Now that football is in fact over for the season, its time for my first blog about baseball and of course, it’s going to relate to the Milwaukee Brewers.
By now, we all know the headlines that surround the Brewers. Prince Fielder is gone. Ryan Braun is facing a 50 game suspension. But, because of all that, the Brewers are getting absolutely no respect when it comes to predictions on how well they will play this year.
While the Brewers did lose Fielder, Casey Mcgehee, Latroy Hawkins, and Takashi Saito, they were able to upgrade in other areas. The Brewers were able to add Aramis Ramirez, Alex Gonzalez, Jose Veras, and Norichika Aoki.
While the Brewers will lose some power in Fielder, Ramirez is a good consolation. With the addition of Gonzalez, it shores up the Brewers defense that killed them in the playoffs last year.
Let’s not forget, the Brewers are also bringing back their full starting rotation and a dominate duo to close innings in K-Rod and Axford.
The Brewers are in good shape this year. They lose a little bit of power, but they still have plenty of it. Their great pitching is back and they have one of the best closing tandems in the league.
Why the Brewers are getting no love? I have no idea. The Cubs didn’t really do anything in free agency this year. The Cardinals lost Pujols and while they did get a good bat in Beltran, that outfield is still slow. I still believe the Brewers have the best offense and pitching in their division. The Brewers should not only be favored for their division, but for a run at the World Series.
Oh yea, they’re defending division champs too. Let’s not forget that people.
-Dan Kasper
Follow Dan on Twitter @dankasper