Milwaukee Brewers
The Brewers are World Series contenders if Christian Yelich can revive the offensive power he showed in 2018 and 2019.
As sports fans in Wisconsin flip their calendars to 2022, they find themselves in a historically rare situation: Based on the performances from all three of the state’s major pro franchises in 2021, it’s reasonable to expect championships this year.
That’s an uncomfortable position for many whose default setting for their beloved Packers, Bucks and Brewers are as unappreciated underdogs. Even fans of the Packers, among the NFL’s top handful of teams for the third straight year, will shake their heads and reply, “Well, if Aaron Rodgers gets hurt….” when asked about their team’s title hopes.
And while dreading humiliation and catastrophe is common for fans, even when they should be celebrating excellence, anyone who cares about football, basketball and baseball around here should be especially confident this year.
Green Bay Packers: Just like last year, only Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers pose a significant threat to the Packers’ chances of getting to Super Bowl LVI, where they would face an underwhelming opponent. Las Vegas oddsmakers like Kansas City to win the AFC for the third straight year, but the Chiefs haven’t played a particularly difficult schedule and didn’t look good when they beat a Rodgers-less Packers team in early November. If the Packers aren’t holding the Lombardi Trophy at SoFi Stadium on Feb. 23, fans have every right to be ornery.
Milwaukee Bucks: The core of the 2021 NBA champions — Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday — is intact and the Bucks sit near the top of the NBA’s Eastern Conference standings midway through the season. Their biggest obstacle to returning to the finals will once again be the Brooklyn Nets, who will be even more formidable if both Kevin Durant and James Harden stay healthy. In the West, Golden State would pose a much bigger challenge than Phoenix did last year. Winning back-to-back titles would secure Giannis’ legacy as one of the game’s all-time greats, but it would be a huge accomplishment to just get back to the finals.
Milwaukee Brewers: Among even the most faithful fans, the Brewers’ 2021 season didn’t seem special until they won 11 straight in late June and early July to take over first place in the division, a spot they’d hold for the rest of the year. With arguably the best pitching staff in baseball, led by Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes, Milwaukee should be one of the best teams in the National League again. But they will contend for a title only if they’re able to improve on offense. And while it was fun to see midseason acquisitions Willy Adames and Rowdy Tellez play well in 2021, the Brewers need Christian Yelich to get back to what he was doing in 2018 and 2019, when he hit 36 and 44 home runs, respectively. Those numbers led the Brewers to sign him to a $188.5 million contract in 2020, and he has hit just 21 homers, total, since.
Milwaukee won a World Series in 1957, when the Braves were in town, but the closest the Brewers have come was a loss to St. Louis in the 1982 World Series. Among the state’s three pro teams, they will have the toughest route to a 2022 title. But a World Series title would be the most satisfying.
