Impact Though rotation mate Brandon Woodruff (2.56 ERA, 0.96 WHIP in 179.1 innings in 2021) would be a quality Opening Day starter for just about any other team, Burnes was the obvious top choice to take the hill for the Brewers' season opener fresh off winning his first Cy Young Award. While Milwaukee may choose to implement a six-man rotation for portions of the season in an effort to keep all of its starters fresh, Burnes should once again rank among the best pitchers in the league on a per-outing basis. He led all qualified starters in 2021 with a 30.4 K-BB%, with his ability to make bats miss, limit walks and suppress home runs helping him finish with a 1.63 FIP, 2.00 xERA and 2.30 xFIP. Those underlying numbers suggest he was even more dominant than his elite 2.43 ERA over 167 innings would indicate.
MARCH 29, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
