NL Central: 6th
Last place again for the Brewers, but there are reasons to be positive about future success.
What went well?:
Losing Richie Sexson to Arizona was always going to be a blow, but his replacement, Lyle Overbay (.301, 16 HR, 87 RBIs) had an excellent year. Although Overbay is not the power hitter Sexson was, he was a big part of the Brewers' line-up, hitting 53 doubles and managing to bat .298 off left-handed pitching.
Geoff Jenkins (.264, 27 HR, 93 RBIs) put up some good numbers, but the most telling statistivc is 157 games played. Jenkins showed what he can do when stay away from injury and justifying, for this year at least, why the Brewers gave him a fat contract extension last year. Now, he must keep repeating this year's production.
Scott Podsednik (.244, 12 HR, 39 RBIs) saw his production drop from his red-hot 2003 season, but he still managed to steal 70 bases. He needs to put the ball in play to be able to use his speed, so his strikeout total of 105 needs to be reduced.
Keith Ginter (.262, 19 HR, 60 RBIs) put up surprising numbers splitting time between second and third base.
For the first time in a while, the Brewers have three decent starting pitchers. Ben Sheets (12-14, 2.70 ERA) was outstanding, and the victim of poor run support. His 264 strikeouts in 237 innings were very impressive - he looks a true "ace" pitcher. Doug Davis (12-12, 3.39 ERA) resurrected his career with a very solid season. He was very dependable the whole season, and really seems to have found a home in Milwaukee after spells at Texas and Toronto. Victor Santos (11-12, 4.97 ERA) was the other Brewer to collect double-digit wins.
In the bullpen, Dan Kolb (0-4, 2.98 ERA) was outstanding as the closer, collecting 39 saves, helped by the set-up work of Luis Vizcaino (4-4, 3.75 ERA) and two rookies: Jeff Bennett (1-5, 4.79 ERA) and Mike Adams (2-3, 3.40 ERA).
Honourable mention:
I love Brooks Kieschnick. It's a pity I don't get to see the Brewers play that often, as this guy is fun to watch. He pitched well (1-1, 3.77 ERA) and hit .270 with a homer and 7 RBIs!
What didn't go well?:
The back of the rotation was not successful. Wes Obermueller (6-8, 5.80 ERA), Chris Capuano (6-8, 4.99 ERA) and Ben Hendrickson (1-8, 6.22 ERA) struggled, but they are still young. The Brewers could definitely use an upgrade at catcher, as Chad Moeller (.208, 5 HR, 27 RBIs) and Gary Bennett (.224, 3 HRS, 20 RBIs) are not much of an offensive threat. Injuries cost Junior Spivey (.272, 7 HR, 28 RBIs) and Wes Helms (.263, 4 HR, 28 RBIs) large amounts of playing time. Overbay and Jenkins could use a right-handed power bat to help them in the middle of the order, but any acquisitions are likely to be low-budget ones.
What about next year?:
The Brewers are going to find it tough to compete with the likes of St Louis, Houston and the Chicago Cubs next year, but it finally looks as though there is hope for the future here after many forgettable seasons. Ned Yost has done a marvellous job as manager, and I'm sure this mostly young team, with another year of experience under their belts, will get better next season. They also have some top prospects (Prince Fielder, Rickie Weeks) on the way.