Brewers ST Preview 2010: 1st and 3rd Base

First Base: Prince Fielder is an MVP candidate after a great 2009. He hit .299 with 46 home runs and a club record 141 RBIs. Along with Ryan Braun, he is the heart and soul of the offense; when he’s doing well, the offense goes with him. Prince is under the Brewers control for two more seasons and will most likely make upwards of $20 million per year on the market. This could be an interesting year for him. If the Brewers struggle, his name will undoubtedly come up in trade rumors and the Brewers could be forced to trade him in order to get some return for him. This undoubtedly would not go over well, but being in a small market, the Brewers realize that they can’t compete with the likes of the Yankees or Redsox. As Prince plays every day, he doesn’t really have a backup, though I would imagine Mat Gamel’s name would come up if anything were to happen to him.

Third Base: Last year, Casey McGehee came out of nowhere to emerge as the every day third baseman and number 5 hitter. Had he had consistent playing time earlier in the season, he would’ve had a great chance to win NL Rookie of the Year. That being said, he still finished5th in the voting, hitting .301 with 16 home runs and 66 RBIs in only 116 games. At this time last year, most thought Gamel would have taken over 3^rd Base duties by this time, but McGehee’s emergence and Gamel’s inconsistent playing time (and holes in his swing) proved otherwise. Many speculate that Gamel’s defense will never make it at 3^rd base anyway, and see him moving to either 1^st if or when Fielder departs or a corner outfield position. The Brewers haven’t had a steady third baseman since the days of Jeff Cirillo, so let’s hope either McGehee or Gamel can stick long-term. In a few years, prospect Taylor Green could join this discussion.

Check back tomorrow for 2nd Base and Shortstop, including info on stud prospect Alcides Escobar.

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