Milwaukee Brewers: Opening Day 25-man roster predictions

With Opening Day quickly approaching, it is time to think about who will be on the Milwaukee Brewers 25-man roster for game one against the St. Louis Cardinals.

It seems like Spring Training just began but it is over halfway complete and before we know it, Opening Day will be here. At this point, we have a decent idea of who will make up the Milwaukee Brewers roster to start the season, particularly because there really weren’t any positional battles taking place this spring.

However, outside of Jhoulys Chacin there are still questions on two through five in the pitching rotation as well as who will be the last few players out of the bullpen.

Once game one of the MLB season rolls around, this who I expect to be on the Milwaukee Brewers 25-man roster.

First base

Jesus Aguilar and Eric Thames

After a breakout year in 2018 that included his first All-Star appearance along with 35 home runs and 108 RBIs, Aguilar is looking to duplicate that success in the upcoming season. Behind him will be Eric Thames who is due $6 million in 2019 and will be an expensive player coming off of the bench. Yet, he will be able to add lefty power to the lineup and he will be able to take over at first and even the outfield if needed.

Second base

Mike Moustakas and Hernan Perez

For much of the winter, it looked like the platoon of Hernan Perez and Cory Spangenberg would be at second base this season until the late signing of Moustakas. Although he hasn’t played second at the big league level, Moose has been getting his reps in Spring Training and will give the Milwaukee Brewers another consistent left-handed bat in the lineup.

Perez is a jack of all trades, which is a big reason that manager Craig Counsell loves having him on the team. He is listed as a second baseman here, but he will be able to take over at just about any position if needed.

Shortstop

Orlando Arcia

2018 got off to a very slow start for Arcia but he came on strong in the second half, particularly in September and into the playoffs. He then continued his hot streak during the winter ball season in Venezuela. Everyone is hoping that his play at the plate will carry over to the 2019 season, as the Milwaukee Brewers need more consistency in the bottom of the order.

Third base

Travis Shaw

Shaw will be back at his natural third base position where he was a Gold Glove finalist last season. At the plate he is off to a good start this spring, posting an OPS of 1.050 with three home runs in 20 at-bats.

Catcher

Yasmani Grandal and Manny Pina

Even though Erik Kratz was a fan favorite and put on a great postseason performance, with the acquisition of Grandal, we won’t be seeing him on the Opening Day roster. Grandal will give the offense a huge boost with his power and defensively he is one of the best pitch framers in the game.

Outfield

Christain Yelich, Ryan Braun, Lorenzo Cain, and Ben Gamel

Yeli, Brauny, and Lo-Lo, there isn’t much more that needs to be said about that trio. On the other hand, Ben Gamel is a new face that was acquired in a trade with the Seattle Mariners and will play a big role for the Milwaukee Brewers this season since Domingo Santana and Keon Broxton were traded away. Over his career, Gamel has recorded a slash line of .269/.331/.392.

Starting rotation

Jhoulys Chacin, Corbin Burnes, Zach Davies, Brandon Woodruff, and Freddy Peralta

We know that Chacin is a lock for Opening Day and Burnes should fall into that category as well. One name in particular that is not on this list is Jimmy Nelson. I do believe that we will see him early on in the season but since he hasn’t pitched this spring yet, I anticipate he will begin 2019 in Triple-A before facing big league competition.

Craig Counsell will continue to ride with his other two young pitchers Woodruff and Peralta. Both of which put together strong 2018 seasons and Woody was a big part of their playoff success.

Lastly, we can only hope that Davies can bounce back after a disappointing 2018 season but given how Spring Training has gone, I would give him the nod over Chase Anderson.

Bullpen

Jeremy Jeffress, Corey Knebel, Josh Hader, Alex Claudio, Junior Guerra, Chase Anderson, Adrian Houser, and Matt Albers

We know for certain that the first four names on the list are locks as long as Jeffress is healthy, and even with his poor performance in the second half of 2018, Albers will be in the bullpen on Opening Day as well.

Chase Anderson is hoping to rebound in 2019 but hasn’t gotten off to the best start this spring. The long ball was what gave him issues last year and even though he has refined his pitching mechanics over the offseason, early on anyways this is still an issue. In six innings pitched he’s allowed three home runs and five earned runs. However, he is due $6 million this season, so he will be on the Opening Day roster and my prediction is as the long reliever.

Guerra seemed to perform better out of the bullpen last season and will most likely take on a bigger role from there in 2019. While Houser has pitched 6.2 innings this spring and has allowed just one earned run and has struck out four.

Next. 3 free agent pitchers that can still help the Brewers. dark

There is a lot that can still change before March 28th, and by no means will this roster stay as is, but the Milwaukee Brewers have a lot of talent at their disposal to make another World Series run.

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