Milwaukee Brewers: Fixes needed to become contenders

The Milwaukee Brewers find themselves atop the NL Central, but despite that, they aren’t real playoff contenders quite yet. They need to address some areas of concern before they are a legitimate threat. 

The Milwaukee Brewers have been super fun to watch this season, and have ushered in a sense of optimism throughout Wisconsin.

The offense has been cooking all season, and the pitching staff has been good enough to get by, barely.

Despite their success thus far, don’t be sold on them being a playoff threat just yet. The Brewers are close, but they are not there yet. It’s only May, and their explosive offense can only mask their core problems for so long.

Ace

The first thing that jumps out to me is the glaring lack of a number one pitcher. Sure, Junior Guerra could come back from injury and be that guy. But until he’s back healthy and dealing the Brewers do not have a number one.

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If the Crew were in the one game Wildcard tomorrow, who do you even pitch? You’re certainly not sending Anderson out there. Davies and Nelson have been better, but not shut down by any means.

The best bet to get the Brewers a win right now is Matt Garza, and that isn’t something anyone should be saying at this point of his career. If the Brewers keep winning, there will be huge games down the stretch where they’ll need a shutdown start.

This shutdown start will more than likely be on three or four days rest, and there’s no pitcher on this staff right now I’d send out for the biggest game of the season. There’s no option to counter a Jon Lester, a Carlos Martinez, a Clayton Kershaw, or a Max Scherzer.

The Brewer offense is good, but any of those aces can stifle any offense. The Brewers need a stopper when that day comes around. It’s also such an asset to have a guy who can go out once every five days and give you a deep start, and a great chance at a win.

Bullpen Usage

The Bullpen usage isn’t something the Brewers can fix by sending one guy up or sending another down. It takes a staff effort to reduce the wear on the bullpen.

The Brewers bullpen has already logged 164 innings this year, which is 41% of the total innings pitched by the Brewers. That’s way too much for a bullpen to handle.

The relievers have been solid, but not extraordinary this season. If they continue to be used at this rate, they will burn out, and might not be effective down the stretch run.

Now, this starts with the five guys in the rotation. They need to go deeper and limit pitch counts. The starters are averaging just over 5 innings a start, and that won’t cut it all season.

However, Counsell deserves some blame for this. He has a tendency to pull his pitcher for a pinch hitter while they could still go another inning or two. It’s all situational later in the game, but he needs to start thinking about letting his pitchers go a little deeper if their pitch count allows.

Leadoff Option

The Milwaukee Brewers lack of a leadoff hitter has been overlooked because of how many first-inning runs they score, and how powerful their offense has been.

Don’t let that fool you; their leadoff hitters have been awful. Johnny Villar is striking out at a 28.9% rate, to go along with a .220/.286/.347 slash line. Keon Broxton, the other primary leadoff hitter, is striking out at a 38.9% clip. Not what you want from a table setter.

Eric Sogard has batted leadoff since he’s been up with the Major League club, and has found some success. However, he probably won’t find a ton of time in the lineup with Braun back.

The Brewers lineup is dangerous, but if they can find a good leadoff hitter either through trade, their minor league system, or on their current team, it will be even scarier. Having that go-to guy at the top of a lineup is critical for any playoff team.

Solutions

The Milwaukee Brewers have some core issues that they should take care of if they want to compete through August and September. David Stearns needs to decide if he’s willing to call up his minor leaguers or deal them for veteran help.

That said, I don’t think Stearns would trade top prospects unless he were getting a player with multiple years of team control back. He’s locked in on the Brewers long-term goal.

Brandon Woodruff or Josh Hader could get the call, and try to be that ace, but that would be tough for any rookie. Junior Guerra will be needed more than ever.

As for the leadoff option, Villar should get some time to get it going, but if he doesn’t the Brewers need to find a guy for the spot. Finding Sogard more time in the lineup so he can bat leadoff is an option. Another option is looking outside the 25 man roster for help.

Whatever the Milwaukee Brewers decide to do, it’s all in Stearn’s hands.