Tuesday, March 30, 2010

2010 NL Central, continued

Milwaukee Brewers

This is a team built around offense, no doubt about it. Fielder and Braun are two of the premier hitters in the game, and could come close to driving in 300 runs between them. The major problem with the Brewers is that after Braun and Fielder the lineup is very thin. Casey McGehee came out of nowhere in 2009 to have a very solid year, but Corey Hart took a sizable step back and the Brewers didn't make much of a splash in free agency. Carlos Gomez is an interesting addition, should he ever figure out how to hit and/or get on base. Weeks hasn't been able to stay on the field or even be productive when he has stayed on the field. The pitching staff is unpredictable. Suppan is already on the DL with a disc problem; Bush and Davis are essentially the same pitcher (although one a LHP and the other a RHP); and Randy Wolf put up a career-high in innings last year with the Dodgers. Gallardo is a stud, and he should win close to 15 games with the offensive firepower Braun and Fielder are capable of producing. Hoffman is Hoffman, but it's difficult to rely on 37-year-old set-up men (Hawkins) who hasn't been all too reliable in the past (his 2009 year notwithstanding).

Simply put, the Brewers will go as far as their pitching can take them. If anybody can get on base before Fielder and Braun, this is a team that can put up crooked numbers in a hurry. However, I don't feel they have the firepower or pitching of either the Cubs or the Cardinals. The Brewers should finish around .500, and could be an outside contender for the wild card.

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