The Milwaukee Brewers have added a new reliever! Left-hander Donnie Hart is the newest addition to the 40-man roster, but who is he and why was he signed?
Do you know how many lefties the Milwaukee Brewers have in their entire organization? Not many. Josh Hader and Alex Claudio are on the Major League roster. Brent Suter is out for the season. And the only options in the Minors are Aaron Ashby, Daniel Brown, Cody Beckman and Angel Perdomo.
No longer! The Milwaukee Brewers have added lefty Donnie Hart from the Los Angeles Dodgers organization. He’s in his age-28 season, and he’s spent most of his career in the Baltimore Orioles organization.
Where will Hart start his career with the Brewers?
He’s heading to San Antonio to start, but he’ll get the call if anything happens to Hader or Claudio.
How did he do in Baltimore?
Hart worked 81 1/3 innings in parts of three seasons in Baltimore. He logged a 3.41 actual ERA with a 4.84 xFIP. He’s managed a 2-0 record with 10 holds and two blown saves. Hart struck out 54, walked 31, and was tagged for eight homers.
What does Hart throw?
Not hard? He’s averaged 87.7 MPH on his sinkerish fastball, and he also has a change-up and a slider. His slider is rated as his most effective pitch.
Does he have a funky delivery?
Absolutely.
When will he show up in Milwaukee?
The Milwaukee Brewers signed Hart as depth behind Claudio just in case they need an extra left-hander. He is on the 40-man roster, so he is a candidate for the season-long game of ‘reliever roulette’ that GM David Stearns played so effectively last year.
The Milwaukee Brewers needed a lefty, and they got one. Hart could prove useful, but he could also spend most of the season in Triple-A. He’s essentially a human insurance policy, just in case the Brewers need an extra lefty for a righty-heavy opponent or in case of injury to Hader or Claudio.