Is Yo The Go To Man?

Ron Roenicke apparently thinks so. While it’s been speculated that Zack Greinke would start on Opening Day, all signs have indicated that Yovani Gallardo will get the nod. Gallardo will not only start his season, but start our season, and against the Cardinals no less. Fortunately, this game is at home. If Gallardo is indeed the man on April 6th, this will be his 3rd Opening Day start. Roenicke’s decision cannot hurt us in anyway, and perhaps maybe it’s not only the smarter choice, but perhaps the more respected choice. I mean come on, Gallardo has been a Brewer since his MLB career began, it’s only fair, right?

Now that we know this, my predicted rotation was wrong. That really doesn’t surprise me though, I mean after all, it was a prediction. So, after Yo, I’m pretty sure it’ll go Greinke, Shaun Marcum, Randy Wolf and Chris Narveson. This I think I can set in stone and be sure that’s how Ron will have his rotation go. I know I’ve talked before about the positives and negatives of each pitcher, but really, given what we know from last year, there’s a lot of consistency. A rotation that has all five guys win 10 games or more in a season doesn’t usually happen. Let’s hope we can do that again this year.

Something I’d like to do is be a little creative for this next part. Perhaps some predictions for each starter. Yet again, I might be totally off, but who cares, maybe it’ll be for the better!

Yovani Gallardo: 15-9 , 3.57 ERA, 210 IP, 210 strikeouts, 63 walks and a WHIP of 1.220

Based on what we know about Gallardo, he’s a work horse.  He goes very long into games, usually averaging 6.2-7 innings (based on his 2011 stats). Also, he’s pitched very well in the second half of the season, after having a rough patch in the beginning. If Ron decides to give the nod to Yo to start on Opening Day, I fully expect him to be in full form. He has a nasty changeup, alongside a fastball, curveball and slider. 2012 will be another solid season for Gallardo.

Zack Greinke: 17-7, 2.90 ERA, 191.2 IP, 215 strikeouts, 40 walks and a WHIP of 1.175

I know, this is a very bold prediction for Greinke. I just think all he needed was one year to adjust to NL ball. Seeing him back in Cy Young form? Absolutely. Greinke is not a hitter friendly pitcher. He does not walk a lot of batters, he has an intimating slider that has a 12-6 break on it. Most batters admit that Greinke’s slider is one of the best in the game. I don’t think two off years (2010, 2011) will deter Greinke from the caliber of pitcher he is.

Shaun Marcum: 12-7, 3.60 ERA, 193.1 IP, 161 strikeouts, 46 walks and a WHIP of 1.150

Marcum’s transition to the NL did not really change the type of pitcher he is. While his numbers are fairly average, he gets the job done. He’s never managed to have an ERA below 3.30 , but maybe 2012 can change that. While I do have him predicted at 3.60, it’s because you can never be too certain about these ‘break out’ seasons. Marcum’s proved himself enough to be a good pitcher that I don’t foresee him having this break out. However, I could be dead wrong. Let’s hope I may be for the good of Marcum.

Randy Wolf: 12-9, 3.45 ERA, 213 IP, 137 strikeouts, 70 walks and a WHIP of 1.305

What we’ve seen from Wolf is that he is the epitome of durable. At 35, Randy really shows no signs of slowing down. I guess it’s a bit unfair to say that 2011 was a rebound year after 2010, because he’s had great seasons before. The Wolf Man impresses me by the number of innings he pitches in a season, which by far surpasses anyone else in the rotation. What does go against him is his high walk count and how many hits he gives up. Luckily he finds his way out of tough jams, but luck can wear out.

Chris Narveson: 10-10, 4.40 ERA, 164.2 IP, 130 strikeouts, 63 walks and a WHIP of 1.383

I think Narveson is seriously still the biggest mystery to figure out. His high ERA and his number of base runners severely hurts him, but regardless, he still wins. The reason why he can be a mystery is 2012 will only be his third year starting. He’s a lefty, which switches things up for hitters, but eventually lefties can be figured out. Narveson’s potential hasn’t been reached yet, but I’m hoping he can turn it around. It may take a season or two, but we need to be patient with him.

Regardless of my predictions, I’m hoping for a great year from the Brew Crew.