Milwaukee Brewers Are Underrated Going Into Opening Day 2016

The Milwaukee Brewers are counting on the defense of Jonathan Lucroy behind the plate this season. Their entire short-term rebuild is based upon defense and taking advantage of the players behind the pitchers. The Brewers upgraded at nearly every defensive position from a year ago.

Heading into spring training Domingo Santana was penciled in center, Ryan Braun in right and a question in left with Khris Davis having just been traded. The Brewers quickly realigned their outfield moving Braun to left, Santana to right and creating a battle in center between Kirk Nieuwenhuis and Ramon Flores. Whichever center fielder the Brewers go with, the net effect will be a better defense than has been seen in Milwaukee in several seasons.

The Brewers’ pitchers had a tough season in 2015. Kyle Lohse fell apart and the rest of the staff clearly missed Lucroy during his injury last season. Replacing Lohse with Chase Anderson will be a good first step to correcting their starting pitching deficiencies. Another key step is allowing Zach Davies to start the season in the minors. Coming over from the Baltimore Orioles last season, Davies is a potential ace in the making and can be best kept in reserve starting in Triple-A.

The final piece of the puzzle is new first baseman Chris Carter. In each of his three years playing for the Houston Astros, Carter hit more than 20 home runs. He will provide dangerous power to an otherwise defensively based lineup.

The Brewers look like a fourth-place team based on a mediocre offense. Their pitching and defense makes them dangerous. If Lucroy and Carter can provide enough offense, they may even be dangerous this season.