By Brian Foley, Special to OnMilwaukee   Published Jan 25, 2019 at 9:56 AM

Baseball is back, Brewers fans! Christian Yelich, Craig Counsell and the rest of the Crew are hosting their annual Brewers On Deck Fan Fest at the Wisconsin Center in Downtown Milwaukee on Sunday, Jan. 27.

Tickets are already sold out, but if you and your family are already headed to the event to see the defending NL Central champions, here are some must-do’s this weekend.

Autographs

A whopping 44 people affiliated with the Brewers will be available at On Deck for autographs this year, including 18 minor leaguers (and principal owner Mark Attanasio) giving away free signings and 26 major leaguers and legends offering ink for $10-$25. Autographs will be available from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Check out the autographs schedule here.

With six autograph stages as well as a free autograph area, fans will need to outline a Fan Fest strategy to avoid lines and gather signatures. Here is one way to get the best bang for your buck:

  • 10-10:30 a.m.: Rotation linchpin Corbin Burnes (free)

  • 10:30-11:15 a.m.: Playoff hero Brandon Woodruff ($10)

  • 11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m.: Mayor of Ding Dong City Travis Shaw ($10)

  • Noon-12:45 p.m.: Centerfielder Lorenzo Cain ($25)

  • 1:30-2 p.m.: Top prospect Keston Hiura (free)

  • 3:30-4:15 p.m.: MVP Christian Yelich ($25)

Meet the management

Always wanted to pick the brain of Brewers executive David Stearns? Well, here’s your chance! At 12:30 p.m., the newly promoted Stearns, as well as Attanasio, assistant general manager Matt Arnold, members of the coaching staff, and broadcasters Brian Anderson, Brian Schroeder, Matt Lepay and Craig Coshun, will answer questions from the fans on the main stage.

Come prepared with your baseball questions and gather 'round as the Brewers give fans a peek into of one of the best front offices in the sport.

Main Stage game shows

The Brewers will wrap up the On Deck Main Stage experience with players participating in a several popular games, including Charades, Heads Up! and Pictionary. Members of the 2019 squad and 1982 American League champion team will also compete in "Brewers Face Off," a Family-Feud style game show. Will the Cali boys – Yelich and Ryan Braun – team up for Charades? Can Eric Thames draw more effectively than he hits lefties? Is Robin Yount a better game show contestant than the equally well-maned Josh Hader? Make sure you check out these must-see events!

Welcome, Yasmani!

After bringing in Cain on a big-ticket deal last winter, Stearns doubled down on high-profile vets by inking catcher Yasmani Grandal to a one-year, $18.25 million contract earlier this month. (The deal includes a mutual option for 2020.)

The 30-year-old Grandal has been one of the best backstops in the sport since 2015 and will get his first taste of the Brewers fan base since the Milwaukee crowd jeered his poor play at Miller Park in the NLCS. Let’s show him a better time now that he is donning the hometown blue and gold. Grandal will sign autographs for $25 from 1:30-2:15 p.m. on stage four.

Quick hitters

Per usual, the Brewers annual On Deck experience is chock full of baseball activities for the entire family. Make sure to stop by the Brewers Museum to take a tour of iconic franchise memories through the past five decades in Milwaukee or take on the Kids Entertainment area, which includes an infield for Kids Clinics, a Kids Cave, a Kids Stage and more. You can also participate in the Hunger Task Force Food Drive, 50-50 Raffle, treasure hunt sale or live auction – all courtesy of the Brewers Community Foundation.

Here is an A-Z guide of the entire event. Find more information here.