What can former Brewers tell us about Sunday's final NFL game?

By now you've likely heard that, at roughly 5:30 pm tonight, football teams from the states of Colorado and Washington will square off in a football game most of America is expected to watch (for the commercials). If you're looking for some insightful observations on what will happen in today's contest, I might be the wrong guy to ask. To be honest, I'm more interested in the second day's action in the Caribbean Series.

If you'd like me to pick a winner based on an arbitrary and largely unrelated set of criteria, though, then this post was written with you in mind. I'm picking the Seahawks, mostly because of Geoff Jenkins and Lyle Overbay.

Jenkins and Overbay, you see, are two of the 13 players born in the state of Washington who have worn a Brewers uniform over the years. Here's the full list:

Jenkins is third on the Brewers all-time list with 212 home runs, although he's only one long ball ahead of Ryan Braun (211). According to the 2010 Census (via Wikipedia), Centralia has just 16,336 residents but is the birthplace of a pair of former Brewers. See, aren't you glad you stopped by now? You learned something today.

The list of Brewers born in Colorado is a much lesser group:

Chris Narveson is probably the most valuable member of this group, and he's certainly the only one of these five to make a postseason appearance as a Brewer. That's something, at least: Neither Jenkins or Overbay have done that. And since we're using this ridiculous idea to predict a playoff game, I guess that's something to take into consideration.

Narveson has 26 career wins as a major league pitcher, mostly from 2010 (12) and 2011 (11). Geoff Jenkins hit 33 sac flies in his ten seasons as a Brewer. So there you have it: Today Seattle wins, 33-26.

Uecker, who is 80, will skip some Brewers road trips this season.

For decades across Wisconsin Bob Uecker has been the voice of summer, enduring the grind of 162 games over six months and the accompanying travel challenges. Today he announced he'll be cutting back on that commitment a bit in 2014.

This morning Uecker announced on WTMJ that he'll reduce his 2014 schedule, calling all 81 home games but only going along on select road trips. This is somewhat similar to the arrangement the Dodgers have with Vin Scully. The definition of "select road trips" also appears to be fluid, as Uecker said he'll want to be with the team down the stretch on the road if the Brewers get hot.

Uecker's B-Ref page says he turned 79 on Sunday, although at Brewers On Deck he insisted he was turning 80. He took some time away from the team following heart surgery in 2010, but his health does not appear to be the issue here: Greg Matzek of WTMJ says there's "no cause for alarm."

In 2010 the Brewers filled in for Uecker by having then-partner Cory Provus call all nine innings with Davey Nelson joining him in the booth. At this point we haven't heard what the Brewers are planning for Uecker's absences in 2014.

We're looking at pitcher workloads and more in today's roundup of all things Brewers.

Some things to read while not getting it.

We are eleven days away from pitchers and catchers reporting to Maryvale and, yes, I've had to alter the countdown again. We had previously been told players were reporting for spring training on Feburary 14, but now I'm seeing February 15 on SB Nation's list of Cactus League report dates. As part of their preparations to open the season in Australia, the Diamondbacks will be the first team to report when they arrive on Thursday.

Yovani Gallardo will be one of the Brewers reporting on or before the 15th, as he looks to bounce back from his worst MLB season. Gallardo has thrown at least 3000 pitches in each of the last five seasons, and Anthony Joshi-Pawlowic of Beyond the Box Score wonders if that number should replace 200 innings as the mark of a pitcher who's thrown a full season.

Matt Garza will also be coming to Maryvale this spring for the first time as a Brewer. If he could replay the offseason he might be an Angel, though: They reportedly offered him a similar contract around the Winter Meetings but took it off the table when he didn't immediately accept it.

Position players aren't required to arrive in camp until February 21, but most of the Brewers' non-roster invitees will likely be there early as they look to make a good impression. David Schoenfield of ESPN has a look at NRI's around the NL and in his note on the Brewers he suggests the team could find a way to keep all three of Juan Francisco, Lyle Overbay and Mark Reynolds.

Ariel Pena will be appearing in Brewers camp for the second time this spring, while Zach Duke will have a locker in Maryvale for the first time after signing a minor league contract this winter. The Brewer Nation profiled Pena and Duke in the latest installments in their "Brewers By the (Jersey) Numbers" series.

It's also possible the Brewers still have a locker open for another reliever or two. Tyler Drenon of SBNation.com has a look at the bullpen candidates that are still available, including former Brewers Francisco Rodriguez and Michael Gonzalez.

In the minors:

• Brewers Farm Report has unveiled their list of the Brewers' top 25 prospects for 2014, with Tyrone Taylor and Jimmy Nelson #1 and 2.
• Behind the paywall at ESPN, Keith Law has his rankings of the top ten Brewers prospects. His list has Taylor first, Devin Williams second and Nelson sixth.
• Meanwhile in Venezuela, Sunday was the second day of the 2014 Caribbean Series and Martin Maldonado's Mayaguez team picked up their first loss, falling 6-3 to Hermosillo, Mexico (box score). Maldonado had a hit and drove in a run in the ninth inning but it wasn't enough to overcome former Brewer minor leaguer Zelous Wheeler's two home runs.
• Mayaguez did pick up a win on Saturday, though, beating Licey, Dominican Republic in the tournament's first game. Irving Falu homered in the win.
• Juan Francisco's Licey team was off on Sunday but returns to action today, playing the team representing Cuba this afternoon. Cuba returned to the Caribbean Series for the first time this year after being absent for several seasons, and their involvement in the tournament has drawn protests in Venezuela.
• Chris Mehring of Rattler Radio has photos of a snow-covered Neuroscience Group Field.

Back in Milwaukee, it's been a rough winter for pavement all over the city but especially on the ring road surrounding Miller Park, which has seen more traffic than expected and some major frost heaves. The team is currently hoping the road will level back off when temperatures rise again but recognizes the possibility that they may have to work with the stadium district for repairs if it doesn't.

If you weren't around the site over the weekend you might have missed JP's weekly look at what we learned over the previous seven days. This week's top stories involved Matt Garza, Bob Uecker and prospect rankings.

Around baseball:

Angels: Avoided arbitration with third baseman David Freese ($5 million) and reliever Kevin Jepsen ($1.4 million) and signed catcher Yorvit Torrealba to a minor league deal.
Cubs: Signed pitcher Jason Hammel to a one-year, $6 million contract and James McDonald to a minor league deal.
Dodgers: Avoided arbitration with catcher A.J. Ellis (one year, $3.55 million).
Marlins: Signed outfielder Reed Johnson to a minor league deal.
Mets: Signed infielder/outfielder Matt Clark to a minor league deal.
Nationals: Avoided arbitration with pitcher Doug Fister (one year, $7.2 million).
Orioles: Signed infielder Alex Gonzalez to a minor league deal.
Padres: Signed reliever Tony Sipp to a minor league deal.
Rangers: Signed reliever Daniel Bard to a minor league deal.
Rays: Signed infielder Wilson Betemit to a minor league deal.
Red Sox: Signed pitcher Rich Hill to a minor league deal.
Reds: Signed outfielder Roger Bernadina to a minor league deal.
Rockies: Re-signed reliever Manny Corpas to a minor league deal.
Royals: Designated infielder Emilio Bonifacio for assignment and avoided arbitration with reliever Aaron Crow (one year, $1.475 million).
Tigers: Avoided arbitration with catcher Alex Avila (one year, $4.15 million).

Today in former Brewers:

• On Friday we compared ten relievers likely to pitch for the 2014 Brewers to the top ten active former Brewers relievers across baseball, and gave the advantage to the former Brewers.
• Chris Capuano remains a free agent as spring training approaches, and he's apparently now willing to consider one-year deals. Jeff Sullivan of FanGraphs explained why he expects Capuano to be a bargain for a team this winter. Halos Daily considered Capuano as a possible fit for the Angels.
• @wezen_ball noticed a massive mustache on Carlos Villanueva's new baseball card.
• Let's Go Tribe notes that Tyler Houston is one of 12 former big leaguers who were born on a Super Bowl Sunday. Houston was born on January 17, 1971, the same day the Colts beat the Cowboys 16-13 in Super Bowl V.

Today in baseball economics:

• Citing "unprecedented demand," the Dodgers are raising ticket prices by as much as 40% for 2014.
• The Orioles are expected to spend over $100 million on payroll this season, a mark they haven't reached since Cot's Contracts began tracking such things in 2000.

This isn't exactly an economics note, but it's close: The Astrodome has been added to the National Register of Historic Places, which could qualify it for state and federal tax credits if an effort to renovate the former home of the Astros comes through. All previous attempts to do so have failed.

Finally, with help from the B-Ref Play Index, we'd like to wish a happy birthday today to:

• 1998 Brewer Eric Owens, who turns 43.
• Seattle Pilot and 1970 Brewer Wayne Comer, who turns 70. We covered his birthday in Today In Brewer History last year.

Today is also the fourth anniversary of the Brewers claiming Marco Estrada off waivers from the Nationals in 2010. We covered that event in Today In Brewer History two years ago.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to keep trying.

Drink up.

Planning a trip to Phoenix this spring? Here's a quick crowdsourced guide to picking the best parks to visit.

Three weeks from Thursday the Brewers play their first Cactus League game of the 2014 season. I'll miss that game, but I'm headed out to the desert for the next one and a few more after that.

If you've never been out to Arizona for spring training and you have the means, I strongly recommend it. If you decide to go, though, you may struggle to decide which ballparks to check out. Thankfully, the internet collects ratings of such things. Here's a quick guide to Cactus League facilities, as ranked by Yelp.

Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, Diamondbacks/Rockies, roughly 4.5 stars (94 reviews)

This park is frequently treated as the crown jewel of the Cactus League and will be the League's newest facility until the Cubs open their new one in a few weeks.  Salt River Fields is frequently used for other events beyond baseball, so some reviewers were there for things like a Tim McGraw concert, some kind of Halloween balloon event and a food truck festival.

Once I finally found people who had been to actual baseball games here, I found adjectives like "fancy," comments on extensive food options and complimentary sunscreen.

Of course, visiting Arizona's fanciest spring facility comes at a cost. Reviewers noticed that the park is very busy, prices are high and you're not as close to the players, making it hard to get autographs or photos.

Peoria Sports Complex, Mariners/Padres, roughly 4.5 stars (55 reviews)

One reviewer called this shared facility "one of the older new spring training facilities." It's 20 years old and lot of features you see at other new parks were tried here first. The facility is being updated with some minor renovations before this spring.

Because this is becoming one of the Cactus League's older parks, tickets are a little less expensive. It's also a little less crowded and one reviewer said it's less "rowdy" than other parks.

Complaints I noticed included "not much shade" and a small and cramped team store, but the ballpark didn't receive a single Yelp review below three stars.

Camelback Ranch, White Sox/Dodgers, roughly 4 stars (85 reviews)

This facility in Glendale was nice enough to convince the Dodgers to move to Arizona after decades in Florida a few years ago, and the Phoenix New Times listed it as the "best place to see a spring training game" in 2013.

Free parking always draws positive reviews and this park has it. I also saw nice comments about landscaping and relatively inexpensive tickets. I even saw one Giants fan and "big Dodger hater" call it the best spring facility in Arizona.

I did see some complaints about traffic, especially for night games, uninteresting food options and lack of shade. Someone also said to "watch out for the pig in the bathroom." I have no idea what that means.

Scottsdale Stadium, Giants, roughly 4 stars (86 reviews)

While a lot of spring facilities have been constructed out in big open areas, Scottsdale Stadium is tucked away in Old Town Scottsdale, a touristy area with lots of shops, bars and restaurants.

Being in a busy neighborhood is both a blessing and a curse, as there's plenty to do before and after games but you may also struggle to find parking. This ballpark is also frequently crowded with Giants fans, which is great unless you don't like Giants fans.

One complaint that I can verify personally is that it's hard to find shade here, which can make it a long day if it's hot in the desert. I also noticed complaints about high prices and sellouts.

Surprise Stadium, Rangers/Royals, roughly 4 stars (42 reviews)

Holding over 10,000 fans, this shared home for two AL teams is one of the bigger Cactus League facilities and opened in 2002.

This was the first spring training facility where I saw a reviewer say something positive about the neighborhood, complimenting the city of Surprise for "doing a superb job of creating a family-friendly area." There's also free parking here, and several reviewers noted friendly staff.

I did see a couple of people complaining about beer prices (one mentioned paying $9.50 for a tall can of PBR) and slow concession service. I've also previously heard complaints about travel distance, as Surprise is on the northwest corner of the metro area.

Tempe Diablo Stadium, Angels, roughly 4 stars (41 reviews)

I've never actually been in this ballpark, but I've probably driven by a dozen times on I-10. This former home of the Pilots and Brewers (1969-71) has been the Angels' home facility since 1993, and will be through at least 2025. Reviewers seem to imply it's somewhere between "nice" and "fine," but most of the people complimenting it appear to accompany that with "but (other park) is better."

Positive comments here included easy parking (at least one reviewer also complained about parking, so take that with a grain of salt), a relaxing atmosphere in grass seating and a cool exterior.

Negative notes on this park include a "lack of atmosphere." I had a hard time finding reviews with anything interesting to say about this facility, positive or negative.

Maryvale Baseball Park, Brewers, roughly 3.5-4 stars (22 reviews)

If you're headed out to Phoenix to check out the Brewers, odds are you'll find yourself here at some point. Let me clear up one of the first misconceptions about it: It's actually in the City of Phoenix, not Maryvale.

Glancing over the reviews, people seem to like that the ballpark isn't as crowded as many Cactus League facilities, has good sightlines and relatively inexpensive beer.

The primary complaint about Maryvale has been and probably always will be the neighborhood. One Yelper said: " the simple fact is, it's the kind of neighborhood you'd avoid being in if you didn't have a reason to go." I also noticed several complaints about getting in and out of the parking lot, but that's pretty standard at any ballpark.

Goodyear Ballpark, Indians/Reds, roughly 3.5 stars (28 reviews)

Among the lower-rated spring ballparks, this is the newest one. Completed in 2009, Goodyear is one of the more remote spring training facilities, located about 20 miles west of Phoenix. The phrase "middle of nowhere" gets used frequently to describe it.

The upside to building out in the middle of nowhere, though, is a park that draws compliments for having plenty of room and opportunities to walk around, having seats in both the sun and shade and a good chance to win giveaway items.

The biggest complaint is, as I've already mentioned, that this is a pretty remote facility by Arizona standards. One reviewer called it "the nicest stadium that nobody visits." Another said it "doesn't have character yet."

Phoenix Municipal Stadium, Athletics, roughly 3.5 stars (45 reviews)

Aside from Maryvale, Phoenix Muni is the only other Cactus League ballpark in the actual city of Phoenix. This is also its last year as a spring training facility: The A's are moving into the Cubs' former home in Mesa next season.

This is the Cactus League's oldest ballpark, and many of the top complaints about it suggest a "no frills" experience. Commenters noticed a lack of HD scoreboards, small numbers of food vendors and tiny bathrooms. One Yelper called it "the most bland & generic of them all."

With that said, the same people who mentioned the "no frills" type issues also noted that the ballpark was clean and well-maintained, the limited food selection was at least of good quality, and small crowds make it easy to find a good seat.

Cubs Park, Cubs, not rated

The Cubs open a new facility this spring, so I don't have any ratings to share here. A local friend lives in Mesa and told me it looks "amazing."

We're asking who gets the ball on Opening Day and more in today's roundup of all things Brewers.

Some things to read while ducking for cover.

We are ten days away from pitchers and catchers reporting to Maryvale, and from there it's about six short weeks to Opening Day. The Brewers have yet to officially announce who will get the ball when they face the Braves on March 31, but as part of his inbox yesterday Adam McCalvy said he'd give the ball to Kyle Lohse. Lohse started on Opening Day for the Cardinals in both 2008 and 2012.

Lohse, Matt Garza and Yovani Gallardo give the Brewers a pretty formidable group of veterans at the top of the rotation, but how does it compare to their rivals? Justin Schultz of Reviewing the Brew has this group as the third best in the division.

Whoever gets the ball on Opening Day is likely to have Scooter Gennett playing behind them, unless the Braves send a lefty to the mound. Josh Duggan of MLB Daily Dish says the Brewers have a position of strength at second base and should trade...hey, don't look at me like that. I'm just the messenger.

There's still a fair amount of debate out there about whether or not the Brewers can compete in the NL Central with their current roster, but at least they've lifted themselves out of one writer's projected basement: David Schoenfield of ESPN is ranking every team from 1-30 and has the Brewers outside of his bottom five and ahead of the Cubs.

The early schedule may give us a pretty solid indication of this team's chances, as five of the Brewers' first six regular season series are against 2013 playoff teams. Adam Wieser of Disciples of Uecker has a breakdown of the full schedule.

Before that, though, the Brewers need to get through the Cactus League. Yesterday we used Yelp reviews to crowdsource a ranking of Arizona spring training ballparks.

The Brewers will face the Cubs in Maryvale on March 3, and travel to Chicago's new park in Mesa for the first time on March 9. Carrie Muskat of MLB.com has a picture from outside the new facility.

In the minors:

• Miller Park Prospects unveiled their list of the top 25 prospects in the Brewers organization yesterday, led by Tyrone Taylor.

Juan Francisco's winter ball season appears to be over, as he was left off of Licey's roster for the Caribbean Series. Looking back a few months, Jeff Sullivan of FanGraphs says a pitch he took deep against Sergio Romo and the Giants on August 5 was the second most outside homer of the 2013 season.

Around baseball:

Astros: Signed pitcher Jerome Williams to a one-year deal.
Diamondbacks: Avoided arbitration with outfielder Gerardo Parra (one year, $4.85 million) and signed manager Kirk Gibson and general manager Kevin Towers to contract extensions.
Mets: Signed reliever Kyle Farnsworth to a minor league deal.
Rangers: Signed pitcher Armando Galarraga to a minor league contract.

There's still a fair amount of work to do around baseball, as ten of MLB Trade Rumors' top 50 free agents have yet to find new homes for 2014. Yesterday a poll showed over 25% of voters expect former Pirates pitcher A.J. Burnett to be the next to sign.

This large group of unsigned free agents isn't sitting well with the MLBPA, and they're voicing their concerns regarding teams' public comments about unsigned players. Collusion is tough to prove, but the implication may get things moving a bit.

Today in former Brewers:

• Francisco Rodriguez is represented by Scott Boras, who told @JonMorosi he's close to finding a home for K-Rod and three of his other clients.
• Michael Horne of Urban Milwaukee has a look at John Axford's former home in Fox Point, which is now for sale for $1.7 million and might include a garage that's bigger than your current home.

Finally, with help from the B-Ref Play Index, we'd like to wish a happy birthday today to:

• 2004 and 2006 Brewer Ben Hendrickson, who turns 33. We covered his birthday in Today In Brewer History last year.
• 1986-92 Brewer Dan Plesac, who turns 52. We covered his birthday in Today In Brewer History two years ago.
• 1982-83 Brewer Rob Picciolo, who turns 61.
• 1977 Brewer Steve Brye, who turns 65.

Plunk Everyone notes that Plesac's 17 career hit batsmen are tied for the fifth most ever for a pitcher born on February 4.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm not drinking this.

Drink up.

Today we'll wrap up this series by asking you to pick a winner.

Over the last few weeks we've gone position-by-position through a theoretical matchup comparing likely members of the 2014 Brewers to a team comprised of active former members of the big league club. For a recap of our work to this point, check out these posts:

• Infield - We gave the current Brewers major advantages at catcher, second and third base, while the former Brewers were better off at first base and shortstop.
• Outfield - The current Brewers won both right and center field, while the former Brewers were better in left.
• Starting rotation - This was a tie, with each side winning two spots and one push.
• Bullpen - The former Brewers swept this category.

So now let's put the two rosters side-by-side. Before I do that, here's your token reminder that the current Brewers lineup is just my projection, and since the former Brewers are a hypothetical team I'm also guessing for them:

Lineups:

Benches

Rotations

Bullpens (pick 7 from each list):

So what do you think? Over a full season, which team would win more games?

I'll be checking in with Downtown Ollie Burrows today to continue the countdown to spring training.

With baseball season rapidly approaching, it's time to ramp up the radio visits.

Today at 6:30 I'll be checking in on The Sports Den with Downtown Ollie Burrows on Sports Fan 100.5 in Wausau to talk all things Brewers. I'm usually on for one segment in Wausau, so it'll be a brief stop.

You can listen in live on FM 100.5 across north central Wisconsin, or if that's not an option you can also hear the show over the web on ESPN1005.com. Check it out!

We're watching the equipment leave for Phoenix and more in today's roundup of all things Brewers.

Some things to read while getting the whole story.

We are nine days away from pitchers and catchers reporting to Maryvale, and everything will be ready when they get there. Adam McCalvy reports (via Twitter) that the last equipment truck will leave Milwaukee for Phoenix today. Hopefully the drivers aren't taking directions from Jess Lemont of The Brewers Bar, who accidentally went on assignment to Scaryvale.

Speaking of scary things, the Brewers are reportedly one of three teams still interested in former Cubs and Dodgers reliever Carlos Marmol (h/t @Mass_Haas). The Red Sox and Marlins are the others. Marmol has 117 career saves over eight MLB seasons but has also walked 6.1 batters per nine innings for his career.

Signing Marmol probably wouldn't change either of these projections much: Baseball Prospectus has the Brewers winning 80 games this season and finishing in third place, ahead of the Pirates (h/t The Cub Reporter). Meanwhile, David Schoenfield of ESPN says he's off the Brewers bandwagon, ranked the team 21st in all of baseball and is predicting 76 wins.

Around here, many of us aren't much more optimistic. As of this writing the community is split in our poll to determine whether the 2014 Brewers could beat a team of active former Brewers. To be honest, that's not the outcome I expected.

The Brewers are drawing relatively low expectations for 2014 despite having a pretty solid group of individual talents. DobberBaseball has five Brewers on their list of the top 150 hitters for fantasy teams in 2014 (including Jean Segura at #16). Scooter Gennett isn't on that list, but Fake Teams listed him as a potential late round target.

Fantasy writers are less excited, of course, about the Brewers potential collection of players at first base. With that said, Alex Skillin of Beyond the Box Score listed first base as one of five vital positional upgrades across MLB for 2014.

Here's a piece of news that snuck by me: Apparently the Brewers/Nationals matchup in MLB Network's "Face of MLB" tournament was this week and, with many of us unaware it was going on, Bryce Harper beat Ryan Braun with over 90% of the vote. Whatever.

Meanwhile, it remains to be seen who will serve as Braun's primary backup in right field this season. Curt Hogg of Disciples of Uecker has a look at the candidates. He seems to imply the Brewers will go with two backups, but I strongly suspect it might be one: If they're going with a typical five-man bench they'll need spots for a catcher, the second of their three first basemen, Rickie Weeks and someone who can play shortstop. That only leaves one spot.

In the minors:

• Martin Maldonado and Irving Falu went a combined 0-for-7 in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico's 2-1 loss to Cuba in the Caribbean Series yesterday (box score). Mayaguez is now 1-2 and plays 3-0 Venezuela today. With a win they'd still clinch a spot in the elimination round.
• Maldonado may have had a rough day at the plate yesterday, but he did make one sparkling defensive play. Brewerfan.net has a gif of the catcher coming way up the third base line to make a play on a bunt.
• Yesterday the Brewers signed Whitefish Bay native and lefthanded pitcher Kevin James to a minor league deal. James was a former ninth round pick for the Rays but has never risen above rookie ball in four professional seasons.

Further west, before coming to Brewers camp next week Ron Roenicke has a piece of business to attend to in California: On Saturday he'll be one of several inductees into the Mt. San Antonio College Hall of Fame. He played baseball there in the 1970's.

Around baseball:

Athletics: Signed outfielder Sam Fuld to a minor league deal.
Braves: Signed first baseman Freddie Freeman to an eight-year, $135 million contract extension and avoided arbitration with outfielder Jason Heyward (two years, $13.3 million).
Mariners: Avoided arbitration with 1B/OF Logan Morrison (one year, $1.75 million).
Marlins: Signed infielder Jeff Baker to a two-year, $3.7 million contract.
Padres: Pitcher Cory Luebke needs a second Tommy John surgery and is expected to miss the 2014 season.

Even after crossing Heyward and Morrison off the list Tuesday, there are still 19 players left with unsettled arbitration cases. The biggest name left on the board is Reds pitcher Homer Bailey.

Today in baseball economics:

• Nicholas Zettel of Disciples of Uecker has a look at how the TV deal boom impacts payroll disparities across baseball and the possibility that it won't trickle down to smaller markets.
• The Rangers have scheduled an press conference and are expected to announce a new naming rights partner for Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

The Rogers Centre in Toronto is keeping its name but changing its playing surface. The Blue Jays will play on refurbished AstroTurf for one more year in 2014 before getting a new artificial surface in 2015 and real grass for the first time in 2018.

Finally, with help from the B-Ref Play Index, we'd like to wish a happy birthday today to:

• 1954-65 Milwaukee Brave, 1975-76 Brewer and Hall of Famer Hank Aaron, who turns 80. We covered his birthday in Today In Brewer History last year.
• Greenwood, Wisconsin native and UW-Madison alum Cy Buker, who would have turned 96. Buker pitched in the majors as a member of the 1945 Brooklyn Dodgers.

Chris Mehring of Rattler Radio looked at all of Aaron's home runs as a Brewer in this week's installment of Tater Tuesday. Aaron is also third on baseball's all-time list with 13,941 plate appearances, but was only hit by 32 pitches in his career. That's still tied for the second most among players born on February 5, according to Plunk Everyone.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to figure out how to un-delete things on my DVR.

Drink up.

Consult this handy guide to pick your favorite Brewer to spell Mark Reynolds at first base.

Considering Mark Reynolds has been essentially guaranteed a spot on the opening day roster, it is safe to assume he's in line to receive, if nothing else, plenty of at bats against left handed starters. He is a career .361 wOBA hitter facing southpaws, with a truly frightening .238 ISO and much more favorable K and BB percentages compared to his rates versus right-handers (29.1% and 15.3% vs. 33.6% and 10.2%, respectively).

But forget numbers. Mark Reynolds was acquired because dingers. If the organization is to exhibit any philosophical consistency, his reliever on the cold corner ought to be there for the same reason. Well -- consistency, and the whims of the half-drunken viewing audience.

In Milwaukee there is a traditional hitter archetype that carries heroic, mythical overtones which override any potential inhibition about a player's actual offensive value. Many of you are likely familiar with it - the "3TO". Three true outcomes. Walk. Home run. Strikeout. Among Brewers purists, Russell Branyan and Rob Deer are titans of the category, with fellow 3TOs Adam Dunn, Justin Upton, and Dan Uggla carrying the torch around the league (go Braves!)

Primed with dinger bias and nostalgia for gimmicks, let's take a look at the Brewers' left-handed options to share time with Mark Reynolds*:

Lyle Overbay

• Age: 37
• Size: 2nd biggest
• Platoon Nickname: Lark Roverbay
• Crowd chant: OOOOOOOOOOOOOverbay
• vs. RHP (career): .267/.348/.434
• K%: 19.0%
• BB%: 10.9%
• PA/HR: 37.4
• 3TO%**: 34.1

Arbitrary facts that helps his case: Seasoned veteran; former Brewer; held the team's single season doubles record for a while; made the Sexson trade look better

Opinion: Inviting Overbay to spring training probably would've seemed to make more sense had the Brewers never signed Reynolds. There was a little pressure to improve from in-house options, and Overbay was always in the fold considering that something is usually considered to be better than nothing (see 1B for Brewers in 2013 for counterexample). Overbay's never been much of a 3TO kind of player, so the uninspiring number there is no surprise.

It will warm my heart to see Lyle suit up in a Brewers uniform once again this spring, but I don't see a place for him. Overbay did play 4 games in RF for the Yankees last summer, but at the age of 37 with very little experience sprinting after fly balls, trusting him to handle outfield duties is unlikely and downright irresponsible. I have a hard time imagining the Brewers keeping a third exclusive-to-first basemen around, all else being equal. Overbay may be the odd man out.

Hunter Morris

• Age: 25
• Size: Smallest of the 3 bigs, but still big
  
• Platoon Nickname: Huntark Morynolds
• Crowd chant: MOOOOOOOOOOOOOrris
• vs. RHP ('11-'13 minors): .287/.338/.516
• K%: 19.3%
• BB%: 6.1%
• PA/HR: 24.4
• 3TO%: 29.9%

Arbitrary facts that helps his case: relatively high draft pick; Brewers' offensive minor leaguer of the year in 2012; baseball-sounding name; played for Auburn, which is in the south where the weather is okay so I'm guessing they probably have a good baseball program; he's the first baseman of the future*

Opinion: I have to admit to a bit of in-house bias and an inkling of hope that Morris starts the season platooning with Reynolds, but the 3TO test puts the kaibosh on that ridiculous notion. The kid can't even crack the 30% mark? He needs to strike out more.

The overall splits are encouraging, but most are skeptical after Morris failed to follow up his sterling 2012 season with Huntsville with a similar performance at AAA last season. Morris missed a prime opportunity to thrust his way onto the major league roster this spring after posting a mediocre .247/.310/.457 line in 2014.

But it isn't all bad news. The Brewers most certainly haven't committed to a long-term option at the position, and he should get plenty of chances with the big club if he starts out hot at AAA, especially if Reynolds, Francisco, or Overbay are struggling at the ML level.

He likely starts the season at AAA and will keep close to a telephone throughout the season. He's fallen out of favor in many circles and many feel his floor lies lower than Francisco's or Overbay's . I'm not sure I agree, but I get it. He's going to have to earn it. Swing harder, Hunter.

Juan Francisco

• Age: 27
• Size: Biggest
• Platoon Nickname: Muanark Reyncisco
• Crowd chant: FranciscOOOOOOOOOOOOO
• vs. RHP (MLB career): .234/.305/.443
• K%: 33.6%
• BB%: 7.0%
• PA/HR: 24.1
• 3TO%: 36.0%

Arbitrary facts that help his case: Nickname kind of makes the platoon sound like royalty; most tenured of the group; was the heir apparent to Scott Rolen in Cincinnati; hit an important home run in the Caribbean Winter League; swings really hard, so the ball goes far when he hits it

Verdict: It's getting a little depressing, isn't it? The 3TO standards were admittedly quite high given the reputation of the aforementioned Branyan and Deer. Here's visual help:

Francisco does have a slight edge in our current realistic field of applicants*. Take a look at each individual's 3TO progression over the last 7 years:

Morris and Francisco are both on the ascent, while Overbay has remained steady, with Reynolds on a gentle decline. Overbay has never surpassed the 40% mark. We can only say Reynolds' 3TO% has regressed to the mid-40s because of how preposterously high it got in 2010***. Morris has made important strides in limiting outcomes in each of the last two seasons, but has yet to take the next step.

A step taken by Juan Francisco. Last season, Francisco committed to the 3TO philosophy like he never had before -- he struck out like crazy (35.3 K%), walked a little bit more (8.3 BB%), and dinged more frequently (21.4 PA/HR). We may have all gotten sick of him together last summer, but never take a 3TO for granted -- because sometimes the only alternative to a 3TO is a 1TO (1 pitch popups), and we've had plenty of exposure to that.

Let's face it -- every option is underwhelming. We may as well go with the choice that maximizes mythic moonshots and brings true 3TOism back to Miller Park every day at first base. If it isn't Reynolds, I'm hoping it's Francisco.

* -- Sorry, Sean Halton.

** -- That's (HR+BB+IBB+SO)/PA.

*** -- 55.9%, to be exact, in 596 PA. Branyan managed 58.3% in 2005 (242 PA). Deer never approached the number.

We're talking about struggles catching fly balls and more in today's roundup of all things Brewers.

Some things to read while not opening the mail.

We are eight days away from pitchers and catchers reporting to Maryvale, but this morning I learned something that surprised me about the 2013 team. Despite having Gold Glove Award winner Carlos Gomez in center field, Jeff Zimmerman of The Hardball Times reports that Brewer defenders turned just 59.7% of fly balls into outs in 2013. They were one of just three teams to post a mark under 60%.

So keeping the ball out of the air might be one of the primary challenges for members of the Brewers' starting rotation in 2014. The rotation still hasn't been officially set, but about two thirds of the voters in this Reviewing the Brew poll think Kyle Lohse should get the ball on Opening Day.

Matt Garza was second in that vote the last time I checked, and the people who are that excited about having him as a Brewer may also be excited to learn that Garza t-shirts are now available in the Brewers team store.

Garza t-shirts might have been one of the items on the truck as the Brewers loaded their last shipment to Maryvale for spring training yesterday. The JS has video of the occasion, and Grant Brisbee of SBNation.com was terrified by the sight of the Racing Sausages wrapped in plastic for the journey.

There's a strong chance a new reliever will also be sent to Maryvale before spring training, although hopefully they won't also arrive wrapped in plastic. Jonathan Judge of Disciples of Uecker asks if it really matters which pitchers are added to the bullpen.

If the Brewers don't add a veteran reliever before Opening Day then it certainly improves Michael Blazek's chances of making the team. Yesterday The Brewer Nation profiled him as part of their "Brewers By the (Jersey) Numbers" series.

Sometime between now and Opening Day the Brewers will also have to make a decision at first base, where they have somewhere between three and six players vying for what's likely to be two spots on the Opening Day roster. Fred has penciled Mark Reynolds into one of those spots, and yesterday he attempted to determine the veteran slugger's best platoon partner.

In the minors:

• Ryan Topp of Disciples of Uecker has a look at the Brewers' much-derided farm system and three suggestions to make it better.
• Martin Maldonado went 2-for-4 with a double, drove in a run and scored in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico's 5-4 win over Venezuela in the Caribbean Series, clinching a bid in the elimination round (box score). Irving Falu went 0-for-4 in the game.
• Mayaguez now faces host country and top seeded Venezuela again on Friday with a berth in the championship game on the line.
• Jason Arndt of Brewers Farm Report has stories on recent minor league free agent signees Pete Orr and Lucas May.

Back in Milwaukee, the Brewers reeled in another corporate sponsor for one of their ballpark promotions this week. Rich Kirchen of the Milwaukee Business Journal notes that Wauwatosa's WaterStone Bank will partner with the team for their "K's for a Cause" promotion, which will make a donation to the Sojourner Family Peace Center for every strikeout recorded by a Brewers pitcher at Miller Park in 2014.

So the "K's for a Cause" sign will remain in right field, but in 2014 someone new will be taking care of the grass underneath it. Yesterday the Brewers hired longtime Timber Rattlers groundskeeper Eddie Warczak as the new Grounds Manager at Miller Park. Warczak was at the helm in Appleton in 2008 when Wisconsin won Sports Turf Managers Association Professional Baseball Field of the Year.

Around baseball:

Dodgers: Signed infielder Justin Turner to a minor league deal.
Indians: Signed first baseman Bryan LaHair to a minor league deal.
Marlins: Are expected to sign pitcher Chaz Roe to a minor league deal.
Nationals: Signed catcher Koyie Hill to a minor league deal.
Orioles: Signed reliever Evan Meek and outfielder Jack Cust to minor league deals.

Today in former Brewers:

• Yesterday was Hank Aaron's 80th birthday, and a portrait of him is going into the Smithsonian.
• Grant Brisbee of SBNation.com's attempt to find the best picture of a batter getting hit by a pitch led him to a new appreciation of Norichika Aoki. The post also includes painful moments for Aramis Ramirez and Jean Segura.
• The MLBPA has hired Jeffrey Hammonds as a Special Assistant for Player Program Development (h/t @BNightengale).
• Nick Michalski of The Brewers Bar remembers Pete Vuckovich, Rollie Fingers and Warren Spahn, the three pitchers who have won a Cy Young Award in Milwaukee.

And in baseball economics: We've previously reported that the Rangers were expected to announce a new ballpark naming rights sponsor this week. The building formerly known as Rangers Ballpark in Arlington is now Globe Life Park in Arlington.

Finally, with help from Brewerfan.net and the B-Ref Play Index, we'd like to wish a happy birthday today to:

• 2013 Helena Brewer Charlie Markson, who turns 23.
• 2012 Wisconsin Timber Rattler Chad Thompson, who turns 23.
• 2003 Brewer Peter Zoccolillo, who turns 37.
• Green Bay native, UW-Whitewater alum and 1996-2000 Brewer Bob Wickman, who turns 45. We covered his birthday in Today In Brewer History two years ago.

Plunk Everyone also notes that Wickman's 38 career hit batsmen are the most ever for a pitcher born on February 6.

Now, if you'll excuse me, my date is here.

Drink up.

Can you guess all 35 answers before time runs out?

This week we wrapped up a project comparing likely members of the 2014 Milwaukee Brewers to a hypothetical team of active former Brewers. Making lists of active Brewers got me thinking about this week's topic.

Most thinkers are a test of your Brewers historical knowledge, but this one will try out your knowledge of the current team and your speed. Today we have 35 questions regarding the Brewers' active career leaders. How many of them can you answer in just three minutes?

If the quiz isn't displaying correctly for you here or you'd simply prefer to take it over there, follow this link to play the quiz at Sporcle.com.

Please post your score in the comments below, but also remember that comments on this post may contain spoilers. If you get all 35 answers correct, post your time along with your score in the comments.

If you've finished this quiz and would like another challenge, here are this offseason's other Thinkers:

• Name the 22 pitchers with active contracts worth $50 million or more.
• Name the Brewers who have been invited to MLB spring training (as of January 23).
• Name the parking lots surrounding Miller Park.
• Name each MLB team's leader in games played at second base since 2003.
• Name the best Brewers who never received an MVP vote.
• Name the new homes of this winter's top 50 free agents (updated twice on January 23).
• Name the members of the Brewers' new Wall of Honor.
• Name the Brewers who have appeared in more games than Corey Hart.
• Name the Brewers with career OBPs above .350.
• Name the 15 players who have played first base for the Brewers since Prince Fielder.
• Name the Brewers who have hit 25 or more home runs in a season.
• Name the nine Brewers under contract for 2014 (as of November 14).
• Name the 12 relievers that have faced the Brewers at least 25 times since 2007.
• Name the 28 position players who have made at least 200 plate appearances against the Brewers since 2007.
• Name the 18 starting pitchers who have faced the Brewers eleven times or more since 2007.
• Name the eight former Brewers who have appeared in the 2013 postseason.
• Name all 40 members of the 2013 Milwaukee Brewers.

You can also check out the archives for all of last winter's quizzes.

Have fun, and don't forget to post your score in the comments!

The Brewers will have to look elsewhere for a veteran reliever.

Earlier this week we mentioned a report that the Brewerswere one of three teams believed to be interested in former Cubs and Dodgers reliever Carlos Marmol. They mustn't have been that interested, though, as Marmol signed a one year deal with the Marlins today for just $1.25 million. Enrique Rojas of ESPN broke the news.

Marmol turned 31 in October and has pitched in eight major league seasons, posting a 3.46 ERA over 563.2 innings and recording 117 saves. His 504 appearances are the 42nd most among active pitchers in all of baseball, and he's 19th among active pitchers with 117 career saves.

Marmol was an All Star with the Cubs way back in his first full MLB season in 2007, but has always had control issues. He's walked over six batters per nine innings for his career, and 7.3 per nine in 2013. The Cubs traded him to the Dodgers in July of last year, unloading his $9.8 million salary. Assuming the numbers we're hearing are correct, Marmol will take an 87% pay cut for 2014. He's unlikely to close in Miami, where Steve Cishek returns after saving 34 games and posting a 2.33 ERA in 2013.

If the Brewers still do plan on adding a veteran reliever before spring training, they'll have to turn to other options. Earlier this week Tyler Drenon of SBNation.com looked at some of the options. If nothing else, Francisco Rodriguez is still available.

Could this one-time top prospect be another candidate to play first base for the Brewers?

The news: The Astros officially announced pitcher Jerome Williams' new contract yesterday, and cleared a spot for him on the 40-man roster by designating first baseman Brett Wallace for assignment.

Wallace is 27 and was once one of the top hitting prospects in all of baseball, having been selected #13 overall in the 2008 draft and appearing on Baseball America's list of the top 100 prospects in 2009 (#40) and 2010 (#27). He's a career .309/.383/.499 hitter in six minor league seasons, including 2009-13 at the AAA level. At one point he was the centerpiece of a deal for Matt Holliday.

Wallace has struggled to translate that to big league success, however. He's appeared in the majors in each of the last four seasons and hit just .242/.313/.391 across 311 games, and the 13 home runs he hit in 2013 were a career high. Wallace bats left handed and has a career .737 OPS against righties, but just a .570 mark against lefties.

Can he help this team? I think there's a strong chance he can. Wallace is entering his age 27 season, so there's still a pretty good chance he'll figure things out eventually. He presents a much higher upside than the likes of Mark Reynolds and Lyle Overbay, and at a low cost: He won't be arbitration-eligible for the first time until 2015.

The Brewers have publicly stated recently that they think Carlos Gomez's growth was stunted when he was pushed to the big leagues too quickly. The same could be true of Wallace, who reached AAA for the first time in his first full professional season and was a big leaguer in his second. If he could reach even a portion of his potential he'd be a remarkable scrap heap pickup. Even if he doesn't, his career .704 OPS is probably as good or better than the Brewers can expect from some of their current first base options.

What do I think the Brewers should do? At the very least, I'd claim Wallace off waivers if given the opportunity. I think I'd also consider calling the Astros to see if Wallace is available for cash or a low-level prospect.

We're entering the final stages of our spring training countdown in today's roundup of all things Brewers.

Some things to read while remaining hopeful.

We are seven days away from pitchers and catchers reporting to Maryvale (the Diamondbacks were the first team to officially report yesterday), and spring is in the air. Yesterday the Brewers announced that single-game tickets for the 2014 season will go on sale on March 1 as part of the team's annual Arctic Tailgate. Hopefully it'll be a little warmer by then.

Despite the fact that spring training doesn't officially begin for another week, about a third of the Brewers' camp invitees are already present. @AdamMcCalvy reports that 20 or so players have already reported, including Rule 5 pick Wei-Chung Wang.

Sometime in the next week I'm still expecting the Brewers to announce the signing of another relief pitcher. A few more came off the board yesterday, though, including Carlos Marmol signing with the Marlins. Tom Haudricourt wondered (via Twitter) if we might be looking at Francisco Rodriguez's third tour in Milwaukee. Justin Schultz of Reviewing the Brew has a look at the possibility.

If the Brewers don't make any more upgrades, this is where they stand: Matthew Pouliot of Hardball Talk projected their bullpen to be the 23rd best in baseball in 2014. That's a couple of spots ahead of the Cubs but behind the rest of the NL Central.

Even if the Brewers do upgrade their bullpen, Brandon Kintzler figures to be a key part of their relief corps going forward. The Brewer Nation profiled him yesterday as part of their "Brewers By the (Jersey) Numbers" series.

Many or most predictors seem to have the Brewers looking up at the Cardinals, Reds and Pirates (typically in that order) in 2014. Nicholas Zettel of Disciples of Uecker has a look at the winning trends in the NL Central from 2012 and 2013 to consider when making your predictions.

In the minors:

• Mayaguez, Puerto Rico will take on Venezuela tonight for a berth in the championship game of the Caribbean Series. Martin Maldonado will likely be behind the plate for the 6:30 first pitch.
• Chris Mehring of Rattler Radio has a look back at the Brewers Sunday jerseys Wisconsin wore in 2010, and has pictures of Scooter Gennett, Khris Davis and Hunter Morris wearing them.

Around baseball:

Astros: Designated first baseman Brett Wallace for assignment.
Cardinals: Signed reliever Pat Neshek to a minor league deal.
Cubs: Avoided arbitration with second baseman Darwin Barney (one year, $2.3 million).
Diamondbacks: Avoided arbitration with first baseman/outfielder Mark Trumbo (one year, $4.8 million).
Mariners: Signed reliever Fernando Rodney to a two-year, $14 million contract.
Orioles: Avoided arbitration with catcher Matt Wieters (one year, $7.7 million).

I think there's a strong chance Wallace could help the Brewers, and I took a break this morning to write about it in the latest edition of Freely* Available Talent. So far 92% of voters in the attached poll are in favor of the Brewers acquiring Wallace via a minor trade or waiver claim.

Wieters' new deal with the Orioles also helps put Jonathan Lucroy's contract into perspective:

Matt Wieters, who had a .287 OBP in '13, will make more in 2014 ($7.7mm) than Jonathan Lucroy gets in any 2 years on his five year deal.

— Brew Crew Ball (@BrewCrewBall) February 7, 2014

Today in former Brewers:

• Braves Journal has a look at Mat Gamel as he prepares to report for spring training with Atlanta.
• Matt LaPorta has signed a minor league deal with the Orioles and will not receive an invitation to MLB camp.

Today in baseball economics: FS Ohio is only televising one Reds spring training game in 2014, a year after the team reached the postseason. They will have a nightly TV show from Reds camp, though.

With help from the B-Ref Play Index, we'd like to wish a happy birthday today to:

• 2007-09 Brewer Seth McClung, who turns 33.
• 1985 Brewer Carlos Ponce, who turns 55.
• 1957-60 Milwaukee Brave Juan Pizarro, who turns 77. We covered his birthday in Today In Brewer History last year.

Plunk Everyone notes that Pizarro (41) and McClung (22) have the third and fourth most hit batsmen among pitchers born on Feburary 7.

Today is also the ninth anniversary of Jeff Cirillo rejoining the Brewers as a free agent in 2005. We covered that event in Today In Brewer History two years ago.

Finally, today we send out our condolences to the family and friends of longtime MLB outfielder and broadcaster Ralph Kiner, who passed away yesterday at age 91. Kiner was a Hall of Fame player with the Pirates, Cubs and Indians from 1946-55, leading the National League in home runs in seven consecutive seasons. More recently he worked as a broadcaster with the Mets.

Drink up.

Ray offers fantasy owners a few second base sleepers for NL only leagues for 2014, including Dan Uggla, Scooter Gennett and Alexander Guerrero.

Everyone loves a sleeper, right? I know I do. Well, I will be offering some fantasy sleepers every Friday during the Consensus Rankings Series. The Sleepers series kicked off with my AL-only league second baseman who could outperform their draft day values in 2014 earlier this morning, and now I bring you my NL-only league sleepers for 2014.

Here is a look at a few NL-only league second basemen who will be available late in drafts who could outperform their draft day value this season:

Dan Uggla, Braves

Yeah, the mighty have fallen, huh? Uggla was once one of the top fantasy second baseman just a few short years ago, and now he is relegated to sleeper status for fantasy owners. Uggla was once a guy you could count on for 30 home runs and 90 RBI every season, but he has struggled to make contact the last few seasons, and wasn't on the Braves playoff roster in 2013. Uggla has hit 27 or more home runs in six of his eight seasons, but has hit "just" 19 and 22 in his last two seasons. That power has come with slash lines of .220-.348-.384 in 2012 and .179-.309-.362 in 2013, so there is a big price to pay for his power. He wasn't drafted in a recent 12 team mixed league mock draft I participated in recently, so that proves his sleeper status for 2013. He is probably only draftable in NL-only and deeper mixed leagues at this point, but has a chance to prove his critics wrong if he can return to the .240-.250 hitter he was a few years ago.

Alexander Guerrero, Dodgers

Many in the industry are down on this kid, mainly due to his struggles to play a respectable defense at second base. He was a shortstop in Cuba, but the Dodgers signed him to play second base. Recent reports indicate the Dodgers are looking for a good defensive second baseman possibly to give Guerrero more time to learn the intricacies of handling the keystone.

For fantasy purposes, Guerrero has the bat to be rosterable in mixed and NL-only leagues this season. Here are his career stats from Cuba, courtesy of Obstructed View:

He appears to own a solid eye at the plate and that is a skill he owns, so it should transfer to the big leagues. But, we won't know that till we see how he performs in spring training. I see him as a decent late round pick with a chance to outperform his draft day value in 2014.

Scooter Gennett, Brewers

Gennett hit well in his cup of coffee with the Brewers, hitting .324-356-.479 with 6 home runs, 29 runs, 21 RBI and 2 stolen bases in 230 plate appearances. I wouldn't expect him to hit .300 this season, but he has the potential to be a .270-280 hitter, with a low on base percentage, with below average power and double digit stolen base potential. His power may result in 10-12 home runs in the homer-friendly Miller Park, but remember that he never hit more than 9 home runs in any one season in the minors.

Josh Rutledge, Rockies

Rutledge has been a favorite if mine for the past few seasons, but he just can't hit well enough in the big leagues to stay up with the big league club. He hit just .235-.294-.337 with 7 home runs, 45 runs, 19 RBI and 12 stolen bases in 88 games last season. His stat line shows he can fill up the boxscore for his owners with regular playing time, but that comes with a low batting average and on base percentage. He is currently slated to be the back up at second base for the Rockies in 2014, but is just an injury or slow start from D.J. LeMahieu from a starting role in the comfy confines of Coors Field. He has the bat to hit 15 home runs and steal 15 bases with regular playing time in 2014, with a chance for a bit more.

Fantasy Rundown

If you are looking for more fantasy rankings, or just fantasy coverage overall, make sure you check out Fantasy Rundown, your one stop site for all things fantasy.

A milestone lurks around the corner for our rivals from the south.

As I was collecting links for this morning's Frosty Mug I came across the following tweet, helpfully retweeted by our friend Jaymes Langrehr:

The #Cubs 24th loss of 2014 will be their 10,000th in franchise history.

— MLB Play Index (@BRefPlayIndex) February 6, 2014

That led me to a distracting realization: the Brewers and Cubs play 19 times in 2014. Is there a chance that this milestone event could happen against the Crew, or even in Milwaukee? By my count, the Brewers could get three series opportunities to hand the Cubs loss #10,000, although some are more likely than the others.

The Cubs and Brewers meet for the first time in 2014 on April 25-27 at Miller Park. The final game of that series will be the Cubs' 24th of the season. If Chicago somehow manages to open the campaign with 24 consecutive losses, the Sunday game of that series would be loss #10000. This highlights my inability to count in the mornings, because I screwed this uptwice on Twitter.

The two teams go their separate ways for a few weeks after that before reconnecting at Wrigley Field on May 16 for a series involving the Cubs' 42nd, 43rd and 44th games. If the Cubs go 18-23. 19-22 or 20-21 in their first 41 games, then the Brewers will get a shot at handing them their 10,000th loss in this series.

If it doesn't happen then, though, the Cubs return to Miller Park on May 30th to open another three game series, this one featuring their 54th, 55th and 56th games of the season. At this point the Cubs will be coming off a stretch that featured an interleague series with the Yankees and a seven-game west coast swing through San Diego and San Francisco. If they come to Miller Park with a 30-23, 31-22 or 32-21 record, then again the Brewers get a chance to be a part of history.

If the Cubs don't get their 10000th loss in that series, then it'll be a while before the Brewers get another shot to give it to them. The two teams don't meet again until a four-gamer in Chicago in mid-August. If the Cubs still haven't lost their 24th game by that point, then we'll have quite the story.

Looking further ahead, the Brewers project to pick up their 10000th loss sometime during the 2091 season. We'll probably write more about that when it's closer to happening.

Kintzler was arguably the best Brewers reliever in 2013, but can he repeat that performance?

He hasn't drawn a lot of attention this winter, but it's possible one of the Brewers facing the most pressure in 2013 is setup man Brandon Kintzler. The former independent leaguer was a revelation in 2013, pitching in 71 games and posting a 2.69 ERA over 77 innings. Last year was the first time he had ever made more than 14 appearances in an MLB season.

So we've established that Kintzler was very good in 2013, but is it reasonable to expect him to perform at that level again in 2014? The answer to that question may depend on his strikeout rate.

Consider, for a moment, this statistic. Since 2010, 19 right handed pitchers (eliminating LOOGYs from the data) have had a season where they met all of the following criteria:

• 65 or more relief appearances (Kintzler had 71)
• An ERA under 3 (Kintzler's was 2.69)
• Seven or fewer strikeouts per nine innings (Kintzler had 6.8)

That's 19 pitchers over four seasons of data. So clearly this happens from time to time. But the more telling number is this: Of those 19 pitchers, only two have done it more than once. Diamondbacks reliever Brad Ziegler has done it in each of the last three seasons, and Orioles closer Jim Johnson did it in 2011 and 2012. The other 17 can be split into two groups, pitchers who improved their strikeout rates or pitchers who became less effective.

The bad comps

The name on the latter list that jumped out at me was former Blue Jays and Cubs reliever Shawn Camp. He earned a spot on the list in 2010 by posting a 2.99 ERA despite just 5.7 strikeouts per nine. The next year his strikeouts dropped further (to 4.3 per nine) and his ERA was up over 4. Since 2010, Camp has made 173 appearances with a 4.31 mark.

Luis Ayala is another guy on the list who declined, although his fall wasn't as precipitous. His ERA went up from 2.64 with the Orioles in 2012, when he made the list, to 3.27 between Baltimore and Atlanta in 2013. The Nationals just signed him as a minor league free agent earlier today.

Speaking of the Nationals, Ryan Mattheus is another guy on the list. He had a great season in relief in 2012 but turned into a pumpkin in 2013, posting a 6.37 ERA and continuing to strike out less than six batters per nine. Jared Hughes also had a nice season for the Pirates in 2012 before coming undone in 2013.

The improvements

On the other end of the spectrum, we have a guy like Joe Smith. Smith was only on the list for one season in 2011, but that's because he got too many strikeouts to qualify in 2012 and 2013. He has a 2.42 ERA in 213 appearances since 2011 and recently signed a three-year deal with the Angels.

Darren O'Day also qualified in 2010, then missed most of the 2011 season due to injury. He bounced back in a big way over the last two seasons as an Oriole, though, striking out around nine batters per nine with a 2.23 ERA over 137 appearances.

Wilton Lopez matched the criteria in the NL in 2010 with the Astros, but like Smith and O'Day he improved his strikeouts and his overall performance followed over the next two seasons. Lopez is interesting because his strikeouts went back down with the Rockies in 2013, and so did his results (4.06 ERA).

Finally, Ramon Ramirez joined this group as a member of the Red Sox and Giants in 2010. His strikeout numbers climbed to 8.7 per nine in 2011 and he had his best MLB season. Unfortunately, improving his K rate didn't prevent him from having health issues in 2012 and 2013.

The conclusion

Brandon Kintzler was very effective in his first full season as a Brewer, but history shows that not many right handed relievers can remain effective with his strikeout rate. Punching out a few more batters in 2014 will go a long way towards making him one of this team's best relievers.

It's a one year deal for his third tour of duty in Milwaukee.

We've been speculating about a potential Francisco Rodriguez return to Milwaukee for weeks, but earlier today Doug Melvin seemed to imply nothing was imminent, telling Adam McCalvy he was comfortable with the team's stable of young arms.

That story hit MLB.com at 11:49 today, but apparently Doug Melvin changed his mind in the two hours that followed. The Brewers have reportedly signed Rodriguez to a one-year, MLB deal, according to Chris Cotillo. The deal is for $3.25 million plus incentives, according to McCalvy.

Rodriguez has been a Brewer for at least part of the last three seasons, joining the team in a trade with the Mets in 2011, sticking around for 2012 and rejoining the team on a minor league deal in May of 2013. He was very good for the Crew in partial seasons in 2011 (1.86 ERA in 31 appearances) and 2013 (1.09 in 25 games) but struggled in 2012, when he had a career-high 4.38 ERA. He also had a rough finish to the year with the Orioles in 2013, when he was used in mostly low-leverage situations

All told, Rodriguez has 730 MLB appearances over 12 professional seasons, and is second among active pitchers with 304 career saves. He notched #300 with the Brewers last season.

It'll be interesting to see how the Brewers handle Rodriguez's role this spring. At the very least he probably replaces Brandon Kintzler as the primary setup option, but I'd say there's also a strong chance he gets a chance to close.

UPDATE: To clear a spot on the roster, the Brewers have designated Donovan Hand for assignment. Hand made 31 appearances (seven starts) for the Brewers in 2013 and posted a 3.69 ERA over 68.1 innings, but struck out just 4.9 batters per nine innings. He'll turn 28 in April and 2013 was his first MLB season.

K-Rod returns to the Brewers after spending the second haldf of last season with the Orioles.

The Milwaukee Brewers have reached agreement on a one-year, $3.25 million major league deal with reliever Francisco Rodriguez, according to a baseball source. K-Rod can earn an additional $550K in incentives in award bonuses, as MLB.com's Adam McCalvy first reported.

Rodriguez, 32, will return to the Brewers, who traded him to the Orioles in July after shopping him for much of the summer. He spent parts of three seasons with Milwaukee from 2011 to 2013, notching a 7-8 record and 3.15 ERA in 134 appearances.

Rodriguez will pitch in late-inning relief for the Brewers next season, and may have a chance to compete for the closer's role. He will join Brandon Kintzler, Will Smith and Jim Henderson at the back-end of the team's bullpen.

In twelve major league seasons with the Angels (2002-2008), Mets (2009-2011), Brewers (2011-2013) and Orioles (2013), K-Rod is the owner of a lifetime 41-36 record and 2.70 ERA while notching 304 saves and being named an All-Star on four occasions.

The reliever played for Milwaukee from 2011-2013 before being traded to the Orioles in July.

The Milwaukee Brewers signed free agent relief pitcher Francisco Rodriguez to a one-year contract on Friday, according to Chris Cotillo of SB Nation. The deal is worth $3.25 million with another $550,000 in incentives, reports Mike Axisa of CBS Sports.

Rodriguez, 32, will return to the team for whom he pitched for parts of the last three seasons. He was acquired by the Brewers from the New York Mets in July of 2011 and was re-signed to one-year deals in 2012 and 2013. In July of 2013, the team dealt him to the Baltimore Orioles, but the right-hander will serve another stint in Milwaukee in 2014.

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In 2013, "K-Rod" had varying levels of success for his two teams. As a Brewer, he posted a 1.09 ERA and 10 saves in 24⅔ innings over 25 appearances; as an Oriole, his ERA jumped to 4.50 in 22 innings and he didn't record a save while serving as a set-up man to closer Jim Johnson. Overall, his 2.70 ERA and 10.4 strikeouts per nine innings signal that there is a lot left in the tank for the right-hander, who debuted as a 20-year-old in 2002 and holds the all-time single-season saves record.

Although Rodriguez spent some time closing games for the Brewers in 2013, he will likely slot in as a set-up man in 2014. After his departure in July, Jim Henderson settled in as the team's closer and finished with 28 saves in 32 chances. Other top relief options for Milwaukee include Brandon Kintzler (2.69 ERA in 2013), Tom Gorzelanny (3.90), Rob Wooten (3.90), Donovan Hand (3.69) and Alfredo Figaro (4.14).

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