Milwaukee Brewers’ Grades: Ariel Pena

There were tons of Milwaukee Brewers who made their major league debuts this season, but it could be argued that no one was more impressive than Ariel Pena. While he had his struggles in the bullpen in Colorado Springs, Pena was not only able to turn things around in the AAA rotation, but he was also able to carry that success over at the major league level. Though he only saw limited time in the major leagues, here is a look at his year in review.

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Debuting on September fifth, Pena appeared in six games (five starts) with the Brewers to close out the year. Seeing most of his work against both the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs, Pena finished the year going two and one with a 4.28 ERA.

His best start arguably came against the St. Louis Cardinals on September 25th. In that outing, Pena worked five innings, allowing three runs on six hits while striking out five in an eventual Brewers win.

His biggest struggle remained in his ability to throw strikes consistently. Just like in his minor league career, his struggle to throw strikes (4.1 walk per nine inning average) led to short outings.

Even with these walk numbers however, Pena proved that he can get big league hitters out. With an impressive fastball, he continues to show that he has the ability to miss bats at every level.

Though he proved that he can be a successful starter, I still think that his biggest value to the team in the future could be out of the bullpen. At 26-years-old and with a powerful repertoire of pitches, he could be an other plus arm in the ever improving Brewers’ bullpen.

Final Grade: B

Next: Jeffress' Final Grade