The Milwaukee Brewers had an incredible season. They shattered many team milestones and won the National League Central Division for the first time in team history. The Brewers set a team record with 96 regular season wins and had the second best record in the National League behind the Philadelphia Phillies. They won the first round of the playoffs against the Arizona Diamondbacks in thrilling fashion with Nyger (T-Plush) Morgan’s RBI single in the bottom of the 10th inning. They followed that up with a come from behind game 1 win against the Cardinals in the Divisional Series. The Cardinals ended up winning that series 4 games to 2 at Miller Park ending the Brewers season.
The Brewers had many great seasons from top players and key roles filled by reserves. Ryan Braun is thought by many to be the regular season National League MVP. He had 33 homers to go along with 33 stolen bases which made him only the second player in club history to have a 30-30 season. He also drove in 111RBI’s and was second in the National League with a .332 batting average. Did I forget to mention that he had a bad calf for nearly half of the season? If he does not win National League MVP, there will be many outraged Brewers fans.
Prince Fielder had another Prince Fielder season. Say what you want about it being a contract year and all that. Look past it for one second and look at what he has done for the Brewers. In a little over six years for the Brew Crew, he has 998 games played, 996 hits, 230 home runs, 656 RBI’s, and a .282 batting average. If I lost any of you for praising him on a job well done in Milwaukee, I am sorry but you cannot tell me that every year was a contract year. Yes, he will probably go somewhere where he gets paid anywhere from 15-20 million dollars a year, but just appreciate what he has done in his time as a Brewer. He will definitely be missed, but our general manager, Doug Melvin, has said that he will attempt to sign him. If he does go to another team, it will be like Brett Favre all over again for Wisconsin sports fans. Although he was not loved nearly as much as Favre was, there will still be his followers. Just do not go to a division rival please. Fielder will definitely be booed then.
It was not just those two that carried the team. The Brewers had another All-Star by the name of Rickie Weeks. He was almost the forgotten man in the second half of the season. He was on pace for a career year before a serious high ankle sprain caused him to miss significant time. He was not the same player when he came back from injury and in the playoffs. Fan favorite Casey McGhee had a tough year. One year after leading the Brewers in RBI’s, he was benched down the stretch and was relegated to a pinch-hitting role in the playoffs. That was partly due to Jerry Hairston getting red-hot at the end of the year and continuing it in the playoffs. Corey Hart had a great year as well. Despite missing 32 games with various injuries, he still managed to hit 26 homers and provided an extra spark when inserted into the leadoff spot late in the season. Yuniesky Betancourt’s season was very adventurous. He was either red-hot or ice-cold for long stretches. He would make highlight reel plays and then make some stupid errors right after that. It is unclear whether he is the answer at shortstop although with a great postseason, he may have kept his job for next year. Jonathan Lucroy very quietly had a great season. He consistently became a better defensive catcher as the season went on and had a solid year at the plate hitting out of the 8th spot in the order.
If you followed the Brewers at all this season, you know about Nyger Morgan’s antics. Love him or hate him, he became one of the most recognizable faces of the Brewers. He had multiple personas that inspired T-Plush nation shirts and even a Facebook page. He would find a way to get in to other team’s heads. There really was never a time you couldn’t see him smiling and delivering hilarious lines that had many fans following every word he said. He was not just a joker either, he had a great season splitting time in center field. Whenever a right-handed pitcher was pitching, Nyger was in the lineup. He had the game-winning hit that made the Brewers win their first postseason series since 1982.
The Brewers pitching was a big reason for their success as well. All 5 starting pitchers had 11 wins or better. That is a remarkable stat for a team that was near the bottom in every pitching category a year ago. Doug Melvin made a big splash this past offseason by trading for Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum who both had spectacular regular seasons. Randy Wolff was steady and dependable. Chris Narveson was a pleasant surprise when he won the job in spring training and had a respectable season. Yovanni Gallardo gave up an alarming number of home runs, but was by far the best pitcher for the Brewers all season.
The Brewers had great bullpen success as well. Marco Estrada filled in nicely when needed in the starting rotation and was a very effective long reliever. Kameron Loe was a ground ball specialist. Takashi Saito was hurt during the first half of the year. In the second half, he was spectacular in his role as the 6th or 7th inning reliever. Latroy Hawkins split time in that spot as well and had a comeback year after major shoulder surgery last year. Francisco Rodriguez was a big pickup during All-Star weekend. The Brewers got the record-setting closer to pitch the 8th inning for the rest of the year. He was the perfect guy to give the ball to in close games. Then Brewers manager Ron Roenicke would give the ball to the “Axman.” John Axford set a club record with 46 saves and had 43 saves straight. He blew one in the postseason, but that does not count towards the record.
There will be many changes to the Brewers next year. The coaching staff will most likely remain the same after this great year. All five starting pitchers are under contract for at least next season. Most of the lineup will stay the same. But, fan favorite, Craig Counsell, will most likely retire after having a disappointing season in a reserve role. He will definitely be missed. It is unsure if Mark Kotsay or Jerry Hairston will be back. Both were reserves for most of the year. Hairston has said that he would like to come back, and after the season he had, the Brewers will definitely listen. Takashi Saito and Latroy Hawkins are free agents. Francisco Rodriguez is gone for sure after voicing his opinion loudly about how he wants to be a closer again. It is also uncertain about McGhee’s future as he is a free agent as well. Betancourt is a question mark as well. I have already talked about Prince Fielder, but he with Albert Pujols, and Jose Reyes will create the biggest buzz in the offseason as free agents.
The Brewers had a great season in 2011. They will have many changes to the roster before opening day next year comes around. Expect the Brewers to have a big offseason and try to make a run another run at the World Series next year.
No comments:
Post a Comment