Unexpected early success won't tempt Brewers to skip steps in rebuilding process

It’s the question that David Stearns hears most often these days.

Now that your surprising team is in first place in the National League Central Division, is it time to fast-forward your rebuilding plan?

“I’ve been getting that question a lot lately,” the Milwaukee Brewers general manager confirmed.

When Stearns took over as general manager after the 2015 season, he made it quite clear what his intention was moving forward: to acquire, develop and retain young talent with the goal of building a consistent winner. Stearns wisely declined to put any timetable on the Brewers' rebuild but the general understanding was that it would take a few years to accomplish.

Fast-forward to this season. After another winter of roster maneuvering, including the additions of corner infielders Eric Thames and Travis Shaw, catcher Jett Bandy, backup first baseman Jesus Aguilar and closer Neftali Feliz, among others, the Brewers struggled through an opening 2-5 home stand against Colorado and the Chicago Cubs, giving no reason to think they were ahead of schedule.

But the Brewers bounced back with a 6-3 trip to Toronto, Cincinnati and Chicago, with Thames garnering considerable national attention with an amazing power binge. They returned home and lost three of four to longtime nemesis St. Louis, rebounded to sweep three from Cincinnati, but stumbled against another rebuilding club, losing two of three to Atlanta.

Thus ended the month of April, and at 13-13, the Brewers had reason to feel optimistic about holding their own while playing a tough schedule. They began May by going to St. Louis and winning two of three in a rain-shortened series, the first time the Brewers prevailed over the Cardinals since April of 2014.

There was a stumble in Pittsburgh as the Brewers dropped two of three, claiming the finale to avoid a sweep. It was at that point that the season took a decided turn for the better, changing the perception of the Brewers as a non-contender in 2017.

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Boston paid its first visit to Miller Park in 14 years, and the Brewers pounded the Red Sox twice, 11-7 and 7-4 before dropping the finale, 4-1. The surging offense then took apart the injury-depleted New York Mets’ pitching staff, scoring 29 runs in a three-game sweep, capped by a rally from six runs down in a dramatic 11-9 victory on Mother’s Day.

The Brewers went to San Diego to face a young club in a much earlier stage of rebuilding and won three in a row after dropping the opener in extra innings. It was on to Chicago and a split of a rain-shortened two-game series against the defending World Series champions, capping a 4-2 trip that left the Brewers with a 13-8 record on the road.

The first-place Brewers – did you think you’d be using that phrase a week before Memorial Day – had a day off Monday before opening a six-game home stand against Toronto and Arizona. At 25-19, they have a 1½ game lead in the division and the fifth-best record in the NL.

So, has the recent winning prompted Stearns to change his outlook on the club, we ask again? With a big smile on his face, the Brewers’ baseball boss made it clear that no GM ever complains about success at any stage.

“The overall plan here is to win major-league games,” Stearns said. “That’s what we’re trying to do and that’s what we’re building toward.

“The plan is to consistently win major-league games over a period of years. If that process begins a little bit sooner than people expected, that’s great. And we’ll react accordingly. But it doesn’t change our strategy; it doesn’t change our plan.

“Our goal is to create an organization that’s going to compete in this division for a lengthy period of time. If that starts a little bit sooner, that’s great.”

Manager Craig Counsell, as competitive a person as you’ll find in the game, was asked over the weekend if his team’s early success changed how he viewed his club, judged against pre-season expectations. But Counsell manages every game to win, regardless of where the franchise sits in its rebuilding plan, so it hasn’t altered his daily approach one bit.

“We think about it like, 'Let’s show up, let’s play the game today, let’s enjoy what we’re doing, and see where that takes us,' ” Counsell said. “It’s a cliché but you take it day by day. That’s what we’re having fun doing. We’re having fun coming and competing every day, and enjoying each other’s company."

When asked before the season what he expected from his team this year, Counsell never tried to lower expectations. He took a “no limits” approach and expected his players to do the same, ignoring outside noise.

“I don’t think you should ever put limits on a baseball season,” Counsell said. “David has talked about this, too. You only get so many seasons, I don’t care who you are. So, certainly at the start, why put limits on it? I think we’ll always think like that.”

Unexpected early success allows fans to dream, and Stearns already is hearing chatter about possibly adding established players before the July 31 trade deadline instead of sending them away for prospects, as he has regularly done while raising the talent level in the organization to an impressive extent. Anything is possible but don’t look for Stearns to deal No. 1 prospect Lewis Brinson for a starting pitcher if the Brewers remain in contention.

“There’s no skipping steps,” Stearns cautioned. “But that’s true whether it’s 2017 or 2020. We are never going to be an organization that skips steps. We’re always going to have to balance near term and long term.

“There are other organizations that have done that exceptionally well. We think we can walk that balance as well.”