Relief pitching: Dominating closer Corey Knebel anchors the Brewers' retooled bullpen

Second in a position-by-position series on the Milwaukee Brewers entering spring training. Today: Relief pitching.

PHOENIX - How many people remember that the Milwaukee Brewers began the 2017 season with Neftali Feliz as their bullpen closer?

If you had forgotten, Corey Knebel is probably the reason. The hard-throwing right-hander was so dominating after Feliz pitched his way out of the closer’s role in May, and eventually off the team, it seems as if Knebel finished games from the outset.

Tying for the National League lead with 76 appearances, Knebel compiled a sparkling 1.78 earned run average with 126 strikeouts in 76 innings and 39 saves in 45 chances. Just like that, the Brewers had a new closer, one of the best in baseball.

“It was exciting,” said Knebel, who posted a 3.7 WAR and was the team’s lone representative on the all-star team. “We had a great bullpen. All of the guys stepped up. I just tried to give us a chance to win every time out.”

Knebel, 26, can do something that makes closing games easier: strike you out. His ratio of 14.92 strikeouts per nine innings was the best of any qualifying reliever in the NL, trailing only Boston’s Craig Kimbrel (16.43) and the New York Yankees’ Dellin Betances (15.08) in the majors.

At times, it seemed as if Knebel could strike out hitters at will. With a fastball in the high 90 mph range and knee-buckling curve, he set a major-league record by whiffing at least one batter in each of his first 45 appearances, beginning when he served as setup man to Feliz. That streak obliterated the record of 37 games set by flame-throwing Aroldis Chapman when he pitched in Cincinnati.

Thanks to Knebel’s dominance, the Brewers enter spring training knowing who will pitch the ninth inning this season. That’s a big thing because, unlike most things in life, bullpens are built from the back to the front.

Who will slot in front of Knebel in the late innings remains to be seen, but the Brewers picked up a pair of experienced relievers on the free-agent market, left-hander Boone Logan and right-hander Matt Albers. They already had set-up candidates in right-hander Jeremy Jeffress, a 2006 first-round pick who returned to the club last season in a trade with Texas, and righty Jacob Barnes, another hard thrower.

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Logan, 33, a side-arm specialist used primarily against left-handed hitters, has pitched 12 seasons in the majors, most recently with Cleveland. His 2017 season was cut short by a strained lat muscle behind his pitching shoulder but the Brewers were confident enough in his health to give him a guaranteed $2.5 million deal with a club option for 2019.

“He’s a pitcher with a significant track record of being as successful major-league reliever, particularly against left-handed hitters,” general manager David Stearns said after signing Logan.

Albers, 35, had a horrible season in 2016 (6.31 ERA in 58 games) with the Chicago White Sox but bounced back in a big way last year in Washington. He compiled a 1.62 ERA in 63 games with a ratio of 9.3 strikeouts per nine innings, cutting his WHIP in half from the previous year from 1.675 to 0.852.

The Brewers committed to Albers with a two-year, $5 million deal.

Jeffress, 30, who signed a non-guaranteed $1.7 million deal to avoid arbitration, has been used in various relief roles during his career. The closer for the Brewers in 2016 before being traded to Texas at midseason, he improved over time after returning to Milwaukee last season, posting a 4-0 record and 3.65 ERA over 22 appearances (one start).

Barnes, 27, has been a workhorse since joining the Brewers’ bullpen in 2016. Last season, he appeared in 73 games, going 3-4 with a 4.00 ERA and 80 strikeouts in 72 innings. Barnes sometimes scuffled during times of heavy usage but has been reliable when well-rested.

Another experienced reliever in the mix is right-hander J.J. Hoover, 30, who signed a minor-league deal with an invitation to the Brewers’ spring camp. A prominent member of Cincinnati’s bullpen before slipping badly in 2016, he rebounded last year with Arizona, going 3-1 with a 3.92 ERA in 52 games, including 54 strikeouts in 41 1/3 innings.

Left-hander Josh Hader, 23, is the wild card in the bullpen because he has the stuff to be a dominant setup man but, with a background as a starter in the minors, the ability to cover multiple innings with the game on the line. That’s how manager Craig Counsell used Hader during an impressive rookie 2017 season, when he often blew away hitters (68 strikeouts in 47 2/3 innings) merely by throwing fastballs with great movement.

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“It was unbelievable,” said lefty Brent Suter, who also could figure in the relief mix if he doesn’t make the starting rotation. “He was getting guys to swing and miss, and fall down. His stuff is electric.

“He’s a pleasure to watch. He’s such a gamer. Nothing really gets to him. He channels the pressure so well. He has shown a lot of maturity for a young player.”

Other pitchers who could become bullpen candidates if they fail to win jobs in the rotation are veteran righties Yovani Gallardo, 31, attempting a successful return to Milwaukee after tough years in Baltimore and Seattle, and Junior Guerra, 33, the opening day starter in 2017 whose year immediately was derailed by a calf injury.

Relievers come and go, and the Brewers have innings to fill after the departures of middle men Carlos Torres and Jared Hughes (67 appearances each) as well as setup man Anthony Swarzak, a huge late-season addition in 2017. But Stearns believes there are enough capable arms in camp for it to shake out to his satisfaction before opening day.

“We are going to go into spring training with some competition,” Stearns said. “I don’t know that we’ll have an exact formulation (beforehand) of what the bullpen is going to be, but we are giving ourselves options.”

By the numbers

25     Pitchers who made relief appearances for the Brewers in 2017.

36     Losses by the bullpen last season, most in the major leagues.

615   Strikeouts by the Brewers’ bullpen in ’17, third-most in the NL.

233   Strikeouts by Corey Knebel in 167 2/3 innings in the majors.

619   Relief appearances in the big leagues by Boone Logan.