The process continues.

We here are Notinhalloffame.com have plans to create our own set of post-season awards, which we will look back and retroactively present from 1901 on.  That will take a while, but it has never stopped us before!

Our awards are not be league specific.

Now it is time for our 2021 positional awards.

We will be awarding a positional player of the year, but not only that, offer up the runner-up and second runner-up, meaning that we will have First, Second and Third All-MLB players.

Let’s work our way around the diamond and award the best of the best in Baseball!

Please note that with Closers, we are reverting back to the what we did with positional players, in that there are only one First Team, Second Team and Third Team player. 

Closer of the Year (First Team All-MLB): Josh Hader, Milwaukee Brewers.  3.3 bWAR, 2.6 fWAR, 4-2 Record, 34 Saves, 1.23 ERA, 58.2 IP, 102 SO, 4.25 SO/BB, 0.835 WHIP, 1.69 FIP.

Hader was an All-Star for the third time in his career, and he continued his tradition of never having a WHIP over one.  He also posted career-lows in ERA, ERA+ and FIP.

Second Team All-MLB Closer:  Liam Hendriks, Chicago White Sox.  2.8 bWAR, 2.7 fWAR, 8-3 Record, 38 Saves, 2.54 ERA, 71 IP, 113 SO, 16.14 SO/BB, 0.732 WHIP, 2348 FIP.

The 11-year veteran had his best year in 2021, and in his first year as a member of the White Sox, Henriks was a large reason that Chicago made the playoffs.  This was his second All-Star appearance.

Third Team All-MLB Closer:  Emmanuel Clase, Cleveland Indians.  2.8 bWAR, 2.2 fWAR, 4-5 Record, 24 Saves, 1.29 ERA, 69.2 IP, 74 SO, 4.63 SO/BB, 0.962 WHIP, 2.11 FIP.

After missing the entire 2020 Season due to a PED suspension, Clase was back, finishing third in Games Finished and fifth in Saves in the AL.  His advanced metrics were better than his traditional ones, and he earns his spot as our Third Team All-MLB Closer.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity. As such, we are very happy to present our pre-2021 revision of our top 50 Milwaukee Brewers of all-time.

As for all of our top 50 players in baseball we look at the following: 

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in their League. 

3. Playoff accomplishments.

4. Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.

There is one new addition on out Top 50, but nothing affecting our top five.  As always, we announce them here.

They are:

1. Robin Yount                                

2. Paul Molitor

3. Ryan Braun 

4. Cecil Cooper

5. Teddy Higuera

The complete list can be found here. 

The only new entry is Josh Hader, who enters at #44.  Active Brewers, Ryan Braun, Christian Yelich and Lorenzo Cain, did not climb up from their existing spots.

We welcome your input and commentsand as always, we thank you for your support.

Josh Hader joined Milwaukee in 2015 as a minor-league starter, becoming the key left-handed player in a major trade that sent Carlos Gómez to Houston. When he reached the majors in 2017, the team shifted his aggressive pitching style into a multi-inning relief role, significantly altering how the game was closed.

After an impressive rookie season in middle relief, Hader achieved a peak of individual success in 2018. He demonstrated complete control of the strike zone, notably becoming the first MLB pitcher to strike out eight batters in under three innings. He ended the year with a 2.43 ERA and 143 strikeouts in just over 81 innings, earning his first All-Star nod and the Trevor Hoffman NL Reliever of the Year Award. He proved to be a key player for the Brewers, who nearly reached the World Series, showing that a non-traditional closer could be the most valuable pitcher on the team.

Hader reached a new level of dominance as a full-time closer in 2019 and 2020. He produced back-to-back high-leverage efficiencies, with 37 saves in 2019 and 13 in the shortened 2020 season, leading the NL. He won the Hoffman Award for a second straight year, driven by a 16.4 SO/9 rate that seemed unreal. Despite occasional hiccups, his stats, including four straight years with a sub-1.000 WHIP, cemented his status as the top relief pitcher in the league.

In 2021, Hader reached a plateau of perfection, recording 34 saves in 35 opportunities with a career-low 1.23 ERA. He showcased his "big-game" poise by closing out a combined no-hitter in September and leading the league in Win Probability Added (4.8). He secured his third Reliever of the Year trophy, cementing his place in Brewers' records. However, in 2022, despite another All-Star nod, a mid-summer struggle led to a trade to the San Diego Padres.

As a Brewer, Hader compiled a 17-17 record, a 2.48 ERA, 125 saves, and 541 strikeouts.