Milwaukee Brewers activate Wade Miley, Oliver Drake designated for assignment

The Milwaukee Brewers have announced the corresponding move to make room for Wade Miley on the twenty five man roster, and it could have been decided by a Brew Crew Ball poll:

Drake has been the least effective member of a largely successful bullpen, generally working in games that saw the Brewers behind or with a large lead. As Milwaukee hasn’t generated a lot of large leads so far, Drake was effectively (or ineffectively) the mop-up man.

Oliver worked 12 ²⁄₃ innings over eleven appearances and gave up fourteen hits and eight walks for an unwieldy WHIP of 1.74, and posted a 6.39 ERA. He did strike out fifteen, and didn’t allow a home run, so a claim from another team is certainly a possibility.

Drake’s release means that Brent Suter remains up with the team and as the Milwaukee long-man/mop-up guy. Suter’s funky, left-handed delivery will serve as a contrast to the rotation and the rest of the power arms in the pen. It does leave Milwaukee with three lefties in the bullpen and Boone Logan rehabbing as a possible fourth. Add in the fact that Corey Knebel is starting his rehab in Biloxi, and it’s apparent that player shuffling on the pitching staff isn’t finished.

Miley would have made the Brewer rotation before the groin injury cost him a roster spot in his last outing of spring training. He will be pitching in his tenth major league season. The Brewers hope that he has rediscovered some of his younger days magic; last year he had an ERA of 5.61, with an xFIP of 5.27. His WHIP was 1.73, and he allowed 25 homers in 157 ¹⁄₃ innings. His 93 walks were the most in the American League.

Miley did seem to have bumped up his velocity this spring, and Brewers’ pitching coach Derek Johnson has helped several pitchers discover their inner out-getting abilities, so we have hope!