Surprising Baseball Team This Season: Milwaukee Brewers

The team itself has not seen themselves in 1st place in the NL Central starting out in the 2nd half of the baseball season. Currently in the lead, this team has kept themselves in a position to challenge for a playoff spot and perhaps enter for the 1st time in the National League. This team used to be an American League franchise but moved with realignment due to the Devil Rays and Diamondbacks franchise entering the league in 1998. This franchise has been to the World Series but only as an American League team losing to the St. Louis Cardinals, ironically 16 years later they would be in the NL Central. Since the move to the National League this team has had a finish no higher than 3rd place in their new division home. 2007 has been a bit of a Cinderella story for them considering the fact that normally the city of Milwaukee doesn't have a celebration for a good baseball team this season.

The staff is lead by Ben Sheets, who is the current Ace of the Brewers and has the best record on the staff. With the pitching that has helped them go far, the big flaw is very similar to the Cleveland Indians team by not being able to win on the road. The theory seems to be if this team can play real well at home, on the road they seem to get beaten. They have a lead of 3.5 games as of July 16th ahead of the 2nd place Chicago Cubs. Going into the season, I will admit I predicted them to finish probably 4th place but it looks like that won't be happening. While anything can happen in the 2nd half of the season, this team however doesn't look like they'll be slowing down anytime soon.

Have they been a surprising team? Yes they have considering the fact that this team usually doesn't contend with the NL Central. This team has figured out what they needed to get the job done and that was adjust to being a unit. It never has to be the highest paid team or the greatest ball players, it can be a team of a guys that just have to play good baseball. It takes good hitting to help score the runs and so far they seem to have that. The pitching has for the most part been solid and is on pace to lead this team above .500 late into the season for the 1st time in this club's history being in the National League. Like stated about the Indians, if this team can figure out how to win on the road, they could potentially become a dangerous franchise. Could they make the playoffs this year with their team? Yes they very well can but whether or not they do is another story. So many questions about this franchise about whether or not they got what it takes to get to the next round called the Post Season as to can they respond to the pressure of it? With some games being on the road, can they find a way to win without it becoming a regular theme of losing every home game? The potential is there and the talent is there but whether or not there is the will to go through is another story. As long as the owners and management as a whole continues to show they care about this franchise and want to see them succeed without question, they will go far. The coaching has been solid this year as there seems to be a chemistry between the coaches and players, a major plus when it comes to winning championships. They're doing good this season, but all that's left is to finish up and close out the 2nd half with a division crown, their 1st NL Central Division title in franchise history.