Brewers' 24-Year-Old Flashing Ace Potential After 3 Small Changes

The Brewers managed to land a potential ace in their trade with the Red Sox this year.

Apr 5, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Kyle Harrison (52) delivers a pitch against the Milwaukee Brewers during the first inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Brewers took a bold shot on starting pitcher Kyle Harrison when they traded Caleb Durbin to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for a package of players led by Harrison.

Durbin was coming off a huge year with the Brewers, so Harrison immediately came under the microscope this spring. And he's been better than advertised, flashing ace potential early in the year.

Eno Sarris of The Athletic recently highlighted Harrison for making three changes to his pitching arsenal this year. Harrison has added a kick change with more drop on it while maintaining the same velocity. His four-seam fastball has more ride, and his slurve has more drop.

Kyle Harrison made a few minor changes to boost his game

Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Kyle Harrison (52) is shown during the first inning of their game against the Tampa Bay Rays Monday, March 30, 2026 American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"The new kick-change was the focus of the hype before the season started, and it is a beauty," Sarris wrote. "But the kick-change is getting hit hard right now, so it’s only a theoretical strength for now. The spin on the pitch is pretty different from his other pitches, and the command has been inconsistent start to start — maybe hitters can spot it.

"The good news is that Harrison also improved his fastball and slurve a little, pushing them to the best they’ve ever been by Stuff+, and so SIERA, K-BB, and DRA all think he’s a well-above-average pitcher. He’s always had a good fastball, so lining up around the back end of the top 50 seems like a decent place to communicate that he does appear to be a new pitcher, but that there’s still a little risk in the quality of his slurve and his previous levels of command."

To simplify the changes, Harrison's pitches are moving more, which is going to make him harder to hit. His fastball drops less, which helps him miss bats. His slurve is moving more without sacrificing velocity, which means it's depthier and sharper than before. His kick change is doing the same thing, though he hasn't located it too well to start the year.

As a result, the 24-year-old holds a 2.61 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, and a 1-0 record through two starts with his new team. He's struck out 14 hitters in 10 1/3 innings while holding a 4.7 K/BB ratio.

The Brewers have always been known as a pitching factory, but this production from Harrison might be some of their best work yet.