2018 Brewers Season Predictions

[Eye Black]

A quick breakdown of the 2018 Brewers win predictions:

 

- 55 total win predictions were submitted.

 

- Highest win prediction was 96.

 

- Lowest win prediction was 68.

 

- Every number between 77 to 94 was predicted at least once.

 

- The average of all submitted win predictions was 85.24 (although interestingly only two posters selected 85 wins).

 

- The most common win predictions were 87 (selected by 8 posters), 88 (selected by 7 posters), followed by 83 and 84 wins (each selected by 5 posters).

 

Thanks to everyone who contributed!

[Roderick]

I'm Late:

 

2018 Brewers Season Predictions

 

Win-Loss Record: 83-79

 

Playoffs (Yes, No): No

 

Offensive Player of the Year: Lo Cain

 

Pitcher of the Year: Anderson

 

Most Surprising Player (at least to most): Suter

 

Most Disappointing Player: C. Yelich (not bad, just disappointing this year, before a huge year next year)

[coolhandluke121]

ESPN is pretty darn optimistic about the Brewers.

 

Preseason rank: 10

Best case scenario: 90+ wins as newcomers help offense and if starting pitching holds up

Worst case scenario: mid-to-low 80's if starting pitching can't pull its weight

 

I saw that. Even if you don't know anything about the team, isn't it kind of weird to have only about 10 wins between your best-case scenario and worst-case scenario?

 

Beyond that, I like the team too and I think the pitching staff is underrated, but I certainly won't be shocked if they win less than 80 and I don't know why anyone would be. There's regression, injuries, youth, and just the general lack of a consistent track record of productivity for many of their key guys.

[SomewhereInTime]

ESPN is pretty darn optimistic about the Brewers.

 

Preseason rank: 10

Best case scenario: 90+ wins as newcomers help offense and if starting pitching holds up

Worst case scenario: mid-to-low 80's if starting pitching can't pull its weight

 

Now I know my 68 win prediction is too high...

[Boomer5]

85 wins being the average here looks reasonable. They won 86 games with pretty much everyone but Braun and Villar having career years in the lineup.

 

They dramatically upgraded the top of the lineup with two high on base guys who both play very good D assuming Yelich is exclusively in LF.

 

They downgraded the pitching staff due to not replacing Jimmy and sorry, depth does not equal an ace. Ever.

 

Young Players on the rise:

 

Arcia

Santana

Davies

Harder

 

Key Players on regression/age watch

 

Shaw: 50/50 on this. Never had the pedigree for this kind of performance so how can you trust it?

Thames: pretty much a given. The guy isn’t very good.

Braun: age and injuries.

Pina: you never count on 30 year old catchers hitting well.

Anderson: like Shaw, he never did this before so it’s difficult to trust this level of production.

Kneble only because he had one of the best bullpen years in Brewers history.

 

The game changer:

 

This is not a young team so the window is short. If they are in the thick of it in July, will they make a big move for a TOR arm?

 

Looks to me like they are willing to wait and see if 2017 wasn’t a fluke and they will make a big trade if they are for real.

[reillymcshane]

Win-Loss Record: 89-73

 

Playoffs (Yes, No): Yes

 

Highest Playoff Level Achieved: World Series Victory

 

All Star Game Representative(s): Yelich, Cain, Knebel, Hader

 

Offensive Player of the Year: Yelich

 

Pitcher of the Year: Anderson

 

Most Surprising Player: Taylor Williams

 

Most Disappointing Player: Chacin

[Jaylyn]

Win-Loss Record: 82-80

 

Playoffs (Yes, No): No

 

Highest Playoff Level Achieved: No

 

All Star Game Representative(s): Cain, Shaw, Anderson

 

Offensive Player of the Year: Cain

 

Pitcher of the Year: Anderson

 

Most Surprising Player: Davies, just keeps getting better and better, wins 20.

 

Most Disappointing Player: Villar, last year was the real thing, Thames, pitchers know who he is, Chacin, the Petco effect is real, Braun, is nagged by injuries the entire year.

[BrewersSuperCollector]

I'm going with 80 wins. I just don't think there is enough starting pitching. The bullpen is strong, but with what I believe weak starters that bullpen will get taxed and won't recover.

[MrTPlush]

2018 Brewers Season Predictions 1/3 UPDATE

 

Win-Loss Record: 102-60

 

Playoffs (Yes, No): Yes (#1 seed in NL)

 

Highest Playoff Level Achieved: NLDS (Min.)

 

All Star Game Representative(s): Cain, Shaw, Aguilar, Hader, Jeffress

 

Offensive Player of the Year: Cain/Shaw/Aguilar

 

Pitcher of the Year: Hader

 

Most Surprising Player: Aguilar

 

Most Disappointing Player: Arcia

[MrTPlush]

Disclaimer:

 

I picked one player for each (except oPOY because that really is such an even race). One could always probably make an argument for someone else, but that just gets messy. I think all these guys get their awards pretty easily though.

 

For the All Stars I took who should make it today. So I put on Jeffress who definitely deserves it and would probably get the nod. If not..big snub. Christian Yelich wouldn’t make it...which is a safe bet because he has never made it with similar offensive stats.

[FVBrewerFan]

A month to go, some predictions may be soon to tell but interesting to go back and see guesses on biggest surprise, biggest disappointment, MVP, etc.

 

Feel free to gloat or laugh at your predictions so far. Hate to point it out, but it's all in good fun. I noticed a couple people picked Bandy for biggest surprise.

[KeithStone53151]

I specifically noticed that literally nobody picked Aguilar to be AS or offensive POY. Many had Arcia including myself as an all-star. My 94 win mark is a touch optimistic but not impossible at those point. The most common prediction is probably 86-88 wins and I suspect we'll come in a shade above that.

[MrTPlush]

Biggest Dissapointment - Corey Knebel

 

Can't say I didn't hit the nail on the head with that one.

[MrTPlush]

2018 Brewers Season Predictions

 

Win-Loss Record: 83-79

 

Playoffs (Yes, No): No

Highest Playoff Level Achieved: None

All Star Game Representative(s): Christian Yelich

Offensive Player of the Year: Christian Yelich

Pitcher of the Year: Josh Hader

Most Surprising Player: Jonathan Villar

Most Disappointing Player: Cory Knebel

 

Other Surprising Players: Ryan Braun, Orlando Arcia, Brent Suter, Jimmy Nelson

 

Other Dissapointing Players: Manny Pina, Jhoulys Chacin

 

I have to say I didn't predict too bad all things considered. The blue ones were really bold predictions I threw in there. Hoping my playoff and W/L record don't become true though.

[stalton]

I had thought I had put a prediction in, but alas I did not. It's always fun to look back and see people's thoughts going into the season.

 

Is it too late for me to post my prediction? /blue

[istanbultaye]

you could start the "september predictions" thread that I'm sure will be coming

[stalton]

ESPN is pretty darn optimistic about the Brewers.

 

Preseason rank: 10

Best case scenario: 90+ wins as newcomers help offense and if starting pitching holds up

Worst case scenario: mid-to-low 80's if starting pitching can't pull its weight

 

For what it's worth, we hit ESPN's best case scenario.

[KeithStone53151]

94-68

Playoffs - Yes

Lose in the world series

All stars - Yelich, Arcia, Hader

Offensive POY - Yelich

Pitcher of the year - Hader for RP, Anderson for SP

Biggest surprise - Villar

Biggest disappointment - Pina

 

I was right on Hader/Yelich/Pina...way off on Arcia, arguably off on Anderson/Villar. Villar net us Schoop and is putting up good numbers in Baltimore. Anderson has been better than his recent situation would indicate. Both probably fall into misses but less of misses than Arcia.

 

And I have a shot at getting the record right. 4-1 gets me there...and coincidentally is probably what we need to have a shot at the division.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

Awesome to be able to do this!

 

Win-Loss Record: 92-70

 

Playoffs: Yes

 

Highest Playoff Level Achieved: NLCS

 

All Star Game Representatives: Yelich, Cain, Davies, Knebel

 

Offensive Player of the Year: Shaw

 

Pitcher of the Year: Zach Davies, who will make the jump to a TOR-type starter.

 

Most Surprising Player: Brent Suter, who is going to put up solid #3 numbers. Nelson is also going to come back in early June and be his old self, giving the team a top 5 rotation

 

Most Disappointing Player: Ryan Braun, because he's going to be fighting injuries again. I hope I'm wrong. Also, Santana will fight injury and ineffectiveness, and the team will be sorry they didn't trade him this offseason ... for whatever was being offered.

 

Rookie of the Year: Taylor Williams is going to be dominant at the back end of that bullpen. A future closer.

 

Well, we stand a good shot of beating my very optimistic record prediction

 

As for my other predictions, I got Yelich and Cain in the All-Star game, but struck out on Davies and Knebel. Shaw has been decent, but not near what guys like Yelich, Cain and Aguilar have done. Really missed on Davies becoming a TOR starter. Suter was not surprising, and got hurt, so that's a miss. I think I nailed Most disappointing with Braun and Santana, although Santana hasn't been hurt. Also, Taylor Williams may still be the team's ROY, but he hasn't been dominant. He's been a good arm out there, though.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

Win-Loss Record: 88-74

 

Playoffs: Yes

 

Highest Playoff Level Achieved: Lose NLCS

 

All Star Game Representative(s): Knebel, Yelich

 

Offensive Player of the Year: Cain

 

Pitcher of the Year: Nelson

 

Most Surprising Player: Broxton - will end up in majors for one reason or another and provide a boost at some point. Pure guess.

 

Most Disappointing Player: Shaw

 

Do I get credit for Broxton? Sure nailed that Nelson prediction.

[markedman5]

I thought some might find this interesting in retrospect

 

https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/lets-talk-about-the-brewers-mediocre-projection/

[markedman5]

Biggest Dissapointment - Corey Knebel

 

Can't say I didn't hit the nail on the head with that one.

 

You were right until September......thank goodness.

[torts]

Win-Loss Record: 90-72

 

Playoffs (Yes, No): Yes

 

Highest Playoff Level Achieved: World Series

 

All Star Game Representative(s): Knebel, Cain, Yelich

 

Offensive Player of the Year: Yelich

 

Pitcher of the Year: Pitcher-to-be-acquired this summer

 

Most Surprising Player: just how good Yelich will be with 80 games at Miller Park

 

Most Disappointing Player: our entire 2nd base platoon

 

Boom baby!!!

[tigerbrew]

2018 Brewers Season Predictions

 

Win-Loss Record: 90-72

 

Playoffs (Yes, No): Yes

 

Highest Playoff Level Achieved: NLCS

 

All Star Game Representative(s): Cain and Yelich

 

Offensive Player of the Year: Cain

 

Pitcher of the Year: Hader

 

Most Surprising Player: Sogard

 

Most Disappointing Player: Thames

 

 

Brewers have blown away my 90 wins prediction.

 

Yelich is the offensive player of the year, so I'm wrong there.

 

Missed badly on Sogard

[tigerbrew]

2018 Brewers Season Predictions

 

Win-Loss Record: 96-66

 

Playoffs (Yes, No): Yes

 

Highest Playoff Level Achieved: WS

 

All Star Game Representative(s): Villar, Santana

 

Offensive Player of the Year: Braun - takes over pretty much full time at first by June

 

Pitcher of the Year: Suter

 

Most Surprising Player: Suter and Villar

 

Most Disappointing Player: Thames

 

 

Kudos to timpep for the brilliant 96 wins prediction.