The 2013 season for the Milwaukee Brewers can be categorized as a nightmare. They faced crucial injuries, lost Ryan Braun to suspension and constantly seemed to be snake bitten. It seemed like everything that could have gone wrong did. One of the lone bright spots was the play of Jean Segura at shortstop, who suprised everyone by being an All-Star in his first full-season and being a spark in the two-spot of the team’s everyday lineup.

The 2014 season, however, became Segura’s own nightmare. Throughout spring training there was contract extension talks, but those talks stalled before the season began, as they could not come to terms on a deal. When the season did begin, he not only had to deal with the tragic loss of his infant son, but he struggled to produce at the plate, too. When others around him started the season on fire, Segura’s bat remained cool. Adding to his trying season was the fact that former Brewers shortstop, Alcides Escobar, shined on center-stage in the postseason with the Kansas City Royals causing many Brewers fans to wonder what could have been and breathed a sigh of relief that Segura did not get a significant pay raise.

But although 2014 was a disaster, Segura has enough talent to overcome his struggles in 2014 and once again prove his worth in 2015.

Segura batted just .247 on the season, but when much of the offense went into the tank in September, Segura looked like the 2013 version of himself, hitting the ball to all fields with punch. During the month he put together a .319 batting average, with a .364 on base percentage, and a .389 slugging percentage (all season highs). These numbers all bode well for the 2015 season.

In the field, it doesn’t get much better than Segura. Not only does he have impressive range and a slick glove, but he also has a rocket-like arm that helps to make difficult plays look easy.

When matched with Escobar through their first three major league seasons, Segura’s numbers are very comparable, as both players were the same age. Through his first three season’s with both the Brewers and the Royals, Escobar had a .251 average with nine home runs and 40 stolen bases. Segura on the other hand is a .271 career hitter through his first three seasons, with 17 home runs and 71 steals.

Escobar had a great season with the Royals and has now proven to be a solid option at the top of their lineup, but he had early setbacks as well. Segura has all of the tools to be even better than Escobar will ever be. He is a special talent and the 2015 season will be his chance to show just how valuable he really is to the everyday lineup.

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