When Curtis Granderson pulled on his uniform before a steamy game at Nationals Park on September 1, he immediately became one of the more talented players to ever wear Brewers blue. On its face, that may sound a bit extreme. Hank Aaron wore Brewers blue, after all, as did Robin Yount and Paul Molitor. But […]
Author: Noah Nofz
What if Stearns Didn’t Sling? The Bizarro Brewers
Just three years into the job, General Manager David Stearns has already left a considerable stamp on Brewers franchise history. Thanks in no small part to a series of shrewd trades and waiver wire pickups, Milwaukee is back in the postseason for the first time since 2011, has posted back-to-back years of winning records after […]
Weston Wilson: Unlikely Javelina
The 2018 Brewers minor league season went out with a bit of a fizzle on Saturday evening, as the Biloxi Shuckers fell 3-2 to the Jackson Generals in game four of the Southern League Championship Series. Tough end notwithstanding, it was an interesting year for player development up and down the Milwaukee system, and particularly […]
Starting Wade Miley on Purpose
For better or worse, one of the most popular narratives surrounding the Brewers over the last few months has been this: Milwaukee needs to add another starting pitcher. It’s an easy thing to understand: The ragtag crew of hurlers preventing runs in the Brewers’ rotation lacks a brand-name “ace,” and most of that group has […]
Power and Patience with Ernesto Martinez Jr
In April of 2017, the Brewers traded reliever Damien Magnifico to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for $885,000 in international bonus money. About a month later, they invested most of that cash in then-17-year-old Cuban prospect Ernesto Martinez, Jr. Since the signing fell outside the usual timeframe for top international prospects (Martinez signed almost a […]
The New Rymer Liriano
On July 20, in a move that was largely buried under trade speculation and losing streak hysteria, the Brewers signed outfielder Rymer Liriano to a minor league contract and sent him to Colorado Springs. Until now, the Brewers hadn’t made an appearance on the back of any of Liriano’s baseball cards, but this is the […]
Relief Riser: Miguel Sanchez
If you take a look at raw stats for Brewers pitching prospects this season, one name stands tall above the rest. After Saturday, forty innings, he’s struck out 55 batters for a pace of 12.4 per nine innings. That’s almost four times his walk rate (3.2 free BB/9). His worst DRA- at any stop this season […]
Carbon Copies in the Outfield
Coming into the 2018 minor league season, expectations were down for former first-round pick Corey Ray. Ray had just wrapped up his first full season in the minors, spending the year at Class-A Advanced Carolina and scuffling to a .238/.311/.367 batting average (AVG) / on base percentage (OBP) / slugging percentage (SLG) line despite a […]
Looking Ahead to the September Super-Pen
As the summer wears on and the Brewers inch closer to their first postseason berth in seven years, one thing is clear: Trade chatter is coming. Much of that chatter, at least on the national level, will likely focus on Milwaukee’s apparent lack of elite starting pitching. That’s the sticking point about this team, the […]
Danny Reynolds’s Long Road
The MLB Draft is a time of optimism. Ask an average fan, and their team’s first five or so picks are guaranteed to be future stars. Even in the later rounds, most selected players offer something to dream on: 70-grade raw power in spite of a nonexistent hit tool, say, or a promising fastball that […]