Round 1, Region 2: Least Liked Brewers of the Last Decade Bracket

On to the second of four regions in our “Least Liked Brewers of the Last Decade” tournament bracket. We head to the Eric Gagne Region where pitcher Shaun Marcum holds the top seed, but faces some stiff competition among the rest of the field. Feel free to check out the Sheffield Region, too.

Remember, you are voting for the player you want to advance because you like them the LEAST. It is not a prediction of who will be chosen as the least liked. Take some time to reminisce and have fun!

#1 Shaun Marcum vs. #16 Yasmani Grandal

For a guy who was mostly really good with the Brewers (20-11, 3.60 ERA, 111 ERA+ in two seasons), Marcum gets a ton of vitriol from Brewers’ fans for his struggles in September and October of 2011, which bled into the playoffs. That was when he truly imploded. Over 3 starts, Marcum posted a 14.90 ERA (16 earned runs in 9.2 innings). In the NLCS, Marcum lost both games he started, including the elimination game (Game 6) where he faced just 7 batters and gave up 4 runs, putting the Brewers in a hole they could never dig out of.

Grandal came to the Crew with many doubters after seeing his struggles in the 2018 playoffs with the Dodgers, but many fans quickly saw his positives. That doesn’t mean he was flawless. Followers would express frustration at his random passed balls or trouble squeezing pitches. He had a couple of longer slumps, and for those who watch batting average, his .246 mark didn’t help. And, of course, he left in free agency.

#8 Jesus Aguilar vs. #9 Eric Thames

Aguilar was loved by many (especially BCB’s Jack Stern), but perception wins out when a guy falls short late in the year and the playoffs. After a blistering 1^st half in 2018 (.621 SLG, .956 OPS), the 2^nd half brought a pedestrian .245/.324/.436 line for Aguilar. In the playoffs, he hit just .216 with a .275 OBP with Game 6 of the NLCS the only time he showed up. He kept trying to pull everything in the 2^nd half, that year, played below average defense, and never got going in 2019 (80 OPS+) before being traded for Jake Faria — ouch.

Thames enjoyed a similar love-hate feeling from the fans, bursting onto the scene in 2017 with 11 dingers in March. Despite 2 of his 3 season’s ending with a .500+ SLG and an .850+ OPS, tons of strikeouts (400 in 383 games), hamstring issues, and an inability to hit lefties all worked against him. He was also stiff and frightening to watch at 1^st base where he never looked comfortable and earned a -3.6 dWAR as a Brewer.

#5 Taylor Williams vs. #12 Chris Narveson

When a guy has electric stuff and some see closer potential, is extremely frustrating to see what Williams did in Milwaukee. His 2018 was just below average from an ERA+ standpoint (97), but his career 4.2 BB/9 and 1.56 WHIP made him unreliable. With more high hopes in 2019, he allowed 13.5 H/9 and posted a 9.82 ERA, giving up at least 1 run in 8 of his 10 appearances and had a -1.2 bWAR in 2018-19. Despite being under team control until 2025, the Brewers placed him on waivers in February.

Narveson had a 4.65 ERA (86 ERA+) with the Brewers over 92 appearances (62 starts). He tossed 329.1 innings between 2010-2011 with a 4.73 ERA – including 28 starts on the 2011 NL Central champion team (do you remember him making so many starts?). Anyway, like Marcum that season, his postseason performance was ugly. He made 6 appearances, allowing 9 earned runs in 7.1 frames (11.05 ERA). In Game 6 of the NLCS, Milwaukee had cut the deficit to 1 after Marcum’s start, but then Narveson gave up 5 runs on 4 hits and 2 home runs as the Brewers fell behind 9-4 en route to their elimination.

#4 Oliver Drake vs. #13 Francisco Rodriguez

There was just something about Drake that drove every team nuts as he played for 5 different clubs in 2018. His two stints in Milwaukee finished with a 4.44 ERA and a 6.39 ERA. Giving up nearly 10 hits per 9 innings with a 1.546 WHIP, no one felt safe with him coming in. His funky delivery and repertoire created reverse splits as he allowed an .802 OPS versus righties in his career. The thing I remember most: Drake balking home the winning run — about the worst way for a pitcher to lose a game.

K-Rod was actually great for the Brewers in both the set-up role and as a closer. He racked up 95 saves in Milwaukee and posted a 136 ERA+. The issue was the way he pitched, earning various monikers in ilk of “Thirty Pitches of Terror.” Nibbling on pitches, wildness, walks, hits and at times a fair share of home runs, K-Rod gave fans an ulcer most times out. He gave up 14 homers in 2014, but picked up 44 saves and an All-Star nod…still, you just felt uncomfortable. His on-the-mound antics and domestic abuse charge off the field may have added to some fans’ animosity toward him.

#6 Taylor Green vs. #11 Scooter Gennett

Green was supposed to be the cornerstone at the hot corner for a number of years after posting a .371 OBP and .856 OPS in 3 seasons at Triple-A. Unfortunately, he did little with the few chances he was given. Across 154 plate appearances, he slashed .207/.266/.343 with a 62 OPS+. His .184 average and .605 OPS in 2012 as a 25-year-old doomed his chances and he never played in MLB again. He also had greater expectations from fans because Michael Brantley went to Cleveland in the CC Sabathia trade instead of Green — and Brantley has had a very productive career. Double whammy for Green.

Many fans were excited to see what Gennett would be after a strong half-season in 2013 and a decent 2014 (with the bat, anyway). But, they quickly found out his defense was below-average at best with limited range and not much of an arm for a -1.5 dWAR with the Brewers. Then his bat disappeared with a .675 OPS (84 OPS+) and .728 OPS (91 OPS+) while whiffing 114 times with just 38 walks in his last season. He also averaged just 4.25 steals per season with Milwaukee — odd for a small guy named Scooter.

#3 Jacob Barnes vs. #14 Jeremy Jeffress

Another reliever who flashed great stuff, Barnes rarely seemed to perform under pressure. Though some of his numbers in Milwaukee looked solid, he was often chastised by fans. In high leverage situations, he allowed a .374 OBP and .845; .289 OBP and .636 OPS in low leverage. As he saw more action, the struggles increased, including a 5.0 BB/9 rate in 2019, a 10.1 H/9 and 1.4 HR/9 before he was placed on waivers. There were plenty of nights of angst and frustration when Barnes took the hill.

Jeffress was mostly fantastic in the Crew’s bullpen with a 157 ERA+ and 43 saves. Unfortunately, once again, what are the lasting impressions? Whether due to overuse, a slump, or personal issues, Jeffress’ amazing 2018 (317 ERA+) was quickly forgotten due to his 2018 postseason when fans worried more when he came in. He blew the save in Game 1 of the NLDS, gave up the lead in Game 2 of the NLCS, loaded the bases in Game 3 of the NLCS with a 4-run lead in the 9^th, then allowed the decisive blow in Game 7 to Yasiel Puig — a 2-run dinger that sunk the Brewers’ hopes. He was a shell of himself in 2019 with a 5.03 ERA (86 ERA+), then he signed with the Cubs.

#7 Mark Kotsay vs. #10 Tyler Cravy

Kotsay had a .270/.329/.373 slash line in his one season with the Brewers, offering little more than average play on the 2011 club. With below average outfield skill, his negative value there wasn’t as noticeable in the regular season. The playoffs were a different beast. He started in CF in Game 3 of the NLCS. He killed a 1^st-inning scoring chance by being doubled off 2^nd on a routine fly ball, then in the bottom half, sparked a 3-run rally when he failed to catch a ball in center, leading to the first run. The next batter doubled — a ball maybe caught by a quicker CF. He went 1-for-9 in the NLCS and gives fans nightmares of his play in the field.

Cravy may not be remembered by some. He was a failed starter (0-7, 6.63 ERA) who maybe had some promise as a reliever – though mostly in low leverage spots. The big story was Cravy’s rant in 2017 when he didn’t make the Opening Day roster. He felt lied to about his spring performance having a bearing on the outcome, so he ripped the front office about honesty and integrity, and threatened to quit baseball instead of reporting to Triple-A. He did report, got rocked (6.24 ERA), then pitched 9 games in independent ball in 2018 with a 9.45 ERA — his last season in baseball. Guess the Brewers were right.

#2 Ken Macha vs. #15 Corbin Burnes

In a forgettable two-year term, sleepy Ken Macha (did cameras show him ACTUALLY asleep in the dugout once or twice?) had no feel for his club, a younger group that wanted (and needed) to have fun while they played. Numerous reports said he didn’t connect with guys and many felt he didn’t have their backs, especially Braun and Fielder. He stuck with struggling guys too long and never found ways to get the most out of his team. Considering the Brewers made the playoffs the year before Macha and the year after, he woefully underachieved (two under .500 seasons) with a potent offense leading the way.

The story isn’t finished on Burnes yet, but many gave up on him during a disastrous 2019 season. With high team and individual expectations, watching Burnes give up 21 ER in his first 4 starts (10.70 ERA) was beyond frustrating – especially the way he did it – giving up 11 homers in 17.2 innings. The struggles continued in the bullpen (where he flourished in 2018), making him unreliable when they needed his arm. With such amazing, electric tools on the hill, it is almost impossible to believe he could have been that bad (51 ERA+) last season…and just as awful in the minors (8.46 ERA).

Be on the lookout for the 3rd and 4th regions coming soon!