The 2021 Brewers went into the postseason with high hopes of a legitimate World Series run, but instead continued a disturbing (or comforting, depending on how you look at it) trend that dates all the way back to their first franchise postseason appearance in 1981. In that season and every postseason appearance thereafter - 1982, 2008, 2011, 2018, 2019, 2020, and this year - the Brewers have been ousted by a team that made it all the way to the World Series, with 6 of those 8 teams actually winning it. The Brewers lost 3 games to 1 to the world champion Atlanta Braves in the NLDS in what amounted to a dismal hitting performance. While it is true that pitching and defense wins championships - something that the Brewers had in spades this year - you do still have to score some runs. Scoring 6 runs in 4 games and getting shut out in 2 of them isn't going to get it done. The Crew managed to get the bats hot enough from the day they traded for Willy Adames in May and well into September to make it all the way from 29th in the league in hitting into the top 10, but in the last few weeks of the season, a team-wide slump reared its ugly head and that unfortunately carried into the postseason. Many people will make a big deal out of the fact that the Brewers clinched a postseason spot so early that they essentially had nothing to play for the last couple weeks of the season, and while that is true, I personally don't see that having any relation to their poor hitting down the stretch. I think that we overachieved offensively for a large part of the season, and in the end, having a sub-par Yelich once again and notably missing the bats of the retired Ryan Braun and marooned Keston Hiura proved to be too much to overcome. Baseball is a unique sport in that the best team on paper or in the standings is never a lock to win. Any given team can win on any given day in a long season, and the playoffs are all about who goes in hot and who goes in cold, and the 2021 postseason was a perfect example of that with the Brewers flopping and the team with the worst record in the playoff field going all the way.
This team will be in an interesting position going into the offseason as they do have a glaring problem to fix in their offense, but not necessarily a lot of holes to fill to fix that problem. By and large, the Brewers will be returning a sizeable chunk of their 40-man roster, barring any trades or releases. The only notable positional player that will most certainly not be back is mid-season acquisition Eduardo Escobar. Manny Pina's contract is also up, but he is likely 3rd in line for catching duties now behind incoming Mario Feliciano, so they may choose to let him walk especially with Luke Maile also on the roster. The question becomes where to plug in bats, and the answer on the surface is simply that the bats we have need to be better, or at least more consistent. I don't think it's a stretch to say that even a league-average Keston Hiura and a Christian Yelich that remotely approached his 2018-19 form would have accounted for another 5-7 wins and would have dramatically changed the outlook of the NLDS. Lorenzo Cain was hurt for much of the year and is also entering his age 36 season. Omar Narvaez started hot and made the All-Star team but cooled considerably after the break. Jackie Bradley was never more than a superb defender and contributed next to nothing offensively. A lot of the stat lines at the end of the year may look decent, but this team also still struck out a ton, which speaks more to our offensive strategy as a whole. The firing of hitting coach Andy Haines could be a precursor to a change in approach next season. It will be interesting to say the least on how this team spends its money this offseason, particularly with a lot of our arbitration-eligible players due substantial raises. The biggest potential move is something I have been clamoring for for 2 years - trading Josh Hader while his value is high. He could net 2-3 blue chip prospects who are ready to play in the big leagues, and it is getting to the point where it does not make sense to pay a reliever that much money with our payroll. I could also see a scenario where we pick up Avisail Garcia's option and then trade him to free up salary space, but it would be hard for Brewers fans to stomach losing our best hitter from this season. I don't envy the job that David Stearns and Matt Arnold have to do this year, particularly with the looming CBA expiration, but one thing the past 5 years has taught us is to trust in the process and know that they will make every attempt to be competitive.
As we wrap up the 2021 season, although it wasn't the ending Brewers fans hoped for, I reflect on it with gratitude. I don't take for granted that we've made the playoffs 4 straight years and I'm very proud of this organization for that and to call myself a fan. I'm very surprised and humbled that I was able to make it to 10 ballgames this year when 8 months ago it was looking more like zero. I'm very grateful I got to see Erik this year and go on a ball trip. But mostly, I am happy that my family and I continue to navigate this pandemic safely, and I'm excited for what 2022 will bring, including hopefully a trip to the new Rangers ballpark that will be 3 years in the making.
touch with baseball when his childhood heroes Robin Yount, Paul Molitor, and Jim Gantner retired but the Great Home Run Chase of 1998 reignited his passion. As a student at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Erik became involved with the campus chapter of Habitat for Humanity. With this group Erik traveled to Portland, OR and Baltimore, MD to work on construction projects and help the group raise $25,000 to partially sponsor a house in Milwaukee. Also at UWM, Erik met Peter Nagel. The two attended their first Brewers game together during Opening Weekend 2003. Despite their failure to ignite the coals at their first tailgate, the two had a blast and were soon making weekly trips to the ballpark. Erik has gone on to several colleges and changed careers several times, and has moved all the way out to New Hampshire, but has always stayed true to his baseball roots by holding part-time stadium usher jobs. To this day he looks back fondly on his incredible cross-country journey.