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Are the Milwaukee Brewers contenders or pretenders in 2022? This is destined to be a controversial subject amongst baseball fans since the Brewers have struggled as of late. And it is not often that a World Series contender trades their star closer in the middle of the season. Milwaukee is trending in the wrong direction as of this story's publication. The St. Louis Cardinals are beginning to take control of the National League Central and even clinching a Wild Card spot will be difficult to accomplish.
But the Brewers are better than you may think.
Brewers: World Series Contenders or Pretenders?
Pitching wins championships
The old saying of defense wins championships applies to baseball as well. But pitching tends to be the true culprit behind World Series winning ball clubs.
And the Brewers have plenty of pitching. In a playoff series, a team realistically needs three good starting pitchers and a capable bullpen to find success. And the Brewers' trio of Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff, and Freddy Peralta is impressive.
Burnes is once again pitching like a Cy Young. He is already approaching the 200-strikeout mark and his ERA is under 2.50 as of this story's publication.
Woodruff has not been quite as dominant in 2022 as he had been in year's past. Nevertheless, he still owns an ERA in the mid-3's and has the talent to excel in any given outing.
Freddy Peralta broke out last year. He pitched to the tune of a 2.81 ERA while striking out just under 200 batters. However, he's dealt with injury issues in 2022. As a result, his ERA currently sits above 4.
But Peralta is continuing to build up strength and could be in peak form by the time the playoffs roll around. If Peralta finds his stride, the Brewers will feature the best No. 3 pitcher in a rotation in baseball.
Under the radar lineup
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The Brewers are not known for their offensive prowess. Christian Yelich is a former MVP who has been unable to replicate his former superstar-level stats. But Milwaukee's lineup is better than you would expect.
The Brewers rank within the top 12 teams in all of baseball in OBP and slugging percentage. Additionally, they are 10th in runs scored and third in home runs. Their ability to hit home runs often gets overlooked. But this is a lineup that features no shortage of power. Rowdy Tellez, Willy Adames, and Hunter Renfroe all have hit over 20 home runs this season.
Milwaukee doesn't hit for average, but they get on base at a respectable rate. So their ability to reach base while hitting for power will serve them well.
Are the Brewers contenders or pretenders?
Let's label the Brewers as “sneaky contenders.”
Milwaukee is currently in the process of getting placed on the back burner by many experts. The Cardinals' recent success combined with juggernauts such as the Dodgers and Mets in the NL have people ruling out the Brewers completely.
But their pitching rotation and bullpen have the ability to contain any offense in the league. And the Brewers lineup features enough power to provide them with run support.
The path to the 2022 World Series is going to be a difficult one. In fact, even reaching the postseason at all will be challenging. But the Brewers have the talent and ability to shock the MLB world and make a World Series run in 2022.
