Milwaukee Brewers: The Anatomy Of An All-Star Selection

The Milwaukee Brewers will be represented by closer Cory Knebel in the 2017 All-Star game.

With the season Knebel is putting together, there is little doubt he is the right guy for the job.  He has saved 13 games since taking over for Neftali Feliz.  He also adds a 1.76 ERA and 72 strikeouts to the mix in 2017.

Knebel came into to Brewers system in 2015 through a trade with the Texas Rangers.  In order to get their All-Star closer, Milwaukee sent Yovani Gallardo to Texas.  This deal ended with the Brewers getting infielder Luis Sardinas and pitcher Marcos Diplan as well.

Diplan currently sits as the number eleven prospect in the organization according to MLB Pipeline.  Sardinas was eventually flipped later that year to get Ramon Flores from Seattle.  Flores ended up hitting .205 for Milwaukee Brewers through 104 games in 2016.

While Diplan still has the potential to be a star, Knebel is the most beneficial part of the trade so far.  His journey started after getting drafted 39th overall by the Detroit Tigers in 2013.  He was a part of the deal that sent Soria from the Rangers to the Tigers.  It ultimately ended with his selection to the All-Star team as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers.

Based purely on numbers Knebel has put together a great year.  He has faced a total of 168 batters and has allowed only eight earned runs.  It has been a display of dominance throughout the year.  What is even more impressive is that opposing batters are hitting .168 off of him, and those who are getting hits are not stringing them together.  He has left 91.5 percent of runners on base.

According to Fargraphs Knebel is able to pull this off with a very impressive fastball that averages 97 MPH.  He compliments that with a curveball he throws just under 30 percent of the time.  It may seem low, but for a player who generally only throws an inning every time he goes out there it is enough to keep hitters off balance.

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With the Milwaukee Brewers currently pacing the division, it is surprising they only have one All-Star this year.  Players like Eric Thames or Jimmy Nelson have proven their worth of a bid this year, but were snubbed.  In the end the honor would have been nice, but the team is after the ring at the end of October.