Brewers: 5 Reasons to be Optimistic Going into 2021

2. The Electric Dudes 2.0

As if having two elite starters in the rotation wasn’t good enough, in the bullpen the Brewers have the past three NL Reliever of the Year winners, two-time winner Josh Hader and 2020 winner as well as National League Rookie of the Year winner Devin Williams, ready to go. Along with them, feel-good story, and pitch-well story, Justin Topa.

Hader has been mentioned in trade rumors for nearly as long as he has been dominant, however, he does not appear to be going anywhere. Between those three guys, the Brewers bullpen is going to be fierce.

Josh Hader has been the best reliever in the game for multiple seasons now, and pairing him with Devin Williams and possibly the greatest changeup of all-time is going to benefit both pitchers. Instead of teams having to brace themselves to face Hader, Williams also enters the equation.

It may be asking too much for Devin Williams to repeat his 2020 performance, and as his exceptionally low BABIP shows, he may be due for a return to the mean. However, having another elite arm in will take the pressure off of Josh Hader to always be the guy Counsell turns to.

The Brewers’ ability to seemingly plug anyone in and make them into an elite reliever also could lead to another breakout star joining the bullpen. Credit goes to the entire pitching development staff, and the players for putting in the work necessary. With these guys anchoring the bullpen, the Brewers should feel very comfortable with a lead after six innings.

And if Counsell wants to spice things up, he can also turn to the anti-Hader, Brent Suter. Suter avoids giving up hard hit balls, doesn’t walk many batters, and is the funniest guy in baseball. Suter can start, or he can come out in relief. He is the swiss-army knife of the bullpen, and provides a great contrast to the usual hard throwers out in the ‘pen.