After falling one game short of making the World Series in 2018, the up-start Milwaukee Brewers look to be just as solid, if not more proven to make their first bid into the Fall Classic since 1982 during the upcoming 2019 campaign. For a team much further ahead of its expected curve of progression, the window has opened much sooner than expected.

Led by hometown hero and former player Craig Counsell as the team’s manager, the Brewers came out of nowhere in 2018 to shock the league and not only win the National League Central, but to push the Los Angeles Dodgers to the brink in the playoffs.

This team has become the brainchild of 34-year-old Harvard product David Stearns, who as the club's president of baseball operations and general manager has made so many shrewd moves that he seems like a 20-year vet on paper. Coming from the front office of the Houston Astros, Stearns was tasked with not only rebuilding the team after former GM Doug Melvin moved into a front-office role, but Stearns biggest responsibility was turning the city of Milwaukee into a baseball-loving city that so desperately needed a professional sports team to succeed.

The Brewers have a team built on positional flexibility, offensive power and a lights-out bullpen, the overall makings of a team that is primed to be around the playoff picture for a long time. Here are five reasons why this team has great odds to take home the trophy in 2019.

Lefties rule the world — with short porches

Sweet-swinging Christian Yelich, who had a coming-out party in 2018, won the NL MVP Award in a year that can be simply described as remarkable. He took advantage of his home field, as Miller Park has a porch in right field that is short and provides an accessible dumping ground for left-handed power hitters.

Enter Yasmani Grandal and re-enter Mike Moustakas.

Bringing in Grandal was arguably the steal of the off-season to this point, as his offensive prowess will make Brewers fans forget his defensive lapses. A switch-hitter, Grandal will likely abuse the right-field bleachers, so fans seated in that section are best served to keep their heads on a swivel.

Both Grandal and Moustakas are with the team on one-year deals, but both could turn into two-year agreements if options are exercised for 2020, and with a successful season that results in winning it all, those options may become the easiest thing to agree on. Moustakas comes back to the team after coming over in a Trade Deadline deal with Kansas City in 2018. After testing the free-agent market, he reportedly passed up a deal from the Los Angeles Angels to go back to where he felt comfortable.

Yelich, Grandal and Moustakas will rake in Miller Park this year, and don’t be surprised if the triumvirate combines for more than 110 home runs.

Bullpen is better from top to bottom

Josh Hader. Jeremy Jeffress. Corey Knebel. That three-headed monster is frightening to other teams once the sixth inning rolls around.

But there is more.

Brandon Woodruff broke onto the scene late in the season, even going as far as to take Clayton Kershaw deep during the playoffs. He and Corbin Burnes, the electric rookie who earned his first career save in his first-ever MLB appearance in Miami, are both competing for rotation spots, but it's unlikely both will get one.

Even if Woodruff — who is the more likely of the two to become a starter — joins the rotation, Burnes is primed and ready to help this team for the full season. The club also acquired lefty Alex Claudio from Texas, and he will provide coverage for Hader as another southpaw.

The wild card here is Matt Albers, who signed a two-year deal last off-season, but faltered and faced injuries throughout ‘18. If he returns to his true potential, this ‘pen is right up there with the Yankees' feared arms.

Cash rules everything

Getting top-tier free agents like Grandal and Moustakas to want to be in Milwaukee says a lot, not only about the team, but about the culture instilled in the clubhouse. Winning is what brings players  to certain locations, and along with that normally comes money.

This will be the most the team has ever spent in guaranteed money on the payroll in the franchise’s history, a testament to the skills of Stearns, but also to the trust that owner Mark Attanasio has in this squad. He would not sign off on such an increase in funds if he didn’t think that they could prove their worth.

This also shows the commitment that the team has to taking advantage of their window, so other moves have to be in order, too.

An addition such as left-handed pitcher Dallas Keuchel would be the cherry on top of an expensive, but fantastically-managed off-season that saw the team address its biggest areas of deficiency that led to last year’s exit. If they are spending money like this already, in-season moves have more leniency to happen too.

Era of position-less baseball

After never playing an inning at second base, Travis Shaw was asked to move positions in the midst of a pennant race when the team acquired Moustakas. Performing admirably, Shaw will move back to third base and Moustakas will slide over to second in 2019, where the latter has never appeared during a big league game.

Additionally, the team has utility man Hernan Perez at their disposal, who can play essentially any position on the diamond. Ryan Braun made 12 starts at first base last season and Yelich played all outfield slots in '18.

It looks like the lineup card is about to get very long for Counsell and company, as they will have ample options to deploy on a daily basis.

Counsell knows what it takes

Having played in Milwaukee on one of their playoff squads, Counsell understands how contagious winning can be with the Brewers. But he also understands what it takes to win it all, as he learned with the Marlins as a player in 1997.

Having earned respect from many of the players while playing alongside some of them before hanging his spikes speaks for itself, and having that background affords him a luxury most manager don’t have. Counsell is steps ahead what some managers must deal with based on his pedigree alone.

The Brewers understand what is asked of them and know exactly how to handle situations because they come to work with the mindset of having already been there. By carrying themselves to that standard, they have already won the fight, and they just need to conquer the battle.

Something is brewing in Milwaukee.