2019 Milwaukee Brewers

The Brewers FINALLY broke through and won their first World Series! Sneaking into the Wild Card spot with 89 wins, Milwaukee finally went into St. Louis and came out victorious, knocking off the Cardinals in an extremely satisfying 8-2 victory! Then the Brewers ironically upset the Cubs team they got their rebuilding formula from in the NLDS and then tore through the Dodgers to face off against the Red Sox. Milwaukee made the most of their second ever World Series appearance, with ace Zach Grienke pitching two shut outs and an aging Ryan Braun winning the World Series MVP honors, making critics of the Brewers decision not to deal the slugger in 2017 choke on their words. Another big move was the shocking deadline twist, when the 5 games over .500 Brewers dealt their first round outfielder to the Rangers for old fan favorite, Jonathan Lucroy! Luuuuuuuuuuuuuuc gave the Brewers a dependable catcher again, even if his hitting prowess diminished since he was last here. Although a big push was made to bring fan favorite Prince Fielder out of retirement, the Brewers settled on re-signing 1B Chris Carter and he platooned with Jake Gatewood as a real feast or famine duo.

Still, this team was built around and carried by young talent. Arcia, Brinson, and Ray are all still very young and excited for more championship contending seasons. While the city will never be a Free Agent destination, Milwaukee is optimistic that they'll be able to hang on to their young core enough to give Brewers fans, at long last, a period of contention lasting longer than three years.

So now enjoy one of baseball's most surprising and upstart Champions, the 2019 Milwaukee Brewers!

Lineup: Milwaukee has been loaded with young sluggers, with plenty of speed and power throughout the lineup. Veteran Ryan Braun still anchors the middle of the order, with the team's outfield depth providing him plenty of opportunity to rest and stay healthy during the regular season. Ray and Brinson were the clear stars, two five tool talents that gave the Brewers lots of power and enough consistency in the heart of the order. Carter and Gatewood may have only had a .303 OBP together, but they smashed 43 HR from the first base position and usually hit 7th in the lineup. A key cog of consistency was veteran catcher Jonathan Lucroy, shipped back from Texas in exchange for Keon Broxton, clearing some outfield room and bringing back a fan favorite to hit clean-up. Brett Phillips still got nearly 500 PA, playing 2/3 games, often giving either Braun, Ray, or Brinson a breather. Diaz is an amazing 9 hitter, obviously hitting 8th most of the time against NL opponents, and flashed a good glove at 2B. Overall, this team may lack a true superstar, but is filled with dazzling speed and decent OB throughout, with the occasionally bopper, basically making it a much more deadly version of the 2015 Royals lineup.

Rotation: After the DBacks shockingly decided to sell Grienke for pennies on the dollar in exchange for taking on his remaining contract, the Brewers made an even more surprisingly gamble in trading for him, aware that he was likely to opt-out after 2019. Grienke pitched like it was a free agent year, with a resurgence to a sub-3 ERA and winning 17 of his 26 starts in Milwaukee. While it's still unclear if Grienke will re-enter free agency, he and Davies formed the "Zach Attack Duo" to the delight of Brewers fans everywhere! Rookie flamethrower Josh Hader was a great addition to the team in May, bringing lots of strikeouts and infusing the rotation with zest! Salty veteran Wily Peralta rounds out the playoff rotation, brining an acceptable Tier 4 arm to bear.

Bullpen: Milwaukee's bullpen was not a strength, although its young talent has room to grow and already flashed great strikeout potential. Two rookies and a second year player make up the top three dudes, with converted starter Taylor Jungmann improving his stats as a reliever. This team was designed to out hit teams, and they had to get lucky with their rolls to survive a dangerous Control 4/3 laden bullpen. Brandon Woodruff and his 2.51 ERA solidified the ninth inning, and he's an above average closer.