Greetings party people in the place to be! The last time you heard from me, I was counting down the 10 most painful Packer losses of the last 20 years in a 2,000 word post that should have erased centuries of time due in purgatory for Badger Catholic readers.
We're back today with better news as our beloved Milwaukee Brewers have completed the long and improbable journey back to .500 and now sit just five games out of a wildcard spot. But not only have the Brewers crawled their way back into contention; they've crawled back into our hearts.
You see, for the first 4+ months of the season, it wasn't just the poor play that made the Brewers difficult to root for. Milwaukee seemed to be a team without a soul. With Prince in Detroit, Rickie in a funk and Braun under fire for an overturned positive test for performance enhancing drugs, the Crew just wasn't a very likable team.
Somewhere in the midst of the Brewers' recent hot streak, the team became fun to watch again. Let's take a look at the top five players that salvaged the 2012 season:
5. Norichika Aoki: Is knowing how to spell Aoki's first name without looking it up a sign that I follow baseball too closely? Either way, Aoki has been one of those players who's been fun to watch all year. A perfect leadoff hitter for this Brewers team, he sees a lot of pitches, gets on-base at a high clip, plays solid defense, and seems to hit for power just when it's needed most. I'd love to see the Crew lock him up with a three year deal this winter.
4. Jonathan Lucroy and Martin Maldonado: In the Mark Attanasio era, the Brewers have found at least one season of great production from every position on the team except one. The 2012 campaign has changed that as Jonathan Lucroy broke out with an All-Star caliber year. And when he missed the middle of the season with a freak hand injury, unknown Martin Maldonado stepped in, replacing his production admirably. It's doubtful Maldonado will sustain his production into the future (See also: Morgan, Nyjer), Lucroy appears to be a long-term star for the Brewers behind the plate.
3. Rickie Weeks: Weeks never came back to form in 2011 after missing time with a leg injury, and his first half in 2012 was just as bad. It was tempting to wonder if the longest-tenured Brewer's best days were beyond him. But while his pre-All Star Break numbers are an albatross on his 2012 statistical line, Weeks is back. He's once again getting on base at a rate far above average, and his power has returned.
2. Carlos Gomez: For most of his tenure in Milwaukee, Carlos Gomez was a guy whose best skill (stealing bases) was nullified by his complete and utter ability to get on base. This year, he's developed into a legitimate four tool player with the potential to hit 40 home runs. The Brewers' best defender and a potential 20 home run guy, Gomez might be the team's most exciting player after Ryan Braun.
1. Ryan Braun: I hate steroids. I really hate steroids, and I've long maintained that users should be banned from the Hall of Fame and kicked out of baseball. That's why I remember exactly where I was when I heard Ryan Braun was facing a 50 game suspension for performance enhancing drug use. It's also why I took little joy when it was reported that Braun won his appeal on a mere technicality.
But not only have reports from experts like Will Carroll and Lester Munson suggested that Braun's camp provided strong evidence that his sample falsely tested positive AND a career year from Braun in 2012 provide me with more than enough reasonable doubt to accept that Milwaukee's franchise player is the real deal.
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