Brewers' embarrassment of riches apparent after latest minor league pitcher award

Yesterday, the Milwaukee Brewers' long-time ace and fan favorite, Brandon Woodruff, made his triumphant return to the big leagues after nearly two full seasons away from MLB. To make room in the starting rotation, the Brewers were forced to option a rookie with a 3.52 season ERA in Chad Patrick. Clearly, given Patrick's ERA and the fact that he was leading the Brewers' starters in Wins Above Replacement, the team's decision to option him to Triple-A was not due to his performance, but rather a product of the team having too many major league caliber starting pitchers.

With Nestor Cortes nearing a return as well, as the veteran southpaw is set to make his second rehab start with the Nashville Sounds sometime this week, Milwaukee's roster decisions are only going to get more difficult. Assuming the team elects to keep Jacob Misiorowski on the major league roster, as they claimed they would prior to his debut, the only other Brewers starter with minor league options is Quinn Priester, who hasn't lost a start since May 13.

Already, that is seven starting pitchers, including Woodruff, Freddy Peralta, and José Quintana, who are worthy of a spot on the major league roster. However, Milwaukee's plethora of starting options doesn’t stop there. Down in Triple-A, Logan Henderson is still sitting on the 1.71 ERA that he posted in four major league starts. But what about a name that hasn't been talked about much since mid-May? Tobias Myers.

Tobias Myers wins International League Pitcher of the Week in Triple-A

On May 18, the Brewers optioned Tobias Myers to Triple-A, despite the 2024 breakout pitcher getting just five opportunities to prove himself in the majors after missing the first month of the season with a left oblique strain. Myers didn't look nearly as sharp as he did a season ago, when he posted a 3.00 ERA in 25 starts for the Brewers, but similar to Patrick, his demotion was due less to his performance and more to the anticipated returns of José Quintana, Aaron Civale, and Brandon Woodruff.

However, now Myers appears to be hitting his stride, and with 11 Triple-A starts under his belt this season, he holds a 2.93 ERA. Last week, en route to winning his fifth career Minor League Pitcher of the Week award, Myers made his best start of the year, tossing a scoreless six-inning two-hitter with eight strikeouts and no walks against the Memphis Redbirds, the St. Louis Cardinals' Triple-A affiliate.

After posting a 3.41 ERA across five starts in June, Myers is seemingly back on track, and his International League Pitcher of the Week award this past week is an impressive way to keep things rolling.

With Myers back to form, that gives the Brewers nine major league caliber starting pitchers in their organization — an excellent problem to have, but one that does create difficult roster decisions and can affect the development of young pitchers who are ready to be consistently tested at the highest level.

Myers will almost certainly factor into the Brewers’ rotation plans next season and could even join the rotation at some point this season if injuries start to pop up once again. For now, he will continue to pitch in Triple-A, where the Nashville Sounds' rotation might rival that of some MLB teams.