As per the colleague Francys Romero’s report, the Milwaukee Brewers have claimed right-hander Vladimir Gutierrez off waivers from the Miami Marlins. The pitcher was designated for assignment by the fish nearly four days ago after his only appearance of the year, a four-inning three-run outing against the Angels.
Gutierrez caught Miami’s eye during his showcase for various MLB ballclubs on January 24th where he threw 25 pitches to various current MLB and ex-MLB hitters, looking marvelous in the process. The hurler’s fastball was consistently between 94-96 mph, topping out a 97 and his off-speed pitches stood out as well, most notably his changeup.
Sources tell the us that right-handeder @vladimi83418418 has been claimed of waivers by the @Brewers .@francysromeroFR first to report. pic.twitter.com/KKmrkoH8Fi
— Cuban Baseball Digest (@CBaseballDigest) April 5, 2024
The right-hander from Pinar del Río, Cuba worked out freakishly this offseason and this led him flash his electric repertoire for MLB ballclubs during his showcase. Gutierrez aside from a mid-90’s fastball and also has an array of sharp breaking pitches in his arsenal. His slider and curveball are good setup pitches for his heater, while his changeup is elite.
In his two year big league career he sports a record of 10-12, 5.47 earned run average and has struck out 121 batters in 154 ⅔ innings of work. The 28-year-old righty still shows a lot of promise and if he returns to his 2021 form could be a future good off-the-radar acquisition for the Brewers’ pitching staff.
During that 2021 season Gutierrez posted a 9-6 record, 4.74 earned run average and 88 strikeouts in 22 starts. His performance netting him some votes in the Rookie of the Year balloting during that campaign. Expect the Cuban to start the season at Nashville (AAA) and Gutierrez has also been placed on the team’s 40 man roster.