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
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
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 draft tools and 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
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Rudy Gobert38 mins ago

Remains Out On Sunday
Joel Embiid46 mins ago

Misses Practice, Questionable For Monday
OG Anunoby1 hour ago

Cleared To Face The Celtics
Pedro León1 hour ago

Pedro Leon Dealing With Left Knee Discomfort
Josh Hart1 hour ago

Returning Versus Boston
Heliot Ramos1 hour ago

Suffers Oblique Strain
Prelander Berroa1 hour ago

Diagnosed With Elbow Strain
Félix Bautista2 hours ago

Felix Bautista Throws Live Batting Practice
Parker Meadows2 hours ago

Battling Minor Biceps Injury
Chris Murphy2 hours ago

Throwing Bullpens
James Wood3 hours ago

Participates In Defensive Drills
Kevin Pillar3 hours ago

Signs Minor-League Deal With Rangers
Brayan Bello3 hours ago

Continues Improving
Connor Wong3 hours ago

Expected To Return On Monday
Jarren Duran3 hours ago

Scratched From Sunday's Lineup
Zach Penrod3 hours ago

To Miss Significant Time
Ryan Blaney4 hours ago

The Heavy Favorite To Win At Atlanta
Kyle Larson4 hours ago

Can Kyle Larson Finally Get A Good Finish At The New Atlanta?
Chase Elliott4 hours ago

Can Win This Weekend
William Byron5 hours ago

Don’t Overlook William Byron At Atlanta This Weekend
Austin Cindric5 hours ago

Looking To Contend Once Again At Atlanta
Ross Chastain5 hours ago

Will Start Deep in the Field at Atlanta
Zac Veen5 hours ago

Goes Deep On Saturday
Daniel Suarez5 hours ago

Looking To Continue Magic At Atlanta
Bobby Miller5 hours ago

Still Experiencing Headaches
Christopher Bell5 hours ago

An Obvious DFS Pick At Atlanta
Denny Hamlin5 hours ago

Is One of the Top DFS Options Of The Week For Atlanta Lineups
Carmen Mlodzinski5 hours ago

Building Up To Starter's Workload
Joey Logano5 hours ago

Is One Of The Favorites To Win At Atlanta
Prelander Berroa5 hours ago

Exits Saturday's Contest With Elbow Discomfort
Kyle Busch5 hours ago

Expect Kyle Busch To Compete For The Win At Atlanta
Shohei Ohtani5 hours ago

Touches 95 MPH In Bullpen Session
Ty Gibbs5 hours ago

Should Not Be Overlooked For Atlanta DFS Lineups
Tyler Reddick5 hours ago

Should Fantasy Players Roster Tyler Reddick At Atlanta This Week?
Brandon Woodruff6 hours ago

Throws Live Batting Practice
Alex Bowman6 hours ago

Is Alex Bowman Worth Rostering For DFS Lineups At Atlanta?
Shane Van Gisbergen6 hours ago

May Be A Sneaky DFS Value Option For Atlanta
Juuse Saros6 hours ago

Stands Tall On Saturday
John Hunter Nemechek6 hours ago

Should John Hunter Nemechek Be Considered For Atlanta DFS Lineups?
Kirill Kaprizov6 hours ago

Expected To Miss Longer Period Of Time
Carson Hocevar6 hours ago

Is A Fantastic Value Option For Atlanta DFS Lineups
Alex Tuch6 hours ago

Sustains Undisclosed Injury
Noah Gragson6 hours ago

Is A DFS Fade For Atlanta Lineups
Tom Wilson6 hours ago

Could Miss Sunday's Contest
John Gibson6 hours ago

Exits Early With Upper-Body Injury
Corey Lajoie7 hours ago

Corey LaJoie Is One Of The Top Value Plays For Atlanta
Andrew Copp7 hours ago

Doubtful For Sunday
NASCAR7 hours ago

Should DFS Players Roster A.J. Allmendinger At Atlanta?
Austin Dillon7 hours ago

Atlanta History Does Not Inspire Confidence For DFS Lineups
Mark Andrews14 hours ago

A Potential Salary Cap Casualty?
Norman Powell14 hours ago

On The Injury Report For Sunday
Kawhi Leonard14 hours ago

Could Miss Sunday's Game
P.J. Washington14 hours ago

Questionable Against The Warriors
Mark Canha14 hours ago

Joins Brewers On Minor-League Deal
Josh Hart14 hours ago

May Miss Another Game On Sunday
OG Anunoby14 hours ago

Questionable Against Boston
Aaron Gordon17 hours ago

Set To Play Against The Lakers
LeBron James18 hours ago

Available Versus Denver
Luka Dončić18 hours ago

Luka Doncic Cleared For Saturday Night
Hyeseong Kim18 hours ago

To See Work In Center Field
Nolan Arenado18 hours ago

Astros Rekindle Talks For Nolan Arenado
Dante Fabbro20 hours ago

Back For Blue Jackets Saturday
Sean Durzi20 hours ago

Returns From 52-Game Absence
Matthew Tkachuk20 hours ago

Will Not Play Against Kraken
Jordan Eberle20 hours ago

Back In Action Saturday
Boone Jenner20 hours ago

Ready For Season Debut Against Blackhawks
Nico Hischier20 hours ago

Returns To Devils Lineup Saturday
Mika Zibanejad20 hours ago

Available Against Sabres
Igor Shesterkin21 hours ago

Good To Go Saturday
Washington Commanders1 day ago

Jonathan Allen Could Be Salary Cap Casualty
Treylon Burks1 day ago

Could Use A Fresh Start Elsewhere
Tampa Bay Buccaneers1 day ago

Jamel Dean A Cut Candidate For Buccaneers
Jarrett Allen1 day ago

Set For An MRI, X-Rays Negative
Seattle Seahawks1 day ago

Dre'Mont Jones' Cap Figure Is Untenable
Cam Thomas1 day ago

Nearing A Return?
Pittsburgh Steelers1 day ago

Steelers Could Be Looking To Replace Larry Ogunjobi
Philadelphia Eagles1 day ago

Darius Slay Has Sixth-Highest Cap Hit For Eagles
Graham Gano1 day ago

Could Be On His Way Out
Derek Carr1 day ago

Saints Could Cut Derek Carr
Kendrick Bourne1 day ago

Patriots To Move On From Kendrick Bourne?
Minnesota Vikings1 day ago

Vikings Likely To Move On From Ed Ingram
Jason Sanders1 day ago

Could Be A Cap Casualty
Cooper Kupp1 day ago

Rams Could Cut Cooper Kupp
Los Angeles Chargers1 day ago

Something Has To Give With Joey Bosa
EDM1 day ago

Matt Savoie Set To Make Team Debut
SEA1 day ago

Cale Fleury Promoted To NHL
Evander Kane1 day ago

Resumes Skating
Sidney Crosby1 day ago

A Game-Time Decision
Elias Pettersson1 day ago

Considered Day-To-Day
Quinn Hughes1 day ago

Not Expected To Play On Saturday
Jacksonville Jaguars2 days ago

Jaguars Hire James Gladstone As New General Manager
Donald Parham Jr.2 days ago

Steelers Sign Donald Parham Jr. To One-Year Deal
Philadelphia Eagles2 days ago

Nolan Smith Has Surgery For Torn Triceps Muscle
George Kittle2 days ago

Discussing Extension With 49ers
Matthew Stafford2 days ago

Rams Give Permission To Matthew Stafford's Agent To Talk To Other Teams
Patrick Williams2 days ago

To Miss At Least Two Weeks
Jarrett Allen2 days ago

Won't Return On Friday
Fred VanVleet2 days ago

Nearing Return
Josh Giddey2 days ago

Considered Probable For Saturday
Jalen Smith2 days ago

Unavailable Saturday
Jabari Smith Jr.2 days ago

Will Come Off The Bench On Friday
Nikola Vučević2 days ago

Nikola Vucevic Probable For Saturday
Skyy Moore2 days ago

Could Be Salary Cap Casualty
Arizona Cardinals2 days ago

Cardinals Plan To Be Active In Free Agency
Henry Cejudo2 days ago

Set For Bantamweight Clash
Song Yadong2 days ago

Faces A Legend At UFC Seattle
Anthony Hernandez2 days ago

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Brendan Allen2 days ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Jean Matsumoto2 days ago

Looks To Remain Undefeated
Rob Font2 days ago

An Underdog At UFC Seattle
Melsik Baghdasaryan2 days ago

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Jean Silva2 days ago

A Favorite At UFC Seattle
Alonzo Menifield2 days ago

Opens Up UFC Seattle Main Card
Julius Walker2 days ago

Makes His UFC Debut
Jeremy Lauzon3 days ago

Ruled Out For Rest Of Season
PGA4 days ago

Kris Ventura A Strong Value Pick At The Mexican Open
Sam Ryder4 days ago

A Player To Watch At The Mexican Open
Aldrich Potgieter4 days ago

An Intriguing Option At The Mexican Open
Mac Meissner4 days ago

Looking To Regain Form At The Mexican Open
PGA4 days ago

K.H. Lee A Player To Avoid At The Mexican Open
Stephan Jaeger4 days ago

Aims For Consistency At Mexican Open
Nicolai Hojgaard4 days ago

Poised For Strong Performance At Mexican Open
Joel Dahmen4 days ago

Difficult To Trust At Mexican Open
Michael Thorbjornsen5 days ago

Looks To Get Things Going In The Right Direction At Mexico Open
Davis Riley5 days ago

An Unlikely Candidate For Success At Mexico Open
Luke List5 days ago

A Risky Play With Upside At Mexican Open
Carson Young5 days ago

A Volatile Option At Mexican Open
Ryan Fox5 days ago

A Boom-Or-Bust Play At Mexican Open
Alex Smalley5 days ago

A Solid Play At Mexican Open
Kevin Yu5 days ago

A Risky Play With Upside At Mexican Open
Taylor Moore5 days ago

An Intriguing Option At Mexican Open
Rasmus Hojgaard5 days ago

Eyeing A Major Bounce-Back At Mexican Open
Michael Kim5 days ago

Looks To Keep Momentum Going At Mexican Open
Sam Stevens5 days ago

Continues His Excellent 2025 Season At Genesis Invitational
Patrick Rodgers5 days ago

Finishes Tied For Third At Genesis Invitational
Thorbjorn Olesen5 days ago

Makes First PGA Tour Start In 2025 At Mexico Open
Gregory Rodrigues6 days ago

Gets TKO'd At UFC Vegas 102
Jared Cannonier6 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Nazim Sadykhov6 days ago

Remains Undefeated In The UFC
Ismael Bonfim6 days ago

Suffers Fifth Career Loss At UFC Vegas 102
Rodolfo Vieira6 days ago

Drops Decision At UFC Vegas 102
Andre Petroski6 days ago

Extends His Win Streak
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF