Milwaukee Brewers: Spring Training Information

By Jim Breen
Location: Maryvale Baseball Park - Phoenix, AZ
Pitchers and Catchers Report: February 13th
First Game: February 25th
Schedule

Projected Opening Day Lineup

1. Rickie Weeks (2B)
2. J.J. Hardy (SS)
3. Ryan Braun (LF)
4. Prince Fielder (1B)
5. Corey Hart (RF)
6. Mike Cameron (CF)
7. Bill Hall (3B)
8. Jason Kendall (C)
9. Pitcher

Projected Starting Rotation

1. RHP Yovani Gallardo
2. RHP Dave Bush
3. LHP Manny Parra
4. RHP Braden Looper
5. RHP Jeff Suppan

Projected Bullpen

Situational (2 of the 4) -- RHP Todd Coffey, RHP Jorge Julio, RHP Eduardo Morlan, and LHP R.J. Swindle
Situational -- RHP David Riske
LOOGY -- LHP Mitch Stetter
7th inning -- RHP Carlos Villanueva
Set-up -- RHP Seth McClung
Closer -- RHP Trevor Hoffman

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Key Position Battles: Even though much of Milwaukee's roster has already been settled, Spring Training should set the stage for several intriguing position battles.

Third Base

Although Ken Macha has Bill Hall listed as the favorite, third base will be the "hot corner" all Spring. It is Hall's position to lose. After posting a paltry .225/.293/.396 last season, however, many questions surround his abilities at the plate. He expressed extreme displeasure about being relegated to a left-right platoon with Russell Branyan and Craig Counsell after a couple months. He even demanded a trade after losing his starting role. While many Brewers fans sympathized with Hall, who shifted positions consecutive seasons without grumbling, but his .174/.242/.316 performance against right-handed hurlers suggests he deserved his demotion. Not to mention he managed to strikeout in 30.7% of his plate appearances. A low batting average, low OBP, and high strikeout rate does not bode well for Hall's chances to stick as the starter throughout 2009.

Hall very well may find himself in another platoon at third base. This time, however, Mike Lamb will be the lefty pressuring him for playing time. On a superficial level, the platoon makes sense. Hall has hit a career .278/.355/.493 against southpaws, while Lamb has enjoyed success against righties -- to the tune of .281/.336/.422. Mike Lamb, however, struggled just as much as Hall last season, hitting .235/.276/.320 in 2008 with both the Minnesota Twins and Milwaukee Brewers. Constructing a Hall/Lamb platoon at third may make sense on paper, but there are many who believe their recent struggles are signs of things to come in 2009.

There is, perhaps, light at the end of the tunnel at third base this season for the Brewers. Much talk has surrounded top-prospect Mat Gamel over the offseason, especially after the young man hit an impressive .329/.395/.537 with the Double-A Huntsville Stars last season. Gamel smacked 19 home runs, collected 96 RBI, and even swiped six bases in 508 at-bats in 2008. Gamel's bat is an attractive alternative to Bill Hall and Mike Lamb, but his glove could hold him back from making his Major League debut in 2009. The 23-year old possesses clumsy footwork at the hot corner and committed 30 errors last season. Unbelievably, that marked quite an improvement from his 53 errors in 2007. If Gamel can make considerable strides and display improved defense in Spring Training, he very well could be starting at third base for the Milwaukee Brewers in April.

That is a lot to ask of Mat Gamel, however. So many questions surround his defense that most scouts believe he profiles much better in left field or at first base. It is far more likely that the Milwaukee Brewers will begin the 2009 season with Bill Hall manning the hot corner. Mike Lamb will almost certainly get a fair share of the at-bats against tough right-handed pitchers, but the Brewers are unlikely to break camp with a strict platoon.

On a side note, keep an eye on Casey McGehee during Spring Training and the first couple months of the regular season. He dominated winter ball, hitting .333/.356/.550 with seven home runs and seven doubles in only 129 at-bats. Doug Melvin and the Brewers are excited to see what the former Cubs prospect can bring to the organization. Brewers fans could whispers of his name if he continues to hit in Nashville and the Hall/Lamb situation does not pan out as the Brewers hope.

Bullpen

Doug Melvin has done a fine job creating an extremely deep bullpen with many high-upside arms, but there are too many arms and too few spots on the big league roster. Trevor Hoffman, Carlos Villanueva, Seth McClung, and David Riske all have cemented spots in the Brewers bullpen. After that, nobody knows. Spring Training will likely determine who stays and who goes.

There are at least three spots -- perhaps four if Ken Macha wishes to feature 13-pitchers in April. Here are the candidates.

LHP Mitch Stetter -- Mitch has enjoyed a couple cups of coffee with the Brewers in the last two seasons. In 2008, the left-hander compiled a 3.20 ERA in 25.1 innings. He is extremely tough against left-handers (.158 AVG against), but the 28-year old handcuffed righties as well (.170 AVG against). He also had an impressive 11.01 K/9 rate in 2008. Those are a very valuable traits in a situational lefty, which should land him a job with the big league club on Opening Day. Mitch occassionaly struggles with his command, as shown by his 6.75 BB/9 rate last season, but look for him to correct that in 2009. After all, in 29 innings with Nashville last season, his walk rate was only 2.17 BB/9.

LHP R.J. Swindle -- After signing a minor-league contract with the Brewers earlier this winter, he has become a legitimate candidate for the big league bullpen. He struggled in his big league debut with the Phillies last season, but it is difficult to draw any substantive conclusions from only 4.2 innings of work. In the minor leagues, however, R.J. has done nothing but produce at a high level. He posted a 0.54 ERA with Philadelphia's Double-A team last season and a 1.98 ERA after being promoted to Triple-A. Swindle features pinpoint control and a mid-50s curveball. You read that correctly, a mid-50s deuce. If he throws the ball well in Spring Training and Mitch suffers from control issues, R.J. will be in the Opening Day bullpen. It is also conceivable that both Swindle and Stetter could make the big league 'pen if Macha decides to go with 13 pitchers.

RHP Jorge Julio -- Jorge signed a $950K major-league contract this winter, and the deal could be worth up to $1.85MM because of incentives. That is the largest reason Jorge has a leg up on the competition heading into Spring Training. He blew up last season with the Cleveland Indians, posting a 5.60 ERA and a 1.64 WHIP before being released. The right-hander then caught on with the Braves big league club and compiled an impressive 0.73 ERA over 12.3 innings. Milwaukee is hoping Jorge has solved his control issues and can catch lightning in a bottle for the 2009 season. He must make the big league squad, or Milwaukee will risk losing Jorge on waivers.

RHP Todd Coffey -- Milwaukee snatched up Coffey from Cincinnati after they placed him on waivers. The former closer struggled with the Reds but promptly joined the Brewers bullpen and pitched 7.1 scoreless innings. The two sides avoided arbitration by agreeing to a $0.8MM contract, which includes up to an additional $200K based on games finished. Coffey has become strictly a fastball-slider pitcher and seems to have solved his control issues. Todd will also have to make the big league squad to avoid the waiver wire once more.

RHP Eduardo Morlan -- The Brewers selected Morlan in the Rule 5 Draft this summer, meaning he must make the big league squad or Milwaukee must return him to Tampa Bay. Eduardo has lost some velocity in recent seasons, but the 23-year old still features a nasty slider and pretty good control. He compiled a 3.64 ERA with Tampa's Double-A affiliate last season. His control remained above-average, but Morlan did not strikeout nearly as many batters in 2008 as he had in previous seasons.

This does not even include RHP Tim Dillard and RHP Mark DiFelice, who both spent time with the Brewers last season. It is not difficult to understand the dilemma. Either Stetter or Swindle will lock up the situational lefty role. Then the three right-handers will be forced to battle for two bullpen spots. Milwaukee will have to cut loose one of the three. Spring Training will determine who will stay and who will go.

Of course, injuries could simply make every arm necessary. Depth is incredibly important in Spring Training, as well as the regular season.

Back-up Outfield

The infield bench is set. Mike Rivera will serve as the #2 catcher behind the iron-man, Jason Kendall, once again in 2009. The Brewers brought back Craig Counsell for a very reasonable $1MM to serve as the utility infielder, and Mike Lamb will likely land the back-up corner infielder role.

That leaves room for two reserve outfielders (unless the 13-pitcher roster prevails, as stated earlier).

Trot Nixon appears to be the leading candidate for the fourth outfielder position. He put up solid numbers in Triple-A for both the Mets and Diamondbacks organizations, highlighted by a .309/.437/.558 stint with Arizona's Triple-A affiliate. During those 181 at-bats, he slugged 10 home runs and posted an impressive 18.1% walk rate. That high-OBP and patient approach at the plate should propel him to the big league roster. He can play both corner outfield positions and should provide the same veteran presence Gabe Kapler gave the young Brewers last season. I should caution the Gabe Kapler comparison, however. They may be similar players, but to expect a fourth outfielder to hit .300+ like Kapler did in 2008 is a bit unreasonable. Trot Nixon is projected to hit .246 with a .359 OBP. I expect something between the two extremes.

Tony Gwynn Jr. is out of options and must make the big league squad in 2009 to avoid waivers. After posting a paltry .275/.328/.331 with the Nashville Sounds last season, however, the young man will have to show considerable improvement at the plate to land a job with the Brewers. He plays nice defense in center, but it is unclear whether it will be enough to make up for his powerless bat at the plate.

Brad Nelson certainly has the bat to come off the bench. The former #1 prospect in Milwaukee's organization regained his stroke last season, hitting .286/.380/.480 in Nashville with 18 home runs and 36 doubles. He even smacked a couple doubles with the Brewers in his September call-up. If Nelson can prove capable in the outfield, he could very well make the 25-man roster. It seems rather unlikely though.

Chris Duffy is an interesting Non-Roster Invitee who signed a minor-league contract with the Brewers this offseason. The former Pittsburgh Pirate has the speed and defense to come off the bench for Milwaukee, but he is three years removed from a respectable season at the plate. He is very much like Tony Gwynn Jr., which makes it unlikely that he makes the squad. Why choose Duffy over Gwynn and risk losing a player to the waiver wire? He should begin the season with Nashville.

Jason Bourgeois tore up Winter League ball this offseason and is a very intriguing player. It appears that the young man has too many obstacles and players to jump on the depth chart. Bourgeois has tons of speed and plays a myriad of positions on the diamond, but his questionable power and plate discipline should be too much to overcome. The young man only owned a 6.1% walk rate. That is nowhere close to acceptable considering his lack of power. As his 30 stolen bases suggest, however, he should be an entertaining player to watch in Nashville.

What to Expect: Expect the Milwaukee Brewers to let Spring Training decide many of these position battles. The Brewers organization has begun to value defense more in the past season, meaning it will take success both at the plate and with the glove to make the squad. Expect the most heated battles to come from the bullpen, as there are too many quality arms to fit into one roster.

After making the postseason for the first time in 26 years in 2008, the Milwaukee Brewers are poised to make another run at October baseball. The offensive core remains intact for at least one more season, and the starting rotation is all but set. The Brewers will score runs. Their bullpen projects to be average or even above-average. Their success in 2009 will depend solely on their starting pitching.

Seth McClung could conceivably make a bid for a starting role, but Braden Looper's arrival seems to have forced the hard-throwing redhead to the bullpen. Looper has more experience and should help alleviate one of the rotation's biggest obstacles -- innings. Yovani Gallardo endured year-long knee troubles last season, and Manny Parra has battled high-pitch counts and injuries his entire professional career. Both pitchers certainly have loads of talent. Neither, however, should be considered a lock for 180+ innings. Jeff Suppan also must regain his 2006 form, and Dave Bush needs to skip the early-season slump and be effective on the mound right away.

That may be too much to ask for the rotation, but one thing remains clear. The Milwaukee Brewers will be the talk of the state come April. That is a refreshing change for an organization that accepted failure and mediocrity for too long. Mark Attanasio and Doug Melvin have finally brought a winner to Milwaukee, and the state is excited about baseball once more. Major League Baseball finally got to witness how great of a baseball town Milwaukee can be. Expect that again in 2009.

Jim Breen covers all the important news and rumors concerning the Milwaukee Brewers at his site, Bernie's Crew.