Brewers: 5 Bold Predictions For The 2020 Season

We’re just a few short days away from the 2020 regular season beginning. It’s time once again for some bold predictions for the Brewers season.

Last year, we made some bold predictions ahead of the 2019 Brewers season. For the most part, they didn’t come true.

Christian Yelich did somehow get even better, but he fell shy of his 2nd MVP award. Jimmy Nelson did not recapture his old form. The Brewers only had two players hit 30+ homers and not six. The Brewers did not win the World Series. And Corbin Burnes did not even come close to establishing himself as the ace and winning the Cy Young.

That’s why they were called bold predictions and not safe predictions.

Now it’s 2020 and it’s time for some more bold predictions for the season.

Bold Prediction No. 1

Drew Rasmussen Becomes Breakout Bullpen Weapon

Since drafting Drew Rasmussen in the 6th round in 2018, he’s been on a rocket-like trajectory to the big leagues. Rasmussen was a first round pick in 2017 who didn’t sign because of an elbow issue that ended up needing surgery. So the Brewers ended up with a first round talent in the sixth round and now that he’s been healthy, Rasmussen has recaptured that high performance level.

Rasmussen pitched across three different minor league levels last year, making it all the way up to Double-A. He pitched as a starter in the minor leagues, and there’s a chance he could stick in the rotation moving forward, if he’s going to make an impact on the Brewers in 2020, it will be as a reliever.

He’s kind of in a similar situation to Corbin Burnes in 2018, developing as a starter and moving up the ladder quickly, before moving to the bullpen to make an impact at the big league level. However, Burnes doesn’t have the history of arm injuries that Rasmussen does, which is why Rasmussen is more likely to stay in the bullpen going forward.

Based on how he’s pitching in spring and summer camp, Rasmussen is my pick to be the Brewers breakout bullpen weapon in 2020. He’s got a 100 MPH fastball with a nasty, hard slider that are the keys to his success.

He dominated in the minors last year, he’s dominating in camp, and with the extra roster spots, he might just earn an Opening Day job.

Even if he doesn’t make the team outright, Rasmussen is highly likely to make his major league debut this season. Once he does, he’s going to join Josh Hader and Corey Knebel in the back of the bullpen and create a new Big Three to lock down games in the final innings.