Article: Brewer Fanatic 2022 Full Season Starting Pitcher of the Year: Carlos F. Rodriguez

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What a debut season it was for Carlos F. Rodriguez, settling in after a rocky start to dominate with a 2.27 ERA over his final 22 games. In a tough selection for voters, Rodriguez emerged the winner ahead of 12-win Caleb Boushley, 11-win Brandon Knarr and other terrific prospects.

 

A sixth-round draft pick out of Florida Southwestern State College in 2021 who didn’t make his organizational debut until April this year, Carlos F. Rodriguez got ever-stronger as the season chugged along, nipping many worthy candidates for this prestigious award.

Low-A/High-A Stats (26 G): 6-5 record, 3.01 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 129 K, 40 BB, 107 2/3 IP, 1 Save

While the aggregate numbers may not be jaw-dropping, let’s see what happens when we exclude the four initial nerve-wracking outings from before Mr. Rodriguez got his feet settled under him: 2.27 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, .170 batting average against, 121 Ks vs. 38 walks in 99 1/3 innings over his final 22 games.

The 20-year-old 6’0” Nicaraguan native was the Brewers’ top starting pitcher in Low-A Carolina for most of the season, registering the top WHIP (1.12 vs. Stiven Cruz’ 1.31) and second-best ERA (3.53 vs. Alexander Cornielle’s 3.19) before earning a deserved promotion to High-A Wisconsin on August 3rd.

Then in seven starts as a Timber Rattler, Rodriguez’s results got even better, as he went 3-1 with a 1.98 ERA and 0.94 WHIP with 45 Ks in 36 1/3 innings pitched, perhaps tempting Brewers’ brass to consider an early promotion to AA Biloxi in 2023.

Despite the 107 2/3 innings of work, the game logs suggest that the Brewers actually held Carlos back a bit, as he never threw more than 89 pitches in any contest. Of course, this makes it even more remarkable that he struck out five or more batters in 15 of his 26 outings. Congratulations to Carlos Fernando Rodriguez!

Runner-Up: Brandon Knarr, LHP
High-A/AA (26 G): 11-8 record, 2.83 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 152 K, 47 BB, 146 1/3 IP

In a way, Brandon Knarr was also a sixth-round draft pick, albeit in 2020 when MLB reduced the draft to only five rounds. As such, the Brewers snapped him up as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Tampa. This year, Knarr was simply dominant in High-A ball, delivering a 1.57 ERA (4th best in the league) and 0.98 WHIP (11th best in the league) and earning seven victories while striking out 65 batters against just 13 walks.

After turning 24 years old, Brandon was promoted to AA Biloxi on June 7th, where the sailing was rougher but still very respectable: 3.64 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 87 Ks vs. 34 walks. With nearly 150 innings under his belt in 2022, I suspect that Knarr is facing a relatively quiet offseason.

Second Runner-Up: Caleb Boushley, RHP
AAA Stats (25 G): 12-2 record, 3.25 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 91 K, 43 BB, 127 1/3 IP

Being the winningest pitcher in the International League was enough to earn Hortonville, Wisconsin native Boushley the Sounds’ Pitcher of the Year Award, but only garnered him third place on this list. Don’t worry, he’s earning other dividends, including an upcoming start in the AAA playoffs tonight(!) in Las Vegas.

The 28-year-old, former 33rd-round pick of the Padres out of UW-La Crosse in 2017 was wisely selected by the Brewers in the minor-league phase of the Rule 5 draft in December 2021, serving as a steady rock amidst the constant roster changes which typify AAA baseball. Caleb may not overwhelm the opposition with strikeouts, but the man consistently induces weak contact (.226 batting average and .667 OPS against). Will Boushley earn a spot on the 26-man MLB roster next spring?

Third Runner-Up: Stiven Cruz, RHP
Low-A/High-A Stats (19 G): 4-6 record, 3.74 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 109 K, 24 BB, 91 1/3 IP

Signed as an international free agent in July 2019, Cruz had to wait just over two years to make his organizational debut in the Dominican Summer League in 2021. Despite solid results there (1.37 ERA with 73 Ks in 52 2/3 IP), it was still a surprise when the 20-year-old from Nicaragua bypassed the Arizona Complex League and was promoted directly to Low-A Carolina in May 2022.

However, Cruz immediately dazzled by opening the season with 12 strikeouts over eight shutout innings. After an up-and-down middle part of the season (5.43 ERA over 12 games), Cruz finished with a flourish: 0.39 ERA over his final five games, four of which were at High-A Wisconsin.

Honorable Mentions:

Justin Jarvis, RHP (High-A/AA): 11-9 record, 3.83 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 150 K, 66 BB, 141 IP
Selected in the 5th round of the 2018 draft out of Lake Norman High School (NC), Jarvis needed a few years under his belt to learn to excel in High-A ball, but came through admirably this season. The 22-year-old posted a 1.29 WHIP and 10.0 K/9 ratio in 24 starts at Wisconsin, before moving up to AA Biloxi for his final four starts (2.70 ERA in 20 AA innings).

Alexander Cornielle, RHP (Low-A/High-A): 10-7 record, 3.03 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 145 K, 59 BB, 119 IP
Cornielle was a July 2019 international signing who threw just four innings in his first two years in the organization before making his stateside debut in Arizona in July 2021. This season, the now-21-year-old Dominican Republic native broke camp with Low-A Carolina and was something of a Houdini the first two months (3.22 ERA, 1.60 WHIP in 36 1/3 IP) before significantly cutting down on traffic the rest of the year (2.94 ERA, 1.19 WHIP over final 82 2/3 IP), including three starts at High-A Wisconsin to finish a very encouraging campaign.

Antoine Kelly, LHP (High-A): 2-4 record, 3.86 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 119 K, 52 BB, 91 IP
Since traded to Texas alongside Mark Mathias for Matt Bush, 22-year old Kelly spent most of 2022 as the Brewers’ perceived top pitching prospect, dominating opposition over the first three months (3.27 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, .181 batting average against, 93 Ks in 71 2/3 IP). However, the expected promotion of the 2019 second-round pick to AA didn’t materialize (Walk issues? Tired arm? Diminish Rule 5 selection prospects?). After a rough July (6.05 ERA, 18 walks in 19 1/3 IP), the trade went through and Kelly had some struggles at AA Frisco over his final seven games (7.23 ERA in 18 2/3 IP).

Victor Castaneda, RHP (AA/AAA): 6-6 record, 4.10 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 118 K, 52 BB, 120 2/3 IP
An international signing out of Mexico in July 2017, Castaneda produced his third straight solid season, ranking second amongst Biloxi starters in ERA (3.97, after Knarr) and WHIP (1.35, after LHP Nick Bennett). The now-24-year-old’s strikeouts declined versus prior years (8.8 K/9 vs. 10.8 in 2019/2021), but thankfully so did his ERA (4.10 vs. 4.76 in 2019/2021). Three starts at AAA Nashville concluded his 2022 campaign, which is presumably where he’ll commence in 2023.

Which Brewers’ starting pitching prospects do you have your eyes on? Would you have selected a different award winner? Your comments are welcome!

 

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