Checking In On Our Brewers Bold Predictions From Before The Season

Brewers pre-season bold prediction #4: Rule 5 pick Gus Varland sticks around, becomes trusted setup man

Verdict: Stuck around for a while, but incorrect

This prediction was made before Varland officially made the roster. I was correct in predicting he's stick around and make the big league roster, but ultimately fell short in staying on the roster throughout the year and becoming a key setup guy.

Varland was struck by a comebacker in one outing and really wasn't the same since. He went on a rehab assignment, ended up coming back and struggled, including one snowball outing. He was DFAed after that and returned to the Dodgers.

Ultimately, I picked the wrong longshot bullpen arm to earn a trusted setup job. Elvis Peguero and Joel Payamps are the ones who came out of nowhere in the middle relief spots to become the 7th and 8th inning setup guys for closer Devin Williams.

Brewers pre-season bold prediction #5: Jackson Chourio makes MLB debut late in the year, helps carry Brewers into playoffs

Verdict: To Be Determined

This is the only remaining prediction that's still possible. The Brewers are in first place, looking to return to the playoffs. Jackson Chourio is lighting it up in the minor leagues and the Brewers offense could still use some more improvements if they're going to be good enough to win in October.

The Brewers have yet to promote Chourio to Triple-A, despite his dominant season in Double-A Biloxi. If they had designs on bringing Chourio to Milwaukee this year, they'd likely have moved him up to Triple-A by now, but they haven't. So perhaps we won't see Chourio this year.

Again, anything can happen, and Chourio is certainly not precluded from joining the big league club this year just because he's still in Double-A. Even in Double-A, you're only a phone call away from the big leagues. The Brewers will likely want to give him at least a few ABs in Triple-A Nashville before that call, but there's time to make this happen.

Overall, this year's batch of bold predictions have not gone well for accuracy. Then again, they are bold predictions, not meek predictions. There were reasons all of them could have come true and there are reasons why they didn't. But there's still hope that fifth and final bold prediction can come true, and if it does, I think we'll all be pretty happy with that one.