Ubaldo Castillo

If you are anything like me, the last few games against the Cubs made me want to scream, laugh, cry, laugh, throw my tv out the apartment, and laugh again. The division we once sat at the top of is now red and we sit 5 games back. The NL wild card we once did not partake in now has us 1.5 games outside of the last spot. It does not matter what the Brew Crew once did but what now it is what the Brew Crew will do that determines whether or not Milwaukee gets to see October baseball. I am an accountant by trade and an anxious person by life…so that led me to want to write this article. Let us take a look at the remaining games the Brewers have in store. I will come back after each game and update this blog post as we go so we can suffer…or enjoy the rest of the season as we should together. The Brewers are currently sitting at 64 - 56 so we can add wins and losses from here. Let us start with the next three games. 8/22 - @Dodgers - Lauer v Urias - I hate to say it but I think the lefty has us beat here - (64-57) - Actual - W 8/23 - @Dodgers - Burns v Gonsolin - I think we squeak by against a righty - (65-57) - Actual - L 8/24 - @Dodgers - Ashby v Heaney - Another lefty…but one with 5.79 ERA in the last 10 so I think we take this - (66-57) - Actual - L I am 0-3 to start...let's hope I am correct going forward 8/26 - Cubs - Assuming Burnes is on the mound I think we take this one from the Cubs (67-57) - Actual - L - Noted...don't pitch to Ian Happ 8/27 - Cubs - Woody on the mound in a game not at Wrigley. I think we take this one as well (68-57) - Actual - W 8/28 - Cubs - FREDDY DAY - This is a series I think we take back from the Cubs as a thank you for the terrible hospitality at Wrigley. W - (69-57) - Actual - W 8/29 - Pirates - Lauer Day against a team with nothing to play for. I think we lose the first one at home (69-58) - Actual W - Mitchell and KestDaddy come through for the team. 8/30 - Pirates - Ashby day. The pitcher with the new deal has something to prove after pretty okay outings against the Cubs and a potential loss against the Dodgers. We take a win right back - (70-58) 8/31 - Pirates - Burnes day again…so quick? I think we take this game through starting pitching in a close one. (71-58) Now we turn to September: 9/1 - @Dbacks - Woody day at a pitchers park? I think we will take this game. (72-58) 9/2 - @Dbacks - Freddy day at a pitchers park? I think we take this game..no this is not a type or a copy and paste. I think we have the right starting pitching against a team with little to play for at just the right time. (73-58) 9/3 - @Dbacks - Lauer on the mound I feel will take this and continue the hot streak. (74-58) 9/4 - @Dbacks - Ashby struggles on a hiccup against the DBacks and we take the loss on the chin - (74-59) 9/5 - @Rockies - Burnes day…yea…I think we take this against a limping Rockies team - (75-59) 9/6 - @Rockies - Woody day. I think we struggle and lose this game…call it a hunch or intuition but Woody at a hitters ballpark just never sits right with me. (75-60) 9/7 - @Rockies - Fred E day again I think we enter a slugfest with the Rockies and come out on top. (76-60) 9/8 - Giants - This day is a doubleheader and it will have Lauer and Ashby pitching. I don’t feel like this goes down like this so my best guess is that we split the games against the Giants. One win and one loss. (77-61) 9/9 - Reds - No Votto against Burnes, I think we take this start of the weekend with a Win for Corbin. (78-61) 9/10 - Reds - No Votto against Woody…I think we take this one again as well. (79-61) 9/11 - Reds - On Giannis bobblehead night? A packed house on Fred E day…I think we win again and sweep the Reds. (80-61) Two days later…. 9/13 - @Cardinals - I think this team is hot. Pujols almost to the 700 and everyone having career years. All of this against Lauer. I think we lose to a righty heavy lineup. (80-62) 9/14 - @Cardinals - Same thing but sub in Ashby. I think the same outcome. A loss. (80-63) BREAK 9/16 - Yankees - A struggling team that I think might just take a loss to us on Corbin day. We take this one in a narrow game. (81-63) 9/17 - Yankees - Woody. Do we trust him? I do…he is consistent but I think the Yankees get it together and pull it off - (81-64) 9/18 - Yankees - Fred E day. This is a tough one. If el Principe takes this game then it gives us confidence to end the year. I do think we take it. (82-64) 9/19 - Mets - Oh man do we run into it here on Lauer day. This team is buzzing and they are quite the offense. I think we lose the opener. (82-65) 9/20 - Mets - Ashby may or may not perform against this stacked lineup but I feel confident we can take a game off of the Mets 4 or 5 starters. Win here. (83-65) 9/21 - Mets - Burnes vs Max or Jacob…I think we lose this game. This will be a true test of October for the Crew - (83-66) 9/22 - @Reds - Woody day away at a pitchers park? Give me a win here fellas please. (84-66) 9/23- @Reds - Fred E day…so soon? Against a struggling Reds team? Order up a W for us Crew please. Win tonight. (85-66) 9/24 - @Reds - We need you tonight Lauer - Winner winner leftover fish fry dinner - (86-66) 9/25 - @Reds - Ashby gets it together before October. We take the sweep - (87-66) A few moments later…. 9/27 - Cardinals - Corbin day could not come sooner. We take opening game against the Cards. (88-66) 9/28 - Cardinals - We need this one Woody. This is when we turn on Meek Mill and stay on a roll. (89-66) 9/29 - Marlins - Fred E day…I think we take the first against the Marlins. - (90-66) 9/30 - Marlins - Lauer day…our 4 takes it and guides us towards that October baseball everyone talks about. (91-66) 10/1 - Marlins - Ashby against a team that doesn’t have anything to play for. W again. (92-66) 10/2 - Marlins - Corbin against the world - We take a win and we keep rolling - (93-66) 10/3 - Dbacks - Woody…we know you have it in you to win the first one. (94-66) 10/4 - Dbacks - Fred E…let us end the year better than when we started. (95-66) 10/5 - Dbacks - Lauer please…please don’t make me update this line with a loss. I think we win and finish the year at (96-66) TLDR - Of the 42 remaining games I think the Brewers turn on the jets and win 32 and lose 10 to end the season at 96-66. This means their win percentage for the remaining schedule is 76%. Is that super high? Yes I think it is. But think about it like this. With the starting rotation we have. Do you think the team can win 3 of 5 consistently and then win an extra game every so often? I think so. There are a lot of teams on the schedule that have nothing to play for and I believe the teams like the Mets and Yankees who will coast into the playoffs might take it easy with their players. I love to see what you all think so please…let me know if I am wrong…if you agree….or if you are somewhere in between. In the end it is all about the ride we take as fans. No one can truly predict 100% how these games will go. I mean…I am sure someone can get really close with some statistical analysis but to me, the Brewers are a team I turn on the TV to relax. To wind down and forget about all the work responsibilities I have. Whether or not this optimistic I want you all to know that seeing this Brewer team has led to conversations with great people and amazing tailgating memories. Let us hope that we can take the rest of the season and get into October because I really want to put my Cream jersey to the test in two months.

Hi there! Guilty as charged...I wrote this with a positive outlook on these prospects so maybe a bit optimistic from my end. Warren of course is still in the low levels but I found it difficult to see the Brewers front office spending big on a platoon. I agree, I hope they do get some help. I am not sure if it is through free agency. For that 10 ish million range they could go out and get someone like Trey Mancini or Miguel Sano who are on expiring contracts. You are right, catchers are the hot commodity. That being said, I still think he comes back for a similar deal. Willson Contreras, Christian Vazquez, and Roberto Perez deals will dictate how much Omar can ask for and ultimately get. Before I end this response I would just like to say, thank you for reading and responding! I always enjoy interacting with other Brew Crew faithful. Okay...I would love to know your free agency predictions. Here are mine: I think they take the savings from this year to go out and Pay Carlos Rodon and a bold prediction...pay Willson Contreras. A rotation of Burnes, Woody, Rodon, Peralta, Ashby. Excited to see what you have to say!

As someone who plays MLB 22 The Show on a daily basis (I know…it’s a problem) I constantly think about how prospects will develop. On that same note, I also think about how those prospects will affect roster decisions and line ups for teams. In this post we will examine position by position the outlook for the 2023 Brewers season. Catcher - This year we saw the duo of Omar Narvaez and Victor Caratini take care of the Brewers pitching staff. Going into the 2023 season Omar Narvaez is set to become a free agent. This year he earned out $5 million. Will the Brewers attempt to re-sign him? The 2023 free agent catching class is headlined by Willson Contreras who made $9.6 million in 2022 and is set for a raise next season. There is no clear match for match substitution for Omar when comparing salary. I think they end up keeping him on a similar deal as this year. He knows the pitching staff very well and barring injury, performed consistently for the Brew Crew this year. Victor Caratini is set for arbitration going into 2023. This year he earned a $2 million salary and based on his performance I could see him getting a bump in salary for next season. This is quite possibly the easiest roster decision for the Brewers. A consistent catcher that knows the pitching staff, doesn’t take the biggest cap hit, and can hit the ball with consistency. I think the Brewers pay him what he deserves this year and keep him on the rotation. Last but not least, Mario Feliciano. To keep it short…they keep him on next year while continuing to develop and eventually take some days off of Omar and Victor. Catcher(s) for 2023 - Omar Narvaez & Victor Caratini First base - Let me start by saying that if you have watched the Brewers then you know Rowdy will start at 1st next year again. 2 more years of arbitration and being one of the top home run hitters on the roster will easily lock you in for another year. He will merit a salary increase but one that will not hurt as he has proven time and time again to be clutch in moments you need a big lefty bat. In terms of rotation Keston Hiura is the right answer to a lefty pitcher. While I believe he continues taking that platoon role, I don’t think discussing him in the first base role is a fitting conversation to have. I think this is a spot where Milwaukee looks to sign a free agent or potentially try out someone within the system. The 2023 free agency has a lot of big names at 1st base but all of these command big money. I don’t think there is an obvious platoon in free agency that would fit the Brewers need while being subtle on the cap hit. I think 2023 is the year the Brew Crew turns to Zavier Warren as Rowdy’s back up. Standing at 6’1 he is a switch hitter and is at a point in his young career when he does need a few seasons to get up to that major league level. He is a top 20 prospect within the Brewers system and it would do him good to get experience with the club. First Base - Rowdy Tellez & Zavier Warren Second Base - At second base the Brewers have to make a tough decision. Do they exercise the third year team option on his contract? If they do, they are committing $10 million at second base for Kolten. He is currently a .255 hitter with 8 home runs and 31 RBI. On the defensive side of the ball he is an all star. The question becomes, do you pay a 15 home run hitter with stellar defense $10 million when you have Keston Hiura in arbitration and Brice Turang in the minors? I think the answer for the Brewers is no. It absolutely breaks my heart to write that, I love the energy Kolton brings to the team and I believe if he was earning less he would easily be a yes for the third year. I think the second base position is one that has depth and very team friendly cap depth at that. For this reason I think the first Brewer that doesn’t make it to 2023 is Kolton Wong. The positive here is that Brice will finally get some major league seasoning and the Brewer fans will see what this top 5 Brewer’s prospect brings to the table. Second Base - Keston Hiura & Brice Turang. Short Stop - Willy Adames, that is all. No but seriously, the energy he brought to the Brewers is breathtaking. Sure, he might not hit for average but that is easily overshadowed by the other aspects he brings to the table for the Brew Crew. He is the Brewers energy hitting home runs and throwing 90 mph balls across the diamond. At age 27 he still has 2 more years of arbitration and I think the Brewers would be short sighted not to pay the man what he deserves. This year making $4.6 million, next year should see him taking a pay bump. But with the potential savings from deferring Kolton’s deal, this should be something the Brewers should be happy with. This is a position that Luis Urias can play if and when Willy is not in the line up. As it is with most of the infield, Counsell loves to rotate. I think the shortstop position will be lined up with Willy and Wicho for the 2023 season. Short Stop - Willy Adames & Luis Urias Third Base - Wicho…that is all again. No but seriously, Willy and Luis on the third base side have been dynamic. The Brewers would be silly to let either of them go. Luis is pre arb and has 3 years of arbitration through 2025. He will command a slightly higher salary next year but it is deserved as he has become pretty dependable at third base. He has made some mistakes but he still is still 25 and has a few years to pull it all together. The question becomes who backs him up. This is where I believe the answer is Michael Brosseau. 3 more years of arbitration and a solid platoon player, I think he is a reliable answer for 2nd and 3rd base. He is a solid hitter at the plate and I see no reason why the Brewers would let him go next year. Third Base - Luis Urias & Michael Brosseau Outfield - This is where I believe the Brewers will change the most. Let us begin with the simple cases. Andrew Mccutchen has been very solid at the plate and on defense. He is coming up for free agency in 2023. This year he is hitting .253 with 11 home runs and 50 RBI. He is dependable and provides a very solid spark to the team. That being said, the farm system is one that is overflowing with outfield prospects that are at the AAA level and pushing for major league time. I think Cutch ends up being a victim of this overflow. While I hope he resigns and stays on the team, it would have to come with a salary cut and reduced time. I remain optimistic he stays but at age 35 it might be a tough sell for the front office to resign him for anything longer term or larger salary. Hunter Renfroe has arbitration for next year. Hitting .246 with 19 home runs and 44 RBI Hunter has played a big part of this team and I believe he will be brought back for next season. Tyrone Taylor is another player that has performed very consistently. Hitting .225 with 12 home runs and 40 RBI is promising. Having 3 more years of arbitration is a selling point for this front office. I think Hunter and Tyrone are two outfield players that stay for the 2023 year. Yelich is a simple one, long contract, no move clause, performing okay. Yelich is staying put in Milwaukee for a long time. Now we get to the players that the farm system will provide. The trio of Sal Frelick, Joey Wiemer, and Garrett Mitchell will be added to the rotation next year. Whenever Tyrone or Hunter need a day off these are the players that will take that spot. The best hitter out of the three is Frelick currently hitting .395 at AAA he has proven in a short time that he can hit. Not far behind is Mitchell, hitting .324 at AAA he is one good game away from catching up to Frelick. Joey Wiemer has been taking a bit longer but with the rest of the year and with spring training, I believe he will eventually make the cut for the major league team. It will be tough to put together just three that will play so I will put down 5 as a rotation. I believe the everyday players will be Hunter Renfroe and Tyrone Taylor. The more consistent new face will be Sal Frelick. Weimer and Mitchell will platoon. Outfield - Tyrone Taylor, Hunter Renfroe, Sal Frelick, Christian Yelich, Joey Weimer, and Garrett Mitchell. Predicted Lineup for 2023 Christian Yelich - L - (Designated Hitter) Keston Huira - R- (Second Base) Willy Adames - R- (Short Stop) Rowdy Tellez - L - (First Base) Hunter Renfroe - R - (Right Field) Sal Frelick - L - (Left Field) Tyrone Taylor - R - (Center Field) Luis Urias - R - (Third Base) Omar Narvaez - L - (Catcher) Bench Zavier Warren - S - First Base Michael Brosseau - Right - Infield Victor Caratini - S - Catcher Brice Turang - L - Infield Garrett Mitchell/Joey Weimer - Outfield

@BruisedCrew Fair point. Does it make a difference to you seeing that on the field?

@Thiéres Rabelothat is awesome. I would never stop buying jerseys if that was to happen. Part of me wonders if sponsors would value their ad placement less if they were not placed on jerseys that were sold to the public. This sponsor conversation has so many different aspects that I feel like it will never end.

@Thiéres Rabelo that is a really cool concept. It makes me wish other teams did the same. Was this always an option when buying a Cruzeiro jersey?

Revenue makers feel like slippery slopes to me. If you can add more to your bottom line as a team and as a league, why wouldn't you? And where do you stop? For example, if Motorola is willing to pay $20 million for something at the chest level does the league then accept chest level ads? This is one of those things that only time will tell for me.

As a fan of sports in general it is always nice to take a look at the different leagues and see the trends that might potentially end up in baseball. One trend that is no longer a trend but rather a staple in most sports, is the sponsors on jerseys. If you watch soccer this is nothing new to you, jersey sponsors have been around since the 70's and have not taken a step back since. 2017 saw the first jersey sponsor on an NBA jersey and what I once feared had become reality. Sooner than later I began reading about potential jersey sponsors on NHL teams. Unfortunately, the sponsorship deal came to Major League Baseball sooner than I thought. Earlier in the year the Padres announced their sleeve patch sponsor Motorola. Reportedly worth $10 million a year (SportsBusiness) this deal is the first of its kind but certainly not the last. As a fan, this raises a lot of questions and concerns regarding what this might mean for our Milwaukee Brewers. The sleeve patch for the Padres is where the 50th anniversary patch is for the Brewers on authentic jerseys for some of you to get an idea of what that looks like. You can also click here to see the Padres announcement. The question now is not "if" the Brewers will have a sponsor but a question of "when" will the Brewers have a jersey sponsor. $10 million a year is a figure that will vary by team but a source of revenue that any team will take on the P&L. After all of that exposition (and some opinion by me) the questions now for Brewers fans are the following: - Do you want sponsors on jerseys? - Who do you think will be the Brewers sponsor? - Would you still buy a jersey if it has a sponsor on it? Here are my two cents. I do not want sponsors on jerseys. I avoid buying soccer jerseys for the simple reason that sometimes I just don't feel like walking around with a sponsor for a betting website. Ultimately, I think all teams will end up having a jersey sponsor, so the next best thing is to wonder, who will the Brewers have as a sponsor? There are a few companies that come to mind, a lot of them already sponsoring something within the stadium. I doubt Harley Davidson would be on both the Bucks and Brewers jerseys. This is why I think the side patch might end up being Northwestern Mutual. Color scheme matches and it is one of the largest companies in Milwaukee. Would I buy a jersey with a sponsor on it? Nope...this is why I went out and bought myself a jersey a few days ago. I am not saying I could not have waited a few months. I am excited to read what everyone has to say about this issue.