All of these things are fairly surprising, but not so surprising as some of the Brewers players who put up fantastic numbers to start the season. With that in mind, we needed to convene our staff roundtable and begin doling out monthly awards.

Without further ado, here are your award winners for April, as picked by the staff.

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Click the picture to see it in GIF form:

Segura, whom I predicted to hit around .280 this season,  is now batting .455 with a home run and three runs batted in. He has showed no signs of slowing down after his red-hot spring. He looks more like a No. 2 hitter than a bottom of the order type of guy.

If the 23-year-old keeps swinging the way he has been, the Brewers will be the clear winner in the deal that sent Zack Greinke to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for Segura.

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Now, this team is, by almost all definitions, a young team with talent budding in all areas, ready to flourish and hopefully carry this team to another playoff run. Gone are Prince Fielder, Zack Greinke, and the drastically talent-diminished K-Rod. Braun still remains, though with controversy swirling around him like a swarm of bees to honey, and Weeks is still trying to rehab from a horrific ankle injury that kept him from finding his bat until after the All-Star break in 2012.

I’ll go ahead and tell you now, there are a few certainties on this team, barring some catastrophic injuries (please, for the love of God, let us get through this Spring and the World Baseball Classic only missing Mat Gamel). Guys like Ryan Braun, Corey Hart (once healthy), Aramis Ramirez, and Yovani Gallardo are all proven major leaguers, and I will not classify them as wildcards.

We’re going to take a look at the three biggest wildcards, both from the field, and from the mound, so six players altogether. Part one will be the three position players, and part two will contain the pitchers.

Let’s get started.

1: Jean Segura

Segura was the centerpiece of the trade that sent Greinke to the Los Angeles Angels last season. The Brewers also got a couple of great minor league pitchers out of the deal (Johnny Hellweg and Ariel Pena), but neither are likely to see time with the Brewers this season. Segura is, even with the addition of veteran Alex Gonzalez, Milwaukee’s starting shortstop entering the 2013 season. Last season, his first in the majors, wasn’t all that bad. He finished off his time in Milwaukee with a slashline of .264/.321/.331, knocked in 14 RBIs, and stole seven bases in 148 at-bats with the Brew Crew.

Numbers that don’t sparkle, but they don’t tell the whole story, either. After a slow start in August, hitting just .209 with the Brewers, Segura seemed to finally figure out major league pitching, and finished the season strong, going for a .343 BA in the month of September. We also saw his versatility as a middle-infielder, both at shortstop and second base, and is a potential Gold Glover in the future.

Segura is one of the fastest players on this team, and with a full season, it’s likely he’ll steal at least 30 bases. He might add a little bit of pop and hit a few homers, but don’t expect much power out of him. Segura has the potential to be a guy who gets on base frequently, and will be a constant threat to steal. He’ll also take away many hits up the center as he improves his already impressive fielding.

2: Carlos Gomez

Gomez shouldn’t have to be on this list… he’s been in the majors for six years now. He was once viewed by the New York Mets as a super-prospect, and is the only player Jose Reyes has openly admitted is faster than he is. Gomez, though a six-year vet, is still only 26 years old (he was the youngest player in the MLB when he was called up by the Mets his rookie year). Once viewed as a potential five-tool player, Gomez has never quite found his offensive footing in the majors. Until last season.

He’s always been a Gold Glove caliber centerfielder, and as this team’s full-time CF for the first time in his career, he very well may be in the running for that award this season. He’s also always had unbelievable speed and baserunning skills. The problem has always been getting on base. Before last season, Gomez only had one season in which he hit above .250 (2008 when he hit .258 with the Minnesota Twins), and he doesn’t do a great job of getting on base period, unable to draw many walks. His career slashline of .247/.294/.379 is ugly to look at. His previous career high in homers in a season was 8, in 2011 with the Brew Crew.

But last season, Gomez found his offensive footing and completely exploded… and I don’t think it was a fluke. Gomez put together a much-improved slashline of .260/.305/.463, slugged an impressive 19 homers, drove in 51 runs, and stole 37 bases… all of this in only 415 at-bats, as he spent the first part of the season with very little playing time.

Gomez will rob teams of runs thanks to his defensive prowess in center. He is the fastest player on this team, and will probably steal over 40 bases playing in a full-time capacity. If he can match that power and continue to just hit the ball and continue to find more discipline at the plate, Gomez is going to be a HUGE key for the Brewers.

3: Jonathan Lucroy

I truly can’t wait to see Jonathan Lucroy play for a full season. Seriously. He’s been flying under the general public’s radar for the past three seasons, but I think he’s about to emerge as one of the best catchers in the game. If it weren’t for injuries last season, Lucroy could’ve hit 20+ homers and 90+ RBIs, to go along with his slashline of .320/.368/.513. As it was, in 316 at-bats, Lucroy gave the Brewers 12 homers and 58 RBIs, respectable by any catcher’s standards. But you tack on another 200 at-bats, and Lucroy is going to be as big of an offensive cog as anyone on this team, except perhaps Braun.

You add that on to the fact that Lucroy is already a defensive-minded catcher, with a sure glove and a strong arm—teams might not know much about him yet, but they will soon. He fits the title of catcher of the future in Milwaukee, just like Segura fits the title of SS of the future. Both of these positions have been in question for years, but Segura and Lucroy are filling those holes, and filling them in big ways. If Lucroy stays healthy, don’t be surprised to see him hit around .320-.330, hit 20-25 homers, and drive in 90-100 RBIs.

I’m just saying… Yadier Molina and Buster Posey… it’s time to watch out for Jonathan Lucroy.

So that’s it for part one.

I had a tough time not including Norichika Aoki, a rejuvenated Rickie Weeks, and Alex Gonzalez to this list, but I have my reasons. Nori put together one heck of a rookie season with the Brew Crew, but I (unlike many others) saw it coming. I think he’s only going to get better, but I think teams got the message last season… he’s got some pop in his bat, he can hit for average, he’s a good fielder, and he’s much faster on the bases than anyone thought.

Weeks has been a huge part of this offense before, and despite hitting 20 homers last season, still had a subpar season. When he finally found his bat halfway through, he helped bring the Brewers back into contention. I expect another normal bounce-back season for Weeks. Batting average of around .260, 25 or so homers, and 15 or so stolen bases, along with some spectacular plays on defense, and some spectacular blunders on defense as well.

Gonzalez has never played any position but shortstop in the majors, but he’s very likely going to be asked to be a utility infielder this season, especially with the glaring hole at first base until Hart comes back a month into the season. He’ll hit like he normally does, and he’s an excellent defender, so I think he can acclimate to first base, which is, on the whole, easier to play than shortstop.

All three of those guys, and anyone I didn’t mention, are going to be huge for this team. But I think Segura, Gomez, and Lucroy are really the quiet giants that are going to surprise teams the most this season.

In part two of this brief series, I’ll discuss the three pitchers who I think will have wildcard-like seasons with the Brewers.

It’s an affordable move, and not entirely unexpected, to add a little more depth and some veteran help to the middle infield for the Milwaukee Brewers. Alex Gonzalez was a member of the 2012 Brewers roster before an ACL injury forced him to the sidelines for the season.

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August 14, 2012; Denver, CO, USA; Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Jean Segura (9) fields a ball during the fifth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field.  Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

Though holes in Segura’s game were clearly evident in his rookie campaign, it was a primarily positive stint; he followed up a .264/.321/.331 season by winning the battle title in the Dominican Winter League (or Liga de Béisbol Dominicano, for our Spanish-indulging audience). Segura hit .324 in 148 at-bats, coincidentally the same number of AB’s he posted as a Brewer this summer.

Segura flashed no signs of power at the plate with the Brewers and by no means expect him to ever be a 15-homer guy, but he slugged over .426 for los Gigantes del Cibao in the winter league. In 35 games, he hit two homers, which is something he has yet to do as a big leaguer.

Sound hitting, speed, and defense make up Segura’s game and he showed signs of them all as a rookie.

As he gained consistent playing time, Segura’s bat woke up. The Dominican Republican native hit .309 and had an OPS of .785 over September and October as the Brewers made a late postseason push. Segura’s consistently above-average play, something the Brewers had lacked since Alex Gonzalez’s injury the first week of May, was one of the reasons for the #BREWlieve run that put Milwaukee within two games of St. Louis for the final Wild Card spot at one point. Major League pitching didn’t overwhelm Segura, as he struck out in 12.9% of plate appearances He won’t dazzle anyone at the plate, but has more than enough capability to be a middle-to-upper tier hitting shortstop in the National League.

Time and time again, the speed of little Jose Segura (sorry, Tom H, I had to) was arguably the most impressive part of his game. He stole seven bases in eight attempts and legged out three triples. His BsR (base running runs above average) was 1.6, good for fourth on the entire team, more than Norichika Aoki and his thirty steals. On August 29 against Chicago, Segura stole second, advanced to third on a Wellington Castillo throwing error, then, after sliding head-first into third, instinctively scampered home in time after a Luis Valbuena error. The reverent Bill James projects 35 stolen bases for 2013.

Segura, a longtime second baseman, has adjusted to becoming a shortstop fairly well, especially considering he was thrust into a major league infield at a relatively new position. He has the arm and range to become an elite defensive shortstop for the Brewers. Segura made one of the plays of the year for the Brewers, fully extending his left to snag a sharp liner. Thank you based Jean Segura. (Also thank you based Jaymes Langrehr of Disciples of Uecker and BrewGIFs for the multimedia awesomeness. You may have to click on the image to view the gif.)

The Brewers reassured their faith in Segura by laying off the free agent shortstops, including Stephen Drew, Yuni B, Ronny Cedeno, and the kinda-sorta-was-a-Brewer Alex Gonzalez. We’ve seen what has happened when Segura is given playing time: an outstanding September/October and a winter league batting title.

The speed will continue to be a threat, the defense will improve, and (hopefully) the bat will, too. Jean Segura, your 2013 Breakout Brewer number two.

Okay, maybe more than a little. Monday night’s starter for the Cincinnati Reds–and the first National League pitcher the Brewers new shortstop will ever face–Bronson Arroyo presents  somewhat of an ambiguous, perplexing matchup for the Brewers new shortstop.

Batting eighth tonight, Segura projects himself towards the pitch with a heap of momentum, much like what you’ll see from Dustin Pedroia (without the whole…”Pedroia mechanics”, so to speak). He’s primarily a ground ball hitter with doubles power, hitting grounders 54.3 percent of the time even in rookie ball in 2009. He projects good power for his 160-pound frame, homering 17 times over the last two seasons in single and double A ball (by comparison, I hit one ball out in batting practice as a 155-pound high school junior this summer). He uses is speed to his advantage, keeping his BABIP on grounders above .300 each season in the minors (since 2009).  His line drive percentage has increased from his original 12 percent in rookie ball, but he will have to maintain a higher figure to stay successful for the course of an entire big league season.

But, right now, we’re not focused on his entire season projection.

Arroyo's pitch chart.

Bronson Arroyo stays away from the fastball more than almost any National League pitcher. His 35.0 FB percentage is third-lowest in the league, behind only Mark Buehrle of Miami and the Mets’ knuckleballer R.A. Dickey. Meanwhile, his curveball percentage is sixth-highest and the veteran right-hander also uses a mixture of a changeup and slider/cutter.

Segura strikes out rarely and Arroyo rarely strikes batters out. The 22-year-old shortstop had a 13.8 K-rate in 94 games in the Texas League while the Reds starters strikes out 5.94 batters per 9 innings. Advantage to Segura, right?

In terms of putting the ball in play, yes. But Arroyo has one of the lowest ground ball rates in the NL at 40.3 percent. His line drive percentage is in the middle of the pack and his HR/FB ratio is 10.6 percent, relatively low for pitchers with higher fly ball rates. Segura relies on putting the ball in play, which matches Arroyo’s style of pitching. But Arroyo will probably try to get Segura out by making him chase and using his aggressiveness against him as he throws a good percentage of his pitches out of the zone. Segura’s best bet is to get a pitch up in the zone and drive it, preferably where it’s pitched, because, generally, when Arroyo puts the ball down he is effective with it.

Arroyo’s first-pitch strike percentage is fifth-highest in the NL, which he finds success with by throwing each pitch in his repertoire, including the kitchen sink, for a strike. Segura won’t be able to go up there and look dead-red, but there isn’t much of a book on him so Arroyo may very well start an at-bat or two with a fastball strike just to get ahead.

If Segura can wait back and drive (easier said than done) the off-speed stuff he’s assured to see from Arroyo, the kid will get his first big league hit in front of the crowd at Miller Park on Monday night.

Segura’s bat was obviously far too strong for AA pitching, where he .433 in 37 plate appearances in 8 games with Huntsville; not only that, but he was already a reserve for the Angels in the weeks prior to the trade. Overall in AA ball this year, the 22-year-old batted .304/.358/.413 in the Texas League and Southern League.

With little reason left to watch the remainder of the 2012 season, seeing Cody Ransom at shortstop everyday wouldn’t help. Segura’s bat is big league-ready and he is batting eighth and playing shortstop in Monday’s lineup. The only part of Izturis’ game that is better than Segura’s is his defense–he’s only played in 136 games professionally at the 6 position.

As Jaymes Langrehr noted on Disciples of Uecker, it will do no good to only give him an occasional start. There’s no way Ransom playing six or seven out of ten games will help the club now or in the future. We’ve seen Taylor Green and Mat Gamel fail to fulfill their potential yet because of inconsistent playing time. And the Brewers shouldn’t toy around with their newly acquired top prospect; not to say Segura is of the level of either player, but look at the success of Mike Trout and Bryce Harper after they received everyday roles. The Brewers obviously feel that now is the time to see what Jean Segura’s got, so why only “see what Jean Segura’s got” two or three times a week?

But let’s be honest with each other – we’re still not over it. I wanted to know a little bit more about how the Angels fans felt about the deal. And who has their finger on the pulse of Angels Nation better than the staff of Halo Hangout, our own Fansided Angels blog?

NO ONE, that’s who.

Editor MJ Llyod was kind enough to help me on my path to closure.

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