Reviewing The Brew
FanSided

Milwaukee Brewers: Top Ten Relievers in Franchise History

By Andrew Gehring

12 Jul 1998: Pitcher Dan Plesac #19 of the Toronto Blue Jays in action during a game against the Detroit Tigers at Tiger Stadium in Detroit, Michigan. The Blue Jays defeated the Tigers 7-2. Mandatory Credit: Rick Stewart /Allsport
12 Jul 1998: Pitcher Dan Plesac #19 of the Toronto Blue Jays in action during a game against the Detroit Tigers at Tiger Stadium in Detroit, Michigan. The Blue Jays defeated the Tigers 7-2. Mandatory Credit: Rick Stewart /Allsport /
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Milwaukee Brewers
MILWAUKEE, WI – SEPTEMBER 22: Tyler Thornburg #37 of the Milwaukee Brewers throws a pitch during the ninth inning of a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Miller Park on September 22, 2016 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /

10. Tyler Thornburg

Years as a Brewer: 2012-2016

219.2 IP, 3.83 FIP, 1.19 WHIP

Tyler Thornburg was drafted in the third round of the 2010 MLB Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers. He is associated with the trade that brought Travis Shaw and Mauricio Dubon to Milwaukee. While the trade has gone in the Brewers favor, Thornburg was an elite reliever in 2016 when the Brewers sent him to the Red Sox.

Thornburg worked his way up the minor league system and made his debut in the 2012 season. He had a rough first season posting a 7.10 FIP and 1.41 WHIP in 22 innings pitched. In his sophomore season, Thornburg started to put things together. He pitched 66.2 innings with a 3.11 FIP, 1.19 WHIP, and an astoundingly low 0.1 HR/9.

He would have made his way higher up the ladder had he continued his 2013 success, but he had less than stellar 2014 and 2015 campaigns that hindered his overall numbers with the Crew.

The 2016 season has been the best of his career racking up 12.1 K/9 and allowing a mere 0.8 HR/9. This season improved his trade value to the point where the Crew were sellers in the offseason and the Red Sox were looking for a quality arm to strengthen their pen for the 2017 season.

Unfortunately for Thornburg, durability has been an issue as of late. After the trade went through he had a shoulder issue where he missed a significant amount of time. This past year, he had to get surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome. These injuries have kept him off the diamond until recently when he was activated from the DL.

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