The Milwaukee Brewers finished 81-81 in 2005, finishing without a losing record for the first time in 12 years.

With young prospects making their way into the starting lineup, there’s reason to believe it could be at least 12 more years before the Brewers find themselves back below .500.

The youth movement is most evident in the infield.

Prince Fielder, 21, was used sparingly at the end of last season behind Lyle Overbay, but is now the starter at first base after the Brewers shipped Overbay to Toronto. At second, 23-year-old Rickie Weeks will resume the role he claimed last season. The same can be said for J.J. Hardy at shortstop, also 23. Recently acquired Corey Koskie rounds out the infield at third base.

With a young group of prospects playing in the sand, the Brewers even things out with a reliable core of veterans in the outfield. All three starters — Carlos Lee in left, Brady Clark in center and Geoff Jenkins in right — are returning from the 2005 campaign.

Lee belted a career-high 32 home runs and 114 RBIs last season, and is looking to improve on those numbers. Clark surprised everyone in the majors by hitting a team-leading .306, and will once again be out to prove his critics wrong. Meanwhile, Jenkins has been with the Brewers for eight seasons, and is eager to see his team finish with more tallies in the left hand column than the right.

Along with youth, the 2006 Brewers have plenty of depth. The infield is insured by Bill Hall and Jeff Cirillo, the team’s all-time batting average leader. Back at the fences, young prospects Gabe Gross and Corey Hart watch and learn from the starting outfielders.

The only real question mark is the pitching staff, despite added depth in the bullpen. Ben Sheets is injury prone, and begins the season on the 15-day disabled list. Doug Davis is a solid starter, and Chris Capuano is coming off a career-best 18-12 season, but beyond them the rotation gets a little bleak.

Tomo Ohka won 11 games in 2005, but inconsistency plagued his debut season in Milwaukee, and the Brewers might be forced to rely on Dave Bush and Rick Helling more than they would like.

Although there are uncertainties in the starting rotation, the Brewers should have no problem sealing the deal. Closer Derrick Turnbow returns after saving 39 with a 1.74 ERA. Turnbow owes much of his success to the emergence of Matt Wise as a reliable setup man. Additionally, Milwaukee reacquired their former closer, Dan Kolb.

With the revamped lineup, the Brewers have the talent to finish in contention for the NL Wild Card, at the very least. Playoffs are not only a possibility this year, but for years to come as well.

Expectations are high and optimism reigns supreme in Milwaukee. With the young talent the beer makers have in place, the mug is definitely half-full for the Brewers in 2006 and beyond.

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