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Inside the strikeouts
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Situation
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K Pct.
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ML Rank
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0-2
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57.0%
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30th
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1-2
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50.9%
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30th
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|
2-2
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48.4%
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30th
|
|
3-2
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41.0%
|
30th
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TOTAL
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49.4%
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30th
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What two words were heard most this year at Brewers' games? That's right, strike three. Those words were heard more than the words "base hit" when the Brewers were at the plate. The team struck out a major league record 1,399 times, or 21 more times than they got hits (1,378). That was the first time in baseball history that a team has done that. So what do you make of a team which does this with Rod Carew as their hitting coach? Carew, one of the game's finest hitters of all time, didn't strike out more than he walked in any of his last 13 seasons. Maybe they should consider hiring Gorman Thomas or Rob Deer as their next hitting coach? It makes as much sense as anything at this point.
Best Pitcher: For the second straight year, the team's best pitcher is also their best comeback story. A year after Jeff D'Amico shocked the baseball world by finishing third in the NL with a 2.66 ERA after basically missing two years because of shoulder surgeries, Chad Fox overcame elbow surgery of his own to become one of the league's best relievers. Fox pitched in 65 games and sported a 1.89 ERA, striking out 80 and allowing just 44 hits in 66 2/3 innings. He was once considered a future closer. No reason to think he couldn't unseat the unsteady Curtis Leskanic at this point.
Best Position Player: Richie Sexson was expected to blossom into one of the league's most ferocious power hitters. That's exactly what he did in 2001, hitting 45 home runs at the age of 26. That tied Gorman Thomas' franchise mark. His 125 RBI was one shy of the team record held by Cecil Cooper. Quite simply, Sexson had one of the best offensive seasons in team history, and played an excellent first base as well.
Grading The Manager: The Brewers did worse in Davey Lopes' second season than in his first, and finished with their worst record in 17 years. Is it Davey Lopes' fault that the Brewers couldn't make contact in 2001? That injuries decimated the team and sent it into a tailspin after an encouraging start? Maybe, maybe not, but if he's going to keep his job, things will have to change, and change quickly. Too many times this year Lopes appeared lost for words as his team hit a new low. It's time for him to find answers.
Most Improved: It's hard to call a guy who struck out 185 times "improved," but Jose Hernandez did make strides in 2001. After hitting just 11 homers in 446 at-bats in his first season in Milwaukee, Hernandez bulked up and hit a career-high 25 this season. His play at shortstop also was improved, and his .972 fielding percentage in 146 starts there was his best at that position for any season he's started more than 40 games there.
Biggest Weakness: See ball, hit ball. It sounds easier than it is, and no team has ever made that more clear than the '01 Brewers. Hernandez led the way with 185 strikeouts, and would have tied the major league mark with four more so he sat out the final two games of the year. Sexson added 178, Jeromy Burnitz another 150, and Geoff Jenkins 120 in just 105 games. No team in baseball was nearly as bad with two strikes; the Brewers struck out 49.4 percent of the time in that situation, while the average team whiffed about 41 percent of the time after strike two. Spooky stat of the year: The main cogs of the Brewers' bench, (Lou Collier, Angel Echevarria, Kevin Brown, Raul Casanova, Mike Coolbaugh, and Mark Sweeney) combined to go 3-for-57 with 39 strikeouts on an 0-2 count this year. How about shortening up the swing with two strikes?
Gaining Momentum: Ruben Quevedo, acquired from the Cubs in the David Weathers deal, was a real bright spot. His 4.61 ERA is not pretty, but sandwiched between his first and last start, in which he allowed a combined 14 earned runs, he allowed just 15 runs in eight starts. He could be a cog in the rotation for years to come. Had an injury not almost immediately sidelined him, rookie Nick Neugebauer would be on this list. In his first start on Aug. 19, he struck out nine in five innings to earn a win. Hopefully he'll come back at full strength after shoulder surgery.
Kicked Off The Island: So many candidates... We believe that Jamey Wright has what it takes to be a No. 1 starter, but he's now a six-year veteran, and two years removed from Colorado he's still not producing as he should. He fell apart after the All-Star break, going 3-7 with a 6.70 ERA. Burnitz has simply never been the same after the home run derby at the All-Star Game in 2000. Burnitz's final numbers -- .251-34-100 -- may be good numbers for someone else, but for him that's nothing special. He needs to show more consistency. Curtis Leskanic appeared to have the stuff to be a viable closer, but seven blown saves in 24 opportunities later, it's not that clear. With Mike DeJean and Chad Fox waiting in the wings, Leskanic's job is hardly a sure thing right now.
Bill Konigsberg is an assistant editor at ESPN.com.
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