The Milwaukee Brewers seemed destined to win the NL Central in 2014, leading the division for nearly five months of the season. However, a brutal September collapse allowed for the St. Louis Cardinals to lap the Brew Crew, sending Milwaukee home after falling short of their playoff aspirations.
Can the Brewers right their September wrongs in 2015? Here's out 3 Bold Predictions For The 2015 Milwaukee Brewers.
3. Ryan Braun returns to 90-95% of his 2008-12 form
The Brewers slugger battled the same thumb injury in 2014 that troubled him in 2013, and that along with his PED suspension in 2013 is enough to have removed him from most conversations about the game's elite outfielders. After having surgery to deaden the nerves in his troublesome thumb, we're expecting people to get reacquainted to Braun -- to the tune of 28-30 home runs, 103-106 RBIs, and a slash line of .305/.380/.500.
2. Mike Fiers goes into full ace mode
Here's your bargain fantasy baseball pick of picks. Mike Fiers dazzled in a small sample size in 2014, posting a 2.13 ERA and a ridiculous .879 WHIP in 71 innings pitched. That'll be hard to sustain over double or triple the innings, but Fiers' breakthrough performance in 2014 has plenty of peripheral backup to make it a fluke. Expect Fiers to silence critics who say the Brewers don't have a true ace by going 180-200 innings and posting a 2.50 ERA/1.000 WHIP.
1. The Brewers will make major noise in the NL Central & Wild Card races
The Brewers have one of the most sneakily well-balanced rosters in all of the National League (and all of baseball for that matter), and they're a couple of breakout seasons and/or returns to form away from challenging the Pirates and Cardinals again at the top of the division. We say Lady Luck shines on the Brewers brighter than most believe she will, giving them more than a puncher's chance to return to the postseason for the first time since 2011.
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