Return of the Mack
It's about that time of the year for the token Brewer's column to be written. Hockey and basketball here at Wisconsin have exhausted their time in 2006, and the remainder of the semester will be an overload of track and softball with a mix of football along the road.
Needless to say, you get strapped for ideas this time of year. But after a conversation while walking to the Immigrant rally early Monday morning on a class assignment, I got two things established, people are genuinely excited about the Brewers and my four years spent in high school studying Spanish as a foreign language were a complete waste of time.
Anyway, after the seven-game mark, the Brewers have an impressive 5-2 record and have jumped out to one of the quickest starts of the 2006 season. In my opinion, Milwaukee is still a year away from a legitimate playoff run, but there is no reason they couldn't make a serious push for the wild card late in the season.
In the meantime, here are a few things to keep and eye on before the first dollar beer and hot-dog night at Miller Park.
Week Fielding\
Though the Brewer's have two of the brightest young stars in the big leagues in Rickie Weeks at second base and rookie Prince Fielder at first, they may also have the poorest right side of the infield in baseball defensively.
Plain and simple, these two are going to struggle all season long. First base is the only position in the National League that Fielder has a chance of playing, so improvement over the course of the year should be expected. But for Weeks, don't be surprised to see him in the outfield, maybe not this year, but in the near future.
He is a tremendous athlete who has the ability to cover a lot of ground, making him an ideal candidate to play centerfield. At the same time, Fielder may remind fans of Rob Dear for his moon-shot home runs and even higher strike out count. But be patient. At the tender age of 21, Fielder is a project in the making and, barring a weight gain, has the potential to one of the most feared left-hand hitters in the league.
Underrated pen
While the focus this year will remain on the young guns in the infield, the Brewer's have quietly put together one of the elite bullpens in baseball. Derrick Turnbow, who recently signed a new three-year, $6.5 million deal, established himself as one of the top closers in the league last year and will be relied upon heavily this year.
Dan Kolb, making his second stint in Milwaukee, is joined by Matt Wise, Jorge De La Rosa and Jose Capellan in handling the middle-relief duties. Wise was very strong at the end of the season, and if De La Rosa and Capellan continue to develop, the Brewer's won't have any problems handing the ball over to this group in the sixth or seventh innings of close ball games.
Adios Carlos
Much to the chagrin of fans who recently added the term ""El Caballo"" to their Spanish vocabulary arsenal, Carlos Lee may be dealt before the trading deadline if the Brewer's fall from playoff contention. He will be a free agent at the end of the season and Milwaukee cannot risk losing him without any compensation.
If they do deal Lee, they may be able to add a starting pitcher or catching prospect that could be the final piece to the 2007 puzzle. The loss of Lee can be easily absorbed, by shifting Brady Clark to right field (a position he played two years ago with Milwaukee) and bumping Geoff Jenkins to left field, opening the door for the next top prospect from the Brewer's farm system, Corey Hart, to join the 40-man roster.
Yost among the best
Ned Yost, the magician behind the Brewer's resurrection from the cellars of baseball, will be a legit candidate for Manager of the Year award if Milwaukee succeeds this season. Anyone who has followed the team over the past four years has realized just how valuable he has been to this club and he is slowly establishing himself as one of the top young skipper's in baseball.
So keep an eye on the Brewer's this year, or if you love baseball as much as I do, consider applying for a painting/manual labor internship paying .33 cents an hour with the Madison Mallards this summer. Your pick.
Jon is a senior majoring in English and journalism. Contact him at jrmcnamara@wisc.edu.
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