Brewers: Spring Training Offense So Far Looking Little Like It Did In 2020

Yes, it’s still spring training. And the true test for the Brewers offense will be whether they look improved during the 2021 MLB regular season, starting with Opening Day in just over three weeks.

But, man is it hard not to feel like a bounce-back is imminent.

That’s because the bats have largely been on fire this spring, something fans weren’t used to seeing during the 2020 season. Tuesday saw the team put up their highest run total yet in a 13-7 win over the San Francisco Giants.

That game gave the Brewers a clean 60 runs through their first nine games of Cactus League play. It was the sixth time in those nine games that they scored seven runs or more and the third time that they put up double-digit runs already this spring.

Sure, there have been moments where Milwaukee have been aided by some forces of nature, whether that be the strong winds or the bright sun. In fact, manager Craig Counsell seemed to have had about enough of it after Tuesday’s game.

Still, the run production is a welcome sight for Brewers fans who got to watch one of the worst offenses in baseball last year. And it gives hope that the team won’t repeat that performance in the upcoming season.

Even though it’s just spring training, the Brewers offense is showing little resemblance of the version from 2020.

Some of what happens in spring training can be taken with a grain of salt. Both batters and hitters are trying to shake off the rust and possibly play with mechanics, so results aren’t always indicative of what will happen during the regular season.

But it still feels good to see signs of life from a Brewers offense that saw so few of them a season ago. And it feels even better to see that many of those signs are coming from players who needed to show improvement in 2021.

Avisail Garcia is one of the Brewers looking to have a bounce-back season in 2021. So far in Cactus League play, he has been one of the hottest hitters on the team. He’s gone 7 for 14 with a walk and a pair of homers. Oh, and he happens to be in the best shape of his life.

Omar Narvaez probably has an even bigger desire to put 2020 in the rearview. He’s had a solid spring training of his own, going 5 for 11 through five games with a homer, two doubles, and three walks.

And of course there’s Christian Yelich. Looking to round back into the MVP form that he displayed during the 2018 and 2019 seasons, he’s gone 3 for 9 up to this point and hit his first bomb of the spring on Tuesday.

Those are just three Milwaukee players lighting up the stat sheets this spring. All in all, with one game yet to finish on Tuesday night, the Brewers have the most runs of any MLB team (60), the highest OPS (.933) and slugging percentage (.547), the second highest average (.291), and the third highest OBP (.387).

Say all you want about the fact that it’s just spring training. It still feels good to see a Brewers offense that’s much easier on the eyes.