Brewers Continue Fortifying Pitching Staff With Pomeranz, Black

Image credit: Drew Pomeranz (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)

The Brewers continued their quest to upgrade their pitching staff before the trade deadline by snagging a pair of arms from the Giants. Shortly after acquiring Jacob Faria from the Rays, Milwaukee shipped versatile infield prospect Mauricio Dubon to the Giants in exchange for veteran lefty Drew Pomeranz and fireballer Ray Black. 

 

BREWERS ACQUIRE

Drew Pomeranz, LHP
Age: 30

The great grandson of Garland Buckeye, Pomeranz moved to the bullpen this month and has been effective. In his new role, he’s struck out eight in 5.1 innings while pitching mostly in the middle innings. He had rebounded somewhat as a member of the rotation before the move, having recovered from a disastrous month of May. He’s a free agent after the season. 

Ray Black, RHP
Age: 29

Black is one of the game’s hardest throwers. His fastball regularly touches triple-digits and has average 99 mph in his brief time in the big leagues this season. That alone makes him worth a flier. He couples the pitch with a pair of above-average breaking balls that he uses to give hitters something else to think about besides his heater. His career is checkered with injuries, but when healthy he has the ceiling of a nasty late-inning reliever. 

GIANTS ACQUIRE

Mauricio Dubon, SS
Age: 25

Dubon’s prospect stock was put on hold somewhat because of a torn ACL suffered last summer. He spent the offseason recovering and returned to Triple-A San Antonio on Opening Day. When healthy, Dubon shows excellent bat-to-ball skills and versatility to play around the infield in an everyday utility role. His power has also spiked this season—as has that of many others in Triple-A—as shown by his 16 home runs, which doubles his previous season high. Dubon was originally drafted by the Red Sox in the 26th round in 2013, then was dealt to Milwaukee in the deal that brought Tyler Thornburg to the Red Sox. He made his big league debut on July 7 and was the Brewers’ No. 4 overall prospect.