Brewers: Final Opening Day 26 Man Roster Prediction 3.0

We’ve reached the end of Cactus League play, which means Brewers Opening Day is right around the corner! What will the Crew’s roster look like?

It’s time for our final predictions for the Brewers Opening Day roster. We’ve gained some clarity on a few key players, such as Daniel Vogelbach, who has been told he will make the roster. Brad Boxberger, a pitcher who made the roster on our previous predictions has been told he won’t make the roster, but will come back on a minors deal.

Craig Counsell and David Stearns have told us that the Opening Day roster will change a lot and could change rather quickly. It’s just one day. Still, it’s an important day for fans and players alike.

Knowing what we know now, here’s our third and final prediction for the Brewers 2021 Opening Day roster. (Projection 1.0) (Projection 2.0)

Brewers Projected Opening Day Catchers (2)

Omar Narvaez, Manny Pina

Other Candidates: Jacob Nottingham, Luke Maile

Both Omar Narvaez and Manny Pina have remained healthy through camp and have looked good both offensively and defensively so far. They haven’t done anything to lose their spots and neither of the other candidates have done anything to claim a spot.

Jacob Nottingham is likely to start the season on the IL as he’s still working back from offseason thumb surgery. He did not catch in a Cactus League game at all this year.

One possible plan for Nottingham is to put him on the IL to start the season, then when he’s ready, activate him and outright him to the minor leagues if Narvaez and Pina are still healthy and hope no one claims a backup catcher two weeks into the season.

Luke Maile will start in Triple-A and is an insurance policy. Things seem pretty straightforward with the catching corps right now.

Brewers Projected Opening Day Infielders (7)

Keston Hiura, Kolten Wong, Orlando Arcia, Luis Urias, Travis Shaw, Daniel Robertson, Daniel Vogelbach

The aforementioned Daniel Vogelbach has been confirmed as a member of the Opening Day roster. He’ll be the big bat off the bench. He likely won’t see much time at first base in the starting lineup since Keston Hiura is likely to be the everyday guy there and if he needs a day, Travis Shaw is a much better defensive option.

Hiura and Wong are the two locked in everyday starters in this group. Meanwhile, on the left side of the infield, Shaw, Orlando Arcia, and Luis Urias are all slated to split time as the starters over there.

Urias has only played shortstop this spring, and that’s likely where he’ll spend most, if not all, of the 2021 season. Arcia has gotten more comfortable at third base and comments from Craig Counsell indicate that Arcia will be splitting time at both third base and shortstop this year, not operating as the regular starter at either position, but getting plenty of playing time.

Travis Shaw has looked good and may start off in a platoon at third base with Arcia, but there’s the potential he could turn that into an everyday role. When he was coming up with the Red Sox, it was initially believed Shaw needed a platoon, but the Brewers gave him the everyday opportunity in 2017 and 2018 and he flourished in the role.

He can be an everyday player, but coming off his 2019 and 2020 seasons, he’ll need to prove it in the regular season before he earns that trust again.

Daniel Robertson has put himself in a position to be a super-utility option for Counsell. He can play every infield spot and can play the outfield if needed.

Brewers Projected Opening Day Outfielders (4)

Christian Yelich, Lorenzo Cain, Avisail Garcia, Jackie Bradley Jr.

Other Candidates: Tyrone Taylor, Billy McKinney

Provided all are healthy, these four players are locks for the roster. With their contract situations, and the stated plans, those four will get the bulk of the playing time in the outfield.

The question comes on the final spot. The biggest question is if there even is a fifth spot for someone to claim. Billy McKinney has had a strong second half of spring training, and in a normal situation he would claim a roster spot. However with the addition of Bradley, it’s still unclear if the Brewers will carry five outfielders to start the year, especially if they keep Robertson, who can also backup in the outfield.

McKinney is out of minor league options, which helps his case to make the roster. The Brewers like that he also can play some first base. However, since Cain and Bradley are going to be healthy enough to avoid an IL stint to start the year, we’ll have McKinney not making it.

There’s also a chance McKinney could get traded to a team that needs a backup outfielder with the potential to be a starter more than the Brewers. A team like the White Sox would make a lot of sense.

Tyrone Taylor has also played well and the argument could be made that he’s deserving of a big league roster spot, but he does have a minor league option remaining, which means he’s not as likely to make the roster. Taylor could easily come up at different points throughout the season as needed, however.

The guess here is that McKinney will end up elsewhere. There’s no guarantee that the Brewers will go with five outfielders and put Taylor on the roster instead if McKinney gets moved.

Brewers Projected Opening Day Rotation (5)

Brandon Woodruff, Corbin Burnes, Adrian Houser, Brett Anderson, Freddy Peralta

This was confirmed the other day. Despite his struggles this spring, Adrian Houser does get the third starter job. Houser has incredible promise and potential, so the Brewers are going to give him the opportunity to succeed in the regular season.

Brett Anderson returns as the veteran lefty in the rotation. With an improved defense behind him after the additions of Wong and Bradley, Anderson’s results could be much improved over last year if he remains healthy.

Freddy Peralta has earned the fifth and final spot in the starting rotation, having dominated in spring training, showcasing his new slider. The slider gives him a third pitch to go along with his fastball and curveball that have worked successfully in the past. With three pitches now, it’ll be much easier for Peralta to find success in the rotation.

Consistency has eluded Peralta as a starting pitcher. There’s hope that with his expanded arsenal and continued development, he can find some consistency. He’s still just 24 years old and his potential is extremely high.

Josh Lindblom was another rotation candidate, but Peralta snatched the job from him. Counsell has said Lindblom will start a lot of games this year and the Crew will likely expand to a six man rotation in a few weeks, but at least to start the year, Lindblom will be in the bullpen.

Brandon Woodruff will start Opening Day for the second straight season, the first time a Brewers pitcher has done that since Yovani Gallardo from 2010-14. Corbin Burnes gets the second start and they should make for a deadly 1-2 punch atop the rotation.