This is how clear it is that something is brewing. Next time you're outside, count the number of hats with a Milwaukee baseball logo and ask yourself when the last time was they were this widespread.
Nevermind the bandwagon phenomenon—that's a universal principle and loses its meaning when a team has been as irrelevant as the Brewers have been over the past 15 years or so. The diehards and those coming out of the woodwork at least have this in common: They realize little has gone wrong and much has gone right in a heretofore promising season.
Yeah, you know it is time to start paying attention to the Brewers when ESPN's Baseball Tonight is giving anything more than short shrift to the organization. Even the analysts seem to have a sense of uncertainty as they tell a national audience that—hold on to those hats, non-Brewers fans—in early May, the Brewers have the best record in Major League Baseball.
Too early to put any stock in that, really. Milwaukee is not likely to finish with the best looking ledger, but we can say this: The Brewers are in it to win it this year.
To this point, the team has given every indication that it can compete in the diluted National League Central, which is all it has to do to make the playoffs for the first time in a quarter of a century.
Now, don't mistake anything written here for the premature conclusions. It goes without saying that plenty of things have to go right for Milwaukee to matter toward the end of the season, when postseason spots are on the line. But here's what to consider more than 25 games into the year.
As far as pitching goes—and good pitching will take a team far—the Brewers have the best staff in the division. Two of their starters had four wins in the month of April, and the team is off to its second-best start in franchise history without its ace's best stuff. That man, Ben Sheets, has a mere 2-2 record, but Chris Capuano, at 4-0, and Jeff Suppan, at 4-2, have been nothing shy of outstanding. The depth of this rotation is unmatched, and there are able replacements to fill the sure-to-come injuries.
More of a pleasant surprise has been the hitting. It was a given that the Brewers were going to have depth on the mound this year, but the excitement there was modulated by a feeling that the offense might not be as potent without a Carlos Lee-type slugger.
But he's a forgotten man now, unless of course you take into account the every so often what-were-they-thinking musings of the Astros, who signed him to an untenable $100 million contract.
That void has been filled so far by a resurgent Geoff Jenkins, J.J. Hardy and a pick-me-up offense that somehow gets enough runs to back up what has been strong pitching. The bullpen has shown to be dependable, even lockdown once it takes the lead into the late-game stage.
Leads in games in the early season are one thing, though. As for a lead in the standings come late September? After a recent sweep over the World Series champions, hang on to your hats, Brewers fans.
E-mail Jon at bortin@wisc.edu.
