Brewers Notes: January 22, 2008

Okay, now that the Packers have bowed out of the playoffs, I guess the time is at hand to start thinking about warm, sunny Arizona and spring training. By the way, pitchers and catchers report on February 16, in case you are wondering.

First order of business: pitching. The Brewers are loaded with potential starting pitching, and as such I will be very surprised if the Brewers do not unload one (if not to dump salary as much as pick up a prospect or two). Here's the pitchers with the potential to be in the starting rotation and comments about them (in no particular order):

1. Ben Sheets. Obviously, he'll be the number 1 in the rotation. He's coming off a 12-5 season (3.82 era) in 24 games. The Brewers desperately need Ben to remain injury-free. Most Brewers fans keep waiting for that season to come about in which he will be a Cy Young award candidate. More importantly, he needs to step up as the ace of a contending team.

2. Jeff Suppan. The highly coveted pitcher who was pryed away last year from the 2006 World Series champions was a bit of a disappointment for the Brew Crew faithful. While he won 12 games last season - which was the amount he won in 2006 - he also lost 12 and his ballooned 4.62 era did not exactly bode well for the Brewers. Suppan got into a lot of trouble last season, but he also ate up a lot of innings. Personally, I think I'd keep him in the starting rotation as the 4th starter.

3. Yovani Gallardo. Already given a vote of confidence by Doug Melvin and Ned Yost, Gallardo was a shining star in a depleted starting corps last season. There's no doubt that he'll improve even more going into spring training penciled in as one of the starting pitchers. I personally saw him in several games last season and was taken aback by his lively fastball and incredible breaking pitches. And, he'll only be 22 years old this season, but he pitches like he's been a veteran for several seasons.

4. Carlos Villanueva. Here's another young pitcher (25 years old) who definitely showed he belongs in the majors. Doug Melvin has already stated that Villanueva has a place in the starting rotation to lose. I thought he has some great games, but he could be a little inconsistent at times. Being part of the starting rotation, however, will make him more consistent in my opinion since he would have a defined role from the beginning of the season.

5. Chris Capuano. Chris Capuano was the unluckiest pitcher last season, and I think his injury was a bit more pervasive than he stated. In any case, as the season progressed, I kept feeling that his mechanics were really bad. If he is healthy again, Cappy could be a number 2 or 3 starter again, and the Brewers would have a formidable rotation (perhaps, in the very least, the best in the Central division). But, Cappy has not been the pitcher that we was since before the All-Star Game in 2006 and he needs to regain that composure to win a spot in the rotation. The Brewers definitely looked to unload him during the winter, probably to avoid the $3.75 million that he made in his new contract.

6. Dave Bush. Dave Bush had good games and bad games, and his 5.12 era suggests that he was an inconsistent starting pitcher. He gave 27 homeruns in 186.1 innings as well as 217 hits (amounting to an unwieldy .290 opposing batting average). In other words, when Bush was bad, he was very bad, when he was good, though, he could be exceptional. The problem is when you are on a contending team you need to be consistent. I see Bush going to the bullpen to pitch in long relief.

7. Claudio Vargas. Claudio Vargas won 11 games and had a few bad outings. Like Bush, he suffers from inconsistency, but that could be because his role on the team has not been clearly defined. It might be worth considering him for the 5th spot, but if all else fails, he should do well in long relief. But I think to get the most out of him, he needs his role defined before the season starts.

8. Manny Parra. Manny Parra seems to be a "sure thing" at some point. The question will be whether the Brewers are willing to bring a starter with little big league experience into the rotation on a club that wants to win the division this season. Parra's 25 years old and has shown some incredible stuff in the minors and was impressive in his spot starts for the Brewers last season. I think that the Brewers will more than likely keep Parra at AAA for the beginning of the season and call him up as needed, especially if the starting rotation blows up like last season.

Bloggers across the Brew Crew have been speculating quite a few things regarding the rotation. One thing I think won't happen is that Manny Parra will be dealt in a trade. He's too good. But I honestly wouldn't be surprised to see Vargas and someone else involved. I'd like to see Capuano prove to everyone that he's a bona fide number two or three starter, as well as shake that awful losing monkey off his back. I wouldn't bother speculating on what the rotation will be, because I think Doug Melvin will be working something to break the logjam somewhat. I've heard from a couple places that the Brewers are interested in Chone Figgins, which means the Brewers would have to give up some key players (probably Parra and Capuano and/or Bill Hall). I'm not sure how important Figgins would be to the Brewers as I think Hall will play well there and Ryan Braun should not be too concerned about his time in the outfield. But, who knows what is being discussed behind closed doors!

Spring is coming

Winter in Wisconsin can be so harsh. After all, we are expecting subzero temperatures this weekend, just in time for the New York Giants to come to Lambeau Field to take on the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship game. It seems so distant, that old game of baseball, that we forget that there really is a lot of action happening.

Yet, there is always the yearning for the spring and the beginning of my life which revolves mostly around the grand old game. I completely empathize with Rogers Hornsby who once stated: "People as me what I do in the winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring."

So, for me, spring comes February 14th. That's when the Atlanta Braves' pitchers and catchers report. And for the Brewers, it's the 16th.

So, with that in mind, let's review what has happened in the last month since I last blogged about my two favorite teams.

Gagne, Kapler, and Mike Cameron

Okay, so the Brew Crew didn't get Scott Rolen (who was traded to the Blue Jays for Troy Glaus yesterday). Most of the Brew Crew faithful that I talked with were a bit dismayed that Doug Melvin went after Gabe Kapler. After all, why do you bring a player out of retirement (Kapler was managing last season in the minors)? The answer: insurance. Melvin conceded that the free agent market for corner outfielders was bleak, plus he was unwilling to move too many players because he stated that he did not want to create a hole after filling a hole. The other reason for the Kapler signing is that Kapler was always known for his outstanding defense, something that the Brewers wanted to upgrade. Yet, the question of the day was always how were the Brewers going to address the infield defense, not so much how were they going to address the outfield defense.

But alas, we finally got the big signing in Mike Cameron (who will be sitting out the first 25 games). Cameron is expected to play Center and Bill Hall will be moved to third base, with Ryan Braun moving to left field. So, the outfield should be rather sound with Braun, Cameron and Corey Hart and Gabe Gross and Kapler as capable backups. This also allows Tony Gwynn, Jr. a little more time to be seasoned for next season. And, the nice thing about the contract with Mike Cameron is that there is a club option for next season, in case things aren't working well down on the farm for a replacement next seasons in Center.

As for the Gagne signing, this could be a boost for the Brewers if Gagne is actually healthy as he states. My feeling is that the Brewers may consider Shouse in the closing role if Gagne fails...maybe even before turning the ball over to Turnbow.

I'll write more shortly on the Braves' offseason moves.