Intriguing Brewers prospect returns to the mound after two-year absence

The recent promotions of Chad Patrick and Logan Henderson — who will likely make his MLB debut on Sunday — should have Milwaukee Brewers fans exited about the organization's continued ability to develop starting pitching in their farm system. Through creative trades from the front office, the Brewers continue to turn proven major league talent into exciting long-term options that have the ability to impact the team for many years to come. One such trade happened way back in December of 2023, when the Crew sent major leaguers Adrian Houser and Tyrone Taylor to the New York Mets for high-upside prospect Coleman Crow.

At the time, the trade looked primarily like a way for the financially strapped Brewers to save a few dollars by cutting ties with two increasingly more expensive, arbitration-eligible players in Houser and Taylor. However, the trade was not purely a "salary-dump" for the Brewers, who received an exciting piece in Crow in return. The acquisition did, however, come with one caveat: Crow was recovering from Tommy John surgery and was expected to miss the entire 2024 season. Now, nearly two years after his last professional start, Crow will take the ball for the Brewers' Double-A affiliate, the Biloxi Shuckers, in their Friday night matchup with the Birmingham Barons, the Chicago White Sox’s Double-A team.

Coleman Crow makes first professional start in nearly two years

Originally drafted out of high school by the Los Angeles Angels in 2019, Crow made four impressive starts in 2023 before going down with his elbow injury. He posted a 1.88 ERA with an impressive 31 strikeouts in just 24 innings pitched. While he won't overpower hitters with a low-90s fastball, Crow's strength lies in his offspeed offerings. According to MLB Pipeline, Crow's best breaking ball is his looping curveball that carries impressive downward movement, but he also displays a sharper, higher-velocity slider. See both pitches on display in the video below (and see if you recognize the opposing batters that Crow strikes out).

Yep, that's Brewers' superstar Jackson Chourio who Crow strikes out with a nasty 12-6 curveball, and former MLB Pipeline top-100 prospect Tyler Black, known for his ability to make contact, who Crow Ks to finish off the inning.

More recently, Crow appeared in the talent-rich Arizona Fall League (AFL) during this past offseason, making four appearances and covering nine innings. Crow didn't have the success he was looking for on the mound, allowing eight earned runs, but the AFL is often treated as a time for players who have missed a lot of time due to injury to get more work in. In that regard, Crow's appearance in the AFL, which came after not pitching for more than a year and a half, should be viewed as a success.

Tonight's start is the culmination of a lot of hard work and determination for Crow. Recovering from injuries is never an easy task, but when an injury keeps a player away from the game for nearly two years, it takes a special kind of resilience for them to return to the field.