Brewers Video
Many of these pitchers the Brewers turned to come from free agency. But some come through the system and are not necessarily conventionally acquired. Who might be the next great Brewers reliever from out of nowhere?
Right-handed Relievers
Michele Vassalotti, Carolina (A)
9-2, 2.64 ERA, 7 saves, 47.2 IP, 24 BB, 56 K in 33 appearances
Bats: Right, Throws: Right
Age: 21
Vassalotti was snake-bitten by some defensive issues (8 of 22 runs were unearned), but otherwise, he did very well. He only allowed one home run all season and a 1.112 WHIP. He went two or more innings in nine of his 33 appearances.
James Meeker, Wisconsin (A+)/Biloxi (AA)
4-4, 2.38 ERA, 17 saves, 64.1 IP, 17 BB, 57 K in 44 appearances
Bats: Right, Throws: Right
Age: 27
Meeker is older, a find who pitched in independent leagues for a few seasons before the Crew signed him. But in this case, the Brewers could have someone who could step into a late-inning role. If he continues to pitch like he has - including a dominating stretch in Brisbane – he could be a very cheap late-inning option that could help the Crew keep one or more of Burnes, Woodruff, and Adames in Milwaukee.
Lucas Erceg, Biloxi (AA)/Nashville (AAA)
3-4, 4.55 ERA, 2 saves, 61.1 IP, 37 BB, 69 K in 49 appearances
Bats: Left, Throws: Right
Age: 26
2022 was Erceg’s first full year as a pitcher after he took the two-way player approach in 2021. He stepped it up in Nashville (3.43 ERA in 33 appearances) and, at the very least, offers the Crew someone to take an inning or two from the back end of the bullpen.
Jeison Pena, ACL Brewers Gold (R)/Carolina (A)/Wisconsin (A+)
3-1, 3.30 ERA, 2 saves, 46.1 IP, 32 BB, 64 K in 24 appearances
Bats: Right, Throws: Right
Age: 19
Pena strikes batters out, but he also tends to walk a lot. He’s also not very charitable with the long ball, giving up only one homer in the 46.1 innings. To reach A+ Wisconsin at 19 says a lot. He went two or more innings in 14 of his 24 appearances.
Quinton Low, ACL Brewers Blue (R)
0-0, 0.82 ERA, 2 saves, 11 IP, 5 BB, 16 K in 10 appearances
Bats: Left, Throws: Right
Age: 19
The Brewers could have their own Shohei Otani in Low, who not only put up some dominant numbers reminiscent of Hader at his best but also posted a decent .756 OPS while playing first base and designated hitter.
Left-handed Relievers
Clayton Andrews, ACL Brewers Blue (R)/Biloxi (AA)
0-2, 7.84 ERA, 0 saves, 10.1 IP, 7 BB, 19 K in 7 appearances
Bats: Left, Throws: Left
Age: 25
Since the pandemic, Andrews, a 17th-round pick in 2018, has been derailed by injuries. Before that, in 2019, he was showing signs of being not just a poor man’s Hader, but he also flashed the ability to play center field, giving the Brewers a slap-hitting two-way player (.772 OPS in 16 games as a CF). In his return, though, he averaged 16.5 K per 9 IP.
Pablo Garabitos, Carolina (A)/Nashville AAA
6-1, 1.83 ERA, 0 saves, 59 IP, 19 BB, 62 K in 25 appearances
Bats: Left, Throws: Left
Age: 21
Garabitos, a converted corner outfielder drafted in the 25th round in 2018, moved to the mound in 2019 and has been getting good results since. He averaged over two innings an appearance in 2022 and was briefly at AAA at 21 years old. He only gave up two homers all year, one at Nashville.
Karlos Morales, Carolina (A)/Wisconsin (A+)
3-4, 2.35 ERA, 6 saves, 46 IP, 22 BB, 55 K in 32 appearances
Bats: Left, Throws: Left
Age: 23
Morales did not surrender a single home run while also posting excellent numbers, improving after his promotion to Wisconsin. The walk rate was a little high, but Morales, a 25th-round pick in 2017, could be a steal simply by becoming a valuable contributor out of the major league pen.
Overview
These relievers are all over the place. The fact is, if the Brewers are to have success over the long term, they need to find a lot of their bullpen contributors from the farm system to maintain a cost-controlled bullpen, allowing Milwaukee to use financial resources elsewhere on the roster. Some of the older pitchers had a position-playing background, and some could still contribute both at the plate and on the mound.
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