You know when you’re taking one of those quizzes where you have to name all the MLB teams and there’s always one you can’t get? Meet the Milwaukee Brewers.
The Brewcrew enters this season reloaded and ready to go. The huge acquisitions of former Cy Young award winner Zach Greinke and Shaun Marcum, in addition to a lineup headlined by All-Stars Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder, puts Milwaukee in a position to contend in the NL Central.
Projected Lineup:
- Carlos Gomez (CF)
- Rickie Weeks (2B)
- Ryan Braun (LF)
- Prince Fielder (1B)
- Corey Hart (RF)
- Casey McGehee (3B)
- Jonathan Lucroy (C)
- Yuniesky Betancourt (SS)
Projected Rotation:
- Zach Greinke
- Yovani Gallardo
- Shaun Marcum
- Randy Wolf
- Chris Narveson
Strengths:
Power: The 2-6 hitters in the Brewers lineup hit 140 Hrs last year, a very impressive total and they won’t be short on power this year either. Both Fielder and Braun had their lowest HR totals of the last four years in 2010, and, since neither of them is even 28 yet, we can expect those numbers to go up. Hart and Weeks both experienced power surges last season and look to repeat their improvements.
Starting Rotation: Greinke is two years removed from his AL Cy Young with the Royals and is generally given a pass for mediocre numbers last season because of lack of motivation, and support due to the Royals futility. Marcum pitched well in the bat heavy AL East last season (13-8, 3.64ERA, 1.15 WHIP) and should only see his numbers improve in the NL. Gallardo was the Brewers ace last year posting a 14-7 record and a 3.84 ERA. Along with Randy Wolf and Chris Narveson as the fourth and fifth starters, the Brewers rotation should match up well with the best of the National League.
Weaknesses:
Catcher: Jonathan Lucroy is slated to be the starting catcher. I have never heard on that guy. Isn’t he on the Minnesota Wild? (Thats the closest hockey team to Milwaukee, right? I really have no idea). Lucroy hit .253 with 4HRs in his only 277 Big League ABs.
Depth: Nope. Not a lick. 1,000 year old Craig Counsel is the backup shortstop and second baseman. If either Weeks or Betancourt (whose really not that good to begin with) goes down, there are problems in Milwaukee.
Prospects: Absolutely atrocious. The Milwaukee Brewers are the only team in the MLB not to have a single player on Kieth Law’s Top 100 prospects. Also, their top 5 prospects are all right-handed pitchers. I guess its win now for the Brewers. Is this a team that can do that?
Storylines:
The Big Prince: This is the final year of Prince Fielder’s contract and his fortunes are very much tied to the team’s. If the Brewers fall out of contention early, look for them to peddle Fielder near the trade deadline. Fielder is auditioning for other teams this year and he knows it. He’ll try to cash in this offseason by having a huge year and I think he can do it.
Manager: The Brewers have a new manager this year, Ron Roenicke. I don’t really care. I’ve never heard of him and the Brewers have to show me something before I pay attention to them anyway. Its a storyline though.
Road Trip: A personal note here. Last summer, I went on a road trip with a friend of mine to a bunch of midwest stadiums. Milwaukee was one of our favorite stops. The city is awesome, its right on the water and there’s this really nice park. Miller Park is literally in the shadow of the Miller Brewery which is an awesome place to tour (if you’re 21). Maybe because there’s nothing else to do in the midwest, except cow-tipping, they tailgate hard in Milwaukee. Like really hard. Go if you can.
Prediction:
88-74, 2nd Place, NL Central. The Brewers will make a big push this year but it wont quite be enough to catch the Reds. They will, however, hold off the Cardinals and grab second place in the division. Greinke and Marcum will make smooth transitions to that other league and the offense will perform pretty much has expected. It just wont be enough. Being good but missing the playoff will put the Brewers in a tough spot in the whole Prince Fielder situation.
Bold Prediction:
- Shaun Marcum will win 20 games
- Corey Hart will hit 50 HRs
- In his walk year, Prince Fielder will hit 60HRs (YOU go tell him he won’t)
- Carlos Gomez will hit under .200 and still be the everyday center fielder
And Now For Something Completely Different:
Brandon Davies got kicked off the BYU basketball team for violating an honor code. I like this, it should happen more often. If you sign a code, you should abide by it.
This is really funny. Really really funny. It has Jessica Biel, Jessica Alba, Scarlett Johansson, Lindsay Lohan and other attractive people.
Its important to keep up with current events.
Do you have leprosy?
As Always, contact us at offthebench@offthebenchbaseball.com
-Max Frankel
