Have the Brewers found a new star in flame throwing Abner Uribe?

Abner Uribe has seemingly become the Brewers temporary closer. The "temporary" is not due to poor performance, but rather because every day, All-Star closer, Devin Williams, has landed on the IL. William's won't be able to pitch until July, making Uribe one of the youngest closers in the league for the time being.

Uribe features a wicked slider paired with an elite sinker, while dazzling a four seem fastball on rare occasion. In 2024, Uribe has thrown the sinker 63% of the time and the pitch has averaged 99 MPH on the gun. It is important to remember that Uribe had only pitched in 32 MLB games prior to this season. In his first four appearances, he has successfully complete three saves, which is a remarkable feat for a player with his experience.

At this point Uribe is becoming a star in the league, but where did he come from? Uribe grew up in Santo Domingo which is in the Dominican Republic. When he was growing up, he had his mind set on being a shortstop and playing professional ball. Uribe's mother did not know a lot about baseball, but she told her son that he should try pitching. Uribe said in an interview "I guess mom is always right."

Uribe's first contract came in 2018 on a minor league deal worth $85,000 after he impressed for the DSL Brewers in the Dominican Summer League. Uribe is a home grown talent for Milwaukee as he has never been with any other organization. Uribe has journeyed through the minors, making appearances for the Carolina Mudcats (A) in 2021, Biloxi Shuckers (AA) in 2022, and the Nashville Sounds (AAA) in 2023.

Uribe made all these stops before the age of 23, when he got the call to come up to the big leagues. He debuted on July 8th, at home against the Cincinnati Reds. He instantly made an impact, pitching his first 6.2 innings while only allowing a single run.

It will be interesting to see how Brewers manager Pat Murphy elects to use Uribe throughout the year as he navigates an elite back end talent. While losing Devin Williams is an extremely brutal blow, some positives may come out of this. The Brewers will now be forced to use Uribe in high leverage situations early on in this season, which could help them if he is indeed the set up man for Williams down the stretch.

Other options in the back end of the bullpen include Joel Payamps, Elvis Peguero, or even Trevor Megill (when he returns from his concussion), who have all been impressive for the Brewers. One name to remember in the bullpen this year could be left-handed reliever Bryan Hudson, who was aquired from the Dodgers this off season. Hudson has been electric in his first two outings for Milwaukee and could over take Hoby Milner as the team's top lefty arm late in games.

Ultimately, the most important thing for this team right now is the experience that these young relievers are getting in meaningful situations. The Brewers bullpen remains loaded with talent, and Abner Uribe will headline the back end until Devin Williams returns.