CALEDONIA — It's been a historic season, and postseason, for the Milwaukee Brewers' bullpen. And one man from Racine knows better than most what makes a bullpen successful, especially in high-stakes situations like the World Series.
Before coaching kids in Racine County, Marcus Hanel was a longtime Milwaukee Brewers bullpen catcher. He still has the mementos from his years chasing a championship that got away.
"I've got the hats. I've got the goggles at home still," Hanel said. "I've got these T-shirts that represent us winning, so that was always our goal that we missed."
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Now, that goal is well within reach for the Brewers.
"Their mindset is one thing, and that is winning the whole thing," Hanel said.
This postseason has been historic for Brewers pitching, and Hanel pointed to the raw talent on the roster.
"A lot of stuff is going into it, but they have electric arms," Hanel said.
Beyond Jacob Misiorowski, the bullpen runs deep and is consistently putting together innings that might add up to a World Series title.
For Hanel, some of those key players making it possible are "Uribe, Ashby, and Megill."
"They can just get after you with that fastball," he said, emphasizing how this roster includes multiple players throwing in the mid-90s.
"Their back end of the bullpen is as good as it gets," he said. "Everyone on that team, in that bullpen knows their role."
Hanel credits the organization's approach to finding and developing pitching.
"The Brewers aren't able to always afford to go get top-of-the-line guys, just budget reasons, right?" he said. "So anyways, they find the guys that they can use and turn into those kind of guys. And they have a system, they have something in place, and it's going pretty well."
He gave Trevor Megill as one example.
"Megill's been on a couple teams, right? And now, all of a sudden, he's our closer. They know what they're looking for, the type of pitcher that they want," he said.
But as a catcher himself, Hanel also knows the importance of a catcher in helping pitchers be able to deliver.
"My title said bullpen catcher, but then I would help the catchers with their defensive work," Hanel said.
Hanel noted catcher William Contreras.
"You hear those guys credit him a lot," Hanel said.
He said Contreras's own consistency allows Brewers' pitchers to trust what might happen once the ball leaves their hands.
"They have no fear of throwing any pitch at any time, especially with a runner on third, knowing he's probably going to block a ball," Hanel said. "They can be filthy and nasty as they want to be, knowing he's going to be back there doing what he needs to do."
And for Brewers fans, Hanel has a simple message.
"Man, soak all this in," Hanel said. "There's been people waiting forever for this."
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