The Time Has Come For The Brewers To Go For It

Coming off of four consecutive playoff appearances, Milwaukees championship window is ajar but may be on the verge of closing soon.

March 12, 2022

The Brewers have all the right pieces in place sans one to make a serious run this season and in October. Solid management, three stud pitchers, and a deep bullpen headline a team that should be at the top of the NL Central in 2022. However, the offense must improve if they are to make a serious run at what would be the franchises' first title. This was shown by how the team was shut down in the playoffs last season by the eventual World Series champion Atlanta Braves where they went 20+ innings without scoring a run. When dissecting the Brewers' projections for '22, it is important to analyze the teams recent performance. The Brewers have been among the National Leagues' top teams in the regular season the past half decade, including an appearance in the NLCS against the Dodgers in 2018 where they took them to 7 games.

2017	​86-76	2nd	Missed
2018	96-67	1st	Lost in NLCS
2019	​89-73	2nd	Lost NLWC
2020	29-31	​4th	Lost NLWC
2021	95-67	1st	Lost NLDS

One huge reason why the Brewers need to go all-in this season is that they are at risk of losing their General Manager David Stearns. Stearns is considered to be one of the best general managers in the game, and before the lockout commenced late last year was at risk of leaving to join the New York Mets. He was responsible for crafty, heads up deals such as acquiring Christian Yelich from the Miami Marlins and Willy Adames from the Tampa Bay Rays. It will be hard for the team to find a comparable replacement when he does eventually leave.

The Brewers also have one of the best managers in the game. Manager Craig Counsell is widely respected and has won Manager of the Year multiple times. He is the right man to lead the Brewers to the World Series and has proven that.

The Brewers benefit from having a triple headed monster for their pitching in '22 led by 2021 NL Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes. They also employ two other pitchers in Brandon Woodruff and Freddy Peralta that are largely considered to be Top 15 pitchers in the currently. The Bullpen is strong too, with guys like Josh Hader who has been one of the best closers in the game for quite some time and elite set-up man Devin Williams.

*2021 Stats

Burnes	11-5	2.43 ERA	234 SO
Woodruff	​9-10	2.56 ERA	211 SO
Peralta	10-5	2.81	195 SO

The one thing holding the team back, as alluded, is their lack of offensive production. Yelich has regressed and will need to find close to an MVP form again. The offense is largely getting older. While Adames was a great pickup, the Brewers also lost a quality bat in Avisail Garcia to the Marlins this offseason. Their flaw was clearly exposed last year against the Braves, in which they wasted the great pitching they received throughout the series. They were unwatchable as a result of their poor hitting (especially with runners in scoring position).

The Brewers will have to get crafty in Free Agency and at the Trade Deadline this year. They signed OF Andrew McCutchen, but will have to add more to their offense than a 35 year old who's best years are likely behind him. They have to capitalize on what figures to remain a weak NL Central in '22 that will only get better going forward. The Postseason *should* be a given, but what happens when they do get there? There are high expectations and rightfully so, as the desperation increases with the idea of how it is hard for small market teams to maintain this type of success over a lengthy period of time.

Milwaukee is a great, underrated baseball city. The franchise has featured the likes of great Hall of Famers Robin Yount and Paul Molitor, and the city was the site of Hank Aarons famous 755 Home Run for the Milwaukee Braves. It would be a shame for a team that has almost everything it needs to see their window shut without at least one ring. It is time for the Brewers to break their 50+ year World Series drought, and '22 might be their last chance for awhile.