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2006 Preview - Milwaukee Brewers
2005 Record: 81-81, 3rd in NL Central
You could almost go back and reread my preview on Cleveland, substitute a few names and have an outlook for the 2006 Brewers. Both teams are coming off seasons in which they improved by a whopping 13 games in the win column, both have some exciting young talent, and both teams are thinking playoffs in 2006.
The young talent is getting a big chunk of the preseason publicity. Prince Fielder and Rickie Weeks, counted on to man the right side of the infield in Milwaukee, have incredible upside. Weeks combines power and speed while the 250+ pound Fielder is a huge power threat just like his dad, Cecil. Both should eventually be excellent players. But expecting the sky from them in Season 1 might be asking too much.
The left side of the diamond finds young JJ Hardy at short and several candidates for third. Hardy struggled early on in 2005 but started to put it together after the midseason break. Since he will likely be hitting at the bottom of the lineup, less pressure will be on him than Weeks or Fielder. That trio --- Hardy, Weeks and Fielder --- average 22-years-old entering this season.
Corey Koskie has the 3B job to lose this spring after coming over from Toronto in a trade this winter. He’s somewhat of an injury risk, but the Brewers have excellent backup plans with Bill Hall and Jeff Cirillo also on the roster. Hall figures to play all over the diamond again, with Cirillo likely backing up both infield corners.
With all of the buildup surrounding Fielder and Weeks, Milwaukee’s strong outfield is almost forgotten. Brady Clark mans center after a .183-hit season in 2005. Left fielder Carlos Lee banged 32 HR and drove in 114 last year while right fielder Geoff Jenkins added a .292 average and 25 bombs. Corey Hart enters camp as the #4 outfielder and could even see some time at first, especially if Fielder gets off to a slow start and is sent down. Gabe Gross, who came to Milwaukee in the Lyle Overbay-Toronto deal, is another possibility for a backup slot, especially now that Dave Krynzel had offseason surgery and could miss all of spring training. Another interesting name to note is Nelson Cruz who is ready defensively and has the potential for MLB pop.
Damian Miller was brought in before 2005 to give the Brewers a veteran catcher and work with some of the young arms. Though unspectacular offensively, he is steady. Chad Moeller returns as the #2 backstop.
The mound corps begins with Ben Sheets who missed 10-12 starts in 2005 due to an ear infection and upper back trouble. If Milwaukee is going to make the next step, they will need 200 innings from Big Ben in 2006. Southpaws Doug Davis and Chris Capuano were the biggest reasons the Brewers made it back to .500 in 2005. Davis looks like one of those late-bloomers who could get even better the next few years after honing a nice assortment of pitches. Capuano was a roller coaster ride, looking like a Cy Young candidate against some of the NL bottom feeders and then totally lost against some of the top-tier squads. I look for Davis to be better in 2006 while Capuano might be hard-pressed to repeat his 18 wins, unless he cuts some of his free passes.
The last two slots in the pitching order come down to Tomo Ohka, Rick Helling and David Bush, another part of the Overbay deal. Helling is coming off a decent showing in 2005 when he made seven starts and eight relief appearances while posting a 2.39 ERA. Ohka is capable of 200 IP with run-of-the-mill stuff. Bush will probably have to pitch well this spring and hope Ohka or Helling doesn’t in order to win a starter’s job.
Derrick Turnbow returns with the closer’s job safely his. With a blistering fastball, he stands a good chance to be the first 30+ save repeater for Milwaukee since Dan Plesac in 1988-89. A setup-by-committee scheme could be the eventual decision by manager Ned Yost and pitching coach Mike Maddux. Dan Kolb, the club’s closer in 2004, returns and could be in line for a strong comeback season after failing miserably as Atlanta’s closer in 2005. Matt Wise, a threat for the DL, is a righty who has really shown a penchant for neutralizing left-handed hitters. Jose Capellan is a guy I really like as the arm that could eventually prove to be the #1 setup in front of Turnbow. Mike Adams is also being counted on for a middle or setup role, assuming he is healthy after having shoulder and oblique troubles in 2005 when he entered the season as the club’s closer.
Dana Eveland and Jason Kershner are the top two candidates for the lefty relief slot.
One reason the Brewers were able to claw back to .500 in 2005 for the first time since a 92-win season way back in 1992 was their ability to beat the Cubs, Reds and Pirates rather handily. All three of those squads finished below Milwaukee in the NL Central. The Brewers did not fare as well against the two teams above them, St. Louis and Houston. An early barometer for their season comes in the second week of the campaign when they sandwich 3-game sets on the road against the Cardinals and Astros around a 3-game set in New York against the Mets. While it will still be very early in the season, that 9-game set against those three preseason playoff contenders could really set the tone for Milwaukee’s 2006 hopes.
Key Performer(s): Davis and Capuano have to back Sheets atop the rotation, and the rookies on the right side of the infield have to live up to at least some of the hype.
Camp Question(s): Solving a bit of a logjam at third, settling on the back end of the rotation and getting Kolb into solid setup shape.
My Play: The Brewers may have overachieved a bit in 2005, so look for another low-80s win season this time. My math right now says 84 wins making them a nice pick for the o81½ at Pinnacle right now.
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Originally Posted by rolemand
