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Milwaukee Brewers Roundtable: Offseason Review & 2020 Preview

By Paul Bretl

OAKLAND, CA - JULY 31: Lorenzo Cain #6 of the Milwaukee Brewers celebrates after hitting a lead-off home run against the Oakland Athletics in the top of the first inning at Ring Central Coliseum on July 31, 2019 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - JULY 31: Lorenzo Cain #6 of the Milwaukee Brewers celebrates after hitting a lead-off home run against the Oakland Athletics in the top of the first inning at Ring Central Coliseum on July 31, 2019 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – SEPTEMBER 20: Jedd Gyorko #26 of the Los Angeles Dodgers makes a throw to first base while playing the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium on September 20, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers won 12-5. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images) /

What is your biggest concern heading into 2020?

Matt: For the sake of avoiding the easy/obvious answer of third base or Narvaez’s defense, I’m going to go with Luis Urias’s health. Yes, it seems like the procedure on his wrist was a relatively minor one. But the injury sort of just crept up out of nowhere, which is cause for concern. And the fact that it will likely keep him out of all of Spring Training at minimum means he could have a slow start to the season offensively. Hopefully this is just a small bump in the road, because Urias is expected to play a big role this season.

Mike: For me it’s a combination of the amount of trust in some bounce-back candidates and the effect that losing Moustakas, Grandal, and Thames has on team chemistry in the clubhouse. On the field, placing a lot of faith in guys like Gyorko, Omar Narvaez, Avisail Garcia, and Justin Smoak represents a much larger risk than last year when guys like Jesus Aguilar were coming off All-Star seasons. But the talent is there for the newest Brewers. It’s part of why they’ve been in the Major Leagues for over five years apiece for Gyorko, Smoak, and Garcia.

The clubhouse is another story. Eric Thames was beloved in that room, and was an invaluable leader of the group. Ditto for Mike Moustakas. He came over from Kansas City in 2018 and immediately assumed the mantle of playoff veteran and hard-nosed leader.

In the pitching staff, Zach Davies and Chase Anderson were quiet, but effective guys who had been around long enough to lead the staff. Now it’s up to Brandon Woodruff and Brett Anderson to lead the rotation. It’s a lot of turnover from a team that’s gone to the playoffs back to back seasons, and we’ll see early on how the clubhouse is functioning without some major pieces from years past.

Kenny: My biggest concern is the uncertainty that surrounds a lot of guys on this team. Guys like Keston Hiura and Omar Narvaez have fielding concerns, but those are minimal compared to other guys. Brett Anderson has dealt with injuries in his career and Corey Knebel is coming off of a big surgery.

The entire third base position is a question mark without one guy that can really be penciled in as the Opening Day starter. Finally, Josh Lindblom could be great, but after years in Korea, it is hard to know how he will adjust back to the MLB.

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