Brewers: Projecting A Possible 2020 Starting Rotation

Summer Training Camp is just around the corner for the Milwaukee Brewers! As we look to the shortened season, what could the starting rotation look like?

Although the season is only 60 games due to COVID-19 and negotiation issues, the Milwaukee Brewers will still need to figure out who they are going to have in their starting rotation. They’ve made some acquisitions this past winter and we were able to see a few perform in Spring Training before everything was shut down in March.

Most of the pitchers are pretty well set, but the order is still to be determined and the final spot is up for grabs.

1. Brandon Woodruff

Not shocking to see Brandon Woodruff being the number one pick. Coming off an all-star 2019 season, Woodruff threw a 3.62 ERA with an 11-3 record and 1.142 WHIP.

An oblique injury cost Woodruff some time last year, but he returned in time for the postseason and pitched extremely well against the Nationals in the Wild Card game. He stepped up and became the Crew’s top starting pitcher. Although Craig Counsell hasn’t named Woodruff the Opening Day initial out-getter yet, it’s widely assumed that he will.

2. Josh Lindblom

Based on his first Spring Training appearance with the Brewers back in February, Josh Lindblom fits right into the starting rotation. I could see him as the No. 2 starter out of the gate based on his stats with the KBO. We haven’t really gotten a chance to see how Lindblom will do in his return to MLB, but the Brewers are hoping this season he will shine in the rotation.

3. Brett Anderson

Again, another player signed to be in the starting rotation, Brett Anderson came off a pretty good season in 2019 with the Oakland A’s going 13-9 with a 3.89 ERA in 31 starts. We haven’t seen much of him pitching in a Brewers uniform, but with his performance from last season, placing Anderson as the third starter seems to be a good fit for him. It’ll also be nice to see a lefty in the rotation and mix it up from throwing RHP’s.

4. Adrian Houser

We didn’t get to see much of Adrian Houser during Spring Training before the shutdown, but going off of his 2019 season where he had a 6-7 record with a 3.72 ERA, he really emerged as a starter, which was critical to the Brewers as they went through their season. I don’t really see Houser being in the top three starters, but the fourth spot seems to be a good fit for him.

In his first few starts last year, he struggled, but in his second turn in the rotation, Houser really turned a corner and the Brewers believe he can stick as a starter going forward.

5. Freddy Peralta

This man sure has shown his way to be in the starting rotation. Peralta had a breakout winter with the Dominican Winter League. Peralta went 2-0 with a 1.35 ERA and 34 K’s with his fastball nearing 100 MPH and he added a nasty slider. It’s a huge turnaround from the Freddy we were seeing last season. That Freddy was sent to Triple-A San Antonio and even taken out of the rotation and moved to the bullpen. This Freddy? He’s ready to be in the rotation again and throw some strikes.

Of course, there are others such as Eric Lauer, Corbin Burnes, and Shelby Miller, all of whom could compete for the starting rotation. Lauer and Burnes should provide close competition with Peralta for the 5th spot while Miller still could use a little work to prove that he’s ready for a big league rotation again.

The Milwaukee Brewers do have a solid rotation lined up and their bullpen helps back up the strength. It’ll be exciting and interesting to see how this shortened season affects pitchers.