Milwaukee Brewers: Will there ever be an ace again?

Since the playoff runs of 2008 and 2011, the Milwaukee Brewers starting rotation has been inconsistent to say the least.  Could the main reason be that the Brewers have yet to find a pitcher who they could bestow the title of ace upon?

Of course, it’s hard for any team to find a Clayton Kershaw or Madison Bumgarner.  The Brewers just need a pitcher who they can rely on to pitch every fifth day and post consistent results.

Since C.C Sabathia and Zack Greinke, the Milwaukee Brewers have lacked that true number one pitcher to put at the top of their rotation.

There have been many candidates throughout the years. Yovani Gallardo and Wily Peralta are the first two names to come to mind when thinking of pitchers that had ‘ace’ potential.  Sadly, neither of those two worked out.  Gallardo being traded to Texas and Wily Peralta looking to be out the door in the next couple days unless he turns his career around completely.

Junior Guerra could be qualified as the most recent ace of this pitching staff. Last year he posted a 9-3 record with a 2.81 ERA as a 31-year-old rookie. He also suffered an injury on Opening Day this year and has made a handful of starts with the Brewers so far.

Is there a better in-house candidate to be the future number one in the starting five?

The Top Candidate

Jimmy Nelson

Jimmy Nelson has been on fire this season. Nelson, who just threw his first complete game, is proving why he was ranked the Brewers top prospect in 2013. So far this season, he has posted an ERA of 3.39 with a record of 5-3 in 14 starts. He has exactly 85 strikeouts in 85 innings with only 21 walks.

These numbers are a huge improvement over last year when Nelson went 8-16 in 32 starts with an ERA of 4.62.

Is he the next number one pitcher in this rotation?

Next: What Does A Walk-Off Win Look Like?

Why not?

This season has been full of surprises for the Milwaukee Brewers, but with the team still lacking an ace.. for now. Will Nelson be able to sustain the current success he is currently enjoying? It will be interesting to see how his season turns out, and if Nelson will truly develop into an ace.