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

Not too surprisingly, the opening round of the Sheffield Region went according to script with the 8 highest-seeded Milwaukee Brewers advancing, most with relative ease. Only 7th-seeded Cesar Izturis had to sweat out a (somewhat) close matchup with his equally-light-hitting opponent, Elian Herrera (10 seed).

As we move into the second round, we will hopefully see some tighter contests as the “Least Liked Brewers of the Last Decade” bracket is filtered to the truly disliked guys. There are just four battles now per region with a berth in the “Sweet 16” at stake.

Reminder: Vote for the player you “liked LEAST” if you want him to advance.

#1 Yuniesky Betancourt vs. #8 Mark Reynolds

You have to believe Yuni B. is still a heavy favorite in this one as he earned 92% of the vote over Corey Hart. Reynolds somewhat surprisingly coasted over his first base counterpart en route to this matchup. Both these men struggled on the defensive side to varying degrees and had warts on offense.

At the dish, Yuni swung and swung and swung, leading to a ridiculously low amount of walks, and not much actual production. Reynolds took his walks. However, he also swung and missed a ton, leading to tremendous strikeout numbers. Could this battle be closer than it looks?

#4 Kirk Nieuwenhuis vs. #5 Jody Gerut

Both these left-handed hitting outfielders struggled to produce anything valuable in Milwaukee, which is partly why they each breezed to victory in the opening round over a pair of equally-poor hitting shortstops. Who gets this edge in round 2?

Neither guy played in a Major League game again after their final season in Milwaukee. Neither player was part of a postseason squad for the Brewers, either. There doesn’t seem to be much separating them other than personal preference and — likely — some illogical reasons for their general distaste among the fans.

#3 Matt Albers vs. #6 Jonathan Broxton

Was the committee hoping for a second-round “Spider-Man meme” between the two husky relievers? Maybe. Each burly right-hander gassed up their opening-round opponents, leading to a tough call for fans on which guy deserves a spot in the Sweet 16 — if voters don’t confuse the two.

Combining to be over 12 feet tall and more than 500 pounds, Albers and Broxton are in for a heavyweight fight as fans vividly remember face palming, head shaking, and wall punching as they watched leads slip away and deficits enlarged.

#2 Alcides Escobar vs. #7 Cesar Izturis

Izturis will be a little more battle tested than his second round opponent, as Escobar led wire-to-wire in his opening contest en route to a 79% share of the votes. Some thought Escobar was seeded a bit too high in the field of 64, so maybe a win here isn’t as assured as some might believe.

Both men played shortstop for the Crew, but at different points in their careers. Escobar was the lauded prospect with the full-time gig in 2010. Izturis was a 32-year-old journeyman in 2012, playing for his 7^th MLB club. Expectations play a huge role in one’s perspective, so Escobar’s struggles carried a lot more weight entering this tournament. Will it help him prevail once again?

Things should only get more interesting the deeper we get into the Sheffield Region as the top seeds weave their way toward the Final Four. As always, we certainly do appreciate your participation and feedback!