Brewers: Five Reasons to Stay Interested in 2010

With September looming, the focus of professional sports traditionally shifts from baseball to to football. Those Yankees/Rays highlights that were once the lead story on SportsCenter have now been pushed to the back-burner to make room for Rachel Nichols' most recent "breaking news" outside of Viking headquarters in Winter Park. In Wisconsin, it's no different, whether the Milwaukee Brewers are relevant or not, the Green Bay Packers take precedence. The two-fisted slobbers that typically roam Miller Park grab their cheeseheads and travel north to Lambeau.

However, because Fox Sports Wisconsin continues to air live Brewers telecasts, those with little better to do continue to watch. The Milwaukee Brewers are a franchise who appear to have ownership making moves to have the team succeed, but as with any small market (the Brewers are the smallest in MLB), these things take time, and competing for a pennant each season is not realistic. So, with the team currently owning a 57-64 record (12 games out of first place in the NL Central), fans are now looking at the 2011 season to revive optimism toward the team. For the diehards down in the Cream City, I give you five reasons that the remainder of the 2010 season can still grab your interest.

1. Outfielder and Recent call-up Lorenzo Cain

Those of you unfamiliar with Cain should really tune in to watch this kid play. The Brewers organization appears to have given Cain the reigns to find a long-term place in the outfield in Milwaukee. With CF Carlos Gomez still on the DL dealing with a concussion after being plunked on the head, and former 2010 Brewer Jim Edmonds being shipped off to Cincinnati to compete for a spot in the playoffs, Cain falls into a great situation.

Drafted in the 17th round in 2004, Cain has finally figured it out at the plate, posting a combined .317 average with both AA affiliate Huntsville Stars and AAA affiliate Nashville Sounds earlier this season. He has great athleticism, and a great attitude. In 12 games at the major league level, he has already posted a .345 average, a major upgrade over Carlos Gomez simply because it appears Cain understands how to take a walk.

In Spring Training in 2011, look for there to be somewhat of an open competition between Cain and Gomez for the CF position going into the season, as the Brewers try to salvage the only piece they received from the Minnesota Twins in the J.J. Hardy trade.

2. The Mat Gamel Conundrum/September Roster Expansion

This one goes a little bit without saying, however there stands to be a few guys to keep an eye on next month when rosters expand across Major League Baseball. One name those in Milwaukee are already quite familiar with is Mat Gamel. Once thought to be in position to compete for a starting job at third base with the Brewers, Gamel has not been able to shake nagging injuries long enough to establish himself (Gamel was ruled out in Spring Training this season with a shoulder injury).

Prior to the season, current 3B Casey McGehee appeared to be just warming his seat, but his numbers this season (.288 avg., 19 HRs, 77 RBIs) have solidified his spot a third base for the immediate future. Meanwhile, Gamel has seen time recently at AAA Nashville playing both first base and right field. Wait, don't we have players already under contract at those positions? Assuming Prince Fielder is on his way out of town after 2011 (or possibly earlier), first base will be open. Corey Hart (the recent recipient of a 3-year/$26.5 million extension) is a fairly shaky outfielder and could be shifted to first base to make room for Gamel specifically in RF.

Simply put, observing how the Brewers use Gamel in September will be interesting and informative in terms of sorting out the future and post-Prince Fielder era.

Other possible call-ups to keep an eye on: 2B Brett Lawrie (AA Huntsville), SP Amaury Rivas (AA Huntsville), IF Eric Farris (AAA Nashville), SP Joshua Butler (AAA Nashville).

3. Jeremy Jeffress and his fight against a lifetime ban from professional baseball

The once highly touted first round draft pick by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2006, pitcher Jeremy Jeffress now sits only one failed drug test from being banned from professional baseball, for life. Those unfamiliar with Jeffress might jump to the conclusion of thinking that this kid has a serious problem with using Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs). Before you continue with that thought, Jeffress has never used PEDs. The troublesome drug of choice for the young man out of South Boston, Virginia has been marijuana. Jeffress has twice tested positive for THC, resulting in a 50-game suspension back in 2007, and again tested positive midway through 2009 which knowingly resulted in an increase to a 100-game suspension.

Despite all of this, the right-hander (who has a fastball that touches 100 mph) has made a comeback and has put himself in line for a possible call-up to the Brewers by the end of this season. He sought treatment for drug addiction and appears to have his life straightened out, and I'm assuming would rather not ruin his career by slipping up once again. He should have plenty of money to spend on all the pot he wants after he retires. In all seriousness, Jeffress projects to be a "closer in-waiting" and will be groomed for a spot in the bullpen. I've always been personally excited about Jeffress, and his potential 2010 major-league debut would be a huge story in Milwaukee. Stay tuned.

4. The outlook for Manager Ken Macha, and General Manager Doug Melvin

At this point, most Brewers fans have given up on the idea that the team has anything to play for, and although that may be true, the team knows that the last month and a half could affect the positions of the two men in at the helm of team decision-making. GM Doug Melvin has a strong working relationship with team owner Mark Attanasio, and in my opinion, hasn't done a poor job of assembling the current team. Look for Melvin to still be in Milwaukee next season.

On the other hand, many in Wisconsin are still not sold on Manager Ken Macha being the influence that will make this team a consistent contender. Macha is mild-mannered, and rarely wears his emotions on his sleeve. The Wisconsin populous typically endear to the type of coach who is tough and vocal (the reason Milwaukee Bucks Head Coach Scott Skiles gained such quick approval). On top of all this, the public perception is that Macha cannot relate to the players very well, and doesn't have complete control over the team.

I believe the last 41 games this season are vitally important to Macha's future, and Attanasio would like to see a little more emotion emitted from him. An interesting on going story line has been Prince Fielder and Rickie Weeks leading the league in Hit-by-Pitch (HBP) numbers with twenty each. Macha has made a point of being upset that the Brewers players have been thrown at exceedingly more than any other team in baseball, and could use these last games to show some of that infuriation. If Macha were to be ejected for defending his players after being plunked, or even mix things up with some of the teams that have made a point of "failing" to pitch inside to Weeks and Fielder, I think his approval would go up not only with the Brewers fans, but also inside the clubhouse. With all that being said, do not be surprised if there is a change at manager in Milwaukee after the 2010 season.

5. Total attendance failing to reach 3,000,000+ for first time since 2007

Although it is not much of a story, it is quite amazing the Milwaukee Brewers, who sit 30th out of 30 teams in terms of media market size across Major League Baseball, have been able to surpass three million in total attendance at Miller Park for the last two years. Even in 2010, the Brewers faithful have helped the Brewers pull in over two million fans already (with 22 home games left), and they currently rank 11th in all of baseball, despite being all but removed from playoff contention. To put it into perspective, the Minnesota Twins, who have a brand new stadium (Target Field), and are currently in first place in the AL Central, only rank 6th and have drawn barely 200,000 more fans this season. To me, the Brewers attendance numbers represent the rebirth of a fanbase that enjoys the idea of rooting on a competitive team.

The Brewers have also done a fantastic job rebranding themselves, incorporating the old "ball in glove" logo and appealing to a younger generation of fans.Tailgating is what makes going to Miller Park such a special experience, something that few ballparks across Major League Baseball offer. Because tailgating is always an option, fans will continue to show up despite the team's performance. The social aspect that goes along with tailgating is unparalleled, and something all baseball fans need to experience. If nothing more, this is something to be proud of Brew Crew fans, and in broader perspective, Wisconsin.