Yovani Gallardo is coming off what you could call the best season of his career. He posted a career-low 3.52 ERA while pitching a career-high 207.1 innings in 2012, earning Cy Young votes for the first time and making three appearances in the postseason.
Since missing nearly the entire 2008 season Gallardo has been pretty durable, making at least 30 starts in each of the last three seasons. If he extends the streak to four in 2012, he'll only be the fourth Brewer to do it:*
Pitcher | Seasons | Years |
Jim Slaton | 5 | 1973-77** |
Teddy Higuera | 4 | 1985-88 |
Scott Karl | 4 | 1996-99 |
* - Mike Caldwell did it five times in six years from 1978-83, with the lone exception being the strike-shortened 1981 season.
** - Slaton made 34 starts as a Tiger in 1978, then came back and made 31 again as a Brewer in 1979.
Gallardo is also currently sixth on the Brewer all-time list with 732 strikeouts. It's unlikely he'll break 1000 this year, but he could move up three spots if he strikes out 200 again:
Pitcher | Strikeouts | Needed To Pass |
Ben Sheets | 1206 | 475 |
Teddy Higuera | 1081 | 349 |
Jim Slaton | 929 | 198 |
Moose Haas | 800 | 69 |
Chris Bosio | 749 | 18 |
Yovani Gallardo | 732 | n/a |
Gallardo is already, by the way, the only Brewer ever to record three 200 strikeout seasons.