Brewers Offseason Rumors and Strategy: Hitting
Analysis of 2008 Brewers Beyond Prince Fielder Trade Rumors
Baseball talk during the offseason predominantly revolves around individuals, such as free agents like Manny Ramirez and Mark Texiera; however, Milwaukee does not need another big bat.
A critical look at the Milwaukee Brewers’ batting stats during the 2008 season reveals precisely what General Manager Doug Melvin should be considering while he continues to build his playoff contender for the 2009 season.
Brewers Small Ball
The Milwaukee Brewers finished fifth in the MLB in homers, but a team needs more than just a bunch of power bats to advance in the playoffs. Furthermore, if Doug Melvin did not sign CC Sabathia, Milwaukee’s anemic late-season offense would have caused them to miss the playoffs for the 26th straight season.
Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder hit some huge homeruns at the end of 2008 that thrilled fans and narrowly nudged Milwaukee into the postseason, but they never should have been in a position in which they were fighting for a playoff berth.
A close look at the numbers reveals how Melvin could tweak the Brewers current team to improve the offense without completely destroying their style and identity. Giving up a few homeruns to improve upon their .253 team batting average (sixth worst in all of baseball) will help them win more games in 2009.
In 2008, Milwaukee had the second fewest sacrifice hits in the National League. With a team full of fly ball hitters, the Brewers could have scored many more runs if players were effectively moving base runners to third base where a sacrifice fly could score a run. Instead of trying to pull the ball out of the park with a runner on second, new Manager Ken Macha should force players to focus on going the other way with the ball.
Another focus of Melvin’s this offseason should be finding a more effective leadoff hitter. The Dodgers played much better in 2008 when they had star leadoff man Rafael Furcal in the lineup, and the World Series Champion Philadelphia Phillies boasted a former MVP leadoff hitter.
Brewers leadoff hitters batted just .243, which was the third worst average in all of baseball (447 of those ABs by the team crippling Rickie Weeks).
Brewers Clutch Hitting
Ryan Braun finished third in the 2008 MVP voting; however, despite the game-winning homeruns that everyone remembers, he significantly underperformed in the clutch over the course of the season.
Braun hit just .265 when the game was close and late, .260 with runners on base and a meager .200 with a full count on him. Compare that to his .285 season average, and Melvin sees a rather disturbing trend in one of his key run producers. Run producers are supposed to thrive in those positions, not struggle. For example, 2008 MVP runner-up Ryan Howard hit 109 points better with runners on base than when they were empty last year.
Poor clutch hitting cost the Brewers many runs and wins throughout the 2008 season, and it was not Braun alone who was underperforming. The Brewers hit .245 as a team with runners in scoring position, which was 29th in the majors—second worst in baseball (21 points below the MLB average).
Poor fundamentals and clutch hitting are the details behind that popular and ambiguous label “poor team chemistry.” If Melvin keeps the Brewers offense largely intact this offseason, it will be because he believes his young team will improve upon these numbers after their 2008 playoff experience.
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