Milwaukee Brewers: 2019 Season Report Card for LHP Drew Pomeranz

The Milwaukee Brewers definitely had their struggles in the bullpen this season, to put it in the nicest way possible. With Corey Knebel out for the entire season, to Brent Suter missing the first half of the 2019 season, the Crew needed to find a solution and find one fast.

That’s where Drew Pomeranz comes into the picture. Acquiring him from the San Francisco Giants was probably one of the unexpected trades, given his track record with his previous teams, but it ended up being a benefit for the Milwaukee Brewers in the end.

Let’s take a look into his season with the Brewers. (For this report card, we will just be grading Drew based on his time with the Brewers, not the Giants). 

It was definitely a trade that the Brewers got ridiculed for in the beginning, given Pomeranz’s record with Boston and San Francisco. When he was with the Boston Red Sox in 2018, the fans said he was one of the biggest disappointments the team had seen. He finished his 2018 season with a 2-6 record, and a 6.08 ERA.

The Milwaukee Brewers acquired Pomeranz, and also got Ray Black, Jake Faria, and Jordan Lyles during the deadline period. Jesus Aguilar was sent to Tampa in the swap for Faria, and Mauricio Dubon was sent to the Giants for Pomeranz and Black.

Overall Season Grade: A

Prior to being traded, Pomeranz made four appearances out of the Giants bullpen where he posted a 2.03 ERA and 2.39 FIP. He was seen as a reliever on the Brewers’ mound, where his fastball is averaging 94.1 mph and only increased with the more appearances he made on the mound.

Throwing a beautiful curveball, batters were swinging and missing left and right. He was one of the most dominant relievers in the major leagues over the final two months, striking out 53 batters in 31.5 innings. Pomeranz had the second-highest strikeout percentage this season, with him nearly striking out half of the batters he faced.

In his 25 game appearances with the Brewers, Drew Pomeranz posted a 2.39 ERA and 0.91 WHIP with 45 strikeouts and only allowing seven hits. He did start in one game with the Crew, but was viewed as a reliever for the most part.

Once he joined the Brewers, Pomeranz was nothing short of dominant. He gave Craig Counsell a second electric arm out of the bullpen to go along with Josh Hader.

Now a free agent, it’s possible that the Milwaukee Brewers will make the decision to sign him for another season, possibly more. This definitely was a surprise to Giants and Red Sox fans after they saw how poorly Pomeranz performed with them and how he suddenly got a spark lit under him once joining the Brewers.

I would love to see Pomeranz on the mound in the 2020 season wearing a Brewers uniform, I think he is a good addition to the bullpen.