Find my hitter projections for the 2015 Milwaukee Brewers here.
Warning: Below is the same opening I used for my hitter projections (lazy is my name), so feel free to skip it and scroll down to the projections.
It’s that time of year again, when projections are being unleashed and the biased trolls of the internet emerge from their caves. I love it.
People say that projections are like throwing darts at a dart board and hoping it sticks where you want it too. Well, if that’s the case, then the dart’s trajectory has been calculated countless of times and the dart board is bigger than the average one. Projection systems, like Steamer and ZiPS, are the most accurate darts we currently have at our disposable. So many components (i.e. park factors, age, injury history, talent) play into their forecasts that it’s asinine not to put at least a little merit in them.
With that being said, my projections are not based on a mathematical model. My brain doesn’t possess the functionality it requires to build one or to even interpret simple mathematical equations. For someone who is so invested in sabermetrics, I don’t know a lick of math. So, there’s my warning about my projections.
On the other hand, my projections are more than just guess work. I’ve poured over each player’s statistical history, taken injuries and age into account, looked at splits, went over other projection systems and basically every other thing I could possibly do to make sure my projections were well-informed.
Here are my pitcher projections for the 2015 Milwaukee Brewers (subject to change before the season commences).
| Position | Name | ERA | FIP | xFIP | SIERA | HR | K% | BB% | GB% | WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP | Yovani Gallardo | 3.94 | 4.06 | 3.70 | 3.72 | 23 | 17.1% | 7.8% | 52.0% | 1.5 |
| SP | Kyle Lohse | 3.72 | 3.91 | 4.11 | 4.12 | 24 | 14.9% | 4.3% | 39.8% | 1.9 |
| SP | Matt Garza | 3.39 | 3.64 | 3.99 | 3.76 | 14 | 21.2% | 6.6% | 42.5% | 2.0 |
| SP | Wily Peralta | 4.01 | 4.09 | 3.81 | 3.99 | 23 | 20.0% | 8.5% | 52.6% | 1.6 |
| SP | Mike Fiers | 3.09 | 3.33 | 3.29 | 3.21 | 15 | 26.2% | 7.0% | 34.0% | 3.1 |
| SP | Will Smith | 3.29 | 3.34 | 3.15 | 2.65 | 8 | 31.3% | 9.2% | 45.1% | 0.6 |
| RP | Jeremy Jeffress | 2.62 | 3.11 | 3.00 | 2.59 | 4 | 21.9% | 9.6% | 57.4% | 1.0 |
| RP | Brandon Kintzler | 3.91 | 4.34 | 3.83 | 3.75 | 7 | 15.4% | 7.7% | 57.2% | -0.5 |
| RP | Jonathan Broxton | 3.55 | 3.49 | 3.72 | 3.80 | 6 | 20.0% | 6.9% | 47.3% | 0.4 |
| RP | Rob Wooten | 4.08 | 3.32 | 3.84 | 3.43 | 3 | 17.6% | 6.1% | 48.1% | 0.2 |
| RP | Jim Henderson | 3.45 | 3.70 | 2.99 | 2.79 | 5 | 27.1% | 9.2% | 34.0% | 0.1 |
| RP | Tyler Thornburg | 4.11 | 3.86 | 4.29 | 4.30 | 3 | 19.2% | 8.5% | 36.2% | 0.0 |
| RP | Jimmy Nelson | 4.08 | 4.17 | 3.80 | 3.91 | 10 | 19.7% | 8.3% | 50.7% | -0.1 |
| 3.63 | 3.72 | 3.66 | 3.54 | 145 | 20.9% | 7.7% | 45.9% | 11.7 |
Let’s start by comparing my projections to last season’s statistics. As a team, the Brewers had a 3.67 team ERA, 3.89 FIP and 3.65 FIP, equaling 11 wins. My projections have them outperforming last year, but not by much (11.5 WAR). Much of this is due to my belief in Mike Fiers and Jeremy Jeffress breaking out.
As far as the rotation goes, I foresee home runs being a big issue (some of Jimmy Nelson’s projected home runs are as a starter), like it was in 2014. Kyle Lohse will struggle with keeping the ball in the yard (fastball velocity has gone down in three straight seasons) and same goes for Yovani Gallardo who has seen his HR/FB ratio increase in back-to-back seasons (I still think the Brewers would be wise to trade him). Wily Peralta had a 3.53 ERA but a 4.11 FIP in ’14, and his high FIP is why I see his ERA going back up. I’m putting a lot of faith in Garza this year, as I think he’ll be the second-best pitcher in Milwaukee’s rotation. He just needs to stay healthy.
Now for the bullpen. Jeffress is going to kill it, and Will Smith’s strikeout rate will be through the roof. I like Rob Wooten a lot as a reliever, but his FIP has always outperformed his ERA, meaning he might just be one of those players with a better FIP than ERA. Jim Henderson and Tyler Thornburg are huge question marks health wise, so as soon as I know more about their ability to throw a ball without pain, my projections may change.
Overall, Brewers’ pitchers will be right around league average in 2015, and that’s with Fiers becoming an ace. If I’m wrong about that, the rotation could/will be a whole different story.
If you have any questions about my projections, please comment or find me on Twitter Follow @FirstOutAtThird
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