Five Burning Questions for 2009 Milwaukee Brewers

With pitchers and catchers reporting to Milwaukee Brewers spring training in just a few days, excitement for the 2009 season is on the rise.

Fresh off the organization's first playoff appearance in nearly 25 years, the Brew Crew look to improve on last season's success and parlay it into a second consecutive October showing.

Milwaukee's roster saw quite a bit of changes. A team full of changes is surely a team full of questions.

5. Will Ken Macha be effective in his first year on the Milwaukee bench?

In four seasons as a Major League manager, Macha has 368 victories and has never coached a team to a division finish worse than second.

All this was done with a young, talented Oakland A's team earlier this decade. So it appears Macha is the right man to lead the Brewers.

Macha will have the challenge of getting consistency out of a few young players taking the field as starters for the Brewers, though. His past says he can do it, but the challenge ahead of Macha will be to channel his success of years past into the present.

4. Will Corey Hart, Rickie Weeks, and Bill Hall be contributors or liabilities?

It is players like Hart, Weeks and Hall that will provide Macha with his new challenge.

All three players struggled at the plate and in the field last season. Hall saw plenty of time on the pine, and the same may be due for Weeks and Hart if immediate improvement from 2008 isn't shown.

Hart led this trio with a .268 batting average in 2008. Hall and Hart were among the team's worst at drawing walks, combining for less than Prince Fielder drew on his own. All three players struck out at least 100 times.

If improvement isn't shown by the middle of May, it may be the time for Tony Gwynn, Craig Counsell or Hernan Iribarren to step in.

3. Will Trevor Hoffman cure the Brewers' ninth-inning blues?

Hoffman brings his Major League-record 554 saves with him to Milwaukee. But will he bring the dominance we saw in San Diego or will his age catch up with him?

For the first time since Francisco Cordero left town, the Brewers have a legitimate closer. Hoffman is considered by some to the best closer in the history of the game, so his stature alone may make him the best the organization has ever seen.

There is no evidence that Hoffman will fall off drastically. While Hoffman should provide stability at the end of the line, Milwaukee's set-up crew needs to get Hoffman out on the bump...which may prove to be the biggest struggle of all.

2. Will the Brewers survive the loss of CC Sabathia and Ben Sheets?

The loss of Sheets isn't nearly as bad as it appears. He would have missed at least the first half of the year if he were still under contract with the Brewers thanks to a tendon injury.

Even more, Sheets missed plenty of time when he was a Brewers pitcher. Milwaukee fans are used to seeing the golden boy-turned-injury risk on the disabled list.

It will be the loss of Sabathia that will hit the rotation hardest.

Sabathia was an inning-eating machine. He dominated opposing batters upon arriving in Milwaukee. There is no pitcher on Milwaukee's staff that has the credentials or skills Sabathia has.

1. Are the playoffs a legitimate possibility in 2009?

It appears the playoffs are within reach for the Crew in 2009. But it will taken an unforeseen effort from the starting rotation to get there.

The bats are in place. The fielding is servicable. But with the Chicao Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals looking stronger than the Brewers, it will be extremely tough for Milwaukee to make back-to-back playoff appearances.