Milwaukee Brewers Pitching Analysis: 2014 Fantasy Baseball

February 17, 2014

Andy Schmidt analysis of the Brewers, their starting pitchers (SPs), relief pitchers (RP) and fantasy values for the 2014 fantasy baseball draft season.

It was difficult for fantasy baseball owners to find solid pieces on the Milwaukee Brewers last year.  The 2014 will be a little better with the acquisition of Matt Garza, but the Brewers rotation is still nothing to write home about. Here is a look at the probable pitchers in Milwaukee this season and their value for fantasy baseball.

2014 Milwaukee Brewers - Pitching Staff Preview

SP- Yovani Gallardo

There are not very many consistent pieces to the Milwaukee pitching staff, but Gallardo may top the list of the good ones. He went 12-10 last season with a 4.18 ERA for a bad Brewers team. It was his worst season ever so expect a turnaround in 2014 with 13-16 wins and an ERA around 3.79, and closer to 190 K. He is a pitcher to take in the 9-11th round of a draft who can return nice value at that price.

SP- Matt Garza

Garza will be on his third team in less than two years but he returns to the NL Central where he pitched for the Chicago Cubs from 2011-2013. He finished 10-6 last season for the Cubs and Texas Rangers while having a 3.82 ERA. That ERA is likely going to remain very similar coming back to the National League. Garza is someone that needs to be taken right around the same time as Gallardo, and will give you pretty similar K numbers and ERA.

SP- Kyle Lohse

Lohse waited a long time last off-season to sign with a team after a 16-3 year in 2012. He would go just 11-10 in 2013 with a 3.35 ERA. Those are very solid stats and the question needs to be asked on whether or not he can put up similar numbers again. Lohse should get more run support in 2014 so a season with 13-15 wins is likely. It would be wise to wait on drafting him until the later rounds of the draft.

SP- Marco Estrada

After a shaky first 6 weeks, Estrada pitched well the rest of the way in 2013 with a 7-4 record and a 3.87 ERA. He isn’t the youngest pitcher out there at 30 years old but looks to be peaking later in his career.  He also put up a very nice 2012 and has high K-upside. Estrada could easily find himself getting to double digits in victories if everything falls the right way for him. He isn’t someone worth drafting in shallow leagues, but in deeper leagues he's a nice late round sleeper to target.

SP- Wily Peralta

The young righty stayed in the rotation all year, finishing last season with an 11-15 record. He is a candidate to throw over 200 innings for the first time in his career in 2014 and could lower his ERA in the process. He is likely going to find himself with 10-12 wins and an ERA around 3.85 in 32-34 starts. Fantasy owners shouldn’t be drafting him until the final picks of the draft, but he is a very young pitcher with tons of talent and is a nice sleeper pick in very deep drafts.

RP- Jim Henderson

Henderson came into the 2013 season not expected to be a bullpen and closer savior but took the job and ran with it. He finished with 28 saves and a 2.70 ERA. Odds are that he finishes with more saves in 2014 especially with a better Milwaukee product on the field. Henderson should be drafted in the tenth or eleventh round in the second tier of closers.

RP- Tyler Thornburg

Thornburg bounced between the rotation and bullpen last season with a 3-1 record and solid 2.03 ERA. He goes back to the bullpen with the team signing Garza but big things could be expected from him if he gets another rotation chance. His innings will likely be limited, however, which cuts down on his upside for fantasy owners. He isn’t someone that should be drafted but must be monitored closely.