Every team after every season goes into the winter with unanswered questions. Even the world champions sometimes have a long list of concerns they need address before Opening Day of the next year (take for instance the Cardinals who have major concerns following the departure of slugger Albert Pujols).

The 2012 Brewers also have concerns, including two major questions they need to have answered before April 6, when they will play the defending champs at home at Miller Park. It is how these questions are answered that will determine how well the season begins, progresses, and ends for the Brew Crew:

1. Who will hit fifth in the batting order?
Brewers’ 5-hole hitters ranked 15th out of the 16 National League teams in 2011. In order to soften the blow that was made by Prince Fielder packing up and leaving for Detroit, this part of the order needs to be productive.

Casey McGehee had been an outstanding 5-hitter in 2010, but after a poor 2011 was traded to Pittsburgh. Corey Hart has hit 5th before, but showed better production as the Brewers’ leadoff hitter in the second half of last season. Rickie Weeks, the 5 hitter after an ankle injury forced him from his usual spot at the top of the lineup, has already made it known that he hates hitting fifth. Weeks would rather be on the top manufacturing runs on the base paths. He claims the game gets too boring as the fifth hitter because he can’t run as much as he did when he led off.

Unfortunately for Weeks, he is one of two candidates Ron Roenicke is considering early as the front-runners for the fifth spot in the batting order; Corey Hart is the other candidate. Corey Hart has driven in 100 runs before and certainly has the potential to be a quality 5-hole hitter, considering he can also be good for 20-30 home runs. On the other hand though, Rickie can also hit for power and had he been in the middle of the lineup in the past may also have driven in 100 runs.

The answer to this question is going to have to be answered through experimentation and performance during spring training. Both players have gone through stretches of losing time due to injuries, so Roenicke might be wise to have another player in mind for the spot. Mat Gamel, if he proves he can hit on the big league level, might be a possibility.

2. Can the pitching repeat a great 2011?
This is a question that both the starting pitchers and bullpen need to answer. The Brewers were fortunate enough to need only six starting pitchers last year, the fewest in all of baseball.

The likelihood of that happening again is, unfortunately, not probable. Not only do the five starting pitchers led by Yovani Gallardo, Zach Greinke, and Shaun Marcum need to stay healthy and pitch well, the Brewers’ long relievers need to be able to pick up the slack if anything happens to any of regular starters.

The problem is that in order for that to happen, Manny Parra and Zach Braddock need to have bounce-back 2012 seasons, and that is not something that is bankable.

In addition to having strong starting pitching in baseball in 2011, the Brewers had a very exceptional bullpen after Francisco Rodriguez was attained through a trade with the Mets. The combination of Takishi Saito and LaTroy Hawkins in the 7th inning, K-Rod in the 8th, and shut down closer John Axford in the 9th made any game the Brewers were winning after 6 innings an almost sure-fire win.

Saito and Hawkins are gone, and even though K-Rod surprised everyone by accepting arbitration to return as the set-up man, it is going to be interesting to see who is able to step into the 7th inning role. The starting pitchers could help solve this problem in a huge way by being able to pitch longer into games.

Gallardo has stated that it is a goal of his this year to be more efficient. Jose Veras, the pitcher acquired in the McGehee trade, is a possibility; but there really is no clear front-runner for the spot. Kameron Loe did hold the spot for a time last season, but he also has much to prove after he lost the job due to poor performance in games. He did end the year on a strong note, which management hopes can carry over into this season.

 photo credit: BNSF Celyn

It was a tumultuous winter for the 2011 National League Central Division Champions. Despite losing in the NLCS to the eventual World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals and facing the inevitability of Prince Fielder’s departure, hopes were high for another contending year in Milwaukee. But then a source in MLB leaked Ryan Braun’s positive drug test to ESPN, Prince Fielder signed a 9-year $214 million deal with Detroit, and Brewer fans started to wonder if 2011 was merely a flash in the pan.

Doug Melvin and Co., though, were quick to prove that they had every intention of repeating the success (and pushing for more) of 2011. Even before Braun’s “not guilty” verdict was announced on Wednesday, the Brewers made a number of key additions to strengthen their weaknesses from last year and to make up for the loss of Fielder. Aramis Ramirez, the ex-Chicago Cub (and reliable clean-up hitter), was signed to a 3-year deal. Poor-fielding Yuniesky Betancourt was not resigned in favor of Alex Gonzalez, who is a much better fielding shortstop than Yuni. Perhaps the most surprising addition was that of Norichika Aoki, a three-time batting champion who has hit over .300 in six of his seven seasons as a professional player in Japan. Aoki’s role is yet to be determined, but the team expects that he will be able to contribute in numerous ways.

In addition to these key additions, the Brewers have a starting rotation that returns intact from last year. In 2011, the Brewers used the fewest starters (six) of any team in MLB. The staff was led of Yovani Gallardo, who won 17 games while posting a 3.52 ERA and 207 strikeouts. Following Gallardo is 2009 AL Cy Young winner Zach Greinke, who despite missing the first month of last season with a broken rib, impressed in his first National League season by winning 16 games, posting a 3.83 ERA and striking out 201. Shaun Marcum, who has spent this offseason strengthening his stamina and endurance to ensure his September and October collapse does not happen again, Chris Narveson, and Randy Wolf are also returning to a Brewers’ rotation that ranked ninth in all of MLB last year.

Despite the departure of hitting-coach Dale Sveum, who took the Chicago Cubs’ managerial job, the Brewers have no reason to doubt the competence of their coaching staff. Ron Roenicke led the team to 96 wins as a first-year manager and has an excellent reputation among his players. Johnny Narron takes over Sveum’s old job as hitting coach and has already made an impression of Rickie Weeks as he helps him adjust his swing.

All things considered, there is no reason why the Brew Crew cannot repeat the success it enjoyed last season. The return of a strong pitching staff that saw no starter with an ERA over 4.45, an offense that features Ryan Braun, Aramis Ramirez, and Corey Hart, as well as the steady leadership of Roenicke’s staff will make 2012 another successful year for the Milwaukee Brewers.

A continuation of our series of taking to bloggers for around the county to get their perspective on the biggest stories surrounding their team heading into spring training and the 2012 season.

Today we are talking to Christine E from the Boston Red Thoughts. My gratitude to Christine for taking the time to answer my questions:

1. What do you think is the team’s biggest story heading into spring training?

As Spring Training progresses, people will be watching to see if the Sox really have learned from their mistakes, and will focus on what’s important–winning ballgames. I Definitely think that actions will speak louder than words in this instance, although a more apologetic stance from some would not be unwelcome…

2. Who will be the Red Sox 4th and 5th starters this season?

With 34 pitchers of all manner and variety in camp, it’s tough to say. But I am going have to say Alfredo Aceves, and Daniel Bard least to start the season. And that is really only because of the rest of the pitchers the Sox have available to them at this point are really underwhelming. But, I am not totally sold on

Daniel Bard yet. While I like the idea, I am not sure starting is the best place for him and for the Red Sox. He was very effective as a set-up man, and with the signing of Andrew Bailey, the whole “heir apparent” to Jonathan Papelbon, and accompanying pressure has been removed. And good set-up men who can pitch the 7th and/or 8th inning are rare. But Bobby Valentine is determined to try this, so anything can happen…

3. Who will be the Red Sox closer come September?

Andrew Bailey. He has pitched in the bigs for the last 3 years, averaging 25 saves a year. As long as he can handle the pressure cooker that is Boston, I think he will be fine…And, if he tanks, there is always Daniel Bard…

4. What do you expect from David Ortiz this season?

While David Ortiz is not getting any younger (he just turned 36 in October) I don’t expect a huge drop off in his numbers. While he had a couple of rough years in 2008-2009, he started to bounce back in 2010, and did very well in 2011. And while I do not expect the David Ortiz of 2003 or 2004 back, I can see him hitting .295 with 30 homers and 100 RBI’s in 2012.

5. Is Salty ready to replace Tek?

Depends on what you mean by replace. Do I think he has what it takes to lead this team like Jason Varitek, or be as good with picthers as Jason as has been? Maybe someday, but he is young, and that kind of expertise comes with experience. Do I think he could get there? I do. I think that he is capable, willing to learn, and has a fire in his belly to succeed. Last year was a transition period for him, this year, I expect we will see an improvement, both behind and at the plate…

6. Can we have an early prediction on how the Red Sox will do this season?

I think the Sox will win 96 game, and place 2nd in the AL East, behind Tampa Bay. Depending on how Major League Baseball decides to go on the Wild Card, that may or may not be enough to get them to the post season. I do not, however, expect another epic collapse in September, like we saw in 2011…

Thank you again to Christine. You can Follow Boston Red Thoughts on Twitter by the handle @bostonredthots

Ryan Braun has been vindicated.

On Thursday, the National League MVP had his 50-game suspension overturned. The decision was first time in the history of Major League Baseball that a positive test for a performance-enhancing drug has been reversed.

“I am very pleased and relieved by today’s decision,” Braun said in a statement. “It is the first step in restoring my good name and reputation. We were able to get through this because I am innocent and the truth is on our side.

“We provided complete cooperation throughout, despite the highly unusual circumstances. I have been an open book, willing to share details from every aspect of my life as part of this investigation, because I have nothing to hide. I have passed over 25 drug tests in my career, including at least three in the past year.”

The 28-year-old Braun had tested positive in October for elevated testosterone. Although no official reasoning was given for Thursday’s decision, sources say that the procedure used to ship Braun’s sample did not follow protocol. Apparently, whoever was supposed to ship it didn’t arrive at FedEx/Kinkos on time an ended up taking it home and refrigerating it, according to ESPN.

But the Milwaukee Brewers could care less. All they know is that they won’t be without Braun for the first 50 games of the 2012 season.

Braun won the National League’s MVP last year, hitting .332 with 33 homers and 111 RBI, leading the Brewers to an NL Central title and the National League Championship Series.

 photo credit: Steve Paluch

Spring training hasn’t even officially kicked off yet, and already there is some turmoil coming out of the Angles camp.

Bobby Abreu has stated that if the Angels don’t have an every-day position for him, then they must trade him somewhere else before the start of the season

“I’m an every-day player. I can still be in the lineup for a Major League team,” said Abreu from his native Venezuela. “I will not be on the bench knowing that I can play.

“If the Angels don’t have a position for me, then the best thing is to trade me. It would be the correct (thing) to do. I won’t be able to do nothing sitting in the bench.”

Much to the surprise of no one, it was almost a given that someone from the Halos’ cornucopia of outfielders was going to draw the shortest straw before the season began. With the outfield all set with Vernon Wells, Torii Hunter and Peter Bourjos (although, with the season Wells had last season, he shouldn’t feel to secure about his spot), and with the offseason addition of first baseman Albert Pujols forcing Kendrys Morales and Mark Trumbo to split time at the DH position, Abreu’s probable role would be as an occasional player and pinch-hitter.

The 37-year-old Abreu has been heralded as one of the most complete players in the majors in the last two decades. But last season he batted just .253 with eight home runs, 21 stolen bases and 60 RBI in a limited designated hitter role.

Abreu, who will earn $9 million in the coming season, has a career batting average of .293 with 284 home runs, 393 steals and 1,325 RBIs in 16 seasons with Houston, Philadelphia, the Yankees and the Angels.

If he is true to his word, then there really is no reason for the Angels to keep him around when there are a handful of teams who would gladly make a trade in return for Abreu’s services.

The two-time All-Star said he will fly into the Phoenix area on Saturday and report to the Angels training camp for a physical on Sunday.

Just when you thought Manny Ramirez was finished disrespecting himself and the game of baseball, the Oakland A’s thought they’d give him one last hurrah.

The A’s announced Monday that they signed the slugger to a minor league deal. Ramirez is expected to report to spring training by Friday.

Although the deal is worth about $500,000, some have already been quick to point out the the deal contradicts general manager Billy Bean’s “Moneyball” philosophy on going after big-name free agents. However, at just half a mill, is it a low-risk, potential-high-reward situation for even a small-market team like Oakland.

But before we even get the opportunity to see Man-Ram in Athletics green, Ramirez is obligated to serve a 50-game suspension without pay before due to violating baseball’s drug policy for the second time in his brief stint with Tampa Bay last season. By the way, it was with the Rays that Ramirez went 1-for-17 (.059) in five games last season before bailing on his team and fleeing the country.

With no rainouts, the first game Ramirez would be eligible to play is on his 40th birthday—May 30 at Minnesota. But that’s only if this guy can really still produce. Ramirez has hit 555 home runs in his major league career, good for 14th place overall, and he’s a career .312 hitter with 1,831 RBI. But this will be the 20th season for the 39-year-old Ramirez, and the last five seasons have been no where near as productive as the first 15.

In an offensively-loaded AL West, there’s no question that Bean and the A’s are desperate to stay relevant, but one has to wonder if the cantankerous Ramirez is worth the gamble, let alone the headaches.

 photo credit: OctopusHat

Tim Wakefield, the last great knuckleballer of this generation, decided to call it a career on Friday after an impressive 19-year career.

“This has been the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, so it’s with a heavy heart that I stand here today,” Wakefield said, pausing to regain his composure. “And I’m saddened to say that I have decided to retire from this wonderful game of baseball.”

It had to be a difficult decision for Wakefield to walk away, especially since he leaves the game with 186 victories with the Red Sox, just six short of the team record shared by Cy Young and Roger Clemens. Wakefield recorded his 200th career victory late last season.

His departure from the game marks the first time there has been not been an active 200-game winner since the 19th century.

“It’s a little surreal for me, still,” Wakefield said of his achievements. “Once I get home and start to digest everything, it’s pretty cool to have your name up there, but that doesn’t change who I am as a person, or as a man and I’m grateful I’ve had the opportunity to achieve a lot of those goals and be high on the list of a lot of those records. Hopefully one day they can be broken because that’s what records are for.”

Wakefield, who finished last season with a 7-8 record and a 5.12 ERA in 23 starts, won only one of his last 10 starts, the bullpen failing to hold several leads. Although it must have been a difficult decision for the 45-year-old to make, he showed what a class guy he is by admitting that he felt he needed to step away from the game because it was in the best interest of the team.

Although Wakefield didn’t necessarily have Hall of Fame numbers (200-180 with a 4.41 ERA and 2,156 strikeouts), he will forever be remembered by the fans in Boston.

“I never wanted to pitch for another team. I’ve always said I wanted to retire a Red Sox and today I’m able to do that.”

A continuation of our series of taking to bloggers for around the county to get their perspective on the biggest stories surrounding their team heading into spring training and the 2012 season.

Today we are talking to James from the Astros County. My gratitude to James for taking the time to answer my questions:

1.  What do you think is the team’s biggest story heading into spring training?

The biggest story doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with the on-field product. It’s more about the Astros transitioning into a full-blown rebuilding project, and bidding adieu to the National League. If you’re looking for on-field story lines they can be summed up as follows: Will Wandy Rodriguez, Brett Myers, Brandon Lyon, and Carlos Lee play well enough to get traded to further the rebuilding effort? Will Brett Wallace actually get his crap together? Who in the world is going to play third base (and it might be Brett Wallace)? Will the Astros win 50 games? Those are the things we Astros fans are worried about.

2. Who will be the Astros closer when the season opens? If its Brandon Lyon are you confident he can do the job?

Short version: (1) I don’t know. (2) Not just no, but hell no. When the Astros traded Mark Melancon to the Red Sox for Kyle Weiland and Jed Lowrie, it opened up the closer job. Lyon might get the nod simply due to Starting Quarterback Syndrome, where he gets the spot just because he’ll make over $5 mil this season. If Lyon’s arm falls off, or he throws batting practice, David Carpenter – former catcher-turned-pitcher (a decision made by new Astros GM Jeff Luhnow) is probably next man up if/when Lyon stumbles.

3. The Astros starting pitching was good last year with 80 total quality starts. Unfortunately they lost  17 games after they left the game with the lead. Will the Astros bullpen be any better this season?

Excellent question. I don’t know. So many arms have been invited to camp that it’s hard to get a handle on just who(m?) will be in the bullpen. I’d expect it to be a little better than last year, though.

4. Other than Carlos Lee, where will the power come from in the Astros line-up?

There’s not much, is there? It depends on development. Brett Wallace had power potential in the minors, so if he can hit the way he had in the past, there could be some power there. Also, J.D. Martinez looks like a lock for left field, and he’s an interesting story. He’s a 20th-Round draft pick with questionable knees, but he has raked at every level – slugging .546 at Double-A. Brian Bogusevic shows flashes of power from time to time, but we’re a long way from the Berkman/Bagwell/Richard Hidalgo days.

5. Will the Astros get anything at all out of the catcher position while waiting for Jason Castro?

It depends on Chris Snyder’s comeback. If the catcher is Humberto Quintero, then, no. But if Chris Snyder can rebound, he might be able to provide some offensive pop – which is something that the Astros have traditionally never had behind the plate.

6. What Astros player do you expect to have a breakout year in 2012?

I really think J.D. Martinez will establish himself as a solid player, because he hasn’t done anything to say he won’t be. He slipped as far as he did in the draft because of his knees – and now that the Astros will be looking for a DH for 2013, he could fill that role.

7. Can we have an early prediction on how the Astros will do this season?

It won’t be pretty. If the Astros win 65 games, it’ll be a 9-game improvement. So the Astros will limp along in 2012 and continue to develop players. They won’t be setting any road attendance records in 2012, that’s for sure.

Okay, I’ve pretty much given up on the Mets doing anything at all exciting from now to the start of the season or at all this year. Yes, I’m glad spring training is here, but it is going to be a long year for the Mets. So I have turned my hopes of something exciting happening to the Yankees. From all accounts the Yankees are on the verge of trading AJ Burnett. AJ makes a lot of money as he is still owed two more years on his five year $82 million contract. AJ has been disappointing for the Yankees losing more games than he won for them. It’s looking like the Yankees are going to unload him to the Pirates for minor minor leaguers and cash.

Yes, the New York Yankees are doing a salary dump. The Pirates will reportedly pick up 13 – 15 million of Burnett’s salary. This will allow the Yankees to buy a left hand hitting DH, most likely Raul Ibanez. (I guess they also would like to sign or resign Eric Chavez.) While I am cool with the Chavez signing I’m not so thrilled the Ibanez. Last year I got to see him play a lot against the Mets. Ibanez looked like age was finally catching up with him.

I know it’s not my money and this is easy for me to type, but I still wish the Yankees would be a bit more creative and a bit more free spending when it comes to their DH. The Indians are still trying to unload Travis Hafner. The Yankees and Indians supposedly talked about a Hafner for Burnett deal but nothing happened. I say, give it one more try. Hafner has far more of an upside the Ibanez. Yes he will cost more, but these are the Yankees the cost shouldn’t really matter.

Gary Carter passed away today at the age of 57, after a battle with cancer. He died far too young. Like I posted on my facebook page, cancer sucks, plain and simple. I just lost my mother to cancer in December, so on some level I know what the Carter family is going through. Still, with my mom I tried to focus on the positive all she accomplished and how she would want us to carry on. I will do the same about Gary Carter.

I’ve been a Met fan for a long time. Heck, I had been a Met fan for a long time when the Mets signed Gary Carter. It was 1985 and the Mets had not been a very good team for a long time. Their last trip to the playoffs was in 1973. But things were starting to come around we got Keith Hernandez in 1984. That same year also brought us this rookie pitcher named Dwight Gooden. The Mets were starting to become contenders. The arrival of Mr. Carter made us legitimate contenders. I remember the night they obtained him, I was at a friends house watching Cheers and that friends father said, “you just got a catcher for Christmas.” And boy did we.

Carter’s first year with the Mets he had 32 homers, 100 RBI and hit .282. But the important thing was he along with Keith were the Yin and Yang leaders of the Mets.  Gary always was intense but also always had a smile.  The Mets had a good year in 85, but they didn’t quite make the playoffs still you knew great things were coming. As a Met fan 1986 was the greatest year in my baseball life. A team that hadn’t been in a World Series for 13 years and team that had been terrible in the early 80s became a super team. The team cruised to the National East title. They beat the Astros in a great playoff series and then beat the Red Sox in an exciting world series. Game six was an all time classic. During that year Carter’s numbers where a little down 24 dingers, 105 RBI and .255 average but he was actually third in MVP voting that year. Why? Because there were games, especially early in the season when he would put the Mets on his back and carry them.

Gary Carter you will be missed. My condolences to his family, he was truly a great baseball player and a great human being.