X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Milwaukee Brewers - 2017 Fantasy MLB Team Preview and Outlooks

As we wrap up our MLB team previews, it's time to preview one of the young, upcoming teams in the National League with the 2017 Milwaukee Brewers Team Outlook.

The Brewers finished last season 73-89, but are a team that should be on the rise despite a relatively quiet offseason.

We'll take a look at the team's notable additions, losses, offense, pitching and prospects. Remember, nobody gets you prepared for the upcoming season like RotoBaller!

Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball lineup tools and weekly lineup resources:

 

Offseason Moves

Key Additions: Jett Bandy, Eric Thames, Neftali Feliz, Travis Shaw

Key Departures: Chris Carter, Tyler Thornburg, Martin Maldonado

The Brewers are still in rebuild mode, even though they aren't the youngest team around, so there wasn't much money flying off the table at free agents this offseason. Their most notable addition came from the Korean League in the form of ex-MLB player Eric Thames. They hope he will fill the power void at first left by NL HR champ Chris Carter, who found few suitors on the free agent market before settling on a one-year deal with the Yankees.  They also flipped catchers, opting for Jett Bandy instead of Martin Maldonado in order to get younger at the position. Bandy has very modest offensive upside, but Maldonado had already proven he wasn't going to do much with Major League pitching with a .217/.299/.342 career slash. The biggest move the Brew Crew made was sending reliever Tyler Thornburg to Boston in exchange for three players. Travis Shaw should become the regular third baseman. With Thornburg dealt, just like Jeremy Jeffress and Will Smith last season, Feliz may start the year as the closer.

 

Hitting Overview 

Ryan Braun is still the star here and he has remained consistent over the past couple of seasons. In fact, his homer total (30) surged to its highest point since 2012, just before his PED scandal broke. It's encouraging to see that he can still produce near-elite power totals along with a .305/.365/.538 line, although some caution should be taken here as his FB% is actually declining. Nevertheless, he is still worthy of being a #1 outfielder on any fantasy team. The rest of the Milwaukee outfield is rife with untapped potential. Keon Broxton is a popular breakout candidate this year after finishing his rookie year with nine homers and 23 steals in just 207 at-bats. Domingo Santana projects as more of a power prospect, but has only hit .239 with 19 HR and 58 RBI in less than a season's worth of plate appearances. Both Broxton and Santana are worth late-round picks.

The infield is less appealing, with the Brewers relying on new additions Travis Shaw and Eric Thames to man the corner spots. Thames is a popular sleeper this season, but will have to prove he can readjust to Major League hitting after four years overseas. Orlando Arcia is a defensive-minded shortstop who doesn't necessarily warrant rostering in most leagues. Hernan Perez was a sneaky source of steals off the waiver wire last season, but will remain in a utility role, limiting his value. The lone bright spot is last year's super-value player, Jonathan Villar, who will shift to second base. He is being drafted in the second round on average and will need to keep his stolen base total above 50, along with 15-20 homers once again in order to provide adequate return.

 

Pitching Overview

On paper, Milwaukee's rotation looks better than it really is. The "ace" of this staff is Matt Garza, who posted solid ratios in his 20s, but has put up ERAs of 5.63 and 4.51 the last two injury-riddled seasons., making him mainly an NL-only option. Junior Guerra and Zach Davies were valuable free agent pickups in 2016, with Guerra  finishing a surprisingly effective rookie campaign at the age of 31. Neither proved to be a good source of strikeouts, however, leaving them as deep-league options. Wily Peralta and Jimmy Nelson have yet to live up to their potential and are not fantasy-relevant in any way.

After trading away most of their bullpen, the Brewers will look to Neftali Feliz to close games initially. He was effective as a setup man in Pittsburgh last season, striking out 10.2 per nine innings. He doesn't possess ideal control for a closer, however, and was susceptible to the long ball last year (1.7 HR/9). Corey Knebel or Michael Blazek are likely to be the next in line for saves.

 

Prospects Overview

The most notable members of the Milwaukee farm system are a pair of outfielders and starting pitchers. Lewis Brinson came over from Texas in exchange for Jonathan Lucroy last season and projects to be a star in the making. He had a slow start in Double-A last season, but mashed to the tune of .382 with four homers and 20 RBI in 89 at-bats in Colorado Springs upon being moved. Corey Ray was the fifth overall pick in last year's draft, but with just a year of A-ball under his belt, he is a ways off from joining the 40-man roster.

The staff may get a boost this season if Josh Hader can live up to his potential. A hard-throwing lefty who racks up huge strikeout numbers, Hader is worth consideration in dynasty leagues. Jorge Lopez was hit hard in his first two Major League appearances last season, as he was in Triple-A, but still has the talent to stay on fantasy radars as a long-term prospect.

 

Conclusion

Milwaukee isn't thought of as a team rife with fantasy talent, but that is slowly changing. The Brewers' starting rotation should be mostly ignored, but they could have one of the most talented outfields in the majors if things fall right. Braun and Villar are still the stars here, but both are candidates for regression and should be approached with a slight bit of caution in drafts.




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Filip Gustavsson22 mins ago

Shuts Out Canadiens Thursday
Jake Guentzel31 mins ago

Scores Twice In Win Over Jets
Jesper Bratt39 mins ago

Hits Special Hat Trick Against Panthers
Joel Eriksson Ek51 mins ago

Injured In Thursday's Win
Mats Zuccarello58 mins ago

Exits With Lower-Body Injury Versus Canadiens
Filip Chytil1 hour ago

Exits With Injury Thursday
Jordan Eberle1 hour ago

Sustains A Lower-Body Injury Thursday
Michael Chandler2 hours ago

Set For A Rematch At UFC 309
Charles Oliveira3 hours ago

A Favorite At UFC 309
Viviane Araujo3 hours ago

An Underdog At UFC 309
Karine Silva3 hours ago

Looks To Extend Her Win Streak
Mauricio Ruffy3 hours ago

Looks For His Second UFC Win
Terry McLaurin9 hours ago

Catches Just One Pass In Loss
Austin Ekeler9 hours ago

Heavily Involved As Receiver On Thursday Night
Jalen Brunson10 hours ago

Expected To Suit Up Versus Brooklyn
Nicolas Claxton10 hours ago

Uncertain To Meet The Knicks
Wendell Carter Jr.10 hours ago

Out Again On Friday Night
Jaden Ivey10 hours ago

Questionable For Friday Night
Jett Williams11 hours ago

Suffers Sprained Ankle In AFL
James Llontop13 hours ago

A Big Underdog At UFC 309
Paul Craig13 hours ago

Looks To Snap Losing Skid At UFC 309
Bo Nickal13 hours ago

Puts Undefeated Record On The Line At UFC 309
Stipe Miocic13 hours ago

Ends Layoff At UFC 309
Jon Jones13 hours ago

Defends Heavyweight Title At UFC 309
P.J. Washington14 hours ago

Officially Out On Thursday
George Kittle14 hours ago

Upgrades To Limited On Thursday
Kyrie Irving14 hours ago

Won't Play On Thursday
Luka Doncic14 hours ago

Will Play On Thursday
Andre Drummond14 hours ago

Uncertain For Friday
Jimmy Butler14 hours ago

To Miss Third Straight Game
J.J. McCarthy15 hours ago

Receives Injection, Doesn't Have Another Surgery
Jake Ferguson15 hours ago

Misses First Practice Of The Week
Tony Pollard15 hours ago

Returns To Practice
Dakota Joshua16 hours ago

Makes Season Debut After Cancer Recovery
Alec Martinez16 hours ago

A Game-Time Call On Thursday
Viktor Arvidsson16 hours ago

Sits Out Meeting With Predators
Sean Couturier16 hours ago

Out On Thursday
Samuel Ersson16 hours ago

Misses Thursday's Action
Sam Bennett16 hours ago

A Game-Time Call Thursday
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen16 hours ago

Unavailable Thursday
Tage Thompson16 hours ago

Ruled Out For Thursday
Harrison Butker17 hours ago

Chiefs Place Harrison Butker On Injured Reserve
Darnell Mooney17 hours ago

Added To Week 11 Injury Report
Najee Harris17 hours ago

Back To Full Practice On Thursday
Amari Cooper17 hours ago

Says He Feels Like He'll Play In Week 11
Tyreek Hill18 hours ago

Returns To Practice
Nico Collins19 hours ago

Takes Part In Thursday's Practice
Tank Bigsby19 hours ago

Sitting Out Another Practice
Tampa Bay Rays19 hours ago

Rays To Play Home Games In 2025 At Steinbrenner Field
Dalton Kincaid20 hours ago

Not Present On Thursday
Davante Adams20 hours ago

Not Seen At Thursday's Practice
Sam LaPorta20 hours ago

Sidelined Again At Practice
Caleb Williams22 hours ago

Bears Reiterate That Caleb Williams Will Start In Week 11
Mikko Rantanen22 hours ago

Grabs Four Points Against Kings
Aliaksei Protas22 hours ago

Enjoys Multi-Point Outing Versus Maple Leafs
Patrick Kane23 hours ago

Notches Two Points In Overtime Win
Blake Lizotte23 hours ago

Suffers Another Injury
Pyotr Kochetkov23 hours ago

Suffers Injury Versus Utah
Caleb Jones23 hours ago

Hurt On Wednesday
LeBron James23 hours ago

Makes History With Third Consecutive Triple-Double
Jaxson Hayes24 hours ago

To Be Re-Evaluated In 1-2 Weeks
Walker Kessler24 hours ago

Remains Sidelined On Thursday
P.J. Washington24 hours ago

Considered Doubtful For Thursday
Luka Doncic24 hours ago

Expected To Remain In The Lineup Thursday
DeMar DeRozan24 hours ago

Exits Win With Back Problem
Aaron Rodgers24 hours ago

Leaning Toward Return In 2025
Grayson Allen1 day ago

Ruled Out Versus Kings
D'Angelo Russell2 days ago

Suiting Up On Wednesday
Bradley Beal2 days ago

Unavailable Wednesday
DK Metcalf2 days ago

Puts In Full Practice On Wednesday
Henrik Norlander2 days ago

Needs Strong Showing At Butterfield Bermuda Championship
Michael Kim2 days ago

Playing Well Down The Stretch
Nick Taylor2 days ago

Returns To Butterfield Bermuda Championship
Jhonattan Vegas2 days ago

Playing Well Heading To Butterfield Bermuda Championship
Matthias Schmid2 days ago

Looks To Bounce Back At Butterfield Bermuda Championship
Patrick Rodgers2 days ago

Heads To Butterfield Bermuda Championship
Mackenzie Hughes2 days ago

Debuts At Butterfield Bermuda Championship
Maverick McNealy2 days ago

Seeking Back-To-Back Top-10 Finishes In Bermuda
Lucas Glover2 days ago

In A Groove Ahead Of Bermuda Championship
Andrew Putnam2 days ago

A Player To Watch In Bermuda
PGA2 days ago

Nico Echavarria In Top Form Heading To Bermuda
Jusuf Nurkic2 days ago

Back On Wednesday Night
Anfernee Simons2 days ago

Won't Suit Up Against The Timberwolves
Robert Williams III2 days ago

Resting In Rematch With Minnesota
Tank Bigsby2 days ago

Listed As DNP On Wednesday
Tyreek Hill2 days ago

Misses Wednesday's Practice
Nick Hardy2 days ago

Looks To Find Consistency On The Greens In Bermuda
Carson Young2 days ago

Hopes To Carry Recent Form To Bermuda
Kevin Yu2 days ago

A Name To Watch At Butterfield Bermuda Championship
Shohei Ohtani2 days ago

Among NL Silver Slugger Winners
Aaron Judge2 days ago

Headlines AL Silver Slugger Winners
Wander Franco3 days ago

Now Facing Weapons Charges
Travis d'Arnaud3 days ago

Agrees On Two-Year Deal With Angels
Brendon Todd3 days ago

A Hard Sell At Butterfield Bermuda Championship
Greyson Sigg3 days ago

May Surprise In Bermuda
Jacob Bridgeman3 days ago

In For Adventure At Port Royal Golf Course
Mark Hubbard3 days ago

Plays Solid In Bermuda
Andrew Novak3 days ago

Tries To Build Off ZOZO Championship
Daniel Berger3 days ago

Looks To Continue His Consistent Run At Port Royal Golf Course
Justin Lower3 days ago

Looks To Continue His Hot Play At Butterfield Bermuda Championship
3 days ago

Blue Jays, Red Sox To Meet With Juan Soto
Jasson Domínguez4 days ago

Yankees Expect Jasson Dominguez To Have A Big Role In 2025
Carlos Correa4 days ago

Progressing
Carlos Prates4 days ago

Gets Higlight-Reel Knockout Win At UFC Vegas 100
Neil Magny4 days ago

Gets Knocked Out At UFC Vegas 100
Cortavious Romious4 days ago

Drops Decision At UFC Vegas 100
Gaston Bolaños4 days ago

Gaston Bolanos Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Joey Logano4 days ago

Holds On At Phoenix To Win His Third Cup Series Championship
Los Angeles Dodgers4 days ago

Dodgers Considered Favorites For Roki Sasaki
Ryan Blaney4 days ago

Falls Short Of The 2024 Cup Series Title At Phoenix
Dusko Todorovic4 days ago

Gets TKO'd At UFC Vegas 100
Wander Franco4 days ago

Arrested On Monday After Altercation
Tyler Reddick4 days ago

Lacks Speed Of Other Championship 4 Contenders But Drives Well
William Byron4 days ago

Finishes Third In Phoenix Race And Championship
Miami Marlins5 days ago

Marlins Hire Clayton McCullough As New Skipper
Mansur Abdul-Malik5 days ago

Gets First-Round Finish At UFC Vegas 100
Luana Pinheiro5 days ago

Falls Short At UFC Vegas 100
Gillian Robertson5 days ago

Extends Win Streak At UFC Vegas 100
Gerald Meerschaert5 days ago

Gets Finished At UFC Vegas 100
MMA5 days ago

Reinier de Ridder Gets Submission Win In UFC Debut
5 days ago

Rays Have Interest In Juan Soto
NASCAR5 days ago

Bubba Wallace Is A Top DFS Recommendation With Upside For Phoenix
Tyler Reddick5 days ago

Is Expected To Compete For The Title At Phoenix
Joey Logano5 days ago

Is One Of The Favorites To Win At Phoenix
Kyle Larson5 days ago

Could Be A Favorable DFS Option For Phoenix Lineups
Corey Lajoie5 days ago

Corey LaJoie Will Start 20th At Phoenix
Brad Keselowski5 days ago

Is A Solid Recommendation For Phoenix DFS Lineups
Erik Jones5 days ago

Will Start 19th At Phoenix This Week
Carson Hocevar5 days ago

Will Compete For A Top-10 Finish At Phoenix
Ty Gibbs5 days ago

Should DFS Players Fade Ty Gibbs At Phoenix?
Chase Elliott5 days ago

Is Chase Elliott A Solid DFS Pick For Phoenix Lineups?
Ryan Blaney5 days ago

The Championship Favorite Despite Qualifying Blunder
William Byron5 days ago

Will Be Strong In Fight For Championship
Austin Cindric5 days ago

Is Austin Cindric Worth Rostering For Phoenix DFS Lineups?
Ross Chastain5 days ago

Is Great At Phoenix
Christopher Bell5 days ago

Looking To Go Back-To-Back At Phoenix After Championship Snub
Chase Briscoe5 days ago

Can Be Worth Rostering In Tournaments At Phoenix
Denny Hamlin5 days ago

Could Contend At Phoenix
6 days ago

Nick Martinez Expected To Accept Qualifying Offer
MLB6 days ago

Roki Sasaki Will Be Posted, Opens Door For 2025 MLB Debut

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP