Inbox: Who's the Brewers' MVP so far?

Who gets your vote for Brewers MVP of the first quarter of the season?
-- @thenilesriver on Twitter

Believe it or not, “quarter of the season” is so last week. The Brewers already have a third of their 60-game regular-season schedule in the books, and it’s never too early to hand out a slate of awards based on a comically small sample. Let’s do it.

Most Valuable Player: Brandon Woodruff
The Brewers’ offense, a handful of games notwithstanding, including over the weekend at the Cubs, has been… not good. Yet despite entering Monday ranking 27th of 30 MLB teams in strikeout rate, 26th in runs per game and OPS and 25th in home runs per game, Milwaukee is 10-10 and in postseason position in the National League. So I’m giving this to a pitcher, and the most valuable Brewers pitcher, statistically, has been Brandon Woodruff, who is 15th among MLB qualifiers in fWAR, 14th with a 29.1 percent strikeout rate and leads Brewers starters with a 1.05 WHIP.

Silver Slugger Award: Manny Piña
The Brewers went into the season thinking they had an offensive-minded catcher and a defense-first backup, but it turns out they had it backwards. While Omar Narváez has posted promising framing numbers, he’s been a detriment so far at the plate. Meanwhile, Piña has made the most of his 31 plate appearances. His 0.6 fWAR so far leads Brewers hitters (Avisaíl García is next at 0.4 fWAR), and Piña’s 175 weighted runs created plus is second on the team to Luis Urías at 199. For bonus points, Piña’s two home runs came in the same game against the Twins, lifting the Brewers to a needed victory. The drumbeat is getting louder for Piña to start more often over Narváez, but manager Craig Counsell said going into the weekend that he’s not ready to abandon the team’s preseason plan.

“I think taking a small sample …. and throwing history out the window isn't the right thing to do at this point,” Counsell said. “That's part of this season. We're going to make faster decisions and faster evaluations, but we also have to be careful how fast. I guess I'm not ready yet, is what I would say.”

Newcomer of the Year Award: Luis Urías
The infielder has provided a spark since his promotion last week, going 9-for-19 in his first six games. It’s hard not to root for Urías, given the lousy start to his 2020 with hamate surgery followed by a positive test for COVID-19. He’s making up for lost time.

“He's got a really good foundation for a young hitter and I think that's the important thing,” Counsell said. “Any time you see a young player using the opposite field so much, that's a sign of a good foundation.”

With one-third of the season in the books, do you think it’s likely the Brewers will be buyers at the Trade Deadline? If so, what pieces could you see the team targeting?
-- @BrewCrewMegan

I keep coming back to something Counsell said right after Spring Training was suspended: With everything happening in the world of sports and the world at large right now, one must be comfortable saying, “I don’t know.” And in the case of the Trade Deadline, who the heck knows? With two weeks to go before the Aug. 31 Deadline, no less an authority than David Stearns is probably wondering what that day will look like.

He did say that, from a philosophical standpoint, the Brewers are open to adding players. So that’s something. And the Brewers do have some prospects in their 60-man player pool from which to deal, should they choose. Remember, only players who are in those 60-man pools are eligible to be traded in 2020. Adding to the difficulty of making deals is the fact that with 16 playoff teams this year, and clubs like the Marlins and Orioles off to inspired starts, where are the sellers?

If the Brewers do decide to add -- and they find a trade partner -- where would they add? With a third of the season complete, they have plenty of possibilities. Lorenzo Cain’s decision not to play in 2020 left a huge hole in center field, where García has been doing his best. The Brewers’ biggest shortcoming so far has been slugging, so first or third base could be an option. And what team doesn’t want pitching? Finding a trade partner will be much trickier than finding a need.

What are your most surprising likes and dislikes of the 2020 season?
-- @cdrkbab

Easy: My must surprising like is the new extra-inning rule. When Stearns said during Summer Camp that he was a proponent of the runner at second in extras, I was shocked, because I don’t think I’d heard anyone in the game speak up in favor of that. Then a bunch of players echoed that positive sentiment, and when we saw it in practice the first time or two, I thought the tension and energy was great. I certainly understand why traditionalists are losing their minds, but from the standpoint of, “Well, isn’t this a fun thing during a bizarre year?” -- I love it.

And I would say my dislike is an easy one as well: No fans. We’ve heard from players all over baseball how difficult it is to get up for games in an empty stadium, and I’ll tell you, I think it’s true for everyone else, from the broadcasters to team staff to the writers. The canned crowd noise helps take the edge off, but you don’t fully appreciate that buzz in a ballpark on a game day until it’s not there. I never expected it to impact us non-athletes this much.

What’s next for Corey Knebel? Appleton? Mop up duty? More high leverage opportunities?
-- @PaulAylesworth

With right-handers David Phelps, Devin Williams and even Eric Yardley performing so well, there should be ample opportunity to continue giving Knebel innings in the right situations to let him build back from Tommy John surgery. The 2019 Brent Suter experience is the exception; usually it takes time for a pitcher to come back from that. Knebel needs innings.

I picked up your coffee table book “The Milwaukee Brewers At 50” this week at the Team Store. Is that your normal signature in the front of the book or a rushed version?
-- @CallMeBeerad99

Sadly, that’s my normal signature. I don’t know why, and I am sorry.

Adam, this is a question in punctuation only, but I hope you have enjoyed the season as much as I have; thanks for your awesome reporting?????
-- @Capn_Crunchynut

Thanks????? I missed you guys, too!