At closer position, Brewers haven’t skipped a beat

It may be difficult to remember, but the closing pitcher position has not always been a strength of the Milwaukee Brewers. In fact, for a while there was a pretty concerning trend among Brewers closers: they would have one or two exceptional years before losing their effectiveness altogether the following season.

You might remember the Derrick Turnbow experience from the early 2000s, in which the Brewers transformed Turnbow into an All-Star before it all came crashing down in the second half of the 2006 season. Or how about John Axford? He's remembered as one of the best closers in Brewers' history, due mostly to his performance during the 2010 and 2011 seasons, but fans might forget the nine saves that he blew in 2012, before the team traded him to their division foe, the St. Louis Cardinals, for a Player To Be Named Later halfway through the 2013 season. The trend even affected one of the best closers in MLB history: Trevor Hoffman. Sure, Hoffman was at the tail-end of his career when he played in Milwaukee, but he went from a 1.83 ERA with 37 saves in 2009 to a 5.89 ERA with just 10 saves in 2010.

However, as we all collectively knock on wood, that trend has seemingly come to a close — or perhaps the Brewers are now just getting ahead of it, by selling high on their closers before they implode (see Devin Williams trade). Regardless of whether it was a fluke trend, a curse placed on the team by Eric Gagné, or whatever you want to call it, Trevor Megill is currently disproving it with his impressive display this season.

Trevor Megill is picking up right where he and the elite Brewers closers of recent past left off

A year ago, Megill was thrust into a closer job that he wasn't anticipating. When Devin Williams landed on the IL with multiple stress fractures in his back during last year's spring training, it appeared as if the Brewers’ run of elite closing pitchers was in jeopardy. That run included five NL Reliever of the Year Awards in seven years thanks to two of the best closing pitchers in Brewers history: Williams and Josh Hader.

Filling in as the Brewers closer, Megill didn't let that run just disappear into thin air. Instead, he converted 20 of his 22 save opportunities prior to Williams' return, while posting a 2.41 ERA during that span. When Williams returned, Megill seamlessly returned to his set-up role, in which he allowed just one run during the entire month of September.

This year, now serving as the Brewers' full-time closer, Megill hasn't skipped a beat. He's 12 for 13 in save opportunities while sporting a 2.21 ERA. That mark is heavily skewed by one bad outing way back on April 12 against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Megill entered in the middle of the ninth inning after Joel Payamps had surrendered a run and left a man on third base. With momentum on their side, the D-Backs scored three runs on Megill and won the game with the Brewers' closer only recording one out. On June 7, that appearance, which put Megill in a tricky situation, remains his only blown save on the season.

With a nasty four-seam fastball-knuckle change combination, Megill is continuing to find success, and with two more years of team control, it appears as if that success will continue to benefit the Brewers for at least another season to come. That said, with Abner Uribe knocking on the closers’ door, don't be surprised if the Brewers front office gets creative and moves Megill before he hits free agency at the end of the 2027 season.