Brewers season preview 2022 (2024)

PHOENIX — With an abbreviated spring training, the Brewers showed up ready. Most notably, their pitchers arrived looking as if everything was right on schedule. That was great news for a team with high expectations when the season starts Thursday.

Unlike the splashy moves made elsewhere during the offseason, the Brewers made only a few under-the-radar adjustments to a team that won the NL Central last season. So getting further than a first-round exit this season will hinge largely on familiar faces reaching new heights in 2022.

Based on the clues from spring training — with help from conversations from scouts, plus our own observations — here’s a look at the players the Brewers will count on this season and their outlook for potential breakouts, bounce-backs and pitfalls.

Catchers

Omar Narváez: When things aren’t clicking for Narváez, there are more infield fly balls and grounders than base hits, and that’s what happened throughout most of spring. Defense, though, is what matters most, especially given the shortcomings further down the depth chart. Pitchers continue to rave about his willingness to keep an open mind regarding their preferences while staying informed about opponents. In his third year with the club and with a pitching staff that has mostly stayed the same, the expectation is that we’ll see even fewer instances of pitchers shaking him off.

Pedro Severino: The power is real. Severino isn’t going to miss pitches over the plate. His defense, however, will remain a work in progress. In one game against the A’s, Freddy Peralta threw two pitches that got by Severino (ruled wild pitches).While with the Orioles, Severino led the American League in passed balls in each of the past two seasons (five in 2020 and 10 in 2021) after finishing second with 10 in 2019. That’s not a category in which a catcher wants to be perenially near the top of the list. To be fair, Narváez had a similar issue before joining the Brewers. Milwaukee has a reputation for developing defensive catchers, but an accelerated spring doesn’t exactly help with learning curves. He’ll need time.

Mario Feliciano: Every time Feliciano shows up to spring training, he hits. In a few Cactus League games, this year was no different. He again hit a couple of balls hard. The question is whether he can stay healthy. If he does, he is in line to make the majors this season. He’ll start the year with Triple-A Nashville.

Brett Sullivan: Scouts love Sullivan’s athleticism — the left-handed batter can also play left field. The newcomer from the Rays organization got a head start working with the Brewers pitchers during the lockout as he helped organize informal workouts in Arizona before spring training. He will start with Nashville and is a nice complement to Feliciano with the Sounds as an older player (he’s 28 and hasn’t made the majors while Feliciano is 23) and a better defender.

Infielders

Rowdy Tellez: One scout already familiar with Tellez said he’s not sure if he’s ever seen him this comfortable. With a team? At the plate? Both, the scout said. Tellez has carried a good approach into at-bats and displayed some power. One example: On a high pitch, Tellez made contact and, despite not getting all of it, muscled a towering home run. He may get more time against lefties this season, judging from comments made by manager Craig Counsell and president of baseball operations David Stearns. He doesn’t have the most range at first base, but the power and on-base skills are there.

Keston Hiura: Without a toe tap and with a toned-down leg kick, Hiura looks a lot better. He had four home runs through Saturday. He’s been more selective, too. Swing-and-miss remains, and while that’s fine if Hiura hits, it’s still worth bringing up. Robbie Ray struck him out Saturday on a high fastball slightly out of the zone. In his next at-bat against Ray, Hiura hit a double off the wall in center field. Sure, the reigning AL Cy Young doesn’t present an easy matchup. But he’s the type of tough lefty that Hiura may draw starts against as a right-handed batter. Hiura logged several innings in left field, second base and first base (the position he would figure to see the most action at behind Tellez). Defensively, Hiura was tested a ton but did make a couple of nice plays at first base, including one when he stretched for a low ball for an out. He may not draw starts immediately, but a good spring shouldn’t be ignored, even if it just means a bench role at the start of the season.

Kolten Wong: The Brewers’ leadoff batter last season continued in that role during the spring, and if he stays healthy, he’s a decent bet for 100 runs. It’s cool to see how an elite defender works in spring training. For instance, there were a handful of plays Wong made jump throws on just to get additional practice on that movement. He also spent time helping infield prospect Brice Turang, who could appear in the majors this season and will start at shortstop for Nashville.

Willy Adames: Instead of the “claws,” Adames and new Brewer Andrew McCutchen came up with a photo-taking celebration. So that’s new. On the field, Adames again looks great. He showcased the kind of power he did last year in Milwaukee with a couple of deep home runs. He may be underrated defensively, too; with a runner on third in one game, he fielded a high chopper beautifully, prevented the runner from scoring and fired a strong throw to first base for an out. Counsell took him out of a game Friday because of a calf cramp, but Adames appeared at designated hitter the next road game and then was back at shortstop Sunday.

Luis Urías: On March 31, Counsell suggested that the Brewers’ second road trip — which begins April 22 in Philadelphia, 15 days after Opening Day in Chicago — is a more realistic timetable for Urías’ return from a quad injury. Urías strained his right quad after rounding second base during the Brewers’ second Cactus League game on March 19. He had just two at-bats. It’s not so much the pain, it sounds like, as it is the ability and confidence to run at full speed. That takes time. Initially, the thought was Urías would miss just the first road series, but things have not progressed well enough for that to remain the case. The injury is still not considered long-term.

Mike Brosseau: A list of positions Brosseau has played this spring: first base, second base, third base and shortstop. Brosseau played shortstop in college but has never appeared there in the majors. He also doesn’t have much experience at first base. He looked fine at both spots even though there was a play at first base when he couldn’t reel in a throw while staying on the bag. With Urías’ injury, Brosseau’s 15 or so innings at shortstop may come in handy in a backup role. A highlight at the plate was a home run that landed on the concourse beyond the wall in left field at Maryvale.

Jace Peterson: As a result of Urías’ injury, no Brewers player logged more innings at third base than the left-handed batting Peterson, who also saw time at second base and right field. Peterson projects to be the Opening Day third baseman against Cubs right-hander Kyle Hendricks.

Pablo Reyes: Most of Reyes’ time this spring was spent at second base and third base, but he also played a few innings at shortstop. He made some terrific defensive plays at all spots. He again made a lot of contact, striking out just twice through his first 18 plate appearances. With Urías out, it appeared Reyes might have had a chance to make the Opening Day roster, but Milwaukee optioned him on Monday. All indications are that the Brewers will go with additional pitchers given the lack of days off in April.

Outfielders

Christian Yelich: If you were hoping for a spring training that made you yell, “CHRISTIAN YELICH IS BACK TO PERFORMING LIKE 2019!” then these past couple of weeks didn’t cut it for you. (Note: It’s probably not healthy to make proclamations like that based on spring training one way or the other, anyway.) It’s been an unremarkable spring, but that doesn’t mean it’s been a bad one. Yelich has hit balls the other way and hit balls hard, but he’s also grounded out to the right side a fair amount. Through Saturday, he hadn’t hit a home run or many fly balls, but he also hasn’t swung and missed much and has played regularly with no known physical limitations. He entered Sunday with 44 innings already in left field, and that’s more than any other Brewer outfielder at a single spot.

Lorenzo Cain: Cain played in center field and hit second in the batting order a handful of times. Health, he said, will largely determine whether he plays beyond this season, the final one of his contract with the Brewers. When he was on the field last year, Cain’s OPS was just slightly below league average. He was dealing with nagging leg injuries so even though he turns 36 on April 13, there could still be some production left. That might be especially true if days off are sprinkled into his schedule, which is something the Brewers should have no problem doing.

Tyrone Taylor: Always, it seems Taylor hits balls hard in spring training and makes a strong case to play more. This year is no different. Through Saturday, he was 11-for-25 with three home runs and three doubles. Counsell said at the beginning of the spring that his playing time depends largely on the outfielders in front of him on the depth chart. But Taylor has proved he belongs as part of the mix. Scouts were impressed this spring with his ability to hit to all fields.

Hunter Renfroe: The Brewers scratched Renfroe with lower back tightness Saturday, but he was back in the lineup as a DH on Sunday. Renfroe played five innings at first base in one game, and that’s a position he only has nine career innings at in the majors. Against tough lefties, plugging Renfroe in at first base could give the Brewers a way to get as many good right-handed bats in the lineup as possible (with Taylor able to play in the outfield).

Andrew McCutchen: He will primarily appear at DH, at least early, but McCutchen can still play the corner outfield spots. He said he believes he has figured out a way to improve his numbers against right-handed pitchers. Upon joining the Brewers, he showed up in tremendous shape and has received positive reviews for his clubhouse presence.

Corey Ray: It was hard to tell how much progress Ray made on pitch recognition and strike-zone awareness in 2021 because he dealt with injuries. But he’s healthy now. At 27, he may be reaching a point where it’s now or never in terms of impacting the Brewers at some point as a 40-man roster player. He got just eight plate appearances in the Cactus League and will start the season with Nashville.

Starting pitchers

Corbin Burnes: The reigning Cy Young Award winner has a goal: make at least 30 starts. He would have likely accomplished that last year (28 starts) had he not missed time after testing positive for COVID-19. There were more hard-hit balls and home runs than usual against Burnes during the spring, but the two home runs allowed were on 3-2 pitches over the middle. Don’t worry about the spring ERA (4.50); in this case, it’s a silly small sample size and after his first start, the cutter looked great. While throwing to Severino, his final tuneup Saturday against the Mariners was an efficient one supported by crisp breaking balls: 82 pitches in six innings.

Brandon Woodruff: Woodruff is usually a slow starter (last year was an exception, and he may have peaked early) so he wasn’t worried about his 10 earned runs allowed in his first seven innings of spring. He throws a mix of about five pitches at this point with usage rates trending more even than in his first couple of years. So it sometimes takes time to make sure they are all rolling the way he wants. His breaking pitches were better against the Rangers on Sunday, with Woodruff getting more swing-and-miss.

Freddy Peralta: Look for the changeup to possibly become a bigger piece of Peralta’s usage. He threw the pitch 9.8 percent of the time last year but is getting more comfortable. Movement and when to use it have been a focus for Peralta since the offseason. One highlight for the right-hander was a swing-and-miss strikeout using the changeup against the Padres’ Matt Beaty, a left-handed batter who isn’t prone to striking out.

Adrian Houser: Houser worked on refining his changeup and slider. Over the offseason, he tinkered with the grips for both pitches. Houser’s sinker was good versus lefties and righties last year, but he tends to have trouble with walks without more of a put-away pitch, particularly against left-handed batters. Perhaps this is another step toward making him more well-rounded, but it’s worth reiterating that his success is mostly as a sinker guy.

Eric Lauer: The velocity reached as high as 96 mph a few times for Lauer, who last season didn’t throw a ball harder than 95.5 mph. Who knows if that’s sustainable, but Lauer appeared stronger. Perhaps more important, Lauer has been able to repeat the mechanical changes he has made over the last year-plus. He’s had a lot of success since moving to more of a short-armed delivery, and that continued in the spring.

Aaron Ashby: After a great first season, Ashby wants to establish his sinker more in the bottom of the zone to be even better. That would help him get weak contact and lower some pitch counts. He said he’s game to throw either from the bullpen or as a starter. The Brewers will likely utilize him in both roles. It’s unclear if they will open the season with a six-man rotation, but Ashby’s been stretched out all camp as a starter, so he’s ready if they go that direction.

Alec Bettinger:Bettinger did not pitch in any Cactus League games before getting optioned, and it’s unclear why. Last year, he threw 10 innings for the Brewers and moved from the major-league roster to Nashville’s roster five times. Presumably, he will start in the Nashville rotation.

Dylan File: File threw just two innings in a Cactus League game and mostly stayed around 94 mph, but should be in line to make his major-league debut at some point in 2022 after missing most of last year while working his way back from an elbow injury. File has always thrown strikes and attacked with four pitches, and the uptick in velocity may lead to bigger things for him. He will start the season in the Nashville rotation.

Relievers

Josh Hader: The talk around spring training with Hader seems to always be about his changeup, but last season was the first time in a while he utilized the pitch, so it’s conceivable that he’ll turn to it more often in 2022. Either way, he’s been nearly untouchable. Few pitchers know what their routine needs to consist of better than Hader, so it was no surprise to learn he was one of a handful working on their game in Arizona before spring training.

Devin Williams: Pitchers tend to try new things in the spring, but Williams’ new pitch may be worth keeping. As dominant as his changeup can be, especially off a 98 mph fastball, Williams wanted a third pitch to keep batters guessing. Enter a slider/cutter. The movement and velocity have both checked out, scouts said, and the proof is in the swing-and-miss stuff. Williams said he wasn’t sure how much he’d use it in the season, but don’t be surprised to see it.

Brad Boxberger: A year ago, Boxberger didn’t make the Brewers’ roster. Now, he re-signed and is viewed as a stabilizing piece of the bullpen. After a couple of poor spring outings, he rebounded well, and Milwaukee will again typically be turning to him in the seventh inning of games ahead of Williams and Hader.

Brent Suter: In Suter’s first outing of the spring — an intrasquad game before Cactus League play started March 18 — he logged two innings. And that should indicate — especially considering he missed the playoff series last year with an oblique strain — how ready he is to contribute as a valuable, versatile arm that works quickly and efficiently.

Jake Cousins: Cousins has a terrific slider but sometimes he can run into command issues. Last season, that meant a 15 percent walk rate in 30 innings. He got into some deep counts in the spring, but the stuff was good enough for him to work out of most trouble. He needs to throw his fastball for strikes to be most effective and have his slider look even better. Unlike last year, he figures to be a part of the Brewers’ bullpen immediately.

Trevor Gott: Counsell informed Gott on Friday that he’d make the club, and the news was not much of a surprise. Gott, once a closer with the Giants, was the only bubble reliever out of minor-league options and he looked sharp. Gott has resumed throwing his sinker, and the pitch has generated weak grounders against lefties and righties. As a right-hander, the optimistic view is that he fills a role that Hunter Strickland (now with the Reds) did last season as a mid-leverage option.

José Ureña: The Brewers signed Ureña on March 29 and added him to their 40-man roster the next day. He’s expected to make the Opening Day roster as a reliever. Best known for his days as a Marlins starter, he can pitch multiple innings. That length might come in handy in the early weeks of the season. The Brewers have just one day off (April 21) in April once the season begins. On Sunday, Ureña pitched in his first game with the Brewers. He threw 1 1/3 innings (30 pitches) and allowed three hits with four strikeouts.

Jandel Gustave:Gustave’s slider was a strong pitch last year, even if it didn’t receive recognition like some offerings from his peers. He’s carried that into the spring, too. A highlight for the right-hander came against the Padres. He threw two sliders for strikes against right-handed batter Wil Myers, and those pitches were so good that the next one, a fastball down the middle, froze Myers for a strikeout.

Justin Topa: Topa (elbow) will likely be out until at least June; he hasn’t thrown off a mound, but the target for a rehab assignment is sometime in May.

J.C. Mejía:The Brewers are using Mejía strictly as a reliever after acquiring him in the offseason from the Guardians. He’s an imposing presence at 6-foot-5. Much as he did over the winter, Mejía primarily used a mid-90s fastball and slider during the spring. Milwaukee optioned him to Nashville on Monday.

Hoby Milner: You might have missed it, but in 21 1/3 innings with the Brewers last season, Milner had a 30 percent strikeout rate. That figure was mostly because of his success with breaking pitches. That continued in the spring. In his first four innings, he had seven strikeouts without a walk. With the Brewers again lacking lefties in their bullpen, Milner, 31, remains one to watch.

Miguel Sánchez: Just like last year, Sánchez is throwing strikes. Add him to the list of players who showed up at camp in great shape, too. In one of his last outings, Sánchez threw 24 pitches in two innings, which underscores his efficiency. Milwaukee optioned him to Nashville on Monday.

Angel Perdomo:A non-throwing issue (as Counsell put it) slowed Perdomo down early and he never appeared in a Cactus League game. He will likely start the season in Nashville after the Brewers optioned him there.

Luis Perdomo: Hitting the radar gun as high as 96 mph, Perdomo’s sinker has been impressive. It’s led to quick outs and some of the most efficient innings of spring training. He’s the only non-roster player listed in this article because his spring has been that good. Signed to a minors deal, he was able to maintain communication with the Brewers throughout the lockout and has a great long-standing relationship with Milwaukee special assistant to the GM/player development Carlos Villanueva. Perdomo lasted a while in major-league camp before the Brewers reassigned him on Monday to minor-league camp.

(Photo of Andrew McCutchen: Norm Hall / Getty Images)