The Milwaukee Brewers have a knack for digging high-leverage relief pitchers out of the ground. I should no longer be surprised when the Brewers find random pitchers and turn them into quality relievers. Bryan Hudson is the latest pitcher the Brewers have worked this magical ability on. Hudson has come out of nowhere and become the unsung hero of the Brewers bullpen.
Not A Lot Of Success Early On
Embed from Getty ImagesBefore being traded to the Brewers this past offseason, Bryan Hudson was starting to go on life support. Originally drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 2015, Hudson spent seven years in their farm system excluding the canceled 2020 minor league season. However, the Alton, Illinois native never appeared in a game with the Cubs and was released by the organization in 2022.
Hudson would eventually sign a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers last season. He would begin the 2023 season at Triple-A Oklahoma City before being called up by the Dodgers that June. The then 26-year-old would appear in six games for Los Angeles totaling 8.2 innings pitched. Hudson wouldn’t register any decisions with an ERA of 7.27, seven strikeouts, and a 1.846 WHIP. He would eventually be designated for assignment that offseason.
Bryan Hudson Is The Most Effective Reliever In Baseball This Season
The Brewers would acquire Bryan Hudson at the beginning of the year from the Dodgers. They’d only give up a low-level minor leaguer and a player to be named later. After a solid spring training, the southpaw would make Milwaukee’s Opening Day roster. With all-star closer Devin Williams suffering a back injury, Hudson would also be in the mix for high-leverage innings and save opportunities.
This season, the Brewers have gotten way more than they ever could’ve possibly expected from Bryan Hudson. He’s become one of the better set-up men in the league this season. So far this year, Hudson has appeared in 26 games for the Brew Crew. He is 4-0 with an ERA of 0.90, 45 strikeouts, and a 0.650 WHIP. The 27-year-old has also only walked eight hitters and opponents are hitting just .134 against him with an OPS of 432. Given how much teams rely on bullpens these days, Hudson should be an easy all-star selection. This is a far cry from what he did in the Cubs organization and his five appearances with Los Angeles.
Diversifying His Pitch Usage Has Been A Big Key To His Success
Embed from Getty ImagesOne of the keys to Hudson’s resurgent season in 2024 is he’s developed more of an arsenal of pitches. Last season, Hudson primarily relied on his fastball throwing it 86.6% of the time while only occasionally mixing in his cutter and sweeper. This season, the 27-year-old has cut down his fastball usage to 52.3%. He’s mixed in both his sweeper and cutter a lot more this season. Hudson’s usage of both the sweeper and cutter have jumped up to 27.4% and 20.3% respectively. His pitch usage change has allowed his strikeout rate to rise from 15.9% in 2023 to 31.5% this season.
The Brewers Once Again Struck Gold
Embed from Getty ImagesBryan Hudson went from having a career on life support to becoming the most effective reliever in all of baseball. Hudson’s change in his pitch usage has paid big dividends for him and the Brewers in 2024. Teams dream of having a pitcher out of the bullpen that’s as effective as Hudson has been for Milwaukee this season. With the kind of year he’s been having, Hudson should be a no-brainer when it comes to selecting pitchers for the all-star team. He is the latest example of Milwaukee’s ability to find random pitchers and turn them into effective relievers.
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