Favorite Brewers - Aaron and Scott Regions, Rd. 2
Round 1 of the Favorite Milwaukee Brewers bracket is in the books and the votes have been tallied. You can see the results of the Aaron and Scott Regions in Round 1, as well as the 2nd-Round contests now open for voting.
As always, there were a handful of upsets allowing double-digits seeds to reach the Round of 32. Can they ride that momentum into the Sweet 16
Round 1 Results - Aaron Region
(1) Cirillo over (16) Wickman - 100% vote
Not surprising that 'Rillo destroyed the local closer, adding a hit to his 1,000 as a Brewer.
(9) Jaha over (8) Lezcano - 57% vote
Jaha was a beast when he was actually on the field, and he was healthy for this opening tilt.
(12) Vina over (5) Bosio - 54% vote
A classic 12-5 upset as Vina used his 1.232 OPS against Bosio to swipe the victory.
(4) Greinke over (13) Navarro - 98% vote
Acting like a 1 or 2 seed, Greinke's impact in the short term embarrassed Navarro.
(11) Slaton over (6) Nilsson - 52% vote
The club leader in wins sneaks past arguably the greatest Australian to ever play MLB.
(3) Vuckovich over (14) Haas - 96% vote
Clu hits 4 grand slams and Vuke goes the distance in a blowout win.
(7) Loretta over (10) Sveum - 63% vote
Sveum got off to a hot start, but Lo's consistent, steady stroke prevails in the end.
(2) Lucroy over (15) Surhoff - 99% vote
Believe it or not, some voted for B.J. A generational thing or some "anger" toward Luc's comments.
Round 1 Results - Scott Region
(1) Fielder over (16) Jones - 100% vote
Like many of his HRs, Prince delivers a no-doubter into the 2nd deck...er, round.
(9) Hardy over (8) Burnitz - 61% vote
The shortstop has a strong fan club in love with his tools (and looks?) in another 9-seed win.
(5) Sexson over (12) Overbay - 78% vote
Some expected a closer contest between the first baseman, but Sexson had a far greater reach.
(13) Deer over (4) Gomez - 50.5% vote
Biggest upset of the tourney as the mulleted slugger gets just a few more votes than Go-Go.
(6) Oglivie over (11) Ramirez - 98% vote
Not a surprising victory, but the dominance gave us a double-take. Does Benji have juice?
(3) Sabathia over (14) Hall - 65% vote
Hall certainly has his loyalists, but he can't compete with the impact CC has left with fans.
(7) Hart over (10) Seitzer - 82% vote
Often the subject of complaints, Hart saw nothing but love in this matchup.
(2) Cooper over (15) Podsednik - 100% vote
Coop might be the best 2-seed in the bracket, and he proved his worth in skunking Scotty.
Onto the voting in the 2nd Round. The regions are split below and you can see the updated brackets as well. Second round voting in these regions will close on Thursday, March 17 at 10pm (CT). Keep in mind you have multiple ways to vote.
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Aaron Region - Round 2 Matchups
Teammates for 5 seasons in Milwaukee, they both had their best year as a Brewer in 1996. Cirillo had 46 doubles and 101 runs with an .894 OPS. Jaha had 38 HR, 118 RBI and 108 runs scored with a .941 OPS. Remember, that '96 squad holds the franchise record for runs in a season.
Vina will need a lot of grit and finely-trimmed facial hair to pull off a 2nd straight upset. Greinke made a greater impression on the fan base in 1.5 years than Vina did in half a decade - save for the Albert Belle incident. One showed hate toward the Cardinals, the other played for them.
These 2 were teammates from '81-'83, though Slaton was on the downside of his career at that point. Slaton owns the franchise record for wins, though he never won more than 15 games in Milwaukee. Vuke owns a Cy Young and a personality that Brew Crew followers loved.
Regardless of trade rumors or poorly-phrased comments, Lucroy remains a strong favorite among the fans. His opponent, Mark Loretta, shares a similar quiet professionalism in his game, but the numbers and impact are far from equal.
Scott Region - Round 2 Matchups
Both combatants made their debut in 2005 and were part of the core of young players tasked with the goal of getting Milwaukee back to the postseason. Hardy posted impressive numbers for a shortstop while Fielder went to new heights with a stellar power and OBP combo.
Fresh off his surprising takedown of Carlos Gomez, Deer will come out swinging in an effort to defeat the 6-foot, 6-inch Sexson. Deer has nostalgia and Easter on his side, but Sexson has a pair of 45-HR seasons, 2 All-Stars, and the absence of mullet to guide his way.
A big, left-handed power arm against a skinny, left-handed power hitter. We ran out of ways to describe Sabathia's brief era in Milwaukee - a magical time. Oglivie was often overlooked because of the stars he played with, this despite some outstanding stats in his 9 years in Milwaukee.
Both guys had a pair of 30+ HR seasons and 3 years of 20+ HR. Hart has the edge in career OPS in Milwaukee (.824 - .809), but Cooper had 4 seasons of 100+ RBI (twice leading the league) and 2 years with 100+ runs. Hart reached 100 RBI only once and never scored more than 91 runs.
The winner of the Aaron Region will face the winner of the Scott Region in the Final 4!
