Milwaukee Brewers: Former Brewers in 2017 playoffs

October baseball is upon us. Although the Milwaukee Brewers aren’t participating in the postseason, former players are contributing to the success of contending teams.

In the rebuilding process, the Milwaukee Brewers have made a multitude of moves to shake up the roster. Milwaukee has sent talented players to contending teams in order to get prospects back. The rebuild has worked well so far, but the players who left Milwaukee are playing for bigger opportunities this October.

Which pitchers would I remember?

The biggest name out of this bunch of former Brewers is Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Zack Greinke. Greinke pitched two and a half seasons with Milwaukee, including the playoff year of 2011. For the D-backs, Greinke threw the NL Wild Card game against the Rockies, but didn’t fare well against the high-powered Colorado offense.

There are also two other former-Brewer pitchers on playoff teams right now, Brandon Kintzler and Mike Fiers. Kintzler was a relief pitcher for the Brewers for about five years, and is now in late inning relief for the Washington Nationals, a position they desperately needed before acquiring him.

Fiers on the other hand began with the Brewers in 2011, and later became a solid starter for the Crew. He was traded in 2015 to the Houston Astros along with Carlos Gomez. He spent most of the year as a starter for the Astros, but has never been a dominant pitcher for them. Fiers isn’t in the postseason rotation.

What about former Brewers hitters?

As for the hitters, Jonathan Lucroy was in the NL Wild Card game with the Colorado Rockies. Lucroy was traded in 2016 from the Brewers to the Rangers in the Lewis Brinson deal. He struggled with Texas, and got sent to Colorado. He caught for the Rockies and collected two hits, a walk, an RBI, and two runs scored in the Wild Card game loss to Arizona.

Finally, someone who was once in the Brewers’ minor league system, and was a “player to be named later” in the  CC Sabathia trade with the Indians, Michael Brantley. Brantley never played in a Brewers uniform, but he certainly would have. Now he is one of the key pieces of the juggernaut Indians team that is looking to go to a second straight World Series.

Next: Possible rotation answer from Japan

Major League teams usually make quite a bit more rosters moves throughout the year than other sports. The Milwaukee Brewers are certainly no exception. Many talented players have come through Milwaukee, and are now competing for a championship ring. The Brewers hope now that these young players that they got back in these deals can pan out, and never have to leave Milwaukee.