During the offseason, the Brewers traded rookie of the year runner-up Caleb Durbin and two
other players to the Boston Red Sox for Kyle Harrison, David Hamilton, and Shane Drohan. The
main piece that came over from Boston was Harrison. Many were perplexed by this trade;
Milwaukee essentially dealt away its entire third base depth for an underperforming former
top-100 prospect and two other players. However, this team is known for getting the most out
of pitchers. So far this season, Kyle Harrison has been one of Milwaukee’s better starting
pitchers.
When the Brewers traded away Caleb Durbin, this caught the fans off guard. The 26-year-old
finished last season slashing .256/.334/.387 with 11 home runs, 53 RBI, and an OPS of .721. He
even carried his solid offensive performance into the postseason. Against the Cubs and
Dodgers, Durbin slashed .276/.364/.414 with two RBI and an OPS of .777. Defensively, despite
just moving over to third base, the former Washington University at St. Louis product had a
.979 fielding percentage, only committed six errors, and had a +5 defensive runs saved. For his
efforts, Durbin finished third in NL Rookie of the Year voting. Many people thought that the
team had finally ended their revolving door at third base.
Despite the solid season, Milwaukee made a bold move by trading Caleb Durbin, along with
Andruw Monasterio and Anthony Seigler to the Boston Red Sox. In return, the Brewers received
pitchers Kyle Harrison and Shane Drohan as well as infielder David Hamilton. Harrison was the
main piece that the Brewers acquired in the trade.
This trade caught Brewers fans completely off guard. Durbin was viewed as part of the Brewers’
future. Many people viewed this move as a mistake by the front office. On paper, it seemed as
though the only thing the Brewers received was an underperforming former top prospect. In
parts of three seasons with the Giants and Red Sox, Kyle Harrison went 10-10 with a 4.42 ERA,
191 strikeouts, and a WHIP of 1.4935. Last season, after coming over to Boston in the Rafael
Devers trade, he was limited to only three games due to an ankle injury, and Boston was trying
to fix his pitch mix. Upon being called up to the big club, the Red Sox opted to use him as a
reliever due to Harrison’s overreliance on his fastball.
During the spring, the Brewers went to work and made changes to Harrison’s mechanics. The
team adjusted his arm slot and release point, leading to an increase in his fastball velocity. The
24-year-old adopted a grip on his change-up, which has resulted in the pitch being more
effective against hitters. Kyle Harrison has also adjusted his mental approach, which has
reduced walks and led to better execution of pitches. Currently, Milwaukee is trying to help him
refine his cutter with a goal of bridging the gap between his fastball and breaking ball pitches.
So far this season, the results have been laudable. Through two starts, Harrison is 1-0 with a
2.61 ERA, 14 strikeouts, and a WHIP of 0.968. Opposing batters only have a slash line of
.189/.268/.351 with an OPS of .620 against him. The 24-year-old has seemingly come a long
way from the pitcher we saw with the Giants and Red Sox. Harrison also has five years of team
control remaining on his contract and isn’t eligible for free agency until 2031! With how he’s
performed so far this season, he’s clearly going to be a part of Milwaukee’s long-term starting
rotation plans.
While they traded Rookie of the Year runner-up, Caleb Durbin, Milwaukee found a potential
long-term piece to their starting rotation. Kyle Harrison is the latest example of how good the
Brewers are at getting the most out of a pitcher. So far this season, Harrison has been showing
why he was the San Francisco Giants’ top prospect three years ago. The 24-year-old is
beginning to solidify his place as a long-term starter for the Milwaukee Brewers. Despite the
criticism, once again, the Brewers front office found value that the fans couldn’t see.
