By Donald Laible
Quinn Priester is pitching at a level for the Milwaukee Brewers that the Pittsburgh Pirates had always hoped he would for them.
Last year at this time, Priester’s journey to being in the starting pitching rotation of an MLB club had stalled. Two stints with Triple-A Worcester (MA) and Indianapolis of the International League, being traded from Pittsburgh to Boston, and netting 17 starting assignments left Priester with a handful of uncertainties leading into Spring training 2025. When camp broke, and Priester was again assigned to the Worcester WooSox, 4o miles west of Boston, the Pirate’s former top draft pick in 2019 seemed destined for another season of uncertainty.
Then, seemingly with the snap of Brewers’ general manager Matt Arnold’s finger, the proverbial light bulb turned on in Priester’s career.
Coming over from the Red Sox organization on April 7 for minor leaguers right-handed pitcher John Holobetz and outfielder Yophery Rodriquez, there was something that Arnold and Brewers’ skipper Pat Murphy saw in Priester’s game that made them a believer in the 24-year-old’s talents.
Three days later, on April 10 at Coors Field in Denver, Priester was pitching against the Colorado Rockies. 22 appearances (17 starts) thus far with Milwaukee, and Priester has an 11–2 record and a stingy 3.49 ERA. Listed as this Saturday’s probable starting pitcher in Cincinnati opposite Reds’ Zack Littell, Priester is all but certain to hit the 100 strikeout mark for the first time in his brief career. He has 95 strikeouts so far this season. One of eight pitchers in the National League who have collected 11 wins or more this season, Priester had a combined six victories during the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
With Milwaukee dominating the National League Central, ahead of second-place Chicago Cubs by 7.5 games on Friday, the Brewers’ strength this season is pitching. Gone from the Opening Day pitching staff are veterans Nestor Cortes and Aaron Civale. Freddy Peralta leads the rotation with a 14–5 record. Jose Quintana, signed by Milwaukee this past March to a one-year contract, heads into Cincinnati at 10–4. Brandon Woodruff, sidelined since 2023 with a shoulder injury, returned to the Brewers’ rotation last month. He owns a 4–0 record and a 2.06 ERA. Priester is fitting in well with the Brewers’ experienced pitching staff.
One of Priester’s biggest boosters on Milwaukee’s bench is Murphy. Last season’s National League Manager of the Year let it be known to Priester upon his arrival at the club that he is now a full-time MLB player. Winner of two of his first ten games as a Brewer, Murphy stuck with his young righty. After six seasons in professional baseball, through the best of times and the worst of times, Priester finally found stability. Arnold traded for him, Murphy believed in him, and Priester hasn’t disappointed.
The sinker, slider, curveball, and changeup were known pitches in Priester’s repertoire. His four-seam fastball needed to be thrown more. It was as if Priester needed confidence to challenge hitters with the fastball, or needed to tweak how he threw it. Brewers’ pitching coach Chris Hook worked on Priester’s mechanics, and Priester is performing as the pitcher he has always been expected to be.
Any time a first-round (18th overall) pitching prospect is for the taking, clubs generally take a chance on their coaches and instructors being the one to turn a career around. The Brewers succeeded in “straightening out” Priester’s fastball, something the Pirates’ organization had not been able to do for parts of five seasons.
Milwaukee is the smallest MLB market. Two-thirds the size of Pittsburgh, earlier this week in a three-game home series with the Pirates at American Family Field, the Brewers swept the series. In their three wins, the Brewers scored 33 runs, and limited Pittsburgh to 6 runs.
With the start of a six-game road trip on Friday, and ending after three games at Wrigley Field with division rival Chicago Cubs on Thursday afternoon, Milwaukee begins the trip at 76–44. Success opposite two fellow National League Central foes very much could position them to an 80-plus win record. Priester will be looking to pull his pitching weight on Saturday at Cincinnati’s Great American Ball Park.
“I always thought it would work out well,” Priester said of his pitching skills at Pirate City in Bradenton, Fla., speaking to reporters in March 2024. “I’m keeping the faith in my arm. There’s a lot of adversity in trying to get to the major leagues. I know what is expected of me. I just need to execute.”
When reviewing Priester’s comments a year ago in training camp, with little opportunity to make the Pirates’ starting rotation, it’s clear that he never quit on himself. Winner of 22 minor league games prior to making his MLB debut with Pittsburgh in 2023, Priester demonstrated that he deserved a chance to prove himself above the Triple-A level. Milwaukee offered that chance, and they haven’t been sorry for doing so.
