5 internal starting pitching options for the Brewers to consider amid injury woes

In the midst of what is shaping up to be a summer to remember, the Milwaukee Brewers, a preseason pick to finish 4th in the NL Central by many media outlets, find themselves in firm control of the division. What has made this run even more impressive is the amount of injuries they’ve sustained, mainly to the pitching staff.

From the Opening Day roster, only Freddy Peralta and Colin Rea haven’t missed any time. The Crew have had the fabled “next man up” mentality, receiving meaningful starts from the likes of Jared Koenig, Tobias Myers, and Bryse Wilson amongst others. This begs the question, who is next?

While there are many external options to be had via trade, there are several names in house that haven’t yet pitched for the Brewers this season, but could. 

Names on the 40-Man

Bradley Blalock (Biloxi)

Blalock has already been seen in Milwaukee this year, but has yet to pitch in a game. The return in the Luis Urias trade has been very impactful in the minors during his 23 year old campaign. Pitching in Double-A Biloxi, he's started nine games with a 3.56 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 43 innings. Since he has already been up for a cup of coffee, I would consider it extremely likely Bradley Blalock pitches sooner than later for the Brewers.

Taylor Clark (Nashville)

The 31-year-old Clark came to Milwaukee after spending time with the Royals. He owns a career 15-15 record over 279 innings and a 5.03 ERA since his debut in 2019. Taylor looks to be a major contributor either as a starter or in the bullpen down the stretch for Milwaukee. Clarke is currently on a rehab assignment from a torn meniscus he had repaired in March. Through 14 innings, Clarke has been spectacular for Triple-A Nashville, posting a 1.93 ERA and including four shutout innings earlier this week. He's being stretched out despite previously being considered a bullpen arm.

Names not on the 40-man

Carlos F. Rodriguez (Nashville)

At only 22 years old, Rodriguez is the Brewers reigning Minor League Pitcher of the Year. He posted a 2.88 ERA across 128 innings while pitching mainly in Double A in 2023. Rodriguez was promoted late in 2023 to Triple-A and has recently found success after struggling to begin the season. After an extremely rough April posting a 8.08 ERA, May was much kinder and more of what the Brewers expected with a 3.03 ERA. Opponents also hit only .196 against him in the month of May.

Rodriguez’s main issue is he has no dominant pitch, using more of the kitchen sink approach to get batters out. While he was slow to adjust to Triple-A, he’s now finding success and could find himself starting meaningful games down the stretch as the Brewers continue in the pennant race. Manager Pat Murphy has said that Rodriguez has been in consideration for a promot

Chad Patrick

Coming to Milwaukee via trade from the Oakland A’s in exchange for Abraham Toro, Patrick had a brutal 2023 season, posting an ERA over 4.50 in each of his three stops on his way to a 4-11 record. As the Brewers tend to do, they may have remedied his issues. In 2024 with the Nashville Sounds, Chad Patrick has been dominant. He's 5-1 across six starts with a 2.87 ERA and a 52:20 strikeout to walk ratio across 53 innings. Soon it will be hard to ignore his dominance at the highest minor league level, and the Brewers will be forced to allow him to make his major league debut. Murphy also confirmed Patrick is in the conversation for a promotion.

Jacob Misiorowski

This list would simply be incomplete without a mention of the Brewers top pitching prospect. There’s no denying his stuff is major league ready, as he’s struck out 54 batters across 39 innings. The issue is the walks. Across those same 39 innings he’s allowed 31 walks. 

The other issue is where do you slot Misiorowski? Starter or bullpen? Jacob Misiorowski could contribute in the Brewers bullpen today, but Milwaukee has chosen to develop him long term as a starter. Could the price of pitching at the deadline force the Brewers hand? I believe if we see Jacob Misiorowski pitching in Milwaukee during the 2024 season he will be in the bullpen or after the deadline if the cost of acquiring a starter is deemed too high. 

All of the names listed could impact the Brewers in 2024. The Brewers have always shown the knack for finding pitching where others couldn’t. Will it be players cast off from organizations such as Patrick and Blalock? Home grown talent like Rodriguez and Misiorowski? A career journeyman like Taylor Clarke? Time will tell, until then hopefully the Brewers can find a way to avoid the injury bug.