By Eric Katz
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.
Winker had many career highs during the 2021 season in which he was selected for his first career All-Star Game, hit .305, notched a .949 OPS, and hit 24 home runs (though he played in only 110 games due to injury). During that offseason, Winker was a part of the Reds’ fire sale and was traded to the Mariners. Despite being projected to pick up right where he left off, Winker’s 2022 season was a disaster. He 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 required him to get surgery this offseason.
Winker has never been known for durability, but 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, there is reason to be optimistic. The Brewers are certainly counting on him to bounce back and jumpstart their slumping offense.
This new chapter with Milwaukee 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. Over his career playing in Milwaukee, Winker has slashed .344/.440/.591 in 109 career plate appearances. Something else that works in his favor is that American Family Field is considered a great power alley 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 favoring left-handed power hitters.
The stage is now set for 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.
Eric Katz is a lifelong avid Yankees fan and covers them and various everything related to baseball at bellyupsports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Sportsteamnews.
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