Milwaukee Brewers: State of the starting rotation

There are always options within the bullpen as well. The Milwaukee Brewers have a couple of options already available in the pen. Thankfully Michael Blazek is not one of them.

One of the more intriguing options is Josh Hader. He oozes potential. With his high 90’s heat, and the ball coming out in the awkwardest of positions, he is exciting to watch.

The problem with Hader is he walks far too many hitters. If he’s to have any success in the Majors, he will need to reign that in. The Milwaukee Brewers organization has been adamant in their belief that Hader will be a starter. This could be his chance to show it.

Another option is to stick with Brent Suter. He has been solid since joining the rotation. Both Hader and Suter are lefties, so they provide a different dynamic.

In five starts for the Crew Suter is 2-0 in 30 innings pitched. He has struck out 25 while only walking five. Hader flings the ball up there hard, while Suter evokes memories of Jaimie Moyer with his mid 80’s “heat”.

Without having the blow it by you stuff, Suter gets by on control. He’s shown, to this point, he has an ability to get outs. He may not be the answer for the future, but he can definitely be a stop gap.

The less talked about in-house option is recently recalled Wei-Chung Wang. He has pitched strictly in relief for Triple-A this season, and he has outperformed expectations. However, he has been a starter throughout his Minor League career.

He has made 62 starts in the Milwaukee Brewers farm system. He showed success, and an ability to provide quality innings. His first taste of the big leagues was forgettable. He’s had four years to build his confidence in the Minors and prepare him for his second chance.

One option would be to use two starters every fifth game. Use Hader and Suter together to get through six or seven innings. Then that could get us to our late inning guys. Right now that’s not an appealing option, with the current struggles of the bullpen. However, that has to be the goal for any starter.