MVBrewers #3: Yovani Gallardo

MVBrewers is a player-by-player look at the most valuable members of the 2012 Brewers, as voted on by you. Here's where we stand so far:

1. Ryan Braun
2. Aramis Ramirez
3. Yovani Gallardo

The voting for the #4 spot will open at 3 pm today.

Expecting Gallardo to improve upon his Cy Young-contending 2011 campaign would have been a tall order, but he delivered a reasonable facsimile in 2012. Gallardo proved he could anchor the rotation after Zack Greinke was traded, going 11-1 with a 3.00 ERA in 12 starts following Greinke's depature. For the season, Gallardo amassed a 3.66 ERA over 204 innings, maintaining his 9.0 K/9 rate from the previous year. Notably, Gallardo's best weapon in 2012 was his slider, as opposed to his fastball in 2011. The only arguable flaw in Gallardo's game was an elevated walk rate (3.6 BB/9) that led to a slight uptick in WHIP from last season. Then again, no one ever accused Gallardo of getting by on finesse.

Best Game

Gallardo did not pitch a complete game, or even into the ninth inning, in 2012. He did, however, consistently put up quality starts, often going seven or more. On July 15 against Pittsburgh (shocking, I know), Gallardo tossed arguably his best outing of the season, amassing a career-best fourteen strikeouts over seven innings. Here's a look:

Contract Status

Gallardo will be a Brewer for the foreseeable future; he is signed through at least 2014, with a $13M team option ($600k buyout) for 2015. Gallardo is set to earn $7.75M next year and $11.25M in 2014.