BREWERS SPRING TRAINING PREVIEW
When: First workout is Thursday morning.
Where: Maryvale Baseball Park, Phoenix.
Workout start times: Usually between 9 a.m. and 9:30 a.m.
Admission: Free for workouts.
IMPORTANT DATES
Tuesday, Feb. 20 – First full-squad workout.
Friday, Feb. 23 – Exhibition season begins.
Sunday, March 25 – Brewers break camp in Phoenix.
Monday, Tuesday, March 26-27 – Exhibition games in Houston.
STAFF
Manager: Craig Counsell (220-241 record, .477).
Coaches: Pat Murphy (bench), Darnell Coles (hitting), Derek Johnson (pitching), Lee Tunnell (bullpen), Ed Sedar (third base), Carlos Subero (first base), Jason Lane (assistant hitting).
40-MAN ROSTER
Pitchers (22): RH Matt Albers, RH Chase Anderson, RH Jacob Barnes, RH Jhoulys Chacin, RH Zach Davies, RH Marcos Diplan, RH Oliver Drake, RH Yovani Gallardo, RH Junior Guerra, LH Josh Hader, RH Adrian Houser, RH Jeremy Jeffress, RH Corey Knebel, LH Boone Logan, RH Jorge Lopez, RH Jimmy Nelson, RH Freddy Peralta, LH Brent Suter, LH Tyler Webb, RH Aaron Wilkerson, RH Taylor Williams, RH Brandon Woodruff.
Catchers (4): Jett Bandy, Jacob Nottingham, Manny Pina, Stephen Vogt.
Infielders (8): 1B Jesus Aguilar, SS Orlando Arcia, INF Mauricio Dubon, INF/OF Hernan Perez, 3B Travis Shaw, INF Eric Sogard, 1B Eric Thames, INF Jonathan Villar.
Outfielders (6): LF Ryan Braun, CF Keon Broxton, CF Lorenzo Cain, OF Brett Phillips, RF Domingo Santana, LF/RF Christian Yelich.
FIVE THINGS TO WATCH
1. Rotation roulette
With Jimmy Nelson recovering from shoulder surgery and expected to miss a good portion of the first half of the season, the Brewers must identify five starters. Holdovers Chase Anderson and Zach Davies, and newcomer Jhoulys Chacin, are slated to man the first three spots. That leaves two openings and a handful of candidates to fill them: prodigal son Yovani Gallardo, who is on a make-good contract; 2017 opening day starter Junior Guerra; swingman Brent Suter, who filled in admirably last season; and rookies Brandon Woodruff and Aaron Wilkerson.
2. First comes last
To help ease a glut of outfielders, the Brewers will see how veteran Ryan Braun looks at first base. If he shows he can handle the work defensively, he’ll likely start against left-handed pitching, with Eric Thames starting against most righties. Where that leaves Jesus Aguilar, who filled that role effectively last year, is anyone’s guess. Aguilar does not play another position and there is no DH in the NL.
3. Traffic jam
Even if Braun sees some action at first base, the Brewers have too many outfielders to find sufficient playing time. Christian Yelich, acquired in a trade with Miami for some of the organization’s best prospects, and Lorenzo Cain, who signed a five-year, $80 million deal as a free agent, can be expected to play on a regular basis. When Braun also starts in the outfield, that leaves no spot for Domingo Santana, the productive (30 HRs, 85 RBI) No. 1 right fielder in ’17. Streaky centerfielder Keon Broxton also could be an odd man out.
4. Second to none
Who made the biggest mistake last spring – the Brewers, who offered Jonathan Villar a $23 million extension, or Villar, who turned it down? After a breakthrough 2016 season, Villar eventually played his way onto the bench, prompting a late trade for veteran second baseman Neil Walker. Villar remains on the roster but the position is up for grabs, with Eric Sogard and Hernan Perez also in the picture.
5. Filling the pen
Corey Knebel was marvelous after taking over for closer Neftali Feliz six weeks into the season, becoming one of the most prolific strikeout relievers (126 in 76 innings) in the majors. Jacob Barnes, who usually works later in games, is back but most of the rest of the pen must be rebuilt.