Brewers By the (Jersey) Numbers ’17 — #45 Tyler Cravy
Our countdown has reached 45.
This week has been filled with baseball stuff. Pitchers & Catchers reported. First P&C workouts. Mound sessions. Receiving and throwing drills. Full squad report date (today) and finally the first full squad workout scheduled for tomorrow.
So much is happening at Maryvale Baseball Park in Phoenix that we’ve actually been the recipient of 50+ degree weather throughout Milwaukee and the five-county area.
While this open isn’t exactly the most fluid, it illustrates a level of distraction around these parts this week. I’ve written several opens recently as this range of numbers has a lot of players. And today in particular was warm and spent outside with my kids (I took the day off of work, that’s how nice it was) at a selection of parks that they’ve been missing all winter.
One guy who is certainly hoping to be experiencing the weather in Milwaukee in 45 days is…
Tyler Cravy.
Tyler Jay Cravy was originally drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the storied 2009 draft. He wasn’t highly touted, and never really made top prospects lists on his way up through the minor league system.
Instead, Cravy was consistent. The numbers early in his pro career don’t scream future big leaguer, but he was consistently learning and improving. He was figuring out what worked for him. Being drafted a month before his 20th birthday has given Cravy plenty of time to hone his craft. And when he was ready to go mentally and physically — coincidentally right around the time he would have been exiting college had he gone somewhere for a full four years — Cravy began to excel.
Take a look at the steps forward he took from 2011 to 2012 in Low-A ball and even more so then to 2013 when he was promoted to High-A.
Cravy forced his way into the consciousness of the Brewers front office, something that’s not exactly a likelihood for a 17th rounder. This man has been getting hitters out with what is tracked as a five-pitch arsenal. Cravy has spent time as a starter despite working mostly out of the bullpen in the big leagues, but Brooksbaseball.net credits Cravy with having thrown a 4-seam fastball, sinker, change-up, curveball, and slider. If you think it’s easy for a Major League hitter to square up a low 90s fastball, well you’re still wrong but just think how hard it actually is when you also have to account for four other pitches?
Following his MLB debut in 2015 — a gem against the St. Louis Cardinals — Cravy is still searching for his first big league win. He ended up with eight losses that year and many of his numbers didn’t look great or even good. In 2016, however, Cravy once again learned from his previous experience. A 2.86 ERA in 28.1 innings pitched is certainly nothing to sneeze at. It’s pretty much great, as a matter of fact.
2017 for Cravy, in my opinion, will be another of growth and learning. That is because there’s always something to work on and at which to get better. Cravy has now had parts of two seasons in the big leagues and as he’s nestled into what many baseball folks still consider to be a general physical peak timeframe, he’s been able to match that with strong work ethic and a studious approach.
There’s a chance he’ll open again back at Triple-A because he does have a minor-league option remaining and the bullpen competition is crowded as camp opens, but suffice it to say that regardless of where he starts Tyler Cravy will be ready to contribute when called upon.
And that’s all any manager can ask.
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Follow Tyler on Twitter: @TylerJayCravy
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Looking to catch up on this season’s BBtJN? Just click on a name below:
#59 Carlos Torres
#57 Chase Anderson
#56 Ryan Webb
#54 Michael Blazek
#53 Jhan Mariñez
#52 Jimmy Nelson
#51 Damien Magnifico
#50 Jacob Barnes
#47 Jett Bandy
#46 Corey Knebel
