Ryan Braun could try to use the excuse that he forgot his glove in the minors, but he did not have it there either. He could certainly mash though.

While the Pittsburgh Pirates have managed to keep the Milwaukee Brewers out of the cellar in the National League Central, this team did their own work this past season to get their name back into the limelight. Gone are the days of Yount, and here are the days of names like Fielder, Braun and Gallardo. While the finish was not as many would have hoped, the 2007 season will end up being one for fans to remember.

What Went Right

In a division that is known more for the former World Series Champs (St. Louis), one of the more storied franchises in all of the game (Chicago) and even a team that has been right on the heals of success for quite some time but couldn’t get it done (Houston), the Milwaukee Brewers really made a name for themselves in 2007 – with their first winning season in 15 years - despite falling short of the post season.

It is not often that you can set a franchise record for home runs as a team and still have one of the younger, developing squads in the league. We’ll start out with a guy who was voted to the All-Star game as a starter despite being the same position as National League darling Albert Pujols: Prince Fielder. Fielder went on to hit 50 home runs in 2007 and 119 RBI, good for third in the National League behind two players that you may have heard of in Matt Holliday and Ryan Howard. Fielder improved all three main splits year-over-year and finished with a line of .288/.395/.618 – a slugging percentage second to only teammate Ryan Braun…

…Which gives us a great transition to the recipient of this season’s Rookie of the Year award, Ryan Braun. Barely edging out Colorado shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, Braun took home the coveted award after finishing with a .324 batting average,.634 slugging percentage, and a rookie leading home run total of 34. The slugging percentages set a rookie record, previously set by Mark McGwire, who turned out to be a pretty decent ball player.

The pitching staff that included Ben Sheets, Francisco Cordero and Chris Capuano gave us all something to anticipate, but it was rookie hurler, Yovani Gallardo, that turned heads in the National League. While he had his bumps and bruises towards the end of the season, Gallardo posted a 9-5 record and struck out 101 batters while only walking 37 in 110 innings pitched. Despite a game that saw the rookie give up 11 earned runs in 2.2 innings, Gallardo finished with an ERA of 3.67 to go with a WHIP of 1.27.

Lastly, a player that many may feel failed to live up to expectations: Ricky Weeks. The club’s oft-injured second baseman really came into his own towards the end of the season. Despite a borderline horrific first half, Weeks still finished in the top half of the league in OPS, finishing with a line of .235/.374/.433. Look at the averages for the season, and then realize that his second-half OBP was over .420 and his OPS sniffed .900. The missed games are killer, but if this kid can stay healthy, it will give fans a ton to look forward to.

What Went Wrong

A promising season, as stated above, simply did not turn out as planned. The infield defense had been an issue all season long, but the fun did not stop there. The setup men (Carlos Villanueva, Brian Shouse, Derrick Turnbow, and Matt Wise) saw entirely too much action in the season, and they simply became burnt out. In fact, Turnbow had 13 appearances in the first month alone, and had 42 appearances by early July. Manager Ned Yost refused to let his starters log extensive innings, and the bullpen felt the brunt of things.

Starting pitcher (and would-be All-Star) Ben Sheets ran into health problems yet again. With all of the bats that were carrying this team, the pitching staff was a wreck. Too much planning, and not enough execution would be the bane of the Brewers’ existence. Shouse and Turnbow posted ERA’s of 8.44 and 9.35 respectively for the month of September, and as close as they came to making it to the playoffs, the Cubs just wouldn’t let that happen.

Couple all of this with disappointing seasons from infielder-turned-outfielder Bill Hall (.254/.315/.425) and starting pitcher Chris Capuano (5-12, 5.10 ERA), and you’re looking at a team that was vastly carried by several key players, a little bit of luck, and some clutch plays at times.

The Moves They Made

The one big move at the beginning of the season was a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks, as the Brewers unloaded Doug Davis, Dana Eveland, and Dave Krynzel in exchange for Greg Aquino, Johnny Estrada, and Claudio Vargas. Estrada would hit well for the Brewers, but his glove was so poor that they would essentially give Estrada away, and now the Mets are looking for someone – anyone – that will take him. Estrada’s glove skills are so poor that the Mets later traded for the no-hit Brian Schneider to start over Estrada and, as a slap in the face to Estrada, the Nationals said they were not interested in Estrada, as a free throw-in, in the trade. The worst part of this is, after all the horrible stuff we just said about Estrada, he was the best player in the trade for the Brewers.

The signing of Jeff Suppan in the offseason showed that the Brewers are willing to spend for the first time in ages. Suppan will never be a team ace, but he was a solid innings eater in the middle of the rotation for the Brewers, which is what they were asking him to be when they signed him. Suppan was 12-12 with a 4.62 ERA in 34 starts.

Reliever Scott Linebrink came to the team from the Padres in return for a handful of minor leaguers. Linebrink had a promising career in San Diego, but went on to underperform in Milwaukee, finishing with a 2-3 record with a 3.55 ERA and barely a 2:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. One of those prospects happened to be Will Inman, who was simply dominating in High-A and was one of the better prospects in the system. This is a trade that could easily come back to bite the Brewers, especially considering that Linebrink left at the end of the season.

The other main moves that the team made was calling up promising youngsters Ryan Braun and Yovani Gallardo. As mentioned above, these two did very well in the time which they were used and may have helped the team win a few more games had their names been called a bit sooner. Braun won the Rookie of the Year award over a guy who was on Colorado’s active roster from day one. This speaks volumes for the potential in his bat.

The Moves They Did Not Make (But Should Have)

The Brewers should have been used the starting pitching longer, earlier. Yes, Capuano went on to disappoint and Ben Sheets simply could not stay healthy, but the mileage put on the bullpen from day one was simply asking for disaster. Derrick Turnbow was far from the stud he was a few years back.

In terms of personnel moves, acquiring a starting pitcher to help the battered staff would have been a significant help to their playoff hopes. The back of the rotation was a mess, with Vargas struggling significantly as the season went on, Dave Bush being erratic as best, and Ben Sheets being back and forth on the disabled list.

The Brewers also should have made a move in their outfield. Bill Hall is not a classic center fielder and Ryan Braun is not a good third baseman. The Brewers should have considered moving Hall to third base, moving Corey Hart to center, and putting Braun in right field, where his defensive weaknesses would have been more easily masked. Now, the Brewers are looking at making such a move, hiding Braun in one of the corners. Maybe they should have done it before he booted one ball after another – Braun led the league in errors at third with 26, despite not having been in the majors in April and having played 49 less games than Ryan Zimmerman, who committed 23 errors, and 41 fewer games than Miguel Cabrera, who also committed 23. Zimmerman made up for his errors with the most assists at third in the game; Braun had the fewest. The Brewers probably should have brought Braun up even sooner than they did, but they also should have hidden him somewhere.

Where Now?

The departure of Francisco Cordero to the Reds is a significant blow to this club. One has to question the character of Cordero when he would turn down the offer from the Brewers, a contender, to leave for the Reds for only one million more per season so that he can receive fewer save opportunities for a team that has not contended in a decade. As for the Brewers, they are at this time still without a closer, although the team could look to Turnbow to resume closing duties that he had before his 2006 meltdown, which, ironically, is what brought Cordero to the club.

Another focus will have to be on replacing outfielder Geoff Jenkins and maximizing the positions of left field and third base. This will likely end up being where the team hides Braun in 2008, although it does leave them needing to fill third base instead then. There is talk of the team talking with Kenny Lofton, which would allow Hall to shift to third and have Lofton’s speed to cover up for Braun’s failings in left field.

With several big, young bats in the lineup and a promising starting pitcher in the mix, with the right moves and some execution, this team will be right in the thick of things come 2008.

Fantasy Corner

Three Keepers

1. Prince Fielder – Fielder has proven his worth as a stud slugger, and is a first round lock this year.

2. Ryan Braun – Do you really care about his glove when he hits 40 homers?

3. Yovani Gallardo – Promising arm without a ton of mileage

Three Sleepers

1. Matt LaPorta – Great power, loves hitting the opposite way

2. Mat Gamel – Could be the answer to the third base problems

3. Manny Parra – Can he stay healthy?