Brewers Prepare for Long, Windy Road
By: Robert Ruiz-Maki
The Milwaukee Brewers are ready for another season of ups and downs. After leading the division for much of the year in 2014, the Brewers stumbled down the stretch and fell completely out of the playoff race by the time September rolled around. It was to be expected; many players were playing well above their career averages and young players were making big impacts that didn’t seem sustainable. Still, the first half of 2014 gave a glimpse into how good this Brewers team can be if it puts everything together for a full season.
Ryan Braun, Jonathan Lucroy, Aramis Ramirez, Adam Lind, and Carlos Gomez, can all provide the offensive fireworks to lead the team to victory on any given night. Lind, the newest power bat to join the Milwaukee lineup, will likely be part of a platoon at first base with Lucroy. The Brewers have the unusual advantage of having two top-tier defensive catchers on the same team. The vast majorities of teams lack even one decent catcher, and instead turn to a player that can make up for his defensive deficiencies at the plate instead. Lucroy is the best catcher in the league when considering offensive and defensive contributions, even though he has continued to be robbed of awards and honors because St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina is more popular despite his old age.
Sadly, promise is about as good as it is going to get for the Brewers in 2015. Braun hasn’t been the same since his thumb started bothering him (or since he returned from his suspension for steroid use) in 2014, and Prince Fielder isn’t around to pick up the slack, though judging from his performance the past few years he wouldn’t have been able to anyways. Lucroy was the one sustained bright spot for last year after Carlos Gomez faded down the stretch. Matt Garza and Kyle Lohse are great middle of the rotation pitchers but neither is a top of the line starter at this point in their careers. Wily Peralta, Mike Fiers, and Jimmy Nelson are all pitchers that are great to have to fill out the back of the rotation, but they should never make up the majority of the rotation.
The division is stacked with worthy opponents, which does not make the going any easier for the Brewers. The Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals are the class of the NL Central division after both made the playoffs of 2014. The Chicago Cubs have made major strides to become a dangerous club in the offseason, including signing manager Joe Maddon and acquiring Jon Lester to lead the rotation. The Cincinnati Reds seem to be the ones willing and able to battle the Brewers for the bottom of the division.
The future is brighter than it was at this time last year, though. Another year of development should help Jean Segura and Khris Davis, much as it helped Gomez during his developmental years. Peralta, Fiers, and Nelson should all prove whether they are ready to compete at the major league level for years to come, or whether the Brewers should be prepared to keep searching for top of the line pitching talent in the upcoming drafts.
