When the smoke clears...

[Bikeage77]

What's your overall review of the season? Right now I'm irrate at how this last week shook out. I don't think it'll change the fact that our defense was laughable and possibly the best starting rotation Milwaukee has ever had fell apart. I currently think it was our series to lose, and we did just that. We never got to the St Louis bullpen how I thought we would, and Marcum was all and all just horrible. Even on short rest, I would've rather seenYo go game 6 and Greinke/bullpen game 7. If we're gonna get beat, get beat by the best. Marcum hasn't had it in awhile now.

 

My opinions might change in a day or two, butI haven't been this heartbroken through sports, ever.

[NYChez]

I'd advise to fully appreciate this season. The NL Central is a highly competitive division - they don't just hand you the title. The end of the Arizona series is something that can never be taken away from us fans. We played this weekend while the Yankees, Red Sox, and Phillies were worrying about their fantasy football teams.

The St. Louis series would have been harder to take if the Cardinals were not a good team. Instead, they're the hottest team in baseball with the best lineup in the league. They also just pulled off one of the great upsets in baseball history in the previous round.

It's tough to take, but there's no shame in losing to this team. And this season should be 100% fully appreciated.

[Mr QL]

I'll need a month or two to really say my thoughts on this season. The end is going to hurt for a long time.

[YoGasKpose]

This is the most fun I've ever had following baseball. It's also been incredibly unhealthy heart wise these past few weeks, but that's what we live for, right? Division champs, and winners of a playoff series. How many of us would have loved that outcome before the year began?

 

And I know it hurts to get so close, but man. These guys made it so much fun, and lots of them are coming back next year. What a ride, and I know I'll be ready to buckle up again come March.

 

Go Brewers.

[DHonks]

I need a few days. But I think the key is sort of the Billy Beane approach that it's easier to build a team that can win over 162-games than over 5 or 7 games.

 

Still, this lineup needs more balance. One major difference between the Cards and Brewers was that the Cards seemingly hit an infinite amount of seeing-eye singles that found holes. The Brewers' approaches tend to lead to more unproductive at bats (pop outs, strikeouts, etc). Sometimes the Brewers looked more concerned with working the count than they were with getting on base. The Cards swung at the good pitches they saw, irregardless of count. Finally, the Brewers' defense needs some obvious upgrades. We likely have the worst defensive RF, 1b, and SS in MLB, Weeks is merely adequate, and McGehee is slightly below avg.

 

Finally, Hairston needs to come back at 3b, SS or UT, and we need another player or two like him.

[Funketown]

Without a doubt the best season since I've been a fan. Great fun. Just not quite enough to get to the big dance.

 

Next season, Prince is gone, but Green will replace McGehee, somebody will replace Betancourt, and Zack Greinke might remember to be Zack Greinke. Marcum will be rested. Narveson should continue to improve. Barring injuries, we should plan on October baseball next season.

[brewmann04]

I agree Doug about Hairston but too upset to talk about the offseason. I will be curious to see what the Brewers have planned.

[FVBrewerFan]

Right about now I'm still fuming after every shot of the Cards dugout. It's not the joy of being in the WS, it's almost like a collective smirk...like "knew we would beat the Brewers."

[EdgarDiazRocks]

Yuni spot is the only one I worry about. Don't overpay for Furcal or Reyes, but upgrade. Mat Gamel, Taylor Green, Cody Scarpetta. Two Type A free agents.

 

I still have faith.

 

Thanks for this year Crew, It's been great.

[Ennder]

Best season I can remember following since I only really remember the playoffs in 1982. I don't really sweat the post season very much since when you distill football down to 1 game series or baseball down to 5 or 7 game series any team can beat any team. You just hope your team shows up and ours clearly did not. Just feels a little worse in baseball since we don't know we'll be back soon like with the Packers.

[reillymcshane]

The team won 96 games this year. We lose Fielder. That's huge, but not irreplaceable.

 

How do we go forward. Start with better defense. Replace McGehee and Yuni to start. Then whoever replaces Prince will almost for sure be a better defender. Our pitchers will appreciate the fact we can make routine plays, and they won't have to make so many extra 'outs' because so many guys lack range.

 

As for offense, we'll never replace prince's numbers, but if you can get a guy that can get you an .800 OPS (gamel?), you're doing okay. Couple that with a third baseman who can manage a .750ish ops (Green?), and a shortstop that can match Yuni's offense, but be way better at defense (Barmes?) - you can probably come close to replicating the offensive and defensive production of the1B, SS and 3B positions as a whole. It's not sexy, but it probably works. It makes us more consistent up and down the lineup, and makes our defense much better.

 

I think the pitching can be as good next year. A lot will come down to health.

 

I'm saddened by the end of this season, but i'm optimistic for 2012.

[TheCrew07]

I'm not sure the pitching will maintain, the Brewers only used 6 starting pitchers all year didn't they? That sort good luck health wise doesn't come around all that often.

[DougJones43]

This was about a 90-win team (Pythagorean record) that ended up winning 96 games. I think defense needs to be addressed, obviously. Watching Hart's skills in the field erode makes me wonder if he should become a 1st baseman soon.

 

Shaun Marcum had a nice regular season, but doesn't have dominating stuff -- I think Milwaukee could have made the playoffs without him, and I think we're going to really regret giving up Lawrie for a couple years #3 type starter.

 

Hairston needs to be brought back in the primary utility role. Betancourt had a good postseason, but still absolutely needs to be replaced.

 

I really hope Taylor Green and Mat Gamel are given a fair chance to win starting positions next year -- but I fear Melvin/Roenicke would prefer to try to fill every roster spot with a veteran player, which isn't going to make any type of sustained success possible in this market.

 

It was very nice to win a division title and a playoff series. There is still a lot of talent in this organization, and with the right approach there can be a bright future, especially for 2012.

[logan82]

I'm not sure the pitching will maintain, the Brewers only used 6 starting pitchers all year didn't they? That sort good luck health wise doesn't come around all that often.

No it doesn't. Maybe one team a year has that kind of luck with their starters. Usually no team uses less than 7-8 pitchers to start games.

[Eddiehitsthefoulpole]

This season was a fun ride to be on, until now. My impression is that this is about all that we can be. We may be like the 2001 Bucks in that sense. We need to become more defensive minded and be more disciplined offensively. We need to make some changes, the trick is making the right ones. The 2001 Bucks could not do that.

[Marc Newfield of Dreams]

I'm really disappointed. This was their shot.

 

They have to replace Prince at 1B. Find a new left side of the infield. Possibly replace half of the best bullpen in baseball in the second half of the season. Not sure how they're gonna do that without trading some big pieces.

[afeter]

when the smoke clears, i hope RR, beast mode and morgan are all gone.

[clancyphile]

Without a doubt the best season since I've been a fan. Great fun. Just not quite enough to get to the big dance.

 

Next season, Prince is gone, but Green will replace McGehee, somebody will replace Betancourt, and Zack Greinke might remember to be Zack Greinke. Marcum will be rested. Narveson should continue to improve. Barring injuries, we should plan on October baseball next season.

If Prince is gone, how do the Brewers protect Ryan Braun?

 

If Prince goes, I expect a Wild Card, but seeing the Crew get run out of the playoffs in the NLDS.

 

It's been a great run, but for me, the real disappointment will be to see the team get blown up via trades.

[DuWayne Steurer]

All year long, I've had a harder time than I should have had, enjoying a team riding it out to 96 wins. Watching Betancourt play everyday, coupled with Roenicke's baffling/mind boggling managerial decisions were hard to take. I wasn't a fan of Yost, but I didn't have this level of dislike for the guy. I know Macha was boring, but he at least knew how to use a bullpen, and knew in game strategy, and didn't sound like a maroon during an interview.

 

In the end, it was a lot of fun, but in retrospect, I can honestly say it wasn't as much fun as it should have been, for a 96 win team. I've never had as much dislike for a guy as a player as I have had for Yuni. I got no beef with him as a person, but as a player, I just couldn't stomach him being on the field. I know in the end, the wins are all that should matter, but baseball is a product, and like a movie, the entire 3 hours are what you're paying for, not just the end result.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

The hardest part of this for me isn't that we lost. It's that Prince Fielder will never play another game in a Brewers uniform and that makes me incredibly sad.

[MNBrew]

I'm liking this season a whole lot in spite of great disappointment at the total team breakdown 4 of the past 5 games.

 

The NLCS wasn't great and the patterns in the losses were all especially unsettling: all starters not named Randy Wolf imploded, the Brewers couldn't hit at all w/ RISP & esp. so w/ 2 outs, Weeks totally stunk all around, &, while it took a game or 2, the Cards figured out how to make sure Braun & Fielder absolutely did not beat them. You just can't play catch up this much every game & expect consistently good results . . .

 

Gotta hand it to the Cardinals & LaRussa, though it kills me to do so. This is why I really wanted Atlanta to win the Wild Card. If only Philly had laid down against them a couple times in their last series, it's a whole different postseason for everyone.

 

This was an outstanding season, and I don't disagree with ANY moves Melvin made in putting this team together (no, I'm not blind). Looking ahead, I hope...

 

- against hope that Prince returns . . . and if he doesn't, I'd make a huge run at Pujols (which would allow the Brewers to more easily try to trade Hart, putting Gamel in RF),

- Hairston returns & that the rotation returns intact (the latter being by far the biggest piece of the equation since it was the biggest reason for our 2011 success in the first place)

- if McGehee's here in ST that it's still a 100% open competition w/ Green for 3B.

 

We all have moves or non-moves we want to see. A few moves would seem to be a given, but which ones? The biggest key isn't just making moves, but making the right moves.

 

Thanks for a great 2011. Go Brewers!

[JohnBriggs12]

The postseason taught us that they better hold off on signing Greinke to any long term deal and maybe think of locking up Axford instead. Marcum has killed his trade value, but Wolf might have enhanced his. They better be ready to give young pitchers like Peralta and Fiers good long looks in the spring too. They also might be wise to try and bring back Saito for one more year.

 

Hart's days in the OF appear numbered as he's lost most of his speed. Maybe 1B should be where he goes. But he's not a leadoff hitter and he's going to have to hit somewhere in the middle and learn to like it.

[theavrock]

about the only good thing I can take out of this right now is that I can get back to the 1st semester of law school. I hate it more than anything and losing to the Classies makes it that much worse.

 

Looking back I will be able to respect and appreciate it for what it was: the best Brewers season and team in my lifetime, but right now I am too bitter.

[clancyphile]

I find myself with a whole lot of what-ifs - and honestly was expecting to lose the NLCS when the Crew dropped Game 2. Somehow... I just KNEW after that point.

 

What if Braun had been kept at third and the Brewers had found a new left fielder in `08 to go with Cameron? Braun at third and an average LF would have been a huge upgrade over Braun in LF and McGehee/Hairston at third. The offense would have been more than a little bit better - and better able to bail the starting pitching out. It's easy to find a LF who can reliably post an OPS of .800-.850 than a 3B who is a top slugger in the NL. I know I was a lonely voice for keeping Braun at third - but here, I have to raise that question.

 

I think Greinke and Fielder are the guys to lock up through 2015 - if Attanasio and Melvin keep them this is a team that is reliably a 90-95 win team, and in the thick of the race. Lose one of those players, and the team is on the outside lane of the Wild card race, IMO. Mat Gamel is a question mark. If he's a lefty Braun, great. But if he doesn't get a shot, then what?

 

Greinke never pitched in the post-season before. Maybe having been there, he can do better. Fielder... I just cannot fathom giving up that offense. Who protects Ryan Braun becomes the big question - and nobody will be throwing strikes.

 

Marcum... didn't he have a career high in IP this season? Maybe he just ran out of gas? Maybe he's more the type to go six innings, and then you call in the bullpen.

[Outlander]

I think there will be a lot of complaining for many years to come on how the Brewers traded Lawrie for Marcum and nobody will really remember how well he pitched in the regular season.