New Brewers reliever Matt Albers broke through with big 2017 after making adjustments

It’s never too late to find ways to improve, especially if you’re an older pitcher trying to stay in the major leagues.

Right-hander Matt Albers did exactly that last season, and it was a big reason the Milwaukee Brewers decided to sign the veteran reliever to a two-year deal.

On Tuesday, the team confirmed reports of the deal from the previous day. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Brewers designated catcher Andrew Susac for assignment.

Albers, 35, had to find something quickly after a miserable 2016 season with the Chicago White Sox. In 58 games, he went 2-6 with a 6.38 earned run average and 1.675 WHIP, easily his worst performance of a long big-league career.

“I had a few ideas, talking to guys, about pitching up in the zone, more four-seamers, being able to attack lefties,” said Albers, who first pitched in the majors for Houston in 2006. “I had gone back and forth between the curveball and slider a lot of my career but I really just sold out on the slider.

“That helped me be more consistent. I threw my changeup more, also.”

Those changes, along with an uptick in fastball velocity from 92 mph to 93.3 mph, did wonders for Albers. In 63 appearances for first-place Washington, he went 7-2 with a 1.62 ERA, with 63 strikeouts in 61 innings, cutting his WHIP in half to 0.852.

Albers proved equally effective against left-handed batters (.171 batting average) and righties (.163), making specific matchups not as important.

That was enough for Brewers general manager David Stearns to pursue Albers and sign him to a two-year deal, reported to be worth $5 million. Stearns has been retooling his bullpen this off-season after the exodus of right-handers Anthony Swarzak, Carlos Torres and Jared Hughes.

“Matt’s a guy who’s always had a really good arm,” Stearns said. “He battled some injury issues a few years ago, but he has pitched healthy now the past couple of years and made some very meaningful adjustments last year in Washington. We see no reason it can’t carry forward.

“He got more swings and misses than he had at previous points of his career. He was able to put batters away, both left-handed hitters and right-handed hitters. That’s a pretty good combination. When they did put the ball in play, it was generally pretty weak contact.”

As for what he likes most about what Albers offers, Stearns said, “First off, it’s hard stuff from the right side, and that’s what is most apparent when you watch him. It’s a hard fastball; it’s a hard slider. He’s learning how to use those pitches a little differently. He attacked hitters a little bit last year and it proved very successful for him.”

Albers began the 2017 season in a late-inning role for the Nationals but was used earlier in games after closer Sean Doolittle and setup man Ryan Madson were acquired from Oakland. He said he’s open to any role in the Brewers’ bullpen but wouldn’t mind pitching with games on the line.

“I’ve pitched all over (games) during my career,” said Albers, who is 36-39 with a 4.13 ERA in 515 games for seven teams. "I feel comfortable pitching at the end of games when we’re winning. Kind of that lock-down (assignment). I have fun with that so I see myself pitching in that role.”

Susac, 27, was acquired with minor-league pitching prospect Phil Bickford on Aug. 1, 2016 in a trade that sent reliever Will Smith to San Francisco. He struggled with injuries last year and spent most of the season at Class AAA Colorado Springs, where he batted .205 in 51 games with eight home runs, 35 RBI and .711 OPS.

Stearns felt he had adequate coverage at the position with Manny Pina, Stephen Vogt, Jett Bandy and Christian Bethancourt, who signed a minor-league deal with an invitation to spring camp.

“We still believe (Susac) is a major-league player; we still believe he’s a solid player,” Stearns said. “But at this point we also think we have depth there, both on and off the (40-man) roster. That’s why it was his name.”

The Brewers have seven days to trade, release or send Susac outright to the minors, if he clears waivers.