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As spring training 2011 begins on a positive note, the expectations of many statistically dominating players only begin to skyrocket.

We’ve grown fortunate enough to witness breathtaking performances from some of the most imposing individuals the game has to offer; and this season looks to be no different.

Consequently, baseball fans across the nation are anticipating yet another memorable season from the game’s biggest of stars.

But can pitching prevail for another full season, as it did in 2010?

Let’s take a look at the top five players at each position prior to the regular season.

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As the pitchers and catchers report to their assigned duties and positions, only one thing can be assumed: Spring Training must be just around the corner.  And that assumption would be correct.

But for the Milwaukee Brewers, redemption of an unpleasant 2010 season will be at the top of newly named manager Ron Roenicke’s to-do list.

Offseason signings and additions have resulted in serious talks of a postseason appearance for the Brew Crew in 2011.  And with young, prospering talent, who’s to say they won’t do it?

So as we look forward to a promising 2011 season, here are 10 forecasts guaranteed to come true for Milwaukee this season.

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For the former American League Cy Young-award winner, trading spaces may just prove to be the best possible career decision he could’ve made.

As the Brewers report to Scottsdale, Arizona for their spring training preparations, many players within Milwaukee’s clubhouse have much to prove prior to the season.

Others, however, could be granted a hall pass for the time being.

I’m talking of course about Milwaukee’s most potent offseason acquisition in the past 20 seasons—Zack Grienke, the former AL Cy Young award winner of 2009.

In just his sixth season as a Major League tosser, Greinke was able to accomplish what most find it hard to dream. An unquestioned 16-8, 2.16 ERA and 242 strikeout 2009 season had Greinke atop the league’s most dominating and imposing pitchers list.

But could 2009 be a fluke? Most experts stray away from the notion that Milwaukee’s unequivocal superstar may in fact be a one-year-wonder.

In the five seasons leading up to his undisputed 2009 season (not including his 2006 season shortened by injury), Greinke averaged a 4.23 ERA and just 125 strikeouts per season—obviously not the most impressive statistics, to say the least. However there is something to be said about the lack of offensive production put on by the Royals over that five-year span.

Yet 2009 showed us all that an unexpected, seasoned veteran pitcher can turn the tables on even the most critical of doubters. Although reverting back to his previously forgotten demons last season couldn’t diminish our expectations of Greinke heading into this season, we certainly should take note of how ineffective he was in 2010.

Kansas City’s star pupil doubled his ERA (4.17) and saw his strikeouts (181) regress in stunning fashion from the year before.

So with all that being said, can the Brewers expect Greinke to become what he was in 2009? It’s a tough question to break down, but then again that’s the reason why we’re all so very intrigued heading into this season.

Now, with all do respect to the Royals, a crippled offense can’t possibly support a pitcher of Greinke’s caliber—but Milwaukee’s can. Whether it be Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun, Rickie Weeks, Corey Hart, Casey McGehee or Mat Gamel, the Brewers maintain one of the most powerful offensive lineups baseball has to offer.

And the old cliche that pitching wins championships? It’s true.

Until the Brewers were able to acquire CC Sabathia from the Indians toward the end of the 2008 season, Milwaukee’s pitching staff was as lacking as it has ever been.

Yes, I realize Ben Sheets and Yovani Gallardo were tossing out of their minds that season. However, until Sabathia arrived, the Brewers weren’t able to reach the next level beyond the regular season.

It’s a franchise-shifting opportunity when a team is able to lock up a talent of Greinke’s essence, and we should take note to the fact that Milwaukee could very well find themselves in the exact same position as they did in 2009 at the end of this season: in great position to make a postseason run toward the World Series.

But the difference-maker for the Brewers will be whether or not Milwaukee’s bullpen can secure tight games given up by Greinke. We’ve all seen just how abysmal Kansas City’s offensive production has been over the course of the last decade, but in Milwaukee things will be much different.

Expectations will be at an all-time high for Greinke this season—something that not even he himself can deny.

With great hitting comes great responsibility, and Greinke must be able to perform in the clutch.

As for fellow starting pitcher Shaun Marcum (who the Brewers also landed this offseason via trade), “I think it motivated everybody that much more to get to spring training and just let that fire out to get ready for when the season starts; and once we do that, I think things will take care of themselves.”

Positive feedback from newly acquired players is everything the Brewers could have hoped for heading into their 2011 season; a season in which unfamiliar names will be filling the most important shoes while maintaining some of the most reputable names in the business.

For Greinke, 2011 will become a statement year for not only himself, but for the Milwaukee Brewers.

Maybe we should put the NL Cy Young award debate to rest—for now. But make no mistake: Greinke will be in the discussion throughout the entirety of the season.

Let’s see if he can take the Brewers to the promised land.

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A magical time of year, to say the least, MLB spring training is now in full swing.

With a plethora of offseason transactions, some teams have opted to go “all or nothing” in 2011, while others have chosen to either rebuild for the future or remain the same as years past.

Either way, we’re assured of a marvelous 2011 season.

So as we look forward to a promising regular season chock-full of surprises, let’s take an early look at how things will shape up this season with an examination and prediction for each division.

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Here we are just over a month away from a highly-anticipated commencement of the 2011 regular season.

Looking back, 2010 finally laid to rest the notion that power-hitting parallels championships; when in fact it could be the exact opposite.

A season in which pitching prevailed over forceful hitting, 2010 granted us with the sentiment that maintaining brilliant, emphatic pitching can equate to championships.

Some say it’s good for baseball, others disagree.  Either way, the game proceeds.

So as we look towards a season that could become a duplicate of recent, let’s inspect the prospectus of 10 potential eye-opening pitchers who could become x-factors in pennant races coming down the stretch.

Make sure to follow Alec Dopp on twitter @doppler9000

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Let’s be serious for just a little while.

Albert Pujols is (whether you believe it or not) the face of the Cardinals’ respective franchise, and that’s just how things are.  And if a new contract is not offered to St. Louis’ sporting savior, Pujols will not be involved in contract negotiations through Spring Training, nor the regular season.

This is a problem.

As much as you’d love to disagree with the fact that Pujols is the most important asset the Cardinals currently attain, the fact of the matter is that it is true.

Here are five of the most essential reasons why St. Louis must seal-up Pujols—no matter what the cost.

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Now, I’ve never considered myself a pessimist by any means. However, the Milwaukee Brewers put forth a dismal effort last season.

The 2010 season, let it be known, yielded as many question marks about the future of the franchise as positive associations. Yes, it was that kind of a year for the Brewers.

Embarrassing pitching, disappointing offensive production and questionable coaching gave way to repetitive criticism on a day-to-day basis throughout the early stages of Milwaukee’s offseason.

However, things have taken a turn for the better, as I’m sure you’re aware of.

One of the most notable offseason transactions involved former AL Cy Young award winner Zack Greinke, and it has put the Brew Crew atop a majority of preseason rankings—and deservedly so.

So as spring training draws nearer by the hour, let’s take a look at 10 reasons why the Brewers could be looking down at the rest of the National League come November.

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Ah, the time has come.

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, we now stand just weeks away from what looks to be another memorable opening day for Major League Baseball.

After a confounding postseason in which we crowned the San Fransisco Giants world champions once more, many teams find themselves in a promising situation heading into the regular season.

However, let’s not get ahead of ourselves.  This is just spring training, as we all know.

So as preparation for the regular season begins to heat up, let’s take a look at each team’s status.

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With extravagant talk about newly acquired superstar Zack Greinke on his way to the Brew City, a majority of experts are now dubbing Milwaukee’s pitching staff the foremost pitching staff (on paper) in the league.

It’s about time.

In recent years, the Brewers have been a prime example of how maintaining an embarrassingly under-talented pitching staff can halt the rest of the team’s success—as well as dishearten the entire Milwaukee fanbase, for that matter.

For example: Last year, Milwaukee’s hurlers carried a 4.58 ERA over their backs—atrocious enough to be fifth worst in the entire MLB.

But statistics don’t quite tell the tale of the Brewers’ recent pitching struggles. So for the reader’s sake, we’ll cut right to the chase.

Well, I’ll tell you straight up: The Milwaukee Brewers’ No. 1 ace will remain Yovani Gallardo until proven otherwise.

Yovani who?

To start off, let’s get reacquainted with Yo.

Leading the Brewers in wins, strikeouts and ERA at the end of both the 2009 and 2010 seasons, Gallardo has obviously made his mark on the mound.

With his 200-strikeout season of 2010, Gallardo was dominant enough to place ninth in the National League in punch-outs. For a 24-year-old, that’s clearly an extraordinary feat in itself.

Gallardo also agreed to a $30.1 million, five-year deal that could be worth $42.5 million over six seasons, so it’s safe to say the Brewers have the intention of utilizing Gallardo’s talents for a few years coming.

Now, to Greinke…

It should be no surprise how Doug Melvin’s aggressiveness this offseason has resulted in Milwaukee’s trade for Zack Greinke.

Stunning numbers and young potential are exactly what Greinke has proved over his immature tenure as a professional major league pitcher—and he has the hardware to dignify it.

Since entering the league in 2004 with Kansas City, Greinke has accumulated a 60-67 record to go with a 3.82 ERA.

However, in his record-breaking Cy Young Award-winning season of 2009, Greinke acquired a 16-8 record with a major league-best 2.16 ERA—officially putting him in the conversation as one of the premier pitchers in the entire league.

Be that as it may, Greinke fell into the inevitable hangover that follows a bulk of the Cy Young Award winners. Nearly doubling his ERA from 2009, Greinke retained a 4.17 ERA with a less than impressive 10-14 record in 2010. Let’s hope that hangover isn’t carried over into 2011.

Nevertheless, as Opening Day draws nearer, the expectations for Greinke to succeed (and succeed at a high level) from the get-go may prove to be a bit too high for comfort.

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves…

Brewers fans should be as excited for a run at the NL Central crown as ever before—and with the new Gallardo-Greinke combo taking to the mound, Milwaukee is now a potent contender for the postseason.

Expectations will be high, and execution will be key for Greinke.

Let’s not forget: The guy has yet to step on a mound in a blue and gold jersey.

However, until that highly anticipated time comes, the Brewers’ No. 1 starting pitcher will remain Yovani Gallardo.

We’ll just have to wait and see what transpires this season.

Alec Dopp is on Twitter.  Make sure to visit Brewers Daily for all your Milwaukee Brewers up-to-the-minute info.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

First off, I’d like to thank everyone who had the chance to read into our first player introduction of the offseason.  Informing the fans is our number one priority here at Bleacher Report.

Now, let’s take a look at the Milwaukee Brewers’ newly added defensive phenom, shortstop Alcides Escobar.

Although you may already believe to know enough about him to get by, let me be the first to tell you that you are indeed, mistaken.

Born on December 16, 1986, Escobar was declared early on as a future baseball star.  Growing up in the tiny town of La Sabana, Venezuela, helped in his early-life baseball pursuits.

Kniown for his extreme base-running speed and skills, Doug Melvin and the Milwaukee Brewers were severely interested from the very beginnings of his young career.

The 6’1”, 180-pound frame is clearly makes Escobar one of the most peculiar shortstops in the major leagues.  Along with not attending any college, Escobar is certainly one of the more un-prototypical players in the league.

After being signed by Milwaukee as an international free agent in 2003, Escobar split time between Single-A and Double-A.  Contributing his efforts in 63 games for Single-A Brevard County, as well as 62 games with Double-A Huntsville was Escobar’s official “commencement” time period.  Hitting for a combined .306 BA, with 1 HR and 53 RBI was one of the many reasons why his talents were initially noticed by Brewers’ personnel.

On September 1, 2008, Escobar was called up to the majors for the first time of his young, promising career as a defensive replacement for then starter J.J. Hardy.  In that same game, the growing Escobar recorded his first career hit.

In 2009, Escobar in the MLB future’s All-Star Game, as the starting shortstop for the World Team.  Let it be known he went 2-for-4, including the go-ahead run for the World Team All-Stars.

Following his impressive performance in the Future’s All-Star Game, Escobar was called up from AAA Nashville to replace J.J. Hardy, who would later be traded to the Minnesota Twins later that season.

In 2010, Escobar was able to total up 41 RBI, 4 HR to go with a .235 batting average.  However, the enphasis on Escobar is not primarily his offense, but his defense.

Formerly one of the most touted young defensive shortstops in the minor leagues, Escobar was able to maintain a .964 FPCT (fielding percentage).  

Seemingly making jaw-dropping plays left and right in only his 1st season as a regular starter, Escobar is already making a name for himself within clubhouses around the major leagues.

As for his role within the Brewers in 2011, Escobar is undoubtedly the starting shortstop until further notice.

Rest assured, Escobar’s importance to Milwaukee’s NL Central title hopes is absolutely vital.  He is certainly a diamond in the rough.

Make sure to get all your Brewers’ breaking news, articles, and updates at Brewers Daily

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