Brewers manager Ned Yost named Ben Sheets his Opening Day starter on Tuesday. Little surprise here, as Sheets is unquestionably the most talented pitcher in the rotation with his combination of power and control. His Spring Training stats (6.08 ERA, 6/5 K/BB ratio in 13 1/3 IP) aren’t all that good, but the only thing that should matter to owners right now is that the 28-year-old is healthy
Source: MLB.com
New Milwaukee base running coach Ed Sedar predicted that Rickie Weeks and Corey Hart will not be the only Brewers with double-digit stolen base totals this season; Prince Fielder and Bill Hall, the likely Nos. 3 and 4 hitters, could get there, too. It’s hard to imagine the 260-pound Fielder going crazy on the base paths, though he could conceivably steal a few more bases than the average lead-footed first baseman if given the green light. Hall, on the other hand, swiped 18 bags in 2005 before dipping to eight last year, so he could be primed to once again contribute more in that category.
Source: MLB.com
J.J. Hardy will bat second in the Brewers lineup this season. Hardy will certainly see pitches to hit batting between leadoff man Rickie Weeks and slugger Prince Fielder, giving the 24-year-old shortstop a good opportunity to put his injury-shortened 2006 season firmly behind him. More of an all-around fundamentals guy than someone with one overriding strength, Hardy's a decent middle-infield option in NL-only play who -- if healthy -- can provide a respectable batting average, eight to 12 homers and a fair amount of runs.
Source: MLB.com
2007 Milwaukee Brewers
Batting Order
1. 2B Rickie Weeks
2. SS J.J. Hardy
3. 1B Prince Fielder
4. CF Bill Hall
5. C Johnny Estrada
6. RF Corey Hart
7. LF Geoff Jenkins/Kevin Mench
8. 3B Craig Counsell/Tony Graffanino
A Jenkins-Mench platoon is just fine on paper, but it seems doubtful to work with both players already complaining about the situation. It'd be a surprise if both are on the Opening Day roster. Should Jenkins go, Gabe Gross would be a better sleeper. The concussion Corey Koskie suffered last July could prove to be a career-ender. The Brewers will go with either a Counsell-Graffanino platoon or top prospect Ryan Braun at third base.
Rotation
1. Ben Sheets
2. Jeff Suppan
3. Chris Capuano
4. Dave Bush
5. Claudio Vargas
The Brewers lost a workhorse lefty in Doug Davis, who was traded to Arizona, but Vargas came back in that deal to fill a spot in the rotation. Carlos Villanueva may push Vargas for the fifth spot, so far this spring, Villanueva is 2-0 with a 2.70 ERA. He has struck out 12, hasn't issued any walks and has limited opposing hitters to a .211 batting average.
Closer: Francisco Cordero
Brewers manager Ned Yost said he is considering batting shortstop J.J. Hardy in the No. 2 hole this year. A serious ankle injury limited Hardy to 128 at-bats in 2006, but he’s looked impressive while ringing up a .381 average and three doubles over six games this spring. Batting second would give the 24-year-old shortstop the opportunity to score more runs and see better pitches with the formidable Prince Fielder lurking on deck.
Source: MLB.com
Neither Geoff Jenkins nor Kevin Mench is interested in taking part in a platoon, but that's exactly what manager Ned Yost is leaning toward using in left field this season. The right-handed-hitting Mench said he would "pitch a fit" if that were the plan, and the left-handed-hitting Jenkins said he's "gotta go" if the team doesn't play him every day. Manager Doug Melvin believes competition is a "good problem to have," and Yost agrees, so don't expect either outfielder's wishes to affect the team's decision-making this spring.
Source: MLB.com
Brewers closer Francisco Cordero is not expected to pitch in intrasquad games over the next couple of days. Brewers manager Ned Yost said this move was purely precautionary. "We're taking our time with him," Yost said. "He had problems last spring, and we're working slow with him so it doesn't happen again." Last year with Texas, Cordero posted an 11.45 ERA over his first 12 outings, leading to his demotion from the closer role and eventual trade to Milwaukee.
Source: MLB.com
Richie Weeks (wrist) has been experiencing some soreness and the Brewers have banned him from swinging a bat until he sees a specialist, according to the Milwauke Journal Sentinel.
The Brewers don't think that the pain is anything serious, but they want Weeks to see the specialist who performed the surgery on his wrist before he does any more work. If all goes well then he'll still be ready to go by the first or second week of spring training.
Source: RotoWire.com
Brewers ace Ben Sheets said he’s more confident in his health than he was at this time last year.
Sheets’ problems last year can be traced to the lat muscle tear he suffered in August 2005. After resting most of the offseason and coming into training camp out of shape, the right-hander suffered a setback in March and made just four starts before the All-Star break. This time around, Sheets has already had a chance to work out the winter kinks and build up arm strength. He apparently still has some issues with back pain, but at least he’s off to a better start in camp. Be sure to monitor the 28-year-old's progress this spring if you're leaning toward using a fairly high draft pick to nab him.
Source: MLB.com
When pressed to answer questions about possibly winding up in a platoon role this year, Brewers left fielder Geoff Jenkins said he’d prefer to be traded if he didn’t play every day.
The problem is that there are too many players fighting for playing time in the Milwaukee outfield; though the 31-year-old Jenkins has proven to be a solid offensive contributor during his nine seasons with the team, Corey Hart and Gabe Gross are both younger, while Kevin Mench is a better option against left-handed pitchers. A trade would be in the best interests of both Jenkins and fantasy owners, as it would give the veteran outfielder a chance to rack up 500-plus at-bats and approach the 27 homers and 91 RBIs he averaged from 2003-05.
Source: MLB.com
