After having a career year in 2021, Jesse Winker had a rough 2022 season. It was a season that saw him riddled with injuries and have career lows in many offensive categories. He also had a career-high in strikeouts with 103 while only hitting 14 home runs. This offseason, the Seattle Mariners shipped him along with Abraham Toro to the Milwaukee Brewers for Kolten Wong. Given his success in his career in Milwaukee and how the stadium favors lefties, I believe he’ll bounce back this season.
A Poor Encore To His 2021 All-Star Season
Jesse Winker had many career highs during the 2021 season that saw him be selected for the All-Star game. During that offseason, Winker was a part of the Reds’ random fire sale and was traded to the Seattle Mariners. Despite being projected to pick up right where he left off, Winker’s 2022 season was a disaster. Winker only slashed .219/.344/.344 for the Mariners in 136 games. However, Winker was playing through both meniscus and neck injuries all season. Both injuries would require him to get surgery this off-season.
Reason For The Brewers To Be Optimistic
Winker has never been known for durability, it’s tough for anybody to be productive with one injury much less two. After receiving the surgery, Winker has been raving about how much it has helped him. While it’s still unknown whether he’ll have a healthy season, however, there is reason to be optimistic. The Brewers are certainly counting on him to bounce back and jump-start their slumping offense.
How The Trade To The Brewers Will Be Advantageous For Jesse Winker
This offseason, Jesse Winker along with Abraham Toro were shipped to the Brewers for Kolten Wong. This deal is perfect for Winker given his success in his career playing at American Family Field. He’s also slated to be a free agent after this season and a big rebound year could parlay into a good payday. In his career playing in Milwaukee, Jesse Winker has slashed .344/.440/.591 in 109 career at-bats. Something else that works in his favor is that American Family Field is considered a great power ally for left-handed hitters. It is the fifth-best home run park for lefties. By comparison, Seattle’s T-Mobile Park is 14 spots behind American Family Field in favoriting left-handed power hitters.
The stage is set for Jesse Winker to get back to All-Star form. He’ll be playing in a ballpark where he’s had a lot of success during his career. He’s also eligible for free agency for the first time in his career. With it being a contract year for him, this is another reason he’ll rebound in 2023.
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