Top 25 Brewer Fanatic Most-Viewed Articles of 2023: Part 3 (11-15)

Today's grouping of five popular 2023 Brewer Fanatic articles has a wide range of topics. Of course, there is some talk about the managerial job and search. But today is also a good reminder that there are very few givens in the game of baseball. We have an article on a player who was highly-touted and made a strong first impression, but three years later, he's out of the organization. Another top prospect debuted and had some extreme struggles. And a veteran joined the roster very late in the season with a ton of question marks and concerns. However, we begin today with a trade that will be awfully difficult to replicate in terms of its success. 

#15 3 William Contreras Trade-Style Moves the Brewers Could Make 
by Ryan Pollak
Dec 14  

William Contreras and Joel Payamps received. Esteury Ruiz traded. The Brewers were the beneficiary of the Atlanta Braves and Oakland A’s needing another team to complete their Sean Murphy deal last winter. Contreras was the team’s MVP. Payamps was a valuable arm near the back end of the Brewers bullpen. Ruiz finally got an opportunity to play with the A’s and led the league with 67 stolen bases. But that is a trade that Brewers fans would take every single time. But can it be repeated this offseason? Ryan mentions three trades and four names of players that might fit a similar category along with what those deals might potentially look like. 

#14  The Rise and Fall of Keston Hiura 
by Bryce Naughton
Sept 6
 

This is a perfect title for this particular article. Keston Hiura was the Brewers first-round pick in 2017, ninth overall, out of UC-Irvine. He flew through the minor leagues and made his debut with the Crew less than two years later, on May 14, 2019. In 84 games that year, he hit .303/.368/.570 (.938) with 23 doubles and 19 home runs. Sure, he struck out in 30.7% of his plate appearances, but with this kind of production, and his youth, he was intriguing as a big part of the team’s future. In the strike-shortened 2020 season, he played in 59 of the Brewers 60 games and hit just .212, though he did have 13 home runs. He led the league in strikeouts.

The shine was no longer on Hiura. He moved over to first base due to his poor defense. In 2021, he played in just 61 games and hit just .168 with four homers. He struck out over 39% of his times at the plate. In 80 games in 2022, he hit .226/.316/.449 (.765) with 15 homers, but he struck out almost 42% of the time and provided no defensive value. He was DFAd and cleared waivers. So in 2023, he played in 85 games for Triple-A Nashville and hit .308/.395/.500 (.960) with 12 doubles and 23 home runs. He struck out about 25% of the time. The Brewers had a need for offense, and issues at first base. Hiura’s numbers probably warranted a promotion but he didn’t receive it. In early October, he became a free agent. Quick rise, and equally quick fall. Hiura is now 27, so someone should give him a shot on a minor-league deal. Obviously Bryce went much deeper than I just did, but it is such an interesting story. 

#13  What’s Eating Joey Wiemer? 
by Jason Wang
Aug 25

Brewers fans eagerly anticipated the big-league debut of Joey Wiemer. He was a top three prospect of the Brewers the past couple of seasons. The 2020 fourth-round pick from Cincinnati is a big, strong, athletic player who put up good power and speed numbers throughout the minor leagues. But in 132 games as a rookie, Wiemer hit just .204/.283/.362 with 19 doubles and 13 home runs. He had 36 walks, but he had 116 strikeouts. Those are just the numbers. Jason did some great digging and looked at video, Statcast data and more to try to figure out why Wiemer struggled at the plate so much and what he might be able to do to improve upon his rookie numbers. Fortunately, Wiemer is a terrific outfielder defensively with a strong arm and can find value, but improving his offensive game gives him a chance to be a full-time regular. 

#12 Josh Donaldson Represents the Final Test of Superstar Manager Craig Counsell  
by Matthew Trueblood
Sept 11 

Even during the season, Brewers fans knew that manager Craig Counsell would be a free agent at season’s end. The Brewers led the NL Central, but they were never really able to run away with it. Needing infield help, Matt Arnold signed 37-year-old veteran Josh Donaldson, just days after the Yankees released him. By signing him to a minor-league deal on August 31st, he was eligible to play for the team in the playoffs if needed. Of course, Donaldson comes to any new clubhouse with some baggage. Sure, he hit just .142 with the Yankees before his release, but most fans (and maybe even Brewers personnel), were more worried about the effect he might have on the clubhouse. Honestly, it could go either way. He was called up on September 11th. There were no issues with Donaldson (at least nothing publicly) in the clubhouse. Of course, in 17 games, he hit just .169/.290/.390 (.680) with four doubles and three homers. He went 2-for-7 in the Brewers playoff sweep by the Diamondbacks. 

#11 Brewers Manager Search Young and Hungry with Fresh Eyes 
by Tim Muma
Nov 10 

Once Craig Counsell signed with the Cubs, the Brewers had a huge decision in front of them. Who would be the next manager of the Milwaukee Brewers? There were several really strong options within the organization, and ultimately that is the direction that Matt Arnold chose to go. Bench coach Pat Murphy was named manager and Rickie Weeks was announced as associate manager. However, Tim suggested five potential managers from outside the organization. And, now Brewers fans can compare how Murphy/Weeks do, and how those options do over their career.

If you missed a previous article in this series, click here: 

Part 1 (21-25)
Part 2 (16-20)
Part 3 (11-15)
Part 4 (6-10) - Coming Tomorrow!