Brewers to Promote Top Prospect Jimmy Nelson

Jul 14, 2013; Flushing , NY, USA; USA pitcher

throws a pitch during the 2013 All Star Futures Game at Citi Field. USA defeated World 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Wary of veteran starter Yovani Gollardo’s sprained left ankle, the Milwaukee Brewers will promote Jimmy Nelson from Triple-A Nashville to pitch sunday series’ finale against the Marlins, the team announced saturday.

Nelson, 24, came into the year as the Brewers’ consensus top prospect, the only eligible player in Milwaukee’s system to crack Baseball America’s top 100 list. At 96^th overall, he barely made the clip, but the young righthander has done much to improve his stock this season.

Through nine starts in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, Nelson has gone 5-1 with a 1.71 ERA. He has managed to strike out 58 batters in 58 innings and his ERA ranks second in the league, behind only the Rangers’ Nick Tepesch.

This won’t be Nelson’s first tour of the majors; the Brewers called him up for a cup of coffee last September. He impressed in that brief time, pitching to an 0.90 ERA over ten innings and holding the Mets to one run over five rocky frames in his only start.

Prior to the season, there were some doubts over whether or not Nelson could stick as a starter. In their top 100 list, BA wrote that for 2014 “Nelson could either work on his command in Triple-A or take his power sinker to the Brewers bullpen.” ESPN’s Keith Law was decidedly more resolute, calling Nelson a “future reliever.”

Nelson’s success this year at Triple-A, particular in the realm of command – he cut his walk rate from 3.8 batter per nine innings in 2013 to 2.6 batters this year – should have dispelled those fears. Even if Nelson is optioned back down to the minors after Sunday’s start, as he very well might, the call up is a strong vote of confidence from the Milwaukee front office. There are several pitchers in the Brewers bullpen, namely Zach Duke and Taylor Thornburg in particular, who have starting experience and could have filled in instead.

In a corresponding move, 24 year old right handerTaylor Jungmann has moved up from Double-A Huntsville to replace Nelson in the Nashville rotation. Jungmann, a former first round pick, had pitched to a 3.27 ERA in 55 innings over ten games (nine starts) before his promotion.