Milwaukee Brewers: The Top 5 Left-Handed Starting Pitchers in Franchise History

MILWAUKEE, WI - MAY 23: Norichika Aoki's of the Milwaukee Brewers sunglasses, cap and glove sit on the steps on the Brewers dugout during during the sausage races in the game against the San Francisco Giants at Miller Park on May 23, 2012 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Mike McGinnis/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WI - MAY 23: Norichika Aoki's of the Milwaukee Brewers sunglasses, cap and glove sit on the steps on the Brewers dugout during during the sausage races in the game against the San Francisco Giants at Miller Park on May 23, 2012 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Mike McGinnis/Getty Images) /
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MILWAUKEE, WI – APRIL 24: Baseball hats with the current logo (L) and retro logo sit on display at Miller Park on April 24, 2016 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) *** Local Caption ***
MILWAUKEE, WI – APRIL 24: Baseball hats with the current logo (L) and retro logo sit on display at Miller Park on April 24, 2016 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** /

5. Doug Davis

Years as a Brewer: 2003-2006, 2010

This selection was really about splitting hairs. Doug Davis had some very good years with the Brewers right before they made the playoffs. He signed as a free agent during the 2003 season. That move started to pay dividends in 2004, as Davis helped a young team with 12 wins and a 3.39 ERA. From 2004-2006, Davis logged over 200 innings each season with an astounding 103 starts.

Davis won 38 games with the Crew and had a career ERA of 4.11 and a 1.401 WHIP. Both of those numbers were slightly below Capuano, but the trump card in my opinion was his 10.0 WAR with the Brewers. Despite a fastball that wouldn’t break 90, he also struck out 208 hitters in 2005.

Davis was traded to the Diamondbacks for Johnny Estrada the year before the Brewers finally made the playoffs. We can’t hold Estrada against him, can we? Estrada would make a different list in Brewers history, but I digress. Davis did come back to play in Milwaukee in 2010, but that year just made his overall stats worse.

There was always a perception problem with Davis. He was a soft-throwing lefty with a slow delivery. He also had a high walk rate, that actually got worse when he left Milwaukee. He then missed out on the playoffs, which could have cemented his stay a bit more. His stats are just slightly better than the rest. It certainly was a close call.