Brewers can’t give up on Wang

Everyone enjoys watching Wei-Chung Wang’s weekly videos filled with fun dancing, but when he steps onto the mound most fans instantly become nervous. When Wang toes the rubber, it usually hasn’t gone the way fans or the Milwaukee Brewers hoped it would. Through the Brewers first 52 games Wang has only made six appearances, recording an earned run average of 17.61.

His early struggles raise the question: Should the Brewers give up on the Wang experiment?

A Rule-5 pick this past offseason, Wang is required to spend 90 days on the active roster and remain in the big leagues all season. This is a difficult leap for a guy who has never thrown a pitch above rookie ball, but it maybe a risk the Brewers need to make in order to keep Wang’s talented arm in the system instead of returning him to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

When making this selection in the draft, the Brewers knew these stipulations. While some argue that the Brewers never thought they would be sitting atop the division almost two month into the season, the addition of Matt Garza was a clear indicator that they thought they could compete in 2014.

Now with their bullpen being overworked early, and the struggles of Wang, fans want to see the Brewers ship Wang out to add a qualified relief pitcher to the ‘pen. If Doug Melvin and Co. make this decision, it will be a mistake that they regret for the years to come.

It is no secret that the Brewers have one of the worst farm systems in baseball with a scarce amount of prospects that posses the potential to be a starter in the majors one day. Wang however has this potential.

He possesses a fastball that hits 93-94 mph consistently with it sometimes topping off at 95 mph. His curveball and changeup are both solid but they still need some work.

It maybe a cliché but it is true – pitching wins championships. The Brewers have struggled to develop pitching for years and if they are going to give up on a youngster who has all the tool to be a middle of the rotation pitcher one day, then they are making a mistake. Sure his performance currently might not be pretty, but the future is bright for Wang.

The Brewers knew what they were getting into prior to the start of the season, and now they have to deal with Wang’s struggles. While cutting Wang now maybe good for this season, it is a move that could hurt the future of the Brewers. With few pitchers in their farm system that are capable of starting in the majors one day, Wang is a guy they can not afford to let slip through their hands.

Related Posts

• 
  Packers vs. Vikings: Preview, Prediction
• 
  Packers vs. Saints: Preview, Prediction
• 
  Packers vs. Seahawks: Preview, Prediction

2 Comments