Milwaukee Brewers: Position-by-Position Matchups With The Dodgers

The Milwaukee Brewers will be taking on the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS. How do the teams stack up at each individual position?

The Milwaukee Brewers have a very interesting matchup on tap for the NLCS. This is due in part to how different the two teams are on the field and in terms of front-office philosophies. How will this polarity translate onto the field in the upcoming series? Let’s try to figure that out by going position-by-position for the two teams, starting behind the plate.

Milwaukee Brewers vs. Los Angeles Dodgers: Catcher

The Brewers have relied on the catching tandem of Manny Pina and NLDS surprise Erik Kratz. The two certainly were serviceable behind the dish, with Pina throwing out 41 percent of would-be base stealers and Kratz getting praised for his pitch-framing. They were also passable offensively, posting a .702 OPS and a .634 OPS, respectively.

As great of a story as Kratz was, the Dodgers’ primary catcher is simply better than both of them. Yasmani Grandal was second among catchers in WAR with 3.6. His defense is suspect, but his .815 OPS this season more than makes up for it. For this spot, chalk one up for the Dodgers.

Advantage: Dodgers

Milwaukee Brewers vs. Los Angeles Dodgers: First Base

Milwaukee found an absolute diamond in the rough with Jesus Aguilar. He barely made the Opening Day roster, but he responded by producing an .890 OPS with 35 home runs and 108 RBI. This allowed him to garner his first All-Star selection, and although he scuffled a bit later in the season, he still is a major part of the Brewers’ lineup.

As things stand now, the Dodgers utilize a platoon of Max Muncy and former Cardinal (and postseason hero) David Freese. This is certainly a daunting combo given how well they each hit opposite-handed pitching. Muncy is also a great story, producing a .973 OPS and a 4.2 WAR. This is a tough debate, especially given how well Freese has played since joining the Dodgers. Overall, I like Aguilar since he has emerged as an everyday player, but the combo of Muncy and Freese is just a bit more than Aguilar can offer on his own.

Advantage: Dodgers

Milwaukee Brewers vs. Los Angeles Dodgers: Second Base

After the trade deadline, Travis Shaw was expected to get more starts at second base. As it turned out, he now appears to be the team’s primary second baseman, with Jonathan Schoop and Hernan Perez swiping a start from time to time. Shaw is quietly a very productive part of Milwaukee’s lineup, producing an .825 OPS with 32 homers and 86 RBI. He hasn’t been great defensively since the switch, but he hasn’t been bad, either. The Brewers can accept average defensive ability if it means keeping his stellar bat in the lineup.

The Dodgers rely on Enrique Hernandez and trade-deadline acquisition Brian Dozier to cover the keystone. Like what happened with the Brewers and Schoop, Dozier hasn’t been great for LA. He’s posted just a .650 OPS since joining the team. As a result, Hernandez gets most of the starts at second. The former utility man actually bashed 21 homers this season, but he hasn’t been great defensively on the infield. Without a defensive advantage, the debate is settled with offense, and Shaw is the clear winner in that category here.

Advantage: Brewers

Milwaukee Brewers vs. Los Angeles Dodgers: Third Base

Shaw was started the season as the starting third baseman, but the addition of Mike Moustakas at the trade deadline shook things up on that front. He held his own at the plate with the Brew Crew, producing a .767 OPS with eight homers and 33 RBI in the final two months. He also killed it in the NLDS, posting a .916 OPS in the three games.

For Los Angeles, Justin Turner is the rebuttal. After missing a chunk of the season due to injury, he produced a .924 OPS and followed it up with a .929 OPS in the NLDS. He also grades out as a decent fielder at third base, certainly better than Moustakas did during his time in Milwaukee. As good of an addition Moustakas was for Milwaukee, Turner is the winner in this category.

Advantage: Dodgers

Milwaukee Brewers vs. Los Angeles Dodgers: Shortstop

Shortstop was a position of turmoil for Milwaukee this season, but at the end of the season, Orlando Arcia reclaimed the spot for his own, with Hernan Perez picking up starts against lefties. Arcia produced a .733 OPS in the month of September and went 2-for-8 with a homer in the NLDS. Perez holds a .783 OPS against lefties this season, and he tallied a pair of doubles in the NLDS to help the Brewers to a sweep.

However, it’s hard to compete with Dodger shortstop Manny Machado. He’s not a good defensive shortstop, but he holds a strong .905 OPS on the season with 37 homers, 107 RBI and 14 steals to boot. Arcia will be a very good player, but he’s not Manny Machado (yet).

Advantage: Dodgers

Milwaukee Brewers vs. Los Angeles Dodgers: Starting Pitchers

The Brewers starting pitching has been the talk of the town all season, and not for the best reasons. Jhoulys Chacin and his 3.50 ERA have been solid for Milwaukee, and Wade Miley‘s surprisingly good season has also been very helpful. Even Gio Gonzalez has done well since joining the team.

However, none of them can compare to the Dodgers’ rotation. Clayton Kershaw hasn’t even been on his best game this season due to injuries and he has better numbers than many of the Brewers’ starters. Hyun-Jin Ryu broke out with a 1.97 ERA and a stellar scoreless start in Game 1 of the NLDS. Walker Buehler is an up-and-coming star for LA. Alex Wood, Rich Hill, Ross Stripling, Kenta Maeda…honestly, the Brewers would improve their rotation by adding literally any of these arms. Some of them even moved into relief at the end of the season just so they could all get innings. This one definitely goes to Los Angeles.

Advantage: Dodgers

Milwaukee Brewers vs. Los Angeles Dodgers: Relief Pitchers

Here is where the Brewers thrive. Milwaukee’s bullpen is one of the best in baseball, featuring All-Stars like Josh Hader and Jeremy Jeffress, as well as trade deadline acquisitions like Joakim Soria. Even pitchers like Corbin Burnes, Corey Knebel, Brandon Woodruff and Xavier Cedeno (who didn’t even make the NLDS roster!) have given the Brewers numerous stellar innings down the stretch.

The Dodgers’ bullpen isn’t bad by any means, though. The anchor is closer Kenley Jansen, although he’s struggled this season with decreased velocity and health issues. Ryan Madson, Scott Alexander, Josh Fields, Pedro Baez and Dylan Floro have contributed quality innings as well. Even at their best, however, there’s no bullpen in all of baseball that can match up with that of the Brewers.

Advantage: Brewers

Based solely off this, the Dodgers have a slightly better team. However, they rely much more on platoons than the Brewers, adding a bit of a wrinkle to the comparisons. The Brewers’ bench consists of players with very specific roles coming off the bench, which can be viewed as both a positive and as a negative when compared with Los Angeles.

Additionally, one can argue that bullpens become more important in the postseason, meaning that Milwaukee’s win in that category looms larger than LA’s victory in the rotation. There’s one thing everyone can agree on, however: this is going to be an excellent series.