Although we are just one week into the season, we finally have some real numbers to look at. And as soon as real numbers are coming in, the waiver wire is churning with players being added and dropped left and right. No one wants to miss out on the potential “add of the year” so this part of the season we see lots of players flying off the wire in hopes they are season long contributors. The window to add someone this part of the year can be extremely narrow, so get ready to capitalize. Most pitchers have made one start, but it is never too early to scoop up a guy that flashes potential. There are a couple of Brewers pitchers that have impressed in their first start of the season. Both were primarily relievers last season, but open the year with an opportunity to be a productive member of the pitching rotation. Lets go shopping for a nice new pair of Brews!
The Brewers are a great team to pitch for, as they have one of the league’s best offenses backing them. This means plenty of run support and thus, plenty of opportunities to record wins every time they toe the rubber. The Brewers are also a great team to pitch for because they also have one of the league’s best bullpens. This should allow them to stay in line for wins when they hand the ball over with the lead and feel comfortable that the bullpen won’t blow it for them. A potent offense and strong bullpen is a starting pitcher’s, and fantasy owner’s, ideal situation to be in.
Brandon Woodruff (ESPN: 17.7% ownership, Yahoo: 38%)
Woodruff made a handful of starts last season, but enters this year pegged as a full-time member of the Brewers rotation. In his first start of 2019, Woodruff picked up the win on 5 solid innings against the Cardinals. He struck out five, walked just one, and surrendered two earned runs on six hits. He displayed his strong four-pitch arsenal we saw last year (four seamer, slider, changeup, sinker) as well as sprinkling in some curveballs. Woodruff showed his durability as he threw 100 pitches, though you would like to see him go deeper into games with that many pitches. However there is plenty of time to polish out things on the mound as he should see regular starts this season.
Through 42.1 innings last year, Woodruff posted a 3.61 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and 3.30 FIP. He struck out 47 batters (9.99 K/9) on a 10.4% swinging strike rate, while walking 8% of those he faced. Steamer has him striking out just a hair under one batter/inning as they project him for an 8.35 K/9 from here on out. In some leagues he will need to make a few more starts to gain SP eligibility, but it will be worth it. This is Woodruff’s first season in the majors as a full time starter so the Brewers may look to limit his innings. They allowed him to throw 100 pitches in his first start of the season, which is encouraging. His last three outs came via the punch out, so even though he got up there in pitch count he was still effective towards the end of his outing. Woodruff is a solid add for someone looking to grab an arm off the wire.
Corbin Burnes (ESPN: 14.7%, Yahoo: 21%)
The reliever-turned-starter displayed some great stuff in his first career MLB start. Against the Cardinals he struck out an eye-popping 12 batters through just 5 innings of work. Even more impressive, he struck out the side in each of his first three innings of work. Not too shabby. His next run through the lineup did not go as smoothly, as the Cards made some adjustments. He fell victim to the long ball, as he surrendered a two-run home run in the fourth inning followed by two solo shots in the fifth. Hopefully Burnes can make some adjustments of his own going forward, and be able to get through a lineup multiple times. He is also basically a two-pitch pitcher which will be another hurdle to face if he wants to be effective as a starter over the course of a year. However, his fastball and slider are pretty filthy pitches and his fastball spin rates are the highest Statcast has ever recorded.
Not only were his spin rates high, but they translated to success. In his first MLB start he had a swinging strike rate of 18.4%. Now I know this is an extremely small sample size, but he had similar success last season. Through 38 innings at the big league level last year, Burnes struck out 35 batters on a 15.2% swinging strike rate. Not a massive sample size either, but it is clearly evident that Burnes has some gnarly stuff that can cause whiffs and generate strikeouts. It will be interesting to see how the Brewers manage his workload in his first season as a starting pitcher. He too needs to make a few more starts to gain SP eligibility in most leagues. His next start comes against the Cubs so I wouldn’t exactly say he’s a must start given the circumstances. But I’m enamored by the massive strikeout potential this guy can bring to the table and think he could turn out to be a real gem by the end of the season.
