Milwaukee Brewers: 2017 Team Awards

Milwaukee Brewers: 2017 team MVP, Cy Young, Gold Glove and Rookie of the Year.

The 2017 Milwaukee Brewers finished 86-76 and were playoff contenders right down to the bitter end. We saw many new faces in 2017, and despite that Manager, Craig Counsell and company lead the division for a good chunk of the season.

Despite missing the playoffs, the 2017 season should be seen as a massive success and a huge step forward for the Crew. They were in it until the second last game of the season.

There wasn’t one star to this team, and there were many guys who contributed and kept this team in the hunt. My picks for the MVP, Cy Young, Top Defender, and Rookie of the Year for the ’17 ball club.

MVP

The Brewers’ team MVP comes down to these four: Chase Anderson, Travis Shaw, Corey Knebel, and Domingo Santana.

All four were instrumental in the Brewers’ playoff push. Shaw and Santana powered the offense, while Chase Anderson and Corey Knebel kept the banged-up pitching staff afloat.

Travis Shaw, who was nothing more than a platoon third baseman in 2016, exploded in his first season with the Crew. He slashed .273/.349/.513 across 144 games. He added 31 home runs along with 101 RBIs to pair with a 3.4 WAR, according to FanGraphs.

Domingo “Sunday” Santana posted a .278/.371/.505 slash line in 151 games. He drilled 30 home runs along with 85 RBIs. Santana also finished with a WAR of 3.3

Chase Anderson and Corey Knebel were both dominant throughout the year. He won 12 games in 25 starts while striking out 131 in 141 plus innings. Anderson also missed a good chunk of the season with an oblique injury he suffered while batting. Despite that, Anderson finished with a WAR of 3.3

Anderson was a win every time his spot in the rotation came up down the stretch. In six September MLB starts, he posted a 2.06 ERA, to pair with a .227 batting average allowed. He was lights out.

Corey Knebel was the lone Brewers All-Star representative. It was also well deserved. Knebel saved 39 games in 45 chances and tied the MLB lead in strikeouts by a reliever with 126. Knebel, who was supposed to be the setup man to start the year, was lights out as the Brewer’s new closer. He finished with a WAR of 2.8.

MVP Award goes to Travis Shaw. Shaw was unbelievable for the Milwaukee Brewers this season. His season was even more remarkable considering what he and his family went through with his newly born daughter. His walk-off homer against the Cubs during the final week is probably the Brewers’ highlight of the season.