Brewers: Who will Earn the Spot as the Fifth Starter?

This position in the pitching rotation remains open with four candidates vying for the spot: Corbin Burnes, Brent Sutter, Eric Lauer, and Freddie Peralta.  Each brings a unique skill set and has performed well early in spring training.  Manager Craig Counsell and General Manager David Stearns may have a difficult decision to make when choosing the fifth man for the rotation.  Let’s take a more in-depth look at these four pitchers.

Corbin Burnes

Corbin Burnes showed great promise in 2018 when the Brewers called him up in July.  He had dominated at every level of the minor league system, earning the title of Brewer’s minor league pitcher of the year.  Burnes finished the 2018 season with a 7-0 record out of the bullpen.  He posted a 2.61 ERA with 35 strikeouts in 38.0 innings pitched.  His future looked bright.

Due to this success, Burnes began the 2019 season as a starter.  However, he could not replicate his success from the previous season.  Burnes allowed 11 home runs in his first three starts. He was relegated to the bullpen where his struggles continued. Burnes ended his season in July with shoulder inflammation.  His ERA in 2019 had ballooned to a massive 9.55 as he gave up 17 home runs in 49.0 innings. 

The 2020 season has started well for Burnes as has he has not allowed an earned run in spring training at the time of this article.  His arm now shows more life with an improved fastball. Last week Burnes hit an unbelievable 94 MPH with his slider, as reports indicate.

Brent Suter

Brent Suter spent portions of both the 2016 and 2017 seasons with the Brewers, starting a total of 14 games in over 104 innings.  The lefty ended the 2017 season with a 3-2 record and a 3.42 ERA with 64 strikeouts in 81.2 innings pitched. Suter was named a full-time starter in 2018, and earned an 8-7 record with a 4.44 ERA in 101.1 innings pitched that season. Yet Suter’s season was cut short in 2018 due to a torn ligament in this throwing arm. He underwent Tommy John surgery later that year and made a remarkable recovery.

Suter returned to the Brewers at the end of the 2019 and posted incredible numbers out of the bullpen.  In 18.1 innings, he allowed only one earned run which accounted for his 0.49 ERA.  Suter looks to carry this success into the 2020 season.  In 3 innings of spring training ball, he has yet to allow an earned run. 

Suter is scouted as a soft-tosser who uses pitch location and movement to garner outs.  He has typically shown struggles with batters who he faces for the third time, in the later innings.  Therefore, he may be a better fit in the bullpen. His throwing style would make him a stark contrast to those arms hitting the high 90’s on the radar gun.  But if Suter can continue with his dominance shown in 2019, he is a lock for the rotation.

Eric Lauer

Eric Lauer was acquired by the Brewers in the offseason. Along with infielder Luis Urias, he was traded from the Padres to the Brewers for a deal which included Zach Davies. The left-hander was a first-round pick of the Padres in 2016.  He made his major league debut in 2018 where he made 23 starts, playing in pitcher-friendly Petco Park.  Lauer finished the season with an 8-7 record and a moderate 4.34 ERA.  His 100 strikeouts in 112 innings showed potential and Lauer began the 2019 season as the Padre’s opening day starter.  He finished the 2019 season with an 8-10 record and a similar 4.45 ERA.  His strikeouts increased to 138, but thatcame in 149.2 innings. 

Lauer projects to be an end-of-the rotation starter, or possible long reliever.  He brings a mid-range fastball and a pedestrian slider which often leads to too many home runs, and not enough strikeouts.  If Lauer is going to fill the fifth slot in the rotation, his pitching will have to improve.

Freddie Peralta

The Brewers future lies with Freddie Peralta, or at least the front office thinks so.  In February, Peralta signed a 5-year $15.5 million dollar extension that will keep him in Milwaukee through the 2026 season. Peralta made his first start for the Brewers against Colorado, in May of 2018.  He threw a sterling 5.2 innings and tallied 13 strikeouts without giving up an earned run, a Brewer’s record for first-time starters.  Peralta started 14 games in the 2018 season and finished with a 6-4 record.  His 4.25 ERA belied his potential as he racked up an impressive 96 strikeouts in 78.1 innings.    

Peralta continued to total the strikeouts in the 2019 season despite a marked increase in ERA.  He made 39 appearances, with 8 starts, as his ERA ballooned to 5.29.  Peralta was moved to the bullpen, but made the occasional spot start for Milwaukee.

In 5.0 spring training innings, Peralta has yet to surrender a run.  His fastball has shown good movement, and he has added a biting slider to his repertoire.  With his new contract in hand, Peralta is solidly in the Brewer’s future plans. Perhaps that future is now.

Set for the Future

The coming weeks will provide more clarity as to who will be slated as the Brewers’ fifth starter.  In any case, the Brewers are well-stocked for the future, with young arms and solid depth in their minor league system.  However, it remains to be seen who will be their fifth starter at the start of this season.

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