After a successful 2017 season but just missing the playoffs in the end, the Milwaukee Brewers are looking to make a playoff push in 2018. The Brewers haven’t made post season play since 2011 where they won their division and were eliminated in the second round.

The Brewers finished second in their division in 2017 behind the Chicago Cubs. Their overall record on the year was 86-76, while the first place Cubs finished 92-70.

The Brewers are for sure looking to make a playoff push this year, though. The Brewers have already acquired two top notch outfielders in Christian Yelich from the Miami Marlins, and Lorenzo Cain from the Kansas City Royals.

Both players are very talented and have put up strong numbers year in and year out. This past year, Yelich batted .290 with 18 home runs and RBIs. Cain batted .300 with 15 home runs, 49 RBIs and 26 stolen bases. Cain was also an all star in 2015 for the Royals and won the World Series that year.

Brewers starting third baseman Travis Shaw was excited to hear Christian Yelich get signed.

“My excitement is through the roof,” Shaw said on Brewers.com. “Personally, going into the offseason, I know everybody has a wish list of guys that you wish that maybe you’ll add. Yelich was at the top of my board.”

The main reason the Brewers were unable to make the playoffs was because of their pitching problems. The Brewer’s best starting pitcher Jimmy Nelson got injured in September and will miss a good chunk of the 2018 season as well. Also, the Brewers bullpen struggled to win and keep them in games in the 2017 season.

Greendale High School senior Alexander Waterstraat says the Brewers pitching needs to improve as well.

“They need more pitching depth,” Waterstraat said. “They need more pitchers to step up because pitching is what wins game in baseball, the pitchers control the whole game and they need more guys who can keep games close.”

When it comes to players getting traded to different teams, team chemistry is always very important for any team that gets new players. If the Brewers continue to add new players from other teams to their roster, they have to get close as a team in order to be successful.

GHS freshman Connor Kramp thinks that the Brewers newcomers will have to focus on team chemistry before anything else.

“The newcomers have to get to know their new teammates,” Kramp said. “Team chemistry plays a big role in winning and there have been teams in the past in other sports that have struggled to win because of chemistry.”

The Milwaukee Brewers haven’t had much playoff experience in the past decade, but due to their off season moves it looks like they are planning to be a contending team in 2018. After being a rebuilding team the past few years, the Brewers finally being a contending team is getting tons of fans excited and GHS, and all Brewers fans everywhere.