MLB Preview 2015: Milwaukee Brewers

Milwaukee Brewers 2014 Record: 82-80

Team Overview:

The 2014 Brewers got off to a hot start that got them into August with a two game division lead. Depth and pitching issues combined for a late free fall that left them 8 games behind the eventual central winner. They didn’t make too many moves, and it looks that they are just hoping for progression from the core to get them back into the playoffs.

Carlos Gomez is in the heart of his prime and has been one of the better MLB outfielders in the past two seasons. He brings little questions and tops an order that has potential top to bottom, but does have questions in the heart. Jonathan Lucroy brings the least questions, and when he is playing he is potentially the best hitting catcher in the game, after a .300 season. He did have to miss time already this spring with a hamstring problems, and many may know that is something that lingers so it will be interesting to see if he can go the full season without a small DL stint. Ryan Braun answered some questions last season when asked how well he can come back from a steroid suspension. The answer was pretty well, but at the end of the day it didn’t look quite like the same Braun. He is still a good option to hit 3rd but at 31 and possibly declining more he isn’t the great option he was once was. Aramis Ramirez can attest to the peaking of talent starting around 31, because he has seen a decline in his past three seasons and now the 36 year old has mentioned this will be his last season. I think he is a great professional hitter and will still get his numbers, but as the cleanup hitter can he muster enough to push around the big three hitters in front of him. An addition of Adam Lind can help Ramirez in the hitting department, but he just cannot hit left handed pitching. A platoon with a choice of Martin Maldonado and Luis Jimenez will be needed, and neither can be the 5th hitter in a way that Lind can. Maldonado is also the backup catcher, and while he is a good enough hitter to platoon at first, he may needed early, and hopefully not often in relief of Lucroy. Fortunately I think Khris Davis can take over the five spot against lefties and he has enough power that if needed he can hit fourth. If all goes well he is a guy that provides depth at the bottom of the lineup, and that would be a good compliment to the middle infield down at the bottom.

Scooter Gennett shows plenty of promise as 24 year old and he showed that promise hitting .307 against right handed pitching, but in his rookie season he hit .107 in limited at bats against lefties. They were limited for a reason and he will need to prove himself to be an everyday option. Jean Segura came onto the scene and proved to be an everyday short stop in 2013, but a few different problems showed he may not be the most reliable hitting option in 2014. Still, he brings speed and defense to the bottom of what can be a very promising order.

The team doesn’t bring one of the strongest defenses to the field and that that may put a lot of pressure on a rotation to hold down wins. The team has five really stable options, but as a whole none really open your eyes and you can’t quite point to an ace. They could be looking for a young breakout candidate in Willy Peralta or Jimmy Nelson but neither is really there at all yet. Matt Garza is a name that has post season experience and can go deep into games, but his injury potential, and limited upside makes him doesn’t quite make him a go to ace. Kyle Lohse will fit in as a 2-3 pitcher and honestly that is who he is. Mike Fiers is a 29-year-old wild card, but I would look at the whole and consider him the 4th or 5th best option here. To be honest this whole staff is a “what to watch for” because as they all can give quality starts, none are polished enough to be relied upon every night. The bullpen looks to be a better one, and the hope is that short starts don’t overuse the arms early in the season.

What To Watch For?

The two youngsters in the rotation will be the biggest what to watch for inside a whole rotation that needs to be followed. Peralta shot out of a cannon in his last season with a 2.12 ERA in his first 10 starts. Struggles through the course pushed him back to a 3.53 by seasons end and he really had some ugly starts at times. He is only 25 and has put two seasons of 32 starts in so he can certainly be relied upon, but he is a guy that likes to pitch to ground balls and cannot miss the bats to be elite. His control is pretty strong and how well he handles it, as well as the strong defense around him will be able to set his ceiling. If his full season can be his first half of last season they really have something so he should be followed out of the gets.

The Brewers basically traded Yovani Gallardo this off-season because they like the option they have in Jimmy Nelson. The 25 year old had 14 starts in 2014 and really learned the difference between AAA and MLB hitting. His ability to put away minor league hitting does give him the upside to be an ace, and the hope is that he builds off of that learning experience and will not be overwhelmed this time around. He has some control issues to work on and will probably start the season as a back end guy but if all goes well they may be using him for reliable starts down the stretch.

Where Do They Rank?

The Brewers are a sound all around ball club. The problem is they aren’t much better than last year and last year was just middle of the pack. You can point to the hot start and say that is what they are, but I need to see the pitching be complete before I fully trust them. Without an ace a group effort will be needed, and in a tough decision weaknesses can be exploited over time. They look nice on paper, but in a tough division I rank them 5th.

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