Fantasy baseball season is almost upon us (yearly redrafts anyways) and I want to take a look at players that could help you win your league! The Brewers are pitcher heavy in terms of on field star power and fantasy relevance. Just because Burnes and Woodruff will be drafted high doesn’t mean there isn’t still value in targeting them early. I’m going to go position by position to see which members of the Crew could be an asset to your team!
Catcher
This is a position where I can see fans making a Brewer a priority. Catcher isn’t a position that fantasy owners target early but William Contreras could be a great late round pick. He finished as the 9th best caster last season according to ESPN’s fantasy player rater while only playing 92 games. He’s projected to be the 13th best catcher this season while going late in drafts. If you’re someone that typically waits on the catching position to focus elsewhere, Contreras would be a great target in the later rounds.
First Base
This is a position I’m trying to avoid a Brewer at. Rowdy Tellez set career highs in runs, homeruns and RBI’s last season and still only finished as the 16th best first baseman. He’s projected in the exact same spot in 2023 with some promising younger options below him. Also, with the addition of Luke Voit, we could see a more even split of at bats if he recaptures some of what he had early as a Yankee. If you can get Rowdy later on and are in a points based league, it’s not bad. I don’t like him in roto unless you are in dire need of homeruns.
Second Base
Second base is hard to judge because we don’t know who will be the opening day starter there yet. I’m going to take a shot in the dark here and say Luis Urias will be kicking off the season there. He finished as the 34th rated second baseman last year, which shouldn’t come as a shock as he battled injuries early. With him being projected to be the 21st 2B off the board, I’m probably avoiding him. He’s not a terrible candidate for a bounce back season, but with Brice Turang a good spring and AAA start away from being called up, I’d hold off on Urias.
Turang is a player I’d keep my eye on though. He could be an interesting waiver wire add if and when he gets called up. He should be a solid source of homeruns and stolen bases from a position where it typically lacks. If he gets called up and gets regular playing time, he could be an ideal roto player with plenty of point league upside.
Shortstop
This is one of the positions that I can see Brewer fans reaching on their guy. Willy Adames finished as the 9th best shortstop last season and is currently ranked as the 12th. Winning fantasy leagues is all about getting the best value possible, and it looks like Adames falls under that category. As he’s become more of a power bat, I like him much more in point based leagues than roto but I do expect his average to improve from last season. I’d also be a bit surprised if he doesn’t reach double digit steals this year.
Third Base
This is an interesting position for the Brewers in reality and fantasy. They have Urias, who I covered at second base, but they also have Brian Anderson. As I stated earlier, I think Urias ends up starting at second which would leave third base open. This would open the door for Anderson and I think he ends up being fantasy relevant. He didn’t do much of anything last season but is finally healthy and hitting in a much more friendly ballpark. From 2018 to 2020, he was a reliable contributor for Miami. I wouldn’t use a draft pick on him, but he’s worth monitoring as he should get a good amount of at bats.
Outfield
This is a position I’m excited for as a Brewer fan that is looking for value. Somehow, Christian Yelich finished as OF16 last year yet is projected to be the 29th outfielder off the board this season. As someone that has lost faith in him, I truly see him as a steal this year. He may not be the source of power he was prior to getting injured, but he gets on base, steals some bases and is a great source of runs. He also sounds more confident coming into this season and I wouldn’t be shocked to see his power numbers increase as well.
Outside of Yelich, there isn’t another proven outfield commodity to try and focus on in your drafts. With that said, there are some exciting young options that you could gamble on at the end of the draft or use the waiver wire to get. Garrett Mitchell didn’t put up eye opening numbers in 28 games last season, but he got on base. That will keep him in the lineup consistently early on in the season and he’s already showing some power in spring training. If you love having Brewer players on your fantasy team, Mitchell may be one to take a flyer on.
The waiver wire player I’d keep my eye on is Sal Frelick. He had an incredible minor league run last season that ended up in AAA, where he put up his best numbers of the season in 46 games. He likely won’t be on the roster to start the season but could be an early call up as only Yelich and Mitchell appear to be locked into everyday OF roles. Frelick could be a great table setter for the team and could be a great roto option for your fantasy teams. Joey Wiemer is in a similar boat but I think the Brewers want to see him improve his hit skill a bit before bringing him up where Frelick appears to be ready.
Designated Hitter
After struggling in the DH department in 2022, I think it could be at worst a net neutral spot in 2023 for the Crew. The addition of Jesse Winker could end up being a great move. He should be the DH almost every day as his fielding numbers are less than ideal. He also has incredible hitting splits at Am Fam Field. He had a down year last year but a lot of that was due to injuries. Now healthy, I could see him setting new career highs in almost all running stat categories with a solid average. Could be a nice late round pick up in roto or point based leagues.
Starting Pitcher
This is the area where the Brewers shine and you can’t really go wrong if you end up with either of their aces. Corbin Burnes is the 5th ranked player overall heading into the season so if you want him, you better draw a good pick. As much as I love Burnes, investing a first round pick in a starting pitcher has always been scary for me. It makes more sense in a points league, but with the position being so deep, I’d rather go with a bat. With that said, you can’t go wrong with Burnes. he has a super high floor and obviously a high ceiling. Having him be SP1 for your roster is a great start.
Next up is Brandon Woodruff. He is one Brewer fans need to be a bit careful of. He finished last season as SP26 and is projected as the 15th best starting pitcher this season. I do believe he could finish there, or potentially even higher. With that said, he hasn’t proven to be the most reliable source of innings. 2021 is the season where he reached his career high in innings, 179.1. Outside of that, last year was his highest with 153.1. His numbers are always very good but for SP15, I’d personally rather have a pitcher that consistently throws innings close to the 200 mark. He seems like the kind of pick that could make your rotation elite or slightly underwhelming.
On the flip side, there is Freddy Peralta. He is in a similar spot as Woodruff for me, as I need to see more innings. With that said, Freddy is projected to be drafted 120 spots lower. He is 100% the type of player that can turn a decent fantasy team into a great one. He has the stuff and results to be a high end starter. If he stays healthy and can work around the 150 inning mark, he’ll be an absolute steal at pick 151.
Finally, there is Eric Lauer. He’s on track to be an absolute steal this year as he’s projected to be drafted in one of the final rounds after being the 52nd best starting pitcher last year. If you can get a middle of the rotation starting pitcher either off waivers or at the very end of the draft, you’re absolutely killing it. I don’t know if he repeats his 2022 season, but he’s a good source of ERA and strikes out a batter per inning. Not much more you can ask for at that point in the draft.
Relief Pitcher
This isn’t a position I usually invest a ton of draft capital into but the Brewers do have one of the best in Devin Williams. He finished as the 4th best relief pitcher last season and is projected at that spot again in 2023. The set up spot will be filled by Matt Bush early in the season but if he struggles, it wouldn’t be shocking to see the Brewers make a move there. There aren’t a ton of reliable options for holds (if your league counts this stat) so I would hold off on targeting a Brewers until we see some regular season consistency.
Overall, this Brewers team has more value options than players you want to reach for. With that said, I could see a couple being drafted late and playing major roles for a successful fantasy team. If that happens, the actual team in Milwaukee could be making another run at a NL Central pennant.
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