta, Fiers and other young guys. As was pointed out Peralta and Fiers pitched enough innings that they can easily go 200 innings. Even getting a full season's worth of starts how many guys will actually pitch 200+ innings? Not many do anymore with pitch counts and all the specialized relievers and missing just one or two starts knocks the innings down into the 190ish range.

 

Nobody is forgetting Narveson. He wasn't all that great as a starter for us before injury and we don't know if he will be 100% ready to go at the start of the season.

[DR28]

Honestly if we can get Dempster to agree to a 2 yr deal w/an option for a 3 yr, I would take him... I would go to battle with this Rotation:

 

Gallardo

Dempster

Estrada

Peralta

Fiers

 

Peralta & Fiers could be flipped... Or Peralta could be sent down and Rogers takes Wily's spot... Or keep Peralta in the rotation and move Rogers to the bullpen.

[trwi7]

Everyone is forgetting Narveson. If they didn't think Narveson were able to come back they wouldn't have offered him arbitration. I seem to recall he was throwing by the time the season ended. Don't be surprised if the rotation starting the year is Gallardo, Estrada, Fiers, Rogers and Narveson.

 

Peralta has options. So does Fiers, but I think they'll give Fiers the benefit of doubt unless he's awful in the spring, and he'll start the season in the rotation. They'll give this group 8 times through, then adjust if need be.

 

Figuring out the bullpen at this point beyond Axford, Henderson, Kintzler and Bradenhop is anyone's guess. There are a half dozen arms that have a chance and that's not counting at least one FA addition. They could stick Narveson out there too.

 

People aren't forgetting about him. He's just not as good as Estrada or as talented as younger options.

[jackailius]

can i buy a lefty starter please?

[brewmann04]

Maybe a lefty reliever instead .

[Yeti73]

Curious why Rogers doesn't project at all for the pen? Seems like his 'stuff' fits with the stereotypical reliever 'stuff'.

[logan82]

I believe the inconsistent work relievers get is harder on arms than starting.

[sheetskout]

Everyone is forgetting Narveson. If they didn't think Narveson were able to come back they wouldn't have offered him arbitration. I seem to recall he was throwing by the time the season ended. Don't be surprised if the rotation starting the year is Gallardo, Estrada, Fiers, Rogers and Narveson.

 

Frankly I would be pretty shocked if Narveson wasn't in the rotation on purely economic, service-time-related issues. The other three are going to have to push him out of the rotation this Spring in my opinion.

[Ennder]

I stand corrected. I didn't realize Peralta and Fiers ended up so high in innings. I was thinking they were both in the 150 range and would be capped around 180. Regardless of what happens we need to be about 7 SP deep so having a couple guys in the bullpen/minors isn't a 'problem'. You just have to hope they pick the right guys.

[Thurston Fluff]

Even if you pick the wrong ones to start with that isn't a major problem. The advantage of so many viable candidates with options left is they are interchangeable. Even if they pick the wrong one to start with that is easily remedied.

[DR28]

We just might be going with a young rotation this year... Boston is serious talks with Dempster.

 

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2012/12/red-sox-in-serious-talks-with-ryan-dempster.html