What we learned this week: September 21, 2013

Jonathan Lucroy is one of the most durable catchers in MLB this season.

It's no secret that the Brewers found a gem with Jonathan Lucroy. We've seen many different ways that this has been evaluated so far, and we got another reminder of it earlier this week. Kyle looked at different catchers around the league and found that Lucroy will be only the 6th catcher this season to catch 120 games. If we think back over the seasons before Lucroy was called up, there were a lot of different catchers that came and went for the Brewers. To have a critical position secured is critical if the Brewers want to have success in the future.

Corey Hart wants to stay in Milwaukee and will take less money to do it

The Brewers were hoping to count on Corey Hart in 2013, but two knee surgeries took him out for all of 2013. This was the last year on his contract extension, and he will be a free agent in the offseason. Earlier in the week, Corey Hart made some comments about wanting to stay in Milwaukee, and will take a deep discount to do that. He feels guilty for sitting out all of 2013 with his injury and feels that he owes something to Milwaukee. It's uncertain how much of a discount he would take, but we'll have to wait until the offseason to see how that plays out.

Another set of minor moves happened in the last week.

There were a few more minor league moves for the Brewers this season as they continue to try to improve their minor league system, even if the moves seem minor. On Thursday, they claimed pitcher Josh Ravin off of waiversfrom the Reds. Ravin has struggled in the minors so far, but the move is very low-risk for the Brewers since it cost them very little. They did need to clear a 40-man roster spot as well, and they did this by designating Blake Lalli for assignment. Lalli had struggled in his limited time in MLB this season, and was not a September call-up despite some decent numbers in the minors. He was on track to be a minor-league free agent after the season, so removing him from the roster will probably not hurt the Brewers.

The Helena Brewers couldn't finish their season out with a championship

Last week, the Helena Brewers won the semifinals to make a trip into the league finals. Unfortunately, they just didn't have what they needed to finish the job. After dropping game 1, they made a comeback in game 2 to tie the series, but fell behind quickly in game 3 and lost the series 2 games to 1. The Helena Brewers were the Brewers only minor league affiliate to make the playoffs, and with their exit from the playoffs, the minor league season is completely done. Next up for the minor league players is the Arizona fall league, as well as the winter leagues

Remember the Games

9/14/2013: Reds 7, Brewers 3
9/15/2013: Brewers 6, Reds 5
9/16/2013: Brewers 6, Cubs 1
9/17/2013: Brewers 4, Cubs 3
9/18/2013: Brewers 7, Cubs 0
9/19/2013: Cubs 5, Brewers 1
9/20/2013: Cardinals 7, Brewers 6

The Collection of Mugs

9/16/2013: A Sunday walkoff
9/17/2013: Gindl's Day
9/18/2013: Squeezing for success
9/20/2013: Wearing our "grumpy face"

A Quick History Lesson

9/16/2012: Ryan Braun hits home runs #200 & #201
9/17/1983: Don Money plays his final game
9/18/1980: Cecil Cooper becomes first Brewer to collect 200 hits in a season
9/19/1962: Hank Aaron's 24-game hitting streak at County Stadium snapped