Notes: After solid stint in winter ball, Junior Guerra out to show he's back in peak form

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Brewers pitcher Junior Guerra participates in a drill at the team's spring training facility last week.

PHOENIX – Nothing has come easy in baseball for Junior Guerra, so it’s not difficult to believe that one year after serving as the Milwaukee Brewers’ opening day starter he is in a battle merely to make the club.

“It’s hard but it’s part of the life,” the 33-year-old right-hander said Sunday. “It’s not easy. We’ll see what happens this spring.”

Guerra finally ended a journey around the world by breaking through as a 31-year-old rookie with the Brewers in 2016. In 20 starts, he went 9-3 with a 2.81 earned run average and was rewarded last spring with the assignment in the season opener against Colorado.

Things quickly went awry when Guerra suffered a right calf strain breaking out of the batter’s box on a bunt play, landing on the disabled list for nearly two months. After returning, Guerra never was the same, eventually resulting in a mid-season demotion to the minors.

The soft-spoken Venezuelan had trouble throwing strikes, especially with his trademark splitter, watching his walk ratio soar from 3.2 per nine innings in 2016 to 5.5 (43 in 70 1/3 innings). His velocity dipped noticeably, from 93.1 mph to 91.9 mph, according to FanGraphs. The result was a 1-4 record and 5.12 ERA in 21 outings (14 starts) with a 1.479 WHIP.

Though the calf injury played a significant role in Guerra’s plight, manager Craig Counsell thinks another factor might have been in play. Because Guerra pitched a full season in the majors in 2016 and missed a month with elbow inflammation, he was asked not to pitch winter ball back home.

“The one thing we look back on with Junior is that he's always played winter ball,” Counsell said. “He's (33) years old and he's played winter ball his entire life. He threw a ton of innings and had the injury in August of 2016, so we were concerned about him playing winter ball. We wanted a break to happen, but was that the best thing for him?

“I think our intentions were right, but I don't know if somebody who's always done that ... maybe we learned a lesson there."

With that in mind, Guerra was back on the mound over the winter with La Guaira, with impressive results. In nine outings (eight starts), he went 3-2 with a 2.98 ERA, with 40 hits and 17 walks in 48 1/3 innings.

“I felt really good this off-season when I played winter ball,” Guerra said. “I tried to get my velocity back and command of my pitches. Right now, I feel good.

“The last year, I didn’t feel good any day. It was never the same. My arm didn’t feel good; my velocity went down. I didn’t feel comfortable. Right now, I feel healthy. I think I can do something to help the team.”

Now, Guerra must go out and show he’s vintage 2016, not 2017, and he can’t waste any time doing so. There are only two spots open in the starting rotation, and he is in a group fighting for those jobs that includes veterans Wade Miley and Yovani Gallardo, rookies Brandon Woodruff and Aaron Wilkerson, and lefty swingman Brent Suter.

Same stance: Yet another pitcher connected to the Brewers as a possible trade acquisition went off the board Saturday when Tampa Bay dealt right-hander Jake Odorizzi, an original Milwaukee draft pick, to Minnesota for infield prospect Jermaine Palacios.

General manager David Stearns, who turned 33 Sunday, was asked about any interest he might have had in Odorizzi and spoke in general terms of his approach to possible pitching help.

“We assess what the acquisition cost is and whether we think that player is an upgrade,” Stearns said. “And if he is an upgrade, how much? That’s really the equation we’re working through. That’s true with any of the guys that we’ve considered bringing in.

“We’ve explored a variety of starting pitching options out there, and have a pretty good sense of what the market is. Our stance is if we can make an acquisition that we think can meaningfully upgrade the team at a responsible investment level, that’s something we’re open to. But we also firmly have confidence in the group we have.”

Of the lower-key pitching moves he has made in recent weeks, Stearns said, “We think we’ve done a nice job of helping our depth. We have guys who are likely to make the team, and guys who are likely to start the season in the minor leagues, and can fill in and grow and develop.

“So, for us to expend resources, whether it’s financial or prospect value, to bring someone in, it’s going to be someone we think moves the needle (substantially).”