Fantasy Baseball 2013: Milwaukee Brewers Hitting-Pitching Projections
Photo courtesy of Flickr user
.
Milwaukee Brewers — Predicted Finish: Third Place, NL Central
The Brewers are always one of my favorite teams to root for, maybe it is because I am marrying a Wisconsinite, or maybe it is because cheese curds are one of my favorite snacks, or maybe it is the simple fact that I typically field 2-3 Brewers on each of my fantasy teams, which is a distinct possibility for 2013.
Even though Big Prince Fielder is not longer around, the Brewers still have PLENTY of fantasy options. The Brewers aren’t as star-studded as say the Los Angeles Dodgers, or even top to bottom as solid as the Washington Nationals but they certainly provide plenty of value.
Brewers Offense:
| Player Name | Pos. | Age | Hand | AB | R | HR | RBI | SB | AVG. |
| Norichika Aoki | RF | 31 | L | 534 | 83 | 12 | 54 | 28 | .296 |
| Rickie Weeks | 2B | 30 | R | 540 | 88 | 22 | 72 | 16 | .252 |
| Ryan Braun | LF | 29 | R | 605 | 105 | 34 | 107 | 23 | .317 |
| Aramis Ramirez | 3B | 35 | R | 570 | 82 | 24 | 94 | 4 | .284 |
| Corey Hart | 1B | 31 | R | 375 | 61 | 16 | 63 | 3 | .272 |
| Jonathan Lucroy | C | 27 | R | 463 | 59 | 14 | 68 | 4 | .281 |
| Carlos Gomez | CF | 27 | R | 426 | 58 | 13 | 51 | 29 | .251 |
| Jean Segura | SS | 23 | R | 427 | 58 | 6 | 43 | 33 | .276 |
Crackerjack Fantasy Options: Aoki, Weeks, Braun, Ramirez, Lucroy and Hart (when healthy)
Braun is a no-brainer. Weeks is a well balanced stat provider in homers and steals. Aoki is terrific for steals and a gem as a lead-off hitter in a good lineup, while Ramirez really seemed to be comfortable in his new surroundings last season. Corey Hart should fall to a dirt cheap or very late-round option because of his off-season injury, so pick him up and stash on your bench or DL spot and wait for his return. Jonathan Lucroy is a very good option at catcher, even in just 10-team leagues. Even Go-Go Gomez is a good option for steals and he will even pick up some homers with him.
Brewers Pitching:
| Role | Player | Age | Hand | IP | BB | W | K | SV | ERA | WHIP |
| 1 Starter | Yovani Gallardo | 27 | R | 205 | 74 | 12 | 208 | 0 | 3.47 | 1.27 |
| 2 Starter | Marco Estrada | 29 | R | 175 | 46 | 12 | 160 | 0 | 3.39 | 1.26 |
| 3 Starter | Mike Fiers | 28 | R | 155 | 48 | 10 | 155 | 0 | 3.43 | 1.27 |
| Closer | John Axford | 30 | R | 65 | 31 | 1 | 82 | 35 | 3.32 | 1.35 |
Crackerjacks Fantasy Options: Gallardo, Axford
Gallardo may never turn the corner to become an ace. In fact he has been going a little bit the wrong direction the past couple seasons. However he is still a valuable pitching option; you just need to avoid his starts on the road and against tougher opponents. Axford his a good closer with a high K rate, so you can certainly get some solid value from those two if you play your cards right.
Fantasy Star: Braun
Braun is without a doubt a guy that should be considered for the number 1 overall draft pick in any draft. He is certainly a Top-3 pick, and if he falls to four, draft him and laugh! Braun gives you terrific production in ALL categories and is a guy that you can bank on, even after the whole PED thing.
Fantasy Bust: Axford
If I must pick a bust guy, it would have to be John Axford. Axford has actually been one of my favorite players, he has maintained a high K:9 rate in his career, 11.39. He had a bit of a dip in 2011 (10.51) but he seemed to get back on track last season with a 12.09 last season. The thing with him is that he just hasn’t been so dominant the past few seasons, slipping k rate and his inflated ERA last season and all. Ergo, that’s right I said ergo, he is getting to that stage that some closers face, the stage of being replaceable. Look out for Jim Henderson to challenge Axford and his usual handlebar mustache.
Fantasy Sleepers: Gamel and Segura
Mat Gamel is a guy that can really benefit from Hart’s injury, he might be able to grab enough at bats to give it one last chance to make an impact in the show. His track record in the majors isn’t great though, so he is what we like to call in the industry a dark horse sleeper. He is nothing short of a gamble, BUT if you are a gambling man, Gamel might just be a nice roll of the dice.
Another kid to really look at is Jean Segura, what we have up top is a conservative projections due to his at bats. However he can really be a nice find for teams if he produces, gets a lot of at bats and can at some point sneak into the one or two spot of the line up. Which could be likely as the Brewers are crazy heavy with righties. Jean can give them a solid right handed lead off bat, the Brewers could then slide Aoki into the two-hole as the ONLY lefty in the lineup once Hart is back full time. And it is not like Weeks is a sure thing to be a top of the order guy any longer. So for a nice sleeper, draft Segura late!
More National League Central Previews