Looking back, that rotation is literally in tatters.

Greinke was traded to the Angels when the Brewers thought they were out of contention. Marcum went on the disabled list for over two months, and has a 5.70 ERA in five starts since returning. Wolf was released towards the end of August after he was unable to ever find himself as a starter this season. Narveson went down after just his second start in April with a torn rotator cuff.

In other words, Gallardo has been the one staple of the rotation. The Brewers have had to dip into their farm system to find the rest of their current rotation. And, I have to say, most of them have filled in admirably. Marco Estrada, who pitched out of the bullpen to start the season, was the first guy the Brewers turned to, and, despite the fact he hasn’t been able to notch many wins, he’s been very solid. Mike Fiers, who was having just a mediocre year at Triple-A Nashville prior to his call-up, has come up and established himself as a perennial Rookie of the Year candidate. Mark Rogers was solid before his shut-down, but Wily Peralta has been dominant since taking his rotation spot.

Let’s say the Brewers don’t make any starting pitching-related moves this offseason. The 2013 rotation would look something like Gallardo, Estrada, Fiers, Rogers, and Peralta, since Marcum is leaving via free agency. There are plenty more prospects who will get a chance in ’13 Spring Training, but these pitchers are the ones with the most experience (despite the fact some of them still have very little experience).

There is definitely a lot of inexperience in that rotation, but, if they all pitch to their ability (and get solid run support while doing so), they could all be successful in the Majors. And, personally, I’d almost like to see the Brewers experiment with that next year.

But we know they won’t, because there’s too much risk involved. The Brewers will more than likely go after at least one free agent starter. But, many consider the 2012-13 offseason’s starter front to be one of the worst in years. The highlights will be Greinke, Marcum, Ryan Dempster, and that’s really about it, at least for big names. Greinke is definitely the safest of the three, and he expressed the possibility of re-signing with the Brewers this offseason. But we might have to wait and see if he’s still around after waiting for the $15 million per year that he isn’t going to get.

Since it’s more than likely the Brewers won’t pick up one of those three, I’d almost like to see the Brewers try an experiment of young, in-house starters in the rotation, like I said earlier, and I’d like to see that for a few reasons.

First off, it would keep the Brewers from thinking they need to make an actually unnecessary move that would make the team worse. The most recent examples of that are Wolf and Jeff Suppan. Now don’t get me wrong; I liked Wolf. He had a solid year and a half under his belt with the Crew prior to his release. But things weren’t clicking this year, which makes me worry about the Brewers signing a similar veteran over this offseason. I don’t think I need to explain my reasoning for Suppan.

The front office will probably think that veteran presence is needed in a young rotation, but Gallardo should be at the point of his career where he can start setting an example for the guys behind him and serve as that “veteran” (although he’ll only be 27 next year). Estrada hasn’t been on the Brewers for very long, but he’s been around. I don’t think the Brewers should waste money on getting that “veteran starter” this year.

My second reason is that the Brewers have something that they didn’t have previous years in which they needed a veteran guy: they have a ton of prospects that are big league ready. Fiers, despite his inconsistency recently (which could be due to fatigue from his first year in the Majors), should have a rotation spot locked up for next year. Before his shut-down, Rogers was giving the Brewers a chance to win every time out. It’s too early to say about Peralta, but, after three dominant starts, a good Spring Training next year could net him a rotation spot. And then there are all the prospects (i.e. Hiram Burgos) and the recent draft picks (i.e. Taylor Jungmann, Jed Bradley) that haven’t even made it to the Majors yet.

Even though Gallardo is the only pitcher who has a spot locked down for next year, the Brewers have so many starting pitching prospects that they’ll have to be able to get something out of at least some of them, particularly the ones who are getting big league experience this year. This could be the makings of a very dominant future rotation for the Brewers; why not get a glimpse of it next year?

Kottaras, originally a late round pick by the Padres in 2002, was picked up by the Brewers during the 2009-2010 offseason, on the same day that the Red Sox released him. He had served as the Brewers back-up catcher for most of the time since, except when he briefly took on the starting role in early 2010 after a season-ending injury to Gregg Zaun. He promptly lost it after the emergence of Jonathan Lucroy.

Kottaras hit .218 over his three seasons with the Brewers, which is what you’d expect from a back-up catcher most of the time. In his first season, 2010, he didn’t hit for a very high average (.203), but hit nine home runs and had 26 RBIs and showed some promising power. The power fell in 2011 (just five home runs), but he hit .252.

He got off to a very hot start this year, hitting three home runs in the Brewers’ first six games of the season. But, Kottaras hasn’t hit a home run since April 12^th, and his average fell from the mid-.400’s all the way to .209.

After Lucroy’s injury in late May, instead of using Kottaras as the starting catcher, Ron Roenicke opted to call up Martin Maldonado and try his hand at starting. Maldonado was hitting under .200 at Triple-A Nashville, but has been very productive at the plate since his call-up, with five home runs and a .275 average. With Lucroy recently coming back from his injury, there just wasn’t a place on the roster for Kottaras, who has just been serving as Randy Wolf’s personal catcher, on the roster any more. He was designated for assignment as the corresponding move for Lucroy’s return to the 25-man roster.

But the Brewers, who are still high on Kottaras, believed he still deserved a shot at playing in the Majors. Teams like the Indians, Blue Jays, and Athletics were interested in using him in the Majors, and it was the A’s who wound up getting him. The A’s definitely need help at the catching position, with their two catchers- Kurt Suzuki and Derek Norris- both hitting barely over .200. On the year, Athletics catchers are hitting for a cumulative .198 average. Kottaras won’t necessarily help with the average part, but he’s always had a massive on-base percentage (he had a .409 OBP despite his .209 average this year). His great eye helped with that, as he had more walks than strikeouts.

So best of luck to Kottaras in Oakland (or wherever else he winds up after). I’ve always tried to be high on him myself, but there isn’t room for him in Milwaukee any more.

Today catcher Jonathan Lucroy will officially be back as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers. But that will only be one change to the team that has seen a multitude of them over a disappointing 2012 season.

With Lucroy’s move back to the Majors, he brings with him Nashville Sounds closer Jim Henderson. The pair will be replacing back-up catcher George Kottaras – who was designated for assignment – and shortstop Jeff Bianchi who was optioned back to the Nashville AAA club.

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Whichever side of the fence you’re sitting on, Jim Henderson is officially a Milwaukee Brewer.

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Tyler Thornburg has been a- or the- top pitching prospect for the Brewers ever since he was drafted in 2010. The Brewers knew what they were getting when they took him out of college as a third round pick: a flamethrowing right-hander with a plus-breaking ball and a change-up that’s probably still improving.

Thornburg, along with a few others, has been talked about as the future ace of the Brewers. Everyone is high on him. He’s even drawn comparisons to Giants (used to be) ace Tim Lincecum, which I don’t quite I agree with since he doesn’t come nearly as over the top. Still, considering Lincecum has two Cy Young Awards on his shelf, that’s a pretty good pitcher to be compared to.

Thornburg lived up to that hype for pretty much all of his Minor League career. He dealt with injuries for awhile to begin his professional career, but proved to the Brewers that hitters at the rookie level and Single-A couldn’t hit him- he held hitters to a sub-.200 batting average while pitching for those affiliates. Fast forward to 2012, and that dominance continued at Double-A. He got off to a fast start this year for the Stars, starting the season 8-0 with a 2.54 ERA.

But this is where things probably got a bit crazy for him. All of a sudden, the Brewers started losing starting pitchers at the Major League level. When Marco Estrada was almost back, Shaun Marcum went promptly went down, leaving the Brewers with another rotation spot to fill. They had a couple of options of what to do at this point. The only Major League possibility was Manny Parra, but he hadn’t- and still hasn’t- started a game since late 2010. There were multiple Triple-A options who were Major League ready, such as Wily Peralta, Amaury Rivas, and so on, but none of them were pitching well enough at the time to be considered. So that made the Brewers go down one more level to Double-A, and who was the one pitcher that caught their eye immediately? It had to be Thornburg.

On June 19^th, nearly two years to the day that Thornburg was drafted by the Brewers, he found himself already making his big league debut. And it was coming against one of the better offenses in baseball, the Blue Jays. He fared well for the first five innings, but the wheels came off with one out in the sixth inning, when he gave up three consecutive home runs to Colby Rasmus, Jose Bautista, and Edwin Encarnacion. That spelled the end of his debut, which lasted 5 1/3 innings. He gave up five runs on seven hits while walking none and striking out two. It’s encouraging that he didn’t walk a batter, but the one glaring stat was the four home runs Thornburg gave up. He gave up six all year at Double-A, so that was already two-thirds of that total.

After that start, Thornburg was optioned down to Triple-A (which, oddly, was the one level he had yet to pitch at since he skipped it). He made one start down there (five innings, two runs, six strikeouts), but also spent a stint on the disabled list due to a very Brewer-like injury: falling into a coffee table.

Thornburg was recalled after the All-Star break and made one appearance prior to today, which came against the Pirates. He went two innings while giving up one earned run (of course that run had to be a home run).

Then, today, he had to make a spot start during the Zack Greinke hiatus. I don’t want to say it went well, but he at least managed to limit the damage. He went 4 2/3 innings while giving up two runs on five hits against the Cardinals. He walked four and struck out five. But, Thornburg needed 103 pitches to get through just 4 2/3 innings. Also, the two runs he gave up were solo home runs, which brings his season total to seven home runs given up. That’s already one more than he gave up in 75 innings at Double-A, and he’s thrown just 12 innings in the Majors.

These things bring me to my conclusion: he may have been rushed to the Majors. It feels like he’s trying to pitch like he’s still in the Minors, which calls for trouble in the Majors. He said himself after his start against the Jays that he felt he needed to work against every hitter, rather than just having to focus on the 3-4 hitters of a lineup in the Minors. That definitely showed today, because 103 pitches in 4 2/3 innings are far too many. He also needs to understand that leaving up low-90’s fastballs (that haven’t been set up the right way) in the Majors will usually result in home runs.

I’m not saying that Thornburg is a bad pitcher, or that he won’t have a successful career in the Majors. But I feel he was rushed, and there are still things he could work on in Triple-A. I would love to see him in the rotation next year (and I have a feeling we will), but first he needs to fix the little things.

At least lately, Green wasn’t given many chances to play. But when he was used as a pinch-hitter and/or received a rare start, he never really capitalized on the opportunities. The last time Green made a real impact on a game was on June 7^th, when he hit his first Major League home run, in a pinch-hit appearance. A day later, he hit his second career shot in another pinch-hit appearance. But Green cooled off since, and his last hit came on June 26^th in Cincinnati. He saw his batting average sink all the way to .198, which is probably what prompted his return to the Minors.

Obviously, though, the playing time he wasn’t receiving wasn’t helping the cause of his batting average. Green can play third base, second base, and first base (I think he can also play shortstop in emergency situations). But, as of right now, he’s blocked at all of those positions- Aramis Ramirez has played pretty much every day since returning from a quadricep strain, Rickie Weeks is proving that he deserves to stay in the lineup for now, and Corey Hart has played outstanding defense since his move to first base. That left Green in a rare pinch-hit role that was usually given to other lefties on the bench, such as Travis Ishikawa.

So I doubt Green was actually optioned because of his performance, but rather so he can get the consistent playing times he needs. Green has proven that he can hit at the Triple-A level, as he hit .336 with 36 home runs there last year before a late-August call-up. Unfortunately for him, though, he’ll probably be stuck there until there’s an opening somewhere at the Major League level. And with the way injuries have taken their toll so far this year, it could be pretty soon that we see Green back on the Brewers.

The Brewers found themselves in need of bullpen help after Tuesday’s 10-9 loss to the Jays, in which Tyler Thornburg made his Major League debut in place of the injured Shaun Marcum. Today, they recalled right-hander Mike McClendon from Triple-A Nashville so they can have a fresh arm for the upcoming series against the White Sox. This is already McClendon’s third stint with the Brewers this season alone, as he’s already been called up in one of these situations before. He posted an ugly ERA that was over 10.00 in his first stint, then lowered his season ERA to 6.75 during the latest stint. McClendon also had brief stints with the Brewers in 2010 and 2011 with the Brewers. In ’10, he was a September call-up and posted solid numbers, going 2-0 with a 3.00 ERA while being used in the long relief role. He was with the team early in 2011 and went 3-0 with a 2.63 ERA before being optioned back to Triple-A. Unfortunately, McClendon hasn’t had the same luck this year thus far, as shown by his sub-par numbers.

McClendon fills the spot previously vacated by Thornburg, who was optioned to Triple-A yesterday afternoon. This was expected, since Thornburg was called up due to the need of an emergency starter in the absence of Marcum. He went 5 1/3 innings against the Blue Jays on Tuesday while giving up five runs on seven hits. He didn’t walk anyone and struck out two, but served up four home runs. Three of those homers came in sequence in a rocky sixth inning for Thornburg. It was noted that this may have been due to a serious drop in his fastball velocity that inning. Thornburg’s fastball was living in the 93-96 MPH range up until that inning, when it dropped to the mid-to-high 80’s. Whether it was fatigue or nerves, hopefully he gets it straightened out in Triple-A.

The Brewers also announced today that Brooks Conrad was claimed off waivers by the Rays. They had previously designated him for assignment to give Thornburg a spot on the 40-man roster. But all I can say to Conrad is goodbye and good riddance- I doubt any Brewers fans will miss him. He became the laughing stock of the Brewers after not having a hit through his first 27 or so at-bats in a Brewers uniform. He appeared to be breaking out of it in the Pirates series a few weeks ago, when he hit home runs on consecutive days. But Conrad couldn’t use that as momentum to break out of his season-long slump, and finished with a .075 (3-for-40) batting average as a Brewer. At least can say that the he hit .405 at Triple-A, though.

So we’re taking a break from the negative nonsense today to bring you some quick news hits from a group of ballplayers whose dreams have not yet been crushed by injuries, losing streaks or whiny media-types. I’m talking about the Minor League affiliates of the Milwaukee Brewers, of course.

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The goal of these articles is for the four RtB writers to keep an eye on each of our guys over the course of Spring Training (from now on it will be referred to as ST) and give you frequent updates.  As ST continues, we will keep you informed on how each of these youngsters are developing and if they have a shot to make the big league roster in 2012.  These are also players who we each believe will be big league players at some point in their careers, which is why we are going to start keeping an eye on them now. 

So, without further adieu, let’s meet Daniel Meadows. (but for the sake of Baseball-Reference…Dan Meadows)

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