Why the Brewers Are Worth Watching in 2007

It's still strange to me that what's about to follow under that title won't be a joke. Ever since the Brewers joined the NL Central in 1998, they had shared the honor of "running joke in the division" with the Pittsburgh Pirates by finishing last or next to last in the division in five of seven seasons between '98 and 2004. In 2005 things changed; the Brewers got a good core of young players that finished .500. Expectations were high in 2006 but as so often happens with young teams, the Brewers took a step back and only won 75 games. Still, the joke is on everyone that snickered at the title because the Brewers are certainly worth watching in 2007.

The first reason is the rotation. Even after trading Doug Davis to the D'Backs in an off-season move, the starting pitching is the deepest part of this team. There's Ben Sheets who, if he can stay healthy, is one of the most electric pitchers in baseball (seriously... his WHIPs in the past three seasons are 0.98, 1.07 and 1.09). Even though it seems like Sheets has been around forever, he's just turning 28 this year. If he can throw 200 innings in 2007 he'll challenge Chris Carpenter for the honorary title of best pitcher in the division. Behind him are Jeff Suppan and Chris Capuano, two of the "solid but unspectacular" variety. While everyone is familiar with the slightly overpaid Suppan after his post-season heroics last year, Capuano is especially underrated- he's racked up an average of 175 strikeouts the past two seasons and made 24 quality starts last year. There's also Dave Bush, who had a promising 2006, and Claudio Vargas filling the back of the rotation, though Carlos Villanueva and a group of pitchers at AAA Nashville are likely to be knocking down the door behind him.

But why else should you watch the Brewers this year? Pitching is a big part of baseball, but it's not everything. One of the best things about the Brewers this year is that they've finally found a place for their most consistent offensive player, Bill Hall. After bouncing between every infield position except catcher and first base over the past three years, Hall will be the starting center fielder for the Brewers this season. Hall hit 35 homers last year while managing to increase his walks from 39 in 2005 to 63 in 2006, which is very impressive. Keeping him anchored in a lineup that will feature young guys like Prince Fielder, Rickie Weeks, and Corey Hart with veterans like Geoff Jenkins and Corey Koskie on a daily basis will make for a very exciting top and middle of the order for the Brewers this year.

Maybe the best part about the whole deal for the Brewers is just that the NL Central isn't getting a whole lot better. The Cardinals won the division and the World Series, but they're getting older. The Astros lost a lot of pitching and may not have Roger Clemens to swoop in and save them in June. The Cubs spent a ton of money this winter, but they were a massively flawed baseball team last year. The Reds and the Pirates are, well, the Reds and the Pirates. I'm not saying 83 wins will take the division this year, but I wouldn't doubt the winning total will be somewhere in the 88-92 range and I wouldn't put that past the Brewers at all in 2007.