Carlos Villanueva

2013

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2012

Villanueva appeared to change his approach to pitching as the former high-strikeout, average command, homer-prone pitcher transitioned into more of a change-of-speed, pitch-to-contact pitcher once he was moved into the starting rotation for Toronto. He faded badly down the stretch and dealt with some elbow soreness as the increased workload appeared to catch up with him. He'll likely get a chance to win a rotation spot this spring depending on how the Jays' winter goes, but he'll need to walk a fine line to survive in the AL East.

2011

Villanueva pitched poorly in 2010 and was eventually sent to Triple-A Nashville in July. It was more of the same for him last season, a high strikeout rate, but also high home-run and walk rates. The Brewers gave up on him due to the inconsistency, and Villanueva was traded to Toronto in December where he will compete for a bullpen spot this spring.

2010

Villanueva started the season as Milwaukee's defacto closer while Trevor Hoffman recovered from injury and ended the season buried in the bullpen. He's failed multiple times when given the opportunity to be a starter and now is looking at having to earn a role in the bullpen this spring. Villanueva strikes out a decent number of batters, but can't overcome his long-ball tendencies enough to be a consistent setup man. The Brewers will likely give him one more chance in 2010 to prove his worth.

2009

The Brewers tried to use Villanueva as a starter, but moved him to the bullpen in May when he had a 6.43 ERA in nine starts. The move to the bullpen proved to work out well for him and he posted a 2.12 ERA from that point on. The Brewers will likely keep him in his bullpen role unless they are unable to find a suitable starter for the rotation. He's not going to get many saves, but he could strike out about a batter per inning while providing a low ERA.

2008

Villanueva began the season in the Milwaukee bullpen and pitched very well for the first half of the year. The Brewers sent him to Triple-A after a rough stretch in August, and they put him into the rotation when he returned in September. He ended the season strong and finished with eight wins and a 3.94 ERA. There are some warning signs that might make you want to avoid Villanueva. He had a .276 BABIP, which will likely come up a bit. He also gave up 16 home runs and that's been a problem of his during his whole career. There's a good chance that he'll start the season in the Milwaukee rotation, though.

2007

Villanueva is one of those guys who doesn't impress scouts, but always seems to pitch well anyway. After a very solid minor league season in 2005, he returned with a 3.22 ERA while splitting time between Double-A Huntsville and Triple-A Nashville. Called up to Milwaukee later in the season, he posted a 3.69 ERA in 53.2 innings and made six starts. The 23 year old doesn't throw hard but had good control and keeps hitters off balance by changing speeds. The Brewers hope he can work as the fourth or fifth starter in their 2006 rotation.

2006

Villanueva doesn't throw hard, instead relying on great command to get hitters out, which limits his potential in the eyes of some scouts. Maybe his impressive year at high-A Brevard County will change some minds.