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Brandon Woodruff 2025 Player Outlook: Temper Expectations Upon Return
13 mins agoMilwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Brandon Woodruff was among the best pitchers in the league the last time he saw a MLB mound in 2023. His 2023 season was ravaged by injury, with shoulder issues taking him out from April to early September. Then, just a month after his return late in the season, he opted for surgery that would sideline him for at least the 2024 season. However, he had a spectacular season, with a 2.28 ERA, 3.60 FIP, 29.2% strikeout rate, 5.9% walk rate, and 0.82 WHIP. While many pitchers often come back from severe operations like Tommy John surgery and return to form in a few months, shoulder injuries like Woodruff's are likely to exacerbate the degradation in performance that comes from a season off the mound at the age of 32. ATC's prediction of a 3.79 ERA, 25.6% strikeout, and 1.09 WHIP across 128 innings makes it hard to justify betting the farm on Woodruff quickly regaining All-Star form. Given the risk and likelihood that Woodruff starts the season on the IL, his 233 ADP is somewhat pricy. However, the reward may be too much to pass on past the mid-200s.
