Brewerfan Major League Season Predictions / Discussion Now On Home Page

[BrewCrewForever]

Player of The Year: Ryan Braun - I don't think the intercostal will be a big deal, he will be better then last year. I expect big things just like I know he does. Like Shane Douglas was to ECW Ryan is "The Franchise" to the Brewers.

 

Pitcher of The Year: Yovani Gallardo - A flat out stud, if he stays healthy which I think he will and the knee does not seem to be an issue he will put up big numbers.

 

Rookie of The Year: Brad Nelson - I think you can take it to the bank that he will have some big pinch hits and when he gets his chance to start and give guys days off he will make the most of it.

 

Unsung Hero: Rickie Weeks - I do believe Rickie will break out this season, will he ever live up to #2 overall pick hype? No, but I think he will be much improved and have a 20/20 season.

 

Minor League Impact Player: Brett Lawrie - All I have heard is how special this guy is. I buy into the hype and think he will put up huge numbers for the Timber Rattlers and probably move up to AA Huntsville before the season ends.

 

Brewers will win 88 games and win the NL Wild Card.

[Never Outhustled]

The Brewers team ERA last year, excluding Sheets and Sebathia, was 4.24, and the NL average ERA was 4.29. I think most would expect Gallardo and Looper to combine for a better ERA than 4.24, so its very possible this staff could be above average, and to call our pitching anything less than average is inaccurate.

The Brewers overall were 2nd in team ERA and 6th in Runs Scored. If the Brewers offense can finish 2nd in Runs Scored, the pitching staff should be able to finish 6th in ERA, which could help us to 90 wins again. Thats not even figuring in the impact a big trade deadline addition like Roy Halladay could make.

[rm121978]

Prediction: 77 wins

 

This team will need to score a lot to win games, and I think this is the year where the injury bug finally bites some of the big offensive guys. Braun might never be fully healthy (despite what he tells the media), and I think several of the other big names will be on the DL. They have gotten very lucky the last 2 years without any major injuries to non-pitchers, but I think it may happen this year - just a law of averages thing.

 

And with so many tickets sold already, I don't see Mark A. / Melvin feeling the need to spend any more $ to get anyone for this year to help things. Weekend home games will be packed regardless of the team's record. They'll draw 2.5 million and everyone will be happy in the front office.

[knowitall]

I know its a day late, and I hate to be negative, but I want to go on the record and predict a much worse season than last year. My guess is they will win about 70 games, and believe last year was somewhat of a fluke related to a horrible division and a miraculous performance by CC. This is still a team with a number glaring weaknesses:

1. Absolutely no balance in the lineup missing at least three decent left handed bats - a must in the big leagues.

2. No proven starting 1 or 2 pitcher, less CC, but some possibilities with younger pitchers and Looper.

3. A shaky bullpen to say the least without a closer.

4. An offensive team that strikes out way too much with a softball team swing for the fences approach, making one bad out after another with no end in sight.

5. Five sub-par regular starters such as Weeks, Cameron, Hall, Kendall, and Hart.

 

Yes, I love the Brewers, but hate that for the 30th straight year or so we picked up no top name free agents, especially after a profitable year and great 2009 ticket sales, in a free agent friendly environment for ball clubs. If ever there was a year to load up, this was it. We have been duked again in the off season, and the smoke and mirrors continues in Brew City. Sorry for the bad news. GO CREW though! - if you believe me.

[TheCrew07]

1. Absolutely no balance in the lineup missing at least three decent left handed bats - a must in the big leagues.

 

5. Five sub-par regular starters such as Weeks, Cameron, Hall, Kendall, and Hart.

 

Yes, I love the Brewers, but hate that for the 30th straight year or so we picked up no top name free agents, especially after a profitable year and great 2009 ticket sales, in a free agent friendly environment for ball clubs. If ever there was a year to load up, this was it. We have been duked again in the off season, and the smoke and mirrors continues in Brew City. Sorry for the bad news. GO CREW though! - if you believe me.

1. 3 proven left handed bats? Why? How do you go about acquiring those bats. Too much is made of handedness... get the best bats available... plus there's some intriguing LH bats on the way up through the minors.

 

5. Cameron? Seriously? I'm surprised Ennder, TLB, or someone who fought this battle all winter hasn't chimed in yet... I can tolerate objective opinions, but there's no way he's below average. Hart's below average based on Aug and Sept last year? He was an all-star... not that it means anything but he's played at a high level in the past. Kendall is subpar offensively, but he has value, and I'm not going to argue defense and intangibles every day so I'll just say I disagree.

 

To your final paragraph, how are the Brewers ever going to compete for the top FAs? You honestly expected them to shell out the money Teixeira and Sabathia got? How would they even attempt to make the payroll? Milwaukee is the smallest market in baseball, the community isn't big enough to generate a payroll much beyond where the Brewers are currently at, and the economy is in the tank. We are the smallest market, but have a mid market payroll... that's not something to be ashamed of, it's something to celebrate. The community has done very well supporting the team. I have a hard time telling people what they should believe, but I honestly have no idea how the team would adequately meet your expectations given their financial limitations.

[knowitall]

1. Absolutely no balance in the lineup missing at least three decent left handed bats - a must in the big leagues.

 

5. Five sub-par regular starters such as Weeks, Cameron, Hall, Kendall, and Hart.

 

Yes, I love the Brewers, but hate that for the 30th straight year or so we picked up no top name free agents, especially after a profitable year and great 2009 ticket sales, in a free agent friendly environment for ball clubs. If ever there was a year to load up, this was it. We have been duked again in the off season, and the smoke and mirrors continues in Brew City. Sorry for the bad news. GO CREW though! - if you believe me.

1. 3 proven left handed bats? Why? How do you go about acquiring those bats. Too much is made of handedness... get the best bats available... plus there's some intriguing LH bats on the way up through the minors.

 

5. Cameron? Seriously? I'm surprised Ennder, TLB, or someone who fought this battle all winter hasn't chimed in yet... I can tolerate objective opinions, but there's no way he's below average. Hart's below average based on Aug and Sept last year? He was an all-star... not that it means anything but he's played at a high level in the past. Kendall is subpar offensively, but he has value, and I'm not going to argue defense and intangibles every day so I'll just say I disagree.

 

To your final paragraph, how are the Brewers ever going to compete for the top FAs? You honestly expected them to shell out the money Teixeira and Sabathia got? How would they even attempt to make the payroll? Milwaukee is the smallest market in baseball, the community isn't big enough to generate a payroll much beyond where the Brewers are currently at, and the economy is in the tank. We are the smallest market, but have a mid market payroll... that's not something to be ashamed of, it's something to celebrate. The community has done very well supporting the team. I have a hard time telling people what they should believe, but I honestly have no idea how the team would adequately meet your expectations given their financial limitations.

I'm not expecting them to sign CC and the other big boys - no small market teams do that - but the Crew needed one solid 1 or 2 starter and a couple more left handed bats this year and failed to deliver. You simply cannot have that many righties in the lineup -that's just common sense. There is a real statistical improvement in run production left vs. right and vice versa that cannot be ignored. To me its unfathomable the lack of balance, and I really don't see how the importance of that is even debatable with 2/3 of starters being righties. They went into the season unprepared again, and its no different than the last 20 years. I'm just pointing out the facts and not being an excuse maker for them about market size. They've sold enough tickets this and last year to make changes, and if they haven't pulled the trigger on improving their roster by now through free agency or trades, they'll never do it. That's too bad for the fans, who have had the wool pulled over their eyes again, but we seem to be satisfied with this. I know they are trying to improve through the draft, but the fact that they have only produced one decent left handed bat in their farm system (Fielder) since Jack Z and then are satisfied with the roster this year, shows a lack of understanding of the offensive game by the entire organization.

[Brewer Fever]

I think this team will start the season slow. I just don't think the pitching will be good enough at the onset. However as the season progresses and Macha sifts through the haves and have-nots in both his rotation and bullpen, things will stabilize themselves by the AS Break as the team climbs back around .500. The good news: A Macha-trademarked scorching 2nd half will make for another exciting September around here. This time with the team doing a lot of winning instead of running on fumes. The Brewers will claw all the way back to within a few games of a playoff berth with a week or so to go...

 

And now the bad news. Having managed only to play .500 ball at the trading deadline, Melvin will pass on making another major addition to the rotation. A miscalculation that will prove costly down the stretch when the Brewers make their late-season push only to come up a game or two short of a 2nd straight post-season berth. I won't get too down on Dougie though. Afterall, he's probably grown accustomed to his teams falling apart down the stretch under the guidance of the previous guy whose name I'm desperately trying to forget.

 

Don't get too down Brewers' fans. Melvin will make ammends in the upcoming offseason and add that much needed pitching piece to complement Yo and Manny, helping ensure that this playoff drought lasts only 1 year.

• Slow start (CHECK)
• Instability in the rotation and bullpen (CHECK)
• Hovering around .500 at AS break and trade deadline (CHECK)
• Melvin neglects to add key piece to rotation (???)
• Team makes 2nd half charge that has Melvin kicking himself for not being more aggressive (???)
• Melvin corrects his mistake in offseason (???)

They went about it in a little different way than I envisioned but nonetheless are right where I thought they'd be at this point. I predicted a patented 2nd half surge by a Macha-managed team and the schedule from this coming Monday through the last day of August sets up extremely favorably for such a push. 23 of the 32 games to be played in that span come against Washington (8), Pittsburgh (6), San Diego (6), and Cincinnati (3). The question is: does Melvin have the cojones to make a leap of faith trade given our present positioning? Also, will the Brewers actually take advantage of their favorable August schedule? My guess is No and Yes in that order. I have a feeling there will be a lot of "what ifs" and second-guessing of Melvin down the stretch.

 

The prediction I really hope I'm right on is that Melvin gets that top half of the rotation piece prior to next season at the latest.