The first phase of the Milwaukee Brewers' rebuild is underway, and the results thus far have been mixed.
The Brewers began Saturday last in the National League in fielding, eighth in pitching and 11th in runs scored. The team's biggest attraction is legendary announcer Bob Uecker, who is still at the top of his game after all these years.
But several young players with star potential have emerged, including third baseman Jonathan Villar, right fielder Hernan Perez, right-hander Junior Guerra and closer Tyler Thornburg. Others are on the way, such as outfielder Lewis Brinson and right-hander Luis Ortiz, acquired from the Rangers in the Jonathan Lucroy deal.
The Brewers are hanging onto fourth-place in the National League Central, ahead of the also-rebuilding Reds. They lead the majors in stolen bases, and have played the Cubs tough in their recent meetings at Miller Park and Wrigley Field, despite a major gap in talent.
"We've gone through stretches where we have played really well, and a few guys have stood out as having really great years," veteran Ryan Braun said before Thursday's game at Wrigley.
Thornburg, a third-round pick in 2010, had an 0.28 ERA in his last 30 outings, and had not allowed an earned run in 18 appearances. Right-handed hitters hadn't had a hit off him in their last 35 at-bats since Rickie Weeks singled July 28 at Miller Park.
Guerra was claimed off waivers from the White Sox last October after the Sox gave him only three relief appearances in 2015. Sox general manager Rick Hahn may rue the decision to let Guerra go and later hand a rotation spot to Mat Latos, who later was released. Guerra, a 31-year-old Venezuelan, is 9-3 with a 2.81 ERA. He has 100 strikeouts in 121 2/3 innings.
"Everyone here is competing," Braun said. "We're still trying to win games. Still trying to make sure they do everything they can to finish strong, to put themselves in position to be major leaguers next year. That's a priority."
One of the keys to any rebuild is having the right person in the manager's office, and the Brewers are in good hands there with Craig Counsell. Earlier in the year, Counsell said the Cubs' successful rebuild gives the Brew Crew hope it someday can emulate their division rivals.
"It did happen fast there, and it really was the addition of a couple of players that changed them," Counsell said. "So it's an encouraging thing where it can flip pretty fast, and certainly they have shown that."
It wouldn't be surprising to see the Brewers begin to challenge the Cubs in 2018, if the players grow together and if Counsell is allowed to see this thing through. But Braun pointed out the Cubs are "at least as good as any team I've played against in my 10 years" in the majors.
Whether Braun still will be around when the Brewers start winning again remains to be seen. He's having another strong season hitting .308 with 30 home runs and 88 RBIs and has said he wants to stay, but was rumored to be on the market last month when the Brewers reportedly were involved in talks over a Braun-for-Yasiel Puig swap.
Braun, 32, is in the second season of a five-year, $105 million deal, and the Brewers probably would have to eat a good portion of the contract in any trade. He's booed every at-bat at Wrigley, but Brewers fans mostly have accepted him despite his use of performance-enhancing drugs in the past.
Does Braun want to stick around for the rest of the rebuild?
"Absolutely," he said. "I love Milwaukee, my family loves Milwaukee, my daughter was born there and I have a son due next week. The city has been great to us and I love being involved in the community.
"With where we're at as an organization, it makes sense for them to see what other teams have to say. But if I do stay here I'm completely content with it."
Sports on 09/19/2016