Brent Suter

Suter missed just over one full year while recovering from Tommy John surgery, but he returned last September and was a middle-relief force, closing with eight straight scoreless outings and racking up four wins over that span. Suter was not stretched out enough to start last year, but he did work primarily in that role during the previous two seasons, and he could return to the rotation if the Brewers think he will provide more value there. Suter's arsenal draws questions with a fastball that sits in the mid-80s, but he's been successful in keeping hitters off balance by minimizing the time between pitches, and in keeping runners off the bases (career 1.20 WHIP). The lack of zip on his heater limits Suter's strikeouts, but if he earns a spot in the rotation, he could help in the ratio categories, and he's proven to be a sneaky source of wins with 17 in just 65 career games.

Suter threw a career-high 101.1 innings last season, making 18 starts and a pair of relief appearances before Tommy John surgery ended his season in late July. The timing of the injury wipes out most if not all of the lefty's upcoming season and prevents him from building on a year in which his peripherals were trending in a positive direction. Despite a career-worst 4.44 ERA, both Suter's 19.8 K% and 4.5 BB% were the best marks of his three-year career, with the walk rate ranking 10th best among all pitchers who threw at least 100 innings. The 29-year-old likely won't have much of a chance to build on those improvements this season, as he's unlikely to have time to build back up to a starting role if he makes it back at all. He could have some deep-league sleeper value as a back-end starter in 2020 if a rotation spot is available, but his ceiling isn't high enough to justify rostering him in most dynasty formats.

Suter was seemingly being counted on as a "Swiss Army Knife" pitcher from spring training through the end of June last year, as up to that point he had already started and pitched in relief for both the big club and for Triple-A Colorado Springs. However, following a July 3 start in which he dominated the Orioles, he was a regular in the starting rotation, making 13 starts the rest of the way. He hardly blew batters away, as evidenced by his 85.8 mph average fastball and 7.0 K/9, but he was also plenty effective, posting a 3.24 ERA from July onward. That showing alone was not enough to guarantee him a place in the Brewers' rotation for 2018, but he figures to get a chance to compete for a spot in spring training. If he does not open the year as a starter, the team could opt to keep him stretched out in the minors, or use him out of the bullpen after watching him holding opposing left-handers to a .192 average in 2017.

Suter made his major league debut with the Brewers after five seasons in the minors when he was called up to make a spot start in August. He was actually the first left-hander to start a game for Milwaukee in nearly three years, breaking a streak that went back to Tom Gorzelanny's start on August 28, 2013. The 27-year-old stuck around in the bullpen after his first start, eventually posting a solid 3.32 ERA. However, his 4.39 FIP makes that success seem mostly luck-driven, especially considering he didn't post a great groundball rate (43.3 percent) or any other notable batted ball numbers, except for an unsustainable 24 percent infield flyball rate. Suter's fastball also lives in the mid-80s, decimating his upside as a starter or reliever. He will likely fight for a bullpen spot in spring training, but could also be used for occasional starts in 2017.