Spring training is an exciting time of the year. The start of a new season means that everyone has a clean slate. This often times leads to optimism and hope that under the radar players can perform well in March and plead their case for making the opening day roster.
In camp this year, top pitching prospect Ethan Small has already debuted. Craig Counsell has already talked about his expectations for Small this season, so in this article we will take a look at three dark horse pitching candidates looking to make the opening day roster.
1) Luis Perdomo
Despite undergoing Tommy John surgery and missing all of the 2021 season, the Brewer signed Perdomo to a minor league deal out of the Padres organization. With the Padres, he logged 444 innings at the major league level. Results were mixed however, as he has a career 5.19 ERA. He will be looking to put together a strong spring this year in his first appearance back since surgery.
2) Lucas Erceg
Last year Erceg experimented with being a two-way player. As a pitcher in 2021, he covered over 47 innings and posted a 5.29 ERA. This year, he is trying to make his mark as a full time relief pitcher. Perhaps focusing on just pitching will allow him to bounce back this season in his attempt to make the major leagues. It will be interesting to see how he handles this transition, but one thing we do know so far is that he can throw hard. After his spring training debut, scouts had him at 96-98 MPH.
Erceg was 96-98 mph today, per a scout.
— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) March 19, 2022
3) Luke Barker
For quite some time now Brewer fans have been hoping that Luke Barker will get a chance in the majors. He is now 30 years old and is again a non-roster invitee to big league camp. In 236 career minor league innings he has a 2.25 ERA. He has had success everywhere he has played and is very deserving of a chance!
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