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Spring Training with the Brew Crew
Five things to watch for
By Ken Ryan
Expectations are running high for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2008. The club was unable to parlay a 24-10 start into a division title as they finished two games behind the hated Chicago Cubs.
But after posting their first winning record (83-79) since 1992 with the core of their team under 25 years old, excitement in Wisconsin is at an all-time high. The club is putting a record 150 games on television and has already sold one million tickets faster than they ever have. Here’s what to look for just a day after pitchers and catchers report to the Phoenix, Ariz.
1. FINALIZING THE BACK END OF THE STARTING ROTATION
Ben Sheets, Yovani Gallardo and Jeff Suppan are all set in stone at the top end of the rotation. (Until, that is, the first of two annual Sheets’ disabled list trips occurs.)
It’s being speculated that General Manager Doug Melvin and skipper Ned Yost both are leaning to giving fourth-year right-hander Dave Bush a spot in the rotation.
That leaves left-handers Chris Capuano and Manny Parra along with right-handers Carlos Villanueva and Claudio Vargas. Since the other four projected starters are righties, Yost may want a lefty in the rotation.
Because Parra is the only in the group with a minor league option available, he’s a decent bet to start in Triple A and stay there until the first injury in the rotation occurs. Villanueva is the best of the secondary group overall but with his success as a reliever and as a spot starter a year ago, he’ll probably end up in the bullpen. Vargas, last year’s fifth starter, is just god-awful and may get released altogether. So by process of elimination along with a left-arm, despite the team losing his final 17 starts of 2007, Capuano enters as the favorite for the final starting spot.
2. DEFENSIVE SWITH-A-ROO: BRAUN IN LEFT, HALL AT THIRD
Make no mistake, Ryan Braun won Rookie of the Year in 2007 purely with his bat. His fielding percentage is one of the lowest for a third baseman in the modern era. So with the signing of centerfielder Mike Cameron, Bill Hall is free to go back to his past position. With the platoon of leftfielders Geoff Jenkins and Kevin Mench out the door, left is open for Braun. Fielding fly balls in the high-sky of Arizona is a difficult task, so Braun will get plenty of work at his new position. You can count on him struggling early but give him time.
3. DETERMINING BULLPEN ROLES
The Brewers lost all-star closer Francisco Cordero to free agency but compensated by bringing in four veteran relievers in Guillermo Mota, David Riske, Saloman Torres and former all-star/steroid user Eric Gagne, who is the odds-on favorite to win the closer job while the painfully bad Derrick Turnbow takes up the seventh and eighth innings. Lefty Brian Shouse is back as a specialist and potentially the aforementioned Villanueva in the long inning role.
4. NED’S NINE
The only spots in the batting order that have been determined are Rickie Weeks leading off, and of course the pitcher’s spot at nine. Yost is on the record of putting Prince Fielder third and Braun in the clean-up spot. The two and five spots are important to make Fielder’s and Braun’s power relevant. Newcomer catcher Jason Kendall and J.J. Hardy are good fits for the two-spot, while Corey Hart and Cameron could both work at five.
5. REPLACING CAMERON EARLY
Cameron is suspended the first 25 games of the regular season. Finding a replacement may start with Tony Gwynn Jr., but the organization has never seemed that high on him. Gabe Gross could play right and Hart could move to center. Both Gwynn and Gross are left-handed hitters.
Position players report later this week and Milwaukee opens the regular season against those Cubs in Chicago on Mar. 31.
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