Brewers: What To Expect From The Bullpen in 2021

The Brewers bullpen has been known as one of the best in the business and a huge area of strength for Milwaukee for a good amount of time now. But this year’s group might be one of the most inexperienced that Brewers fans have seen in awhile to start the year. Five of the 12 relievers listed on the depth chart made their MLB debut last season for Craig Counsell.

The Crew will be without three key arms returning for the 2021 season that they had the luxury of having last season. David Phelps was traded to the Phillies toward the end of the season for three young pitchers, but he put up some of the best numbers of his career when he was with Milwaukee including an ERA of 2.77 and a strikeout to walk ratio of 10:1.

Another reliever that the Brewers will sorely miss is Alex Claudio. Claudio was non-tendered for the second time in December and was later picked up by the Los Angeles Angels for $1.25MM. He was one of Craig Counsell’s most relied upon arms against left-handed hitters and was among the top guys for most innings pitched by Brewers relievers in his two years in Milwaukee.

The last and probably the most important departure this offseason is Corey Knebel. Knebel has been a staple in the Brewers bullpen since 2015 with an All-Star nomination in 2017 where he led the league in games appeared in (76) and posted a 1.78 ERA with 39 saves.

Last year was a bit of a tough year for Knebel where he once again battled injury with a hamstring strain, while the year before he was on the 60-day injured list with a right elbow injury. It’s difficult to say he will ever get back to his All-Star form, but equally as difficult to say goodbye to such a reliable guy when it counted most.

So those guys are gone, but there is reason to be optimistic Brewers fans. Let’s dive into the current depth chart and predict what we might see in the upcoming campaign.

The Expected

Josh Hader is one of the best relievers in baseball. That is a constant. He has cemented himself as such after two All-Star game appearances in 2018 and 2019 and leading the league in saves last season with 13.

He has become virtually unhittable against lefties and has proved to be able to go more than just one inning if called upon by his skipper. Hader is climbing up the leaderboards in Brewers history for saves and with a full season, he could crack the top five all-time for the club. I believe he’ll once again rank among the best in MLB in 2021.

Some may say it’s too early in his career to make this claim but I believe it’s already time to place Devin Williams in “The Expected” category. Will he post another 0.33 ERA and 17.7 K/9 line this coming season? Probably not. But after embarrassing opposing hitters all season with his elite changeup, he will be a force to be reckoned with for a while.

He was considered a rookie last season, but did play a bit in the prior year where he also put up pretty solid numbers. Expect the ‘Airbender’ to be dominant again this year.

The 1-2 punch of Devin Williams and Josh Hader should give the Brewers a dominant back end of the bullpen.

Brent Suter will once again be solid this coming season I believe. It’s quite the advantage to have a guy like Suter that can go two or three innings if called upon and he’s settled into that extended reliever position quite nicely.

Last year, ‘The Raptor’ put up some of the best strikeout numbers of his career, posting a strikeout to walk ratio of almost 8:1. His ability to work so quickly is an element that hitters aren’t used to, and he does a great job of using that to disrupt the timing of the hitter.

Suter will be a reliable arm this year but it’s even more likely that you’ll miss a half inning of baseball if you blink while he’s on the mound.

The Breakout Candidates

Freddy Peralta almost has all the tools to be the next stud pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers. According to Baseball Savant, he’s in the 75th percentile or better in 9 out of the 13 categories, excelling most in getting batters to swing and miss.

He debuted in 2018 as a 21 year old and is primed for a stellar season in 2021 if he can develop a third solid pitch, as his four-seam fastball and curveball have proved to be quality options. He added a slider to his mix in 2020 but he didn’t get much of a chance to throw it in games.

Also, with the departure of David Phelps last season, Peralta picked up more experience in high-leverage spots for Craig Counsell. Brewer fans should be really excited to see what Freddy Peralta can do this year.

The decision that Eric Yardley made in college to switch from a conventional pitching motion to a sidearm approach may have saved his career. He went from a 5.18 ERA in his sophomore year to 2.49 in his junior year in college after the switch and he hasn’t looked back. Now he has a chance to be a huge piece in the Brewers bullpen.

Last season, he appeared in a team-high 24 games and went 2-0 with an ERA of 1.54. Opposing right-handed hitters struggled against Yardley, hitting only .208 with an OBP of .296. Last year might have been considered his breakout year, but one more year of similar numbers may get him a nice payday and some league-wide recognition.

Drew Rasmussen, the flame-throwing righty, is a guy to be excited about entering 2021. He appeared in 12 games for Milwaukee last year and while he struggled in his last two games, prior to that he looked sharp. He didn’t allow a run in five games in a row and if you take out those last two games he would’ve had an ERA of around 1.90.

Rasmussen needs to get more comfortable with his off-speed pitches, as he threw his four-seam fastball about 70% of the time. Regardless of how fast and how much a pitching is spinning, there still has to be some doubt in a hitter’s mind of what’s coming. Rasmussen could be a guy that shines out of nowhere this year, especially if he appears in games after the likes of Brent Suter or Eric Yardley.

Justin Topa was welcomed to the big leagues by a two-run blast by Victor Reyes of the Detroit Tigers in early September, but Topa put that game in the rearview mirror quickly. He finished his next five games of the regular season without giving up an earned run.

The momentum even continued into the postseason where he worked two scoreless innings against the eventual World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers, only allowing one hit. That’s pretty good for a kid that just made his major league debut 29 days prior.

He is another hard thrower but the difference between him and Rasmussen is the use of the fastball. Topa only threw one four-seam fastball last season (which clocked in at 97) but his sinker can reach the upper 90s also. In addition, he didn’t allow a single hit with his slider in 36 pitches. Keep your eye on Justin Topa out of the bullpen this year.