Milwaukee Brewers: Could Trey Supak make his debut this year?

The trade deadline has passed, and the biggest addition to the Milwaukee Brewers rotation was Jordan Lyles. Could a boost for their rotation come from within the organization?

The Milwaukee Brewers have three starting pitchers on the Injured List and their rotation wasn’t that deep to begin with. GM David Stearns didn’t sell the farm to upgrade the starting five at the deadline, but they may still have an answer in the Minors.

Top prospect Trey Supak has been in the Brewers system since coming over in a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2015. He’s advanced to Triple-A, and could be the next call up if the Milwaukee Brewers need a starter.

How has Supak performed this year?

Supak has split the 2019 season between Double-A and Triple-A. He made 20 starts for the Double-A Biloxi Shuckers, and he posted am 11-4 record with a 2.20 ERA. In 122 2/3 innings of work at Double-A, Supak struck out 91, walked 23, and was tagged for six homers.

Supak was promoted to Triple-A in late July, and he’s already made two starts for the San Antonio Missions. In two starts with San Antonio, Supak has a 1-0 record with a 3.09 ERA. He’s worked 11 2/3 innings, and managed 14 strikeouts, three walks, and surrendered three homers.

How about Supak’s arsenal?

Supak has a four-pitch repertoire that includes a fastball, curveball, changeup, and a cutter. He’s grown into his 6’5″ frame in the past few seasons, and he’s seen a boost in velocity, while learning how to turn his fly ball tendencies into more grounders.

He’s seen his GB:FB ratio go from 0.73 in 2017 to 1.05 in Double-A this year.

Is Supak on the 40-man roster?

Actually, he is! Supak was added to the 40-man roster during the off season, and he can be called up with only a corresponding move to the 25-man roster. The Milwaukee Brewers don’t have to do any juggling to get Supak added to the roster.

Is Supak ahead of Zack Brown?

At this point? It’s possible.

After cruising through Double-A in 2018, Zack Brown has spent the entire 2019 campaign in Triple-A. He’s made 20 starts, and has a 5.68 ERA so far. What’s really troubling is that he’s only been able to work 98 1/3 innings, and he’s walked 55 batters. In 2018, he only walked 36 batters during the entire season. Also, Brown isn’t on the 40-man roster yet, so the Milwaukee Brewers would have to adjust the 40-man roster to add Brown to the 25-man roster.

If Supak is able to string together a few more solid starts at Triple-A, he could find himself in the Majors by the end of August, if not sooner. The Milwaukee Brewers need starting pitching, and they have a solid starter in the Minors with Supak. It’s not an ideal option to toss a 23-year old starter into the middle of a division race or wild card race, but the Brewers need help from any source they can find at this point. Supak is one of the few options they can turn to who is healthy, and wouldn’t require roster gymnastics.