Unfortunately, the Milwaukee Brewers are not one of the two teams remaining that will be playing through Halloween this year.
After getting spooked by the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS, the Brewers were sent to the graveyard (off-season) with the remainder of the MLB teams left searching for answers. While it may seem that you will be a skeleton by the time Brewers baseball returns, there are lots of jack-o-lanterns (players) to analyze in the interim.
In this article, we will be examining four players who surprised us in 2021 and evaluate them trick or treat style. Trick will represent that 2021 was an out of the ordinary season whereas treat means expect more of the same in 2022.
1) INF Luis Urias – Treat
2021 was an up and down season for Luis Urias, but ultimately he put together a solid offense season. He finished the season with 23 home runs and 75 RBI’s. His 111 OPS+ was comparable to Eduardo Escobar, which certainly is encouraging. Had he been playing a consistent position all season, those number would have been even higher. He certainly is deserving of an every day spot come 2022. I would expect more of the same production next season.
2) OF Jackie Bradley Jr- Trick
Many questioned the initial acquisition of Jackie Bradley Jr last off-season seeing how the starting outfield appeared set. However, due to injury he received a lot of playing time early on in the season, but was unable to establish any sort of offensive rhythm. The result was a .163 batting average and a 34 OPS+, one of the worst offensive seasons ever. JBJ cannot be that bad for two seasons in a row, chalk 2021 up to a trick.
3) RHP Jake Cousins – Treat
Cousins did not factor into the Brewers bullpen until relievers J.P. Feyereisen and Drew Rasmussen were traded to the Rays. The first thing he did was pitch scoreless frames in his first 17 appearances. His most devastating pitch was his slider. Of his 44 strikeouts, 35 came via the slider. Expect Cousins to make a case as a high leverage reliever in 2022.
4) 1B Daniel Vogelbach – Trick
It is hard not to love big Dan Vogelbach. From his personality, wardrobe, and ability to hit walk-off grand slams, he was easily a fan favorite. However, these things may be clouding our judgment. He did miss a good portion of the season with a hamstring injury, but his 97 OPS+ puts him at below league average status. With no minor league options remaining, it is possible that Vogelbach is a non-tender this winter. Given this, Vogelbach’s 2021 season goes down as a trick.
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