Bold Predictions for 2026

[jay87shot]

With pitchers and catchers reporting I think it is a good time for everyone to be bold.

Stats, team records, injuries (don't jinx anyone), surprises, prospect surprises, etc.

 

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

- Both Chourio and Yelich hit 30+ HRs this year.

- Jett Williams comes up in April and solidifies himself as a spark plug at the top of the order.

- Garrett Mitchell stays healthy and has a "Comeback Player of the Year"-type season.

- Andrew Vaughn's streakiness will be frustrating.

- Brandon Woodruff emerges as the team's ace, setting himself up for a big payday next year.

[Soupy]

Andrew Fischer is manning 3B by June 1. 

[pitchleague]

Woodruff has a nice season--13 W, 172 K, 162 IP
Yelich has a nice season--.299, 31 HR, .912 OPS

Turang breaks out--.288, 28 HR, .833 OPS, 30 SB

Chouio break out--in hives during spring training due to a scorpion bite, but then .301, 33 HR, .991 OPS

Rest of the rotation put out 8-10 win seasons each, with WHIPs that range from 1.20-1.39

Bullpen does it's thing.

All-stars:  Yelich, Chourio

BOLD prediction:  TWO of Fischer, Made, Pratt, Wilkin, Jett Williams are up with the team from July thru the end of the season.  However, ONE of them will be traded at the deadline!

 

Result?  Brewers win 92 games and take the division on the final day of the season.

 

 

 

[jay87shot]

Yelich, Turang, and Contreras all finish in the top 15 for mvp. The big dawgs do the work and provide consistency for the lineup.

Brewers trade for Byron Buxton a month before trade deadline providing a cure to a CF problem (Buxton LF, Chourio CF). (Pratt and Letson plus minor piece or two)

Craig Yoho breaks through and provides a nasty 3 headed monster at the end of the game with Megill and Uribe. He throws 40 innings of sub 2.00 era ball. 

The Brewers have 9 pitchers throw 80 innings all with ERA's under 3.75. None under 3. Quality across the board but we struggle to find an ace.

Brewers break camp with 3B Ortiz, SS Turang, 2B Hamilton sign a vet for depth. Williams comes up in June plays a solid 3B, Ortiz/Hamilton platoon 2B rest of way. None of Williams, Hamilton, or Williams are great but all are around .250 batting with quality defense and baserunning.

 

[MoreTrife]

WS

[treego14]

I predict more dollars for NY, LA, CHI, HOU, PHI.

I predict more rigging by the Rig Leagues.

I predict MLB laughing to the bank off the backs of unwitting "fans."

 

[bensheeps]

1 hour ago, Ron Robinsons Beard said:

- Garrett Mitchell stays healthy and has a "Comeback Player of the Year"-type season.

My heart and head are fighting over posting something like this.

I truly believe Mitchell either does this for us this year or we lament after he does it for some other team next year.

[Samurai Bucky]

Bold you say?

Quinn Priester will shock the world with a 20 win season

Sal hits .300 and has an ops over .775

Craig Yoho gets at least 40 IP with the big club (oh... I see somebody else suggested that above)

Turang has an OPS of .850

The Brewers win the Central causing Craig Counsell to be fired by the Cubs.

The Miz pitches 150 innings, but wins 15 games and gets 180 Ks

Aaron Ashby finishes with a sub 2.00 ERA

[wiguy94]

David Hamilton puts up between 2-3 WAR as a strong side platoon infielder at 3B (or 2B if Turang shifts to SS)

[Lathund]

Perhaps not super bold but..

- Brewers will lead the majors in ERA. Rotation and bullpen both. 

- Joey Ortiz will look much more like his 2024 form and will be a 3 WAR player. 

- A prospect not on the 40-man yet (Brock Wilken most likely. Possibly Fischer or Adams) will man 3B by some time midseason

- Jake Bauers will be the Brewers best first baseman in 2026. 

- Anthony Seigler will have a higher wRC+ than Caleb Durbin in 2026. 

- Brewers will have multiple reliever of the year candidates, with at least two Brewers relievers getting points in the Cy Young voting. If I wanted to be really bold I'd say it's Angel Zerpa and Aaron Ashby. 

And one that I don't consider bold: Looking at the season as a whole, 3B won't be a major weakness. Might not be a strength either, but as we summarize the season, it won't be viewed as the reason we didn't beat the Dodgers in the NLCS. 

[BrewCrew8675309]

Neither Bauers nor AVaughn will have the most innings at 1B this year.

AAshby assumes the old Hader multi-inning role and Drohan assumes the old bullpen Burnes role by June 1st to surprisingly good success.

We make a trade with the Rays again at the deadline.

WS in October. 

[Underachiever]

1 hour ago, BrewCrew8675309 said:

WS in October. 

We Suck in October? Man, that's negative.

[kestrel79]

Mitchell stays healthy and finally puts a good season together. Ortiz does better and isn't the punching bag anymore like last year...

[thebruce44]

On 2/12/2026 at 7:43 AM, pitchleague said:

Woodruff has a nice season--13 W, 172 K, 162 IP
Yelich has a nice season--.299, 31 HR, .912 OPS

Turang breaks out--.288, 28 HR, .833 OPS, 30 SB

Chouio break out--in hives during spring training due to a scorpion bite, but then .301, 33 HR, .991 OPS

Rest of the rotation put out 8-10 win seasons each, with WHIPs that range from 1.20-1.39

Bullpen does it's thing.

All-stars:  Yelich, Chourio

BOLD prediction:  TWO of Fischer, Made, Pratt, Wilkin, Jett Williams are up with the team from July thru the end of the season.  However, ONE of them will be traded at the deadline!

 

Result?  Brewers win 92 games and take the division on the final day of the season.

Is that really a breakout for Turang? It seems like it would be more of a continuation of last year.

[snoogans8056]

Brock Wilken wins the 3B job out of camp.

[long ball]

8 pitchers get at least 10 starts. Another 2 get at least 5 starts. 
 

 

[TURBO]

On 2/12/2026 at 10:08 AM, jay87shot said:

Brewers trade for Byron Buxton a month before trade deadline providing a cure to a CF problem (Buxton LF, Chourio CF). (Pratt and Letson plus minor piece or two.)

You truly think we would trade that much for Buxton with his injury history (he isn't getting any younger either) and the $15 million + he is owed over the next 3 seasons?  

That's too much to give up and add that to the cash he will still be owed, I think this prediction is pretty much null and void right out of the gate.

[jay87shot]

21 minutes ago, TURBO said:

You truly think we would trade that much for Buxton with his injury history (he isn't getting any younger either) and the $15 million + he is owed over the next 3 seasons?  

That's too much to give up and add that to the cash he will still be owed, I think this prediction is pretty much null and void right out of the gate.

It would include that he is healthy up until that point next year. Buxton was worth about 5 WAR in 128 games, and that is with very subpar defense grades in center. If he shifts to left the value goes up I would assume, every team will likely want a bat like his (if healthy) and at 3/45 or so there is a  of lot excess value and a ton of teams can afford him. For me he is close to Kyle Tucker in value (if healthy), so yes I do think that is what he would cost if healthy and performing well by June/July.

[BrewCrewBlueDevil]

Joey Ortiz hits .250 with 12 HR's and plays awesome defense.

[owbc]

They win 100 games. 

They have a better Opening Day roster than 2025 and a ridiculous supply of near-MLB ready young talent to fold in as the season progresses. 

They do it by being #1 in MLB in run prevention. They come into 2026 with more pitching depth, a better bullpen, and better defense than 2025. 

They won't quite match their offensive output from 2025, but they will get close enough to improve as a whole. 

[disclaimer: I would officially project them for low-90s wins, there was definitely some luck involved in last year's win total and I worry about having worse injury luck. But I think 100 wins is their ceiling.]
 

[True Blue Brew Crew]

I think the Brewers avoid adding any blue chip prospects to the 40 man roster like the plague this year. Thus my bold prediction is that Jett Williams does not make an appearance in the majors this season. Not due to performance, just preference to keep him (and others) off the 40 man roster if at all possible.

Picture this scenario: Half or more of the 2027 season, perhaps all of it is lost to lockout. As part of the agreement to end the lockout, the players union negotiates that all members of the 40 man roster accrue a full year of service time. Add also that 40 man roster members have no place to play during the lockout. There's no way the Brewers wanna risk that scenario with any of their better prospects if they can avoid it. If they're guarding against that scenario, it would mean no Jett, Made, Pena, Pratt, Wilken, Burke, Fischer, Adams, Letson, Wichrowski, etc added to the 40 man in 2026. A guy like Rengifo and his extensive positional flexibility helps in this case.

Quero is on the 40 man so I think we definitely see him this year. As are pitchers Sproat, Harrison, Crow, and Drohan among pitchers who haven't appeared with the Brewers yet but are on the 40 man.

Here's the pool of 40 man IF: Turang, Ortiz, Rengifo, Black, Hamilton, Vaughn, Bauers

And OF: Chourio, Frelick, Yelich, Perkins, Mitchell, Lockridge, Berroa, Baddoo

I think the Brewers do everything in their power short of massive injuries to work from the current 40 man in 2026

And even with a massive amount of injuries I think we'll see DFA's and the replacements from a pool of minor league free agents instead of prospect 40 man adds

[markedman5]

5 hours ago, snoogans8056 said:

Brock Wilken wins the 3B job out of camp.

That’s beyond bold …….lol.

[pitchleague]

I like how members are calling out other members for their bold predictions, which is the purpose of this thread.  It's supposed to just be some fun.

Maybe that should be blue.  Maybe not.

Maybe this post you are reading right now should be in the "What's Bugging You" thread.

[edfunderburk]

I posted this “bold” prediction following our trade with the NYM …

Chad Patrick will have a better 2026 season with the Brewers than Freddy Peralta will have with the Mets