Villanueva will play the role of middle and late reliever, coming in when a starter gets shelled or tired during the course of the game.

Last week, the Milwaukee Brewers and manager Ned Yost decided to keep starting pitcher Carlos Villanueva with the big league squad instead of sending him to class AAA Nashville to begin the season.

While it was a subtle roster move, it may have been one of the most telling personnel decisions of the off-season and spring training. Why?

Because the Brewers are done waiting “ 2007 is the year. Villanueva, a 23-year-old right-hander out of the Dominican Republic, is a project. He is young, yes, but the kid has shown signs of brilliance, even at such a young age.

Beginning last season in Double-A Huntsville, he was called up in May when pitchers Ben Sheets and Tomo Ohka began going down with injuries. Over the course of the season, he made 10 starts for the Brewers, compiling a 3.69 ERA. Pretty solid for a rookie.

What you wont see looking at his overall season statistics are the flashes of brilliance that make the Brew Crew brass think they may have something special in this pitcher. In two starts, May 23 vs. Cincinnati and Sept. 20 against St. Louis, Villanueva pitched 13 scoreless innings, giving up only seven hits.

However, because the team is keeping Villanueva in the majors in a reserve role, his growth as a pitcher may suffer because he will not start once every five days, something the Brewers have done extensively with young pitchers in the past by putting them in Triple-A.

Instead, Villanueva will play the role of middle and late reliever, coming in when a starter gets shelled or tired during the course of the game. Yost believes he can still find enough innings to continue Villanuevas growth.

But the message is clear: in keeping Villanueva in the bigs, the Brewers are ready to win now. Not next year, but 2007.

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