Category Archives: Player Analysis

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The fifth inning heard round Milwaukee

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The Milwaukee Brewers were 8-6 heading into Saturday’s game versus the Philadelphia Phillies. This was an exciting matchup as both teams have dominated baseball throughout the last decade and were playing together in this elite matchup. The Philadelphia Phillies had their ace on the mound, Zack Wheeler, as he faced up against Brewers starter Adrian Houser. This matchup consisted of a shaky start for both pitchers, a wild fifth inning, and a hit that changed the ballgame completely. These three aspects within the ballgame proved to be quite the performance for the Milwaukee Brewers, and was very entertaining to watch.

Adrian Houser on the mound for the Milwaukee Brewers
  • Coming into Saturday, the Milwaukee Brewers had lost the game prior to the Philadelphia Phillies and were looking to even out the series. Coming into a rough crowd at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, the Milwaukee Brewers were trying to come out on top and give them a win on the road. Adrian Houser started off the game for the Brewers and gave up an RBI double to Nick Castellanos which gave the score in favor of Philadelphia 1-0. Houser continued to struggle in the third inning, giving up an RBI single and a sacrifice fly, which gave Philadelphia a 3-0 lead. The offense was nowhere to be found and as the innings got later, it gave Milwaukee less time to make the comeback needed to win the ballgame. 
  • Zack Wheeler was dominating the Brewers offense having only given up two hits in four innings with three strikeouts to add. Normally, pitchers start to fatigue as their arm can only handle throwing 90-100 miles per hour for so long. Just when the Brewers needed a spark, Hunter Renfroe started off the inning with a double to deep right field. This was the start to a much needed rally. Shortly after, Omar Narvaez struck out and left Renfroe on second base with one out. Next to hit, fan favorite Lorenzo Cain hit a single to put runners on the corners with one out. Then the tides changed with an RBI single from Jace Peterson to score Hunter Renfroe and advance Lorenzo Cain to second base. Milwaukee had now scored their first run with an opportunity to cash out and additional runs. Being down 1-3 is still a lot in the low scoring sport of baseball. Kolten Wong lined out to the shortstop and possessed the second out of the inning. Philadelphia was one out away from getting out of the inning and stopping the wildfire of hits and runs. Then, Willy Adames hit an RBI single to left field, which scored Lorenzo Cain and advanced Jace Peterson to second base. Now Milwaukee had the tying run on second base with Christian Yelich up at the plate. While Yelich has struggled in the last two years, it’s still not smart to give him a pitch to hit. Well, Zack Wheeler had other plans and threw a slider down the plate that allowed Yelich to hit an RBI single which tied up the ballgame. With Willy Adames on third base, he was 90 feet away from gaining the lead over the Philadelphia Phillies. All of the sudden, both runners from first and third steal the advancing bases and Philadelphia couldn’t get that last out. Adames has just scored from third base on a stolen base attempt and took the lead for the Milwaukee Brewers. Eventually, Andrew McCutchen struck out and the Milwaukee Brewers had finally taken the lead, 4-3. 
Zack Wheeler on the mound for the Philadelphia Phillies
  • Now this game had completely changed due to an incredible fifth inning, and Milwaukee had to maintain the lead and add any additional runs, if possible. The very next inning, the man who started the fifth inning rally hit a blasting home run to right field that traveled over 400 feet. This was a solo home run from Hunter Renfroe that gave the Milwaukee Brewers a 5-3 lead over Philadelphia. This moment gave the Milwaukee Brewers some cushion and allowed them to really take control of this ballgame. It was only right that the man who started the miraculous fifth inning, was able to add the final touch to a terrific offensive performance. The next half inning, Adrian Houser finished the sixth inning strong and helped Milwaukee maintain that lead. Thanks to Trevor Gott, Devin Williams, and Josh Hader, the Milwaukee Brewers were able to maintain the lead necessary to win the ballgame. These three relief pitchers combined for 3.0 IP, innings pitched, while striking out four hitters and only allowing two combined hits. This was a successful day for every pitcher as Adrian Houser was able to comeback after a slow start to help eventually climb back into the ballgame while every relief pitcher kept the lead in tack throughout the last three innings.

Saturday’s game was very entertaining and provided a rollercoaster of emotions for fans watching this ballgame. Whether it was being upset by the fact that Milwaukee was allowing many runs early on, or the fact that Milwaukee came back from all odds and won the ballgame, it set forth an incredible game to watch. Thus far, this game has been one of my personal favorite games and would recommend watching highlights of the game to understand the significance of these moments. This matchup possessed poor starting pitching for both pitchers, an incredible offensive inning, and a dominant close out to end and win the ballgame.

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Mike Brosseau’s go-ahead home run

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With the first week of the 2022 MLB regular season coming to an end, I figured I would highlight the moment of the week for the Milwaukee Brewers. The Milwaukee Brewers are 4-3 to start the season and have already had some wild and entertaining moments. They have faced the Chicago Cubs, Baltimore Orioles, and the St. Louis Cardinals. There has been one moment thus far that has really stood out among others, and that is Mike Brosseau’s home run against the Chicago Cubs. In this article, I will highlight the rivalry between the Chicago Cubs and the Milwaukee Brewers, the situation of the game heading into this moment, and background information on Mike Brosseau and why this moment was so special and important to himself and the Milwaukee Brewers.

Mike Brosseau and Willy Adames celebrating
  • The Milwaukee Brewers and the Chicago Cubs have had this rivalry since Milwaukee transferred into the National League Central division in 1998. This rivalry is called the I-94 rivalry, based on their close location off of Interstate 94. Now to put into perspective how close this rivalry has been versus one another, heading into this game they were tied at 200-200 all time facing each other. This series was the first series to start the 2022 season and Milwaukee had lost both games to start off the season looking for their first victory of the new season. There had been some tension between the two ball clubs as the day before, there was a brawl between both franchises. Milwaukee had hit three Chicago hitters that day and as a means for revenge, Chicago pitcher Keegan Thompson intentionally hit Brewer’s hitter Andrew McCutchen which started a brawl at Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs. Since 2020, Milwaukee Brewers pitchers have hit 27 Chicago hitters and Chicago Cubs pitchers have hit 26 Milwaukee hitters. This is extremely high and each franchise would agree that there is bad blood between the two ball clubs.
  • On 4/10/2022, the Milwaukee Brewers faced the Chicago Cubs in an epic battle. Seiya Suzuki had been one of the biggest free agents last year coming from the Japanese League and was ready to make an impact for his new team, the Chicago Cubs. In the first inning, the starting pitcher for the Brewers, Freddy Peralta, gave up a three run home run to Seiya Suzuki, which was his first in the MLB, to give the Chicago Cubs a 3-0 lead. This was devastating as players and fans were hoping to start the game with the lead. It felt demoralizing after losing both games prior as it seemed like their was the potential for a sweep, in which the Cubs would win all three games. Two innings later, Willy Adames for the Milwaukee Brewers takes a high rising sinker and smashes it beyond the center field wall scoring in one run as Milwaukee was still down 1-3 in the third inning. This gave fans hope as they wanted to see Milwaukee comeback from this deficit. Three innings later, the ballgame changed in favor of Milwaukee. Christian Yelich hit an RBI double to score another run and shortly after, Rowdy Tellez hit a two run home run which gave the lead to Milwaukee. Brent Suter came in relief for Freddy Peralta in the fifth inning and pitched well besides walking two hitters in the sixth inning, forcing manager Craig Counsell to take him out and put Jake Cousins in the ballgame. Jake Cousins had runners on first and second base and threw a wild pitch which advanced the runners to second and third base with two outs in the inning. Shortly after, Cousins threw another wild pitch which scored the tying run for the Chicago Cubs with the winning run on third base. Cousins finally struck out the last hitter with the game tied 4-4 heading into the seventh inning. 
  • Now more importantly, who is Mike Brosseau? Mike Brosseau is a utility infielder, which means he can play every position within the infield. Mike Brosseau was from a city in Northwest Indiana and grew up as a Chicago Cubs fan. Brosseau signed with the Tampa Bay Ray’s minor league team out of college and excelled in the minor leagues, eventually making his debut in 2019. Brosseau had a nice career in Tampa Bay before eventually being traded to the Milwaukee Brewers before the 2022 MLB season. Mike Brosseau had never played at Wrigley Field and knew this opportunity would give him the chance to live out his dream of playing baseball at his favorite ballpark, Wrigley Field. Brosseau had played in both games prior and had yet to get a base hit in Chicago. Coming into the seventh inning of the ballgame, Brosseau had the opportunity to pinch hit for the Milwaukee Brewers. Mike Brosseau would face former Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Daniel Norris with a chance to prove his worth to this new ball club. With a 2-0 count in the at-bat, Mike Brosseau launched a solo home run over the center field wall to give the Milwaukee Brewers a one run lead in the seventh inning. Brosseau had never hit a home run in a pinch hit opportunity and it seemed to be a magical moment for the younger Brewer. The Milwaukee Brewers eventually won the ballgame by a score of 5-4 in favor of Milwaukee, thanks to the much needed home run from Mike Brosseau. 
Mike Brosseau showing excitement

This moment was crucial for Milwaukee as they needed a lead in order to secure their first victory of the season. Especially in a rivalry game, every game matters and more specifically getting the first win of the season was necessary from a moral standpoint. Mike Brosseau was finally able to live his childhood dreams and hit a go ahead home run at Wrigley Field. This was a moment that will never be forgotten for Mike Brosseau and is one of his greatest moments throughout his young career. Brewers fans were very grateful for the go ahead home run and it will be one of the defining moments throughout the 2022 season for the Milwaukee Brewers. Hopefully this moment will spark many future victories for the Milwaukee Brewers and give Mike Brosseau the confidence to hit well at any ballpark.

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Free Agent Signings: Andrew McCutchen

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     On March 14th 2022, the Milwaukee Brewers acquired the former National League MVP, Andrew McCutchen. This was a signing that came out of nowhere as he wasn’t a target that most fans thought would come to Milwaukee based on past playing experiences. In this article, I will explain why this signing was solid for the Milwaukee Brewers and how he can become a useful player for the Milwaukee Brewers. Through his hitting statistics versus left handed pitchers, elite veteran presence, and previous experience hitting in Milwaukee, he will be a vital tool for success here in Milwaukee.

Andrew McCutchen on the San Francisco Giants
  • First, let’s talk about the main reason why the Milwaukee Brewers ultimately signed Andrew McCutchen. They signed him due to his strengths of being able to hit well against left handed pitchers, which was an area that was astronomically weak for Milwaukee. In the last three seasons, Andrew McCutchen has a batting average of .291 with an OBP, on base percentage, of .407 and a slugging percentage of .567. All of these statistics are very impressive especially for a player that is 36 years old and has played a very long tenured career. In terms of OPS, On Base Percentage + Slugging Percentage, the Milwaukee Brewers ranked 23rd in Major League Baseball when facing left handed pitchers. Adding Andrew McCutchen will be a big boost for the Brewers as he can play virtually anywhere in the outfield while also being flexible enough to play as a Designated Hitter. His ability to hit efficiently against left-handed pitchers will provide much flexibility within the lineup for the Milwaukee Brewers.
  • Along with his great hitting against left handed pitchers, he also brings in an elite and essential veteran presence for the young outfielders on this Brewers team. To give some background, Andrew McCutchen was drafted 11th by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2005 and made his way up to the MLB a few years later. McCutchen played nine seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates, accumulating five All-Star selections, one Gold Glove, three Silver Sluggers and one Most Valuable Player award. McCutchen was most known for his time in Pittsburgh creating many memories for fanbases in the National League. Growing up and watching baseball, it was hard to root for him since he played for one of the Brewer’s divisional rivals. McCutchen made the postseason as the Pirate’s best player three years in a row from 2013-2015 where they were unable to get over the hump and play in the MLB World Series. McCutchen eventually moved on from Pittsburgh where he played in New York, San Francisco and Philadelphia. McCutchen will be a great presence for young outfielders such as Tyrone Taylor and Garrett Mitchell and could provide some useful insight to the next generation of Brewers outfielders.
  • The last reason why this signing is exciting, is due to the dominance that McCutchen has had playing at American Family Field, the Milwaukee Brewers stadium. McCutchen has tallied 77 total games at American Family Field and possesses a .289 batting average along with a .931 OPS and 23 home runs. These statistics are very impressive regardless of what stadium. Normally when players come to Milwaukee they tend to see an increase in offensive performance due to the stadium being smaller and what is known as a “hitters ballpark”. Normally, a team will play 81 games at home which would almost align perfectly with these statistics above. This would be absolutely incredible if he were able to hit like this and I don’t expect that but based on his presence, I like his chances to break out as a solid hitter for the Brewers.
Andrew McCutchen on the Philadelphia Phillies

This acquisition will provide great efforts for the Milwaukee Brewers as he is able to be a great hitter against left handed pitchers, bring in a veteran presence, and has prior experience hitting well in Milwaukee. While I don’t think Andrew McCutchen will be the best player, he will definitely play a solid role in Milwaukee and should help the Brewers win some crucial ball games later in the season. I expect McCutchen to fit in nicely with the ballclub and understand what it takes to win postseason games. Overall, I like this signing as it brings in more depth which is important when playing a 162 game season and will bring in important attributes that are much needed for the Brewers ballclub.

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Josh Hader: Player Overview

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The most reliable pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers within the last five years has been Josh Hader. Since making his debut in 2017, Hader has made his presence well known not only among Milwaukee Brewers fans but MLB fans as well. Josh Hader has made the All Star game three times in his career and has won the National League Reliever of the Year award three different times. This award is given to the best relief pitcher in the National League that season and Hader has done that three times in his career. He added his third Reliever of the Year award in the 2021 season. This article will break down Josh Hader’s phenomenal season by showcasing three different metrics including ERA, or Earned run average, saves, and strikeouts. 

  • ERA, or Earned run average, is a statistic that calculates the amount of runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings. If a pitcher gives up three runs in nine innings then that pitcher would have a 3.00 ERA which would be considered above average. To put that into perspective, the average ERA throughout the league was 4.26. This means that an average pitcher would give up 4.26 runs per nine innings. Josh Hader led all relief pitchers in ERA with a 1.23 ERA. He only gave up 1.23 runs per nine innings which is absolutely incredible and is considered a historic season by a relief pitcher. Hader gave up the least amount of runs per nine innings through the entire league.
  • Next, let’s talk about the saves statistic. What is a “save”?  A save is a statistic used for a pitcher who finishes and wins the ballgame, most of the time within the ninth inning of a game. Along with winning the game, the lead from the opposing team cannot be more than a three run differential. Josh Hader had 34 saves in the 2021 season which was fourth in the MLB. Along with that, he had the best save percentage in the MLB. Hader had 34 saves out of 35 potential opportunities which is equivalent to .971% of save opportunities. The next highest relief pitcher had a .958 save percentage. This statistic is incredibly important because it’s vital for a relief pitcher to clinch a victory at the end of the game, especially when the game is close in score. Having a reliever that can clinch victories when up by a short amount is crucial for winning ball clubs.
  • Lastly, Josh Hader was fourth in strikeouts throughout all of baseball and was first within the National League among relievers. A strikeout occurs when a pitcher gets a hitter to accumulate three strikes. A strike can consist of a batter swinging at the baseball and missing. A strike can also come from a foul ball, which is when a batter hits a baseball out of fair play. Once three strikes are accumulated, then a strikeout happens which results in one out. Josh Hader had 102 strikeouts through the 2021 season which ranked first in the National League. This just shows how dominant Josh Hader was that he was able to get hitters out by making them miss his pitches and outsmarting them with each pitch.

Josh Hader had an incredible 2021 season that will go down as one of the greatest seasons by a relief pitcher ever in the game of baseball. With the incredible numbers revolving around ERA, saves and strikeouts, Hader was able to dominate opposing hitters and make it a nightmare to face off against him. Josh Hader had the best season of his short career and hopefully will continue to scare hitters in Milwaukee for a long time.

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Christian Yelich: Player Overview

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The star of the Milwaukee Brewers, Christian Yelich, has gone through many ups and downs during his career. This article will go in-depth into the season that Christian Yelich most recently had and will highlight statistical references to showcase this season. Specifically, I will highlight three statistics to showcase his performance compared to an average player including batting average(BA), runs batted in(RBIS), and On-Base Percentage(OBP).

  • First, lets talk about batting average. What is batting average? Well, batting average is the number of hits divided by the number of at bats. In baseball, when someone makes contact with the baseball and the ball doesn’t reach first base before the runner touches the bag then that is considered a “hit”. An “at-bat” is when a player faces an opposing pitcher at Homeplate. The Major League Baseball’s, MLB, average batting average is .244. This means out of every 1000 at bats that a player will get 244 hits. Christian Yelich’s average last year was .248. So to put that into perspective he only had 4 more hits out of 1000 at bats that were above average within Major League Baseball.
  • Next, we can talk about RBIs or Runs Batted In. RBIs are accumulated when a batter gets a runner to run around the bases and reach Homeplate. The runner can be on first, second, or third base and reach home on a hit, walk or error. Christian Yelich had 51 RBIs throughout the 2021 season. This was the least amount of RBIs he had in a season where he played most or all of the season, excluding injury’s. Christian Yelich has been recognized as one of the best players in all of Major League Baseball yet was 153rd in RBIs. This is even worse considering that he has the 18th largest contract in all of Major League Baseball.
  • Lastly, we can speak about On-Base Percentage or OBP. OBP showcases how often a player reaches any base through a percentage metric. The average OBP throughout the MLB was .317 which means a player gets on base 317 times out of 1000 at bats. Christian Yelich had an OBP of .362 which is above average by a decent margin. This means that he gets more walks to get on base than a normal hitter.

Through these statistics, we can see that Christian Yelich had an above average season but didn’t showcase anything spectacular considering the situation that he is currently in. After having years we he possessed .326/.329 BA and 110/97 RBIs and .402/.429 OBP, it isn’t impressive to see the numbers he put up in the 2021 season. I hope to see a much better season from Christian Yelich in the years to come.