Milwaukee Brewers’ Tyler Thornburg’s Awesome Spring Start

Spring numbers don’t mean a heck of a lot. Currently, a healthy Ryan Braun has been the worst hitter on the Milwaukee Brewers’ roster after going hit-less through his first 10 at-bats and Nevin Ashley has the highest batting average of players with more than one at-bat.

But on the mound, the Brewers have had plenty of positives. Starters Kyle Lohse and Wily Peralta have been outstanding. Top pitching prospect Wei-Chung Wang has had another strong spring and the biggest news of all has been the stellar start of the year by Tyler Thornburg.

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Before injury last season, Thronburg was an X-factor in the Brewers bullpen. Although his ERA of 4.25 looks to be anything but spectacular, he pitched much better. Throughout all of April, he became the team’s most trusted arms, finishing the month with 13 straight scoreless appearances.

He continued to be relied upon in May and into June. Take away Thornburg’s disastrous final appearance on June 6th against Pittsburgh and his end of the year ERA would have finished well under three.

This spring he is out to prove that he is fully recovered and ready to again make an impact. Through his first four outings (6.2 innings) he has been one of the Brewers best arms. Thornburg has posted a 1.35 ERA, a 0.75 WHIP while holding opposing hitters to just a .139 batting average against. He has struck-out three batters, walked two and allowed only one run on a solo blast.

I wrote earlier in the year that I believe Thornburg can be a huge weapon in the Brewers bullpen and I fully believe that he will. As a plus arm in the bullpen, he will give the Brewers a long-relief option that can both spot start and pitch in big situations. With a track record of keeping the ball in the ballpark and the ability to miss bats, he will be a much better option in this role than Marco Estrada in years past. If Thornburg remains healthy all-year, the Brewers bullpen will be as dynamic as they ever have been.

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