Could the Brewers try Ashby in the Opening Day rotation?
The Brewers restructured rotation could benefit from the addition of Aaron Ashby.
As the team goes into 2025, there are enough arms to fill out the rotation without a splash in free agency. But if they are going to put together a group that could define the Brewers as preseason favorites, that requires the upside of a young, budding starter breaking out. DL Hall and Ashby both could fill the role, but Ashby’s performance in 2024 could prove a promising steppingstone for him to secure an Opening Day spot.
Ashby didn’t pitch in 2023 and was limited to just 28 1⁄3 innings in 2024. That small workload both leaves us with questions concerning how much to read into his results, as well as how far the Brewers could push Ashby if they did use him as a starter. He was excellent in the bullpen, so it would make sense to use him as a long reliever, but his performance could warrant a return to the rotation.
While injuries and workload are always a concern with pitching, focusing just on the results, Ashby’s performance was highly encouraging after a missed season. He pitched to a 2.86 ERA with an impressive 10.48 K/9. However, his 3.18 BB/9 would have ranked 46th of 58 qualified starters. The walks don’t fit into the ideal profile for a starter, but it isn’t a complete non-starter, especially with great strikeout stuff.
His changeup, curveball, and slider were all effective weapons. Each pitch registered a whiff rate of at least 37%. When the batters managed to hit the ball, they didn’t do much damage as Ashby held batters to a .208 expected batting average against his entire arsenal.
This year saw a wide group of pitchers in the Milwaukee rotation that didn’t offer a lot of upside. Pitchers like Colin Rea, Aaron Civale, Joe Ross, and Frankie Montas all filled their role in helping the team to another division crown, but they weren’t going to be the type of pitcher you are excited to see on the mound in a playoff game.
If the Brewers insert a pitcher like Ashby into the rotation, it instantly gives the group some high-end potential.
Stats courtesy of FanGraphs unless otherwise noted.