Milwaukee's resurgence leads off top April stories

	Prince Fielder and the Brewers lead the pack in the NL Central. Frank Orris/WireImage.com

Also in this column:
• Boston's other Japanese star
• Bad news for Torre
• Dolan-Yankees update
• More news and notes

The Daily Scoop Player of the Month? Well, that's pretty obvious, and it's not such a surprise, either. It's the great Alex Rodriguez, of course.

Team of the Month? That one's a little harder to believe. From the city known for its brats, beer and bad baseball, it's the Milwaukee Brewers, the perennial second-division dwellers and playoff watchers since 1982 who finally look like a contender after all these years.

I could be cynical and point out that anybody in the National League Central gets to be a contender. But the 15-8 Brewers appear to have a lot more going for them than just divisional advantages. "They're a good club," one major league scout said. 'They're not a fluke."

Some of many things to like about this ballclub, beyond its 3 1/2-game lead (largest in the NL) are its balance, youth, athleticism, bullpen and top of the rotation. The infield, with Prince Fielder, Rickie Weeks and J.J. Hardy, is young and dynamic, and it only gets better once third baseman Ryan Braun, a former No. 1 pick and a "stud," according to our scout, joins them. Braun has hit seven home runs already for Triple-A Nashville.

The Brewers are benefiting from the productive drafts of scouting director Jack Zduriencik. (Besides the studly infield, speedy outfielder Corey Hart and the power-hitting Bill Hall, the Brewers' secret weapon may be another Triple-A phenom, right-hander Yovani Gallardo, who's 3-1 with 33 Ks in 23 innings so far). The team is also benefiting from the creativity of GM Doug Melvin, who acquired dominating closer Francisco Cordero from his old Rangers team when he dumped the unsignable Carlos Lee at last year's trade deadline. Cordero is 10-for-10 in saves and has allowed just two hits while striking out 19 in 11 1/3 innings. With Derrick Turnbow re-establishing himself as a nice setup man, the Brewers look as secure as anyone at the back end of the bullpen.

The front end of the rotation, for years dependent on Ben Sheets and his shaky health, now has Melvin's free-agent signee Jeff Suppan (3-2, 2.97) plus Chris Capuano (4-0, 3.21). The veterans provide a nice mix, too, with most of the 30-somethings, such as Craig Counsell, Tony Graffanino, Damian Miller and Elmer Dessens, serving secondary roles. Cordero is just about the only indispensable part who's over 30 (he's 31).

The best thing about the Brewers, according to our scout, is this: "They're built for the next five years."

More great April stories

Red Sox (16-8) -- The posting and signing of Daisuke Matsuzaka got all the attention, but the addition of Hideki Okajima for about 1/25th the price ($4 million) of Matsuzaka has been just as vital, at least in the games vs. the Yankees, of which the Red Sox have won five out of six.

Indians (15-8) -- Beyond a three-game series at the last-place Yankees, Cleveland is playing to its capability after a wasted 2006 season. The Indians finished the month winning seven of eight. Fernando Cabrera (18 Ks in 12 innings) is a secret weapon.

Diamondbacks (15-11) -- Stephen Drew's walkoff home run off Trevor Hoffman on Thursday spoiled the best pitching performance of the year (Jake Peavy, 16 K's) and sent Arizona off on its current five-game winning streak. The Arizona bullpen was supposed to be weak, but the D'backs have won a lot of games late. If only Randy Johnson can get it together.

Braves (15-9) -- Tim Hudson (3-0. 1.22) is back to his A's game, they have real power (a league-high 34 home runs) and their bullpen is rebuilt. But our scout said, "I don't think the Braves have enough to maintain. And I can't trust a team with Bob Wickman as its closer."