The Milwaukee Brewers were one of the legitimate contenders for a playoff berth until the latter part of the season. They held the NL Central lead for a long juncture of the season before the St. Louis Cardinals went on a fantastic run and grabbed the NL Central title from them. The pitching led by Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff will continue being a reliable tandem, but their offense will also need a bit of fixing.
It was a down year for Christian Yelich, as guys like Willy Adames and Kolten Wong arguably had a better season than Yelich. With the apparent struggles in the batting department, the Brewers front office added guys like William Contreras, Jesse Winker, and Abraham Toro. These additions will soften the pressure and focus on Yelich, as pitchers will also need to pitch on the others in the batting order.
Losing guys like Taylor Rogers, Omar Narvaez, and Jace Peterson will be difficult for the franchise, but the pitching will always aid them. Even with that, these are a couple of names that must bounce back from their abysmal 2022 campaign.
Jesse Winker
The Seattle Mariners was the last team of Jesse Winker, and they invested numerous assets to acquire a star left fielder to slot in the middle of their lineup. That did not turn out well, as his lone season with Seattle was horrific. The Mariners' fanbase was devastated, and the front office decided to move him to Milwaukee after one year.
Winker's 2021 campaign with the Cincinnati Reds was incredible as he batted .305 with a .394 on-base percentage, but that took a massive hit in 2022 as he tallied .219 and .344 in those respective departments. The fielding has been a primary concern for Winker, but it was more magnified because of his struggles on the plate. With Christian Yelich and Willy Adames in the middle of the order, this will provide immense help to the confidence and rhythm of Jesse Winker.
Adrian Houser
Regarding his tenure with the Brewers, this 2023 season will likely be a make-or-break year for Adrian Houser. The Wade Miley signing and Aaron Ashby contract extension, along with other starting pitchers, have given them a crowded depth in that position. An uncharacteristic 4.73 ERA with a subpar 15.2% strikeout rate and a measly 46.7% ground ball rate for Houser in 2022 are numbers he must not replicate in 2023.
Manager Craig Counsell will likely slot Houser as the fourth or fifth starter, so he still has the repetitions to lock up his spot. There is a small hole for Adrian Houser to commit any glaring mistake, so he must risk it. If not, he will likely get traded or moved to the bullpen by the middle of the season.
Christian Yelich
It is ironic to have a 2018 NL MVP and two-time batting champion in this piece, but Milwaukee Brewers superstar Christian Yelich must return to his MVP-caliber play in 2023. It has been two straight down years for Yelich, but he will need to regain his old form if they want to contend in the National League postseason.
The pitchers may have had an easier time pitching around Yelich in the previous years because the batters after him were not much of a threat. The offseason fixtures have addressed some of those weaknesses, so this year might be the year wherein the pressure will lessen on his shoulders. As a leadoff hitter, his on-base percentage the past two seasons have been at .736 and .738, respectively. That number must be closer to .9 or 1.0, so let's see if he can increase those statistics in 2023.
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