Milwaukee Brewers' Fantasy Baseball Preview

It is hard to say that a team had a productive offseason when you lose arguably the best pitcher in the game solely because of cash. But not only did the Brewers lose CC Sabathia, they also lost the franchises’ longest-tenured ace, Ben Sheets.

Sheets wasn’t always healthy, but he was one of the most dominate pitchers in the NL when he was. Fortunately, Milwaukee was able to keep their franchise player on the offensive side of the ball, resigning both Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun to multi-year deals.

This upcoming season will be one of growth for the Brew-Crew. The young players, like Manny Parra and Yovani Gallardo, will have to grow into their more prominent place on the team. Instead of being in the back end of the rotation, Parra and Gallardo will turn full circle and become the leaders of a young yet talented pitching staff.

The club will also have to adapt to live with Ken Macha as the Manager, after having Ned Yost lead the team for about five seasons.

Fantasy Analysis

Right now, Ryan Braun is probably the best outfieder in the game. Most experts predict that Braun hasn’t even hit his peek in terms of hitting potential. In 2008, Braun hit 37 jacks last season along with 106 RBI, so the sky is the limit for the former Miami Hurricane.

But that’s not it, Ryan also brings some speed to the diamond. It may not look like he is very fast, but it looks a lot different when he is running on the basepaths.

In his two years in the bigs, Braun has had totals of 14 and 15 stolen bases, which leads me to believe he could be a 40/20 guy this season. The only knock on Braun is that his move to the outfield is now permanent. Last season, he still had third base eligibility, but now he will only be qualified as an outfielder.

Ryan was solidified as the centerpiece of the franchise when the Brewers chose to sign him to an eight-year deal instead of saving the money for a serious run at CC Sabathia.

Projections: .297 AVG, 41 HRs, 123 RBI, 19 SBs

Many fantasy owners, including myself, were very dissappointed with Prince Fielder’s performance last year. After becoming the youngest player in MLB history to hit 50 HRs in 2007, many were expecting monsterous numbers from the vegan this go around.

But that wasn’t the case.

Prince saw his average drop 8 points from .288 to .276, his homerun total drop from 50 to 39 and ended up with 17 less RBIs. Now, those numbers are career numbers for some players, but I feel that Prince has a lot more to offer. If Fielder can get back to those ‘07 numbers, he could be considered one of the elite power hitters in the game.

Also, now that Sheets is gone, a stud year from Fielder could earn him a Braun-like extension. Even if he doesn’t get such a lengthy extension, I think the Brewers showed their commitment to him when they traded 1st base prospect Matt LaPorta to Cleveland.

Projections: .279 AVG, 45 HRs, 115 RBI, 121 Ks

Corey Hart is really developing into a five-tool player. If Hart can improve his average, he would rank in the top 25-30 for OFs because of his other skills. Despite hitting fifth or sixth in the lineup, Corey finished the year with 20 homers and 91 RBI.

But unlike Braun, who has the ability to be a 20/20 guy, Hart came through with both sides, stealing 23 bases.

Hart was a sleeper last year, and in some leagues he may not have been drafted. But I think his performance last season definitely gives owners a strong case to draft him in the first six rounds.

Projections: .274 AVG, 27 HRs, 94 RBI, 23 SBs

With Bill Hall’s production slowly declining, the Brewers may look to their minor league system for a starter. If they do, Mat Gamel is the answer. Gamel is considered the second best hitting prospect in the Milwaukee organization and is almost big league ready.

He should start the year in AAA to get a little bit more playing time, but at the All-Star Break he should be big league ready. He is probably the best hitter in terms of average and discipline in the system and he should make some contributions this year.

The rest of the offense is made up of marginal fantasy players. Some names to look out for are J.J. Hardy and Mike Cameron. Hardy is one of the streakiest players in the league. He will get really hot, usually in stretches of four or five games, and in that period of time, he hit over .400 with four homers and 15 RBI.

Those are hard stats to find at the short stop position in fantasy baseball, so Hardy is a solid bench option. Last year, I started Stephen Drew for the majority of the season, but whenever Hardy would get hot I’d stick him in as a starter.

He can be used as a starter, but he is just as prone to have a bad stretch of games as he is to have a good stretch of games. I would start to look at him as the round numbers get to double digits.

Mike Cameron is one of the best sleepers every year, because most owners are scared of his low average and high strikeout numbers. Take last year for example. In 120 games, he hit .243 with 142 strikeouts. But on the positive side, he hit 25 jacks and drove in 70 runs.

Those numbers may not seem too impressive on the surface, but when you consider the players around him that steal his RBIs and where he hits in the line-up, there aren’t bad. Like Hardy, Cameron is a good option off the bench or as a 4th OF.

If you are going to draft a starting pitcher from the Brewers, I would either go with Manny Parra or Yovani Gallardo. Parra went 10-8 last season, with a 4.39 ERA, but showed some promise producing 147 strikeouts in 166 innings.

Parra spent most of the ‘08 season as the fourth or fifth starter on the club, but is now faced with the transition to the front end of the rotation.

If he can adjust to the change in longevity , then I think he is a very solid option as a fourth or fifth fantasy option. He may have a higher ERA than some would like, but his K numbers should outshine that.

Projections: 15-9 W-L, 3.98 ERA, 161 Ks, 183 IPs

It was a real shame when Yovani Gallardo tore his ACL after colliding with Reed Johnson on the first of May. Up to that point, Gallardo had pitched in four games, with a 0-0 record but a 1.88 ERA to go along with 20Ks in 24 innings.

I think that Yovani has the best shot at ending the year as the ace of the staff. If he can produce numbers similar to the ones he put up in those four games, I can see him as a solid second or third option for a fantasy team.

Projections: 17-7 W-L, 3.21 ERA, 174 Ks, 192IPs

Trevor Hoffman will be playing his first season for a team not named the Padres for the first time in about 15 years. Hoffman was never overpowering as he got most of his saves using a dominating breaking ball, which makes his ability to contribute at an old age a lot better.

If your in a league that requires you to have three or four closers, I have no problem with Hoffman being one of those.

Projections: 1-3 W-L, 3.67 ERA, 34 Ks, 32 Saves

One player that might be worth a later pick or a waiver claim is Jeff Suppan. Last year Suppan was mediocre at best, but he could see some more innings due to the age of the players around him.

Recap

First round locks: Ryan Braun - OF (fifth overall)

Second-Fifth round picks: Prince Fielder - 1B (second round)

Sixth-11th round picks: Corey Hart - OF (sixth round), Yovani Gallardo - SP (eighth round), J.J. Hardy (10th round)

Other: Manny Parra (17th-19th)