2019 Pre-Season Profile: Milwaukee Brewers

#9

The Milwaukee Brewers came one game short of the World Series in 2018.  Will 2019 bring about an NL pennant for the Brew Crew?

2018 Predictions

2nd in NL Central, WILD CARD, lose Wild Card Game

The Brewers will trade for an ace by the All Star Game.

2018 Results

96-67, 1st in NL Central, lost in NLCS

The Brewers exceeded most people's expectations in 2018 by making their way all the way to Game 7 of the NLCS before coming up just short.  They took a very unconventional approach to winning, leaning on a stellar bullpen in a way no one has before, especially in the playoffs.  They did trade for Gio Gonzalez at some point, but they viewed it more as depth than an ace.  Their ace was reliever Josh Hader.  Another surprise from 2018 was the MVP season from newly acquired Christian Yelich.  They knew he was good, but I don't know if anyone knew he would be that good.  I claimed their most important hitter was going to be Eric Thames, who found himself out of a job after the emergence of All Star Jesus Aguilar.  Few things went the way they were expected for the Brewers in 2018, but they all worked to their benefit.

Additions / Subtractions

The Brewers are entering 2019 with a very similar roster to what they ended 2018 with.  The biggest acquisition over the offseason was catcher Yasmani Grandal.  They re-signed Mike Moustakas, which was curious considering it kept them with the dilemma of having two third baseman.  The Brewers never seemed to mind overloading one position though.  With that in mind, another move they made was trading away Domingo Santana, an outfielder that hit 30 home runs in 2017 but was out of a job in 2018 after they acquired Lorenzo Cain and Christian Yelich.  He was sent to the Mariners for versitile speedster Ben Gamel.  They brought in lefty specialist Alex Claudio to help round out their bullpen, but that was about it.

Most Important Hitter

Christian Yelich

Especially in September, the Brewers rode the bat of Christian Yelich all the way to the division title and Yelich's MVP.  With the division actually getting more competitive in 2019, they will rely on Yelich to continue to emerge as one of the elite hitters in the entire league.  Looking at Yelich's career trajectory, and the fact that he is only entering his age 27 season, there is every indication that his success should continue.

Most Important Pitcher

Josh Hader

This is an easy one.  Josh Hader was by far their most important pitcher in 2018 as he was a freak on the mound all season.  His performance in the playoffs was out of this world as he seemed to pitch 2 or 3 innings every game.  It was a huge workload for the 24 year old, putting in 81 innings last season before the playoffs.  Hader seems to have everything aligned for a letdown season.  The Brewers cannot afford that, considering the injuries to closers Jeremy Jeffress and Corey Knebel they are starting the season with.  They need Hader to be as good, if not better, than last season with everything considered.  Looking at all the indicators, that is going to be hard to do.

Prospect to Watch

Keston Hiura

Many were surprised the Brewers brought back Mike Moustakas because it meant that either Moustakas or Shaw would have to play second base.  This move would block their top prospect, Keston Hiura, from having a spot in the majors.  Huira, a 22 year old second baseman picked in the first round of the 2017 draft, probably won't be ready to start the season in the big leagues but will be ready to some point this season.  His debut might need to wait until 2020 with the current roster, but if someone gets injured or if someone struggles, look for Hiura to come up and provide a spark in Milwaukee.

2019 Prediction

2nd in NL Central, WILD CARD, lose in Wild Card Game

Duplicating the success of 2018 is hard for any team to do, especially a team like the Brewers that leans so heavily on the bullpen, the most volatile part of a roster.  They have neglected to upgrade their rotation again.  I think they are good enough to compete all season and even make the playoffs, but they are not going to be able to do what they did last year.

Fearless Prediction

Craig Kimbrel will be a Brewer in 2019.

One of the craziest storylines entering the 2019 season is the fact that we have two All Stars still unsigned and without a team.  Starter Dallas Keuchel and closer Craig Kimbrel are still without a job.  Both of these players would be huge helps for the Brewers.  Knowing how the Brewers operate, and especially how they may be seriously lacking in the bullpen if their injuries are long term, Kimbrel to the Brewers just makes too much sense to not happen.

2017 Pre-Season Profile: Los Angeles Dodgers

#5

The Los Angeles Dodgers won their fourth straight division title in 2016, but have yet to see all these postseason appearances result in even a World Series birth.  Will 2017 be more of the same, or bring about a change in fate for the better or worse?

My 2016 Predictions

2nd in NL West, WILD CARD, lose in NLDS

Yasiel Puig will be traded by the Trade Deadline.

2016 Results

91-71, 1st in NL West, lost in NLCS

For awhile, people were wondering if Clayton Kershaw's Dodgers could win a postseason series, let alone make a deep championship run.  Well, in 2016 Kershaw stepped up and led his team passed the NLDS only to run into the buzzsaw that was the Cubs.  For a rookie manager, and a team that had struggled in the postseason, this wasn't a bad season.  However, with the amount of money being spent on this team, anything less than a World Series is a disappointment.

Additions / Subtractions

For the most part, the Dodgers were fairly quiet this offseason.  They added some outfield depth in Franklin Gutierrez.  However, the big story around them all offseason was not if they were going to trade for a second baseman, but which second baseman were they going to trade for.  After being linked to the Twins' Brian Dozier for most of the offseason, the Dodgers pulled the trigger on the Rays' Logan Forsythe.

Most Important Hitter

Yasmani Grandal

With all the stars on the Dodgers, a guy like Yasmani Grandal is easily overlooked.  However, he has been one of the most productive catchers offensively in the entire league over the last few seasons.  Acquired from the Padres in the strange Matt Kemp deal, Grandal put up 27 homers in 2016.  With emerging stars like Corey Seager and Justin Turner anchoring the heart of the order with a professional hitter like Adrian Gonzalez, a bat like Yasmani Grandal, if he keeps up this production, could emerge as an unlikely star that adds to the depth of the batting order.

Most Important Pitcher

Rich Hill

The starting rotation, in a lot of ways, still feels like Clayton Kershaw and everybody else.  Ever since Zack Greinke left for Arizona before last season, the Dodgers' rotation has lacked a lot of depth.  Mid-season last year, the Dodgers acquired Rich Hill from the A's.  Hill had been working to resurrect his career, and had successfully done so.  Now he is a 37 year old starter and is being counted on to be, at the least, a complement to Kershaw.  At the most, he will be looked to as the second ace of the Dodgers' staff.

Player to Watch

Cody Bellinger

A strong farm system is one that can absorb blockbuster trades that help the team now while not fully giving up the future.  That is what the Dodgers have.  Although they traded away a big arm like Jose De Leon to bring in Logan Forsythe, they still have phenoms like Julio Urias and reigning Rookie of the Year Corey Seager who played last season, as well as a guy like Cody Bellinger who is set to make his debut this season.  Depending on how he progresses, and how well the Dodgers' outfield plays, this 21 year old outfielder might be seen mid-season or as a September call-up.  Either way, if the Dodgers end up making a postseason run, look for Bellinger to be an impact player down the stretch much like Seager was in 2015.

2017 Prediction

1st in AL West, lose in NLDS

The Dodgers seem to be a great regular season team, but not a strong postseason team.  2017 should bring about more of the same.  They should easily win the division this year.  However, once they hit the playoffs, I see them struggling again.  I don't see them having improved themselves enough to beat either of the teams I have ahead of them.  Almost any other team would feel some sense of success in a season like this.  For the Dodgers, this looks like it will be another season of disappointment.

Fearless Prediction

Dodgers will finish runner-up in both the MVP and Cy Young races.

Every year Clayton Kershaw plays is a year he will contend for the Cy Young Award.  I see him coming up just short in 2017, but he will still be quite dominant.  On the flip side, Corey Seager is emerging as one of the great superstars in our game today.  He might not get all the way to winning the MVP this season, but he will get close.  Look for him to win at least one in the next 5 years.