MLB Preview: Milwaukee Brewers

The Brewers gave fans in Milwaukee some quality baseball for the first time in nearly 15 years during 2007. Residents of Wisconsin finally had something to keep their attention away from the Packers, as the Brewers battled the Cubs for the NL Central until the final week of the season.

Although the Brewers finished slightly over .500, they can't help but look back and realize they missed out on an opportunity as they jumped out to an 8 game lead in the season's first two months. A shoddy bullpen and inconsistent defense were the undoing for the Brewers, but they will enter the 2008 season with the league's best assortment of young players.

Now let's answer three questions regarding the 2008 Milwaukee Brewers.

(1) How will the decision to move Ryan Braun to the Outfield affect the Brewers?

Ryan Braun had one of the most successfull rookie seasons in the history of baseball last season. Braun belted 34 home runs, despite not being called up to the big leagues until the end of May. As good as Braun was at the plate, he was equally as bad in the field as he had a fielding percentage below .900.

The Brewers decided that Braun isn't suited for an infield position, and his talents could be better served, or better hidden depending on your point of view by playing in the outfield. Braun will definitely have his struggles in the outfield this year as he gets adjusted to a new position, but he should see less balls hit his way which will help Braun and the Brewers throughout the season.

Braun will be hard pressed to duplicate the pace he set for himself last season, but it's clear that it was no fluke, and his bat will make up for any deficiencies his glove may possess. Braun hit nearly .500 against left handed pitchers last year, which created nightmares for opposing managers during the end of games.

(2) Will the acquisition of Mike Cameron pay dividends even though he's suspended for 25 games?

Mike Cameron has had an up and down career as he will be playing with his sixth team during his tumultous career. Cameron's career took an odd twist last fall after it was announced that he would miss the season's first 25 games because he took HGH previously. It was an expensive mistake for Cameron as he had just filed for Free Agency.

Cameron's mistake may turn into the Brewers good fortune as they were able to acquire one of the game's best Centerfielders at an affordable price. Cameron is a wildy inconsistent hitter, but he is able to cover as much range in center as any fielder in the game.

The move also has the added effect of helping the Brewers defensively in a number of positions. Bill Hall, who struggled mightily at times last season learning the nuances of CF, will now be playing third base. As I mentioned earlier Ryan Braun will now be bringing his glove to Left Field, which also should improve the Brewers defensively.

The Brewers were one of the worst fielding teams last season as 2b Rickie Weeks is generally regarded as one of the weakest fielders in the game. Unlike Braun, Weeks bat has yet to come around and this may be his last chance to fulfill his potential. The Brewers may still not be the best defensive team in the game, but the Cameron signing will help the club in three positions, which may make the difference between finishing first or second in the NL Central.

(3) Will the Brewers need Ben Sheets to pitch 200 innings to have any chance this season?

The Brewers may have to look at Ben Sheets like the Cubs looked at Mark Prior and Kerry Wood eventually. The team has tied it's chances of success in Sheets right arm, and quite simply he has let them down by not being able to stay healthy. It's hard to think this year will be any different, but if it does happen the Brewers may go from Wild Card contenders to World Series contenders in a heartbeat.

Sheets has Cy Young stuff, and now that the Brewers have the games best lineups, if the rest of the rotation is just average this team could be dangerous. The rest of the rotation is full of questionmarks as Jeff Suppan was able to pitch a lot of innings last year for the Brewers, unfortunately that may have been a bad thing for Milwaukee. Suppan posted an ERA of 4.62 and his inability to strikeout hitters makes him extremely reliant on his infielders.

Yovani Gallardo will play an important role for the Brewers this season, and fans had to hold their breath as Gallardo went down with an injury in Spring Training. It appears the injury is nothing serious, and Gallardo will take over the ace role from Ben Sheets this season.

The ultimate success of the Brewers season may rely on how much production they get from their final two starters. The Brewers have no shortage of options, but the question is how many of them are quality. Dave Bush struggled in his first season with the Brewers and will need to improve upon his 5.12 ERA for the team to give him another chance in the rotation.

The Brewers will likely go with Chris Capuano in the #5 slot, Capuano had a disastrous 07 season as the Brewers didn't win a game in which he started for nearly three months. The Brewers need him to return to the form he displayed in 2005 when he won 18 games for Milwaukee.

The Brewers will need to get solid production from their lineup to mask some of the weaknesses in their rotation, but that shouldn't be a problem as they could actually improve offensively with the addition of Cameron in center. The Cubs still look to be a more complete team as they have a deeper rotation, and a better bullpen. The Brewers still should make this a competitive division and will find themselves in the thick of the Wild Card race.