When the roster expansions rolled around Sept. 1, there were quite a few players who did not receive a call to the major league roster. Surprisingly enough, many were big names, including powerhouse outfielder Lewis Brinson and the Milwaukee Brewers‘ top left-handed starter Josh Hader.
But one smaller name was glossed over as well, and one that could possibly provide the Brewers some future support in the bullpen – Michael Kirkman.
Kirkman is a bit of a minor league veteran, starting his career in rookie ball as far back as 2005 in the Texas Rangers organization.
He surfaced with the Rangers in 2010 and pitched well with a 1.65 earned run average and 1.16 walks plus hits per inning rate along with 16 strikeouts and 10 walks in 16 1/3 innings. The three years following, however, showed that there were major improvements yet to be made, as both his ERA and WHIP both ballooned up to 6.59 in 2011 and 8.18 in 2013.
The 2014 season showed improvement, as he carved his way back through Triple-A Round Rock to make 12 highly-successful appearances again with the Rangers (1.59 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 3 K, 1 BB, 5 2/3 IP) at the end of the season, but he was eventually released the following March.
In April of 2015, the Brewers signed him to a first stint and he pitched well given the circumstances in Colorado Springs. He pitched to a solid 2.81 ERA but his WHIP suffered (1.47) due to the exceptional amount of walks he issued (28) compared to his strikeout numbers (34 K in 32 IP). He was released that August.
The San Diego Padres signed him as a free agent just this year, although he made only five appearances between Triple-A El Paso and the major league team (8.59 ERA, 6 K, 0 BB, 7 1/3 IP) before being sent through waivers where the Brewers claimed him.
In Triple-A Colorado Springs this season, he’s pitched considerably better, collected a 2.81 ERA with 34 strikeouts and 17 walks in 32 innings. His walk rate has lowered only slightly but considering the pitching environment in Colorado, it goes to show he’s been able to maintain a bit more control even in circumstances that are not ideal.
At 30 years old, Kirkman is no longer a youngster but if he’s able to continue trending on a curve of improvement, he may just be another positive addition from waivers that could grant a bit more breathing room in the bullpen next year.
Jonathan Powell is the Managing Editor of Outside Pitch MLB and the Milwaukee Brewers writer. Follow him on Twitter @jonathannashhh.
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