Milwaukee Brewers: Which known names won’t make playoff roster?

The Milwaukee Brewers are headed to the post-season, but there are some known names that may not be going along for the ride.

One thing we have learned about manager Craig Counsell this year is that he relies heavily on his bullpen and likes to use a lot of pitchers. This won’t change during the playoffs. In fact his use of pitching may increase during the playoffs.  Because of this, the Milwaukee Brewers playoff roster will probably consist of thirteen pitchers and twelve position players. There will be some players that are familiar names to Brewer fans that will not be included.

Eric Thames

Even though Eric Thames is one of the most popular Milwaukee Brewers, he has really struggled at the plate this year.  He is hitting .220 with an OBP of .308 and SLG of .482. With the success of Jesus Aguilar, Thames has received limited opportunities at first base and has not proved himself in the outfield. In addition, the Brewers also have adequate coverage at first base with Travis Shaw and Ryan Braun as backups if something should happen to Aguilar. Thames did provide some memorable moments this year but not enough consistency to warrant a roster spot during the playoffs.

Junior Guerra

Milwaukee Brewers starter Junior Guerra had a tale of two halves. He had a record of 6-6 with a 3.23 ERA and WHIP of 1.28 during the first half of the season. In the second half Guerra fell apart.  He had a record of 0-3, with an ERA of 6.31 and WHIP of 1.71. By late in the season he had been relegated to sporadic bullpen work. There are just too many other better pitchers on staff, especially in the bullpen, to allow Guerra to stay on the team past the regular season. In fact, we may have seen the last of Guerra in a Brewer uniform.

Freddy Peralta

Freddy Peralta has a bright future with the Milwaukee Brewers, but he’s just been too inconsistent, and is too inexperienced to put on the playoff roster. He has had some memorable moments with the Brewers including a 13-strikeout performance on May 13th against Colorado.  Unfortunately, in July he posted an ERA of 5.47, and gave up fifteen earned runs in 24 innings. August was worse because he gave up 17 earned runs in 26 innings with an ERA of 5.81.

Domingo Santana

Domingo Santana had a breakthrough season in 2017, and looked like a permanent fixture in the Milwaukee Brewers outfield for years to come, but then the Brewers signed Lorenzo Cain and Christian Yelich and the world changed for Santana. He was never able to get going in a more limited role.   His AVG of .260, OBP of .323 and 5 HR’s in 208 at bats aren’t horrible, but the Brewers just have too much depth in the outfield to allow Santana to participate in the post-season. Plus, Santana doesn’t have a good enough glove to warrant a spot as a defensive replacement.

Keon Broxton

On the other hand, Keon Broxton is a great defensive replacement, but completely lost at the plate. His batting average is .182 and he owns an OBP of .284 with an OPS of .700. If one of the Milwaukee Brewers starting outfielders played defense like Khris Davis used to, Broxton may have a chance to make the team. Unfortunately for Broxton, the starters are all pretty solid defenders. The Brewers just don’t have enough available spots to hold on to someone who can’t hit.

If you would have told Brewer fans that the team is going to make the playoffs and these five guys weren’t going to be on the team during the post-season, most fans would have looked at you with a funny look on their face. Thanks to Milwaukee Brewers GM David Stearns and his in pre-season and in-season acquisitions, these struggling players are going to give way to players who give the Brewers a real chance in October.