Lemme tell ya something...this Quinn Priester thing is gonna be one of the wildest developments in a while. How does someone go from decidedly not working in two different organizations to being a 13-game winner for someone else? It's wild.
Quinn Priester is one of those names you don't soon forget. 'Priester' is an inherently funny name, and I don't just say that because 'priester' is the dutch word for priest. If you didn't already think that dutch wasn't a serious language, there you go. And so I remember when Quinn Priester debuted for the Pirates, it was in Cleveland, and I remember this because my friend the Guardians fan was in attendance. Like 'oh, you get to see this big Pirates prospect', and he got killed. And even as he struggled as a swingman for Pittsburgh and then got dealt to Boston, I was like 'there's gotta be some relevance to this guy'. You can't just bring a guy named Quinn Priester up and have nothing happen to him. This isn't L.J. Hoes hour.
Well, since arriving in Milwaukee, Priester has become one of the most crucial starters for this team. He came in at the right time, when they were throwing around back end options like Logan Henderson and Aaron Civale, but before the Miz showed up and Woodruff came back. Since May 30th, every game Quinn Priester has pitched in for the Brewers has resulted in a win. That is his last 19 appearances, 18 of them starts. Altogether, Priester is 13-2 with a 3.25 ERA and 128 Ks, plus a 1.214 WHIP. He's a very reliable, durable pitcher who makes up in consistency for a lack of flashiness. And look, the Brewers pitchers who've succeeded this year haven't all been too flashy. The Miz, yes, but even he's struggled recently. Guys like Priester, Freddy Peralta, Brandon Woodruff and Jose Quintana have succeeded for this team by performing dominantly without overexerting themselves too much. The Robert Gassers and Logan Hendersons of this world can do that but then miss a year. Gasser is back though, but...he's struggled in a returning appearance.
The Brewers are a playoff threat, and the #1 seed, because of steady performers like Priester and Chad Patrick, who've helped this team just as much as the big guns like Christian Yelich, Brice Turang and Jackson Chourio. The Brewers have sneakily brought on some crucial pieces where no one has expected, like swinging Andrew Vaughn in a deal for Civale and watching him become a .300 hitter, or grabbing Jordan Montgomery as an add-on, waiting for the possibility of him having a comeback year for Milwaukee in 2026. This team is just well put together, and this current period of dominance is the result of a lot of small moves stacking up.
I sincerely hope the Brewers can cross the hurdle that seemed so nebulous for Craig Counsell and make it past the first rung of the playoffs. The bye will help, but if they fall apart at the wrong time they could miss yet another NLCS in a playoff season primed for them. I hope it happens this year, and I hope they can outlast the competition.
Coming Tomorrow- When his team needed him the most, he had a 3-homer game that made them a division threat at last.
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