Milwaukee Brewers 2024 bold predictions and storylines to watch

Paul Dietrich: DL Hall is a serious NL Rookie of the Year candidate

Someone needs to step up, right? Hall's stuff had him on top prospect lists for five straight years from 2019-23, but his ugly 5.2 BB/9 number in six minor league seasons has held him back. He's put up some eye-popping strikeout numbers (12.7 K/9 overall in 353 1⁄3 MiLB innings) and he was good in a relief role with Baltimore last season, including 3 1⁄3 scoreless innings in the ALDS. Hall also pitched few enough innings with the Orioles that he maintains his rookie status this season. Crucially, he didn't walk many batters in the majors last season. If he can keep the walks under control, Hall could have an excellent season and contend for the NL ROY Award.

Harrison Freuck: Tyler Black finishes the season as a left-handed option at first base

Dating back to the end of the Prince Fielder era, the Brewers have had inconsistency at first base just about every year. After Rowdy Tellez had a strong 2022 campaign, it looked like the Brewers might have a long-term option, but a disappointing 2023 season resulted in him being non-tendered and the addition of Rhys Hoskins this offseason. While I think Hoskins is a great power bat that will fill the gap for Milwaukee, he's certainly not the team's long-term option at 31 years old.

Tyler Black has been one of the best minor league players at getting on base the last few years, peaking at a .417 OBP across 123 games with Double-A Biloxi and Triple-A Nashville last season. His career .415 OBP across five levels since being drafted in 2021 puts him in the upper echelon of prospects in terms of plate discipline, and he's an option all over the infield. While he's primarily a third baseman — 103 career appearances — he did make 16 appearances at first base last season, and that may be the bigger hole for Milwaukee in the long term after the emergence of Sal Frelick at third.

Matt Gerrity: Sal Frelick hits .300

Frelick's playstyle and pure hit ability are delightful. He won't hit many home runs, but I love a good slap hitter. His plate approach and contact rates could turn him into a sensational hitter. His .286 BABIP was low for someone with his speed and he should only refine his skills as he gains more major league experience.

Jason Paczkowski: DL Hall solidifies himself as the No. 2 starter in the rotation

With Corbin Burnes gone and Brandon Woodruff recovering all season, the Brewers are in need of some fresh starters to solidify their rotation. One of those will come from a newcomer in DL Hall. He'll have a chance to make an impact on the rotation right away, and he'll do that behind Freddy Peralta. He has the strikeout rate to match Peralta, and with a little more work on his control, he can easily give the Brewers the same combo they had for a few years with Burnes and Woodruff. The only concern for Hall in 2024 is the innings count. His previous high in innings pitched was 98 innings in 2022. Even with a push upwards, it could be a stretch to see him pitch more than 130 innings this season.

Herschey Winkelman: Rhys Hoskins will break Prince Fielder's single-season homer record

With Hoskins being one of the better power-hitting first baseman in the league, combined with the way the walls in the outfield are set up in Milwaukee, he could be in for some massive home run numbers this year, and a possibility to hit over 50, which is the record set by Prince Fielder back in 2007. The key to Hoskins reaching this mark may just be health and playing time as he comes off an ACL tear that kept him out all of 2023.

Paul Dietrich: How does the rotation hold up?

In case you hadn't heard, the Brewers will not have Corbin Burnes or Brandon Woodruff this season. The team also traded Adrian Houser (for next to nothing) and non-tendered Eric Lauer after a rough season. Freddy Peralta is locked in as the team's Opening Day starter, and Wade Miley figures to be a steady presence once he's fully ready to go. Colin Rea looks to have a spot in the rotation locked up, but I'd consider it a successful season if he is league average. The other candidates for the rotation include: DL Hall, who has one career major league start; Aaron Ashby, coming off a lost season and not performing well in spring training; Jakob Junis, a free agent pickup who did more relieving than starting last season; and Joe Ross, who has thrown 108 major league innings since 2019.

Robert Gasser has looked really good in spring training, and I expect he'll get a chance to prove he's ready. It's possible that Hall and Ashby click. Junis could be a solid innings eater. Maybe Ross has something left. But the team is going to need something out of at least some of these guys if they want to continue their run of success, and it's putting a lot of weight on a lot of unproven players. The Brewers seem to always be able to patch things together, but this is going to be the team's most difficult job in this regard in some time.

Harrison Freuck: Which Willy Adames shows up in 2024?

As a shortstop that can play almost everyday, there is much more leeway for Adames compared to some of the team's other options, but it's still important to ask: Which Adames shows up this season? He had a rough start to his spring but has mashed as of late, hitting three homers in Sunday's blowout win and totaling six homers and 15 RBIs across his 14 appearances through Sunday.

After a strong finish to 2021 after coming over from the Rays (.285/.366/.521 with 20 homers and 58 RBIs in 99 games), Adames has still shown power but struggled to get on base at the same clip (.298 OBP in 2022 and .310 OBP in 2023). Which Adames the Brewers get will be crucial to the team's success in 2024, and may also determine whether Adames finishes the season in a Brewers uniform as his contract expires after the year.

Matt Gerrity: What happens at shortstop?

Willy Adames' role in the offense is going to be difficult to replace if trade rumors become a reality. While the burgeoning group of young infielders is promising, will it be enough to replace Adames midseason while still contending for the division? A player like Joey Ortiz should eventually entrench himself in an everyday role, but Adames' power would be sorely missed.

Jason Paczkowski: Can the Brewers find a full-time player for third base?

As spring training ends, the Brewers have made some progress at third base, but also have more questions following recent injuries. Sal Frelick has played most of this spring at third base to try and clear out some of the Brewers' logjam in the outfield. So far, the results have been encouraging. His numbers at the plate this spring are strong, and he's playing well at third. That being said, there's a difference between spring innings and regular season innings. It's hard to judge Frelick until we've seen him there during the regular season. The Brewers also have Joey Ortiz and Andruw Monasterio that they can play at third as well. Unfortunately, the situation became even more complicated after Garrett Mitchell's injury, as that may push Frelick back to the outfield until Mitchell returns. A solid producer at third base will be needed for the Brewers, and if Frelick can fill that role, it will go a long way to spreading out the talent on this team.

Herschey Winkelman: Who mans the outfield?

With only three playable outfield positions, manager Pat Murphy will have some decisions to make. Joey Wiemer, Garrett Mitchell (who will start the season on the IL), Sal Frelick, Jackson Chourio, Christian Yelich, and Blake Perkins are all viable outfield options on any given day, and with six of the seven still 27 or younger (and five of the seven 25 or younger), making sure the innings are spread out and balanced will be important for development as the team looks long-term.