Who will be staff ace for the Milwaukee Brewers?

One year ago the Milwaukee Brewers ended up the default option for Kyle Lohse in many people’s eyes. They needed a starting pitcher. He needed a home and was a better fit for the National League. It just made sense, even with a pesky compensatory draft pick involved in the process.

Now Matt Garza, recently signed to a four-year deal, is also in the mix along with long-time Brewer Yovani Gallardo. That poses a welcome question: who will be the staff ace?

Asked about the opening day starter, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com writes the following:

"…I would give Opening Day to Lohse based on his Major League tenure and what he did for the Brewers last season, but I don’t get a vote.”"

McCalvy also notes that Roenicke is notorious for dodging questions about who the “ace” is or about the importance of starts in April. As for who might be the ace in the long run, McCalvy writes the following:

"…because Roenicke probably does not have an “ace” — though Garza is close when healthy. What the Brewers have is some depth, led by three experienced pitchers at the top of the rotation who can pitch like an ace in stretches.”"

This seems about right. You can make a reasonable argument that Garza is the ace of the staff in terms of stuff. He and Gallardo both touted similar expected fielding independent pitching marks (xFIP) along with strikeout rates (7.88 K/9 and 7.17 K/9). Between the two of them, Garza still brings more upside if he’s in the right situation.

Lohse brings the durability to carry a spot near the top of a rotation (198.1 innings in 2013), but he simply does not have the K’s or the stuff of the other guys. For one game you might take Garza, but over the length of the season you might take Lohse. Either way, it is a nice combination for Milwaukee.