Top 25 Brewer Fanatic Most-Viewed Articles of 2023: Part 2 (16-20)

In today's set of five oft-viewed articles from 2023, there are several interesting topics. 2024 rotation ideas? Trade targets? The outfield situation? Matt Arnold's first year.... Read on and at the end be sure to take a few minutes to note your thoughts on these topics. Maybe your opinion has changed over time. 

#20 Robert Gasser and the Brewers 2024 Rotation Plans 
by Matthew Trueblood
Dec 6 

Robert Gasser was the 2nd round pick of the Padres in 2021 out of the University of Houston. The southpaw was part of the return the Brewers received in the 2022 trade of Josh Hader. In 2023, he spent the full season at Triple-A Nashville. In 25 starts, he went 9-1 with a 3.79 ERA. In 135 1/3 innings, he had 50 walks and an impressive 166 strikeouts. He and Carlos Rodriguez were named co-Brewers Minor League Pitchers of the Year. Could Gasser debut out of the Brewers, like Corbin Burnes did? Or, might the Adrian Houser trade last week open up a spot in the rotation for the lefty? 

#19 Brewers Trade Target Eloy Jimenez 
by Matthew Trueblood
Dec 8

The Brewers have remained fairly busy throughout the offseason, yet they haven’t yet made a big splash. The team could certainly use some right-handed power. With the White Sox seemingly looking to unload almost anyone, could there be a match that would bring Eloy Jimenez to the Crew? The Brewers have Christian Yelich in left field. Jackson Chourio signed an historic long-term contract and should be in center field soon, if not on Opening Day. The Brewers already have highly-touted young players Sal Frelick, Garrett Mitchell and Joey Wiemer. Ultimately, Jimenez’s best defensive position is certainly DH. 

#18 What’s Happened to Christian Yelich 
by Jake McKibbin
Sept 4

In the first half of the 2023 season, Christian Yelich had returned to form. Not MVP form, but a return to being a great player form. He was hitting the ball hard. He was hitting the ball in the air a bit more. At one point, we had articles being written on whether Yelich should be the frontrunner for Comeback Player of the Year. Then came August. His launch angle dropped. His hard-hit percentage dropped. His expected Slugging Percentage plummeted. Fortunately in September, his OPS jumped back up to .817. It was a solid 2023 season for Yelich. In 144 games, he hit .278/.370/.447 (.818) with 34 doubles and 19 home runs. He was even 28-for-31 in stolen base attempts. It was the first time he had posted an OPS over .800 since 2018 and 2019, his MVP and MVP runner-up seasons. 

#17 The Milwaukee Brewers’ Matt Arnold Era is Already Glorious 
by Matthew Trueblood
Sept 17

When David Stearns left the Brewers organization after seven seasons at the helm, the reins were turned over to Matt Arnold who worked directly with Stearns his entire tenure. The article discusses several moves made by Arnold - not Stearns - that helped make the Brewers the top team in the division in 2023. First and foremost was the acquisition of catcher William Contreras and reliever Joel Payamps for essentially nothing to help facilitate the Sean Murphy trade between Atlanta and Oakland. He added Carlos Santana and Mark Canha  at the trade deadline and both had huge moments down the stretch. Julio Teheran was brought in when the Brewers needed arms and innings. Even the addition of Josh Donaldson late in the season paid off. Sure, the Andrew Chafin addition didn’t help, and he’s not going to ‘hit’ .900 every season, but Brewers’ fans should feel comfortable knowing Matt Arnold is in charge.  

#16 Who Should Emerge as the Brewers’ Top Outfielders in 2024? 
by Matthew Trueblood
Oct 28 

Which Christian Yelich will we see in 2024? When will Jackson Chourio be ready? The Brewers already traded Tyrone Taylor to the Mets. That leaves one regular, starting outfield spot for high-ceiling prospects Sal Frelick, Garrett Mitchell, and Joey Wiemer. Blake Perkins, who is fantastic defensively, is certainly a candidate for a role. The Brewers also added Chris Roller to their 40-man roster earlier this offseason. With Yelich and four players who have been Top 100 global prospects over the past couple of years, who will emerge?

More to come tomorrow, but if you missed a previous edition: 

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