As a lifelong Milwaukee Brewers fan, I’ve been extremely hesitant to jump on the theory that they are contenders.
We’ve seen this story before – small-market team gets hot in the first half, only to fizzle in the second half.
No matter how imposing it is to think that the defending World Series champion Chicago Cubs are right behind the Brewers, one simply can’t ignore what this band of misfits is doing.
Led by team chemistry, serious hitting depth and some dangerous arms, the Brewers, the same team that is supposed to be in rebuilding mode and in last place in the division, is 52-42 and a comfortable 4.5 games ahead of the hated rival Cubbies.
It’s only the fourth time in franchise history the Brewers have 50 wins at the All-Star break, and they’re doing it with people you’ve never really heard of.
The construction worker in “Major League,” one of the greatest sports movies of all time, may have summed it up best: “Who are these (expletive) guys?”
Travis Shaw. Jesus Aguilar. Hernan Perez. Domingo Santana. Eric Sogard. Eric Thames.
The list goes on.
Who are these guys?
Keon Broxton? Really?
Ryan Braun?
OK, there’s one familiar name everybody knows, but the All-Star slugger missed more than a month of the season and the Brewers still made it to and remained in first place.
With the All-Star Game taking place last Tuesday and only one representative, closer Corey Knebel, from the Brewers, I’m actually upset because several Brewers were snubbed and could easily be on the All-Star squad.
Everyone is hitting
Shaw had 65 RBIs, the second-highest total ever by a Brewer before the All-Star break, only behind Carlos Lee.
Santana is hitting nearly .300 with 15 home runs and 50 RBIs, and Thames, who was playing in South Korea of all places last year, recreated the ghost of Babe Ruth with 11 home runs in April and is fourth in the league with 23 for the season.
Stephen Vogt, who the Oakland A’s didn’t want, shows up as a catcher and hits four home runs in his nine games, including a shot to help the Brewers take two of three in New York against the Yankees to close out the first half.
Shaw (.299) and Sogard (.331) are also players teams didn’t want but have found a niche with the Brewers.
And Braun, the former NL MVP, is only hitting .259. Jonathan Villar, who hit the cover off the ball and stole 70 bases last season, is hitting .221.
Don’t forget about Aguilar, who hit a grand slam with a full count and two outs to beat the Yankees, and Manny Pina, who has contributed nicely off the bench.
Orlando Arcia, lauded for his spectacular defense at shortstop, has turned into a .283 hitter with eight home runs and 30 RBIs.
The Brewers can flat-out hit the ball, and the Cubs, who only have one All-Star as well, and St. Louis Cardinals have not played close to well enough to catch up to the red-hot Brew Crew.
Nelson leads pitchers
On the mound, starting pitcher Jimmy Nelson is 8-4 with a 3.30 ERA and could be developing into an ace.
Zach Davies, another young starter, is 10-4, and Chase Anderson was an NL ERA leader before he got hurt.
Matt Garza, who seemed to be done in Milwaukee, has bouced back nicely with a 3.98 ERA.
Young prospects Josh Hader and Brent Suter have shown promise.
Knebel has turned into one of the game’s most intimidating, effective closers with his merciless fastball.
Harvard prodigy David Stearns, a genius general manager who constructed the 60-29 Houston Astros, is turning the Brewers franchise around as well.
What was supposed to be year two of a rebuild has turned into title contention, and now there is no looking back.
No reason to become buyers
Dare I say the Brewers are buyers at the July 31 trade deadline?
I wouldn’t go there.
The current roster is good enough to win now, and the Cubs, with their pitching injuries and slumping hitters, are more vulnerable than ever.
If you can get two or three top pitching prospects for Braun, let him go and complete the total rebuild of All-Star exodus. The Brewers moved Jonathan Lucroy and Carlos Gomez, and it’s paid off nicely.
While the Brewers did the same thing in 2007 and 2014 with much more talent and eventually lost the division lead, the nice thing about these guys is that they’re too young and inexperienced and don’t know any better.
They don’t know they’re supposed to lose, or rebuild, and are simply going out and having fun.
With a star-studded lineup of Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Kyle Schwarber, Javier Baez, Addison Russell and more, along with stud pitchers Jon Lester and Jake Arrieta, there’s no reason the Cubs shouldn’t recover and win the division.
But I’m not complaining about the first-place Milwaukee Brewers, who are making baseball exciting again – even if you’ve never heard of them.
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