Eric Lance Lauer (born June 3, 1995) is a Major League Baseball pitcher currently playing for the Milwaukee Brewers. He was a member of the Kent State University Golden Flashes.
Lauer debuted in Major League Baseball with the San Diego Padres in 2018, before being traded to the Milwaukee Brewers before the 2020 season.
Lauer has played on the pitch on a regular basis since then, and it’s difficult to overstate how important it has been to his arsenal. FanGraphs ranks Lauer sixth among all Major League starting pitchers in slider runs above average since reintroducing the pitch on July 3 of last season.
Despite the fact that Lauer lacks the elite upside of his Brewers rotation colleagues, the changes he made to his windup and stuff in 2021 have him on track for another strong season.
Lauer was the 25th overall pick in the 2016 MLB Draft, and he was acquired by the Brewers in the Trent Grisham and Zach Davies trade from San Diego.
Lauer’s 2020 season was cut short due to a shoulder injury, as he only pitched 11 innings and had a 13.09 ERA. In time for the 2021 season, he returned, and the Brewers began the process of retooling their southpaw.
Statcast ranks Lauer sixth among big league pitchers (min. 50 PAs) this season with a. 221 expected wOBA against his slider. Given the pitch’s success, it’s no surprise that Lauer is using it at a career-high 21.9 percent clip so far in 2022, and you could argue he should use it even more frequently.