Lately, I've been grappling with one major question about the Milwaukee Brewers: how is it possible for a team that's last in home runs to be one of the best offensive units in the MLB?
It's not easily solved. Some of the answers I've come up with so far include depth, player development, great coaching, a little bit of luck, and everything in between. But one factor that's come up sparingly, yet might be the one setting them apart from the rest of the league, is patience.
This Brewers lineup isn't going to swing at just anything. They're meticulous with how they process pitches from the plate, only swinging when they see a clear opportunity to get themselves on base, bring a runner past home plate, or blast out past the outer wall. And this isn't just the eye test backing this up — there are real stats to support it, as outlined by Linus Lawrence of MLB.com.
According to his recent article, the Brewers have the second-lowest swing rate in the league on first pitches at 27.3%, but when they do, they tend to make contact. Milwaukee ranks first in batting average on first-pitch swings (.377) and second in slugging (.631). Not only is this a testament to the maturity of the players, but also to the mentality of manager Pat Murphy, guiding them to success.
The Milwaukee Brewers' patience on first swings speaks to a great truth about what makes this team so special.
With an average age of 27.3, ESPN has Milwaukee ranked as the fifth-youngest team in baseball. Normally, young teams are more likely to swing on first pitches, chasing big-time plays to get the energy and confidence levels up while keeping themselves engaged from the plate. But that's not the case for the Brewers, who outwardly present as being wise beyond their years.
This speaks to the leadership qualities of Murphy, who is a guiding light for a young, talented team, which could so easily fall into poor tendencies in the batting order. Not everyone on this roster has extensive postseason experience. Heck, not everyone on the team has been in the majors for long enough to fully understand their roles or opportunity in the lineup.
Yet everyone has bought into the same mentality of playing a mental game over an emotional one. That's one of the hardest lessons for a young team to learn, as the youngest teams tend to play with a chip on their shoulders, which means going for broke on first pitches more often than they probably should.
So they might not be hitting as many home runs as their competitors, but the Brewers know how to play the game in a way that satisfies the analytics while still racking up opportunities to score runs. There's still some work for them to do in the power department, whether it be through a trade at the upcoming MLB deadline or through internal growth, but there's no stopping this team when they're healthy, engaged, and focused on the game plan that Murphy has laid out for them.
Add us as a preferred source on Google