About the time the Brewers started the season 0-4 many of the naysayers or “nonbelievers” out there figured they could cash out on the season after just five days.

Well, the Reds did win the NL Central last season and are a damn good team, so those of us that know baseball and know you can’t get too up or down hung around for a full week of baseball and now have a 5-5 team on our hands with things looking to get better on this nine-game road trip to the East coast.

The Brewers showed what they were made of coming back to Miller Park and going 5-2 against the Braves and Cubs. Now it’s time for the Pirates and Nationals before heading to Philly to trade body blows with the Phillies.
What the Brewers showed during the homestand was what most people that know the team figured they’d show.

Yovanni Gallardo was great in getting the first win of the season and so-so Sunday as Casey McGehee belted a home run in the eighth to down the Cubs. Shaun Marcum showed improvement and should keep getting better when the rain ends and he takes the hill Wednesday in Pittsburgh. And let’s not forget Chris Narveson who could show he belongs with the Zack Greinke’s, Gallardo’s and Marcum’s with his not allowing a run in 13 innings thus far without allowing a run. And that’s just the starting pitching.

Prince finally hit a homer, Ryan Braun is hitting the long ball and in bunches and for the first time I can remember both seem to be absolutely hot at the plate right now. With both of them grooving together, the Brewers are almost untouchable. Yes, they need guys on in front of them and with Rickie Weeks off to the start he is off to and either Nyjer Morgan or Carlos Gomez doing just enough in the No. 2 slot, runners were finally on when they went yard over the weekend against the Cubs and it paid off.

During the homestand, the Brewers played the type of baseball most of us expected them to play. Well, everyone but Randy Wolf, but let’s not get too greedy here, people. And to think they will be getting Jonathan Lucroy back tomorrow night and Manny Parra and LaTroy Hawkins should be joining the team in the coming days in the bullpen. Then, attention can turn to the “Big Two” on the DL in Corey Hart and Zack Greinke who are both at least two weeks away from returning to the big league club.

Until then, getting to maybe a couple games above .500 would be where to expect this team to be and put themselves in a spot to rattle off some wins and make the move they have to in order to challenge the Reds for the division. At least, that’s what I see them being capable of.

For those that had written them off after four games, fans like that aren’t really fans at all. They look for a reason and an excuse to jump ship and just seem way too negative. Will the Brewers lose four games in a row again this season? Probably. But they’ll also win four games in a row a couple times, too, so you’re not supposed to get too high or low.

This team now is pretty good and when the pieces all return, will be one of the top teams in the NL both offensively and with pitching.

This post appears in a partnership with Wilber’s Way. To read the rest of this post, which includes a look at Edge’s retirement from WWE and Jordana Brewster on the cover of Maxim, be sure to check out Wilber’s Way.

WiscoSportsTalk Podcast Show

Duration: 47:15

Topics:

Segment 1- All things UW, MU and UWM basketball. (00:00- 15:45)

Segment 2- Milwaukee Bucks basketball.  are you rooting for the Bucks to catch the Indiana Pacers and make the eighth seed on the NBA Playoffs or are you rooting for them to lose? (16:00- 35:50)

Segment 3- Milwaukee Brewers Spring ball update.  Zach Greinke’s injury.  What are the Brewers’ largest holes? (36:10- 47:15)

WiscoSportsTalk Podcast Show

Duration: 38 minutes

Topics:

Segement 1

- Wisconsin, Marquette and UWM Basketball bracketology, conference tournaments  and their chances in the big dance later this month.(0:00- 13:00)

Segment 2

- Milwaukee Bucks staying firm at the trade deadline.

- What can we expect from the Bucks the rest of the season and in the off-season.

(13:15- 25:35)

Segment 3

- Milwaukee Brewers spring training updates and players to watch.

- What are you worried about going into what’s supposed to be the Brewers’ best season in over 20 years?

(25:50- 38:00)

The Brewers signing of Rickie Weeks to a four-year, $38 million contract Wednesday added to what was a great offseason for the Brewers (Check Tom Haudricourt’s story on the signing from the Journal-Sentinel, here). Had Rickie left with Prince at the end of the season, the right side of the infield would have been in disarray. Now, with Rickie back, the Brewers get a player they know will work hard and has worked out. They even factored into the contract his health for a fifth year. Essentially if he’s an every day player that fifth year will kick in. The Brewers call it a vested-option (Adam McCalvy’s story on Brewers.com), Weeks’ agent just calls it a five-year deal worth $50 million. Essentially, they’re both right. Weeks expects to get 600 plate appearances in 2014, which would trigger the fifth year. If there is any question he’ll get that PAs, Ryan Bruan got 687 last year in 157 games, so if he plays every day, like he did last year, that should come without a problem.
As I said last week, this NEEDED to get done. Now that it has, looked what it means to this team. The Brewers will have the likes of Ryan Bruan, Corey Hart, Casey McGehee, Yovani Gallardo and Rickie Weeks under contract through the 2014 season and possibly through 2015.
That looks like a solid 2-5 in the batting order to me (I really want to move Rickie down in the order to No. 3 or No. 4 if/when Prince departs) and at some pretty respectable salaries in today’s era that should be managable enough for them to add some other guys to keep things competitive.
To me, that’s the biggest thing after Prince goes. No matter what happens this year, I don’t want to be the 1999 Chicago Bulls or the Florida Marlins that awful the year after winning championships because key pieces left. Obviously looking at it now, expectations will likely be down going into next year, but they won’t be plummeting to awful depths like the Bulls did after Michael, Scottie and Phil all left town.
Dare I say the Brewers could still be relevant going forward for years to come? Prince will be a Class A free agent at the end of the season and when he goes, he’ll net the Brewers two compensatory picks. Those who say the farm system is trash, myself included, will notice how much that will help refurnish the system.
This sets up Doug Melvin and company to make a couple moves going into 2012 and 2013 that should still keep a pretty darn good and entertaining team in Milwaukee.
And as part of the discussion that isn’t part of the future, one of my storylines to watch going into spring training is pretty much now a moot point. Weeks has his contract. He won’t have to worry about performing for free agent money now. I was more worried about how he’d handle it than I was Prince. Fielder has had talk about him signing long-term here now for years and he has shown he can push it to the side after the initial discussions in the spring. Rickie has not had those talks and them circling may have been a factor.
The Brewers need a season out of him similar to last season. He doesn’t have to be great, but the batting average can come up from last year, lifting the on-base percentage in the process, stolen base numbers should skyrocket and his overall value will go through the roof this season. Heck, his home run numbers can even come down and I’d be happy with him. Just get on base and I’ll be making my “C’mon RRRRRRRRRRRRRRick!” Chant from section 223 Row 6, Seat 7 for this season and a many more to come!

This blog appears in a partnership with Wiber’s Way. To read the rest of this post and see more views from Aaron, check out Wilber’s Way!

Rickie Weeks joins the list of home grown talent the Brewers have now signed to a long-term deal.

Pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training for the Brewers Wednesday (Woooooohoooooo!) in Maryvale Baseball Park. It promises to be an action-packed month and a half going into the start of the season on March 31 in Cinncy.
There are some things to watch develop or see if they do develop during the time in Maryvale that should set the tone for the regular season. (Counting down from 5 to 1 with 1 being most important.)

5. Who fills the few roster spots left? This is the first time in recent memory, to me anyway, only two spots on the bench and one or two spots in the bullpen are up for grabs. If position battles are you what you like to watch in spring training, the Brewers will not be your camp to keep an eye on. Every starting position is filled. From the starting five of Greinke, Marcum, Gallardo, Wolf and Narveson to the position players, everything has been answered over the winter on who will start. In the bullpen, one one or two spots remain, with a couple of the young arms likely being sent down to Triple-A Nashville to stay stretched out and possibly come up and make a spot start or two, if needed. That being Mark Rogers, of course. I worked things out on the roster a while back in an Examiner.com post last month after the signing of Takashi Saito that he would join John Axford, Zach Braddock, LaTroy Hawkins, Kameron Loe and Manny Parra as returnees. That would leave Mike McClendon, Mitch Stetter and Sean Green to fight it out for one, maybe two spots, depending on if the Brewers carry 12 or 13 pitchers.
For position players, all eight starting spots are set, leaving four our five spots left on the bench. Two of those spots are filled with Craig Counsell and Mark Kotsay, the latter of which was just signed, but should make the team as a pinch hitter. There are two question marks left to fill on the bench. The first is, who will be the backup catcher? George Kottaras is back in the mix, but so is Mike Rivera and Wil Nieves. To many, Nieves has the experience the Brewers want to help mentor Jonathan Lucroy. They will let those three duke it out in spring training. Mat Gamel is the other question. Would you rather he make the team and site on the bench and pinch hit or stay in Triple A and get regular time at the plate and in the field?
Even manager Ron Roenicke says it is pretty much set. His take on it is pretty good, though. “That means we have a pretty good team going into camp.” Yep.

4. Will contracts (or lack thereof) be a distraction? Rickie Weeks is working on an extension leading into his arrival to Spring Training and Prince Fielder is likely in his last year with the Brewers. Roenicke feels that in the business of the game, those guys will not let those things bother them once they get on the field and play. To me, it will probably only be a distraction when it is brought up in the clubhouse by the media after the games. Mainly with Rickie, it will probably be a distraction in Spring Training if a deal is not done. that gives him a few weeks to move on from it and be ready for Opening Day on March 31. The good thing about it, too, is that for the rest of the guys this isn’t a distraction. I don’t worry about it distracting Prince, at all. He has had this talk circling him for a couple years now, so he’ll continue to play his way through it at his high level. Rickie is the same way. There has always been talk surrounding him about his injuries, but last year he showed what he could do when healthy and should be fine now. I don’t see it bother him, either.

3. Will Roenicke be true to his word and be more aggressive on basepaths? Spring Training will be the first chance we will get a chance to see if Roenicke will be true to his word and run more on the bases. As Tom Haudricourt points out in his post today in the Journal Sentinel, Dale Sveum hinted the players are excited for the move and with guys like Weeks, Ryan Braun, Corey Hart and Carlos Gomez it’s clear why. There is plenty of speed on this team and getting out and putting pressure on the defense to stop them from running could be a key to this offense putting more runners in scoring position. Everyone within the coaching staff things running is a good thing for the team and is the one thing they have not done much of over the last couple of years. It will give the team that chance to manufacture more runs. How many times did Yovani Gallardo lose games when he gave up just one or two runs? Putting runners in motion will open things up to squeeze a handful more wins out of the season which could be a difference in the race the Brewers hope to find themselves in.

2. Will the starting pitching live up to expectations? This one won’t be answered in Spring Training, but like that saying goes “You can’t win a race at the start, but you can lose it” the Brewers just hope things build for the regular season. Part of me also thinks there are a lot of unrealistic expectations put on Greinke especially to be the savior of the franchise this season. Yes, he is and is going to be good, but there is a chance he will lose a handful of games through the season, if not more. And that doesn’t even mean he’ll pitch bad, that’s just how it goes over a long season. Of course, Shaun Marcum and Gallardo have some expectations to live up to, as well. Both were Opening Day Starters last year, as well, and want to be considered 1a and 1b choices for this team. It’s hard to get a real gauge on how guys will pitch in the regular season, though from the spring. Some guys work on pitches in the spring and are all over the place. Then, by the time the season gets here, everything is taken care of and they settle in. If they pitch well, they can’t be anointed as heroes like that, either. This one will set itself up for the season and we’ll have to wait for an answer. I’ll revisit it later.

1. Willl the defense be able to help out the pitching that is now in place? Amidst the trades to acquire pitching, the Brewers dealt some solid fielding away. Alcides Escobar was not great, but pretty good in the field and Lorenzo Cain was great when he was in last year. In their places are Yunesky Betancourt at short and Carlos Gomez back in center. For Gomez, defense was never the thing that anyone questioned. He’s pretty good in the field, but it’s his bat that got him benched. Betancourt is somewhat similar, but has some questions with his glove. Of course, on the infield, there’s a bit more pressure and detail to work on. Can he turn the double play with Rickie. There has to be a solid effort from both guys to put this together.
Outside from them Ryan Braun and Corey Hart had their own “D’Oh” moments last year that made you scratch your head with their play in the field. They kept their spots in the lineup because they were hitting the face off a baseball, but still have work to do. Casey McGehee at third was the same way, but is solid with the glove, as was Rickie at second base. And Prince, well, he’s Prince. He led the league in walks last year. Finally, there’s Jonathan Lucroy he played at Double-A, Triple-A and the Majors last season and will be the starter this season. I’d guess Roenecke will have him as almost as everyday as a catcher can be (thinking 4 of 5 games in most cases). He improved by leaps and bounds during the season last year. Give him an offseason to prepare and a full spring as the No. 1 guy and I expect him to be very solid behind the plate this season.

That’s all I’ve got for now. Did I miss any? Let me know in the comments and I’ll put something together during Spring Training.

Zack Greinke and the Brewers pitching staff is among the storylines to watch heading into Spring Training, which startes Wednesday when pitchers and catchers officially report.

This blog appears in partnership with Wilber’s Way. Be sure to check out the rest of the pop culture and sports post from Aaron now!

Just by looking at the headline of this columm you have to say to yourself “Whoa! I thought we were going for it this year?”

It sure does look like Doug Melvin is trying to make a run. Keeping Prince Fielder will help that and help for the future also. Let’s ride the big man’s shoulders and try to win the division and make some noise in the playoffs. Of course if that does not happen and the Brewers fall out of the race all the fans and talk shows will be talking about trading Prince Fielder for whatever we can get for him. That might very well be the wrong move.

If Fielder is having a monster year and some team desperate for left handed power is willing to give up some high end prospects than make the trade. That is not likely to happen but it is possible. There is a better option.

ESPN  is going to release the minor league rankings this month and the Milwaukee Brewers are going to be at or near the bottom. There is not a lot of talent in the minors, some of that going in the recent trades for Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum. So use Prince for his bat and when his contract is up at the end of the year, let him go somewhere else.  As much has Mark Attanasio has tried to keep him here in Brew City it doesn’t look like it will happen. When he leaves for another team and a big contract we will get 2 draft picks.

AND WE NEED THEM!!!

This is a small market and the only way the Brewers can compete is by making the most of their farm system and the well has run dry.

I hope Prince has a monster year and helps the city of Milwaukee in 2 ways. Carry them into the playoffs one more time and bring 2 quality draft picks into the system.

Roll out the barrel boys

WiscoSportsTalk Podcast Part 2

Duration: 16:21

Topics:

-The Brewers acquire Greinke

- What are the new expectations for the Brewers?

- How “all in” are the Brewers?

- What are our weaknesses now?

-Brewers win predictions.

In little more than a week, the Brewers have gone from having the worst starting rotation in the NL, to now having one of the best in the entire MLB. After making a huge trade that landed 2009 Cy Young Award winner, Zack Greinke, there is no doubt now that 2011 has the potential to be a big year and not just another “rebuilding” year.

The rotation now features a very good 1-2-3 in Grienke, Yovani Gallardo, and  Shaun Marcum. Throw in Randy Wolf, and Chris Narveson, and the Crew suddenly has a very good starting 5.

Starting pitching has been the achilles heal for the Brewers during the past two seasons. And that is putting it nicely. Last year the rotation had no consistency with pitchers moving in and out of the bullpen and finished with the second worst ERA in the NL. With the recent additions, these numbers are all but guaranteed to improve.

Obviously, the Royals did not just give up Greinke for free. The Brewers traded away young stars Lorenzo Cain and Alcides Escobar, along with top pitching prospect Jake Odorizzi. That does leave a hole in centerfield and shortstop. Promising Jeremy Jeffress (a young pitcher) may also be sent to Kansas City as a player to be named later. As part of the trade, the Brewers aquired Yuniesky Betancourt (.259 Ave, 16 HR in 2010) to fill the gap left by Escobar.

With this deal, along with last week’s deal in which the Brewers aquired Shaun Marcum for top prospect, Brett Lawrie, the Brewers have made a statement. That statement clearly says that they are trying to win NOW.

Clearly, they are not going to trade Prince Fielder any time soon. They have mortgaged the future by buying a good pitching staff and using their top young prospects as currency.

2011 will be a big year for Brewers fans.

WiscoSportsTalk Podcast Part 3

Duration: 22:00

Topics:

-Big tip in by Bogut to finish the Pacer game!  But still the Bucks can’t shoot!

- Which players aren’t buying in and why cant this team succeed?

- Skiles obviously has an agressive defensive system, but what exactly is Skiles doing on the offensive end?

- Possible trade partners

- Brewers Trade the #26 rated minor league prospect, 2b Brett Lawrie to the Toronto Blu Jays in exchange for starting pitcher, Shaun Marcum.

- Are the Brewers back in “win now” mode?

- What’s next for Prince Fielder?

Pending the results of medical examinations the Milwaukee Brewers will complete a trade that will bring in 13-game winning pitcher, Shaun Marcum.  In exchange, the Brewers will send talented second base prospect Brett Lawrie to the Toronto Blue Jays.

Brett Lawrie was ranked the #26 best minor league prospect back in July, but Shaun Marcum adds an accomplished starting pitcher to a staff in need.

Marcum went 13-8 in 31 games last season with a 3.64 ERA.  Shaun Marcum also totes a very strong 2.0 BB/9.

The Brewers seem to be committed to winning with moves like this being made. They have their winter meetings this week and the topic of what to do with 1B Prince Fielder will most definitely be at the table.

This deal also alludes to the Brewers’ feelings of wanting to keep 2B Rickie Weeks in Milwaukee for the long term.

For quick Brewer updates follow @WiscoSportsTalk on Twitter.