As the first month of the regular season wraps up this weekend, the Brewers have settled in nicely after a shortened Spring Training.
With the Crew already vying for first place, there have been several key contributors toward the team’s early success.
Here is a look at some early season standouts from the season’s first month.
Eric Lauer
After an impressive second half in 2021, Eric Lauer is bringing his best stuff with him into the early stages of 2022.
The lefty punctuated a brilliant start to his campaign with a 13-strikeout gem against the Phillies on Sunday. In the process, he set a new career high in strikeouts and tied Clayton Kershaw for the most in a single outing across the MLB this year.
Lauer’s ability to make hitters whiff has been a key factor in his sustained success this year -- So far, he’s produced an o-swing% (swing percentage outside the strike zone) of 35.2% through his first three starts, up from a mark of 29.8% last season.
As Lauer continues to fool hitters, he’s amassed a stellar 12.67 strikeouts per nine innings – leading all Brewers starters.
Josh Hader
The reigning Reliever of the Year dominated the ninth inning in April, recording an MLB-leading nine saves and collecting the 100th save of his career on April 17.
Hader still hasn’t allowed a run in his nine appearances, and opposing hitters have slashed just .074/.138/.111 against the Brewers closer. On top of overwhelming hitters with a mix of fastballs, slider and changeups, he’s restricted the free pass as well with a walk rate of just 6.9%.
While it’s not a surprise to see Josh Hader striking fear in his opponents, his value cannot be understated. It’s only April, but four of the Brewers wins have been by just one run – second most in MLB. Hader gives the Brewers confidence that they can slam the door in tight games.
Through one month, it’s safe to say that Josh Hader is still the most dominant closer in Baseball.
Willy Adames
After a slow start to the season, Adames has returned to his usual All-Star-caliber play over the latter half of April.
Over the past week, Adames slashed .348/.400/.783, including one of the best offensive performances by a Brewer in recent memory. On Tuesday, he blasted two home runs and tied a franchise record with seven RBI in a 12-8 win over the Pirates. Adames’ historic game marked the first multi-home run effort of his career and his second consecutive game going deep.
The Brewers shortstop is pacing the team in most major statistical categories this season, including home runs, RBI, slugging percentage and OPS. Adames has continued destroying opposing pitchers in clutch situations – an area he thrived in last year with a 1.039 OPS late in close games. This year, he’s accumulated a .455/.636/.1.175 slash line and five RBI in high leverage situations.
It was a bumpy first couple weeks for Adames, but he’s proved to be a catalyst for this Brewers offense before. After an offensive eruption in Pittsburgh, he’s on track to play that role again in 2022.