EVENTS
 Sportsman of the Year
 Heisman Trophy
 Swimsuit 2001

6. Milwaukee Brewers

Rebuilding began with a flurry of trades, but none yielded much instant help

By Stephen Cannella

Offense Defense Starting Pitching Bullpen Manager First year 1999 Record 74-87 (fifth in NL Central) Batting Order CF Marquis Grissom SS Mark Loretta LF Geoff Jenkins RF Jeromy Burnitz 3B Jose Hernandez 1B Kevin Barker 2B Ron Belliard C Henry Blanco Bench C Tyler Houston IF Luis Lopez IF Sean Berry OF Mark Sweeney OF James Mouton Starters RH Steve Woodard RH Jimmy Haynes RH Jamey Wright RH John Snyder RH Jaime Navarro Bullpen RH Bob Wickman RH David Weathers RH Curtis Leskanic RH Juan Acevedo RH Jason Bere LH Matt T. Williams Next Up... First baseman Kevin Barker is the rarest of breeds in the Brewers' clubhouse: a homegrown product who rocketed through the system. A third-round draft choice out of Virginia Tech in 1996, Barker was the organization's minor league player of the year in '99 after hitting 23 homers and driving in 87 runs at Triple A Louisville. Called up in August, he hit .282 with three home runs in 38 games -- enough for the Brewers to hand Barker, 24, the starting job this spring over veteran Sean Berry. "Kevin's a tremendously hard worker, a throwback," says manager Davey Lopes. "He just has to be careful not to pressure himself to hit for power up here. He's improved at every level. The home runs will come." The Book An opposing team's scout sizes up the Brewers "Davey Lopes waited a long time to get a big league managing job. Now that he has one, he doesn't have a good team at all.... When Steve Woodard is your No. 1 pitcher, you're in trouble. Woodard is not bad, it's just that he's not a No. 1.... Bob Wickman and David Weathers are reliable relievers, and I like Rocky Coppinger's stuff. But like the rotation, the bullpen is short on lefthanders -- except for maybe Rafael Roque, who's nothing special.... The Brewers have a good offense, especially in the outfield. They should stop platooning Geoff Jenkins in leftfield and let him get 500 at bats. He's a fearless hitter and plays hard every day.... Third baseman Jose Hernandez looked bad at the plate at the end of last season with Atlanta. It will be interesting to see if he bounces back.... Second baseman Ron Belliard is recovering from a dislocated thumb. Maybe he'll use the time to get in shape. After one season in the big leagues he showed up at camp 20 pounds overweight, and if he's not careful, his career could slide downhill like Carlos Baerga's."

It's hard to say which is the more daunting construction project: Miller Park, the Brewers' half-finished stadium, or the ball club itself. When Dean Taylor left his post as Braves assistant general manager last September to succeed Sal Bando as Milwaukee's G.M., he went from the equivalent of a gleaming, high-rent office tower to a trash-strewn vacant lot. It wasn't merely that the Brewers have had only two winning seasons in the last 11 years. The organization's player development program was also in disarray -- only four of Milwaukee's 12 first-round picks from 1989 to '97 are in the majors -- and the franchise was reeling from the accident last July that killed three ironworkers at Miller and delayed the park's opening by at least a year, to Opening Day, 2001.

To Taylor, however, the project has promise. "I see a lot of similarities between the Braves of 1990 and the Brewers of 2000," says Taylor, who wears Atlanta's '91 National League Championship ring engraved with the words worst to first. "They were a last-place club, morale was low throughout the organization, and we had to get the players to believe they could win. We have a significant amount of retooling to do."

Burnitz and his fellow outfielders will have to exert all their power to keep pitching-poor Milwaukee from getting blown out.Ronald C. Modra

So Taylor grabbed a hard hat and shovel and set about a massive rebuilding job. Over the winter he restaffed the scouting and player development departments with 22 new faces and gutted the roster by making six trades that, when all players-to-be-named-later are named, will mean 12 new bodies brought into the fold. Sent packing were third baseman Jeff Cirillo and second baseman Fernando Viña, both All-Stars and fan favorites; acquired were a bevy of (mostly young) pitchers and a couple of experienced catchers, two areas that Taylor targeted for immediate upgrading. "We had to determine which players were most marketable," says Taylor of trading two of Milwaukee's few name players. "The Cirillo deal got us two quality arms and [28-year-old catcher Henry] Blanco, which filled a huge need."

Taylor also hired Davey Lopes -- a 12-year major league coach whose only managing experience consisted of two seasons in the Arizona fall league -- to run the show and create what Taylor calls "a more structured, professional environment, which had been lacking here." To that end Lopes has tightened up the team's dress code while drilling the troops in his characteristically blunt style. "I think there's a more professional manner around here," says starter Steve Woodard. "There's no bullcrap going on."

"I don't care what happened in the past," says Lopes. "All I care about is how it will be as long as I'm in the seat."

His view from that perch is of a pitching staff in tatters. Taylor's transactions left Lopes with not only an overhauled rotation -- Woodard is the only returning starter -- but also one in which nobody looks remotely like a future Glavine or Maddux. Jamey Wright, 25, acquired in the Cirillo deal from Colorado, was 25-33 with a 5.57 ERA (7.06 at Coors Field, 4.14 closer to sea level) in four seasons there. He has the most promising stuff of any starter, but he went down with a partially torn rotator cuff on March 14 and will start the season on the disabled list. The A's were willing to unload 27-year-old righthander Jimmy Haynes for a minor leaguer and cash; righty John Snyder, 25, was acquired from the White Sox after having elbow surgery last September. Then there's veteran Jaime Navarro, back with the Brewers after five years with the Cubs and the White Sox. Navarro can't even use injury as an excuse for his recent misery: During three seasons with the Sox, no American League starter had more losses (43) or a higher ERA (6.06).

Milwaukee's opponents stole bases on 80% of their attempts last season, but walks shouldn't turn into instant doubles this year; for the Rockies in '99, Blanco gunned down 39 of 98 would-be thieves, almost 40% (fifth in the league). The hyperactive Taylor left the outfield intact, and with good reason: It anchors an offense that will score in double figures often enough to get the sorry staff an occasional win. Geoff Jenkins in left and Jeromy Burnitz in right combined for 54 home runs and 185 RBIs in the third and fourth spots last year. Centerfielder and leadoff hitter Marquis Grissom went on an off-season workout binge to strengthen his chronically sore hamstrings. "People don't care if you're hurt, they just want to see you produce," says Grissom. "I learned that the hard way."

Taylor also signed free agent Jose Hernandez to replace Cirillo. "We think he can give us power at third base, something this club hasn't had," says Taylor. "That said, he's not going to hit .326."

Nor will the Brewers be ready to compete in the NL Central anytime soon, despite the protestations of Taylor. Even Lopes admits, "Every building has a strong foundation. We have to build that."

Issue date: March 27, 2000

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