Brewers Pitching Prospect Makes Team USA Olympic Qualifying Roster

In the 2020 (2021?) Tokyo Olympics, baseball finally makes its return to grand stage after 20 years of not being an Olympic sport. Once again, the Milwaukee Brewers have one of their pitchers on the roster.

The last time baseball was played in the Olympics, was in the year 2000 in Sydney, Australia. Team USA stormed their way to a Gold Medal behind breakout performances from a Milwaukee Brewers pitching prospect in one Ben Sheets.

Now, baseball is back and another Brewers pitching prospect is on the roster as Team USA looks for another Gold Medal.

Brewers LHP Clayton Andrews has made the Team USA Olympic Qualifying Roster.

Clayton Andrews is the Crew’s No. 25 prospect on MLB Pipeline and is listed as both a LHP and an outfielder. Team USA listed him as a pitcher and he likely won’t get much of a chance to play both ways in the Olympics.

Andrews has a 3.01 ERA in his minor league career over his three seasons since being drafted in the 17th round in 2018.

Standing at just 5’6″ tall, Andrews doesn’t have an overpowering fastball or an imposing presence on the mound, but he succeeds with deception and two very good off-speed pitches in his changeup and curveball.

Another Brewers farmhand in Logan Forsythe will also be on Team USA in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

Recently, the Brewers signed 34 year old veteran infielder Logan Forsythe to a minor league deal. He is also going to be with Team USA and helping to lead an infield that is filled with some young prospects.

Since the Olympics are taking place during MLB’s regular season, a squad full of superstars like we saw in the last World Baseball Classic is not a possibility. Only players who are not on a 40 man roster are eligible to play for Team USA this summer.

That gives the team a strong mix of minor league prospects and major league veteran free agents that have had trouble finding a home this season. Todd Frazier and Homer Bailey were among them.

Recently, Ryan Braun said he was approached by both Team USA and Team Israel about playing in the Olympics, but he declined both.

The last time a Brewers pitching prospect was on Team USA in the Olympics, they won a Gold medal. This time? We’ll see. Andrews isn’t nearly as good of a prospect as Sheets was, and Andrews will pitch primarily out of the bullpen instead of the rotation. But perhaps having a Brewers pitcher on the team is a good luck charm.

The Olympics will take place later this summer, and it’ll be good to see baseball on that kind of stage again.