The Milwaukee Brewers have done so much this season, yet most people do not know that (Source: Getty Images)
The Stanley Cup Finals and the NBA Finals are completed, which normally means that baseball is the only sport happening during the summer where actual games are being played. However, this year has the 2018 FIFA World Cup starting up this Thursday. Unfortunately, I am not the greatest expert when it comes to association football in any capacity, so it would be better to hear about that event from another source of information. Instead, I would rather focus on a team that is quietly a half game out of first place in the National League Central division and I say ‘quietly’ because it feels like, per usual, most of America would rather focus on the higher profile teams that we all know and hate (and sometimes love). Granted, it is still early June, but the Milwaukee Brewers have continued building from a surprising 2017 season where they finished 86-76 and six games behind the Chicago Cubs and are holding onto first place in their division.
Name recognition is critical for generating fan enthusiasm and, considering the first returns for the MLB All-Star Game, the Brewers are not excelling in that department. Amongst the offensive positions, the only Brewers who appeared were outfielders Christian Yelich and Lorenzo Cain, who were ranked 11th and 15th respectively in votes received. One would think that is pretty respectable for a team to have not one but two players on the list, but when Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. is fifth on that list despite making his debut on April 25 and being on the disabled list since May 28. I understand that the Atlanta Braves are having an amazing season and they represented by Freddie Freeman, Ozzie Albies, and Nick Markakis as starters with other players not far behind, but people are riding on the Acuña Jr. hype train a little too hard and ignoring what Cain and Yelich have both done for the full season. Cain, in particular, has been the defensive catalyst for Milwaukee and has proven that all those years roaming the outfield for the Kansas City Royals was no fluke.
Jesús Aguilar has been a driving force for Milwaukee’s offense despite getting no respect from Cleveland (Source: Aaron Gash/AP)
One other element of the offense that deserves some recognition has been the reliance of emerging first baseman Jesús Aguilar. Despite hitting a combined 177 home runs during his time in the minor leagues, Aguilar played a grand total of 35 games for the Cleveland Indians from 2014 to 2016. He was waived by Cleveland and was immediately snatched up by Milwaukee and proved that he was worth the investment, hitting .265 while smacking 16 home runs and 52 RBI over the course of 133 games. Aguilar showed that he was a worthy fill-in for incumbent first baseman (and Korean baseball sensation) Eric Thames, but this season saw Thames go down with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb so Aguilar had to fill his spot again. Aguilar responded by hitting .285 (ranked by 3rd on the team behind Yelich and Cain), 11 homers (2nd behind third baseman Travis Shaw), and 37 RBI (also 2nd behind Shaw), so last season’s performance was not a one-year wonder. Even with Thames’s return from his injury yesterday, the Brewers have two legitimate first basemen who can slot into the lineup with ease, though Aguilar’s fielding has been a bright spot for Milwaukee’s less than stellar team fielding.
If there is one area of Milwaukee that leaves a lot to be desired, the starting pitching would be the most likely culprit. When you think of reliable starting pitchers, you would think of guys like recognizable faces like Justin Verlander, Clayton Kershaw, and Chris Sale to be the anchor for the rotation. Milwaukee’s anchor is former Colorado Rockies starter Jhoulys Chacín and if that name does not exactly cause some excitement, then I would not blame you. Chacín’s best season came in 2013 when he finished 14-10 with a 3.47 ERA, so he leaves a lot to be desired. Add in the fact that he was the “best” starter for the 2017 San Diego Padres who went 71-91 and that should cause the alarms to start ringing. Really, the only Brewer starting pitcher who has done a serviceable job has been Junior Guerra, who has a respectable 2.83 ERA but not much else to bring to the table. Luckily, if the starters manage to not implode and the offense gets off to a hot start, then the real strength of the Brewers gets to strut their stuff on the mound.
Jeremy Jeffress has had three tenures with Milwaukee and has had three different jersey numbers and one common pitching trait: consistency
The bullpen of Milwaukee has been, to me, the highlight of their success. Their combined ERA is 2.73 which not only ranks 2nd in the National League behind only the Arizona Diamondbacks, but 2nd in all of Major League Baseball. Couple that with the fact that the bullpen has been responsible for winning 17 games, tied with the New York Yankees for the most in the majors, and you have a recipe for success as long as the starters have decent outings each night. Taylor Williams, Boone Logan, Dan Jennings, Jacob Barnes, and Matt Albers have all been fairly reliable for Milwaukee and Corey Knebel has bounced back nicely from a hamstring injury earlier in the season to regain his closer position. Josh Hader has been a revelation for Milwaukee, striking out a staggering 72 batters while posting a 1.22 ERA and a 0.70 WHIP. However, I believe that the most crucial piece to the bullpen puzzle has been Jeremy Jeffress.
Jeffress, the 16th overall pick in the 2006 MLB Draft, made his Milwaukee debut in 2010 and he had an adequate season but was included in a trade with Kansas City for Zack Greinke. Ironically, the trade involved Jeffress and his current teammate Cain, who was drafted by Milwaukee in 2004. While Cain prospered for the Royals, Jeffress struggled mightily and was released in 2012. After a brief tenure in Toronto, he ended up returning to Milwaukee in 2014 where he regained his ability to pitch effectively, eventually becoming their closer in 2016. However, in an effort to improve upon their team rebuild, Milwaukee sent Jeffress to the Texas Rangers for prospect Lewis Brinson that July. Unfortunately for Texas, Jeffress struggled again and he ended up getting traded back to Milwaukee last season. This season has seen Jeffress be responsible for five victories, tied with Robert Gsellman of the New York Mets for the most wins as a reliever, and a minuscule 0.55 ERA and a 0.77 WHIP. Considering that Brinson was traded to the Miami Marlins as part of a package for Yelich, Jeffress has helped Milwaukee’s rebuild in more ways than one.
Manager Craig Counsell was hired back in 2015 with the knowledge that a rebuild was going to happen and those first two seasons showed that the rebuild talks were not a joke. These past two seasons have shown that the rewards of persevering through those tough two seasons. Milwaukee has gotten help from unlikely sources and some recognizable names alike and they have kept pace with the vaunted Cubs thus far. It is only a matter of time until they are able to break through the walls and gain more national recognition because this group of Brewers deserve the praise.
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