2020 season autopsy

[Pugger]

Now that this disappointing season is history what should Stearns and company do to fix our offensive woes? I have no clue but am eager to hear what you guys who know more about this game than me think will help us actually score runs in 2021.

[djoctagone]

option players who aren't performing.

 

you have to realize how the lack of minor league baseball affected the brewers' roster this year.

 

in a full season with a fully functioning class aaa minor league system, would the brewers have optioned omar narvaez and recalled a healthy david freitas or jacob nottingham, just to give narvaez 10 days to work things out? for all we know, one or both of those catchers could have been tearing it up with san antonio.

 

would the brewers have been able to give corey knebel a more legitimate minor league rehab assignment?

[folly412]

On that note, even Yelich and Hiura could have made a trips to the phantom IL with strained left middle toes to take 10 days to reset. It's no biggie in a 162 game season, but not feasible in 60.

 

A 2021 fix via new talent is an uphill battle, unless it involves paying for players with an uncertain but greater chance of being productive. Unless something changed in Appleton that they kept under wraps, not having any legitimate prospects scheduled to arrive until perhaps 2022 is the largest barrier. Maybe a bat can be had for Hader, though my preference is for higher upside prospects over major league talent another contending team is conveniently willling to part with.

[djoctagone]

On that note, even Yelich and Hiura could have made a trips to the phantom IL with strained left middle toes to take 10 days to reset. It's no biggie in a 162 game season, but not feasible in 60.

keston hiura didn't deserve to be sent on optional assignment in 2019. it was certainly called for in 2020.

[3and2Fastball]

I would have liked to see Aguillar hitting 4th in a playoff game and not Healy.

 

This team had no fire.

 

Stearns must protect Counsel from himself and not have Eric Sogard types on the roster.

 

Mark A is likely going to reduce payroll even more. “Well we made the playoffs 3 straight years but we’ll need to take a step back.”

 

In 2020 the Brewers have proven that yes, in fact, they can draft and develop TOR Pitchers.

 

Considering everything, I’m just happy we got to watch some Baseball in 2020. The Brewers need to figure out what is going on with their hitting.

[PeaveyFury]

Mark A is likely going to reduce payroll even more. “Well we made the playoffs 3 straight years but we’ll need to take a step back.”

 

Is there anything to back this up from quotes/reports, etc.? Or is this still just assumptions?

[pacopete4]

Mark A is likely going to reduce payroll even more. “Well we made the playoffs 3 straight years but we’ll need to take a step back.”

 

Is there anything to back this up from quotes/reports, etc.? Or is this still just assumptions?

 

I think it’s pretty easy to see that this is speculation. And while there hasn’t been the quotes you’re looking for to back it up, I’d say (again speculation) that it’s probably not too far off.

[Cool Hand Lucroy]

Yeah, I disagree about Mark A. The guy is hyper-competitive. I don't think he's going to back off because the team's made 3 straight postseasons. The economic environment is going to be different next year, that's true. But there's also a lot of money off the books. The roster has a fair amount of good young pitching, and it's got a hopefully soon to return to form Yelich. I wouldn't be surprised if the team made a run at some pretty good FAs.

 

In terms of looking back to look ahead, this is one of the easier autopsies. The team's problems are glaringly obvious. I think you have to just hope Yelich and Hiura find some more normalcy next season. Cain and Garcia are coming back and will get regular playing time, at least at first. Gyorko too. The rest of the infield is a question mark.

 

I'm on the Hader trade bandwagon. I think between Peralta, Suter, Williams, Yardley, Topa, and Rasmussen you've got a decent bullpen core. Stearns is the guy who traded Thornburg for a big haul, and the BP is an area of strength. See if you can get a promising young bat or three. Josh has been awesome as a Brewer. But his value is about as good as it's going to be.

[Jopal78]

The Autopsy is pretty simple: for the first time in franchise history the team has developed some really nice pitching which nearly was enough to overcome a poor offensive showing. As a Brewers fan its hard to fathom that Brandon Woodruff is 27 years old, and has already pitched in six playoff games for the Milwaukee, and may not even be the best starting pitcher on the team. The emergence of Burnes and Woodruff as a formidable 1-2 punch means the Brewers should be competitive year in and year out for the next four years not to mention the quality home grown bullpen arms Williams, Hader (sort of), Suter, and Peralta.

 

Their amateur scouting deserves some recognition for finds like Justin Topa and Drew Rasmussen who both look like major league pitchers. The pro personnel department was hit and miss in 2020. Eric Yardley, Dan Vogelbach, were nice finds and both could have roles with the team going forward. Brett Anderson delivered on expectations. David Phelps and Jedd Gyorko were also nice pick ups. However, Avisail Garcia and Lindblom failed to meet expectations, while Smoak, Sogard, Holt and Morrison were disasters. The two trades the team made for 2020 acquiring Narvaez then Urias and Lauer were also disasters.

 

Bottom-line: The Brewers were one arm short from having a formidable rotation. (Houser and Lauer were pounded by opponents with a combined 1-8 with a 6.62 ERA and WHIP of 1.64, which one could argue had they been able to split those 9 games even at 4-5 they would have been in the hunt for the division title). On offense, with Yelich in a season long slump, there wasn't enough other production to keep the offense working.

[clancyphile]

2020 autopsy:

Offense never got on track after the lengthy COVID layoff.

 

Pitching took a step up. How much was from other failures to get on track after the COVID layoff? Not sure.

 

My sense?

With Yelich, Hiura, and Cain the only solid options, the Crew needs to find some help on offense. Could some of it come from the farm (Hummel, Taylor, Ray?)? Who can the Crew get/retain on the free-agent market? The Brewers are really going to wish they'd kept at least one of Grandal/Moustakas. Is Gyroko willing to return on a decent deal?

 

Pitching could be good and mostly home-grown. Burnes, Woodruff as the 1-2 punch, then Houser could rebound (he was solid in 2019). Dylan File was looking poised for a breakout when COVID shut down the minors.

 

The bullpen looks to be capable of shutting teams down.

 

Some questions:

1. Is Peralta a fireballing relief ace, or a contributor to the rotation?

2. Can Houser replicate the Burnes rebound from a bad second year to awesome third year?

3. Will Lauer and Lindblom rebound?

4. Is Devin Williams going to be healthy, or should the Crew "sell high" now?

5. Long-term with Hader, or make a deal?

6. How will prospects rebound from no 2020 minor league season?

7. What will the farm look like in 2021?

[PeaveyFury]

Some questions:

1. Is Peralta a fireballing relief ace, or a contributor to the rotation?

2. Can Houser replicate the Burnes rebound from a bad second year to awesome third year?

3. Will Lauer and Lindblom rebound?

4. Is Devin Williams going to be healthy, or should the Crew "sell high" now?

5. Long-term with Hader, or make a deal?

6. How will prospects rebound from no 2020 minor league season?

7. What will the farm look like in 2021?

 

I actually agree with every single point/question here.

[Pugger]

The Autopsy is pretty simple: for the first time in franchise history the team has developed some really nice pitching which nearly was enough to overcome a poor offensive showing. As a Brewers fan its hard to fathom that Brandon Woodruff is 27 years old, and has already pitched in six playoff games for the Milwaukee, and may not even be the best starting pitcher on the team. The emergence of Burnes and Woodruff as a formidable 1-2 punch means the Brewers should be competitive year in and year out for the next four years not to mention the quality home grown bullpen arms Williams, Hader (sort of), Suter, and Peralta.

 

Their amateur scouting deserves some recognition for finds like Justin Topa and Drew Rasmussen who both look like major league pitchers. The pro personnel department was hit and miss in 2020. Eric Yardley, Dan Vogelbach, were nice finds and both could have roles with the team going forward. Brett Anderson delivered on expectations. David Phelps and Jedd Gyorko were also nice pick ups. However, Avisail Garcia and Lindblom failed to meet expectations, while Smoak, Sogard, Holt and Morrison were disasters. The two trades the team made for 2020 acquiring Narvaez then Urias and Lauer were also disasters.

 

Bottom-line: The Brewers were one arm short from having a formidable rotation. (Houser and Lauer were pounded by opponents with a combined 1-8 with a 6.62 ERA and WHIP of 1.64, which one could argue had they been able to split those 9 games even at 4-5 they would have been in the hunt for the division title). On offense, with Yelich in a season long slump, there wasn't enough other production to keep the offense working.

 

I think I can agree on your post-mortem.

[clancyphile]

Some questions:

1. Is Peralta a fireballing relief ace, or a contributor to the rotation?

2. Can Houser replicate the Burnes rebound from a bad second year to awesome third year?

3. Will Lauer and Lindblom rebound?

4. Is Devin Williams going to be healthy, or should the Crew "sell high" now?

5. Long-term with Hader, or make a deal?

6. How will prospects rebound from no 2020 minor league season?

7. What will the farm look like in 2021?

 

I actually agree with every single point/question here.

 

My answers:

1. For 2021, in the rotation, but a short hook for a bullpen move.

2. I think he can.

3. Lauer, probably.

4. For 2021, keep Williams, if he gets through with minimal/no DL time, deal him.

5. Trade Hader/Urias to the Mets for McNeil/Davis.

6. This is the big what-if for this year - we'd have seen File, Andrews, Torres-Costa, and Hummel (among others) make debuts at some point in a full 2020

7. For the long term, this is the BIG question.