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MILWAUKEE -- Brewers general manager Doug Melvin doesn't like the notion of "bench players."

"They don't play on the bench," Melvin said while taking a stroll around Maryvale Baseball Park on Tuesday morning. "They come off the bench and play. I prefer to talk about those types of players in terms of depth."

OK, depth. Arguably, that has been the Brewers' biggest weakness in recent seasons, as Melvin and manager Ned Yost have tried desperately -- and more often than not, unsuccessfully -- to plug holes created by injuries.

They hope this year is different. Because so many of the Brewers' regulars are young and relatively low-priced, Melvin is spending millions in 2007 on a stable of players available to Yost off the bench. Infielders Craig Counsell and Tony Graffanino and catcher Damian Miller fit that bill, and because Bill Hall is the only sure thing in the outfield, players like Geoff Jenkins, Kevin Mench and Brady Clark will almost certainly see action off the bench.

Brewers