MVBrewers Honorable Mention: Mark Rogers

MVBrewers is a player-by-player look at the most valuable members of the 2012 Brewers, as voted on by you. Here's our top ten:

1. Ryan Braun
2. Aramis Ramirez
3. Yovani Gallardo
4. Corey Hart
5. Norichika Aoki
6. Jonathan Lucroy
7. Carlos Gomez
8. Zack Greinke
9. Marco Estrada
10: Mike Fiers

Honorable Mentions: Martin Maldonado, Rickie Weeks, Jim Henderson, Mark Rogers

The series now continues with Honorable Mentions, to cover some of the Brewers we've missed. This is the fourth installment in that segment. You can see all the player profiles in the Most Valuable Brewers 2012 section. The series continues Monday with the fifth Honorable Mention.

Mark Rogers entered 2012 with a lot of uncertainty in his future. His 2011 season was horrible, and it ended with him getting suspended for 25 games for taking a banned stimulant. With only one more minor league option available, the Brewers had to make a decision on him soon, and he needed to step up to show the Brewers he could pitch in the majors.

Rogers started the season in Nashville, and it was a rough start for him. In his first 11 starts of the season, he put up a 5.87 ERA, and in his eleventh start he had given up 10 runs in 3 1/3 innings. It wasn't looking good for him. However, he got it together and posted a 3.24 ERA over his next seven starts, including a 0.95 ERA in his last three starts in Nashville. Then, he got his chance. With the Zack Greinke trade final, Mark Rogers got the call up to Milwaukee to fill Greinke's roster spot.

Rogers only made seven starts for the Brewers in 2012, but it was seven starts that the Brewers needed. In those seven starts, he put up a 3.91 ERA with 41 strikeouts and only 14 walks in 39 innings. He also picked up his first major league win on August 20th, and would end up with three straight wins in his last three starts.

His last start ended up being on August 31st, After that start, he was shut down for the season by the team after recording 134 1/3 innings between Nashville and Milwaukee in 2012, his career high in the majors (his previous was 126 innings in 2010). His performance in 2012 has put him into the conversation for the starting rotation in 2013, though he may have an uphill battle there, depending on what the Brewers do in free agency. He might be in the bullpen as well if he can't get a spot as a starter. Either way, he's back in contention to be a member of the 2013 Brewers.

Best Game

With only seven starts as a Brewer, there aren't many games to choose from. The best of those seven starts came in Houston on August 10th. He pitched seven innings that day, allowing just one run on three hits and two walks while striking out eight. However, Mark Rogers would be denied his first major league win as the bullpen had another bad day, allowing Houston to score three runs over the last two innings and give them a 4-3 win.

Contract Status

If the Brewers decide to keep Mark Rogers around, he will be a cheap player for them for a while. He will not be arbitration eligible until 2016, and will not be a free agent until 2019 at the earliest.