Why this under-the-radar pitcher could flourish with Brewers

Pitchers who’ve had success with the Brewers after struggles elsewhere embody Trevor Megill (1-3, 2.72 ERA in 2024), Bryan Hudson (6-1, 1.73 ERA) and Aaron Civale. 

Civale exemplifies Milwaukee’s success on this space greater than most. After battling to seek out consistency with the Tampa Bay Rays — posting a 4-9 document and a 5.17 ERA in 27 begins — he was acquired by the Brewers in a midseason commerce and blossomed right into a dependable starter. In 14 starts with Milwaukee final season, Civale went 6-3 with a 3.53 ERA and tossed three hitless innings within the postseason. 

Thomas, a 26-year-old left-hander, spent the previous 4 seasons in Triple-A with the Memphis Redbirds (and elsewhere), persistently exhibiting promise however unable to safe a spot on St. Louis’ big-league roster.

In 2023, Thomas had his greatest season to this point, ending with a 2.89 ERA and 1.34 WHIP over 146.2 innings and turning into an Arizona Fall League All-Star. His capacity to restrict walks and induce weak contact makes him intriguing.

Some of the notable options of Thomas’ recreation is his pitch combine, which features a fastball, changeup, slider and cutter. According to FanGraphs, Thomas’ cutter is graded at 55, the very best amongst his pitches.

Over time, the Brewers have had success with pitchers who’ve a great cutter, a pitch that usually retains hitters off stability and results in weak contact. Milwaukee’s Tobias Myers serves as a main instance. In 2022, the season earlier than becoming a member of Milwaukee’s group, Myers struggled mightily (1-15 document and a 7.82 ERA in 23 Triple-A begins). However after signing with Milwaukee, Myers’ profession took a dramatic flip. 

Beginning the season in Double-A, he went 10-5 with a 5.03 ERA. His success earned him a promotion to Triple-A, the place he dominated with a 1.45 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 18.2 innings. By June, Myers was within the majors, and by season’s finish, he had turned his profession round, posting a 9-6 document with a 3.00 ERA and 127 strikeouts in 138 innings. He additionally made an influence within the postseason, tossing 5 shutout innings and permitting solely two hits.

Thomas’ scenario mirrors Myers’ in some methods. Although he has been within the Cardinals’ system since 2017, Thomas has discovered it troublesome to interrupt into the workforce’s deep big-league rotation. However the Brewers have constructed a repute for getting essentially the most out of pitchers like Thomas, particularly these with wonderful command. Thomas has a very robust command of the strike zone, which is graded at a stellar 65 by FanGraphs.

Although Thomas has his challenges, the Brewers are betting that his pitch combine and command shall be sufficient to make an influence on the main league degree. 

With Milwaukee’s confirmed monitor document of growing pitchers in want of a recent begin, it’s straightforward to know why they chose Thomas within the Rule 5 Draft. Whether or not or not he’ll observe within the footsteps of different successes in Milwaukee, one factor is for certain: The Brewers are adept at unlocking the potential of ignored expertise, and Thomas might be the subsequent success story.