Following a four-day All-Star Break, when everyone besides single-slapping catcher Jonathan Lucroy and, presumably, wheeling-and-dealing general manager David Stearns got some time off, the Brewers return to action tonight against the Reds.
Milwaukee went 38-49 in the first half, good for fourth in the Central division and 11th in the 15-team National League. The Brewers begin the second half (technically, the remaining 46 percent) of the season with a six-game road trip, taking on last-place Cincinnati and then heating-up Pittsburgh. After that, they’ll have a 10-game homestand with series against the Cubs, Diamondbacks and Pirates.
While the team battles NL Central foes on the field over the next couple weeks, Stearns will no doubt be working the phones in the front office, trying to find trade partners for veteran players that will return young talent before the Aug. 1 MLB non-waiver deadline, as the organization continues to retool. Stearns already sent third baseman Aaron Hill to the Red Sox for a pair of prospects, and the Brewers have several other trade chips, including Lucroy, outfielder Ryan Braun and relievers Will Smith and Jeremy Jeffress – though hopefully the latter two will be around through the team’s July 30 90s Night.
Let’s quickly review the first half, complete with arbitrary awards, surprises and statistics, and lightly preview the second half of the 2016 season.
MVP
Jonathan Lucroy. Yes, Ryan Braun’s had a very good season so far – a team-high .312 batting average and .881 OPS with 13 homers and 44 RBI – but he’s cooled off the last month and injuries are always a concern. Lucroy has been one of the best catchers in baseball (.304 average, .853 OPS, 11 homers, 42 RBI) and has been the steady, positive clubhouse presence that’s so important for a young, losing team.
Best pitcher
Jeremy Jeffress. Six years into Jeffress’ turbulent professional baseball odyssey – from being the Brewers’ 2006 first-round draft pick and a starter to three positive drug tests and a 100-game suspension to being traded to the Royals and then the Blue Jays to a return to Milwaukee as a free agent and a career reinvention as a reliever – the 28-year-old has really settled into his role as the team’s closer. He’s converted 23 of 28 save opportunities and has a 2.35 ERA (lowest on the team among pitchers who’ve thrown at least 20 innings).
Best new guy
Jonathan Villar. The first-year Brewer, who was acquired in the offseason from the Astros, is clearly not yet ready to yield his shortstop position to the organization’s top prospect. The 25-year-old Dominican Republic native has become one of the game’s best leadoff hitters, batting .298 with a team-high .380 on-base percentage and 31 stolen bases, the most in the majors. While he’s not the cleanest defensive player (12 errors), Villar’s 1.3 wins above replacement is tied with Braun for second on the club.
Biggest surprise
Junior Guerra. The 31-year-old journeyman’s world-traveling baseball journey (from Venezuela to Mexico to Italy to America) brought him to Milwaukee as a waiver claim last October. Called up in early May, Guerra has ridden his split-fingered fastball to a 6-2 record, eight quality starts, a 3.06 ERA and 1.07 WHIP, earning fans’ designation – especially on Twitter – as the Brewers’ ace.
Biggest nonsurprise
Chris Carter. The slugging first baseman was signed with the full understanding that he would provide huge power and a huge propensity to whiff. Halfway through the season, true to form, Carter leads the Brewers by a lot in both home runs (22) and strikeouts (112), as well as RBI (51).
Biggest disappointment
Wily Peralta. The big righty was Milwaukee’s Opening Day starter and was expected to take a developmental step forward in his fourth season. Instead, Peralta imploded, managing just two quality starts in 13 outings, a 6.68 ERA and only 42 strikeouts in 66.0 innings – far too few for the so-called power pitcher. Sent down to Triple-A Colorado Springs last month, he hasn’t done any better in the thin air, going 0-2 with a 9.17 ERA in five starts.
Statistical rankings (NL)
Batting: .245 AVG (9th), .715 OPS (10th), 342 R (12th), 89 HR (10th), 77 SB (1st)
Pitching: 4.50 ERA (11th), .270 BAA (13th), 32 QS (15th), 7.43 K/9 (13th), 71.8 SV% (5th)
Attendance
The Brewers have officially drawn 1,287,389 fans to 45 home games at Miller Park, a 28,608 average that ranks 15th in baseball (8th in the NL) – impressive for a team that went into the season publicly acknowledging it was rebuilding.
Trade candidates
Lucroy has the most value, given his stellar season so far and his bargain-basement contract ($4.35 million this year, $5.25 million in 2017), and the Brewers are reportedly asking a very high price for him. Milwaukee would eagerly trade Braun if it could find a willing taker – and a decent return – for the high-priced (four more years and $76 million after this season), injury-plagued and steroid-tainted superstar. Jeffress and left-handed reliever Will Smith (2.12 ERA, 0.88 WHIP in 17 innings) are the most likely to be moved to a team looking for bullpen help. At this point, the Brewers would probably take a bag of balls for starter Matt Garza (1-2, 5.54 ERA) if they could get it.
On the farm
It’s been a disappointing season for many of Milwaukee’s highly regarded prospects. Orlando Arcia started out hot at Colorado Springs, but has since slumped and now has a .270/.327/.408 slash line with seven homers and 44 RBI. The defensive whiz also has committed a surprising 11 errors at shortstop. The organization’s No. 2 prospect, pitcher Jorge Lopez, has struggled a lot in the high altitude, going 1-6 with a 6.33 ERA with the Sky Sox. Starter Josh Hader has had similar problems; he’s 0-2 with a 6.38 ERA since being promoted to Triple-A last month. Outfielder Brett Phillips is batting just .235 at Double-A Biloxi, though he has 11 homers and 45 RBI. Catcher Jacob Nottingham has regressed, with a .247/.311/.353 slash line and just 26 RBI for the Shuckers.
Debut watch
Even though he’s not exactly tearing it up at Colorado Springs, it’s a virtual certainty the Brewers will bring up Arcia later this season. Considered one of the best prospects in all of baseball, the 21-year-old prodigy will be in Milwaukee soon, regardless of how well Villar continues to play.
Born in Milwaukee but a product of Shorewood High School (go ‘Hounds!) and Northwestern University (go ‘Cats!), Jimmy never knew the schoolboy bliss of cheering for a winning football, basketball or baseball team. So he ditched being a fan in order to cover sports professionally - occasionally objectively, always passionately. He's lived in Chicago, New York and Dallas, but now resides again in his beloved Brew City and is an ardent attacker of the notorious Milwaukee Inferiority Complex.
After interning at print publications like Birds and Blooms (official motto: "America's #1 backyard birding and gardening magazine!"), Sports Illustrated (unofficial motto: "Subscribe and save up to 90% off the cover price!") and The Dallas Morning News (a newspaper!), Jimmy worked for web outlets like CBSSports.com, where he was a Packers beat reporter, and FOX Sports Wisconsin, where he managed digital content. He's a proponent and frequent user of em dashes, parenthetical asides, descriptive appositives and, really, anything that makes his sentences longer and more needlessly complex.
Jimmy appreciates references to late '90s Brewers and Bucks players and is the curator of the unofficial John Jaha Hall of Fame. He also enjoys running, biking and soccer, but isn't too annoying about them. He writes about sports - both mainstream and unconventional - and non-sports, including history, music, food, art and even golf (just kidding!), and welcomes reader suggestions for off-the-beaten-path story ideas.
