Are the Brewers World Series Favorites?

LOS ANGELES–

Yeah, we just witnessed the Milwaukee Brewers take out the brooms on the best team in the National League on their home turf. The Los Angeles Dodgers fell to the Brewers on Sunday 7-2, where the Dodgers fell to 70-56 on the season, while the Brewers improved to 70-55. Following the Brewers’ sweep of the Dodgers, it got me thinking: can the Brewers actually make a run?

There is only 36 games left in the Brewers’ season at the time I’m writing this, so it is possible the Brewers could still miss the MLB Playoffs, but that likely won’t happen. Anyway, the Brewers are looking phenomenal and absolutely unstoppable from both the mound and the plate. When the Brewers acquired Gerardo Parra on the day of the trade deadline, it instantly added depth in the outfield and at the plate. The two-time golden glove recipient has brought it thus far during his tenure with the Brewers, and he just makes the already elite group even better by complimenting Ryan Braun, Carlos Gomez and a young Khris Davis. Although this is by far the most elite group on the team, there is still many other important assets.

Speaking of important assets, Jonathan Lucroy is debatably the best catcher in the MLB from both aspects, whether he is at the plate or behind it, he brings it like no other catcher. My dad and I were watching the Brewers play the Cubs last week, and he brought up how catchers usually cannot hit the ball as well as an outfielder, for example. My dad made the point of, “They see all kinds of pitches on a daily basis, you’d think they would know how to hit it.” That’s true and it got me thinking: Lucroy seems like the only catcher that can consistently swing the bat incredibly well. When it comes to grand slams and walk-off home runs, that’s nothing new for Lucroy. With five RBIs on Sunday, Lucroy is at the peak of his career, and if he can stay hot going into October, teams that the Brewers face will be in trouble on both offense and defense when Jonathan Lucroy is involved.

The infield for Milwaukee is good, but it can be a little shaky. The first and third basemen consist of Mark Reynolds, Lyle Overbay, and Aramis Ramirez, with Ramirez only playing third base, while the other two can play both. Lucroy can sometimes take the day at first while Martin Maldonado steps in at catcher, but odds are it will consist of these three when it comes to the Playoffs. Jean Segura and Scooter Gennett are the starting shortstop and second baseman, respectively, and the future of the Brewers’ infield. Both of these guys are young superstars that are growing into their own. Gennett has been one of the most consistent and fun to watch guys on this young team, despite being in only his first full professional season. Segura has had some streaks, but has been overall a great shortstop for the Brewers. With Elian Herrera and Rickie Weeks being ready to break into the lineup at any time, this infield is also looking hardcore come October.

Finally, we get to take a look at the weakest part of the Brewers: the pitchers. The starting rotation has been up-and-down all season long. One up (so far) has been Mike Fiers. In his last start, Fiers threw a career-high 14 strikeouts in only six innings. There’s 18 outs in six innings, and Fiers made 14 of them strikeouts, which is outrageously rare. Other starters, such as Kyle Lohse and Yovani Gallardo have helped, but none as much as Wily Peralta. Peralta is tied for the MLB lead in wins with 15. In 25 games, Peralta owns a 15-7 record with an earned run average of 3.32 and 116 total strikeouts. Peralta’s dominance continues and if it does through October, it could be scary, especially with Fiers behind him.

The Brewers have looked all-around fantastic this far, being close to the top of the standings since the season began on March 31st. Still standing atop the NL Central, the Brewers are looking to hold and continue to hold a commanding lead out in front of the St. Louis Cardinals, the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the Cincinnati Reds. With the Pirates expecting their NL Most Valuable Player, outfielder Andrew McCutchen, to return as soon as tomorrow, one thing is for certain: nobody is safe in the NL Central.

~Alex Strouf (@LetsGoAlex)