Milwaukee Brewers: Cain and Hader Honored in April

CINCINNATI, OH - APRIL 30: Josh Hader #71 of the Milwaukee Brewers pitches in the ninth inning of a game against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on April 30, 2018 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Brewers won 6-5. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OH - APRIL 30: Josh Hader #71 of the Milwaukee Brewers pitches in the ninth inning of a game against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on April 30, 2018 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Brewers won 6-5. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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While some of the Milwaukee Brewers players fell short of expectations, others thrived. Two of those players, Lorenzo Cain and Josh Hader, were honored as the Player and Pitcher of the Month.

The Milwaukee Brewers finished April with a record of 17-13. That’s good enough for third place in the NL Central, behind the Chicago Cubs and the Pittsburgh Pirates. Two of the driving forces behind their successes so far have been Lorenzo Cain and Josh Hader.

Lorenzo Cain

Having a strong leadoff batter is never a bad thing. Centerfielder Lorenzo Cain has filled the role nicely. The Milwaukee Brewers announced via Twitter today that Cain has been named the organization’s Player of the Month.

In the Tweet, his April numbers are listed. Lorenzo Cain currently leads the Milwaukee Brewers in hits, walks, and steals. And, not only has he fared well at the plate, he is also a reliable fielder.

He and Christian Yelich have been great additions to the Milwaukee Brewers outfield. And with all of the injuries, it is relieving to have a guy like Cain that performs well night in and night out.

Josh Hader

Another bright spot for the Milwaukee Brewers in April was Josh Hader. So, he was named the Pitcher of the Month for the Crew.

He is arguably the best reliever in the game of baseball right now. Hader has recorded four saves already, and he has recorded 54 outs so far. And 39 of those outs have been strikeouts.

For those who haven’t yet seen this video, here is a collection of Hader’s eight strikeouts in his 2.2 innings of work against the Cincinnati Reds Monday night.

So, his numbers so far have been incredible, especially for such a young player.

Against Hader, batters currently have a batting average of .070, which is insane. Before Monday night’s game, he made a list of the top 10 most impressive statistics with a 58.5% strikeout percentage. After Monday’s game, his percentage is even higher.

Next: How bad is relying on the long ball?

Although these two were strong in April, there is still a lot of baseball left to be played. If Cain and Hader can keep up the phenomenal performances, the Milwaukee Brewers should be in good shape. Especially as other players start to heat up as well.