In order to help get you ready for the MLB season, we’re doing division-by-division rankings with quick overviews on how each club could fair in 2010. Next to each team, you’ll also find a corresponding number written in parenthesis, which indicates where we believe that club falls in a league-wide power ranking. Be sure to check back throughout the next two weeks leading up to the season, as we will be updating our content daily. Enjoy.

All 2010 MLB Preview Content | AL East Preview | AL Central Preview | AL West Preview | NL East | NL Central | NL West

Next up is the NL Central.

1. St. Louis Cardinals (4)
Albert Pujols, Chris Carpenter, Adam Wainwright and Matt Holliday could help the Cardinals win this division sauced out of their minds on a nightly basis. That said, would anyone really be surprised if Carpenter’s arm falls off and the starting pitching (which is among the best in the league) suffers? It’s happened before, so if you answered “yes” to the proposed question then you sir or madam, have not been paying attention. Still, the addition of Brad Penny (who pitched well in the second half last year) will strengthen the club’s starting pitching and Kyle Lohse is a fine middle of the rotation guy. Pujols and Holliday will ignite the offense again, although Colby Rasmus might be the key to whether or not this team makes a serious World Series run. Skip Schumaker is a solid table setter, but how Rasmus fairs hitting in front of Pujols and Holliday could be the difference between the Cards winning the NL Central again and playing for a championship. David Freese better produce too or else the club will regret not acquiring a veteran third baseman in the offseason. All in all, the Cardinals are the best the NL Central has to offer and should make another postseason appearance this season. But how far they go beyond that depends on whether or not Carpenter and Wainwright can continue their magic and if Pujols and Holliday receive help from the rest of the lineup.

2. Chicago Cubs (13)
Some pundits expect the Reds to leapfrog the Cubs in the division this year, but I believe Chicago is more inclined to rebound than sink further into baseball misery (I say misery because no team wants to be outplayed by the Reds…no offense, Pittsburgh – keep your heads up). Keep in mind that this club is only two years removed from winning 97 games and the roster hasn’t seen that much turnover. Last year, the Cubs were hit extremely hard with injuries (Aramis Ramirez, Alfonso Soriano), unexpected poor play (Geovany Soto), expected poor play (Kosuke Fukudome) and clubhouse-killing diseases (Milton Bradley). I’m not making excuses for the Cubs because they did play poorly, but they still have enough talent to win the NL Wild Card and maybe even challenge the Cardinals in the division. Assuming everyone stays healthy, Ramirez, Soriano and Derrek Lee give the Cubs plenty of power and the starting pitching (Carlos Zambrano, Ted Lilly and Ryan Dempster) is solid when healthy. If Carlos Marmol ever figures out how to exploit his talent, the bullpen would be in good shape as well. That said, along with staying healthy, this club needs role players like Fukudome, Mike Fontenot, Ryan Theriot and the newly acquired Marlon Byrd to produce. Chances are, a second place finish is the ceiling for the Cubs. But again, a Wild Card berth isn’t out of the question.

3. Milwaukee Brewers (17)
What happened to this team? It doesn’t seem that long ago that the Brewers had the right mix of players in place to make winning the NL Central a regular thing and then almost out of nowhere, they became non-factors. The biggest issue they had last year was their starting pitching, which was a disaster (5.37 ERA) outside of Yovani Gallardo (3.73). The club added Randy Wolf and Doug Davis over the offseason, which should help but Dave Bush (whose had a solid spring), Jeff Suppan (who could be released) and/or Manny Parra (the poster child for inconsistency) need to step up. The Brewers have the best 3-4 hitters in baseball in Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder, but they sacrificed offense this offseason when they traded J.J. Hardy and Mike Cameron. Much like the starting pitching, role players like Cory Hart, Carlos Gomez and Rickie Weeks need to improve their production for Milwaukee to have a chance this season. It would also be nice if left-hander Mat Gamel could make a contribution this year, but he’s likely to start the season on the DL and after that, Triple-A. The bottom line is that the Brewers certainly have enough talent to be dangerous, but there are just too many question marks surrounding this club. The starting pitching isn’t reliable and Braun and Fielder can’t win every game on their own.

4. Cincinnati Reds (21)
Like the Reds this year, do you? Think they’ll be better than what everyone expects? Think they’ll finally snap that pesky nine-season losing streak? Look, I don’t fault you for thinking that way. Edison Volquez, Johnny Cueto, Homer Bailey, Aaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo comprise a solid rotation (although who knows how long it will be before Volquez recovers from Tommy John surgery). This club also has a good bullpen, is one of the more athletic teams in baseball and headlined by Brandon Phillips, Joey Votto and Jay Bruce, the offense has a nice core as well. So what’s the problem? The problem is that the Reds never win. People like to harp on the Mets failing to live up to expectations or on the Pirates and Royals for being horrid every summer but what about the Reds? They haven’t won in nine years and unless Votto and Phillips turn in MVP-caliber seasons, this club is destined to fall short of 82 victories again. Plus, while he’s beloved and usually gets the most of out of his players, manager Dusty Baker is brutal when it comes to taking care of his pitcher’s arms. I can’t prove it, but I’m almost positive that his life mission is to overuse as many pitchers as he can before he hangs up his wristbands. (Consider this your official warning, Aroldis Chapman.) I want to believe in this club – I really do. But given their history, Volquez’s health and Baker’s incompetence, I just can’t see the Reds finishing higher than third or fourth in the division.

5. Houston Astros (26)
I’d love to sit down with Houston’s front office and pick their brains about the direction of their club. Because it seems to me that the ‘Stros are in some kind of albatross of mediocrity and there’s zero hope on the horizon. The starting lineup is fine at the top, but there’s nothing of substance beyond that. If Michael Bourn, Lance Berkman, Carlos Lee and Hunter Pence can’t produce, then nobody will expect Kazuo Matsui, Pedro Feliz and JR Towles to pick up the slack. It’s the same story in the starting rotation, where Wandy Rodriguez and Roy Oswalt are the stars and have nothing resembling a supporting cast behind them. This team is the epitome of blah and will probably fade into the background once the season starts. The frustrating thing (at least for fans) is that the Astros have a good enough core to compete, but the surrounding pieces just won’t allow it. Plus, they have very little in the farm system, so they’re essentially stuck with what they have.

6. Pittsburgh Pirates (30)
I could do what most writers do and throw a bunch of one-liners into this preview and just rip the Pirates for being the sack of toilet water they are. (Sack of toilet water?) But really, what’s the point? Everyone knows that the Buc-o’s front office avoids winning at all costs and that the club is destined to lose for the 18th season in a row. There is some hope on the horizon in the form of prospects Jose Tabata, Pedro Alvarez and Tony Sanchez, but it’s going to be a few years. And by that time, the front office will probably recognize that those players have talent and ship them off before, God forbid, they have to give them a decent contract. Still, it’s hard not to love Andrew McCutchen’s ability and Garrett Jones could be a star in the making if he can build off his solid ’09 season. The Pirates’ strength is also in their starting pitching, as Zach Duke, Paul Maholm and Ross Ohlendorf form a solid 1-2-3 punch at the top of the rotation. But other than that, well, insert punch line here.

Photo from fOTOGLIF
]]> http://www.scoresreport.com/2010/03/26/2010-mlb-preview-nl-central/feed/ 1 http://www.scoresreport.com/2010/03/09/2010-fantasy-baseball-preview-outfielders/ http://www.scoresreport.com/2010/03/09/2010-fantasy-baseball-preview-outfielders/#comments Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:00:29 +0000 Anthony Stalter http://www.scoresreport.com/?p=35916

All 2010 Fantasy Articles | 2010 Position Rankings

What’s great about the outfield position in fantasy baseball is that it’s like Wal Mart: you can get whatever you need and you’ll always be greeted with a friendly smile and a hello.

All right, so you won’t be greeted with a smile when you select outfielders in your draft. In fact, that doesn’t even make any sense so just forget we wrote it. The point we’re trying to make is that whatever you wind up needing for your team on draft day, you can usually find it in the outfield section. Need speed? The outfield has you covered. Need power? It has that too.

Below are a group of players that fit into certain categories based on need. You know that a guy like Ryan Braun is going to get you production across the board, same with Matt Kemp, Matt Holliday, Grady Sizemore and Carl Crawford. But the guys we’ve outlined below are players you can target in the middle to late rounds that will give you a boost in certain areas. You’re not going to get production in every category if you draft these players, but hopefully you’ll be satisfied in the specific categories we’ve highlighted.

Power Boosters:

Adam Lind, Blue Jays
Perhaps the most encouraging thing for fantasy owners about Lind’s breakout 2009 campaign, was that he was consistent throughout the entire season and hit right-handed pitching as well as he hit lefties. After hitting 35 home runs and driving in 114 RBI last season, we think Lind will be more apt to match those numbers (or even improve on them) this season than he will be to crash and burn.

Nick Markakis, Orioles
Even though he battled some major slumps last season, Markakis still wound up with decent numbers while hitting .293 with 18 home runs, 101 RBI and scoring 94 runs. At 26, there’s a good chance that he’ll finish right around his 2009 totals, which certainly isn’t a bad thing but if you’re expecting more out of the right fielder then you should probably lower your expectations.

Andre Ethier, Dodgers
Ethier changed his approach at the plate last year and it worked wonders for him in terms of production. He concentrated on hitting more line drives into the gap and his power numbers rose. We like him to hit roughly the same amount of home runs (31) as he did last year, but with a higher average (he hit .272 in 2009) and more runs scored (92).

Josh Hamilton, Rangers
Let’s not sugarcoat things: Hamilton is coming off a tough year and we’re pretty sure he’s made out of chandelier glass. But he’s also only 28 and is two years removed from hitting 32 home runs and driving in 130 RBI. Do we think he’ll match his 2008 numbers this year? No. But he should at the very least hit 20-plus home runs and drive in 80-plus RBI.

Adam Dunn, Nationals
Ah, Adam Dunn. How we love your 40-home run production and 100-plus RBIs, but absolutely loathe your batting average. You bring fantasy owners so much joy and yet so much grief every single year.

Adam Jones, Orioles
We love this kid and his potential, although it would be nice if he would develop into more of a base stealer. (We think he has the potential, although he’ll probably finish right around 12-15 steals again this year.) Jones missed virtually all of September last season with a strained ankle, but he should be ready to go by the start of the season and considering he’s only 24, we see plenty of upside in the young Baltimore outfielder. If he can stay healthy, we like him to hit between 20-25 home runs and max out at around 85-90 runs and 75-80 RBI.

Nelson Cruz, Rangers
There seems to be a mixed reaction when it comes to projecting Cruz’s worth, but count us among those that are high on the Rangers’ outfielder. We like him to beat the 33-home runs, 76 RBIs and 75 runs he produced last year and as an added bonus, he’ll steal 15-20 bases as well.

Carlos Quentin, White Sox
Here’s the bad: Quentin spent a ton of time in the trainer’s room last year while batting foot and wrist injuries, limiting his overall production. But here’s the good: he still managed to slug 21 home runs when he played. If he can stay healthy, there’s no reason he can’t hit 30 dingers.

Speed Boosters:

Shin-Soo Choo, Indians
Bobby Abreu, Angels
Shane Victorino, Phillies
Andrew McCutchen, Pirates
Michael Bourn, Astros
Nyjer Morgan, Nationals
Rajai Davis, A’s
Julio Borbon, Rangers
Juan Pierre, White Sox
Dexter Fowler, Rockies
Drew Stubs, Reds
Michael Brantley, Indians

Speed kills and any one of the players listed above should be good for anywhere between 30 and 55 steals this season. So if you find yourself hurting in the speed department later in your draft, scooping up one of these players will add major value to your team. Just don’t expect much in the power department.

Below is our official ranking of outfielders. As we mentioned above, after you snag one of the top players to be your No. 1, there are plenty of players that can give you a boost in specific areas of production.

1. Ryan Bruan, MIL
2. Carl Crawford, TB
3. Matt Kemp, LAD
4. Matt Holliday, STL
5. Justin Upton, ARI
6. Jacoby Ellsbury, BOS
7. Grady Sizemore, CLE
8. Jayson Werth, PHI
9. Ichiro Suzuki, SEA
10. Jason Bay, BOS
11. Adam Lind, TOR
12. B.J. Upton, TB
13. Curtis Granderson, NYY
14. Nick Markakis, BAL
15. Andre Ethier, LAD
16. Josh Hamilton, TEX
17. Adam Dunn, WAS
18. Adam Jones BAL
19. Bobby Abreu, LAA
20. Shane Victorino, PHI
21. Carlos Lee, HOU
22. Manny Ramirez, LAD
23. Nelson Cruz, TEX
24. Shin-Soo Choo, CLE
25. Ben Zobrist, TB
26. Carlos Quentin, CHW
27. Hunter Pence, HOU
28. Andrew McCuthen, PIT
29. Nate McLouth, ATL
30. Torii Hunter, LAA
31. Nyjer Morgan, WAS
32. Raul Ibanez, PHI
33. Alfonso Soriano, CHC
34. Michael Bourn, HOU
35. Carlos Beltran, NYM
36. Jay Bruce, CIN
37. Denard Span, MIN
38. Jason Kubel, MIN
39. Johnny Damon, DET
40. Brad Hawpe, COL
41. Alex Rios, CHW
42. Michael Cuddyer, MIN
43. Garret Jones, PIT
44. Juan Pierre, CHW
45. Carlos Gonzalez, COL
46. Franklin Gutierrez, SEA
47. Dexter Fowler, COL
48. Rajai Davis, OAK
49. Ryan Ludwick, STL
50. Vernon Wells, TOR
51. Chris Coghlan, FLA
52. Julio Borbon, TEX
53. Nolan Reimold, BAL
54. Delmon Young, MIN
55. Lastings Milledge, PIT

Photo from fOTOGLIF

Following the Brewers’ 8-2 loss to the punch less Cubs on Sunday, Milwaukee outfielder Ryan Braun called out his pitching staff and said that he hoped the club would make a move to acquire more help.

“Their starting pitching is a lot better than ours,” Braun said after the Brewers were beaten 8-2 Sunday. “They threw the ball a lot better than our starters did. They certainly swung the bats better than we did. Clearly they were the better team. It’s nice to get the one win but they clearly outplayed us and outperformed us all series.”

“No matter who is in there, we have to find a way to throw the ball better for us to have success,” said Braun. “I think when you’re constantly behind in games, it’s not easy and it’s not fun. Their starting pitcher was clearly better than ours this series.”

The Brewers host St. Louis for a three-game series beginning on Tuesday and Braun is hoping Brewers general manager Doug Melvin makes a move soon to improve the Brewers.
“I wish I got to make decisions like that. But I know he’s trying to make our ballclub better,” Braun said. “I know he understands the significance of making a move and making it soon.”

Considering Braun is hitting .326 with 16 home runs and 58 RBI, he’s certainly doing his part to help the Brew Crew win. He’s also entitled to vent his frustrations after Milwaukee’s pitching staff gave up 21 runs in four games to a Chicago team that couldn’t itself out of a wet paper bag the past couple of weeks.

Braun’s right – the pitching staff has been brutal lately, but him calling out his teammates is a slippery slope. As long as his ‘mates respect Braun as a leader (which is totally different than respecting him as a player), then his comments will probably inspire. But if they view him as a star shooting off his mouth, then the backlash isn’t going to help the Brewers in the long run.

Who knows, maybe Braun’s comments are exactly what the pitching staff needed to hear to get their act together. We’ll see if what he said has a positive or negative (or neutral) affect on the club.

First base
Leader: Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals
Mike’s pick: Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals. Well, this one is a no-brainer. Is it possible that Albert gets better with age? Yes, and his numbers border on staggering. 81 games in, he’s batting .336 with 31 homers and 82 RBI and a slugging percentage of .748. That projects to 62 homers and 164 runs batted in. What’s more, dude has a .993 fielding percentage. There is little doubt Pujols is the best player in the game, and he gets to flaunt it in front of his hometown crowd a week from Tuesday.

Second base
Leader: Chase Utley, Philadelphia Phillies
Mike’s pick: Chase Utley, Philadelphia Phillies. This one is also a no-brainer that the voters got correct, though as a Mets fan it pains me to say that. Utley has 17 homers, 54 RBI, he’s batting .303 with 16 doubles and a .980 OPS—all unbelievable numbers for a second baseman. This guy is a gamer.

Shortstop
Leader: Hanley Ramirez, Florida Marlins
Mike’s pick: Hanley Ramirez, Florida Marlins. This is getting to be a trend, but the numbers in the National League don’t seem to lie, do they? Hanley is batting .344 with 13 homers and 58 RBI, 26 doubles, 12 stolen bases and a .972 OPS. By comparison, he is hitting 119 points higher than JJ Hardy and 132 points higher than the slumping Jimmy Rollins. Case closed.

Third base
Leader: David Wright, New York Mets
Mike’s pick: Mark Reynolds, Arizona Diamondbacks. Wright was leading the league in batting for quite a while, and he’s currently hitting .333 but with just 5 homers and 42 RBI. By comparison, Reynolds has clubbed 22 home runs with 57 RBI while batting a respectable .271. At a power position, I’m giving the nod to the guy barely anyone gets to see play.

Catcher:
Leader: Yadier Molina, St. Louis Cardinals
Mike’s pick: Brian McCann, Atlanta Braves. This is close, because Yadier’s brother Bengie has 10 homers and 46 RBI for the Giants, but McCann is batting .311 with 8 home runs and 33 driven in, with 15 doubles and a respectable .988 fielding percentage.

Outfield
Leaders: Raul Ibanez, Philadelphia Phillies
Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers
Carlos Beltran, New York Mets
Mike’s picks: Raul Ibanez, Philadelphia Phillies
Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers
Brad Hawpe, Colorado RockiesIbanez is having a career season, batting .312 with 22 homers and 59 RBI, and Braun just continues to rake, with 16 home runs, 58 driven in and a .326 average. But Beltran, while he plays in the biggest media market and makes mega-bucks, is not going to get my all-star nod over Brad Hawpe. Beltran is hitting .336, but has just 8 homers and 40 RBI. Hawpe is hitting .328 with 13 homers and 56 runs batted in, 25 doubles and a stunning .993 OPS. If Manny Ramirez was playing most of the season, he’d probably be on this list, but I can’t consider a guy who’s only played 28 games, regardless of why he missed all that time.

Starting pitcher
As you all know, pitchers are chosen by the managers and will be announced this Sunday.
Mike’s pick: Tim Lincecum, San Francisco Giants. Last year’s NL Cy Young winner got off to a slow start, but has been mowing hitters down lately, to the tune of 8-2 with a 2.37 ERA and league-leading 132 strikeouts with just 28 walks in 114 innings. Arizona’s Dan Haren is a close runner-up, with a 7-5 record for a crappy D-Backs’ team, and a league low 2.19 ERA with 113 K’s and 0.81 WHIP.

Relief pitcher
Mike’s pick: Heath Bell, San Diego Padres. When this former Met helped christen Citi Field by mowing down his ex-teammates in April, I thought it was just a phase. But dude leads the NL in saves with 22, and is 3-1 with a 1.34 ERA and 36 strikeouts in 33 innings of work. And here’s the best stat of all—Bell has saved or won 74% of his team’s wins. If he keeps that up, Bell will contend for the NL Cy Young and even garner some MVP votes.

With the 2009 MLB Draft set to kickoff at 6:00 ET tonight on the MLB Network, SI.com did a cool feature in which they rated how each club has fared over the past 10 years when it comes to the draft.

The Brewers were rated number one and it’s hard to argue with the ranking after looking at the names Milwaukee has drafted over the years: Prince Fielder, Corey Hart, J.J. Hardy, Manny Parra, Rickie Weeks, Ryan Braun and Yovani Gallardo. Amazingly, this club also drafted Hunter Pence (Astros), but couldn’t sign him.

The Red Sox were rated No. 2, with Kevin Youkilis, Jonathan Papelbon, Dustin Pedroia, Jon Lester and Manny Delcarmen leading the way, but the site left off a glaring omission: Jacoby Ellsbury. The Rays actually drafted Ellsbury in the 2002 draft, but never signed him. The Sox then nabbed him with the 23rd overall pick in 2005 and he’s currently their starting centerfielder.

Speaking of the Rays, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Tampa ranked higher than No. 4 in the next couple of years. Evan Longoria, Carl Crawford, B.J. Upton, James Shields, Andy Sonnanstine and David Price are just some of the names they’ve drafted in the past 10 years. Don’t forget that they were the team that also drafted Josh Hamilton before he got injured and then became the poster child of what not to do when you’re an inspiring ballplayer with loads of free time on your hands.

You look at a club like the Nationals ranked No. 8 and you wonder why they’ve been so awful over the years despite drafting so well. Then you realized they dealt Grady Sizemore, Cliff Lee and Brandon Phillips all in the same trade for Bartolo Colon and it all starts to make sense.

If you’re wondering whom SI had ranked last, it was the Astros; only Hunter Pence was worth noting of the players Houston drafted the past 10 years. The White Sox were second to last, although if Josh Fields, Chris Getz, Clayton Richard and Gordon Beckham develop like the club hopes, I highly doubt Chicago will be ranked that low again if SI does another ranking like this in the next couple of years.

There’s a different feel to baseball again – a good feeling.

Yeah, I know – there are probably still plenty of players who are cheating. But at least the league is (finally) making somewhat of an effort to clean up its image and for that, we as fans have hope that maybe someday the game will be juice-free again.

Those who have watched their fair share of baseball this season should be reveling in how the game is getting younger again. Instead of teams waiting for dingers in order to score runs, clubs are bunting, stealing and manufacturing scoring opportunities – the way the game is supposed to be played.

After watching how the Rays won last season, more and more teams are building their rosters by developing home grown talent rather than signing big-name free agents (save for the Yankees, of course) and it’s making the game exciting again. An onus has been made on youth and speed and for the first time in quite a while, baseball is once again a young man’s game.

That said, I’ve decided to have a little fun by constructing an entire 25-man baseball roster (I’ve named the team “Team Youthful Exuberance”) by using only players who are 25 years of age and younger. Rules and guidelines for the roster are below so enjoy and as always, feel free to make an argument for any players that I might have missed.

Rules, Guidelines & Notes:

- Any player that turned the age of 26 before April 5, 2009, which was Opening Day for the 2009 MLB season, was considered ineligible. Therefore, two current 26 year-olds (Joe Mauer and Miguel Cabrera) are eligible for this team because they didn’t turn 26 until after the April 5 deadline.

The reason for the deadline was to squash any debate about what players were and weren’t eligible for the team based on when they turned 26.

- Players can be moved from their real MLB positions, but within reason. For example, I can’t move Evan Longoria to catcher to free up a spot at third base for a player like Ryan Zimmerman, but I can move Justin Upton to left field even though his natural position is right.

- Starting pitchers are starting pitchers and relief pitchers are relief pitchers. In efforts not to stack my pitching staff with all starters, I couldn’t make a starter a relief pitcher. However, closers are considered relief pitchers, so I can have multiple closers if I choose.

- The roster numbers are of that of a major league roster: (2) Catchers; (6) Infielders; (5) Outfielders; (5) Starters; (7) Relief Pitchers. (25 total.)

Owner: George Steinbrenner. If anyone was worried about how we’d pay for all of these contracts, fear not – Big Stienny is here. Dude blows his nose with hundred dollar bills.

Manager: Joe Torre. This club needs a father figure to keep all of these young players in line. The only problem is that we had to give Torre a truckload of money in order for him to agree to work with Steinbrenner again.

General Manager: Anthony Stalter. Why? Because I constructed this f’n team – that’s why. Theo Epstein who?

Now, without further ado, I give you: Team Youthful Exuberance.

Roster:

Catchers (2): Joe Mauer (26, Twins); Brian McCann (25, Braves)
At first, I had McCann penciled in as the starter and Orioles’ top prospect Matt Weiters backing him up, but then I stumbled upon this beautiful date in history: April 19, 1983, which is Mauer’s birthday. Even though he’s 26, he qualifies for this team because he was 25 on April 5, which is my made up deadline. With Mauer behind the dish, TYE (Team Youthful Exuberance) has a player that can hit for average and power, as well as someone that can take charge of a stacked pitching staff. It’s almost unfair that a player as good as McCann has been delegated to backup duty, but if Mauer’s back starts acting up again, then TYE has one hell of a replacement.

Infield (6): Evan Longoria (23, Rays); Hanley Ramirez (25, Marlins); Dustin Pedroia (25, Red Sox); Prince Fielder (25, Brewers); Jose Reyes (25, Mets); Miguel Cabrera (26, Tigers)
Look at that infield and tell me the hair on your ass doesn’t stand up with excitement. Longoria might be the one player TYE builds its entire roster around with his outstanding ability to hit for average and power. Ramirez is another player who can hit for average and drive in runs, all while swiping a fair amount of bases as well. It’s hard to argue against Pedroia being TYE’s starting second baseman given he’s the reigning AL MVP and we’re ecstatic to add his speed at the top of the lineup, too. TYE has options at first base in Fielder and Cabrera, the latter of which qualifies for the team because of his birthday (April 18, 1983). Depending on who gets the nod at first, the other can DH given that both players have a tremendous amount of power. Even though he’s been hurt most of the real season and needs to work on not running into outs while on the base paths, we figure Reyes is a tremendous middle infield addition who has loads of speed and adds to the overall athleticism of the club. Don’t forget that Cabrera can also play third base if Longoria needs a day off, so this club has options.

Outfield (5): Adam Jones (23, Orioles); Jacoby Ellsbury (25, Red Sox); Justin Upton (21, Diamondbacks); Nick Markakis (25, Orioles); Ryan Braun (25, Brewers)
The outfield position was incredibly difficult to pare down to just five players, because there are so many great young OFs to choose from in MLB. But in the end, we chose as many five-tool players that we could and we’re happy with the results. Jones is quickly emerging as one of the best young outfielders in the game, Ellsbury gives us a true leadoff hitter and a great defensive centerfielder, while Justin Upton is proving at age 21 that his potential is sky high. Markakis is struggling a bit this year with his average, but he has one of the better outfield arms in baseball and while Braun can be downright brutal defensively at times, it’s hard to pass up on a guy that can hit for a .300 average all while driving in 100-plus runs and blasting 30-plus dingers. This outfield is loaded with hitters that can hit for average, that have a good amount of pop, can run and also play some quality defense (save for Braun).

Starters (5): Tim Lincecum (24, Giants); Cole Hamels (25, Phillies); Zack Greinke (25, Royals); Chad Billingsley (24, Dodgers); Yovani Gallardo (23, Brewers)
Before I discuss the starters I did choose, here are some of the names that I had to pass on: Jon Lester, Max Scherzer, Jair Jurrjens, John Danks, Johnny Cueto, Edwin Jackson, Rick Porcello, Josh Johnson, Chris Volstad, Clayton Kershaw, Joba Chamberlain, Zach Duke, Matt Cain, Felix Hernandez, Matt Garza and David Price. It killed me to pass on Johnson, Kershaw, Chamberlain and Hernandez specifically, but in the end I chose the best five in terms of ERA, WHIP and strikeout potential. With so many great names to choose from, I know I’m going to get some backlash for who I passed on, but Lincecum is a freak of nature, Greinke has been absolutely phenomenal this season (although I’ll admit that had I done this at the beginning of the year, he wouldn’t have made the starting five) and Billingsley has been lights out. Hamels has struggled a bit with his ERA and he can be inconsistent at times, but his performance in last year’s postseason speaks for itself. I’m projecting a bit with Gallardo, but I would have been doing the same with Kershaw, Johnson and Chamberlain, so I feel good about the decision to go with the 23-year-old Brewer.

Relievers (7): Joakim Soria (25, Royals); Jonathan Broxton (24, Dodgers); Jeff Samardzija (24, Cubs); Joel Zumaya (24, Tigers); Andrew Bailey (25, A’s); Daniel Bard (23, Braves Red Sox); Ryan Perry (22, Tigers)
Pick your poison with this bunch; Soria, Broxton and Bailey can all close games, while Zumaya would make an outstanding setup man. The only issue I have with this group is whether or not any of them can come in for long relief if one of the starters gets rocked and I’m projecting a ton with Samardzija, Bard and Perry. Either way, this relief staff is chockfull of guys that can throw absolute cheddar and the thought process is that the starting pitching will go deep into most games anyway, so why not build the back of the rotation with 7th, 8th and 9th-inning arms?

Projected Lineup:

1. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
3. Evan Longoria, 3B
4. Prince Fielder, DH
5. Miguel Cabrera, 1B
6. Joe Mauer, C
7. Hanley Ramirez, SS
8. Ryan Braun, LF
9. Justin Upton, RF

Obviously you can switch around a lot of these hitters, but it’s pretty sick when Hanley Ramirez is your seventh hitter and Ryan Braun is eighth. Not too mention the bench still has Adam Jones, Jose Reyes, Brian McCann and Nick Markakis sitting on it. Sick.

Starting Rotation:

1. Tim Lincecum
2. Cole Hamels
3. Chad Billingsley
4. Zack Greinke
5. Yovani Gallardo

The lack of lefties scares me a bit, which makes me question whether or not I should go with Clayton Kershaw and drop Gallardo…no, no – Gallardo is staying. But I do love Kershaw…no, Gallardo – final answer.

Team Youthful Exuberance: Go F yourselves Yankees and Red Sox.

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Offseason Movement: The Brewers signed long-time Padres’ closer Trevor Hoffman in the offseason and also brought on pitchers Jorge Julio and Braden Looper, as well as outfielder Trot Nixon.

Top Prospect: Mat Gamel, 3B
Some would say Alcides Escobar is the Brewers’ top prospect, but you can’t go wrong with either. Milwaukee seems to be following a trend of taking prospects based more on their offense than defense, because not unlike Matt LaPorta and Ryan Braun before him, Gamel doesn’t have the best defensive skills. But there is no denying that the kid can hit. Gamel has a nice, pure swing and has shown excellent plate discipline to this point in his career. He has great hand/eye coordination and he loves hitting the gaps. Gamel figures to start the season in Triple-A, but could get a shot to compete if Bill Hall continues to struggle with a calf injury.

The Big Question: How will this club respond without CC Sabathia and Ben Sheets?
The Brewers’ starting rotation shows some potential with Yovani Gallardo and Manny Parra at the top. But Gallardo missed four and a half months last year with a knee injury and Parra has had some shoulder issues in the past. If Sabathia and Sheets headlined the rotation, then there would obviously be less concern about Gallardo and Parra’s injury history. But considering Jeff Suppan, Dave Bush, Braden Looper and Seth McClung comprise the rest of the rotation, there are a ton of question marks following the Brewers’ pitching staff heading into Opening Day.

Outlook: Milwaukee’s lineup is absolutely stacked from top to bottom. Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder and Corey Hart make up one of the best middle of the order trio in the National League, while Rickie Weeks and J.J. Hardy have proven to be solid table setters. Unless a couple of players make lengthy trips to the DL, the Brewers will once again score a ton of runs this season. But will they have to? Losing CC Sabathia and Ben Sheets at the top of the rotation hurts and unless Yovani Gallardo and Matt Para have breakout seasons, the Brewers might not make a ton of noise this year. Then again, Gallardo and Para very well could have breakout campaigns and with that lineup, Milwaukee could easily win the Wild Card again. Their success this season likely lies at the feet of their starting rotation.

Projection: 3rd NL Central