Milwaukee Brewers
2024 record: 93-69
First place, NL Central
Team ERA: 3.65 (5th in MLB)
Team OPS: .729 (10th in MLB)
What Went Right
Well, the Brewers won the NL Central by 10 games despite losing Corbin Burnes to free agency, Brandon Woodruff to injury, and manager Craig Counsell to a division rival, so a lot went right for the Brewers in 2024. They coaxed tremendous seasons out of a rotating list of starting pitchers, led by Tobias Myers, Colin Rea, Joe Ross, and Aaron Civale, after trading for him at the deadline. Their bullpen also ranked second in baseball in saves, first in bullpen ERA, first in bullpen WHIP, and third-best in blown saves. Trevor Megill posted a 2.05 ERA, a 1.01 WHIP, and 37 strikeouts across 30.2 innings in the first half while filling in as a closer for Devin Williams, and then Williams came back and locked down 14 of his 15 save opportunities to close out the season.
Offensively, the Brewers finished second in baseball in stolen bases, second in baseball in walk rate, sixth in runs scored, and sixth in RBIs, so it was a tremendous offensive season overall for Milwaukee. Shortstop Willy Adames enjoyed a breakout season, hitting .251/.331/.462 with 32 home runs, and 21 steals before heading into free agency. The team also had a tremendous rookie season from Jackson Chourio, who had a great second half and finished the year hitting .275/.327/.464 with 21 home runs and 22 steals. He looks set up to be a star in the game for decades, and 24-year-old Brice Turang looks locked into a full-time role too after playing above-average defense and stealing 50 bases on the season. The Brewers also got great production from catcher William Contreras and were enjoying another strong year from Christian Yelich before he got hurt.
What Went Wrong
Christian Yelich wound up getting hurt after just 73 games, which isn’t ideal given his previous history of injuries. The Brewers also got limited production from Rhys Hoskins after signing him in free agency, watching him hit .214/.303/.419 with 26 home runs and a 29% strikeout rate in 131 games. Sal Frelick and Garrett Mitchell, who were pre-season fantasy sleepers given their speed and potential playing time couldn’t push for consistent everyday playing time, and the Brewers really struggled to find a stable starting rotation, having just three starters throw for over 75 innings on the season. The Brewers starters also ranked 18th in baseball in strikeout rate, 23rd in K-BB%, and 21st in WHIP, so despite a…