2023 vs. 2021 team

[Brewcrew82]

I've been thinking recently about how this team compares to our 2021 team, which a lot of people were high on going into the playoffs and was a popular WS pick and probably should've won 100 games if not for a late September swoon.

C: Narvaez vs. Contreras (big advantage 2023)

1B: Tellez/Escobar vs. Santana/Tellez (slight advantage 2021)

2B: Wong vs. Monasterio/Turang (big advantage 2021)

SS: Adames vs, Adames (advantage 2021, though the gap has been narrowing in recent weeks and Adames' underlying metrics indicate he could get to this level)

3B: Escobar/Urias vs. Donaldson/Monasterio (big advantage 2021)

LF: Yelich vs. Yelich/Canha (big advantage 2023) 

CF: Cain vs. Frelick (advantage 2023)

RF: Garcia vs. Taylor/Canha (push) 

SP: Burnes/Woodruff/Peralta/Lauer vs. Burnes/Woodruff/Peralta (based on the regular seasons you obviously would have to go advantage 2021, but the way these pitchers are going right now it becomes a push to advantage 2023) 

RP: Hader/Boxberger/Cousins/Houser/Ashby vs. Williams/Payamps/Uribe/Milner/Peguero (Big advantage 2023)

Overall, these teams compare quite favorably, and I think I like this team more due to the bullpen and the more contact-oriented approach. At least if we have a power outage in the postseason, we should still be able to put up more runs than the 2021 team was able to. Yelich is undoubtedly the x-factor. 

Will it be enough to make a difference in outcome? We'll see. I think this team could get past the Dodgers in an NLDS series with their pitching and injury issues. 

[kestrel79]

Crazy to see how fast the roster has turned over. 2018 still seems like only a couple seasons ago but it's not. It still blows my mind that the Brewers have managed to be this good for this long as a fan who grew up watching them from the early 90s to now and only knew losing every year. :)