Milwaukee Brewers

The Brewers made large strides last year. After three consecutive last place finishes (four straight 90+ loss years) they finished third in the division with an 81-81 record. With their youngsters gaining experience all the time, they could be in line for further gains.

Pitching

2005 was a breakout year for Chris Capuano that saw him gaining votes on the Cy Young ballot. If he can keep up that level then that will give the Brewers three great pitchers to build a rotation upon with southpaw Doug Davis and ace Ben Sheets who has as good stuff as anyone in the league and he knows it. He will pour it on, throwing strikes and forces hitters to beat him and with that curveball of his few do.

The back end should be solid with Tomo Okha and David Bush able starters and rookie Dana Eveland looking like the fifth starter. The club hope Jose Capellan can lay claim to a starting role with his power stuff but it looks increasingly like he is destined for a career in the bullpen.

Derrick Turnbow came out of nowhere to emerge as a tough closer posting 39 saves and a 1.74 ERA and he’ll want to prove those numbers weren’t a fluke. If he can’t repeat then Capellan has the stuff to be effective in that role and Dan Kolb has proved before that he can close for the Brewers and will be wanting to prove himself after a disappointing season in Atlanta. Justin Lehr and lefties Jorge De La Rosa and Manny Parra give an impressive amount of depth to go to.

Defence

Bill Hall and J.J. Hardy give the left side of the infield a sturdy look but questions will be asked on the right side where Prince Fielder is not that much more mobile than his father was (remember BIG Cecil?) and Rickie Weeks, although athletic and speedy, can make simple plays look hard but he is working hard to improve.

Geoff Jenkins and Brady Clark are both good fielding outfielders capable of playing centre although their arms may be a little shorter than ideal in right but with Carlos Lee in the line-up neither are going to play left. Lee works hard but bless him, he’s just not that great a fielder.

Damian Miller has a history of working well with good pitching staffs and he certainly has one here. He may not have the strongest arm or be the most mobile but he calls a good game.

Offence

For a good while last year you could have given Carlos Lee serious MVP considerations with the way he was raking the ball. Even though he tailed off towards the end he still ended up with 32 homers and 114 RBI and seemed to enjoy the added responsibility he’s been given since leaving the White Sox.

Lee will be given plenty of support in the line-up with Jenkins back again and Prince Fielder who should be an early favourite for Rookie of the Year honours. Fielder has good plate presence and power to all fields.

The most exciting player on the roster could be sophomore Rickie Weeks who was impressive after being called up last year with his combination of speed and power. His average plummeted during the final month but that had a lot to do with a badly injured thumb that needed surgery after the season. He has a lightning quick bat and watch out for him this year.

The top of the order will be looked after by Brady Clark who had a solid year in the leadoff spot that was rewarded recently with a contract extension.

Rookie Watch

Prince Fielder is a fearsome hitter and really looks like he could be every bit as good as his father was although he shouldn’t have to wait as long for a stolen base. There are fears that he could emulate his father in terms of weight gain too but maybe that is down to genetics.

Management

Under the direction of GM Doug Melvin, the Milwaukee Brewers have emerged as one of the best run organisations in baseball with an absolute bevy of young talent bursting from every level and the plan of building a contender from within looks like its about to bare fruit in the not too distant future.

Manager Ned Yost has a reputation of standing by his players and working well with young players. He strongly believes that players learn by doing and working through problems. With the team starting to come together his game management skills will come under the microscope and if he fails there the team could look elsewhere in order to take them to the next level.

Outlook

There is so much promise on this team and the rotation alone makes them a contender but if the players who emerged last year continue to develop and the guys promoted this year do well then this is a team that could surprise a lot of people.