When the Milwaukee Brewers extended a $22.05MM qualifying offer to Brandon Woodruff last offseason, many thought it was a miscalculation by the club to do so once Woodruff accepted the offer. The Brewers, however, thought otherwise and were thrilled to have Woodruff back. They knew what kind of value he would bring to the 2026 club even with his injury history.
“I’m thrilled to have him back, I mean he’s one of the best people — and not just best people but one of the best pitchers in big games I’ve ever seen, so to have that guy back is really exciting.” Brewers PBO Matt Arnold said at the Winter Meetings last year.
The Brewers knew they’d be coming into 2026 with a very young crop of starting pitchers, almost all of whom with less than a full year of MLB service time. To get those pitchers to navigate a tough division, navigate their first full years in the majors, and maintain the level of on-field success the Brewers were expecting, it would take the right veteran, the right person, to lead them. Brandon Woodruff was the clear choice to do it.
But how? What does Woodruff’s leadership for this young group look like?
“He’s out there, watching our bullpens every day, giving us tips and tricks and just little tidbits, you can talk to him during the game. Little learning points so it’s definitely cool to have a guy with that much experience. It’s really cool for a young staff like us.” added Kyle Harrison.
“In the start (of my career) he kind of was like the one that described to be what big league life looked like and how to go about it… So he’s a huge help just with anything, you have a question, you go to Woo and you ask him anything and he’ll be there to talk you through it.” Jacob Misiorowski said.
“We just talk about life, learning experiences from when he played and just spent a really good mentor of the game to me and just showing me the ropes of how things are done in the locker room on the field and how to be a good teammate.” said Chad Patrick.
Woodruff’s role this season has certainly changed from what’s previously been expected of him. For years, he was a steady workhorse that was expected to lead the rotation as a true No. 1 on the field. He was relied upon to pitch deep into games, match up against the best pitcher the other team has to offer, and provide a power arsenal while doing it.
After his shoulder surgery at the end of 2023, the road to health has been long and winding. The power arsenal with the “angry fastball” he once had isn’t likely to come back. He’s made 18 total big league starts since that surgery. The outside expectations for him have changed. Woodruff’s expectations for himself have not, but he’s also able to see the bigger picture.
“I’m in a role where I still feel like a number one, but also I’m trying to just fill in behind these guys and watch them do their work. Because it’s fun to see, that’s fun for me to watch them do what they do because I learn from them, too.” Woodruff said.
The Brewers have a great track record of developing pitching over the past decade or so. Woodruff himself was one of those early success stories that paved the way for the reputation the Brewers now have. Pitching coach Chris Hook has received a lot of credit for that reputation as well and rightly so. But sometimes players need to hear something not from their coach, but a fellow player. That’s where Woodruff also provides a wealth of knowledge to help these young starters.
“(Woodruff’s) someone you could bounce ideas off like, ‘Hooky told me this and Woody, what do you think?’ Man, just stuff like that, it’s like he’s always looking out for you.” Harrison said.
Pitching coach Chris Hook said, “I think when you’re inside the clubhouse, there’s a chance for a deeper connection. People are a little bit more open and the conversation is probably a little bit more free-flowing… And I think we’re fortunate enough to have a guy like him with a lot of experience, be able to share and want to share, I think that’s cool.”
As for what kind of knowledge Woodruff like to share with the young starters the most? Reading swings and sequencing are the key points he focuses on.
“The biggest thing is sequences, trying to look at guys swings and situations, and I think that’s where I can be of some value for some of these younger guys. Because the more innings you throw, the more you start putting yourselves in these situations. And to be honest, they haven’t thrown that many innings, but obviously we’ve seen in the Cubs series what the capabilities are, and they’re really good man. I mean, everybody’s in the upper 90s now, and once they learn how to pitch and sequence a little bit, and they get down to execution, then it becomes real fun for them.” Woodruff said.
But there’s also plenty of other facets of pitching where Woodruff is making his mark on this next generation of Brewers starting pitchers. Some of it can be mindset related, some may be tweaking pitch grips, or providing other cues. Some may just simply be little moments where Woodruff makes a suggestion and is able to get something to click for them.
Misiorowski said, “I was throwing a bullpen and Woo had me try a different grip on a pitch, and I remember I tried it and I think it was my changeup and I was kind of playing with it and he had me switch, slide my fingers over a little bit and it jumped it up like five more inches of horizontal (break) and it was like ‘oh, wow, that really works.’”
“In Detroit I had him watch my throwing program one time, and he was just giving me some advice on how to get in front of the curveball, things like that” Patrick said.
“I think one outing was like a bunch of heaters, bunch of heaters and next time around, I’ll start pulling out the change up, started pulling out the curveball to land it just for a strike” Harrison added.
Hook tells a story about a time that Woodruff was speaking to a group of young Brewers pitchers in spring training and giving advice about working out of jams
“(Woodruff) goes, ‘listen, we don’t go in to starts or outings thinking that its going to go perfect, always know that there are going to be jams that are going to happen and almost be ready for them’ and the way he says it and the way he explains it is so different.” Hook said. “Oh, here’s that here’s that opportunity. I have to get out of jam and ‘hey, listen, you’re going to get at least three opportunities to work out of jams’…it was just like it’s a really good way to put it, it’s like I’ve got three opportunities today to work out of a jam. I’m probably not going to get to four. When that first one comes like, oh, here’s the first out of three, and then I can work out of it. And again, it calms you and it just like the expectation of it happening kind of alleviates that anxiousness. So I always thought that was a little bit of wisdom that I thought was really, really good. ”
The Brewers have the 3rd-best starter’s ERA in MLB this season. The starting pitching has been a critical factor in the organization’s success over the last decade. Brandon Woodruff was part of that first wave back in 2017 and 2018. Now the next wave is here and Woodruff is still here with it as well. He’s been on the shelf since late April with a shoulder injury. So even though he hasn’t been out there on the field contributing to the team’s success, he’s still clearly contributing in other ways, shaping this next generation of Brewers starters.
“He’s on the Mount Rushmore of Brewers pitching. These guys might be too young to know that, but maybe when they’re done, they’ll realize how special he was when he decides to leave Milwaukee” Hook said.