Why Ángel Zerpa will be the Brewers' pitching labs' next great success story

The Milwaukee Brewers have earned a reputation for turning overlooked or inconsistent arms into reliable big-league contributors, with their highly regarded pitching lab in Arizona often cited as a key part of that success. Just as important, however, is the organization’s coaching philosophy. Rather than overhauling a pitcher’s mechanics or forcing wholesale changes, Brewers pitching coaches focus on identifying what each pitcher already does well and lean into those strengths, thus allowing arms to develop more naturally.

With that in mind, it's exciting what the lab might unlock in newly acquired left-hander Ángel Zerpa, who required the steep price of Isaac Collins and Nick Mears, meaning there's something about the former Kansas City Royal that the Brewers pitching department must like a lot. The former starter turned reliever already brings power stuff, highlighted by a sinker that averaged 96.6 mph last season, but with a career 3.97 ERA, he still appears a step or two away from making the leap into a more reliable, high-impact reliever.

Why Ángel Zerpa will be the Milwaukee Brewers' pitching labs' next great success story

Focusing on what Zerpa already does well, he generates ground balls at an elite rate, posting a 63.7% ground-ball percentage last season. His slider also stands out, featuring nearly seven inches of downward movement, which has given Zerpa difficulties commanding the pitch at times. Paired with unique velocity for a left-hander, featured on Zerpa's elite sinking fastball, the 26-year-old who has already appeared in parts of five MLB seasons is a rare profile, but one that a team with excellent infield defense like the Brewers should absolutely be interested in.

Interestingly enough, Zerpa's electric arm hasn't yet produced high strikeout totals, an area the Brewers will surely hope to improve. He's also had intermittent struggles against right-handed hitters and, in an effort to neutralize them, he has mixed in a changeup, but the results have been rough, with right-handed batters hitting .500 against the pitch last season and .368 the year before. Zerpa all but ditched the changeup in 2025, throwing it just 4% of the time. The Brewers, especially if they envision Zerpa being a multi-inning arm, will no doubt try to re-introduce a more effective changeup to his arsenal.

All of this points to a simple adjustment the Brewers’ coaching staff may lean into: emphasizing Zerpa’s sinker and slider while utilizing a revamped changeup only to keep right-handers honest. They may also focus on maintaining consistent shape and spin on his slider, which has proven to be an effective off-speed weapon when Zerpa can control it, and that increased command could lead to more whiffs in the strike zone, especially if opposing hitters are having to protect against a consistently-located high fastball.

If the Brewers can help Zerpa elevate his game, he has the tools to become a reliable, high-leverage arm in Milwaukee’s bullpen. With his power, movement, and the organization’s proven development system behind him, he could emerge as the next success story, joining the long line of pitchers who have taken their raw talent and turned it into major-league impact under the Brewers’ watchful guidance.