Milwaukee Brewers
80-69, 1GB from 2nd WC
There is only team I sincerely don’t want to see in this Wild Card game: the Milwaukee Brewers.
Is that because I hate Milwaukee? I love Milwaukee. Is it because they truly don’t deserve it? Probably not. Is it because I’m afraid of them? Yes for sure.
The Brewers had a fascinating offseason because they made a number of savvy win-now moves (bringing back Moustakas, signing Grandal), but they also frustrated their fanbase by papering over obvious roster holes. That they’re even this close with a rotation of Chase Anderson, Zach Davis, Gio Gonzalez, Adrian Houser, and Jordan Lyles is a borderline miracle.
Key wins against the Cubs caught them up, and they’re right in the thick of this race, but key wins aren’t enough: they need volume wins.
In their favor, the Brewers are even stronger Ewing Theory candidates than the Diamondbacks after losing MVP Christian Yelich. If they outlast bigger spenders in Chicago, New York, and Philadelphia, they’d certainly capture the underdog angle, which is always a fun track through postseason play.
Milwaukee fans certainly won’t complain about seeing Ryan Braun rewind the tape and lead this team into the playoffs. Braun’s past is a complicated one, but he remains beloved in Milwaukee. A player of his caliber turning back the clock for a playoff run in the twilight of his career will give a certain segment of baseball followers the warm-and-fuzzies.
Furthering their cause, Josh Hader looks like a strung-out townie, he’s nasty, and he’s the best reason to want these Brewers in the playoffs.
On the other hand, you wouldn’t air the final season of Mad Men without Don Draper. You don’t preach the Gospels without Jesus. And the Brewers shouldn’t do anything without Christian Yelich except fold. An underdog story is one thing, but the re-animated corpse of the Brewers without their heart and soul is not my idea of prime baseball viewing.
You may not agree with me now, but when you’re watching Adrian Houser start the Wild Card game, you’ll see my side of things. Hopefully the baseball gods do right by us and Bernie the Brewer takes his last slide in Game 162.
Why don’t these Brewers deserve the postseason? Because of a broken kneecap.