In 2012 the Milwaukee Brewers finished 3rd in the NL Central with a 83-79 record. This had to be a disappointment since in 2011 they made the playoffs. The Brewers have a lot of talent on offensive, which helps them win games. The team is fast and has tons of power. In 2013 the Brewers look to improve on their 83 wins and make a playoff run. They are going to have to do this with a non experienced starting rotation. Look for this team to trade one of its solid hitters for pitching, which can help this team get over the hump.
Brewers Hitting
The Brewers hitting is a very strong point for this team. From top to bottom the lineup features tons of speed leading the MLB in stolen bases in 2012, along with tons of power placing 4th in the entire MLB in 2012 season. The middle of the lineup features ex MVP Ryan Braun who bats over .300 hits over 40 Home Runs, and steals over 30 bases each season. Ryan Braun is a monster. Expect these numbers to remain the same. He could potentially be a 40-40 guy during the 2014 season. Other guys in the middle of the lineup include Aramis Ramirez and underrated Cory Hart both guys have pop and can hit 30 Home Runs in a season. At the top of the lineup they have Norichika Aoki who can get 30-40 stolen bases. The real speed of the lineup comes from Carlos Gomez who got 37 Stolen Bases in 2012, expect him to be around 40 this season. Overall this line up is very solid from top to bottom. Expect big numbers in multiple categories. The only problem with their line-up is that they only have one left handed bat Norichika Aoki.
Brewers Projected Lineup
1. Norichika Aoki RF
2. Rickie Weeks 2B
3. Ryan Braun LF
4. Aramis Ramirez 3B
5. Jonathan Lucroy C
6. Carlos Gomez CF
7. Corey Hart 1B
8. Jean Segura SS
9. Pitcher
Brewers Pitching
The Brewers pitching is very unknown, and untested. At the top they have ace Yovani Gallardo, who is a very solid pitcher. Last season he had 16 wins, a 3.66 ERA and over 200 strike outs. When Gallardo is pitching well, he cannot be touched; he is that dominant. The Brewers wanted to sign Ryan Dempster but failed to do so in the offseason. This leaves Marco Estrada the only other pitcher with some experience. Estrada had a 3.64 ERA in 2012 and should remain around that number in the 2013 season. After that they have Mike Fiers who had a 3.74 ERA in 2012 and should remain about that as well in 2013. Their 4 and 5 spots had a combine 9 starts in 2012. With a total of 9 starts in 2012 no one knows what to expect from Chris Narveson, and Mark Rogers. The Brewers need both these pitchers to have 3.5-4.0 ERAs to compete with the top teams in the NL central and the entire MLB.
Projected Brewers Starting Rotation
1. Yovani Gallardo
2. Marco Estrada
3. Mike Fiers
4. Chris Narveson
5. Mark Rogers
The Brewers bullpen was dead last in the entire MLB in 2012 posting the worst ERA (4.66). In the offseason they looked to strengthen the pen by adding Tom Gorzelanny from the Nationals . Last season Gorzelanny posted a 2.88 ERA. He can be used as a spot started as well if their unknown pitchers start to collapse, since he use to start with the Pittsburgh Pirates. They also added Burke Badenhop from the Rays who had a 3.03 ERA last season. Both these guys help the Brewers pen significantly. Besides these two guys their closer is John Axford who in 2012 had 35 saves but an ERA over 4. He needs to lower his ERA if the Brewers want to even be a .500 team in 2013. The other two main guys in the Brewers pen are Jim Henderson and Brandon Kintzler. Both these pitchers last season had 3.5 ERA’s and can help this struggling bullpen improve on its 2012 seasons numbers.
Brewers Season Schedule Break Down
The Milwaukee Brewers have a lot of games within the NL Central their division. This division was affected with the transfer of the Astros to the American League. Since the Astros transferred to the AL the Brewers loose out, because the Brewers are a better team and could have obtained multiple wins vs the lowly Houston Astros. The NL Central has the Cincinnati Reds, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs, and the always dangerous St Louis Cardinals. All games in the NL central are always competitive and this will hold true in the 2013 season. For inter league play the Brewers will play the AL West which contains the Houston Astros, Los Angeles Angles of Anaheim, Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners, and Texas Rangers. They also will play the Minnesota Twins in a home and away series late in May.
Brewers Key Additions
LHP Tom Gorzelanny
RHP Arcenio Leon
IF Donnie Murphy
RHP Burke Badenhop
Key Departures
RHP Francisco Rodriguez
SS Alex Gonzalez
RHP Shaun Marcum
Whiztix Prediction
The Brewers have a very solid above average baseball team. They have playoff caliber talent on offense but the Brewers starters are much unknown, and their bullpen especially at closer John Axford is very shaky, posting the worst bullpen in baseball in the 2012 season. Not enough pitching, will hurt this team and the Brewers will fall to below .500 this season. The Brewers are the 3rd to 4th best team in their division and in 2013 they will finish under .500 posting around 70 wins.
Milwaukee Brewers Season schedule 2013
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