The Milwaukee Brewers were a pleasant surprise in 2007 and were in the playoff hunt until the last week of the season. The San Diego Padres eliminated the Brewers during the last weekend of the season, but Milwaukee won the final two games of the season-ending series, forcing the Padres into a play-in game against the Colorado Rockies. The Padres ended up missing out on the playoffs. so the Brewers were partly responsible for that. This team showed me that they have a lot of heart and didn't lay down once they were eliminated from playoff contention. I think that will carry over into this season and eventually lead to a decent outcome. Making the playoffs depends on how well the pitching staff performs. As for the offense, there shouldn't be a problem in that department.Slugger Prince Fielder is some kind of hitter, and the Brewers are lucky to have him. He hit .288 with 50 homeruns and 118 RBI last season. He has only two full seasons under his belt, and should be signed to a long-term contract in the near future. J.J. Hardy is a promising young shortstop who has a lot of pop, and Ryan Braun (.324 34 HR 97 RBI) returns after winning the National League Rookie of the Year Award last season. With this offense, Bernie Brewer will be taking a lot of trips down the slide at Miller Park this upcoming season.
The pitching staff isn't as potent as the offense, but it might get them by. Ben Sheets has to stay healthy for most of the season, and Chris Capuano needs to have a bounce back year. If those two guys can be consistent throughout the season, this team will be playoff bound. Jeff Suppan pitched over 200 innings last season and I don't see why that should be a problem in 2008. After that, it's a little suspect. Dave Bush had a 5.12 ERA last season and needs to improve on that, while Claudio Vargas isn't much better.
Eric Gagne was signed in the offseason, but the Mitchell Report saga surrounds him. The former Cy Young award-winner needs to prove that he can be the same pitcher that converted 84 consecutive saves when he was a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Brewers will not win the division, but the wild card is certainly within their grasps. I want to say 88-90 wins for this team, but that's only if the pitching holds up. Fans of the Brew Crew should be into this team from start to finish.
Shawn Marosek
1 comment:
They have a very good young pitcher you forgot to mention in their rotation. Yovani Gallardo has a chance to be really special and I think he will. He is probably their 3rd starter going in. Sheets-Suppan-Gallardo-Capuano-Bush.
I agree with you though. That pitching is a definite wildcard going into this season. It can bee very good or weak should injuries and inconsistencies plaque them. It's amazing the Brewers lost something like 25 games in a row which Capuano pitched. Had he had his 2006 season, the Brewers would have won 90ish last year. Hard to believe Sheets is going to stay healthy. He is cut from that Harden, Prior, Burnett cloth.
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