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Brewing Trouble: Identifying 5 Things the Milwaukee Brewers Must Improve If a Playoff Run Is in Store

Less than a week ago, the scorching-hot Milwaukee Brewers were coming off a sweep of their interleague rival Minnesota Twins, and had Brewers nation (including myself) clamoring for some well-deserved respect.

Who could blame us?

After ripping through a three-game series against the Twins, the Brewers had comfortably positioned themselves with a three-game lead atop the NL Central—a place where Milwaukee had not been since July of 2009.

Needless to say, a three-game series in the Bronx proved to be a bona fide wake-up call for manager Ron Roenicke’s crew.  In fact, the New York Yankees outscored Milwaukee 22-4 in their three-game sweep of the Brewers.

Every team hits rough patches within a successful season, but the Brewers cannot afford to become complacent.  Here are five things that must be addressed if Milwaukee expects a deep postseason run.

Follow Alec Dopp on Twitter: @doppler9000.

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Recently, the Dodgers announced they would wear their Brooklyn Dodger throwback uniforms for a few home games this season. 

Other teams like the Braves, Reds and various others said they would follow suit and wear their own throwbacks during games this year too.

Some teams have great throwback uniforms, and others are terrible looking. 

Either way, they all stand out in a good or bad way from the other uniforms today.

Here is a list of the top 20 throwback jerseys in MLB history.

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This hurts.

Born and raised in Madison, WI, I’ve been a Milwaukee Brewers fan my entire life. I remember my dad taking me to games at old County Stadium to see Robin Yount and Paul Molitor play, and it was so easy and “available” to stand outside after the game to fetch autographs from your favorite players or even to just see the team.

This was long before $100 million contracts. At the time, it didn’t matter whether you played in a small-market, blue-collar town like Milwaukee or a large metro area like New York City, where today players have added incentive to play with millions more available in endorsement deals.  

It was about making a living by doing something you enjoy, but more importantly, it was about playing baseball.

I’m not saying it isn’t about baseball for players these days, I’m just coming to terms with the fact that capitalism reached America’s Pastime over the last 20 years.

Today, being a fan of a team in a small-market means you need to realize that most players will come and go. It doesn’t mean the team can’t win, it just means the GM needs to be really good at making draft picks and, more importantly, good at making trades.

I give credit to Brewers owner Mark Attanasio for everything he has done to improve the franchise, bringing competitive baseball back to Milwaukee. The smallest market in the league has a payroll that will exceed $90 million in 2011, which is 17th most in all of baseball. Attanasio wants to win just as much as the fans, if not more.

That is why the best move for the future of Milwaukee baseball is to trade beloved first baseman Prince Fielder.

Everyone north of the equator knows he won’t be donning a Brewers uniform in 2012, so why not trade him now?

Regardless of their 0-4 start, the Brewers are a good team. They stand to win plenty of games, with or without Prince. They’ve been hit by the injury bug early and often to begin the season, and their start reflects that.

Prized acquisition Zack Greinke will return in a few weeks, which will give them a deep rotation that should keep them in most ballgames.

If the San Francisco Giants proved anything by winning the World Series last season, it’s that it takes pitching to win, not hitting.

If the Brewers keep Prince through this season, they would get high draft pick compensation when he signs elsewhere as a Type-A free agent. But very few draft picks, if any, can step in right away and do what the Brewers will need them to do.

Why not trade him away now, with the possibility of getting enough in return to be able to contend not only this year, but in the years to come? Not only that, but if he isn’t traded, there is a very good chance he heads down Interstate 94 and signs with the rival Chicago Cubs in the offseason. That alone is reason enough to send him packing to the team of their choosing.

Which team is that? The Los Angeles Angels.

Angels owner Arte Moreno struck out this offseason in his attempts to bring in the big bat he desires. Eventually, in a move that will be questioned for years, the Angels were able to acquire Vernon Wells from the Blue Jays.

The addition of Prince would give the Angels the “Face of the Franchise” Moreno so desperately desires long into the future, as well as making them instant contenders.

Not only are the Angels the lone American League team that can afford Fielder’s new contract who actually needs a 1B/DH type, they just happen to have the right pieces to make this trade work.

The Angels have a big power bat waiting for a chance to man first base in Mark Trumbo, the organizations fourth ranked prospect who led the minor leagues with 36 home runs last season.

They also have a crop of pitching prospects, led by right-hander Taylor Chatwood. Chatwood, the Angels reigning Minor League Pitcher of the Year, is known for his fantastic fastball-slider combination and should be ready for the majors by 2012, if not before.  

The sooner the Brewers are willing to make the move, the more talent they will get in return. Dealing him to a team that has a good chance at re-signing him will only increase that potential.

I’m all for a team “going all in” as the Brewers have this season, but there is a lot more to their team than Prince Fielder. If you can trade him now, get Major League ready talent in return, and improve your chances of winning now and in the future, then I’d say it’s about time to pull the trigger.  

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

At first glance the N.L. Central would seem to be a two-team race between the Cincinnati Reds and the Milwaukee Brewers. Some people add the St. Louis Cardinals to the mix because, well, they’re the St. Louis Cardinals. But most analysts seem to agree that it’s between the Reds with their combination of speed, power and pitching, and the Brewers, who have one of the top offenses in baseball.

But hold on!

If you take a closer look you’ll see that each team in the division has significant weaknesses as well as some hidden strengths, making this a five-team race (sorry, Houston) that could come down to the wire and be one of the most exciting in baseball for the 2011 season.

So now, a look at each team and why they can win and why they won’t…

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Thank God.

Those are the two words I uttered when I first heard Ken Macha would not be back with the Brewers for a third season.

That euphoria lasted all of five minutes because then I found out who was going to replace him.

It took a little while to find out who the candidates even were. Two prominent mentions were Bob Brenly (gag!) and Bobby Valentine. I did not want either of them anywhere near the Brewers. Then there was talk of Joey Cora, who wouldn’t have been all bad.

Then came the name Ron Roenicke. My only recollection of him was on a baseball card I had as a kid.

Not much later, more information on Roenicke began trickling in. He was on Mike Scioscia’s staff in Anaheim, and he favored an aggressive style of baseball. Those were certainly two positives.

Scioscia’s two previous bench coaches, Joe Maddon and Bud Black, have gone on to tremendous success managing the Rays and Padres respectively. Could Roenicke do the same?

I have listened to what Roenicke and others have said and not said in the few short months since he has been manager of the Brewers. Everything I hear leads me to believe he will succeed and be the 2011 NL Manager of the Year.

1) Aggressive Style, Yet Calm

Those are two seemingly contradictory notions, but they can work in harmony within the right personality. Roenicke has said from day one that he plans to be aggressive on the bases and constantly put pressure on the opposing defense.

Pressure doesn’t mean running around the bases willy-nilly. To Roenicke, it means being aggressive going from first to third and always taking that extra base. It means hitting and running and bunting for base hits.

While willing to be aggressive, Roenicke won’t pull the plug on that philosophy if someone happens to get thrown out. He knows the risk, and he’s willing to take it. That sense of calm hasn’t been present in the recent past in the Brewers dugout.

Under the previous regime, one mistake meant a shift from aggressiveness to ultra conservatism. That type of panic was a major problem.

2) Positivity

Right or wrong, this spring Ryan Braun made some comments about the negativity that permeated the Brewers clubhouse last year. Other players, including Corey Hart and Prince Fielder, reinforced that sentiment in a slightly more diplomatic way. No matter how the message was sent, it was still the same.

In multiple forums, including on MLBTV’s 30 Clubs in 30 Days, several Brewers players have used the word fun when describing their first spring camp under Ron Roenicke. I thought spring training wasn’t supposed to be fun.

Braun has been up front saying that they are playing a game, and it is supposed to be fun. He’s got a point. Games are meant to be fun. Who knew baseball could be fun in Milwaukee?

3) Open Communication

Coaches under the tutelage of Mike Scioscia become aware of how important people skills are in being a successful major league manager.

After Roenicke was hired and before spring training began, he invited Ryan Braun to lunch. The two live near each other in California, so it seemed to be an easy way for Roenicke to get the pulse of the Brewers from one of its leaders.

Braun said he appreciated that the new manager reached out and sought his opinion. An important line of communication was opened early on.

During spring training, Roenicke has made a point of talking to each player on a regular basis to find out exactly the best way each player can get ready for the regular season. No one knows what a player needs more than that player himself. Roenicke is approachable and more than willing to listen to his players.

Michael Hunt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has characterized the previous two Brewers managers as being wound too tight (Ned Yost) and as “grandpa-grumpy” (Ken Macha). Both of their personalities rubbed many of the players the wrong way. Ron Roenicke is clearly neither of those.

4) Trust and Respect

In my estimation trust and respect are probably the most important components of a solid player/manager relationship, but without open communication, neither of these would be possible.

The Brewers players, most notably Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder, felt they couldn’t count on Ken Macha to stand up for them and as a result didn’t respect him or even like him just a little bit.

Macha tried to play things as if he had an open-door policy for his players in 2010. It was easy to claim that when he already knew the players didn’t respect him enough to want to talk to him. Then he tried to put it all off on the players, as if he did everything he could to be open to communication, especially with the team’s stars.

Macha never once took any responsibility for the poor lines of communication. When Jason Kendall had issues with Macha in Oakland, that should have told Doug Melvin something.

Ron Roenicke is the complete antithesis of Macha. He truly wants to communicate and get to know his players. He put his trust in the players right from the start.

Roenicke has made clear that he wants the players to come to him when they feel they need a day off this spring. Not only that, Roenicke has been open to players asking for more playing time. Fielder took advantage of that when he felt he needed more at-bats. Roenicke didn’t hesitate to slide Prince into that day’s lineup.

Roenicke has shown trust in his players to not take advantage of that policy, and the players haven’t done that in the least. They have continued working even when they weren’t playing in games. The players realize that when the manager puts his trust in them, they need to do the same with their manager.

Players appreciate not being treated like little kids and constantly being told what to do. When they are treated like adults, odds are they will act like adults.

5) The Starting Rotation

I couldn’t ignore this extremely important change in the Brewers team. We all know what the starting rotation has looked like for some time minus the rental of CC Sabathia.

In the minimal number of games Ben Sheets was healthy, he was a stud and a true No. 1 starter. Yovani Gallardo has been good but is still not considered a No. 1 in my eyes until he becomes more consistent. Signing Randy Wolf was a decent move, but he is only a No. 3 or 4 starter.

Finally, this offseason Doug Melvin got aggressive and brought in two very good starting pitchers in Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum.

I won’t pretend things may have been different under previous managers if they had this starting staff, but then again, maybe not. If you can’t talk to your manager or trust and respect him, it doesn’t matter who is on the mound. The team is still going to struggle.

Ron Roenicke has been the bench coach on a team with a dynamic starting staff. That can only help him in connecting with the Brewers starters. It’s a proven fact that better pitching leads to more wins, which will make the Brewers’ run at the NL Central crown that much more probable.

Going down this list, I think you can see why I think the way I do. Roenicke has a good baseball on-field philosophy. He has the right personality. He values communication, trust, respect and positivity throughout the organization.

He will let the players speak their minds and be themselves—in fact, he encourages it. Roenicke will also have one of the better starting rotations in the entire National League.

How can you not view him as being one of the favorites for NL Manager of the Year? I do.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Milwaukee Brewers (2010 record: 77-85)

The Milwaukee Brewers front office entered the offseason with one primary task: improve the pitching staff. The club finished last season with the third-worst ERA in the National League—the primary reason the club finished with a sub-.500 record.

General Manager Mark Attanasio immersed himself in his task as soon as the offseason got underway, and by Christmas he had remade his starting rotation—trading away some of his building blocks for the future in order to obtain a pair of cornerstones for his pitching staff.

Shortly after Thanksgiving, he traded mercurial second base prospect Brett Lawrie (whom the organization had grown disenchanted with) to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for RHP Shaun Marcum.

Then, just two weeks later, he gave his club and his fan base a second Christmas present, shipping starting shortstop Alcides Escobar and three more prospects (speedy outfielder Lorenzo Cain, No. 1 prospect Jake Odorizzi and fireballer Jeremy Jeffress) to the KC Royals for former Cy Young Award winner Zack Greinke and SS Yuniesky Betancourt.

While Attanasio may have traded away some of the organization’s future, there is no doubt he dramatically improved its prospects for the immediate future by making the club a contender for the 2011 postseason.

Notable additions: SS Yuniesky Betancourt, RHP Zack Greinke, RHP Shaun Marcum, RHP Takashi Saito

Notable subtractions: OF Lorenzo Cain, SS Alcides Escobar, RP Trevor Hoffman, RHP Jeremy Jeffress, 2B Brett Lawrie

The offense:

Catcher: Jonathan Lucroy

Infield: Prince Fielder (1B), Rickie Weeks (2B), Yuniesky Betancourt (SS) and Casey McGehee (3B)

Outfield: Ryan Braun (LF), Carlos Gomez (CF) and Corey Hart (RF)

The Brewers offense ranked fourth in the league in runs scored (750) last year and will almost certainly remain very dangerous in the upcoming season. The lineup features five batters who have the ability to hit 25-plus home runs and drive in 100-plus runs.

The anchor of the offensive attack is 1B Prince Fielder, the impending free agent who had his worst season in terms of productivity since 2006. He established a career-low in batting average (.261) and came close to equaling his career low in both homers and RBI.

It was not the kind of season he wanted to have while trying to convince the Brewers to commit to a long-term contract for his services.

With Fielder potentially departing via free agency at the end of the season, LF Ryan Braun is poised to replace him as the primary cog in the lineup. He hit .304, with 25 HR and 103 RBI last year in what was considered by many to be a disappointing campaign (his home run total has decreased each year since his ROY effort in 2007).

His contact rate and hit rate are very solid, but there are a couple of areas of concern for fantasy baseballers with respect to his home run totals—his HR/FB rate dipped to a career low (at 14 percent, it is just 2/3 of what it was back in 2007) and his ground ball rate (48 percent) has increased more than 20 percent since ’07—Neither of these trends will support a 35-to-40 home run season in 2011.

RF Corey Hart posted career-best home run and RBI totals and had a nice spike in his batting average, paradoxically those numbers in spite of the fact his contact rate regressed to a career-worst (75 percent). It’s unlikely he’ll duplicate this level of productivity moving forward, as his HR/FB rate (17 percent) was well above his career rate (11 percent).

2B Rickie Weeks was healthy and compiled 600 at-bats (651) for the first time, well above his previous high (475). The extra playing time translated into a career-best total in homers, ribbies and runs—and in the process he set club records for a second baseman in each of these categories.

3B Casey McGehee converted his full-time gig into a 20/100 campaign in spite of a significant spike (plus-9 percent) in his ground ball rate. He will need to elevate the ball in 2011 to take full advantage of his power potential.

The rest of the lineup is lacking. Lucroy makes great contact (85 percent last year) but offers little in the way of power. Gomez has a sub-par approach at the plate (.289 OBP) and thus has been unable to take advantage of his best tool (speed) because he does not get on base with sufficient frequency.

Betancourt puts the bat on the ball with the best of them (career contact rate of 90 percent) but has an abysmal hit rate (career 27 percent), suggesting he often puts the ball in play just for the sake of getting it in play. He doesn’t draw walks as often as he needs to (4 percent BB rate).

The pitching staff:

Starting rotation: Zack Greinke, Yovani Gallardo, Shaun Marcum, Randy Wolf, Chris Narveson

Closer: John Axford

The team had only two dependable starters last season (Yovani Gallardo and Randy Wolf). The front office knew the club would have to upgrade on the likes of David Bush and Manny Parra if they hope to compete.

Enter Marcum and Greinke. They make the Brewers instant threats in the NL Central. While the rotation likely won’t compete with the Phillies or the Giants as the best in the league, it certainly should be one of the top four or five rotations in the league.

Most pundits knew there would be some regression in Greinke’s performance last year, as his 2009 Cy Young peformance was largely driven by an other-worldly strand rate (81 percent).

The baseball gods made him pay by imposing just a 67 percent strand rate on him last season. Under normal circumstances you would expect his numbers to trend toward a normalized rate of 73 percent, but in consideration of the fact he will make the jump to the NL Central—where he will no longer face the DH—it seems likely his strand rate will improve into the low-70′s.

The whole pick-up baseketball fiasco will cost him a month of the season—pity. Regardless, he should still be able to win 14 or 15 games and post an ERA in the high 2′s or low 3′s—assuming he doesn’t suffer from Jacoby Ellsbury Syndrome.

Marcum is fully recovered from Tommy John surgery. He posted excellent numbers against the tougher lineups in the AL East. While his elbow remains a concern, as was underscored by his midseason visit to the DL last year, he is also likely to see an improvement in both his win total and ERA in 2011.

Gallardo was the staff ace but now may be no more than the third-best starter on the club. He strikes out hitters with great regularity, but struggles with his control (a 4.1 BB for every nine innings pitched over the last two years).

Those extra base runners cause his ERA to elevate to a much higher number than his talent suggests he’s capable of posting. Wolf had a rough start to last year, but he improved as the year went on as he found his command (fewer BBs, more Ks). Narveson’s stats looked brutal, but his peripherals illustrate he has significant potential (his strand rate was just 66 percent last year) as he compiled an ERA of just 4.07.

The hard-throwing Axford inherited the closer’s role when Trevor Hoffman scuffled last spring. He posted solid numbers in his first year as closer, posting 24 saves in 27 save opportunities and holding opposing hitters to a .204 batting average.

He will need to reduce his walk rate (4.1 BB per 9 IP) to maximize his value to the team. Southpaw Zack Braddock and righty Kameron Loe both have excellent raw stuff and, although unproven, should provide good depth to a bullpen that also includes veteran RHPs LaTroy Hawkins and Takashi Saito.

Prediction for 2011: 2nd place (88-74)

There is a lot to like here, and it wouldn’t surprise me if the Brew Crew finishes the year in first place. There is potential for quite a bit of improvement from several hitters, and the presence of Greinke and Marcum improve the rotation exponentially (assuming good health). Narveson could be a sleeper and is someone to watch during spring training.

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Top Five Prospects:

1. Mark Rogers, RHP
2. Wily Peralta, RHP
3. Tyler Thornburg, RHP
4. Scooter Gennett, INF
5. Cody Scarpetta, RHP

Rogers was selected by the Brewers in the first round (fifth overall) of the 2004 draft. He struggled throughout his early career in Low-A and High-A, earning himself a demotion to rookie ball in the middle of his third year. A pair of shoulder surgeries cost him both the 2007 and 2008 seasons.

Not the typical resume of a top prospect.

But he returned to the baseball diamond with a vengeance when he was healthy. He posted impressive numbers in High-A in 2009 and then excelled in Double-A last year, earning a September call-up (10 games, 2.70 ERA with the Brewers).

He relies on a lively, mid-90s fastball that will touch 97 on occasion. He also has a knee-buckling curve ball and a slider with decent bite. The problem is he lacks command of all of his pitches and struggles to locate his pitches within the strike zone, but that isn’t surprising for a pitcher who has lost as much development time as Rogers.

Most pundits believe he is destined for the bullpen if he doesn’t improve his command, so 2011 will be an importast year for him.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

With the 26th overall selection in the 2009 MLB amateur draft, the Milwaukee Brewers picked up one of the most promising young hurlers in the nation, Eric Arnett.

Arnett, who had a horrendous start to his 2010 campaign in the Arizona League, looks to become one of Milwaukee’s premier starting pitchers in the near future.

But the question is, will it happen?

While the Milwaukee Brewers are gearing up for what hopefully becomes a successful regular-season run, Arnett finds himself on Milwaukee’s spring training roster for the time being.

Standing at a Randy Johnson-like 6’5″, 230 pounds, Arnett is certainly a physical specimen worthy of a call-up for the Brewers in the near future. If things go as planned, Arnett could potentially be apart of a revamped Milwaukee rotation starting as early as next season.

At Indiana—where he absolutely dominated in college ball—Arnett was a co-Pitcher of the Year and a First Team All-Big Ten selection in just his junior year for the Hoosiers while accumulating 109 strikeouts, a 12-2 record and a 2.50 ERA.

But that’s not where his résumé ends, as Arnett boasts a 91-96 MPH fastball with notable breaking pitches and an above-average slider.

How can Arnett’s talents help a Brewers ball club looking to break through to a World Series this season? The question may actually be how he can’t help this Milwaukee squad.

Although the Brewers went out this offseason and added former AL Cy Young winner Zack Greinke, along with Shaun Marcum and reliever Takashi Saito, it would be to Arnett’s benefit to learn under Greinke and other starters.

You can’t put a price on experience, and though the Brewers would probably like Arnett to continue his progression in the minor leagues, there truly is nothing compared to the major-league experience.

Should newly named manager Ron Roenicke become impressed with what Arnett has to offer, expect him to be called up somewhere in the middle to late part of the regular season as the Brewers attempt to make their World Series run.

An important role in the starting rotation this season may not be imminent, but a position in Milwaukee’s bullpen will more than likely happen this season.

**Make sure to follow me on Twitter, as well as take a look at my new blog Brewers Rumors.**

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

As spring training gets underway in Florida and Arizona, we take one last look at the recent Major League Baseball offseason and how the various trades and acquisitions will affect the fantasy landscape for 2011.

While there was much more movement than the players listed below, this is a fantasy roster comprised of the most notable players per position that will be wearing different uniforms from Opening Day 2010 and should be on radars come draft time 2011. Not all players in this article are necessarily top-tier options, but each carries some value all the way through the mid-to-late rounds if you have a position of need during your draft.

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Did you know that Major League Baseball is the only sport where the ground rules are different from venue to venue?  Because of this strange stipulation, each ballpark has its own unique feature, dimensions and quirks.

This is the reason some stadiums like Yankee Stadium are such hitter’s parks, and other stadiums like CitiField are such pitcher’s parks.

Here is a list of the 20 most interesting quirks in MLB history:

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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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