Milwaukee Brewers 2022 Season Preview: Projected Lineups, Rotations, and 3 Bold Predictions

Defending National League Central champs, the Milwaukee Brewers will look to replicate the season they had last year and hopefully venture deep into the playoffs. The Brew Crew hasn't won a single playoff game since 2018. They've lost all their playoff series to the eventual World Series champions in their respective years. They were eliminated in the 2019 NL Wildcard Game by the Nationals, the 2020 NL Wildcard Series by the Dodgers, and the 2021 NL Division Series by the Braves.

It was a relatively quiet offseason for the boys from Miller Park. They traded Jackie Bradley Jr., who had a disappointing 2021 season, to Boston in exchange for Hunter Renfroe. They also let go of their best 2021 statistical hitter, Avisail Garcia, when he chose to sign with the Miami Marlins in the offseason. The loss of the two outfielders and the gain of only one prompted them to sign another outfield player, legendary slugger Andrew McCutchen, who had a productive season with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Milwaukee Brewers projected Opening Day lineup

1. 2B Kolten Wong
2. SS Willy Adamaes
3. LF Christian Yelich
4. DH Andrew McCutchen
5. 1B Rowdy Tellez
6. RF Hunter Renfroe
7. C Omar Narvaez
8. 3B Luis Urias
9. CF Lorenzo Cain

The Brewers starting lineup is pretty much intact from their previous campaign. They will miss the services of Avisail Garcia and catcher Manny Piña who were signed by the Marlins and the Braves, respectively.

Former two-time National League MVP Christian Yelich will be tasked with doing the heavy lifting in a lineup that has average batting power. Yelich has struggled mightily in the last two seasons and has posted career lows in his batting stats. A key factor to this is his nagging back injury that only allowed him to play 117 games last season.

"9 days until #Brewers opening day! There have been 9 cycles accomplished in Brewers franchise history, 2 of those are owned by Christian Yelich" - @ Brewers Stats and Updates

Milwaukee Brewers Pitching Rotation

1. Corbin Burnes
2. Brandon Woodruff
3. Freddy Peralta
4. Adrian Houser
5. Eric Lauer

Milwaukee Brewers' All-Star pitcher Brandon Woodruff

The pride of the Milwaukee Brewers organization, and vital cog for a few years now, is its deep pitching core. The pitching staff posted Top 5 numbers in almost all metrics during the 2021 term. It's a who's who of talent from starters such as reigning National League Cy Young Awardee Corbin Burnes, two-time All-Star Brandon Woodruff, and fellow All-Star Freddy Peralta to the bullpen that boasts Brad Boxberger and closer Josh Hader.

Bold Predictions for the Milwaukee Brewers for 2022

1. The Brewers will break their playoff duck and reach the World Series

The National League Central will be the Brewers' yard this year. The Cubs and Pirates are still rebuilding. The Reds have lost massive contributors this year. The only reason the unheralded Cardinals had a shot at making the playoffs last year was when they embarked on a 17-game win streak.

The Brew Crew is the most well-rounded team in the division and in turn, this will translate into wins. They are a sound team defensively, they can generate offense in the batting order, and their pitching staff is one of the best in the game.

It's true that, come playoff time, it will be a different scenario. Teams that are more favored to win the NL pennant like the Dodgers, Mets, and the defending champion Braves will be a tall order, but all curses have an end, and this might just be Milwaukee's time to do that.

2. Corbin Burnes will win another Cy Young Award

Competition will be tough this year for the incumbent NL Cy Young Award winner, but he has shown his class in a league that boasts big names like Max Scherzer, Walker Buehler, Zack Wheeler, and Jacob deGrom. Even fellow Brewer Brandon Woodruff was nominated for the award last year. But Burnes has shown his class through and through with league leader 2.43 ERA and a War of 7.5. High hopes will be placed on Burnes for the upcoming campaign.

"Corbin Burnes’ Cy Young Award-winning performance last year has resulted in him getting the opening day assignment for the Milwaukee Brewers this season." - @ AP Sports

3. If Christian Yelich doesn't turn it around, the Brewers might trade him

Chicago Cubs v Milwaukee Brewers

Former two-time NL MVP Christian Yelich signed a nine-year, $215 million contract with the Milwaukee Brewers back in 2020. He has struggled, however, to find form due to a nagging back problem and has played a reduced number of games. The Brewers have been a playoff team for quite some time now, and they need Yelich to come up clutch and hit when it matters the most. The three successive early exits didn't help. If he continues to struggle to find his touch, the Brewers might explore other options to help the team succeed in getting them to the Fall Classic.