2010 infield

by: John Linn

The Brewers spring training schedule is in full swing and they have even had their first telecast game. With that the starters in the infield (not looking at backups until the article about the bench) look slightly different than they did going into and at the end of last season. Coming into this season as opposed to last season the Brewers have a third baseman instead of a platoon, they have a “new” shortstop, and Rickie Weeks is finally healthy again.

First base is the only position that remains unchanged, and most likely will remain so for the next few years (and hopefully years after) as Prince Fielder remains the big man on first. Fielder had one of the best seasons ever for a Brewer last year as he set a new franchise record for RBI’s, came in second in homeruns, and batted .299. Prince is one of the most prolific hitters in the game today and shows no signs of slowing down, especially as long as he remains paired with Ryan Braun. Prince is an average defensive player, but he tries as hard as anyone to be the best at his position. He has sometimes been described as a poor defensive first baseman but I really think he is decent and holds his position well enough that his offense far outweighs any missteps. Prince should have another big power year, and he is trying to be a more complete hitter (which he did well last year), however it remains to be seen if that will stay.

Rickie Weeks has been hurt on and off pretty much his entire career for the Brewers. Last season he was replaced by Felipe Lopez while Weeks was down with injuries He has lacked durability. However, if he can keep himself healthy this season there’s no reason he shouldn’t have an outstanding year. At the time he was injured last season he was arguably the best offensive player on the team by the numbers. He was putting together a tremendous season in all respects. However, he was injured…again. Rickie has the potential to be a big power hitter, with tons of speed, and decent enough average. However even when he is healthy he has problems reaching base. Last season he was getting the hang of it and this spring he looks like he is doing it again. If Rickie can get on he can run and create opportunities and he will always be known as a power hitter, its in his bad speed, the question with his offense is taking pitches and drawing walks. Weeks has also been suspect defensively in years past. He has botched easy grounders and thrown away easy throws, however his defense was on the upswing last season as well and there’s no reason he can’t reproduce that as well. The key for Weeks this season will be his surgically repaired wrist…or any injuries that pop up. This is speculation but I believe he will have a good season if he stays healthy

Last year at this time the third base job was up for grabs. It was really anyone’s guess and the season even started with Craig Counsell getting most of the games at third. However as the season progressed and injuries happened, one player put himself firmly in control of third base. That man is Casey McGehee. McGehee barely made the club last season as a waiver wire pickup from the Cubs and even then he made it as a utility player who could play third, some second and first. McGehee worked his way into the lineup in May and never lost it. Casey seems to have a good mix of talent. Right now it is unproven whether or not his talent will carry over this season from last season, but it seems likely that last season was not a fluke. Casey showed good power last season, hitting 16 homers after missing the first few months while sitting on the bench. He also hit over .300 on the season. He did experience a bit of a downturn at the end of the season, but that is most likely do to the lingering knee problems he had fixed this off-season. He is good defensively as well, not the best but he makes the routine plays.

The relative newcomer to the group is the young shortstop Alcides Escobar. Escobar has been waiting in the wings to be the Brewers shortstop for a few years now, behind JJ Hardy and with Hardy being traded to the Twins Escobar is front and center and ready for his chance. He is a brilliant defender, making spectacular plays in the hole and making even the most difficult look routine. Escobar is one of the only players in the starting lineup without tons of power, something the Brewers have relied upon in the past, and he will provide maybe a homerun or two. However, Escobar is a good batting average guy, who has consistently hit around .300 in his minor league career and in his time last year with the big league club. He also has decent speed and can steal when necessary. Escobar played a fairly decent amount last season when Hardy was sent down and therefore there should not be many shocks as to his game, he ca flat out play.

Baring injuries these will be the starters when the season begins.

2010 Catchers

By: John Linn

The first full team workouts in Maryvale are in full swing, albeit a bit soaked because of the sudden rain hitting the area and the first game of the spring training season is a few days away and the Brewers have an interesting mix in terms of catchers this season. Veteran Jason Kendall was let go to save money that could be (and was) spent on pitching. In Kendall’s place the team has brought in veteran backup catcher Gregg Zaun along with several relative unknowns with brief major league experience and some young prospects looking to crack the lineup.

Zaun was brought in early in the winter and it is obvious that he will be the everyday catcher. Zaun is getting up there in age at 38 and has spent most of his career as a backup and fill-in. He is not Jason Kendall by any means. However, he knows how to catch, which is why he has stuck around for so long (this will be his 16th season). He is still a veteran and knows how to handle a pitching staff. He has bounced around a lot so learning new pitchers is something he has grown accustomed to, so this won’t be a horribly difficult experience for him. Zaun is not an outstanding hitter but he is a switch hitter, which is a plus in a righty heavy starting lineup (Prince Fielder being the only projected left handed starter). Zaun only signed a one-year deal and is most likely hear as a mentor for the young catchers who will be taking over in the future.

George Kottaras previously played for the Boston Red Sox and was a backup to Jason Varitek there. Kottaras showed promise with the Red Sox and was promptly picked up by the Brewers. He has shown some power in the past and good plate discipline but has had problems with inconsistent hitting. He is a good game caller though and knows how to catch. He has also caught knuckleballer Tim Wakefield in the past that has helped him learn how to keep balls in front of him and how to save bad pitches so he excels in that regard. Kottaras is a lefty, which would be nice in the right heavy lineup, however it appears as if most of the bench will be left handed players, which might actually weigh against him.

Angel Salome has been on the radar for making it to the big leagues for the last several years. Salome has been called a “pocket Pudge” in comparison to Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez (now of the Nationals). Salome is very short standing only 5 feet 7 inches tall, but that does not detract from his game. He is an amazing defensive catcher, especially where holding runners is concerned, as he has an absolute cannon for an arm. He has shown flashes of hitting through out his minor league seasons but has also struggled which has some questioning his hitting abilities, however with a strong spring he has a good shot to be the backup this year.

Matt Treanor is another catcher vying for the spot behind Zaun. Treanor is not really a kid at 33 but he is not a veteran as this will only be his 6th season as a major leaguer, and most of last season he was on the DL. Treanor is much more of a defensive catcher than an offensive catcher, as evidence by his lifetime .232 batting average and 8 career homeruns. Treanor’s lack of hitting may factor against him with some good hitting catchers in camp, but his major league experience may prove helpful. A small, unrelated piece of information about Treanor is that he is married to Olympic volleyball player Misty May-Treanor.
Another young player coming swiftly through the minor leagues is Jonathan Lucroy. Lucroy may have only made it to high A ball last year but he is making a push to play in the big leagues this season. Lucroy is a great hitter, plain and simple from what I’ve heard. He knows how to hit and well, I have not heard about lots of power, but a good average, and he is using that good hitting to fly through the ranks. He knows when and how to take a pitch and he is disciplined. He is also a good catcher as evidenced again by the fact that he may skip all of AA and AAA. I personally don’t think he is ready for the jump but its always possible.

Also in camp is Martin Maldonado who has been in the system for a few years. He does not seem like anything special as a prospect especially with Lucroy and Salome in the mix, however all catchers will get a look in camp to be the backup for Zaun.

2010 Relief Pitchers

by: John Linn

Pitchers and catchers have started their workouts along with some eager position players and the rest will follow suit soon as the entire Brewers team will be reporting to spring training within the week. With the pitchers starting to get settled in lets look at the relievers. Like the starting pitchers the Brewers have an abundance of relievers and most likely very few spots remaining in the bullpen

Let’s start with the back end of the bullpen with closer Trevor Hoffman. Trevor is looking to become the first player ever to get to 600 saves (he needs 9 more). Trevor already has the all time lead in saves and is a guaranteed a spot in Cooperstown with those numbers, not as a Brewer of course, but we are happy to have him closing out his career here all the same. Hoffman will be the anchor at the back of the bullpen and hopefully won’t have any setbacks like he did with last seasons bizarre rib injury. Hoffman still has a lot of movement on his signature changeup and can still spot the rest of his pitches exceptionally too. I can’t wait to hear “Hell’s Bell’s” ringing throughout Miller Park again.

Latroy Hawkins will be one of the setup men for Hoffman. Hawkins is one of the only newcomers for the bullpen that was very strong in supporting the slumping starting rotation last season. Hawkins has been many places in his career, not fully finding his niche, he has started, closed, normal relieved, but in the last few years he has returned to the form that made him a top-notch prospect so many years ago. Hawkins had a stellar year with the Astros last year after a good one with the Yankees a year before. Hawkins is a pure power pitcher, relying on his blistering fastball to get outs, while mixing in an assortment of breaking balls and changeups for good measure. This could be particularly helpful because the pitching staff is rather lacking in the power pitcher category.

Todd Coffey was probably one of the best pitchers for the staff last year besides Hoffman. He was the definition of a workhorse. He led the team in appearances and for the most part was dominating. Coffey is a great setup man. He is not the best pitcher in the world, nothing overly spectacular, just a strong work ethic and determination. He will put men on and give up runs, he will mess up once in awhile, but you will not find a tougher pitcher on this staff besides Trevor. Coffey throws a lot of different pitches. He has a decent fastball and has some break on his slider, but for outs he uses a splitter that he has great control of.

Mitch Stetter was the lefty specialist last season and there’s a decent possibility he will be the sole lefty in the bullpen again. Stetter excels as a lefty specialist with his side arm delivery. His delivery is very deceptive and he uses his good breaking slider as his main pitch, which he uses well. Stetter was used a lot last year and hopefully he won’t be so overused this season.

Claudio Vargas was a starter for the Brewers a few years back and was good but had problems with putting men on base and was subsequently released. He bounced around a bit but was then traded back to the Brewers in the middle of last season as a reliever. Vargas is a good innings eater. He is nothing special but he can get outs. He doesn’t throw anything spectacular but could be helpful as a fill-in starter and can fit anywhere in the bullpen. It has been said that Vargas already has a spot in the bullpen but I think there are some better pitchers who may be able to bump him out.

Carlos Villanueva has been bounced around a lot for the Brewers. He has started, relieved, and was even asked to fill in for Hoffman last year at the beginning of the season. With all of those changes its not surprising Villanueva has not found his niche yet. He has struggled and succeeded at most of his things, however the struggles seem to outweigh the success. Villanueva uses a circle changeup a lot with an average fastball and breaking pitch. He has been given numerous chances and has not taken advantage of them. He too has already been said to have a spot, but I really think he should have to show that he can perform at a high level.

From this point on the players listed will be most likely fighting for the remaining spot in the bullpen starting with David Riske. Riske is entering the final year of a 3 year contract that has amounted to about as little as physically possible. Riske has been hurt for the first two years of the contract and the little time he has put in during those years have been seriously horrible. Riske is recovering from Tommy John’s surgery and is on the mend and is working slowly back to form. Provided he has a good spring he seems to be the frontrunner to get the final spot in the bullpen. Riske throws a very well placed fastball and has tons of movement, using mainly fastball variations. Hopefully Riske can pan out in this final year of his contract.

Another pitcher trying to work his way into the bullpen is lefty Chris Narveson. Narveson has worked both as a starter and reliever and had a good end to last season with the Brewers. Narveson could provide a backup starter in case of emergency and also be another lefty in the bullpen. Also working for Narveson is that he is out of options and therefore if he is not on the opening day roster he could be lost for good.

There is yet another left-hander in the mix, who like Narveson must make the club out of spring training, Rule 5 draft pick Chuck Lofgren. By rule a rule 5 draft pick must make his new team’s opening day roster or go back to his former team. Lofgren is a bit of an unknown coming from the Indians minor league system. Lofgren is naturally a starter, so like Narveson he could be an emergency starter. Lofgren has a good fastball with good deception, and a solid curve/slider/changeup backup to his good fastball. He seems like a very solid pitcher, but there are a lot of people working against the young man.

Scott Schoeneweis is an odd man in this mix. Schoeneweis is a veteran lefty who is making a bit of a comeback. Schoeneweis used to be a very effective left-handed specialist but has had more than his fair share of life obstacles to bring him down. He had testicular cancer as a young man but overcame it to make it to the major leagues. Last season his wife committed suicide, which obviously and very understandably diminished his numbers after he decided to come back. Schoeneweis is very effective and hopefully he can overcome this horrible tragedy for himself and maybe even for the Brewers. He would be a very good secondary lefthander in the pen. Schoeneweis however is not on the 40-man roster right now.

One young pitcher who may not have much of a shot amongst the others but should get a good look anyway is young righty John Axford. Axford came up last season and had a decent end to the season with the Brewers. He may need a bit more seasoning before he can pitch in the majors, but he should get at least a look this spring, and will look to get some experience under his belt for future seasons.

Aside from Schoeneweis those are the pitchers on the 40-man roster who will be in the mix for the Brewers bullpen this season. Some non-roster invitees are: lefty Zach Braddock, a former starter who has worked his way through issues to start flying his way up the minor league system. Braddock will most likely only be here to get experience. Chris Capuano, the old Brewers starter is attempting a comeback, but isn’t quite in pitching shape yet, but could move to the pen down the line for depth. Tim Dillard, who has bounced between the Brewers and the minors the last few seasons. Dillard has a good sinker but he has been moved from reliever to starter and he hasn’t quite found it yet. John Halama is a veteran right hander signed in the offseason looking to make a comeback, however there does not seem to be much room for him, baring a great spring or injuries. Kameron Loe is a big righthander who had major league experience, but once again with very few spots left he does not have much of a chancem the same goes for lefthander AJ Murray. Chris Smith pitched for the Crew last year in both starting (fill in during injuries) and relief, and put up average numbers.

It is also plausible that the starter who does not make the rotation will take the final spot in the bullpen.