At the onset of the season, the Milwaukee Brewers faced plenty of skepticism. The departure of the local boy made good, manager Craig Counsell, was a crushing blow to the creditability of the franchise and the faith of its fans and gamblers. Or so it was thought. Instead, Milwaukee hasn’t skipped a beat and leads the National League Central division at the All-Star break. Still, there are baseball betting odds concerns about the viability of the Brewers for the second half of the season and the stretch drive to the playoffs.
2024 Milwaukee Brewers
| Milwaukee Brewers World Series Championship Odds | +2500 |
|---|---|
| Brewers NL Pennant Odds | +1300 |
| NL Central Division Odds: -260 | -260 |
| Win Total: | 88.5 |
2024 Milwaukee Brewers All-Star Break Overview
At the approach of the All-Star break, the Milwaukee Brewers had a record of 54-40 and were 1st in the National League Central Division. Offensively, Milwaukee ranked 10th for runs scored, 4th for batting average, 9th for OPS, 21st for home runs, and 2nd for stolen bases. Defensively, Milwaukee ranked 8th for earned run average, 13th for WHIP, 20th for strikeouts, 28th for quality starts, 16th for fewest errors, and 5th for bullpen ERA. Milwaukee was +981 on the moneyline and +450 on the run line.
Specifically, Milwaukee lacks reliable starting pitching and power at the plate.
2024 Milwaukee Brewers Manager
New manager Pat Murphy was a Brewers coach from 2016 through 2023. So far, he has exceeded sportsbook expectations. It was a shock to lose Craig Counsell. And it was feared to be the end of Milwaukee being a playoff contender.
2024 Milwaukee Brewers Key Players
SS Willy Adames produced 73 runs, 29 doubles, 24 home runs, 80 RBI, a .217 average, and a .717 OPS in 2023. So far this season, Adames has 49 runs, 14 home runs, 62 RBI, and a .737 OPS.
LF Christian Yelich added a nice bounceback year that included 105 runs, 34 doubles, 19 home runs, 76 RBI, a .278 average, and .817 OPS. So far this season, Yelich has 43 runs, 11 home runs, 41 RBI, and a .936 OPS.
It was a transitional winter for the Brewers, who began the offseason by watching longtime manager Craig Counsell leave to manage the Cubs. They promoted bench coach Pat Murphy to replace Counsell as skipper. And then they moved on from two linchpins of the Counsell era and locked up the guy they believe is their franchise player of the future.
The Brewers then brought in some veteran thump via free agency. As a result, it proved that this is more of a re-tool than a rebuild for the organization that’s won the NL Central two of the past three years.
Trading Burnes a year before he reached free agency may have been the prudent move for an organization that didn’t expect to sign the 2021 NL Cy Young winner long-term. But without him, there are question marks throughout a rotation that for years had been the backbone of the team. And they were far from the only veteran departures, even before you include Counsell, the winningest manager in franchise history. In short, things seem certain to be more difficult for Milwaukee in a revamped division where at least four teams are expected to contend. Yet at the All-Star break, Milwaukee led the NL Central.