Brewers

Between the chaos of the NBA Trade Deadline and Super Bowl week, it was easy to miss some nuggets of news and information about the Milwaukee Brewers. Here's a Monday morning catch-up.

Believe it or not, the computers are verifying what your (usually) delusional Auntie Maddie has been saying: the Brewers are in this thing.

Before returning home for the 4th of July, the Brewers play four in the Steel City. The Brewers come into the series 6-0 on the season against the Bucs. Red hot Rowdy Tellez has a pair of multi-homerun games in the last week, and looks to add onto his total. 

Before Prince Fielder, there was Lyle Overbay: a first baseman that would help shape the Brewers organization for years to come.

Before landing in San Diego for the Winter Meetings, the Milwaukee Brewers swung two significant trades. Individually they look like quality trades, but the current roster construction is following a strange process. 

Baseball's statistical use and analysis have evolved, with projections becoming more critical than ever. But at some point, when does current production outweigh the concerns or expectations of a player? For the Milwaukee Brewers, that could determine how much playing time Keston Hiura gets while his positive results flow.

Baseball is hard to predict. The Milwaukee Brewers are no exception. With the Cactus League opener upon us, though, it's time to take a stab at trying to predict what might brew in Milwaukee this season.

Baseball is a team game, so while individual stats are important, there are often other variables to consider. It's the reason why some believe FIP to be more indicative of a pitcher's ability than ERA. With catchers, their defensive framing figures are directly affected by whoever is throwing to them. If a pitch is hard to hit, it might also be hard to frame.

Baseball is a game of round numbers and milestones. Somehow, some way, 39 feels so much closer to Opening Day than 40. Brewers By the (Jersey) Numbers has reached the 30s, as one month away is suddenly appearing over the crest of the hill ahead.

Baseball fans and experts look to correlate "the numbers" to team success more than in any other sport. The statistical analysis over an entire season will often net expected results. However, those wins and losses don't always fall in line over shorter periods. This season, the Milwaukee Brewers' first ten games have the feel of something not adding up – and it could be a good thing in the long run.

Baseball America released their fourth mock draft on Friday morning. Continuing a trend where the Brewers select from a handful of college pitchers, this version has them going with a name they haven't been connected with previously.

Bad. Three letters adding up to one word that contains multitudes. The Brewers can have a bad road trip and still be contending for their division. The Pirates can sweep the Dodgers and still be bad. The mystifying White Sox bad where, despite the talent, they can’t seem to even tread water in a bad division.

Driving a thousand miles deeper into bad territory and you begin to see the dismal visage of the Washington Nationals. Such an uninspired and ghastly amalgam of mediocrity that even evergreen Nelson Cruz and otherworldly Juan Soto has withered in its midst. Bad.