Comparing the St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee Brewers by position group for 2023

Outfield

This one has a lot of moving pieces, as both teams have 4-5 options for their outfield, and some of those players will find time at DH as well. For the sake of this argument, I'll count Jesse Winker as a DH only in this conversation, and do the same for Juan Yepez and Alec Burleson.

Currently, the Brewers' outfield consists of Christan Yleich, Garrett Mitchell, and Tyrone Taylor, with prospects Sal Frelick and Joey Wiemer set to make an impact at some point in 2023.

Yelich was down again in 2022, posting a 111 wRC+, he has not been close to his MVP form since 2019, so I think it's safe to wonder now if he'll ever be an All-Star level player again, especially if they will raise questions about Tyler O'Neill, who is only one year removed from that form and struggled with injuries in 2022.

Tyrone Taylor is a league-average player and does not have the ceiling of guys like Dylan Carlson or Lars Nootbaar. Nootbaar broke out in the second half of 2022 and looked like an All-Star level player. Dylan Carlson struggled in 2022 but also dealt with injuries like O'Neill.

O'Neill, Carlson, and Nootbaar have higher offensive ceilings as a unit than the Brewers' outfield and wipe the floor with them when it comes to defensive value. The Cardinals trio could all be Gold Glove candidates in 2023, and I expect them to be one of the best outfields in baseball.

Garrett Mitchell is an exciting young player for the Brewers. He only got to play in 28 games in 2022 but mashed with a 136 wRC+ in that sample size. Mitchell could be a really good player this coming season, but the Cardinals have a pretty good counter player of their own in the form of Jordan Walker.

Many predict Walker to win NL Rookie of the Year in 2023. He's a list of the last 10 players who have won that award: Michael Harris II, Jonathan India, Devin Williams, Pete Alonso, Ronald Acuna Jr., Cody Bellinger, Corey Seager, Kris Bryant, Jacob deGrom, and Jose Fernandez. It's safe to say the league sees elite potential in the Cardinals' 21-year-old outfielder.

Advantage to the Cardinals.