Brewers: What Could The 2020 Starting Rotation Look Like?

After a decent 2019 starting rotation, the Milwaukee Brewers are starting to acquire more pitchers which means, more spots for starting rotation.

With starter Zach Davies in San Diego with the Padres, Jordan Lyles in Texas with the Rangers, and a good chunk of our bullpen being free agents, we’re getting down to the wire in determining who will be the starting five pitchers for the 2020 season.

With recent acquisitions of Brett Anderson from the Oakland A’s, Eric Lauer from the San Diego Padres, and Josh Lindblom from KBO, it looks like it might be a fight to the death in figuring out who will be the starting five next year.

Who Could Be The Starting Five?

It’s hard to say and pinpoint an exact five pitchers for each position as one could be good as a third, or even a first starter. With the talent we have in our pen, making a rough draft of a prediction could be helpful in later determining an official one.

(Side note: These predictions are going based off of the pitchers that are already signed with Milwaukee, free agents and possible candidates are not going to be mentioned.)

1. Brandon Woodruff

No doubt in my mind that Woodruff starts off the rotation. After a late 2019 comeback, Woodruff proved why he’s here in Milwaukee, and why he’s a fan favorite. In his 2019 season, Woodruff had an 11-3 record, 3.62 ERA, and a WHIP of 1.142. Having started in 22 games, an 11-3 record is pretty impressive. He did miss a good chunk of the season due to an oblique injury, but once he came back, he bounced back like it never happened. Woodruff is the Brewers definite first starter for the upcoming season.

2. Adrian Houser

Adrian Houser did have a 6-7 record with a 3.72 ERA and could last a couple of innings before being relieved. Being a starter last season, I think he could take 2020 and make it his season to improve himself on the mound. Maybe not by puking on it, but, getting a stronger stomach.

3. Brett Anderson

The newest addition to the Brewers staff, Anderson is coming off a great season with Oakland where he went 13-9 with a 3.89 ERA in just 31 starts. It’s hard to say how he’s going to do this season with the crew as he has been struck with health issues over the last couple of seasons in the MLB. It would be nice to see another lefty in the rotation, though.

4. Brent Suter

This is something I would love to see happen in Milwaukee. Suter is a beast on the mound, although he doesn’t really track in a fast pitch, his aim for the strike zone is impeccable. After missing the ending of the 2018 season and a majority of the 2019 season due to Tommy John surgery, once Suter came back on the mound, he reminded Milwaukee why he’s one of the best pitchers we have in the bullpen. He only performed in nine games, but in those games, he had a 4-0 record with a 0.49 ERA. He only worked for an inning or two, but what he put out on the mound definitely showed that Suter meant business.

5. Eric Lauer

Brought to us in a trade deal with the Padres, Lauer should feature in the rotation. His season was a little rough, posting an 8-10 record with a 4.45 ERA. He’s definitely got potential to improve as a pitcher and deliver an amazing season. But, he could very well be placed as a reliever as well, it all depends on what goes on in the mind of the coaching staff.

Do I think the Brewers are going to acquire more starting pitchers? Absolutely. There’s always room for more potential and more talent to be displayed on the mound and as we saw near the end of the 2019 season, our starting rotation did not disappoint.

It all comes down to who can handle the pressure and who can deliver their best when getting a ballgame started.