By Ted Carlson
February 5, 2009 9:30am CST

The Brewers won 90 games and ended a long, long playoff drought in 2008, but their dramatic run seems like a long time ago. New manager Ken Macha and new bench coach Willie Randolph welcomed all-time saves leader Trevor Hoffman to the mix, but their rotation and bullpen are littered with question marks. The good news for fantasy owners is that the lineup returns in full force, and a trio of promising prospects will be sitting at Triple-A and waiting for opportunities to arise.

Projected Lineup
2B: Rickie Weeks
SS: J.J. Hardy
LF: Ryan Braun
1B: Prince Fielder
RF: Corey Hart
CF: Mike Cameron
3B: Bill Hall/Mike Lamb
C: Jason Kendall
Projected Pitchers
SP: Yovani Gallardo
SP: Dave Bush
SP: Jeff Suppan
SP: Manny Parra
SP: Seth McClung
CL: Trevor Hoffman
SU: Carlos Villanueva
Position Battles
Hall followed up a rough 2007 with an atrocious 2008. He hit .225 with a .689 OPS, and many Milwaukee-area Little Leaguers could have done a better job against right-handers (.174, .557 OPS). Hall handled lefties well (.306), and he is expected to start at third base when southpaws take the hill. Lamb should take over when right-handers are on the mound, and this situation is a platoon rather than a battle. Both duds are simply keeping the corner warm until Mat Gamel is ready.

The Brewers didn't re-sign Sabathia, haven't met Sheets' asking price, and weren't able to lure in another starter like Braden Looper. The front office admits to being thin on starting pitching, and McClung is penciled in as the default No. 5 option. The Brewers did re-sign Chris Capuano to a minor league deal, but he is coming off Tommy John surgery and won't be ready until May, at the earliest. The competition for McClung's job includes, uh, Chase Wright? Honestly, the organization is that thin at starting pitcher. It wouldn't be surprising if reliever Mark DiFelice is moved back to a starting role and is the No. 6 guy.

Breakout Players
We could make an argument for Weeks to appear in the "Don't Overpay" section, but we're instead taking an optimistic approach. The Brewers and fantasy owners have been waiting for this toolsy second baseman to stay healthy and show consistency. After four seasons, many people are fed up. The Brewers threw down the gauntlet last July, when they traded for veteran Ray Durham. Weeks knows it's time to step up or risk losing his job. The slivers of hope rest in his age (26) and the fact that he hit .263 and bumped up his walk total after last year's All-Star break. Weeks has the tools to smack 20 homers and swipe 25-30 bags, and his leadoff spot could lead to an excellent run total. We wouldn't blame any fantasy owner for avoiding him in 2009, but the opportunity and breakout potential remain.

Gallardo missed nearly all of 2008 due to two knee injuries, the second of which was a torn ACL. He came back in late September and made a couple postseason appearances. The lost campaign will push his value down for 2009, but we'll remind fantasy owners that this right-hander has ace-level stuff. Thus far, Gallardo has worked 134.1 innings in the majors, and he has posted a 3.35 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, and 121 strikeouts. Did we mention that he is not even 23 years old yet? We have no reason to believe his knee issues will be a recurring problem, and the only question is if he will stay fit enough to log 200 innings.

Parra went 10-8 with a 4.39 ERA in his first full season (166.0 innings) with the Brewers. He ended the year in the bullpen because the Brewers were riding their horses, but the club won't have such a luxury in 2009. Fantasy owners will be turned off by the 1.54 WHIP and 4.1 BB/9, but those numbers will improve. Parra posted 1.26 WHIP and 2.4 BB/9 rates in the minors, and his control was better over the second half of 2008. The southpaw also posted BABIP (.337) and HR/FB (13.5 percent) numbers above the mean. As his luck improves and his confidence rises, Parra should be a fine fantasy hurler. We don't see a future ace, but Parra is a nice late-round grab in mixed leagues and should be a mid-round bargain in NL-only formats.

Don't Overpay
Since 2001, only six major leaguers have slugged 50 or more homers in a season. One of the select few is Fielder, who swatted 50 long balls in 2007. Such prolific campaigns tend to resonate and stick in our memories, and many fantasy owners may continue to see Prince as a man with 50-home potential. We doubt it. Fielder slipped down to 34 homers in 2008, and he continued to struggle against southpaws (.733 OPS). The portly first basemen is an excellent bet to swat at least 35 dingers again in 2009, but he probably isn't going to sniff 100 runs or hit over .280. Fielder remains a valuable fantasy first baseman, but you should not pay like he's an elite option.

Rookie Watch
Scouts aren't sure if Gamel has the glove to handle third base in the majors, but the dude can swing the lumber. Gamel hit .325-20-99-99 over 132 games between Double-A and Triple-A last season. He also went 1-for-2 during a late cup of beer with the big club. Gamel will open 2009 at Triple-A, where he will try to prove that he can handle third base well enough to earn a promotion. If that doesn't happen, this promising slugger will move to the corner outfield, where he would be blocked by Braun and Hart. That's not a good thing. Maybe Bud Selig could move the Brewers back to the AL so that they could regain the DH spot.

Shortstop Alcides Escobar will play alongside Gamel at Triple-A, and the nice part about this prospect is that he actually fields well. In fact, the Brewers are just waiting for his bat to come around. Escobar hit .328 with 95 runs, 34 steals, eight homers, and 76 RBI at Double-A in 2008, and he went 2-for-4 in September with the big club. If he can show a consistent swing and a good batting eye at Triple-A, the Brewers may shift Hardy over to second base and open up a spot for this prospect. Of course, that would mean the club would have to give up on Weeks or move him to a new spot (center field?). It's tough to imagine that transition coming in the middle of a season. However, we'll remind readers than Hardy hasn't always been a bastion of health (124 games in 2005, 35 games in 2006), and Escobar could be a sprained ankle away from a promotion.

Catcher Angel Salome will also make the move from Double-A to Triple-A this year. He hit .360-13-83-67 over 98 games for Huntsville in 2008 and went 0-for-3 in the bigs. The 22-year-old backstop has shown a strong bat throughout his minor league career, but like Gamel, scouts question this prospect's glove. If Salome can shore up his defense, he could push Kendall out of the picture well before the end of the 2009 season. Kendall is 34, entering the final year of his contract, and may not have the best relationship with manager Ken Macha.

Injury Notes
Weeks underwent surgery in early October to clean out torn cartilage in his left knee. He is expected to be fully ready for spring training.

As noted earlier, Capuano is coming off Tommy John surgery. He underwent the procedure on May 16, 2008. It is the second time he has had the operation, with the previous surgery coming in 2002. The Brewers will be fortunate if he's ready before the end of this coming May. More likely, the southpaw won't be able to help their rotation until the second half of the 2009 season.

Reliever David Riske missed the end of the 2008 season due to a bone spur in his right elbow. He had surgery in mid-to-late September. The Brewers are optimistic that he'll be back to his old self this spring.