Shane Drohan was preparing for his sixth season in the minor leagues in March after failing to make the Milwaukee Brewers'opening-day roster.
Drohan, a left-handed pitcher fromCardinal Newman High, might have been wondering if he was ever going to make it to the majors. He was 27. After a February trade, he was playing for his third major league organization. His career had been interrupted by shoulder and forearm injuries.
Six months later, he's perhaps the unlikeliest success story on MLB's best team. When the Brewers open the National League Division Series at home against the San Diego Padres on Saturday, Oct. 3, Drohan will not only be on the playoff roster, he'll be a key member of the league's top pitching staff.
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Despite missing most of the first month, Drohan finished second on the team in innings pitched (124 2/3), behind only Cy Young Award front-runner Jacob Misiorowski. He was 7-5 with a 4.19 ERA and 125 strikeouts, splitting time between starting and relieving.
And when manager Pat Murphy was asked about his 26-man postseason roster during the last week of the regular season, he said Drohan would be on it "come hell or high water."
That's a pretty heady vote of confidence for a player whose career had taken a series of twists and turns.
"I had a lot of good people around me to kind of pick me up when I was down," Drohan told MLB Network. "It's worked out."
Shane Drohan spotted by MLB scouts while pitching for Cardinal Newman
Drohan caught the attention of college and pro scouts while pitching for Cardinal Newman in 2016 and 2017, even though the Crusaders were a struggling program.
"You definitely saw he had the potential," said J.R. Edwards, Cardinal Newman's pitching coach at the time who later was named head coach. "What set him apart was his mentality, the way he approached his day-to-day work. He would pitch against the big teams — those games tended to bring the best out of him."
The Philadelphia Phillies drafted Drohan in the 23rd round after his senior season, but he chose to sign with Florida State.
In Tallahassee, he played parts of three seasons but was fully healthy for only one, in 2019 (3-1, 3.83 ERA, 71 strikeouts in 51 2/3 innings). That earned him an invitation to the prestigious Cape Cod summer league and put him back on pro scouts' radar.
In 2020, the Boston Red Sox drafted him in the fifth round (148th overall), but his pro debut was delayed a year when the coronavirus pandemic forced the cancellation of the minor league baseball season.
Finally, at age 22, he took the mound for Class A Salem, beginning a long climb through the minors. Each time he appeared to be making progress, however, an injury would set him back.
In December 2023, the Chicago White Sox took Drohan in the Rule 5 Draft, in which teams with open spots on their 40-man roster can select unprotected minor-league players from other organizations. The team must keep the player on its active MLB roster (or injured list) for the entire season, or offer him back to the original team.
After shoulder surgery and some poor rehab outings, Chicago sent Drohan back to Boston the following June. "I thought that might be the writing on the wall," he told MLB Network.
But Drohan persisted. He bounced back in 2025 with a big season at Triple-A Worcester (5-1, 2.27 ERA, 67 strikeouts in 47 2/3 innings), potentially setting him up for a promotion to the Red Sox this year.
That's when his career took another turn. In December, while he was spending the offseason working out at Cressey Sports Performance in Palm Beach Gardens, the Brewers acquired Drohan in a six-player deal. Now he had to prove himself with a new organization.
After starting the season at Triple-A Nashville, Drohan was called up for a spot start on April 8 — ironically, against the Red Sox. It did not go well. He lasted 2 2/3 innings, giving up three runs on three hits and walking four. He was sent back to Nashville the following day.
On April 24, Drohan got another call-up, and this time he stuck around. He started 19 games and made 14 relief appearances - even picking up two saves as a closer - as the Brewers ran away with the NL Central title and posted MLB's best record (103-59).
Brewers manager Pat Murphy will use Drohan out of bullpen
Murphy, who loves Drohan's versatility, plans to use him out of the bullpen in the playoffs.
“I think the biggest reason I’m effective is that I mix a lot," Drohan told FanGraphs. "I have a large arsenal, five pitches, that I’m essentially comfortable throwing in any count. I’ll even throw curveballs, changeups and sliders on 3-0. That puts a lot of pressure on the hitters, knowing that they can’t cancel out any pitch.”
One of the highlights for Drohan has been watching Misiorowski put together one of the best seasons in MLB history. Misiorowski, a 24-year-old right-hander, went 16-5 with a 1.80 ERA and 252 strikeouts in 174 2/3 innings. He led the majors in WHIP (0.80) and set a record for lowest opponents' batting average (.157).
"This guy's insane," Drohan said. “I’m glad that I had a little talk with myself earlier in the year and said, ‘Don’t take this for granted.' This is an old, old, old game, and this guy’s doing something the game has never seen. And I get to sit in the dugout and watch.”
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Milwaukee Brewers counting on Shane Drohan out of bullpen vs. Padres
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