Uncustomed Heroes of 2022: Brewers

 

By the end of May, the Milwaukee Brewers were still one of the best teams in baseball, confidently on first, and doing a ton of things right. Then June happened.

On one hand, the Brewers don't have a ton to be disappointed about in 2022, they still finished above .500 and got great campaigns out of Corbin Burnes, Willy Adames and, in the absence of Josh Hader, Devin Williams. But...they still lost Josh Hader, they're still struggling to get late-2010s Christian Yelich back, and the Cardinals are now firmly the alpha in the NL Central. The moves they've made so far for the 2023 season have involved trading away Hunter Renfroe and Kolten Wong, and gaining Jesse Winker and Abraham Toro. The oddsmakers would say that, despite a reported reluctance to trade Burnes or Adames, they're looking at a lower-key year. However, if the Brewers are gonna lay slightly low in 2023, does that mean that the Cardinals are gonna waltz to October? I certainly hope not.

The biggest breakout, ironically as his brother was also breaking out in Baltimore, was infielder Luis Urias. Long gestating after being traded for Zach Davies back in the day, Urias finally came to full prominence with the Brewers, with 47 RBIs and 16 homers, as well as a 3.1 WAR. While the Brewers have been using efficient answers at third of late, Urias is definitely a favorite to start there in 2023, and could use this season as a ramp up to glory.

2023 Prediction: A 25-homer year. At some point, he and his brother are gonna have some sort of dramatic face-off. Maybe in the ASG, maybe in an interleague match.

Freddy Peralta, the third head of the Brewers' pitching hydra, missed a ton of time this year due to injuries. He only made 17 starts, but he finished the year with a 3.58 ERA and still managed 86 strikeouts. Even with Eric Lauer coming to prominence, Peralta is still a trusted and respected rotation choice in Milwaukee.

2023 Prediction: Fuller season, but may struggle with a high ERA. 

Jace Peterson was the Brewers' main choice at third this year. Peterson is also my pick for the single most overrated player of the season. This is a guy who would rate strongly in WAR all year without doing a single damned thing worthy of any note during the season. Look, he hit .236 with 68 hits, and that's in a full season. And people were calling this guy an integral part of this team. It's great if you're a strong corner infielder, but you've gotta have more dimensions than that these days. 

2023 Prediction: Yeah, Oakland is a much better place for this guy. He'll do alright for the A's, but eventually they're gonna develop people that erase the need for someone like him.

While Peralta missed time due to injuries, Adrian Houser also only made 21 starts, but he struggled comparatively, with a 4.73 ERA and a 6-10 record. Houser has always been a back-half guy for this rotation, but he's slipping even further from where he was.

2023 Prediction: When the big guns in this rotation get traded, as they may at some point, it will be Houser's job to lead the gang, and he'll only do a serviceable job of it.

Tyrone Taylor finally had a season that got people to notice him, after being caught in the Trent Grisham/Mark Mathias/Jonathan Davis huddle of backup outfielders for too long. Taylor hit .233, but with 51 RBIs and 17 home runs. This was his fullest season as a starting choice, and in the absence of Lorenzo Cain, and now Hunter Renfroe, he's looking to be an even bigger piece of this team.

2023 Prediction: Full breakout numbers. 

Omar Narvaez was injured for a huge chunk of this season, so the Brewers were very lucky they'd snatched Victor Caratini from San Diego during the offseason. Caratini, while a serviceable backup catcher, still made the most of a starring role, and had 34 RBIs and 9 homers, despite not doing wholly great at the plate. 

2023 Prediction: Caratini is the new Manny Pina, sad to say, and next season he'll have more acceptable backup numbers.

The Brewers are still doing what they can to make something out of Keston Hiura, despite him coming nowhere near their promise for him. At best, he's a sloppy defensive corner infielder with occasional power perks. At worst, he's listless at the plate and taking starts away from Tellez. Hiura actually hit 14 homers this season as a backup, which was as many as Yelich hit funnily enough. That said, he was also 6th in strikeouts, and that's with only 86 games. So there's still a ton of issues, but at least his power numbers can still be useful. 

2023 Prediction: I bet this is the year they give up on him.

Aaron Ashby has been the heralded pitching guy for the Brewers of late, and this is from a system that also has Jake Cousins and Ethan Small. Ashby got a ton of starting opportunities in 2022, and, despite a 2-10 record, had a 4.44 ERA and 126 strikeouts. Not brilliant, but for a rookie adjusting to consistent starts in the majors, it's a decent shake of things.

2023 Prediction: This season's gonna be the closest approximation of his stuff, and he's really gonna aid this rotation with a breakout year.

The Padres' return for Josh Hader was, well, a pretty great closer in his own right. Despite some ERA issues, Taylor Rogers had cooked up a pretty nice season for his first non-Twins effort, notching 28 saves in 42 games. Then he landed in Milwaukee, and things went south, as his ERA went to 5.48 and both control issues and the presence of Devin Williams led to him only getting 3 saves out of it. On the whole, he got 84 Ks in 2022, which is his second most, but he set a career mark with earned runs, which isn't great.

2023 Prediction: Someone's gonna take a flyer on him, though probably not with him in mind to definitely close. Maybe the Twins reunite with him. He'll be back in the ninth eventually though.

Tomorrow, some extra Cardinals from the team I swore was gonna beat the Phillies easily.

Uncustomed Heroes of 2021: Brewers

 

I genuinely thought the Brewers had it this year.

The momentum they had stacked up late, the midyear acquisitions, the insane three-headed rotation dragon...all done away by 5 games against the Braves. As good as they were during the season, and as much as they became my W.S. winner pick, the fall may have been inevitable, much as the Giants' and Rays' falls were. 

While the rotation did often come down to Burnes, Woodruff and Peralta, there were still other heroes in that rotation. Adrian Houser is honestly one excellent year away from joining that canon, he's just working on his consistency. In 26 starts he had a 3.22 ERA, 10 wins and 105 Ks, certainly nothing to be frowned upon. But several runs separated him from the rest of the pack.

2022 Prediction: One of the big 3 is gonna be out of commission for a bit, and Houser will step up and have his best season yet.

You also had another year of Brett Anderson, who's still a solid arm this far into his career. Despite injuries shortening things, Anderson still had a 4.22 ERA in 24 starts. The issue is, though, that he's not striking as many people out, and he's giving up more runs than he used to. With a lot of youth and efficiency in this rotation, Anderson still feels like the odd man out.

2022 Prediction: Cheap signing somewhere out of the question to finish off his career. Maybe even waived by a contender.

And after some very disappointing starts in 2020, Eric Lauer finally touched some of his Padres-era power, with a 3.19 ERA and 117 Ks in 20 starts. He was also pretty decent in a postseason start. The big takeaway is that Lauer, at 26, still has a ton of potential left, and can still be a useful late-rotation piece for the Brewers

2022 Prediction: Lauer keeps climbing, and has an even better year with a fuller range of starts.

One of the very last signings before the 2021 season began was Jackie Bradley Jr., because as amazing as he's been as a defender, the man hasn't been able to make it work at the plate. This year, Bradley had a 12 fWAR variable, but it was sullied by a NEGATIVE 34 BATTING VARIABLE. That is what we're dealing with here. As good of a match Bradley is for LoCain and Yelich in the outfield, he was a detriment to the Milwaukee lineup. Bloom landing him back in Boston in exchange for Hunter Renfroe is a move that benefits both parties. 

2022 Prediction: The Red Sox will not start JBJ, but he'll still be an excellent defensive substitution and bench piece. Verdugo, Hernandez, and the inevitable outfield bat they sign will be good enough.

Speaking of one-dimensional players, the Brewers' frustrations with Dan Vogelbach hit fever pitch in 2021, as even if he was their designated starting 1st baseman after Hiura's demotion, he only hit .219 with 8 homers in those 93 games. No wonder they needed Rowdy Tellez, who can do Vogey's job without the sharp inefficiency.

2022 Prediction: Bench bat somewhere. 

The resident surprise backup infield piece in 2021 was Jace Peterson, former Braves youngster. Peterson did a fairly decent job backing up Kolten Wong, and managed to hit .247 with 31 RBIs. Peterson has become a safe bet as ute in Milwaukee, and the team seems to like keeping him around. I'm glad the guy's found a niche.

2022 Prediction: More of the same kind of work, just with a bit more pop at bat.

And one relief piece I didn't get to during the season, mostly due to Devin Williams and Josh Hader existing, was former Rays one-year-wonder Brad Boxberger, far from his closing duties. In 71 games he had a 3.34 ERA, 83 Ks and even 4 saves. Boxberger has become a perfectly strong middle reliever, and similar to Steve Cishek, he's developed career longevity after losing a closing opportunity. 

2022 Prediction: Someone picks him up with the idea of giving him the ninth, and he rewards them.

Tomorrow, several players from the Cardinals. Many of them are very old.

2020 Topps Final Edition: Card #163-171

 With this post, we reach the halfway point of 2020 Topps Final Edition. We started in February, we've hit 165/330 in April, which means at this rate we'll finish in like June. Hope that's alright. I'm still enjoying rolling these out, hope y'all are still enjoying looking at them. 

Anyway, here's the next 9 cards in the set:

Card #163- Jace Peterson, Milwaukee Brewers

A former Braves infielder from the dire mid-2010s teams, Jace Peterson had bopped between New York and Baltimore for a few years before settling in Milwaukee for 2020. Peterson, primarily a 3rd baseman, was used in an outfield role to cover for the loss of Lorenzo Cain, and did alright at the plate with a .200 average and 5 RBIs. His decent bench work was rewarded by the Brewers, as they re-upped him for 2021.

Card #164- Mark Melancon ASG, Atlanta Braves

If a potential 2020 All Star Game had happened, and both managers were allowed a limited number of relief options, I still think Mark Melancon would have been on Dave Martinez' shortlist. After failing in big-contract deals in SF before this, Melancon finally had the pressure off as part of a super-bullpen in Atlanta, and rose to the closing gig like no time had passed. Melancon's ability not only to work the ninth but aid the team in regular relief was an asset to a surging Braves squad, and would have garnered Melancon his fourth ASG gig. But I suppose that will have to happen this year in Colorado. 

Card #165- David Peterson, New York Mets

David Peterson was the biggest rookie call-up in Queens last year, even bigger than Andres Gimenez. Peterson had been a strong arm in the minors for a few years, and was brought up to cover for the tepid results of Wacha and Porcello's signings. Peterson had to fight injury at one point, but still finished the season with great numbers, including a 3.44 ERA in 10 games, and 40 strikeouts. While he hasn't been as lucky in 2021 so far, he definitely has the big-game ability the Mets were worried they'd lost with the dissolution of the 2015 rotation.

Card #166- Dean Kremer, Baltimore Orioles

The pride of Israel, Dean Kremer became the first ever Israeli citizen [his folks are from there so he has citizenship] to play in the majors, and his first few starts for the O's were a ton to celebrate. He struck out 22 in 18 innings, and had a 4.82 ERA in 4 games, certainly not a bad shake of things for a struggling rotation. So far his numbers have been up to his 2020 standards, and he's since been demoted, but I imagine he's like John Means in that he needs to fail a little in order to get into his stride. 

Card #167- Scott Alexander, Los Angeles Dodgers

Alexander has been one of the many sharp relievers to come out of the Dodgers' bullpen, and he continued his strong work in the shortened 2020 season. In only 13 appearances, Alexander posted a 2.92 ERA with 2 wins and 9 Ks, before missing the postseason due to injury. Nevertheless, Alexander is still counted on as an integral member of the Dodgers' current bullpen.

Card #168- Jason Castro, San Diego Padres

Jason Castro's slow fall from starting catching weapon to backup catcher has officially set in, as his contact ability has dissipated since leaving Houston. After backing up Max Stassi in LA for the first half of the 2020 season, Castro was picked up as a backup option for the Padres, who were now without Luis Torrens and Austin Hedges. Castro proceeded to hit .179 in 9 regular season games, and didn't have any offensive luck in the playoffs. Now he's back to backing up Martin Maldonado in Houston. 

Card #169- Nelson Cruz ASG, Minnesota Twins

This should not shock you. Not that Nelson Cruz would have been an All Star last year, and not that he would have been the AL's starting DH. While an earlier HGH suspension has made me wary of the authenticity of his late-era exploits, it's still a wonder that at 39, Cruz can still hit .300 and bounce homers over the wall. Hell, he already has 4 home runs on the season, and he's hitting .390. Though logically 2021 may be his last contractual season, it may not be the end of his career. 

Card #170- Anthony Bass, Toronto Blue Jays

Anthony Bass is one of those journeyman odd-job relievers that you may not know, but has done some impressive stuff. He's pitched in Chicago, Seattle and Toronto the last few years and been a worthy relief option in all 3 cities. Last season in Toronto was doubly impressive because Bass was a ninth inning option for the first part of it, and he posted a 0.6 WAR in 26 games, even getting his first postseason strikeout out of it. So far, though, he's having some trouble in Miami this year.

Card #171- Phillips Valdez, Boston Red Sox

Phillips Valdez kicked around the minors for 10 years before making the Rangers in 2019, but had to get waived twice more in order to find a true home in Boston. Making the team out of camp, Valdez was an incredible relief option, with a 3.26 ERA in 24 games, with 30 Ks as well. Valdez is this string-bean-y type who throws smoke and keeps runs down. So far he's repeating the same kind of performance this year, so Boston's very lucky to have him. 

The next 9 cards go up on Friday. This batch includes some very big rookies and a few interesting veterans to talk about.

Uncustomed Heroes of 2015: Braves

I love the fact that I get to see Michael Bourn as a Brave again. I want it to keep happening, too. 

The Braves in 2015 were, conceptually, a last place team, however they built up by taking what they had and making a surprisingly good team out of it. A lot of youth, a lot of older stars, and a lot of risks, which is quite admirable. 

Bourn, in his month or so as a Brave again, did pretty well, getting hits and playing like he used to in the early part of the decade.

AJ Pierzynski had his best season since 2012, getting back to his stuff, hitting well and catching consistently, which he'd essentially failed to do with the Cardinals, Red Sox and Rangers. 

This has to be one of my wildest customs ever. So many colors...

Adonis Garcia, by the way, stepped in for Chris Johnson once it became clear that he wasn't the answer at third, and for Juan Uribe once it became clear that he was gonna end up on a playoff team anyway this year, and he did a pretty nice job, hitting really well and showing staying power.

Meanwhile, Jace Peterson, seen here defying gravity, was supposed to start the season taking the reins from Jedd Gyorko in San Diego, however he was traded for Craig Kimbrel and instead ended up becoming Andrelton Simmons' double play partner, and making a really nice impression.

Tomorrow- The Brewers were not very memorable this season, but a few people managed to rise above mediocrity.