The Milwaukee Brewers were extremely active on the trade market this off-season, as they fully committed to the rebuild effort. How will they match up against the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2016?
As part of the lead up to the 2016 season, we continue a weekly preview of the National League and the competition the Pittsburgh Pirates will be facing. The next segment in the series turns to looking at individual teams in the National League Central. We continue by breaking down the rebuilding Milwaukee Brewers.
In what almost sounds like a repeat of last week’s preview of the Cincinnati Reds (available here), new 30-year-old Milwaukee Brewers general manager David Stearns had a busy first off-season. While he wasn’t responsible for the deal that sent Carlos Gomez and Mike Fiers to the Houston Astros in exchange for four prospects, Stearns did deal Francisco Rodriguez, Adam Lind, Jean Segura, Khris Davis, and Jason Rogers for prospects. Of all the prospects acquired in these deals, only five are currently in MLB Pipeline’s top 30 prospects rankings, which either speaks to the depth of one of ESPN’s Keith Law’s top five farm systems or the inefficiency of the deals.
The Brewers still have Jonathan Lucroy (for now) and Ryan Braun, though they did little to help the Brewers last year against the Pirates. Lucroy and Braun hit a combined .240, one homerun, and 14 RBIs against Pittsburgh in 2015. On the other hand, Jean Segura and Khris Davis pounded the Pirates, as they combined to hit .307 with four home runs and 19 RBIs against them. In perhaps the most ironic instance of addition by subtraction, the Pirates could benefit from the hitting ability of Jason Rogers, rather than being hindered by it like in 2015.
On the pitching end, the Pirates certainly must be happy they may only have to face Francisco Rodriguez four times after he posted a .095 batting average against and a 1.42 ERA against them, which are both down from his career averages against the Pirates of .167 and 2.39, respectively. Of the five starters in the Brewers projected rotation for 2016, only Matt Garza and Chase Anderson struggled against the Pirates in 2015. Jimmy Nelson put up an underwhelming season, yet the Pirates almost single-handedly kept the hope alive for the Brewers’ front office that Nelson may eventually be a top of the rotation starter, as he appeared ace-like against the Bucs in 2015. The Pirates could only muster a .197 BAA and a 2.48 ERA against against Nelson.
While the outlook for the rotation may be a bit of a mystery, it pales in comparison to the concerns surrounding Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Aaron Hill, and Chris Carter (the right-handed Pedro Alvarez), all projected to have positions in the starting lineup on Opening Day. For almost all of the Brewers’ problems, Opening Day may be the key words. Top prospects Orlando Arcia, Tyrone Taylor, and Jorge Lopez could all fill some of those voids this season, although they’re hardly the only prospects that could see time at the major league level.
With the departure of K-Rod (Rodriguez), the bullpen lacks a dependable closer and setup man. It’s also an uncharacteristically young team with an unreliable rotation, albeit one with solid potential. David Goforth is expected to grow into being a solid setup man, if not a weak closer, at some point, and he’s almost a lock for the bullpen heading into the season. He should go through some growing pains, as he may be tasked with a trial by fire right from the start. He can bring the heat with a fourseam fastball and sinker that can sit in the mid-90s. Combined with a slider that hits 90 with some decent movement, Goforth appears to have the makings of a solid two-pitch, back-end reliever.
[table id=105 /]2015 record: 68-94 (10-9 against the Pittsburgh Pirates)
2016 record projection: 72-90
Player(s) to watch: Jonathan Villar, Orlando Arcia, Tyrone Taylor
Summary: The Pirates should fare a little better against the Brewers in 2016, but they had better enjoy the next couple of seasons while they last because the Brewers have a large crop of prospects that could make the warehouse that is Miller Park into a house of horrors for the Pirates once again in a couple of years. Until then, Ryan Braun and Jonathan Lucroy will try to keep the team out of the division cellar, as fans in Milwaukee feel compelled to drink away their sorrows. However, a good number of key prospects in the Brewers system do have a high ceiling, low floor flaw. If a few of them don’t pan out, the Brewers could find themselves stuck back in the same situation at the start of the next decade.
Featured image photo credit: Tom Lynn/Associated Press
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