The calendar has flipped to July and the All-Star break is fast approaching. If you had told even the most optimistic Brewers fans back in March they would be the only NL Central team with a winning record after a half-season, you would have been asked when you expect pigs to start flying, too.<\/p>\n
Thanks in part to the World Series champion Chicago Cubs\u2019 unexpected mediocrity, the Brewers have been at the top of the standings for over a month now. However, many assume that the Cubs\u2019 talent level will eventually temper out the Brewers\u2019 early season success and the cream will eventually rise to the top \u2014 so Milwaukee still isn\u2019t getting much talk nationally, as many seem to view this as a fluke. But the Brewers have proven time and time again that their formula for regular season success can be sustainable, and the Cubs\u2019 glaring issues don\u2019t appear to be going away soon. There\u2019s no reason to believe the Brewers aren\u2019t in this for the long haul in 2017.<\/p>\n
That formula \u2014 score first and go deep \u2014 is centered on a versatile lineup that helps balance out a middle-of-the-pack starting rotation and numerous bullpen blunders. The Brewers continue to pace the National League in home runs and all<\/em> of Major League Baseball in first-inning runs scored. The propensity to score early and hit dingers often has allowed the team to remain competitive in nearly every game.<\/p>\n Given how often the Brewers bust the guts out of the ball, Sandlot<\/em>-style, the lineup is in dire need of a catchy nickname (and maybe a parody Twitter account). Some have suggested \u201cCraig\u2019s Crushers\u201d as an homage to the legendary \u201cHarvey\u2019s Wallbangers\u201d of 1982, but I\u2019d advocate for \u201cThe Cream City Counsell\u201d as a better shout-out to current team manager (and Brewers legend) Craig Counsell.<\/p>\n The council\u2019s chairman would undoubtedly be first baseman Eric Thames, the exemplar of the Brewers\u2019 \u201cisland of the misfit toys\u201d aura. Cooling down after a scorching April in which he outpaced the historic 2001 season of Barry Bonds, Thames still leads the club with 21 round-trippers. The story of his professional baseball detour has now been well documented, as he quickly became a cult hero during his time playing in Korea (see video below). Raw power was never the question with Thames when he was originally coming up as a Major Leaguer. The real transformation that took place in Korea was his pitch recognition. Thames\u2019 plate discipline and ability to work walks is now second-to-none in all of baseball, making him a prime candidate as a No. 2 hitter in front of run producers such as Ryan Braun and Travis Shaw.<\/p>\n