Fantasy Forces:
1B-Richie Sexson (28)- After hitting a career-best 45 homeruns a year earlier, Sexson was hindered by leg problems for much of the '02
season, giving him no shot at duplicating those numbers. Injuries aside, Sexson was still the only consistent force in the Brewers
lineup. Not only did he add 8 points to his average but he continued to show vast improvements in his pitch selection. While he
is not in the best mecca to develop into a .300/40/100 hitter he will move closer to those levels this year. The towering Sexson is
one of the game's best righthanded power hitters and were he to play anywhere else his name would be mentioned with the likes of Bagwell and
Delgado.
SP-Ben Sheets (24)- Even though he lost 16 games, Sheets grew perhaps as any player on the Brewers last year. Pinching
undisciplined performances between periods of brilliance, the former Olympian put it all together in his last 10 starts, compiling a 6-2
record and 3.18 ERA whle the rest of his team went just 8-19. Taking the hill on Opening Day for the second straight year, expect
further strides toward being a legitimate ace this year, though wins will be hard to come by.
Better Days Ahead:
SP-Glendon Rusch (28)- Once thought to possess top-of-the-rotation stuff, Rusch is quickly developing into a career #4 pitcher.
Hindered by a lack of patience and inconsistency on the mound, the southpaw watched 30 pitches leave the yard in '02 while having troubles
locating his pitches. While the results aren't always pretty, Rusch can eat up innings, throwing the league's 3rd most pitches and 5th
most complete games.
3B-Keith Ginter (26)- Like Helms, Ginter is a former star prospect castoff, from Houston this time, just two years removed from a
Texas League MVP. Hounded by fielding woes and the lack of a steady position, he has yet to prove he can hit major league pitching and
although he will grab a bulk of the hot corner duties, he may find himself overmatched.
SP-Wayne Franklin (29)- Franklin spent the first seven years of his professional career as a reliever before taking a stab at
starting and has shown he has the stuff to succeed out of the gate. He has good control and a good moving fastball while allowing few
balls to leave the yard and may develop into a late-blooming #3 pitcher. He will have to earn a spot in rotation in March but given
his history as a starter he should take care of business.
Past Their Prime:
RF-Jeffrey Hammonds (32)- Signed to an outrageous free agent contract prior to 2001, Hammonds has proven to the Brewers what the
Orioles, Reds and Colorado already knew (remember the Rockies declined to offer him a contract despite a .335 average). Far past his
developmental period, it is time to write off Hammonds as an underachieving player although it seems like only yesterday he was a star
prospect busting on the scene. Only the value of the contract warrants him batting in the fifth spot but as soon as someone is foolish
enough to take over his salary, the Brewers will gladly move him.
2B-Eric Young (35)- After boasting of a 50+ steal season in spring training, Young slumped through a miserable first half
before being shifted to the second spot in the lineup. While setting career lows in runs and RBIs, Young saw further evidence of his
advancing years. While his speed is still a factor, he is no longer the hitter who can turn every groundball into a hit or have any
chance of stealing more than 30 bases. Never a patient hitter, the former All-Star has shown more and more impatience and is on the
downside of his career. |
Supporting Cast:
CF-Alex Sanchez (26)- While Sexson and Sheets were expected to produce solid seasons, Sanchez's insertion into the leadoff spot in
May was clearly a shot in the dark by Royster. While he has the speed to man the top spot (92 steals in '97), he is far from a
chiseled major leaguer, hampered by numerous errors in the field, at the plate and on the basepaths. In between his misdeeds he led
the Brewers in hitting and swiped nearly 40 bases. Given the current situation of the Brewers, Sanchez is an apt leadoff man but a
paltry OBP and groundball power make him more suited to hit at the back end of the lineup. By no means is he a longterm option but
will do justly in '03.
CL-Mike DeJean (32)- Joining the club of temporary holdovers is DeJean, who carries a hot September into the new campaign.
Thrown into the role of stopper for the first time in his 6 year career, the former Rockie saved 27 games for the win-deficient Brew Crew.
Effective thus far in the role, DeJean's bouts of wildness, lack of a good power pitch, plus the presence of Vizcaino may push him back into
a lesser role by '04.
RP-Luis Vizcaino (28)- While DeJean continues to man the closer role, Vizcaino will be his primary set-up man, or closer in waiting.
With an explosive fastball and effective slider, he is a natural stopper and converted five saves last year. Should DeJean get hurt or
become ineffecive, Vizcaino will slide in and has the potential to put up dominating numbers.
SP-Todd Ritchie (31)- Ritchie thought a trade to Chicago would save him from mounting losses but little did he consider what
influence he has. As we have seen more than enough, Ritchie transition from the NL to the AL was painful and by all means less
productive, resulting in just 5 wins in 23 starts while posting a gravity-defying ERA. As hitters blitzed his pitches to the tune of a
.318 average, Ritchie showed a lack of command he hadn't displayed since his early years in Minnesota. While a spot in the rotation is
a given, he hardly realized how good he had it in Pittsburgh.
Risky Business:
LF-Geoff Jenkins (28)- Were life fair, Jenkins would be placed among the likes of Sexson and Sheets but as we all know, life is not
fair. Since he was the 9th overall pick in the '95 draft, Jenkins has spent 6 stints on the DL including the bulk of the past two
seasons, making his 2000 season (.303, 34, 94) a distant memory. If he ever stays healthy, and that's a big if, he is a dangerous
hitter with an all or nothing approach to the plate. His primary focus being on getting the ball in the air, he is a lock for 30
homeruns in a full season.
SP-Nick Neugebauer (22)- Only recently armed with a fastball said to hit 102 mph, the future of Neugebauer will be determined in
spring training. Slated to take a spot in the rotation last year, the phenom made 12 starts before going down with a shoulder injury,
sidelining him into the final month. It was the same shoulder he'd also had surgery on during the '01 season. At that point, when the
flamethrower returned he had lost more than a couple mphs off his fastball and dealt with horrific control problems without his full arsenal
of weapons. Keep a close eye on him in spring.
3B-Wes Helms (26)- Once again the Brewers were not afraid of turning someone else's dirty laundry into a prom dress and this
time the project is Helms, who takes over at third for a myriad of fill-ins following the trade of Tyler Houston. At one time the envy
of the Braves' farm system, a lack of discipline along with the inability to hit righties has kept him from getting any extensive playing
time. His ineptness in the field and the lack of a steady position doesn't help either. While he will get a shot at starting and
is likely to see extensive action, Ginter is on the scene as well and more importantly, a bigger part of the Brewers' plans.
SP-Ruben Quevedo (24)- Like Rusch, Quevedo's career seems to be stuck in place, hampered by weight and conditioning problems that
have led to ineffectiveness in his repetoire, resulting in a vast amount of homeruns. With a continuing dropoff in velocity, there may
be problems beyond his physique but either way, his career is in the balance despite his youth. |
