How Milwaukee’s starting pitching situation has shaken out since 2000

It’s been a rough season for the Brewers starting rotation. Through 49 games, the Brewers have already used 10 different starting pitchers. So far, the Brewers have lost Wade Miley for the season. They have also placed Jakob Junis, DL Hall, and Joe Ross on the IL with injuries. That also doesn’t include Brandon Woodruff, who is rehabbing this season from shoulder surgery. It’s definitely a perfect storm this season, but it also brings up a question: How much of an outlier is this season?

Let’s start by looking at how many starters the Brewers have used each season. Here’s how many starters the Brewers have used in different seasons, going back to 2000:

• 13 Starters: 2001, 2002, 2017
• 12 Starters: 2000, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2013, 2019
• 11 Starters: 2012, 2015
• 10 Starters: 2010, 2018, 2021, 2023, 2024
• 9 Starters: 2009, 2016, 2022
• 8 Starters: 2005, 2007, 2008, 2020
• 7 Starters: 2014
• 6 Starters: 2011

In terms of a full season, 10 starters isn’t unusual to see for the Brewers. Of the 25 seasons in this sample, 16 of them featured at least 10 different starting pitchers. Only two seasons out of the 25 used seven or fewer starters, so it’s more of an outlier to see teams not go through several pitchers in a season.

However, what makes 2024 different is that we’re seeing the need for this many starters within the first two months of the season. What about at the start of the season? How long does it take for teams to use this many starters? Let’s focus on the first half of the season and how many starters each Brewers team used.

• 12 Starters: 2006
• 11 Starters: 2000
• 10 Starters: 2004, 2013, 2019, 2021, 2024
• 9 Starters: 2001, 2010, 2017, 2018, 2022, 2023
• 8 Starters: 2002, 2003, 2008, 2012, 2015, 2016
• 7 Starters: 2005, 2007, 2009, 2020
• 6 Starters: 2011, 2014

This is the seventh time in the last 25 seasons where the Brewers have used 10 starters in the first half of the season, and the first time since 2019. It’s definitely in the minority of seasons, but not completely unreasonable. In fact, two seasons had seen the Brewers using more than 10 starting pitchers in the first half of the season. Let’s further focus on those seven seasons and see which game in the season that they used their 10th starter.

• 2024: Game 38 (May 10)
• 2000: Game 46 (May 23)
• 2004: Game 51 (June 2)
• 2019: Game 62 (June 5)
• 2006: Game 67 (June 14)
• 2013: Game 79 (June 29)
• 2021: Game 81 (June 30)

This is the earliest that the Brewers have used a 10th starter in the last 25 seasons. The second closest was 2000, where they used a 10th starter in game 46. Beyond that, the Brewers didn’t use a 10th starter until they reached the month of June and were past game 50. To need 10 starters this early in the season is definitely unique to the 2024 season, at least in the context of the last 25 seasons.

Let’s look back at the 2024 season now. How does the Brewers starter situation compare to the rest of the league? In total, 233 pitchers have made at least one start this season, averaging out to just under eight starters per team. Here’s a look at how many starting pitchers each team has used so far this season:

• 11 Starters: 1 Team (LAD)
• 10 Starters: 2 Teams (MIA, MIL)
• 9 Starters: 8 Teams (ARI, BOS, CHC, CHW, NYM, OAK, PIT, SF)
• 8 Starters: 5 Teams (ATL, BAL, HOU, TB, TEX)
• 7 Starters: 7 Teams (CIN, CLE, COL, KC, STL, TOR, WSN)
• 6 Starters: 7 Teams (DET, LAA, MIN, NYY, PHI, SD, SEA)

While the Brewers are among the few teams to use 10-plus starters so far, they actually do not lead the league in number of different starting pitchers. That goes to the Dodgers, who have used 11 different starting pitchers. Though the Dodgers have used the highest number of starters, it’s also a little unusual. Four of those starters only made one start, and three of them pitched two innings or less. Those pitchers have also pitched out of the bullpen. The Marlins have been more traditional, with nine of their 10 starting pitchers making at least two starts. The only starter that has pitched in one start is a regular from the bullpen, and pitched three innings in that start.

Overall, across the league, 12 starters have made a total of one start, and that start lasted two innings or less. One reason for this is the occasional use of “opening pitchers”. It’s not common in MLB and is generally seen more in the minors. However, it is a strategy that teams will use once in a while. Even the Brewers have utilized this in previous seasons. This does skew the numbers a bit, though generally not more than one or two additional starters at max.

What all of this shows is that the Brewers need for this many starters is an outlier, though not too far of one. The good news for the Brewers is a break in the storm of injuries is coming soon. DL Hall is currently on a rehab assignment at High-A Wisconsin. Jakob Junis has started throwing again and will pitch another bullpen session in Boston. Joe Ross will hopefully only need a short IL stint and could return as soon as June 5. Not only that, but the Brewers are also giving some experience to their young starters while their other starters are recovering. If the Brewers can finish getting through this rough time, the team could see some great benefits from it, both this season and in the next few seasons.