TOM HAUDRICOURT

Haudricourt: 10 players who stepped up to help Brewers fare better than expected in 2017

Tom Haudricourt
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Brewers closer Corey Knebel has 126 strikeouts in 76 innings through Friday.

ST. LOUIS – Back in the spring, when the Brewers were about to embark on the second full season of their large-scale rebuilding plan, manager Craig Counsell expressed anticipation and excitement over seeing which players would take steps forward in 2017.

At the time, there was no way to know the team would exceed expectations greatly and contend for the playoffs. Or that the players would bond together and create a chemistry that made the group dynamic an essential part of the inexperienced group’s resiliency.

With the Brewers unexpectedly staying in the playoff race until the final days of the season, suffice it to say that a number of players took that desired step forward. And, as Counsell noted, there’s no backtracking now. Players have to keep improving.

“I think they realize there’s another place they can get to,” Counsell said. “That’s always the challenge. There’s always a carrot in front of you. You have to figure out what’s next and how to take your game to the next level.

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“That’s the fun part of the job for me -- helping them get there, watching them get there. We’ll keep trying. It doesn’t stop, no matter where you’re at. There’s always another level. You never rest or be satisfied.”

All true, but in the meantime, let’s recognize 10 players who stepped forward in big ways to lead the Brewers to a much-better-than-expected season (statistics entering Saturday). There were others who stepped up, such as Eric Sogard, but this is a subjective list.

1. Closer Corey Knebel

You can make a real argument for Knebel as the team’s most valuable player. He opened the season as the primary setup man in the bullpen, an important role. But when Neftali Feliz pitched himself out of the closer’s job, and eventually off the team, Knebel got his shot to close victories and ran with it, never looking back.

Knebel has the ability to do something most closers find critical – strike out a hitter when needed. He took that talent to a new level, whiffing 126 hitters in 76 innings, good for a ratio of 14.92 per nine innings. Knebel had the occasional hiccup, as all closers do, but has converted 39 of 45 save opportunities. His slips have been few and far between, and many of the Brewers’ victories would have gotten away without his presence.

2. 3B Travis Shaw

For various reasons, including performance and injuries, manager Craig Counsell’s lineup has been fluid throughout the season. But there has been one constant and it has been the team’s offensive rock – Shaw in the cleanup spot. Counsell gave Shaw a shot at nailing down that spot at the outset of the season and never had to worry about it again.

Shaw has slipped a bit over the last two months but still is going to finish with 30-plus homers and 100 RBI, if he gets one more, furthering the belief that he was perhaps the biggest trade steal of last winter as one of four players acquired from Boston for reliever Tyler Thornburg. Making Shaw’s performance more remarkable is the personal situation he has dealt with off the field – the birth of a daughter with a serious heart issue that required three surgeries and continued stay in the hospital.

3. RHP Jimmy Nelson

Nobody said baseball is fair and that certainly was the case when Nelson suffered a shoulder injury three weeks ago that ended a brilliant season prematurely. Nelson underwent surgery and is expected to miss a good portion of next season as well, making it even more cruel to be injured diving back to first base after collecting a hit. Before that setback, Nelson was enjoying a breakthrough season in which he became one of the top strikeout pitchers in the league (199 in 175 1/3 innings) while dramatically improving his control from 2016 (from 4.5 walks per nine innings to 2.5).

Much of the credit goes to work Nelson did last year with pitching coach Derek Johnson to modify and simplify his delivery with the goal of improved command. The results weren’t evident immediately, but Nelson got better and better as this season progressed. Now, the Brewers can only hope he completely recovers from his surgery at some point.

4. RHP Chase Anderson

Anderson actually started improving over the final two months of last season (5-1, 2.56 ERA in his last 12 starts) but raised his game even more in 2017. Showing up to spring training stronger and throwing harder, Anderson (12-4, 2.74) has been a more complete pitcher with a four-pitch repertoire to keep hitters off-balance.

If not for a five-week stay on the disabled list with an oblique strain, suffered swinging the bat, Anderson’s numbers would be even better. But, other than that absence, he has been a very dependable pitcher and has gone deeper in games than a year ago. His strikeout/walk ratio (133/41) has been excellent, and opponents are batting only .224 against him.

5. RF Domingo Santana

Santana was injured for a good portion of the 2016 season, making it difficult to know exactly what the Brewers had in him. Staying healthy this year, Santana showed what he could do with regular at-bats. Living up to his first name by doing lots of damage in Sunday games, Santana began piling up home runs and RBI, becoming a consistent presence in the middle of the lineup.

While other hitters fell offensively in the second half, Santana kept contributing, which is why he leads the club’s regulars with a .369 on-base percentage, 87 runs scored and 73 walks (tied). He also ranks among the team leaders with 29 home runs and 83 RBI. Just a solid year across the board, in all likelihood sealing his job in right field.

6. SS Orlando Arcia

Arcia was hardly impressive in his two-month debut in the majors at the end of last season and continued to struggle at the plate at the outset of this year. He never let those struggles carry over to the field, however, saving his pitchers many runs with stellar defensive plays. Dating to last September, Arcia went 42 consecutive games without an error.

Eventually, Arcia began to hit and folks saw what all the fuss was about when he entered 2016 as the organization’s top prospect. Despite often hitting in the No. 8 spot ahead of the pitcher, he boosted his average to .295 in early July before falling back (.273). Arcia is still a free swinger who needs to work on plate discipline, but his .322 OBP was a step up from his .273 mark last year.

7. C Manny Piña

Piña is the ultimate late bloomer. He made his first opening day roster at age 29 and got off to a strong start, splitting playing time with Jett Bandy. Piña eventually took over the majority of the playing time and Bandy was sent out when veteran Stephen Vogt was picked up from Oakland. Piña delivered many clutch hits, including a memorable three-run homer on Memorial Day to complete a seven-run comeback and beat the Mets, 11-9.

More importantly, Piña controlled opponents’ running game with his strong arm and quick release, nabbing 19 of 57 runners (33.3%) and picking off six more. That defense was a big part of the Brewers’ run prevention, and it hurt when he sprained a thumb and was unavailable this final week.

8. LHP Josh Hader

Who saw this coming? Yes, Hader was considered the Brewers' top pitching prospect entering the season, but that was as a starting pitcher. Instead, he became the newest incarnation of Will Smith, a dominant lefty who could come in with the game on the line and get big outs, especially against left-handed hitters. Hader was used cautiously at first but excelled to the point of being called in with games on the line to close the gap to the late-inning specialists.

In 34 appearances, he has compiled a 1.93 ERA with 67 strikeouts in 46 2/3 innings, holding opponents to a puny .154 batting average. Hader has been so dominant in this role, it's no longer a sure thing that he will return to starting in 2018. If the Brewers think they have sufficient starting pitching depth, he could remain in the relief role.

9. LHP Brent Suter

Suter bounced up and down four times in the first half of the season, sometimes making just one appearance before going back down. A true swingman, he feels equally comfortable as a starter and reliever, depending on the club's needs. But Suter was counted on regularly to take turns in the rotation when injuries felled Anderson and Nelson, and when Matt Garza was removed because of ineffectiveness. 

Without Suter's contributions down the stretch, the Brewers would have been eliminated from the playoff race long ago. In 22 outings, including 14 starts, he has compiled a 3.42 ERA, covering 81 2/3 innings. He has learned to get major-league hitters out with a fastball that averages 85 mph, not an easy thing to do. Suter's versatility was priceless, considering the woes that befell the rotation since the start of the season. 

10. 1B Jesús Aguilar

Claimed off waivers from Cleveland just before the start of spring training, the longtime minor-leaguer forced the Brewers to keep him with a big power display in spring training, including seven homers. He started the year as a seldom-used backup to Eric Thames, but as Thames slumped Aguilar began to get more playing time and delivered some big home runs. He was the perfect right-handed complement to the lefty Thames, compiling a .889 OPS vs. southpaws.

Aguilar became the most-used hitter off the bench and made his presence known many times. He leads the club and ranks among the NL leaders with 15 pinch hits, with three homers and 10 RBI. Aguilar also has been a nice fit with an active, spirited Hispanic group of players who energized the clubhouse.