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Milwaukee Brewers

2012 – Third in the NL Central

Record: 83-79

Last year was their first post-Fielder. An 83-79 record in a tough division is certainly not bad, but they had hoped for better. All-Star pitcher Zack Grienke was traded away mid-season when it became apparent he the Brewers would be unable to offer him a contract at the end of the year.

There has been no such catastrophic off-season departure this time round, but equally there has been no earth-shattering arrival. If they finished four games above .500 with Grienke pitching most of the season, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Brew Crew struggled to match that number, especially as the NL Central no longer holds the worst team in baseball, with the Astros having switched to the American League.

INCOMINGS

RHP Burke Badenhop – Trade (TB)
RHP Arcenio Leon – Waivers (HOU)
RHP Shaun Marcum – Free Agent (NYM)
LHP Mike Gonzalez – Free Agent (WAS)
LHP Tom Gorzelanny – Free Agent (WAS)

OUTGOINGS

C Yorvit Torrealba – Free Agent (COL)
OF Raul Mondesi, Jr. – Trade (TB)
OF Nyjer Morgan – Freee Agent (Yokohama – Japan)
RHP Fautino De Los Santos – Waivers (SD)
LHP Manny Parra – Free Agent (CIN)

Outfielders

The Brewers have long had two of the hardest hitting outfielders in the National League. Ryan Braun and Corey Hart have combined for 345 homers in the last six seasons. However, not only will Hart be on the DL for the first few weeks of the season, but after filling in at first base successfully last year, he looks set for a permanent move to the infield.

Carlos Gomez, largely a bust since being the centre-piece of the trade that saw Johan Santana wove to the Mets from Minnesota, and Norichika Aoki, will partner Braun in the outfield. Aoki impressed in his rookie season last year hitting .288 with a high BB/K ratio and 30 stolen bases. Gomez will play centre and is coming off a career year. He hit .260 with 19 homers and 37 stolen bases, all career highs. Logan Shafer and Taylor Green will be the main reserves and have little MLB experience. Shafer, however, is the no.8 prospect in the system and batted .278 at Triple-A last year. Khris Davis batted .349 between Double and Triple-A last year and a strong Spring Training could see him move up the depth chart.

Infielders

With Hart out injured, the Opening Day first baseman was set to be Mat Gamel, but the injury prone 26-year-old, who has played less than 22 games per season since his big league debut, tore his ACL and is done for the year. That leaves veteran Alex Gonzalez (81 at-bats in 137 games in 2012) as the first baseman almost by default.

Veteran Aramis Ramirez will man third and had a successful debut season in Milwaukee last year, batting .300 and hitting 30 homers. The middle infield will see Richie Weekes and Jean Segura, who was the centre-piece of the trade that saw Grienke depart to the Angels last season. Weekes has power (21 homers) but high strikeout rate and poor batting average. Segura hit .258 in 45 games, and at 23, should take steps forward over the next few years and become one of the top shortstops in the game. Jeff Bianchi and Josh Prince are next in line, but injuries have exposed the lack of infield depth.

Catchers

Jonathan Lucroy will likely bat in the five spot and hit .320 in 96 games last year. A dozen homers also suggest the youngster has all the tools to be a premier hitting catcher. The 26-year-old has been called up to the Team USA roster for the World Baseball Classic. Martin Maldonado will serve as back-up.

Starters

The departure of Grienke makes Yovani Gallardo the undisputed ace of the staff. The 27-year-old Mexican has recorded four consecutive seasons with a winning record and sub 3.90 ERA. He holds a career 3.63 ERA over 148 starts. Behind him in a decent rotation will be righties Marco Estrada and Mike Fiers, who combined for a 3.69 ERA over 45 starts.

Chris Narveson will be back following a 2012 campaign that was cut short after just two appearances, while 23-year-old Willy Peralta’s performances (2.48 ERA in five starts in 2012) look to have earned him the final spot in the rotation. While the front three appear solid, the success of the Brewers pitching staff will depend on how well Narveson performs following injury and whether Peralta can live up to the hype.

Four of the top five prospects in the system are starting pitchers, but Tyler Thornburg is the only one that pitched above Double-A last season and he could see time if injuries occur this time round.

Relievers

While there are three new faces in the middle relief roles, the closer and set-up men will remain unchanged. John Axford, coming off 35 saves despite a 4.67 ERA will be the closer, with Jim Hendesron and Brandon Kintzler behind him. Both started last year in the Minors but impressed when called up to the Bigs.

Tom Gorzelanny, Burke Badenhop and Mike Gonzalez are all new faces and combined for a 2.96 ERA in 170 innings of work at their respective teams last year. Manager Ron Roenicke will certainly be hoping for similar numbers from the trio in Brewers blue.