Betting On The Brewers?
Milwaukee experienced a significant dropoff from 2012 to 2013. The Brewers went just 74-88 last year. Milwaukee had a good roster to start the year off, but not many of their stars stayed on the field last year.
Ryan Braun missed a bunch of time due to his suspension. Corey Hart missed all year with an injury. Aramis Ramirez and Rickie Weeks missed significant time as well. The injury bug bit the Brewers hard last year. Can Milwaukee rebound and put together an improved season in a difficult NL Central?
Bovada’s Odds to Win
NL Central: +1,500
NL Pennant: +3,000
World Series: +8,000
Win Total: 80
Team Strengths:
Ryan Braun will be back in the lineup after missing the last 65 games last year. Braun may not be the most honest guy in the world (he definitely isn’t), but the guy can hit a baseball. He’ll instantly make this lineup much better from day one.
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Jean Segura broke out in a big way last year. He should be a very good leadoff hitter for Milwaukee. Carlos Gomez had a tremendous year last year as well.
Matt Garza really helps this starting rotation. Garza was one of the best offseason acquisitions by any team. He has been solid everywhere he has been, and he has very good control of all of his pitches. Wily Peralta and Marco Estrada showed flashes of greatness last year, and if they can become more consistent this pitching staff will be better than expected.
Team Weaknesses:
Milwaukee’s bullpen looks shaky to me. The Brewers are relying on Francisco Rodriguez this year, and I’m not sure he has too much left in the tank. Milwaukee’s Brandon Kintzler had a nice year last year, but he’ll have to prove that he is an elite middle relief option. The lack of bullpen depth could be a problem for the Brewers.
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Milwaukee is relying on a lot of guys who have had injury issues over the years to stay healthy. Sometimes you are just snake bit if you have a bunch of injuries in one year, but there are other times where you start to realize that there are just guys who are far more prone to injury than others. I don’t like that Milwaukee is heavily relying on guys who are prone to injuries.
Projected Starting Lineup
1. Jean Segura SS
2. Scooter Gennett 2B
3. Ryan Braun RF
4. Aramis Ramirez 3B
5. Jonathan Lucroy C
6. Carlos Gomez CF
7. Juan Francisco 1B
8. Khris Davis LF
The Brewers lineup doesn’t look as deep this year, but they do have a very good middle of the order. Milwaukee is going to need to get quality production out of Francisco and Davis at the bottom of the order, and that is a question mark.
Projected Starting Rotation
1. Yovani Gallardo
2. Matt Garza
3. Kyle Lohse
4. Marco Estrada
5. Wily Peralta
There is no real number one starter here. Gallardo isn’t a true ace, and he had a bad season last year. On the other hand, the team has five guys who look like they could be good starters. They also have quality depth behind them.
Closer
Jim Henderson
I’m not a big fan of Henderson because of his control issues. Henderson can strikeout a bunch of guys, but I worry about him putting too many guys on base with the free pass.
2014 Brewers Prediction: Over 80 Wins
I don’t have any strong lean here, because this looks like a .500 team to me. I lean slightly to the over, because they do have a lot of depth in the rotation. Braun being back is worth several wins too. This is a mediocre team.
