How bad will it get for the Brewers this year?

3 of 3

Apr 24, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Brewers catcher Martin Maldonado (12) talks with pitcher Will Smith (13) during the seventh inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Miller Park. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports /

Glass Half Empty: Why the Brewers are destined for last place

8-17.

That’s the worst April record ever for a team that made the postseason. The team was the 2001 Oakland A’s, and they went 94-43 the rest of the way to finish 102-60 (and still, incredibly, finished 14 games behind the division-winning Mariners, who had an all-time best 116 wins).

There has never been a team with fewer than 8 wins in April who made the playoffs. Moreover, there’s no reason to think that the Brewers are the team to buck that trend.

Coming into the year, the Brewers were seen as a solid team, not a playoff contender. Their biggest flaw going into the season was a lack of depth; many predicted that if a few players got hurt, it could send the Brewers and their shallow bench into a tailspin.

So far, that’s exactly what’s happened. The Brewers have a shot with stars Jonathan Lucroy and Carlos Gomez in the lineup; without them (both are on the DL, and Lucroy is expected to miss four to six weeks), the lineup consists of only two players who rate as above average in OPS (Adam Lind and Jean Segura).

There’s also reason to be concerned about the slow starts of their pitchers. Garza and Lohse are on the downswing of their careers, and may just be in decline. Wily Peralta’s fastball is significantly slower than it was last year, which is a definite red flag.

On top of it all, the Brewers play in a tough division, and getting past the Cardinals, Pirates, and Cubs seems like a tall order. It may only be April, but the Brewers may as well get comfortable in the NL Central basement. They could be there a while.

Next: Who Is The Best SP of All-Time?

More from Milwaukee Brewers

Home/Milwaukee Brewers