MLB Preview 2012: 10 Questions for the Milwaukee Brewers

The Milwaukee Brewers had one of their most successful seasons in franchise history in 2011, as the Brewers advanced to a league championship series for the first time since 1982.

For the first time in a long time, the Brewers were a loaded team capable of making a deep run into October. The Brew Crew always had the offensive part down, but now they had pitching to go with it.

While Zack Grienke didn't perform quite as well in his first year there, Sean Marcum and Randy Wolf picked up the slack at the back of the rotation, and the Brewers were solid contenders.

Although the Brewers couldn't finish the job and get to the World Series, they built a foundation for winning even after losing Prince Fielder to the Detroit Tigers.

It's been an eventful offseason in Milwaukee, but fans are getting ready to start the 2012 season.

How Will Ryan Braun Perform in 2012?

Normally, this is not a question that's asked of the defending National League Most Valuable Player award winner. However, Ryan Braun isn't your usual defending MVP.

As we all know, Ryan Braun had a positive drug test that was announced in December that resulted in a 50-game suspension. After a ton of finger-pointing and defense mechanisms, Braun's suspension was dropped after an appeal.

Whether Braun is guilty or innocent is not what we're looking at here, but whether Braun will be able to have a similar campaign to 2011 while boos are showering down on him.

Even after the suspension was reversed, some fans still throw their verbal stones at Braun. This could have gotten him off his game, as he has struggled in spring training and now has a groin injury to boot.

In the post-Prince era, the Brewers will need a healthy, vengeful Ryan Braun to help lead their lineup. If he's able to block out the boo birds and get over his new injury, Braun should put together similar numbers.

Can Mat Gamel and Aramis Ramirez Make Up for Prince Fielder?

A key to Ryan Braun's success for many years was the protection of one of the biggest sluggers in the game hitting behind him. Prince Fielder hit 230 home runs and drove in 656 runs in a Milwaukee Brewers uniform. Fielder hitting 30 home runs and driving in 100 was money in the bank for the Brewers, but that is no longer the case.

To suggest that one person can fill Fielder's shoes is a little bit over the edge (as a reader suggested to me in my NL Central preview). However, if the Brewers can add a second bat in their lineup, they can offset Fielder's loss.

That task will fall on Fielder's first base replacement, Mat Gamel. Gamel has long been considered a top prospect in the Brewers organization, but has struggled to both hit and field at the major-league level. In 2011, the Brewers converted Gamel from third base to first in preparation of Fielder's departure.

In 2012, Brewers fans will find out whether Gamel is a legitimate prospect or if he's another "Four-A" player who can rake at Triple-A, but struggles when called up to the major leagues.

The other half of the "Fielder Replacement Duo" is Aramis Ramirez. Brewers fans are familiar with Ramirez, as he played for the rival Chicago Cubs for the past nine seasons. At his peak, Ramirez can be a great run-driving first baseman. At his worst, he can spend a lot of time on the disabled list.

The Brewers will need both Gamel and Ramirez to succeed if they want to repeat as NL Central champions in 2012.

Will Trading Casey McGehee Haunt the Brewers?

The guy who Aramis Ramirez is replacing in the Brewers lineup was immediately dealt as soon as Ramirez signed with the team. That guy was Casey McGehee.

Talking to some Brewers fans prior to writing this piece, it seemed like a lot of them were not that concerned with losing McGehee. I'm here to give ample warning in case McGehee finds his form in Pittsburgh.

McGehee actually put together two solid seasons at third base for the Brewers in 2009 and 2010, as he hit .291 with 39 home runs and 170 runs batted in during those seasons. His overall struggles from last season could have been from trying to impress the Brewers brass to get a new contract.

Either way, McGehee is just 29 years old, and it's possible that the Brewers may have jumped the gun by trading him at the first available opportunity.

Yes, McGehee is currently backing up the corner positions in Milwaukee, but with Pedro Alvarez struggling in Pittsburgh, McGehee could get his opportunity sooner rather than later. With double-digit games against the Brewers, it will be interesting to see what happens if he does regain his form.

How Long Will Corey Hart Be out of the Lineup?

With Prince Fielder now out of the fold in Milwaukee, the Brewers will need all hands on deck in order to defend their NL Central crown. That's what makes Corey Hart's quick recovery from knee surgery so vital to the team.

Hart tore his meniscus in his right knee early in spring training and has not been able to do anything until just recently. It almost seems like a given that Hart will miss some time out of the gate for the second straight season, but the Brewers will need him back as quickly as possible.

Carlos Gomez and Japanese rookie Norichika Aoki won't get the job done to replace Hart, so the Brewers are hoping that Hart's absence will be minimal.

Will Yovani Gallardo Continue to Improve in 2012?

Gallardo had one of his best seasons of his career in 2012, racking up 17 wins and officially becoming the ace of the Brewers staff. The scary part is that at age 26, he might become even better.

Gallardo is a complete National League pitcher for the Brewers, as he's pretty good on the mound. However, Gallardo can also hit a ball out of the park if pitchers aren't careful.

The Brewers are most interested in Gallardo's services as a pitcher, as he appeared to hit another level during the NLDS against the Arizona Diamondbacks last fall. Gallardo went 1-0 with a 1.19 earned run average for the Brewers, as he lead them to their first postseason series victory since 1982.

Although Gallardo got shelled by the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLCS, the hope here is that Gallardo can continue to develop into the pressure pitcher the Brewers need to stop a streak or get a big playoff win.

If Gallardo can build off his October success, the Brewers could have a Cy Young candidate on their hands.

What Can the Brewers Expect from Zack Grienke in Year Two?

One of the big reasons the Brewers had so much success in 2011 was because they turned their attention toward their starting pitching in the offseason. Adding Sean Marcum from the Toronto Blue Jays turned out to be a nice move, but the key acquisition that winter was getting Zack Grienke from the Kansas City Royals.

Grienke is the one pitcher who can put a team on his back if they're struggling. His 2009 season with the Royals was evidence of that, as he won the American League Cy Young Award. In that season, Grienke posted a 2.16 ERA in the American League.

With Grienke switching over to the National League, it seemed like Grienke would put up those dominating numbers again. However, Grienke "only" went 16-6 with a 3.83 ERA.

Grienke didn't have a bad season, but the Brewers are hoping that he can continue to adjust to the National League and pitch better on the road in 2012. If Grienke can continue to make those adjustments, he'll give the Brewers a lethal 1-2 punch at the top of their rotation.

Was the Bottom of the Rotation a Trend or a Mirage?

One of the most pleasant surprises in the 2011 season for the Brewers was the performance of the bottom of the rotation.

Shawn Marcum was expected to be a sneaky pitcher at the bottom of the rotation, and he didn't disappoint. Marcum went 13-7 with a 3.54 ERA in his first season with the Brewers, and could have been considered their best pitcher at times during the season.

However, Marcum struggled in October, posting two bad starts against the Arizona Diamondbacks and St. Louis Cardinals.

Randy Wolf was another pleasant surprise for the Brewers, as he lived up to his three-year, $27.75 million contract he signed after the 2009 season.

Wolf is what he is at this point of his career. He's going to try and make guys pound the ball into the ground with average stuff. If the defense is right behind him, he'll succeed.

Rounding out the group was Chris Narveson. Narveson was good enough to win games last season, winning 11 of them. However, he posted an above-average ERA of 4.45, and his performance will be under scrutiny with top prospect Wily Peralta on the horizon.

If the bottom of the Brewers rotation can match their success in 2011, the Brewers will be just as tough to beat in 2012.

Can John Axford Replicate His Success as the Brewers Closer?

After blowing a save on Opening Day, John Axford was terrific at finishing games for the Brewers in 2011. His next blown save wouldn't come until October, and Axford would wind up leading the National League with 48 saves.

Now, Axford is looking for a bigger contract. As we mentioned with Casey McGehee, sometimes players will push too hard for that big deal and, in turn, their performance will drop off.

I believe that Axford is mentally tough enough to replicate his success. In the middle of the season, the Brewers traded for Francisco Rodriguez. It seemed like the team was buying insurance in case Axford's performance didn't last, but instead Axford kept dominating opposing pitching.

It's clear to me that nothing gets to Axford, which makes him the perfect closer for the Brewers—he should find similar success in 2012.

How Many Games Will the Brewers Win in 2012?

The Brewers set a franchise record for wins in a season by hanging 96 on the rest of the National League, and winning their first National League Central championship. Although the Brewers would have liked to have seen more success in October, it's something to build off of.

However, the loss of Prince Fielder hurts—a lot. Some people may scoff at the fact that Fielder is just one player but, as we've gone through earlier, Fielder's contributions will have to be picked up by multiple players in the lineup.

While the Brewers take a hit with Fielder, they also return a lot of the pieces that made them successful in 2012. The lineup is mostly intact, and even has a couple possible upgrades by adding Aramis Ramirez and Alex Gonzalez via free agency. The pitching rotation remains entirely intact as well.

With that, the Brewers should win 90 games in the 2012 season, which leads us to our last question...

Can the Brewers Repeat as NL Central Champions?

As I stated in my NL Central preview (which was written before the Ryan Madson injury in Cincinnati), I expected the Brewers to finish in third place of the division.

That contradicts what I told you on the last slide, with the Brewers winning 90 games, but hang on a second. I believe that there are three teams in the NL Central that are capable of winning 90 games.Those teams being the Brewers, the St. Louis Cardinals and the Cincinnati Reds.

In all honesty, the Brewers might as well have been 1-C as I wrote that piece, but after the developments in the two cities (the Reds are scrambling to find a closer and the Cardinals may not have Chris Carpenter's services for a while), the Brewers may have vaulted themselves to 1-A.

In short, the NL Central should be one of the most entertaining divisions to watch this year, and the Brewers have a real shot at making the playoffs for the third time in franchise history.