Brewers, Anderson on same page for ’19

In the midst of all the handshakes and hugs in the Milwaukee Brewers’ clubhouse following the team’s National League Championship Series Game 7 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday night, Chase Anderson promised to arrive at spring training as a brandnew pitcher.

Pressed for more details, the righthander said simply that reporters would have to wait and see.

It was a tough final month for Anderson, who made his last start for the Brewers on Sept. 18 against the Cincinnati Reds, was skipped in the team’s season-turning sweep in St. Louis the next week and then found himself excluded from the roster for both postseason series.

Anderson, who turns 31 on Nov. 30, entered 2018 hoping to build off a career season in 2017 in which he went 12-4 with a 2.74 earned run average and WHIP of 1.09 while allowing only 14 home runs in 1411⁄3 innings.

Things didn’t turn out that way, however.

Although he did avoid injury and make a career-high-tying 30 starts, Anderson finished 9-8 with a 3.93 ERA and WHIP of 1.19 in 158 innings. His biggest bugaboo was the long ball, as he allowed a National League-high 30 homers, and his penchant for rough first innings — 6.30 ERA and eight homers — was a head-scratcher.

Anderson wasn’t alone in his postseason exclusion; Zach Davies, another accomplished starter, struggled with injuries and inconsistency and was added to the NLCS roster only after Gio Gonzalez was lost to a high ankle sprain in Game 4.

It was obvious Anderson was disappointed by his fall from favor – especially at a critical time of year – and in the Brewers’ season-ending news conference Tuesday at Miller Park, general manager David Stearns was asked if the sides would need to mend fences before next year.

“We made sure we talked to Chase and got on the same page before he took off,” Stearns said. “Chase is a competitor. Frankly, he pitched pretty well for the majority of this season.

“I know he was disappointed he didn’t get a chance to pitch on the big stage in the postseason. We understand that completely. We would expect nothing less. Chase is also a good teammate and he’s ready to get back and contribute next year.”

Anderson signed a two-year, $11.75 million contract with the Brewers last Oct. 26 that will pay him $6 million in 2019 and includes team options for 2020 and ‘21.

Wait and see: Numbers shouldn’t be an issue with regard to starting pitching when pitchers and catchers report to spring training Feb. 13, especially considering youngsters Freddy Peralta, Brandon Woodruff and Corbin Burnes all appear to be well-positioned to join the rotation.

That should help ease the pressure on right-hander Jimmy Nelson, who will be looking to return to action after having his shoulder reconstructed Sept. 19, 2017 and missing all of the 2018 season.

“First thing with Jimmy is making sure he’s healthy,” said Stearns. “That’s always going to be the first thing with any player coming back from an extended rehab and the complexity of injury that he had.

“He is going to go through a normal off-season. He will begin to ramp up his throwing program at the appropriate time like he has done in seasons past, and we will see where he is when he gets to spring training.”

On the cusp: Keston Hiura, the Brewers’ top draft pick in 2017 and their top prospect in 2018, is unquestionably the team’s second baseman of the future.

The 22-year-old hit a combined .293 with 13 home runs and 43 runs batted in with an OPS of .821 in 123 games between advanced Class A Carolina and Class AA Biloxi in 2018. Now he’s tearing up the Arizona Fall League, hitting .316/ 2/17/1.001 through the first two weeks.

Most important, he has remained healthy after dealing with a right-elbow issue that it was feared might require Tommy John surgery to correct leading up to the draft.

“What we’re most pleased with Keston is he got through a full season and that the defensive growth and maturation on that side of the ball was there,” Stearns said. “And we have confidence he’s a second baseman going forward.”

Another player who could make his major-league debut next season is Mauricio Dubon, the Brewers’ No. 9 prospect who is recovering from a torn ACL.

“We anticipate Mauricio will be ready for spring training,” Stearns said. “He’s gone full force into his rehab. He’s done a great job.”