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Brewers: Consulting the Bob Uecker Magic 8-Ball on Some Important Questions

By Tyler Schickert |
Cincinnati Reds v Milwaukee Brewers
Cincinnati Reds v Milwaukee Brewers / Stacy Revere/GettyImages
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As the 2023 season approached, we as Milwaukee Brewers fans went through tons of questions that took time to get answers to, like which players would make the Opening Day roster, would players signed to minor league deals make the team, and which prospects would make the roster. With some of those questions answered, there are more still heading into the season.

That said, with questions on the mind heading into the 2023 Milwaukee Brewers season, I have decided to consult a higher power, the Bob Uecker 8-Ball.

The Bob Uecker 8-Ball was a giveaway during the 2017 season and comes with 20 different responses like "Odds juuust a bit outside," "The count is in your favor," "Outlook cloudy, close roof," and many more. With some examples of what to expect, let's ask some questions.

Here are some Milwaukee Brewers questions for the Bob Uecker 8-Ball

Will the Milwaukee Brewers sign Corbin Burnes to a contract extension?

"Go get em next time"

Corbin Burnes and possible extension talks are likely to be a hot topic of conversation throughout the entire season until there is resolution on it. The response from the Bob Uecker 8-Ball makes me think that maybe the Milwaukee Brewers and Corbin Burnes will play out the 2023 season and potentially come to a long term deal before the 2024 season, the last arbitration eligible season for Burnes.

Will Corbin Burnes win his second Cy Young in 2023?

"My producer says yes"

Corbin Burnes won his first NL Cy Young award back in 2021 and followed up in 2022 with another stellar season in which he led the NL in strikeouts. Corbin Burnes is certain to be in the race for the Cy Young award in 2023, especially with Jacob DeGrom now in the AL. Burnes' main competition will be 2022 Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara, Zac Gallen and a slew of Mets, Dodgers and Braves pitchers.

Will the Milwaukee Brewers make a blockbuster trade at the deadline in 2023?

"Pass me a brat and I'll tell ya"

Unfortunately, not even the high intelligence of the Bob Uecker 8-Ball has an exact answer for what the Milwaukee Brewers will be doing at the 2023 MLB trade deadline. It will likely depend on how the first few months of the season go and whether or not the Brewers are in a position to contend. We'll need to see how the team goes leading up to the end of July to know if the Brewers will be buyers or sellers.

Will we ever stop calling American Family Field, Miller Park?

"Outlook cloudy, close roof"

What a terribly appropriate response from the Bob Uecker 8-Ball. 2023 will be the third season of American Family Field and some of us still catch ourselves occasionally still calling it Miller Park. To others it will always be Miller Park. The Bob Uecker 8-Ball understands.

Will Christian Yelich have a bounce back season?

"Swing for the fences"

Might the Bob Uecker 8-Ball be suggesting a return to the power we saw from Christian Yelich in 2018 and 2019 for the 2023 Milwaukee Brewers season? It's a question that has been floated around the fanbase and certainly in the mind of Christian Yelich who is aware of his lower performance since fracturing his kneecap at the end of the 2019 season.

If that injury doesn't happen, it's very possible Christian Yelich wins back to back MVPs. However, after the knee injury, lingering back injuries, a pandemic off-season and a lockout, Christian Yelich looked at the 2022-23 off-season as the first normal offseason in three years.

Will a Milwaukee Brewer win Rookie of the Year?

"U tried the corner and missed"

This one was a bummer to get a definite answer on. The Bob Uecker 8-Ball has spoken, the Milwaukee Brewers will have two candidates on the Opening Day roster competing for NL Rookie of the Year, Garrett Mitchell and Brice Turang. Also, potential call-ups Joey Wiemer and Sal Frelick could vie for the award if they're called up soon enough.

Now, just because the Bob Uecker 8-Ball says one won't win Rookie of the Year doesn't mean they can't finish second, third, fourth and fifth.

Will Joey Wiemer or Sal Frelick be called up before the All-Star break?

"Ask again next inning"

After asking some of the other questions I came back to ask about Joey Wiemer and Sal Frelick.

Will Joey Wiemer be called up before the All-Star break?

"Swing and a miss"

Will Sal Frelick be called up before the All-Star break?

"Sure, why not?"

Based on the answers given, it sounds like the Bob Uecker 8-Ball thinks Sal Frelick will be the next prospect to come to the big leagues for the Milwaukee Brewers. Something to keep an eye on about this prediction becoming a reality is if Sal Frelick starts playing a lot of games in right field at the Triple-A level.

Will Willy Adames lead all shortstops in home runs?

"Safe!"

Willy Adames broke a record previously held by Robin Yount last season by breaking the Milwaukee Brewers franchise record for home runs in a season by a shortstop with 31. In 2022, Adames was second only to Corey Seager of the Texas Rangers, who hit 33 home runs as a shortstop. The Bob Uecker 8-Ball seems to believe the 2023 season will be the year Willy Adames comes out on top, certainly a sight Brewers fans would welcome.

Will the Milwaukee Brewers have a winning record versus the Chicago Cubs?

"Safe!"

The Milwaukee Brewers opened the 2023 season against the Chicago Cubs on Thursday and came out on the losing end, 4-0. But there are two games left in the series, making this weekend a great time for the Brewers to get a jumpstart on winning their season series against the Cubs.

Will the Milwaukee Brewers have a winning record versus the St. Louis Cardinals?

"The count is in your favor"

If the Milwaukee Brewers are able to find ways to win series versus the St. Louis Cardinals, it will go a long way toward bolstering their confidence as they seek to get back to the playoffs.

Will the Milwaukee Brewers have a winning record against the Pittsburgh Pirates?

"Slump may last into winter"

Not the answer I was looking for 8-Ball. The Bob Uecker 8-Ball must have faith in Bryan Reynolds, Oneil Cruz, and the other young players on the Pittsburgh Pirates to say that the Brewers may struggle with the Pirates this year. In defense of Bob Uecker's 8-Ball, Cruz hit some of his hardest balls against the Brewers last season.

Will the Milwaukee Brewers have a winning record versus the Cincinnati Reds?

"I'm sorry, I forgot the signs"

Apparently, not even the Bob Uecker 8-Ball knows what to make of the Cincinnati Reds coming into the 2023 season and is unsure of how the Milwaukee Brewers will fare against them. It does however lead to the next question.

Will the Milwaukee Brewers win the NL Central?

"Odds juuust a bit outside"

The Bob Uecker 8-Ball didn't go as far as to suggest the Milwaukee Brewers can't win the NL Central, but it isn't a hot take to believe the St. Louis Cardinals will win the division given the fact that they have arguably two of the top three position players in the National League.

Will 2023 be the year the Milwaukee Brewers win the whole thing for Bob Uecker?

"The count is in your favor"

I can't go as far as to share the exact quote from the movie Major League, which Bob Uecker starred in and where a lot of his magic 8-ball quotes come from. To paraphrase, Jake Taylor says "there's only one thing left to do, win the whole thing."

The Bob Uecker 8-Ball answering by saying the "count is in your favor" after suggesting that the Brewers odds of winning the NL Central are "juuust a bit outside" implies that the Brewers could win the World Series as a Wild Card team.

A Wild Card team making or winning the World Series isn't unheard of, in fact the Philadelphia Phillies went to the World Series just last season as a Wild Card team. In 2019, the Milwaukee Brewers lost in the Wild Card round to the eventual champion Washington Nationals.

In 2014, the San Francisco Giants won the World Series as a Wild Card team. Three examples in the NL in the last eight seasons makes it seem at least plausible that the Brewers could be the fourth team to make it and third to win it as a Wild Card team.

We'll keep tabs on these burning questions and see how the Bob Uecker 8-Ball fares at predicting the future of the Milwaukee Brewers.

Next. 3 reasons to be excited about the Brewers 2023 season. dark

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