Is This the Year the Brewers Emerge in the NL Central?
The youth movement of the Milwaukee Brewers is in full bloom, and it shouldn't be long before the Brew Crew becomes a National League contender. That might seem to be an illusion or a pipe dream to many baseball fans, considering the Brewers haven't had a winning season since 1992. The steadily improving club did have a .500 season in 2005 under manager Ned Yost, however, before slipping to 75-87 last season. Yost and pitching coach Mike Maddux have worked wonders with the young club, and the likes of Rickie Weeks, J.J. Hardy and Corey Hart could take the next step in 2007, much like Prince Fielder established himself as a rookie a year ago. Hardy missed most of 2006 following ankle surgery, and Weeks played with a wrist ailment for much of the season before going under the knife in August. A healthy Weeks could break out in 2007. A key question is the health of third baseman Corey Koskie, who continues to battle post-concussion symptoms from a July injury, but Bill Hall, Tony Graffanino and prized prospect Ryan Braun are options there and the offense will be bolstered by the addition of catcher Johnny Estrada from Arizona. Maddux has been terrific for the pitching staff, which added dependable Jeff Suppan, who with Ben Sheets, Chris Capuano and Dave Bush make for a solid rotation. It could emerge as the deepest in the division, as either Carlos Villanueva or Claudio Vargas, acquired from Arizona in the Estrada deal, could be a pleasant surprise as the Brewers' fifth starter. Better seasons from Geoff Jenkins and Brady Clark wouldn't hurt, but with the youngsters taking over, it shouldn't be long before the Brewers make chasing division titles an annual event in the NL Central.
Comments
Hall's move to the outfield shows the club's commitment to J.J. Hardy as the shortstop for the foreseeable future. Hall plays a decent shortstop, and would obviously be an outstanding offensive player at that position. That they are moving him to the outfield suggests that they think Hardy will be nearly as valuable a hitter as Jenkins, Mench, or Nix, who will lose outfield playing time to Hall and Corey Hart.
Also, Koskie's slow recovery may give a short window of opportunity to Vinny Rottino if they don't want to rush Braun. Rottino, a UW-La Crosse alumnus who posted solid numbers at Triple A last year, turns 27 in April, and has been a favorite of the Brewers' player development people for years.
Posted by: Ron T. | February 15, 2007 12:21 PM
Yes, the Brewers have remained committed to J.J. Hardy, who has missed nearly two full seasons to injury over the last three years. That's an interesting notion that moving Bill Hall to the outfield suggests Hardy is thought of potentially as valuable as Mench, Nix or even Jenkins with the bat. It will be interesting to watch where Hall ends up. He probably would do just fine in center, which is where the Brewers seem committed to using him in 2007. Plans change, however -- no matter what teams say all winter long -- and Hall may prove to be the best option at third base if Koskie remains sidelined. Third-base prospect Ryan Braun will get a chance to jump from Double-A ball to the majors if he shows he's ready in the spring. He might be a long shot, but the opportunity may be there.
Posted by: TH | February 15, 2007 1:19 PM