Brewers: 3 Bold Predictions For 2021 Spring Training

PHOENIX, ARIZONA - APRIL 07: General view outside of the Milwaukee Brewers spring training facility, American Family Fields of Phoenix on April 07, 2020 in Phoenix, Arizona. According to reports, Major League Baseball is considering a scenario in which all 30 of its teams play an abbreviated regular season without fans in Arizona's various baseball facilities, including Chase Field and 10 spring training venues. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - APRIL 07: General view outside of the Milwaukee Brewers spring training facility, American Family Fields of Phoenix on April 07, 2020 in Phoenix, Arizona. According to reports, Major League Baseball is considering a scenario in which all 30 of its teams play an abbreviated regular season without fans in Arizona's various baseball facilities, including Chase Field and 10 spring training venues. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
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With Spring Training underway, the excitement is growing within the Brewers organization and fanbase. The Cactus League is once again sure to provide us with an early glimpse of what to look forward to come April 1st. Players will occasionally follow trends during the regular season that started in spring, but that’s not always the case.

For example, Devin Williams was arguably the worst pitcher in Spring Training during 2020. Many might not remember, but he had the highest ERA on the team at 14.40 in only five innings of work. Opposing hitters touched him up for eight runs in those five innings and he allowed six walks and hitters had an average of .348 against him.

Fast forward about six months and he has a little hardware to his name paired with a reputation known around the league as one of the best at his position in the game.

But while there are times when Spring Training isn’t a good barometer for the season to come, there are also instances where it is for the Brewers.

Brandon Woodruff and Corbin Burnes had a great deal of success last spring, both posting an ERA lower than 2.00 in 10 innings of work each and logging an abundance of strikeouts along the way. Eric Yardley was towards the top of the leaderboard in terms of appearances last spring and that translated to the regular season as well where he led the team in games appeared in.

On the flip side, the slumps for some of the marquee hitters in the lineup during the 2020 season originated in Arizona. Omar Narvaez, Avisaíl García and Christian Yelich all hit below .200 during the Cactus League and couldn’t ever find a groove in the regular season either. By no means do we want to put all of our eggs in one basket based upon the ballpark of 20 at-bats or so, but a little confidence to start never hurt anyone.

Spring Training 2021 comes with a rejuvenated feel to it. Fans are expected to be allowed back at the Spring games in Arizona and Florida in some capacity with specific restrictions and the regular season looks to be shaping out to be similar. Brewers fans could expect to see their team in person this year, but what are some bold predictions for the upcoming Cactus League season?

CINCINNATI, OH – SEPTEMBER 21: Justin Topa #56 of the Milwaukee Brewers pitches during a game against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on September 21, 2020 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Reds won 6-3. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OH – SEPTEMBER 21: Justin Topa #56 of the Milwaukee Brewers pitches during a game against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on September 21, 2020 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Reds won 6-3. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

Brewers Spring Training Bold Prediction #1:

Justin Topa or Drew Rasmussen Will Be The Best Pitcher

I expect these two guys to get a good amount of work in the spring. Both are coming off of impressive stints with the Crew towards the end of last season even appearing in at least one inning of postseason baseball. Neither gave up a run against the big bats of the Dodgers in the Wild Card matchup and there’s reason to believe their success will continue.

Through his first 10 appearances last season, Rasmussen had just a 1.98 ERA. He allowed seven runs in his final two outings, which skyrocketed his season ERA up to 5.87. Rasmussen is going to be a key pitcher for the Crew for years to come. Topa, meanwhile, gave up two earned runs in his first outing, and then nothing over his final five appearances, dropping to a 2.35 ERA in 7.2 IP.

Neither of these guys need a stellar Spring Training to make the roster, but their role and how much they’re trusted in high-pressure situations might be a question mark as of now. Both have live arms and will provide some continuity with the likes of soft-tossers Brent Suter and Eric Yardley.

Developing young pitchers has been a strong suit for the Milwaukee Brewers as of late. Whether it’s top notch coaching throughout the farm system, an eye for quality talent in the draft process or a mixture of both, the Brewers may once again have an embarrassment of riches.

Don’t be surprised if Justin Topa and Drew Rasmussen post really impressive stat lines solidifying themselves as two of the best up-and-coming relievers that the Brewers have and maybe even becoming dark horses for Reliever/Rookie of the Year like another guy in that bullpen.

MARYVALE, ARIZONA – MARCH 06: Keston Hiura #18 of the Milwaukee Brewers rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run against the San Francisco Giants during the fourth inning of a spring training game at American Family Fields of Phoenix on March 06, 2020 in Maryvale, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images)
MARYVALE, ARIZONA – MARCH 06: Keston Hiura #18 of the Milwaukee Brewers rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run against the San Francisco Giants during the fourth inning of a spring training game at American Family Fields of Phoenix on March 06, 2020 in Maryvale, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) /

Brewers Spring Training Bold Prediction #2:

Keston Hiura Will Hit Double Digit Home Runs

Milwaukee has 10 more games scheduled this spring than they played last year thanks to a combination of a few cancellations due to weather and then COVID-19 hitting in mid-March. Keston Hiura played in 11 games last spring and was on fire at the plate. He had a home run every seven at bats (4 HR in 28 AB) and hovered around a .400 average for much of his time in Arizona.

This year, he will be learning a new position so I expect he’ll be getting more than enough playing time to get as comfortable as possible. Hiura’s Cactus League success didn’t translate to the regular season last year as he hit .181 points lower during the 2020 regular season campaign and led the National League in strikeouts with 85.

If Hiura plays in nearly every single game as expected to get as many reps at first base as possible, that means he’s going to be getting a lot of at-bats. With his power potential, Hiura could easily hit 10 home runs in a month of spring training games.

There was plenty of speculation circulating around the Hiura over the offseason. Some fans were ready to write off the soon-to-be third year big leaguer. I would imagine that IF he heard any of that noise, it only adds fuel to the fire.

People are soon to forget his first year in Milwaukee where he slashed .303/.368/.570 and was one of the key reasons the Brewers won 89 games. I expect a big month of March in the desert for Keston Hiura, and this year it will translate to the regular season.

MARYVALE, – MARCH 12: View from the outfield of an empty American Family Fields stadium, spring training home of the Milwaukee Brewers, following Major League Baseball’s decision to suspend all spring training games on March 12, 2020 in Phoenix, Arizona. The decision was made due to concerns of the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. (Photo by Ralph Freso/Getty Images)
MARYVALE, – MARCH 12: View from the outfield of an empty American Family Fields stadium, spring training home of the Milwaukee Brewers, following Major League Baseball’s decision to suspend all spring training games on March 12, 2020 in Phoenix, Arizona. The decision was made due to concerns of the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. (Photo by Ralph Freso/Getty Images) /

Brewers Spring Training Bold Prediction #3:

This Brewers Prospect Will Look The Best

A 22 year old outfielder that was drafted in the 1st Round will have the best spring out of the non-roster invitees…..and no I’m not talking about Garrett Mitchell. Tristen Lutz will make his mark in however much time he sees in the crowded outfield. There are currently seven outfielders on the 40-man roster and four more on the NRI list, so it will take a lot to stand out in front of Craig Counsell.

Lutz is the Crew’s fifth-best prospect according to the MLB.com rankings and I would expect to see him in action in around 10-15 games. Avisaíl García is coming off a pretty poor 2020 season, but has dropped 30 pounds and feels like he’s in the best shape of his life in preparation for another Opening Day start in right field.

Meanwhile, there are a plethora of other guys competing for a job as the fourth outfielder, but Lutz could still shine.

Lutz has big raw power, but has struggled to completely tap into it so far in his career. He made some progressions at the Alternate Training Site and Instructional League last year, which could have him primed for a breakout 2021 season, which will start in spring training.

This will be his fourth season in the minors and he’s had a solid last couple of years, so I expect him to encounter success with the Cactus League team. Scouts say he has the talent to be an everyday right-fielder for a big league squad with some minor tweaks and he’s had time to work on his game with the cancellation in Minor League baseball last summer.

Although Lutz is highly unlikely to break camp with the big league team even if he has a strong spring, it could move up his promotion timeline and he could be seen in Milwaukee later in the year.

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If he can sneak in enough at-bats, Tristen Lutz will prove his worth in Spring Training.

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