Can the Young Brew Crew Reign Supreme in the NL Central? Milwaukee Brewers 2007 Season Preview...

In 2006, the Brewers were seen to be a team on the rise mainly due to its young and talented starting corps and an electric collection of youngsters; however, it was not the Brewers year. With a litany of injuries, a pitching staff that didn’t live up expectations, and an offense lackluster at times, the Brewers only limped to a disappointing 75 wins..

Although the team had a season that did not live up to expectations, they have a great, talented core and should be primed to make an impact in the National League Central. All in all, the Brewers have nothing but a bright outlook for 2007 and the road beyond.

During the winter, the team added NLCS MVP, pitcher Jeff Suppan and longtime veteran Craig Counsell via free agency, acquired Johnny Estrada, Claudio Vargas and Greg Aquino via trade; however, the Brewers lost infielder Jeff Cirillo, and pitcher Tomo Ohka to free agency, and Edward Campusano, Doug Davis, Dana Eveland along with Dave Krynzel to trades.

Much of the promise for the Brewers comes with their starting pitching, and the top of the rotation is spear-headed by Ben Sheets and Chris Capuano, along with free agent signing Jeff Suppan.

Ben Sheets has the stuff to be a number one starter, but his health will remain a question. He’s missed some time in the last 2 years, and went 6-7 with a 3.82 ERA in 2006 before he fell to injury. However, in 2004, he won 12 games, while losing 14, but struck out 264 batters, pitched 237 innings and had a 2.70 ERA. It will be critical for the Brewers for Ben to stay healthy, as it seems a lot of the team’s fortune depends on him.

If he can stay healthy and duplicate the success he had in 2004, Sheets can easily be one of the elite pitchers in the NL and in all of baseball.

Chris Capuano had a solid 2006 where he finished with 11 wins and a 4.03 ERA. His numbers from last season are in line with his 2005 stats, but he gave slightly more hits, and had 7 more wins. If he can get a few more wins under his belt, he’ll help out the team immensely.

NLCS MVP Jeff Suppan will be the third starter, and he was a 12-7 with a solid 4.14 ERA. While he’s not an ace, he should be solid and has won 44 games in the past 3 seasons for the Cardinals.

The bottom of the rotation will be manned by Dave Bush who was 12-11 with a 4.41 ERA, and Claudio Vargas who was 12-10 with a 4.83 ERA. Both men were solid last year, and if they could maintain their numbers or perhaps be better, the Brewers should have a solid staff that should be able to compete for the AL Central title.

Let’s move onto the bullpen.

The bullpen for the Brewers on paper looks strong; however, it had it share of struggles in 2006. Closing out games for the Brewers will be Francisco Cordero, who was part of the Carlos Lee trade. Although, Cordero struggles in Texas, he was golden with Milwaukee and finished the season with 10 wins and 22 saves. If he can find the form he had in the second half for the Brewers in ’06 and can tap into his 2004 success; Cordero can potentially be one of the best closers in the game.

Derrick Turnbow struggled last year during the second half, and eventually lost the closer job after imploding in the second half. He finished the season with 24 saves, but with a 6.87 ERA; therefore, he should be the setup man going into 2007. Joining Turnbow and Cordero in the bullpen are Greg Aquino, youngster Jose Capellan, Brian Shouse, possible Dennis Sarfate & Matt Wise.

The Brew Crew offense once again, will be fairly young, but they have some big bats easily capable of doing damage. Once again, count on Bill Hall, Prince Fielder to carry big sticks, and for Geoff Jenkins to fins his stroke again. The team now has even a greater infusion of young talent and will be exciting to watch; however, don’t discount the Brewers lack of experience – they have talent, skills and a good all-around game.

Manning the infield will be big Prince Fielder at first base, Rickie Weeks at second, J.J.Hardy at shortstop, and possibly Corey Koskie.

At first base will be imposing youngster Prince Fielder. He led the team offensively in pretty much every category as he hit .271 with 28 home runs and drove in 81 runs, but faded towards the end of season. He should be a force for the team in years to come, and he’ll only get better.

Rickie Weeks will be at second base and ht .279 in 95 games. He drove in 34 runs, has some speed along with a good bat, and has a lot of potential although his defense was shaky at times. Weeks missed much of the second half with a wrist injury, and the team hopes his upside will led him to be force at the plate in the future. At shortstop will be J.J. Hardy who only hit .242 in 35 games, but was impressive in the field and should man the position every day in 2007.

Right now, third base is in flux, as it’s unsure if Corey Koskie will return from post-traumatic concussion syndrome. He’s a solid veteran and his presence would be valuable to the plethora of young talent on the ball club. Koskie has a career .275 bating average and would help put the offense greatly if he could make a comeback.

Backing up the infield will be Tony Graffanino, who can play all the infield positions and hit .274 last year; longtime veteran Craig Counsell who can play up the middle; & young Ryan Braun. Graffanino may see a lot of playing time if Koskie can’t return, or if some the youngsters struggle.

The outfield will be manned by Geoff Jenkins in left field, Bill Hall in center, and Corey Hart in right. Geoff Jenkins numbers dipped quite a bit in 2006 from his number the past several seasons, as he only hit 17 home runs and drove in 70 runs. As the offense was weak last year, the Brewers will need him to bounce back to what he’s done previously or perhaps exceed it.

Moving to center field from the infield will be Bill Hall, as he had a breakout 2006 where he hit 35 homers and drove in 85 runs. The team hopes he can learn the outfield, and as well as duplicate what he did last season in 2007. In right field will be Corey Hart who hit .283 in 87 games, and was impressive during the second half.

Backing up the everyday outfield will be veteran Kevin Mench who came via the Carlos Lee trade and might see a lot of playing time; however, he struggled after the trade and should bounce back. Also fighting for playing time will be Gabe Gross, Tony Gwynn Jr., Brady Clark and Lance Nix.

The everyday catcher will be Johnny Estrada who came via a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Estrada is a great hitting catcher who batted .302 last season and drive in 71 runs. Longtime catcher Damian Miller will probably be the backup, but is well regarded for his ability to call a great game and for his defense.

Heading into spring, the Brewers, if the pitching can hold up and the young players and offense improve from last year, they have a good of a shot as anyone in the National League Central. The team is stacked with young players all across the board, the team has so much talent and promise, and so they cannot be discounted as a contender in the National League.

In the end, the Brewers should be exciting in 2007 and the future is perhaps bright in Wisconsin for the first time in a good while.