Around the Horn

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Miller gearing up for new role as reserve backstop in 2007

MILWAUKEE -- Brewers catcher Damian Miller spent some time last summer talking about preparation with Jeff Cirillo, a fellow veteran who successfully made the transition from full-time starter to part-time fill-in. Cirillo told Miller he would need to work harder before and after games to be ready for the call, and he would need to watch more closely from the bench to stay sharp.

"At this point in my career, I knew it was only a matter of time before my load would change," Miller said this week from his northwest Wisconsin home. "I just didn't expect it to happen so fast."

Brewers

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Brewers set at first base, but questions linger at third

MILWAUKEE -- Last year, the Brewers gathered for Spring Training with some certainty at one infield corner and some questions about the other. That apparently will be the case again in 2007, only the roles are reversed.

Coming off a solid rookie season, first baseman Prince Fielder will be back for his sophomore season looking to build on a 28-homer, 81-RBI effort. But across the diamond at third base, the Brewers remain in limbo with third baseman Corey Koskie, who did not play after last July 5 because of post-concussion syndrome. His uncertain status for 2007 has the team "concerned, but not alarmed," according to the club's top medical official, and ultimately unsure who will man the hot corner on Opening Day.

Brewers

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Weeks, Hardy preparing to come back strong in 2007

Rickie Weeks and J.J. Hardy are both well on their way to good health for the start of Spring Training, and the Brewers are anxious to see what their young middle-infield duo can do with a full season on the field.

Both players needed season-ending surgery in 2006 to repair problems related to tendons that were painfully "snapping" out of place -- Hardy's in his right ankle and Weeks' in his right wrist. Weeks was cleared to resume batting drills this week and Hardy has been taking ground-balls for nearly a month. Both are anxious to get back on the field.

"Yeah, we're both coming back from surgeries and I can see why people have questions," Hardy said this week while driving home from Maryvale Baseball Park. "But we're still going to be the same baseball players. Speaking for myself, I definitely have something to prove. I'm itching to get back right now."

Brewers

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Jenkins seeks comeback season; Brewers to try Hall in outfield

MILWAUKEE -- Geoff Jenkins is heading into a contract year, but he's more concerned about making it a statement year.

The Brewers figure to have a knockdown, drag-out Spring Training battle between outfielders vying for roster spots. Much of the focus will be on Jenkins, a former first-round Brewers' draft pick and an everyday player since 1999, who is coming off a winter of "soul searching" and will be looking to hold onto his job as the team's starting right fielder.

"If I'm there, I will be a starter. You can book that," Jenkins said last week. "That's going to be my mind set going into camp. I want to come back and show everybody that I'm the guy."

Brewers

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Brewers' rotation all set with Suppan and Sheets at top

MILWAUKEE -- Usually, the pitching mounds tucked behind the Major League clubhouse at Maryvale Baseball Park in Arizona are the site of some of the Brewers' best Spring Training battles. Not this season.

Who can remember the last time the Brewers reported to camp without a fight for spots at the back end of the starting rotation? This time -- barring an injury, of course -- things appear set.

"It's hard to find a starting rotation as stable and as set as ours is right now," said Brewers left-hander Chris Capuano, who made the 2006 National League All-Star team. "You never know how things will shake out with injuries, but if everyone stays healthy, we've got as good a rotation as you'll find."

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MILWAUKEE -- He's a Brewers teammate and a best friend, so Matt Wise's opinion of fellow reliever Derrick Turnbow's readiness is admittedly biased. Still, it's worth mentioning.
"I couldn't hit him right now," Wise cracked earlier this week. "And I batted 1.000 in the big leagues one year."

Never mind that Wise was talking about 2005, when he went 1-for-1 at the plate -- an RBI single. The point remains.

"Turnbow is as strong as an ox right now," Wise said. "We threw bullpens the other day and I'm not sure what mine looked like, but his was thoroughly impressive. I think that instead of burying his head in the sand after last year, he used it as motivation in his workouts.

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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