Milwaukee Brewers: A name to keep an eye on

The start of the 2018 season is fast approaching and the Milwaukee Brewers have been in the news. Starting pitching has dominated the conversation thus far in the off season. However, what about the bullpen?

Recently, the Milwaukee Brewers have reportedly submitted a contract proposal to Yu Darvish. In the off chance Darvish signs with The Brew Crew, the starting rotation will be shored up. But the bullpen will inevitably need a boost throughout 2018. Tristan Archer is a name for fans to keep an eye on to provide that boost.

Archer is not currently on the 40-man roster. However, at some point in 2018 that could all change. Drafted in the 21st round by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2013, he has had a lot of success out of the bullpen in the Minors. That is, however, until he arrived in Colorado Springs.

Pitching in Triple A last season, Archer had a 4.76 ERA in 44 appearances. However, he has a good track record through the Minors, and one high altitude blip is no reason to lose faith.

What is Archer’s value to The Brew Crew?

Archer struggled for Colorado Springs in 2017. But, his career ERA in the Minor Leagues is 3.60. That’s not bad for a middle reliever, especially when that covers 375 innings pitched. Archer also had 323 strikeouts with only 91 walks during that span, showing his effectiveness.

His Triple A performance notwithstanding, that was then, and this is now. Pitching in the Winter Leagues this off season, Archer has been impressive. He has 13 strikeouts with only two walks while pitching 14 1/3 innings.

Archer will need a strong spring to have a chance to make the Opening Day roster. However, relief pitchers come out of the woodworks every season, and he could be that player in 2018. I would name names for all that came before, but I would hate to leave anybody out, so we’ll stick with Archer for now.

The bullpen will be a strength for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2018. The back-end is solid with Corey Knebel and Jacob Barnes. The middle is good with Josh Hader, Boone Logan, and Jeremy Jeffress. That doesn’t leave much room, for now.

Next: Interest And An Offer For Yelich

For Archer this means it will be back to the grind, most likely in Colorado, hoping for his shot. He can be “the next man up” the next time “reliever A” is injured, or worse, ineffective. Keep an eye out for Archer, because his future is coming soon.