Milwaukee added some nice pieces last season with Christian Yelich and Lorenzo Cain. Both were major upgrades in the outfield, and that will be the case again as they kick off the lineup most games. They bring a good source of speed and power together before we start diving into the bigger power bats. Jesus Aguilar has massive power, while names like Ryan Braun, Travis Shaw, and Mike Moustakas all have above average power behind them. Catcher was a weak spot in the lineup last season, but Milwaukee signed Yasmani Grandal to a one year deal. This is a big upgrade for both sides, especially with Miller Park being favorable for left-handed power. The Brewers offense has a little bit of everything, which makes it one of the better ones in baseball.
2019 Milwaukee Brewers Pitching Analysis
The Brewers relied heavily on their bullpen last season, but they got some good numbers out of their rotation as well. They finished with the fifth best team ERA. They didn’t have an elite starter, nor did they have Jimmy Nelson in the rotation. Jhoulys Chacin was the one to lead the way, and he really found himself with Milwaukee. He finished with 15 wins, a 3.50 ERA, and had some decent strikeout stuff as well. Chacin relies on a good slider, and he overcame what many thought would give him trouble, Miller Park. Chacin’s 2019 projections even out a little bit, and split between his 2018 and 2017 numbers. The Brewers do expect to get back Jimmy Nelson, although limited innings will be on his side. They have Freddy Peralta, who came up last season and gave the Brewers some solid starts. Peralta has a weird arsenal because he uses fastball over 75% of the time, and it came with a lot of side angles and different speeds. Peralta should hover around the same innings, and have above average strikeout stuff. The Brewers having another option to fill-in gives their starters some leeway with injuries. With the bullpen coming back just as a strong, you have to think they manage this rotation with a short leash like last season.
Chase Anderson, Junior Guerra, and Zach Davies are all league average right-handers who have a limited range of outcomes that can go both ways. Milwaukee would take under a four ERA from any of these names, which is their ceiling, but overall they are going to be right around the 4.25 ERA mark. None of the three have tremendous stuff, and can get rather lucky at times when they do have a good run. The Brewers will likely get away with a pedestrian rotation given the bullpen and offense is so good. If Milwaukee did end up trading for a tier one or two starter, it would help them tremendously. The ERA might slip a little bit, but they should remain in the top half given they have a top five bullpen to help them get out of trouble.
