The network’s theme for this year’s MLB season previews is “the changing face of baseball” and few teams have seen as much change recently as the Milwaukee Brewers. Five springs ago, the team was coming off one of the most successful seasons in franchise history, winning 96 games and going all the way to the NLCS.
The Brewers had winning seasons in 2012 and 2014 but couldn’t quite get over the hump back into the playoffs, and when the bottom fell out during a 5-18 start in 2015 the club entered into a complete rebuild mode. Doug Melvin began the process by firing Ron Roenicke and installing Craig Counsell as his new field manager in May, and then dealing away the first wave of veterans during that summer.