Hoby Milner

Milner was a reliable option out of the Brewers' bullpen in 2022, allowing an earned run in just 15 of his career-high 67 appearances and giving up two or more earned runs only eight times. His fastball sat below 90 MPH like usual, but he threw his changeup more than ever before and wound up averaging just shy of a strikeout per inning while posting easily the best WHIP of his career. Milner has never recorded a save at the big-league level, and he will not be in the mix for them in 2023. He could remain busy, but that will not do much for fantasy players.

Milner opened the season on the Phillies’ roster but pitched just 4.2 innings for the team before being sent down in mid-April and eventually shipped to the Rays in mid-July. He finished the year having allowed eight runs (six earned) with an 8:5 K:BB in 7.1 big-league innings. Through parts of two seasons, the 27-year-old is looking very much like an up-and-down lefty reliever who could see major-league action for several years but who is unlikely to stick in a regular role unless his profile improves. There’s currently little reason to believe that will happen. He seems to be getting all he can out of a fastball that averages below 90 mph and a slider that sits in the high 70s, leading him to a career major-league strikeout rate of 17.0% and a walk rate of 11.9%. He’ll have a role as long as he continues to hold lefties to a .177/.292/.277 line, but that role is unlikely to be a fantasy-relevant one.

Milner's 2017 season began with the disappointment of being offered back to the Phillies after failing to stick with the Indians as a Rule 5 pick. He earned a promotion to Philadelphia in June, however, and stuck with the team for the rest of the season. Milner put up an impressive 2.01 ERA in the 31.1 innings he threw as a left-handed reliever, though his underlying numbers suggest that level of performance won't be repeatable. Milner's strikeout rate (6.3 K/9) and walk rate (4.6 BB/9) were well below average, and his HR/FB rate (6.1 percent) is unsustainably low. Those numbers add up to a 5.54 xFIP, and if his ERA falls back to that number next year, Milner could easily find himself out of a job. A mediocre reliever without a guaranteed bullpen spot can be left alone in most leagues, though Milner at least has a clearer path to playing time than he would in other organizations, as the Phillies' bullpen is low on viable lefties.