My First Prediction For the Year

I haven't decided whether to go through the whole dog and pony show of who will win what award and where each team will finish.

I just wanted to say, watch the Milwaukee Brewers, they will be much better than bloggers and fans think. We as Cubs fans like to pump we have one of the best farm systems in baseball. Right now Milwaukee has thee best farm system. Whether it starts to pay off this year, I don't know.

But the team they have now can give other teams problems, especially on the hitting side. 1 - 8 is a collection of scrappy little hitters that will single and double you until you claw your eyes out in frustration.

The top of that list is Craig Counsell. .266 career hitter with a .349 career OBP. Known for getting the big hits when his team needs them, ask the Marlins and D'Backs. You may hate his batting stance but he make pitchers work to get him out, he isn't an automatic out like ohhhh say Alex Gonzalez. In fact I wouldn't mind a straight up swap for the two of them, Counsell is a slick fielder also whether it be 3rd, 2nd, SS or OF.

Counsell could be on the way down, but that's no problem because the Brewers can replace him with a better guy named Bill Hall. He only batted .429 this spring with 10 RBI and 7 steals. It could be only a matter of time till Podesdnik and Hall are running rough shod against the likes of Barrett and his mighty 25% throw out rate.

Lyle Overbay, Ben Grieve, Wes Helms, Junior Spivey and Geoff Jenkins are the other notable batters. Jenkins and Spivey for which this lineup will depend on alot of its production. Overbay could be the wild card if he can just be Mark Grace like.

Most people will look at that and say its garbage, in fact on paper it even looks like garbage. The reason I like the lineup so much is that it reminds me of the Angels lineup a few years ago. None of them were really house hold names, just a collection of scrappy little hitters who didnt give up. I like to call it the "Pit Bull" mentality. Doesnt matter the size of the opposing dog or how many runs they are behind they will keep working and clawing until the final out of the 9th inning.

Naturally the biggest weak point is the pitching staff. But in all due respect the worst staff in the NL Central belongs to the Reds. I find the Brewers staff to be bad, but has the potential to just be mediocre. The bullpen could become a strong point by seasons end, and the Brewers have some arms they could call on from their deep farm system if they are ready.

Either the Cubs, Houston or St. Louis will falter and the Brewers will finish the year in 3rd place. They might even be .500.

I could be crazy, or I am just taking my scouting reports from MVP Baseball 2004 where the Brewers are always finishing 1st and kicking my ass, lol.

Whats the fun in predicting the Cubs are going to win the Division? Thats a given. I want a challenge in this little prediction/bragging rights contest. And I will go with the Brewers as one of the teams that comes out of no where this year.