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Lorenzo Cain: The Player Milwaukee Brewers Miss Most

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By @schwick26_pete

Kansas City Royals Lorenzo Cain

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The Kansas City Royals‘ roster could be known as the Milwaukee Brewers of the South. Not only does former Brewers manager Ned Yost manage the team, but former Brewers Nori Aoki, Alcides Escobar and Lorenzo Cain are all key contributors to the Royals’ playoff run. Many have complained the Brewers would have gone a lot further had they hung on to Aoki, but of all the players currently playing on the Royals, Lorenzo Cain has become the player the Brewers will regret trading most.

Although he never played little league baseball, it was easy to see Cain had incredible talent when he became a member of the Brewers organization. He quickly rose from a 2004 17th-round pick to a coveted top prospect. The only problems Cain endured were a rash of injuries that seemed to hold him back. Finally, in 2010, Cain earned a promotion to the major leagues and impressed as a Brewer, batting .304 in 43 games and showcasing tremendous range in centerfield.

That winter, the Brewers sensed an opportunity to make a run at a title and packaged Cain to acquire ace pitcher, Zack Greinke. Although Escobar, who was also involved in the trade, has been the starting shortstop for the Royals since the trade, Cain is still the best player the Royals were able to add.

The Royals are one of the best defensive teams in all of baseball and have quickly been able to advance to the American League Championship Series. Cain is a big reason why they have won so quickly. In the field, he has continued to be an electric player. He gets a tremendous jump and has the fourth best range factor per nine innings among all AL CFs He has continued to show his ability in the playoffs by taking away sure hits from Los Angeles Angels hitters time after time.

At the plate, he has gotten better each year. This season, he not only has been able to have a career-high .301 batting average, but he has set highs in stolen bases and RBIs, too.

Although it was a deal the Brewers had to make, Cain’s skills are sorely missed in Milwaukee. He does so many things well. The Brewers have one of the best outfielders in all of baseball in Carlos Gomez, but adding Cain to the mix could have made their outfield defense among the best in the game. Current left fielder Khris Davis has improved on his flyball routes, but his arm is among the weakest in the league. Cain, however, is among the leaders in outfield assists. At the plate, Cain has continually lowered his strikeout rate and increased his walk rate each season; something that most Brewers struggle to do. On the bases, he is a heads-up runner who not only had 28 steals this season, but avoided dumb base running mistakes the Brewers often make.

By adding Greinke and getting to the NLCS, the Brewers appeared to have won the trade with the Royals, but Cain’s time in Kansas City gives the Royals the upper hand. Though he is in his fifth major league season, Cain will remain under the Royals’ control until at least 2018. Having Greinke was great and almost led to a championship, but keeping Cain could have been much better. By playing hard and doing things the right way, Cain has become a centerpiece in Kansas City and become an example of many things the Brewers lack.

Pete Schwichtenberg is a Milwaukee Brewers writer for Rantsports. Follow @schwick26_pete, Like him on Facebook or add him to your Google Network.

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