Brewers: Studs And Duds From The First Month Of The 2022 Season

After losing the opening series against the Chicago Cubs, the Brewers went on to have a very successful first month of the season. Following opening weekend, the Crew did not lose a series the remainder of April (excluding the single game against the Giants).

This resulted in a 15-7 record, which is good enough for their third best winning percentage in franchise history during the month of April!

In order to compile all of these wins, it took great individual performances from certain players.

Let’s take a look at a few Brewers players who got off to a hot start to the season and who is yet to hit their stride.

Brewers April Stud: Eric Lauer

Entering May, the Brewers main five starting pitchers have all made four starts and Eric Lauer has the second best ERA at 1.93.  Additionally he leads the team in strikeouts (34) and has covered the second most innings (23.1).

Lauer has quietly been one of the best pitchers in baseball dating back to the second half of the 2021 season. A notable difference to start this year is his increase in velocity, especially with his fastball.  So far, four seamer velocity average is 93.9 MPH and he can reach up to 96 on the radar gun. It has been a fast and furious start for Eric Lauer!

Brewers April Dud: Jake Cousins

After an incredible 2021 season, the expectations for Jake Cousins are high this year.  Unfortunately, he has gotten off to a bit of a slow and wild start. Amidst the slow start, he recently was placed on the 10-day IL with swelling in the elbow. With rosters decreasing to 26 players on May 2, the injury may have temporarily delayed a demotion to the minor leagues.

Over eight innings of work, he currently owns a 4.50 ERA. He has not been fully dialed in with his best pitch yet, which is the slider. This resulted in four wild pitches, most of which came in his first couple of appearances.

The good news is that Cousins is still generating strikeouts.  He has retired 13 batters via the strikeout.  If he can continue to find his form and work himself into high leverage spots, Cousins will be an incredible weapon to have in the bullpen.

Brewers April Stud: Josh Hader

April was a great month for closer Josh Hader. He made 10 appearances, recorded 10 saves, and did not allow an earned run. His 10 saves is currently tied for the most in baseball. He is continuing to be used as a “traditional closer” or in a single inning role and this is allowing him to close out more games.

Hader also reached an important career milestone in April as he recorded his 100th career save. He is just the third Brewers pitcher to accomplish this. If all goes well, he could find himself as the franchise’s saves leader by the end of this season.

Brewers April Stud: Willy Adames

Willy Adames appeared in every game at shortstop for the Brewers in the month of April, which is important given that Luis Urias is still on the mend. With playing everyday, Adames currently finds himself atop the offensive leader boards in several of the Brewers categories. He is tied for first in hits (19) and home runs (5), leads the team in RBI’s (14), and leads the team in base on balls (11).

One standout moment includes his historic seven RBI night against the Pirates. Aside from the flashy headlines, he has been excelling at taking the extra base with heads up base running and defensively is doing very well. Adames is an exciting player to watch in all facets of the game and he is off to a great all around start this year!

Overall, it has been a great start for the Brewers to begin the 2022 campaign. Baseball is a long season that has many ups and downs, but so far there have been more positives than negatives for this team. Let’s hope that continues!