Fellow fans probably remember just how much fun it was to pee your pants for the Brewers last year after they ended a 25 year drought of playoff appearances. It makes me smile just thinking about that Sunday where Sabathia took the mound and finished off another complete game gem in front of a sold out crowd at Miller Park, with the Brewers beating the Cubs 3-1. The city of Milwaukee turned into a playoff frenzy, and not even the Packers losing in stomach churning fashion could have subdued the overall excitement of the Brewers finally making the playoffs...
But that was 2008, welcome to a new year. The 2009 Milwaukee Brewers.
Lets get a few things straight. This team will be competitive, it is not as if the Brewers are reverting back to the year 2002, which could now be commonly referred to as Richie Sexson's glory days. They have too much offensive firepower, and good enough pitching that will allow them to stay in games. And, although he is on the DL at the moment, Trevor Hoffman is a giant upgrade over the closer option (we can relate) going into last year. Do not forget the talent on the farm either; Gamel, Escobar, Salome, and even Jeremy Jeffress. All that said, this team will first have to take one step back in order to take any steps forward.
New Faces, well, there will be a handful. Some familiar from late appearances last year, and some almost completely new. As with any offseason, moves are made, and the Brewers chose to make few impactful changes.
Pitchers: Braden Looper (FA, via STL), Jorge Julio (FA - ATL, CLE in '08)
Looper will join a mediocre back end of the rotation (with Suppan and Bush), with little difference to me in who you would rather call the #3, #4, or #5 starters. And Julio will probably be nothing more than Bullpen arm, seeing at best 7th inning duty, although he did save 36 games with the Orioles in 2003.
Hitters: Casey McGehee (Waiver Claim, via CHC)
McGehee (not related to Willis) has turned into an interesting story during Spring Training. No more then an afterthought by the Chicago Cubs, he actually put up relatively intriguing minor league numbers. He will be nothing more than a utility guy, with availability at 3rd, 2nd, 1st, and the outfield, but has shown an ability to hit in Spring Training this year (.345, 6 HRs, 15 RBI). These numbers mean little in the grand scheme of things, but he certainly won himself a job on the opening day roster.
These simple moves aren't anything to brag to your friends about (who in my case, are Indians and Twins fans), but they will have in a role in the overall success of the Brewers in 2009. Let us not forget the addition of two former successful Managers to the coaching staff in Ken Macha (Manager) and Willie Randolph (Bench Coach). And finally, the success of the 2008 Brewers is something to build off of, and they still have their core young players in place. Remember folks, Bud Selig is no longer the owner, and Attanasio has an itch for a World Series Championship.
And lets be honest, there will be bigger news than this focused on the Milwaukee Brewers this season.
Interesting Tid Bits -
- Manager Ken Macha is pondering a lineup move that will have Corey Hart batting 2nd, and J.J. Hardy batting 5th, suggesting that Corey's speed and style of play are more suited for him in that spot.
- Could Rickie Weeks be in line for a breakout season this year (3rd straight season of speculation)? He's hitting .324 in Spring Ball and has 3 HRs, and hasn't been caught stealing.
- Lefty Reliever Mitch Stetter will be taking over the absence left by former specialist Brian Shouse (now with TB). He is younger, better, and could potentially see time closing while Hoffman is out.
- Tony Gwynn Jr. is out of options and in danger of not making the opening day roster this season, it's really too bad he was not even half as good as his father.
Did You Know?
- Robin Yount designed the field and created dimensions at Miller Park, his reasoning was based on seeing frequent "most exciting plays in baseball", when a runner tries to stretch a single to a double, or double to a triple.
- Chase Fiebig
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