Batting Order: Milwaukee has a sound batting order, greatly helped by MVP contenders Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder in the 3-4 holes. Trading Aramis Ramirez for Jose Reyes was a key move for this team, allowing Hairston to move to 3B, Weeks to move out of DH into 2B, Nilsson to move to DH and Blanco's +11 arm to take the catcher's spot. More importantly, Hernandez's OB7 bat moves to the bench and Reyes gives them an extremely fast, talented, and potent #2 bat. While they may not put up the kind of numbers St. Louis might, the Brew Crew appears in good shape at the plate.
Rotation: The best in the NL Central and possibly the best in the NL beside Philadelphia, the Brewers are stacked with ace material. Sabathia and Grienke give them a devastatingly effective 1-2 punch and tier 2 Gallardo will round out the rotation. Wolf may be a tier 3, but his 7 IP will be a handy bridge between Grienke and Gallardo. Speaking of IP, Sabathia will be a contender for a complete game every time he takes the mound, giving the Brewers a true Cy Young contender.
Bullpen: A thin bullpen, but it contains true substance in John Axford and LaTroy Hawkins. Loe is there to cheaply eat some innings and they'll want to avoid using him in any crucial situations. Axford has the potential to be one of the best closers in the division though.
Overall: Milwaukee is traditionally not the first team that comes to mind when considering NL Central frontrunners, but they should be very much arrive in the playoff race this season. They've got devastating arms and bats, making them very capable of dethroning St. Louis and holding off their other NL Central rivals. Expect Braun and Sabathia to be mentioned frequently around award season.
No comments:
Post a Comment