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The Milwaukee Brewers came into the league in 1969 as the Seattle Pilots. The team moved after a single season. Seattle had been a great location for minor league baseball, but issues with the timing of the team’s arrival and the condition of the ball park led to the Pilots moving to Milwaukee with a new name, the Brewers.
The Brewers struggled at first, producing nine straight losing records. The team began to turn things around in 1978. The club was heavy on power hitters with Cecil Cooper, Ben Oglivie, and Gorman Thomas. The club that had finished near last before was now finishing near the top of the American League East.The first East title was brought home in 1981 and the second the following year in 1982.
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The Brewers lost their first-ever playoff series in 1981, but made it to the World Series in 1982, before losing to the St. Louis Cardinals in a series that would take all seven games. Though the team had a high-octane offense, it also had Cy Young Award winning pitching in Rollie Fingers and Pete Vuckovich.The Brewers would end their glory years without a World Series title, but with an MVP caliber player in Robin Yount, who won it in 1982 and 1989. Yount and the Brewers began a turbulent time fro nearly a decade that saw the team rise and fall, finishing anywhere between second and seventh in any season in the AL East.
That ride ended in the American League in 1993 when the Brewers were moved to the National League Central following realignment in 1994. The move to the National League did little for the Brewers as they continued to struggle and finish in the bottom of the bracket most years.
The club has a young team with first baseman Prince Fielder, third baseman Ryan Braun, and starting pitcher Ben Sheets and has been known as a sleeper team in recent years.
The Milwaukee Brewers led the National League Central for most of 2007, but ended a couple of games short of the Chicago Cubs. The team may have failed to make the playoffs, but they did manage to produce the franchise’s first winning record since 1992. The Brewers were a club characterized by home run hitters, as they led the NL in the category, but the team needs to improve the pitching to be serious contenders.
The Brewers are hoping Ben Sheets has a healthy season after he missed ten starts last year, missing quite a few meaningful games down the stretch. Yovani Gallardo is a solid starter at number two in the rotation and has four pitches to pick from to strike out opponents. Jeff Suppan and Dave Bush need to have good years with much lower runs allowed for the team to improve upon last year’s success. Eric Gagne is the Brewer’s answer at closer, but he is starting to wear down and looks like his days as a dominant closer are finished. David Riske will most likely play part-time closer and part-time set-up man for the bullpen, which only has one other possible weapon, Derrick Turnbow.
The offense pretty much just has to perform as it did in 2007 for the Brewers to compete for the division crown. First baseman Prince Fielder has arrived as his dad’s reincarnate with a 50 home run season last year. The rest of the power will come from leftfielder Ryan Braun, rightfielder Corey Hart, and shortstop J.J. Hart. The team is definitely your stereotypical single, double, and bunt team of the National League. Only one player batted over .300 last season, and the team can probably expect close the same this year.
Fans in Miller Park will have plenty of fun in the bleachers and the home run slide will get plenty of use this season. The Brewers just hope most of the balls hit out there are there own. The 2008 season and its 162-game schedule will provide plenty of opportunities to see the explosive team.