Brewers: 5 Underrated Heroes Of The 2021 Milwaukee Brewers

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Jul 7, 2021; New York City, New York, USA; Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Hunter Strickland (43) pitches against the New York Mets during the seventh inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

The Milwaukee Brewers have a comfortable lead in the NL Central as we head into September. Certain players like Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff, Josh Hader and Willy Adames have become household names, but we should give credit to all players helping the Brewers as they head towards the playoffs.

Plenty of great players who make an impact make the headlines and get their jerseys sold in the team store, but for a team to sustain success over the course of a season, that will take some contributions from other members.

These players aren’t MVP or Cy Young candidates, but they’ve done an amazing job in their role and have had a huge impact on this Brewers roster.

Here are five underrated heroes of the 2021 Milwaukee Brewers.

Brewers Underrated Hero #5: Hunter Strickland

David Stearns has done some great things for the Milwaukee Brewers as far as roster construction is concerned but I don’t think he gets enough credit for how well he has rebuilt the bullpen after trading J.P. Feyereisen and Drew Rasmussen for Willy Adames and Trevor Richards, who was also traded away.

Hunter Strickland is part of that. Strickland was acquired from the Los Angeles Angels for cash considerations on June 12, The Angels had acquired him from the Tampa Bay Rays just four weeks earlier.

Since arriving in June, Strickland has been very productive for the Brewers, often being called upon by Craig Counsell with runners on base in tight spots, or being brought in to pitch an inning or two when a starter has been forced to exit early.

This season in 22 appearances with Milwaukee, Strickland has 25 strikeouts while allowing just 11 hits and 8 walks in 23.2 innings. Strickland owns a 1.52 ERA, .803 WHIP, 9.5 K/9 and 3.13 K/BB ratio. He’s a veteran presence with plenty of experience in big spots.

Strickland hasn’t been flawless for the Brewers, but has been tremendously reliable and not talked about as frequently as he should when the Milwaukee Brewers pitching staff is talked about.

Aug 28, 2021; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Milwaukee Brewers third baseman Jace Peterson (14) fields a ground ball against the Minnesota Twins in the first inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports /

Brewers Underrated Hero #4: Avisail Garcia

It’s not crazy to say that the team leader in hits, home runs and runs batted in is important to the team but does Avi Garcia really get credit for how crucial he has been to team success this year?

Not only is Avisail Garcia leading the Crew in home runs, but the 24 he’s hit this year is also a career high, Avi is also just four runs batted in shy of his career high 80 back when he was an all-star in 2017.

Avisail Garcia is second on the Milwaukee Brewers in games played with 113 to only Luis Urias and the best ability is availability, while the Brewers have dealt with stints on the injured list by Christian Yelich, Lorenzo Cain and currently Tyrone Taylor, one guy Craig Counsell has always been able to count on is Avisail Garcia.

The Brewers were banking on Yelich and Keston Hiura providing the bulk of the power production in the middle of the lineup this year. That clearly has not happened. With the two biggest power hitters on the team not hitting like they were expected to, that left a void that could’ve sunk this team’s playoff aspirations. But Garcia stepped up to fill that void.

His career season has been flying under the radar to many while his contributions have been invaluable.

Brewers Underrated Hero #3: Jace Peterson

Jace Peterson provides value as a utility player available to Craig Counsell to plug in when a regular starter needs a day off, but with the acquisitions of other players like Willy Adames, Rowdy Tellez and Eduardo Escobar the Brewers haven’t needed Peterson as often.

However, Peterson has forced Counsell to give him more playing time as Peterson has found himself number one on the Brewers in on base percentage at .395! Albeit in limited time as Jace has only appeared in 67 games but getting on base nearly 40% of the time cannot be ignored, and Peterson has earned such nicknames as “Jace on Base.”

On the reverse, Jace Peterson has proven himself a useful and versatile defender, playing every position but catcher and center field, (yes, he even pitched an inning) often filling in for players when they are hurt, giving Craig Counsell and the Milwaukee Brewers the luxury of being able to be overcautious with injuries sustained to players like the aforementioned Willy Adames and Eduardo Escobar by having a capable utility player to plug in and still get production.

He’s prone to some hot and cold stretches with the bat, but that ability to draw walks and still get on base has been consistent, and has usually been able to come through in big situations.

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – AUGUST 28: Luis Urias #2 of the Milwaukee Brewers throws the ball to first base to get out Max Kepler of the Minnesota Twins in the second inning of the game at Target Field on August 28, 2021 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images) /

Brewers Underrated Hero #2: Brad Boxberger

The pitcher that has appeared in the most games for the Milwaukee Brewers is reliever Brad Boxberger. Boxberger is second on the team in innings from the bullpen to Brent Suter, who is a former starter asked to eat innings at times in less stressful situations than Boxberger has faced. Boxberger has been impressive in July and August, giving up just two runs across 20.1 innings in 21 appearances.

Boxberger has maintained health, like others on this list, and has done a bit of everything for the Brewers; getting out of jams, holding leads, and even notching four saves. What makes Boxberger worthy of appearing on a list of underrated heroes is that there isn’t much glory in getting out of stressful situations in innings like the sixth or seventh.

That attention is relished by a player like Josh Hader who has racked up the saves this season almost at a perfect rate. However, getting out of situations with inherited runners and ending rallies is just as important of a job. That’s something Boxberger does very well but is overshadowed by the tremendous starting three in the rotation of Brandon Woodruff, Corbin Burnes and Freddy Peralta. Even in the bullpen Boxberger is overshadowed often by late inning relievers Devin Williams and Josh Hader.

That being said, Brad Boxberger will be a major factor for the Milwaukee Brewers come playoff time as a de facto seventh inning reliever to hold leads after starters exit and before turning the ball over to Devin Williams and Josh Hader to shut down opponents.

Brewers Underrated Hero #1: Luis Urias

The Milwaukee Brewers made it clear early in the season that they were committed to finding out what they had with 23 year old Luis Urias with the trade of Orlando Arcia. However, in late May the Brewers acquired the loveable Willy Adames, throwing Urias’ role back into flux.

Urias found himself still playing mostly every day and he leads the Brewers in games played and has developed into a super-utility player capable of starting at second base, shortstop, or third base. Luis Urias put his versatility on full display in the recent series versus the Washington Nationals by playing all three positions in that series alone.

Throwing errors have plagued Luis Urias from time to time but Urias has not been shy about flashing the leather by making some truly impressive plays on the third base line and throwing batters out across the diamond from foul territory.

Maintaining health has been a key for Urias playing everyday has helped him as a hitter as Urias is second on the team in runs batted in with 57 and is tied with Willy Adames for second on the Brewers with 17 home runs, giving the Brewers the power you would hope to see from corner infielders.

His .243 batting average may not look sexy, but his .766 OPS and 105 OPS+ has him slightly above league average as a hitter, and there’s still more growth to come from the young Urias.

Next. 4 Predictions For The Rest Of The Regular Season. dark

After losing the shortstop job, Urias could’ve tailed off and gotten worse, but he’s actually been better since then and has flourished in his new role.

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Five Underrated Heroes of the 2021 Milwaukee Brewers