We're talking about the most-anticipated arrival of the spring and more in today's roundup of all things Brewers.

Some things to read while enjoying it while it lasts.

Today is the seventh day of spring training 2014, but it'll be hard to top yesterday's news: Ryan Braun reported to camp on Thursday and was available to the media for the first time this spring. He didn't really say anything new, but I'm not sure why anyone would be expecting him to at this point. Tim Brown of Yahoo was in attendance and noted Braun's lack of details, but also said "he's been apologizing now for seven months, which ought to be enough."

The Braun story is probably never going to go away, of course, but it likely will fade into the background a bit if Braun comes out and is productive at the plate in 2014. David Schoenfield of ESPN says he'll be one of the best players in the game again this season.

Meanwhile, despite some fans objections the Brewers continue to feature Braun in their ads and marketing materials for the 2014 season. Two local experts told the Milwaukee Business Journal that it's the right decision.

Today is the deadline for position players to report to Brewers camp and the only notable absence at this point is Aramis Ramirez. He turns 36 in June but projects to play most days at third base for the Crew, and Jason Hunt of Fake Teams listed him as a third baseman to avoid this season.

Other notes from camp:

• Carlos Gomez also reported to camp yesterday and found that Rawlings had replaced two red patches on his glove with gold to commemorate his 2013 Gold Glove win.
• Hank the dog continues to be one of the feel-good stories of spring. Today ASU student Gabrielle Castillo of the JS has a story on him and he's featured in pictures with Yovani Gallardo, Jonathan Lucroy and Adam McCalvy. He also drew the attention of Tyler Kepner of the New York Times.

With the full squad expected in camp today, perhaps we can finally turn the page on the 2013-14 offseason. Dave Cameron of FanGraphs sums the winter up pretty nicely with this pair of lists: The Brewers didn't make his top ten best moves, but they weren't on the list of worst transactions either.

Spring training games start on Thursday, and when they do it's possible we'll get our first glimpse at baseball's new instant replay rules. Yesterday Nate considered some possibilities for how Ron Roenicke will use his new challenges this season.

I'm not sure having extra challenges will prevent the Brewers from making outs on the basepaths, though. TOOTBLAN Tracker has a look back at the team's bad outs from 2013.

In the minors:

• As of this writing five players are within seven votes of first place in the balloting for the #8 spot in our BCB Community Prospect Rankings. Go vote if you haven't already, then check back after 1 to vote for #9.
• Johnny Hellweg, by the way, won the #7 spot on that list. Adam McCalvy reports he put on 37 pounds over the winter to avoid wearing down as the season goes along. He's also the subject of the latest installment in The Brewer Nation's "Brewers By the (Jersey) Numbers" series.
• Chris Mehring of Rattler Radio has a look at the Brewers-themed jerseys the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers wore on Brewers Sundays in 2012.

If you'd like more Brewer coverage today but you're sick of reading, I'll be appearing on The Home Stretch with Justin Hull on 95.3 FM WSCO in Appleton today at 4:20. I'll be live in studio for the rest of the hour taking your calls and questions, so listen in and get your voice heard.

Around baseball:

Braves: Signed shortstop Andrelton Simmons to a seven-year, $58 million contract extension.
Red Sox: Signed pitcher Chris Capuano to a one-year, $2.25 million contract with incentives.

Craig Calcaterra has more on Capuano in our Tweet of the Day:

In two months Chris Capuano is going to be helping the Red Sox and a bunch of teams who passed on him will be trolling for pitching.

— Craig Calcaterra (@craigcalcaterra) February 20, 2014

Spring training is when we usually hear about players coming to camp in the "best shape of their lives," so this was a somewhat jarring change: Mariners catcher Jesus Montero came to camp 40 pounds above his target weight and may have eaten his way out of a job.

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

• 1991 Brewer Jim Olander, who turns 51.
• 1970-71 Brewer Ted Savage, who turns 77. We covered his birthday in Today In Brewer History two years ago.

Plunk Everyone notes that Savage's eleven career HBP are the fifth most ever for a position player born on February 21.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to see what else is back here.

Drink up.

Who is the #9 prospect in the Brewers organization?

His margin of victory was only three votes, but Hunter Morris came out on top in the voting for the #8 spot in our community's ranking of the top prospects in the Brewers organization. Here's where we stand today:

1. Jimmy Nelson (57% of the vote)
2. Tyrone Taylor (65% of the vote)
3. Victor Roache (40% of the vote)
4. Mitch Haniger (39% of the vote)
5. Orlando Arcia (34% of the vote)
6. Devin Williams (37% of the vote)
7. Johnny Hellweg (52% of the vote)
8. Hunter Morris (24% of the vote)

Here are your choices for #9:

(For a full explanation of what we're doing here, check out the first post in the series.)

Clint Coulter, C
Age: 20
Top level reached in 2013: A

2013 stats:

Wisconsin (A): 135 PA, .207/.299/.345, 3 HR, 1 SB, 0 CS, 11 BB, 31 K
Helena (Rookie+): 81 PA, .216/.263/.311, 1 HR, 1 SB, 0 CS, 4 BB, 14 K
Arizona (Rookie): 66 PA, .350/.409/.617, 3 HR, 1 SB, 1 CS, 5 BB, 15 K

Highest position in other rankings:

Nick Delmonico, 3B
Age: 21
Top level reached in 2013: A+

2013 stats:

Combined, Frederick and Brevard County (A+): 350 PA, .232/.346/.423, 13 HR, 7 SB, 2 CS, 48 BB, 80 K

Highest position in other rankings:

David Goforth, RHP
Age: 25
Top level reached in 2013: AA

2013 stats:

Huntsville (AA): 46.2 IP, 3.28 ERA, 1.071 WHIP, 18 BB (3.5 BB/9), 36 K (6.9 K/9)
Brevard County (A+): 78.1 IP, 3.10 ERA, 1.213 WHIP, 28 BB (3.2 BB/9), 58 K (6.7 K/9)
Surprise (Arizona Fall): 12 IP, 3.75 ERA, 1.250 WHIP, 4 BB (3 BB/9), 15 K (11.3 K/9)

Highest position in other rankings:

Taylor Jungmann, RHP
Age: 24
Top level reached in 2013: AA

2013 stats:

Huntsville (AA): 139.1 IP, 4.33 ERA, 1.364 WHIP, 73 BB (4.7 BB/9), 82 K (5.3 K/9)
Surprise (Arizona Fall): 7.1 IP, 9.82 ERA, 2.180 WHIP, 7 BB (8.6 BB/9), 7 K (8.6 K/9)

Highest position in other rankings:

Damien Magnifico, RHP
Age: 22
Top level reached in 2013: A+

2013 stats:

Brevard County (A+): 26.2 IP, 6.08 ERA, 1.838 WHIP, 17 BB (5.7 BB/9), 17 K (5.7 K/9)
Wisconsin (A): 54 IP, 3.83 ERA, 1.389 WHIP, 24 BB (4.0 BB/9), 46 K (7.7 K/9)

Highest position in other rankings:

Tucker Neuhaus, SS/3B
Age: 18
Top level reached in 2013: Rookie (Arizona)

2013 stats:

Arizona (Rookie): 219 PA, .231/.311/.303, 0 HR, 6 SB, 3 CS, 23 BB, 56 K

Highest position in other rankings:

Ariel Pena, RHP
Age: 24
Top level reached in 2013: AA

2013 stats:

Huntsville (AA): 142.1 IP, 3.73 ERA, 1.363 WHIP, 79 BB (5.0 BB/9), 131 K (8.3 K/9)

Highest position in other rankings:

Michael Reed, OF
Age: 21
Top level reached in 2013: A

2013 stats:

Wisconsin (A): 539 PA, .286/.385/.400, 1 HR, 26 SB, 10 CS, 71 BB, 108 K

Highest position in other rankings:

Yadiel Rivera, SS
Age: 21
Top level reached in 2013: A+

2013 stats:

Brevard County (A+): 524 PA, .241/.300/.314, 5 HR, 13 SB, 8 CS, 32 BB, 80 K

Highest position in other rankings:

Jason Rogers, 1B
Age: 25
Top level reached in 2013: AA

2013 stats:

Huntsville (AA): 549 PA, .270/.346/.468, 22 HR, 7 SB, 2 CS, 59 BB, 86 K

Highest position in other rankings:

Tune in for our first conversation of spring training!

We're in the home stretch of the week and the home stretch of the offseason, so it makes sense today for me to stop by The Home Stretch with Justin Hull on 95.3 FM WSCO in Appleton at 4:20 to talk Brewers.

I'll be sticking around for the remainder of the hour, taking your calls, emails, tweets and texts. Here's how you can contact the show:

• Call us at (866)653-1570.
• Email HomeStretch@gmail.com.
• Tweet us at @BrewCrewBall or @JustinHullRadio.
• Text us by sending a message starting with "WSCO" to 68255.

Listen in live or check back later for the archived audio, or listen in live and then listen to it again later.

This week's lessons include a Jean Segura extension, more projections coming out, and the start of the injury bug.

Week one of spring training is done.

We are through the first week of spring training. All Brewers are in camp now, with a few exceptions. Pitchers & catchers have started official workouts, and the position players will be starting in the next day or two. The first spring training games start on Thursday, and the first TV broadcasts are a week from today. We are getting plenty of reports from camp now, from the first reports of player progress to the off-field story of Hank, the fluffy new dog friend of the team. While we don't have much to analyze right now, the start of the season is in sight.

Discussion about a Jean Segura extension has started.

Every year, we typically hear rumors about at least one player getting an extension. Some of the rumors are fake, some are true but go nowhere, and some become real extensions. A new rumor has popped up this week about a possible extension for Jean Segura. A report came out last weekend that the Brewers are expected to discuss an extension with Segura during the spring. Doug Melvin came out and denied this report, but as usual, you should take that with a grain of salt. One of the key details to this is how much Segura would make in this deal. Kyle laid out what his offer would be, a five year deal with $16.75 million guaranteed. Readers chimed in with a poll, and 70% of them said they would offer that deal, and another 24% said that deal wasn't high enough. With a year of mixed (but mostly positive) results from Segura, some say it's too early to extend him. An extension now could save the Brewers money if he performs well, or cost them money if he collapses.

One of the key parts of offering an extension is knowing what you have to offer. With several contracts to consider and years of deferred money to account for, it can be easy to overspend if you don't know what you have. Derek went through the payroll earlier this week to account for all of the money that the Brewers have committed. There are a few years coming up where the Brewers have a lot committed to deferred payments, and payroll could become a bit tight in those years. They will have to be smart about spending, but it isn't a bad situation yet.

Projections keep coming out, though not all are about stats.

As the season gets closer, more projections come out to predict how different players will perform in 2014. The most recent projection for the Brewers is about the back end of the rotation and the bullpen. Jordan looked at both earlier this week, predicting how they will perform in 2014. We will start to get a better sense of how players will perform as spring training progresses, but for now, all we can do is make predictions.

Of course, there are more projections coming out, and not all are about the stats. Some projections are about how teams will adjust to new rules, and if it will help or hurt them. One of the big changes for 2014 is the expansion of the instant replay system, which includes a challenge system for managers to ask for certain plays to be reviewed. How will Ron Roenicke use this? That's what Nate addressed on Thursday, looking at how Ron Roenicke could use his challenge flag. The first weeks will be filled with experimenting, but there is a structure in place to hopefully improve the game.

One other type of projection comes from ranking players. We've been seeing these rankings come out for several weeks, and another one came out in the past week. Baseball America came out with their rankings of the top 100 MLB prospects, and only one Brewers prospect (Jimmy Nelson) made the list. It's tough to hear about the rough state of the Brewers system, but it's not the end of the world. It just means the team has to work with what they have.

The injury bug is starting to hit.

It doesn't take long before the reports of injuries start coming out. While the first one didn't happen in camp, it is still a setback for the team. Aramis Ramirez will miss the first few days of workouts after having surgery to remove a polyp from his colon. It's not the worst way to start, but more injuries will come. Of course, not all injuries happen to the players. Hank Aaron also was injured when he slipped on some ice in Atlanta, and had a partial hip replacement because of it. Thankfully, he will only need six to eight weeks to recover and will eventually be back to full strength.

Reviewing the BCB Community Prospect Rankings

Vote for #5 (Winner: Orlando Arcia)
Vote for #6 (Winner: Devin Williams)
Vote for #7 (Winner: Johnny Hellweg)
Vote for #8 (Winner: Hunter Morris)
Vote for #9 (Voting in progress)

The Collection of Mugs

2/17/2014: Getting your work in
2/18/2014: Letters home from camp
2/19/2014: Settling in
2/20/2014: Hank steals the show
2/21/2014: Braun begins

Test Your Knowledge

The Thursday Thinker: Elite Company

"I thought you knew." "I never knew until you told me!"

In a bit of news that might fall on multiple sides of an opinion, over the weekend it was announced that Matt Garza had rejected an offer from the Twins before signing with the Brewers. We knew that Minnesota was interested in Garza, and we knew that they were willing to do something over fewer years but not more years, but that was about as specific as the news would get.

Jerry Crasnick had it first.

Heard today that #twins offered Matt Garza a 3 yr, $42 million deal before he signed with #brewers.

— Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) February 22, 2014

Three years and $42 million, and allegedly a fourth year on a vesting option, was offered in late January to Minnesota's first-round selection from 2005.

#mntwins offer to Matt Garza included a 4th-year vesting option at $14M. So max value was $56 million, PWDK tells me. Signed 4-$50M w/MIL

— Mike Berardino (@MikeBerardino) February 22, 2014

It sounds like Milwaukee was willing to go an extra year on both the guarantee and the option, and that may have been the kicker. Darren Wolfson offers some insight into the Brewer contract:

Garza signed a four-year, $50 million contact with Milwaukee on Jan. 27. The Brewers also included a vesting option for a fifth year. That deal includes a $13 million option for 2018 that would become guaranteed if he makes 110 starts during the next four years, pitches 155 innings in 2017 and is not on the disabled list at the end of that season.

Signing Garza, as we discussed early in January, would have more or less ended any competition for the starting rotation as he'd have joined Ricky Nolasco, Phil Hughes, Mike Pelfrey, and Kevin Correia. It also would have sent a message that would have been impossible to misinterpret: we really don't like our internal options. And it would be impossible to disagree with the sentiment.

Regarding Minnesota's actual offer: it's interesting. In some sense it's simply good to know that the front office was being as aggressive as advertised, and in some sense it's interesting just to know that negotiations had progressed to the point where numbers had been exchanged instead of vague parameters during a handful of discussions.

I also tend to lean towards believing that the Twins were smart in not offering Garza that extra year. Getting better for 2014 is an absolute necessity, but if there's a long-term plan (and there is) then it's also important to not go too far outside of that blueprint. Beyond the need to find places for both Kyle Gibson and, hopefully, Alex Meyer at some point in the summer, it's worth knowing that Garza isn't so good that he's worth blowing up the plan.

Minnesota's offer to Garza was certainly fair, and in an off-season where a lot of heads have been called for you have to respect a front office that's willing to stick to its guns - because you know that the immediate response to the Garza signing, by the masses, would have been overwhelmingly positive. If they're turning down that level of immediate gratification for the good of the long-term plan, then they must fully believe in what they're trying to do.

We're talking about the first full squad workout, photo day and more in today's roundup of all things Brewers.

Some things to read while looking for distinctive markings.

The Brewers may get down to business on the tenth day of spring training 2014, but before that could happen they had to get through photo day yesterday. John Steinmiller and Caitlin Moyer have the highlights, and the @Brewers Twitter feed has all kinds of player selfies from the "Twitter mirror." Here's Rickie Weeks photobombing Kyle Lohse, for example:

A #Brewers Photo Day #PhotoBomb....#CactusCrewpic.twitter.com/aTZYDiF2wr

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) February 23, 2014

Aramis Ramirez took a much more serious selfie, befitting a player working to overcome offseason colon surgery. He talked to reporters over the weekend about how a family history of colon cancer led him to get an early colonoscopy that led to the issue being diagnosed early. Ron Roenicke told @Adam McCalvy that Ramirez got through his first workout with no issues.

Matt Garza has about 50 million reasons to be excited to be in Brewers camp this spring, and apparently he hasn't been shy about making his presence known in the clubhouse. This morning Twinkie Town noted that Garza is believed to have turned down a three-year, $42 million offer from the Twins before signing with Milwaukee.

Garza's signing changes the situation a bit for Yovani Gallardo, and Pete Goodchild of Reviewing the Brew has a look at his new position in the Brewers rotation. Nick Michalski of The Brewers Bar says it's still a pivotal year for the longtime Brewers ace, though, saying "for the Brewers to gain any traction in a formidable National League, the team will have to rely on Gallardo to channel his talents into quality starts."

Other notes from camp:

• In addition to being photo day, Sunday was also the Brewers' annual medical meeting. (h/t @AdamMcCalvy)
• Andrew Gruman of FS Wisconsin has a story on three special instructors spending the spring with the Crew: Robin Yount, Geoff Jenkins and, for the first time, Damian Miller. As part of the piece, Gruman also has notes on the Brewers intrasquad game (it'll be played tomorrow instead of Wednesday) and wins the award for being the first reporter to ask Ron Roenicke about the contact play.
• Damian Miller may get a chance to work with Jonathan Lucroy this spring. Adam McCalvy's preview of the Brewers catchers focuses on how he's working to become an all-around player. He also has a preview of the Brewer first basemen.
• Francisco Rodriguez is still in Venezuela waiting to get his work visa, but @AdamMcCalvy reportshe has an appointment on Wednesday and could be in camp by the end of the week.
• Michael Blazek is in camp, meanwhile, and is drawing praise for his early work.
• McCalvy also has a photo gallery from the first full squad workout.

Maybe the Brewers were waiting until position players arrived in camp to start work on a long term deal for Jean Segura? @ChrisCotillo reports that the two sides don't appear to have made any progress. Elsewhere in things we're talking about every day this spring: Hank the Dog is now on Twitter as @BrewersHank.

With the first media circus of the spring behind him for now, Ryan Braun is back to business in camp working to bounce back from his worst MLB season and make the transition across the outfield. David Schoenfield of ESPN is setting the over/under at 32.5 home runs in 2014 for the 2011 NL MVP. Geoff Jenkins told Adam McCalvy he doesn't think Braun will have a hard time moving to right field.

While Braun looks to bounce back from a rough year, Carlos Gomez is trying to maintain the momentum from the best season of his career. He's all over the web this morning:

• Adam Wieser of Disciples of Uecker has a look at various outlets' projections for the Gold Glove center fielder in 2014.
• Bryan Robinson of Beyond the Box Score's new tool to evaluate plate discipline shows Gomez among baseball's worst (and former Brewer Norichika Aoki among the best).
• Lyle Spencer of MLB.com has a look at how getting the green light changed Gomez's game for the better.

Gomez is also one of several candidates to bat leadoff for the Brewers on Opening Day. Ron Roenicke mentioned him, Jean Segura and Scooter Gennett while telling reporters that they're keeping their options open at this point.

Braun and Gomez may draw more attention, but the back of the Brewer rotation could be just as important if the Crew is going to contend this season. Ryan Topp of Disciples of Uecker listed Marco Estrada and Mike Fiers among four players that could have unexpected impacts on the 2014 season, and The Brewer Nation profiled Wily Peralta in the latest entry in their "Brewers By the (Jersey) Numbers" series.

Meanwhile, Sean Halton is just hoping to get a chance to make any impact on this team. Tom Haudricourt talked to him about trying to win a job and reports he'll play "quite a bit" in the outfield this spring.

Lyle Overbay is also competing for time at first base this spring, but this may be part of the reason he's never played another position: Nick Ashbourne of Beyond the Box Score used double plays started and throwing errors to list Overbay as having one of the game's worst throwing arms.

In the minors:

• As of this writing Clint Coulter leads by one vote in the balloting for the #9 spot in our BCB Community Prospect Rankings. You have until noon today to cast a vote if you haven't yet, then check back after 1 as we wrap up the top ten.
• Beyond the Box Score has an effort to compile top 100 prospect lists from across baseball into one consensus list, and Jimmy Nelson is the top Brewer on it at #115. Tyrone Taylor also makes an appearance.
• Brad Krause of Miller Park Prospects has a profile of 2013 Wisconsin infielder Chris McFarland.
• Chris Mehring of Rattler Radio has pictures from around Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium, where some snow melted last week when the temperature peaked above 40 for a couple of days.
• There's less snow on the field in Huntsville, where Benjamin Hill of MiLB.com is planning on making a road trip to see a game in the Stars' final season.

If you'd like more Brewers coverage today but you're sick of reading, my Friday appearance on The Home Stretch with Justin Hull on 95.3 FM WSCO in Appleton has been archived. We spent about half an hour in studio talking all things Brewers as position players reported to camp.

If you weren't around the site this weekend you might have missed JP's weekly look at what we learned over the previous seven days. With spring training games starting this week, now is no time to be falling behind.

Around baseball:

Angels: Are expected to sign outfielder Mike Trout to a six-year, $150 million contract extension through 2020.
Blue Jays: Claimed pitcher Liam Hendriks off waivers from the Orioles and designated third baseman Brent Morel for assignment.
Cardinals: Pitcher Jaime Garcia has been shut down with shoulder discomfort and is unlikely to be ready for Opening Day.
Dodgers: Signed Cuban shortstop Erisbuel Arruebarrena to a five-year, $25 million contract and designated infielder Justin Sellers for assignment.
Giants: Signed outfielder Tyler Colvin to a minor league deal.
Orioles: Signed outfielder Nelson Cruz to a one-year, $8 million contract.
Yankees: Signed outfielder Brett Gardner to a four-year, $52 million contract extension and signed reliever Andrew Bailey to a minor league deal.

Today in former Brewers:

• Zack Greinke created some controversy over the weekend by saying there's "zero excitement" among players for the Dodgers' season-opening trip to Australia in a few weeks. Australian officials are none too happy about the remarks.
• The Boston Herald has a story on new Red Sox pitcher Chris Capuano, a Massachusetts native who has never pitched at Fenway Park.
• Jamey Wright is in camp with the Dodgers, and has an MLB contract in spring training for the first time since 2005.
• George Kottaras' dog, an eight-month-old yellow lab named Leo, is the hit of Cubs camp this spring.

After a full weekend of practice across baseball, we've got a pair of quintessential spring training stories today:

• The A's are using side-by-side batting cages and pitching machines to get extra work for their hitters this spring.
• Cubs shortstop Javier Baez broke a car window with a home run ball during batting practice.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm working on the drums.

Drink up.

Who is the #10 prospect in the Brewers organization?

Taylor Jungmann made a late comeback to win the #9 spot in our community's ranking of the top prospects in the Brewers organization. Here's where we stand today:

1. Jimmy Nelson (57% of the vote)
2. Tyrone Taylor (65% of the vote)
3. Victor Roache (40% of the vote)
4. Mitch Haniger (39% of the vote)
5. Orlando Arcia (34% of the vote)
6. Devin Williams (37% of the vote)
7. Johnny Hellweg (52% of the vote)
8. Hunter Morris (24% of the vote)
9. Taylor Jungmann (23% of the vote)

Here are your choices for #10:

(For a full explanation of what we're doing here, check out the first post in the series.)

Clint Coulter, C
Age: 20
Top level reached in 2013: A

2013 stats:

Wisconsin (A): 135 PA, .207/.299/.345, 3 HR, 1 SB, 0 CS, 11 BB, 31 K
Helena (Rookie+): 81 PA, .216/.263/.311, 1 HR, 1 SB, 0 CS, 4 BB, 14 K
Arizona (Rookie): 66 PA, .350/.409/.617, 3 HR, 1 SB, 1 CS, 5 BB, 15 K

Highest position in other rankings:

Nick Delmonico, 3B
Age: 21
Top level reached in 2013: A+

2013 stats:

Combined, Frederick and Brevard County (A+): 350 PA, .232/.346/.423, 13 HR, 7 SB, 2 CS, 48 BB, 80 K

Highest position in other rankings:

David Goforth, RHP
Age: 25
Top level reached in 2013: AA

2013 stats:

Huntsville (AA): 46.2 IP, 3.28 ERA, 1.071 WHIP, 18 BB (3.5 BB/9), 36 K (6.9 K/9)
Brevard County (A+): 78.1 IP, 3.10 ERA, 1.213 WHIP, 28 BB (3.2 BB/9), 58 K (6.7 K/9)
Surprise (Arizona Fall): 12 IP, 3.75 ERA, 1.250 WHIP, 4 BB (3 BB/9), 15 K (11.3 K/9)

Highest position in other rankings:

Damien Magnifico, RHP
Age: 22
Top level reached in 2013: A+

2013 stats:

Brevard County (A+): 26.2 IP, 6.08 ERA, 1.838 WHIP, 17 BB (5.7 BB/9), 17 K (5.7 K/9)
Wisconsin (A): 54 IP, 3.83 ERA, 1.389 WHIP, 24 BB (4.0 BB/9), 46 K (7.7 K/9)

Highest position in other rankings:

Tucker Neuhaus, SS/3B
Age: 18
Top level reached in 2013: Rookie (Arizona)

2013 stats:

Arizona (Rookie): 219 PA, .231/.311/.303, 0 HR, 6 SB, 3 CS, 23 BB, 56 K

Highest position in other rankings:

Ariel Pena, RHP
Age: 24
Top level reached in 2013: AA

2013 stats:

Huntsville (AA): 142.1 IP, 3.73 ERA, 1.363 WHIP, 79 BB (5.0 BB/9), 131 K (8.3 K/9)

Highest position in other rankings:

Michael Reed, OF
Age: 21
Top level reached in 2013: A

2013 stats:

Wisconsin (A): 539 PA, .286/.385/.400, 1 HR, 26 SB, 10 CS, 71 BB, 108 K

Highest position in other rankings:

Yadiel Rivera, SS
Age: 21
Top level reached in 2013: A+

2013 stats:

Brevard County (A+): 524 PA, .241/.300/.314, 5 HR, 13 SB, 8 CS, 32 BB, 80 K

Highest position in other rankings:

Jason Rogers, 1B
Age: 25
Top level reached in 2013: AA

2013 stats:

Huntsville (AA): 549 PA, .270/.346/.468, 22 HR, 7 SB, 2 CS, 59 BB, 86 K

Highest position in other rankings:

Tyler Wagner, RHP
Age: 23
Top level reached in 2013: A

2013 stats:

Wisconsin (A): 148.2 IP, 3.21 ERA, 1.244 WHIP, 56 BB (3.4 BB/9), 116 K (7.0 K/9)

Highest position in other rankings:

TOP 20 BASEBALL PROSPECTS FOR 2014 BY ORGANIZATION

AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST
Baltimore Orioles  (January 26, 2014)
Boston Red Sox  (January 1,2014)
New York Yankees
Tampa Bay Rays
Toronto Blue Jays   (January 18, 2014)

AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL
Chicago White Sox
Cleveland Indians
Detroit Tigers
Kansas City Royals   (December 16, 2013)
Minnesota Twins   (October 15, 2013)

AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST
Houston Astros (February 18, 2014)
Los Angeles Angels   (January 11, 2014)
Oakland Athletics
Seattle Mariners
Texas Rangers

NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST
Atlanta Braves (December 4, 2013)
Miami Marlins
New York Mets  (January 13, 2014)
Philadelphia Phillies
Washington Nationals

NATIONAL LEAGUE CENTRAL
Chicago Cubs   (January 8, 2014)
Cincinnati Reds   (January 22, 2014)
Milwaukee Brewers (January 30, 2014)
Pittsburgh Pirates
St. Louis Cardinals

NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST
Arizona Diamondbacks (February 24, 2014)
Colorado Rockies
Los Angeles Dodgers
San Diego Padres
San Francisco Giants  (December 28, 2014)

In an area overrun with dogs, the Brewers decided to adopt one for spring training. Let's meet Hank.

The dog days of summer arrived early for the Milwaukee Brewers.

In a spring training town overrun by stray dogs, the Brewers are doing their part to limit the problem -- at least by one. The players and coaches, who spend their days preparing for the season in Maryvale Park in Phoenix, Ariz., have adopted a young pup named Hank.

He was found wandering their facility with an injured tail and markings on his leg, which could have resulted from being hit by a car.

Meet Hank: former stray, and the new unofficial mascot of the Milwaukee Brewers: http://t.co/bWJnajAsFM#ballparkpuppic.twitter.com/NBvdPIQai4

— DogTime (@dogtimedotcom) February 24, 2014

Hank has become the star of the Brewers' camp. He wears a No. 1 jersey and often runs around the yard when the players are doing infield practice or baserunning drills. Hank is even on Twitter (@BrewersHank), tweeting away with his little paws.

Best picture of the day. pic.twitter.com/DoNJO2zasC

— Hank the Dog (@BrewersHank) February 23, 2014

Why the name "Hank?" Hank Aaron, of course.

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The players have grown to love the two-year-old dog, incorporating him into as many team activities as possible. The Brewers are planning on taking Hank to Milwaukee when they break camp if his owner doesn't step forward. No word yet on whether or not he will be racing the sausages at Miller Park once the season begins.

"I was in Europe this week on business and I had four texts from my wife," team owner Mark Attanasio said, "and three of them were 'What can I do to adopt Hank the Dog?'"

The Brewers begin Cactus League play on Thursday.

The old is out and it's time for new blood to lead the way. The Cubs' backstop wants the job. So come on in to Cub Tracks for more on Castillo's Great Expectations, young pitchers leaving impressions, building buzz, and the dog days of spring.

Rest in peace, Harold Ramis.

From Comcast SportsNet

• The old guard is gone, so the team is counting on new leaders to step up.
• (Video) Travis Wood knows he has to prove himself every year.
• The team doesn't think pressure gets to Edwin Jackson.
• The team has great expectations for Welington Castillo. I know we like "Beef" as a nickname, but how about "Gatsby?"
• Lower case kyle will love that the Cubs are getting an up-close look at Armando Rivero.

From Cubs Den

• A guest writer digs into the numbers with Travis Wood.
• Arodys Vizcaino is a wild card for the pitching staff this season and beyond.

• Mark Gonzalez also answers the mail.
• Justin Ruggiano thinks it's an exciting time to be a Cubs' fan.
• (Video) Javier Baez takes BP.

From the Chicago Sun-Times

• A ban on home plate collisions could benefit the Cubs.
• Travis Wood wants to prove he wasn't just lucky last year.

From the Daily Herald

• Can Starlin Castro find success again?

Today's food for thought

• This tiny blue crystal could be the oldest thing on Earth.

If a team is labeled a "surprise contender" by everyone before the season begins, can they really be a surprise contender?

How you feel about the 2014 Milwaukee Brewers depends largely on how much stock you put into the way they ended the 2013 season. They went 38-56 in the first half, a 65-win pace had they kept slogging along. After the All-Star break -- and, three days later, Ryan Braun's suspension -- they went 36-32. During this stretch, they were pleasantly surprised by a number of rookies, including Scooter Gennett, Khris Davis, Caleb Gindl, and Tyler Thornburg. With Braun returning to join the rookies and MVP contender Carlos Gomez, the Brewers have become a trendy breakout pick in 2014.

Manager: Ron Roenicke (4th year)

2013 record: 74-88, 4th in NL Central

SB Nation blog:Brew Crew Ball

Other Brewers coverage:Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Reviewing the Brew

Lineup

Putting too much stock into Scooter Gennett's small albeit impressive sample of 230 plate appearances in 2013 falls somewhere between risky and foolish. However, Ron Roenicke tabbed Gennett as his starting second baseman over veteran Rickie Weeks back in December and has not covered his tracks since. Weeks has been trending downward since 2011, and his age and prolific injury history suggest that this is no fluke. At short, Jean Segura was half man, half amazing in 2013. The amazing side saw him hit .325/.363/.487 with 27 stolen bases and a not-that-unreasonable .349 BABIP in the first half. The mortal half came later when he hit .241/.268/.315 in the second half. He swiped 17 additional bases, but a spike in strikeout rate suggests that pitchers figured him out and he could not adjust. Despite the splits, I'm sure the Brewers would gladly take another .752 OPS from an above average defensive shortstop in 2014.

Third baseman Aramis Ramirez missed a healthy chunk of playing time in 2013 with numerous injuries. While he has been otherwise healthy for most of his career -- it was only the second time since 2000 that he has played in fewer than 120 games -- the wear and tear on Ramirez's body may be catching up to him. He can still produce offensively (as last year's 125 OPS+ attests) but the Brewers are leaving no stone unturned in camp to find a suitable backup. At first, the Brewers are hoping that last season's nightmare is behind them. No franchise utilized a worse combination of first basemen in 2013, and a 0.0 WAR player would be an upgrade.

With Ryan Braun returning from his suspension, the Brewers' outfield becomes somewhat crowded in 2014. Braun and center fielder Carlos Gomez both have MVP-candidate potential. Gomez finished ninth in the race in 2013 after hitting a career-best .284/.338/.506 with 24 home runs and 40 steals. He also played otherworldly defense in center, taking home a well-deserved Gold Glove. Braun will make the transition over to right field to make room for Khris Davis, who stormed onto the scene in 2013 by hitting .279/.353/.596 with 11 home runs in 153 plate appearances. Davis never appeared on any top prospect lists, but mashed his way through the minors after a brief career at Cal State Fullerton. The Brewers are quick to name Caleb Gindl and Logan Schafer as contenders for the job as well, but Davis is the clear front-runner at this point.

Behind the plate, Jonathan Lucroy has quietly established himself as one of the best catchers in the National League. He has been lauded all across the sabermetric community for his pitch-framing ability, but also hit a solid .280/.340/.455 with 18 home runs in 580 plate appearances. It wasn't quite the .881 OPS he posted in 91 games in 2012, but an abysmal September ruined the sparkling .828 OPS he had on August 31st. Backup catcher Martin Maldonado is approaching "best shape of his life" territory this spring after a brutal .169/.236/.284 effort at the plate in 2013.

Rotation

The Brewers' starting five was wildly uninteresting for most of the offseason, but then they signed Matt Garza to a four year, $50 million contract in late January. Now, their rotation is just mildly uninteresting.

All joking aside, this pitching staff has the potential to be an above average unit. Garza had the best season of his career while pitching in the National League Central in 2011 before homer troubles and an elbow injury derailed an equally promising 2012 campaign. Now he gets the chance to pitch in the same division with the added benefit of facing the Cubs' anemic offense. Speaking of NL Central holdovers, Kyle Lohse dealt with home run problems of his own in 2013. His strikeout rate dipped somewhat from his career-best 2012, but his walk rate stayed low and he gave up fewer line drives. Expect more of the same in 2014.

The wild card to this staff is Yovani Gallardo. Still only 27 -- doesn't it seem like he has been around forever? -- Gallardo is just a year removed from a 200 inning/200 strikeout season. His ground ball rate has improved in each of the past four years, but a sharp decline in strikeout rate and 23.2% line drive rate resulted in the highest ERA of his career. However, he posted a 3.66 ERA from June 1st onward and a 3.09 ERA in the second half. It's possible that a groin strain Gallardo suffered prior to the World Baseball Classic in March played a role in his slow start.

Wily Peralta and Marco Estrada look to be the front-runners to fill out the back end of the rotation, but could face pressure from the aforementioned Tyler Thornburg and former Royals lefty Will Smith. Estrada did not quite match 2012's surprising ERA, but lowered his WHIP and still managed a 4.08 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Peralta's rookie season was mostly about eating innings, and he will have trouble doing anything more if he doesn't strike out more batters with that big fastball of his. Thornburg put up a shiny 2.03 ERA in 66 2/3 innings, but an xFIP of 4.43 and 80.7% strand rate suggest that it is a good thing he is currently on the outside looking in. Smith struck out 43 batters in 33 1/3 innings last season, most of which came in relief. Jeff Sullivan is a fan. Johnny Hellweg also deserves a mention because he started seven games last year and is 6-foot-9. Analysis: that's tall.

If we had BYB interns, I would charge them with the task of figuring out a way to swap the Tigers' bullpen for the Brewers' cast of relievers. They are not the Atlanta Braves by any means, but some people might notice if Craig Kimbrel turned up missing. Meanwhile, Francisco Rodriguez, Jim Henderson, Brandon Kintzler, and Tom Gorzelanny could comprise one of the more underrated back-ends in the National League. Rodriguez was excellent for the Brewers in the first half of 2013, netting them prospect Nick Delmonico in a trade with the Baltimore Orioles. He bombed in Baltimore, but what pitcher hasn't in the past 15 years? Henderson will also be in the running for the closer role after tallying 28 saves in 2013. Former Tiger Alfredo Figaro could be in the mix for one of the final bullpen slots.

Who's on first?

Corey Hart did his best to make Brewers fans forget about Prince Fielder in 2012, hitting .270/.334/.507 with 30 home runs and 83 RBI. He had microfracture surgery on his left knee in January of 2013 and ended up missing the entire season, leading the Brewers to play a band of misfits at first all year long. Of the five players to spend time at first in 2013, only Sean Halton and Juan Francisco look to be in the mix for playing time in 2014. Joining them will be Mark Reynolds and Lyle Overbay, both of whom signed minor league deals this offseason. No matter who wins the job, there is a good chance that he will be a big improvement upon last season's mess. Brewers first basemen posted the lowest batting average, on-base percentage, wOBA, and wRC+ of all 30 major league teams in 2013.

Player to watch: Ryan Braun

Come on, you know you want to. Braun's 2014 season will likely be a media circus, though I am sure they will take kindly to him when the Brewers visit Boston for their second series of the season. They have a history of being kind to PED users.

For all the entertainment his off-field drama is sure to provide, Braun's on-field exploits are also worth your attention. His .498 slugging percentage in 2013 -- the worst mark of his career -- would have ranked ninth in the National League last season had he tallied enough plate appearances. Juiced or not, Braun is a rare talent who has the capacity to turn the Brewers from an also-ran into a contender.

Outlook

The gap between third and fourth place in the 2013 NL Central race was 14 games. While the Cincinnati Reds might have been that many games better than the Brewers last year, the gap has closed. Milwaukee has the talent to make a surprise playoff run if things go right, and this division isn't as top heavy as advertised. If the veterans can stay healthy and Braun can keep himself focused on baseball, the offense should be good enough to carry them to a .500 record. Whatever happens beyond that is up to the pitching staff. Expect the Brewers to hold their own in 2014.

We're talking about the first game action of the spring and more in today's roundup of all things Brewers.

Some things to read while buying another bottle.

Today is the eleventh day of spring training 2014 and the Brewers will take the field for their first game...against themselves. David Goforth, Brooks Hall, Kevin Shackelford and Wei-Chung Wang are expected to be among the pitchers used as the Brewers play a three inning intrasquad game in Maryvale this afternoon.

Once that contest is out of the way, all eyes will turn to the Cactus League opener against the A's on Thursday. @AndrewGruman reports that Marco Estrada and Wily Peralta are both expected to pitch in that game.

The Brewers still haven't unveiled their Opening Day rotation, but when they do their April schedule will be a factor in the decision. The team has an off day following their opening series against the Braves and another between the Red Sox and Phillies series, freeing the team up to play matchups a bit.

Other notes from camp:

• Adam McCalvy talked to Jean Segura about spending the winter doing track workouts with his uncle Oscar.
• McCalvy also talked to Jonathan Lucroy and Martin Maldonado to get their thoughts on new MLB rules designed to reduce collisions at home plate.
• Andrew Gruman of FS Wisconsin has a story on Hunter Morris as a long shot candidate to win the first base job this spring.
• ASU student Ryan Hill of the JS has a video interview with Rickie Weeks where he discusses the longtime Brewer's efforts to give back in the community.
• Fellow ASU student Brendan Capria talked to Matt Garza about getting #22 as a Brewer, and to Logan Schafer about giving up his former number. Schafer is wearing #1 this spring.
• Speaking of Garza, Bruce Miles of the Chicago Daily Herald has a story on his reunion with former Cubs teammate Aramis Ramirez this spring.
• Elsewhere in new Brewers, Jose De La Torre will receive a championship ring for his brief tenure with the Red Sox in 2013. If he makes the Opening Day roster he'll probably get it when the Brewers visit Fenway Park in April.
• Kyle Burger of WVTM-TV in Birmingham, Alabama, has a video story on how Donovan Hand spent the winter decompressing while driving a tractor. (h/t @Mass_Haas)
• John Steinmiller and Caitlin Moyer have video from a camera Jonathan Lucroy wore while catching a 90 mph fastball from Kyle Lohse.
• Big League Stew had some fun with a photo of Tyler Thornburg wearing an enormous game hat on photo day.
• @MikeVassallo13 has a picture of Hank asleep on his couch.

Hank the dog continues to make the rounds, both in Maryvale and on the web. Yesterday Deadspin became the latest entity to run a story on him.

In the minors:

• As of this writing David Goforth leads by two votes in the balloting to determine the #10 spot in our BCB Community Prospect Rankings. Voting will remain open until noon today, and you can stop by after 1 to cast your vote for #11.
• Last week we reported that the Blue Jays, Nationals and Astros had all potentially expressed interest in moving their spring training facilities to Palm Beach County, Florida. The Blue Jays have since decided to remain in Dunedin. The Nationals' facility in Viera is also home to the Brevard County Manatees.

Today in previews, projections, power rankings and whatnot: Jacob R. Misener of Call To The Pen listed Ryan Braun as the Brewers' player to watch, X-factor and biggest question mark in his preview of the 2014 Brewers season.

Around baseball:

Orioles: Designated pitcher Chris Jones for assignment.
Pirates: Claimed third baseman Brent Morel off waivers from the Blue Jays and designated infielder Chase D'Arnaud for assignment.
Rangers: Signed manager Ron Washington to a one-year contract extension for 2015.

Today in former Brewers:

• Carrie Muskat of MLB.com has a story on Jose Veras adjusting to his new role as a closer and clubhouse leader for the Cubs.
• Tim Dillard, meanwhile, is settling into a less luxurious setting: He'll be playing independent ball in Lancaster, Pennsylvania if another team doesn't come calling before their season opens. (h/t @Mass_Haas)
• The Dugout Perspective has a guide to appreciating Norichika Aoki.
• @joe_block found an old Damian Miller card.

Today's quintessential spring training story comes from Port St. Lucie, where MetsBlog caught the very essence of a Grapefruit League pop up drill.

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

• 1995-96 Brewer David Hulse, who turns 46.
• 1962-65 Milwaukee Brave Denny Lemaster, who turns 75. We covered his birthday in Today In Brewer History last year.
• Jerry Reinsdorf, 2006 inductee into the Appleton Baseball Hall of Fame, who turns 78.
• Boyceville, Wisconsin native and 1953-59 Milwaukee Brave Andy Pafko, who would have turned 93. We covered his space in Today In Brewer History two years ago, and last year Chris Jensen of Baseball State by State named him Wisconsin's best February-born player.

Plunk Everyone notes that Pafko's 76 career HBP are the most ever for a position player born on February 25, and Lemaster's 24 hit batsmen are the most ever for a pitcher born on this date.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I forgot something at home.

Drink up.

Check out Jordan's multi-part series on predicting the upcoming season.

Today we move on to the outfield, which has the potential to be a real strength of this team. I've added some value numbers, which are a bit more intuitive for position players than for pitchers. The value lines below your slash stats are the ZiPS-projected Fangraphs calculations of WAR. Defense is measured relative to other defenders at the same position, and offense is measured compared to overall league batting. There's a separate adjustment based on position. An exactly average player over a full year is worth about 2 WAR, or two wins better than an average minor league free agent could be expected to produce.

The Brewers have two players in their outfield who are capable of 7+ WAR seasons. We know this because one of them did it last year, and one of them did it in 2 out of the past 3. No team had two position players with over 7 WAR in 2013, or 2012. Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia pulled it off for the Red Sox in 2011.

Khris Davis

You would have to think it would take a pretty impressive 153-plate appearance cameo to move a 5-time All-Star from his regular position. Everything you would hope to see in a young hitter was there-- patience (7.2% walk rate), power (.316 ISO), and line drives (20% of batted balls).

Contract situation: Pre-arb 1

ZiPS: 457 PA, .249/.330/.450

8 runs below average in LF, 7 runs above average on offense, ~1.4 WAR

Jordan's over/under: Over. I think we can expect average from Davis and that would be a successful year. But it's clear that the upside is there so I would put average (2 WAR) as my mid-point projection. I have little doubt he can beat that projection with relatively decent health, and I think that's the main issue we need to watch.

Carlos Gomez

What would Carlos Gomez get if he would have gotten on the open market had he been a free agent this offseason instead of signing an extension that bought out two of his free agent years? His last 3 seasons he has put up 2, 3, and 7 fWAR in succession. Even if teams valued him as a ~4-5 win player, becoming a free agent at age 28 I think he would have beat out the 6 years and $106 million that Jose Reyes got two years ago. Not that that would be a particularly wise contract, I think, but that has not stopped teams before. I point this out to bring up the incredible bargain the Brewers have here. Even if Gomez produces as a league average-type hitter, he still can be a 4-win player, and if he hits well he is an MVP candidate. Doug Melvin deserves so much credit for making this extension happen, because if he hadn't, there is either no Gomez on this team, or there is no Garza.

Contract situation: 2014: $7 M, 2015: $8 M, 2016: $ 9 M

ZiPS: 491 PA, .260/.313/.462

13 runs above average in CF, 10 runs above average on offense, ~4.1 WAR.

Jordan's over/under: Over. I can buy the regression in the hitting line or the worse year on defense, but not both together. Those value numbers for Gomez last year were +26 offensive runs and +26 defensive runs. I certainly don't expect that again, but healthy Gomez in his prime should be a 5 WAR guy.

Ryan Braun

An underrated aspect to Braun's monster 2011 and 2012 seasons were the strides he made defensively. After putting up one of the worst defensive performances in the history of baseball his rookie year at third base (*not an exaggeration), he managed to make himself into a nearly average defensive left fielder by UZR. It certainly didn't seem fluky, either, watching him almost every day made it really look like he learned how to take better routes. I'm on board with sliding him over to right field but I think it's difficult to expect that he will pick up and be roughly average there in his first season on the other side.

Contract situation: 2014: $10 M, 2015: $12 M, 2016: $19 M, 2017: $19 M, 2018: $19 M, 2019: $18 M, 2020: $16 M.

ZiPS: 664 PA, .300/.367/.540

7 runs below average in LF, 37 runs above average on offense, ~5.4 WAR.

Jordan's over/under: Under. I want to bet on Braun, I really do, but there are a few factors that would make me put my own money on the under: the apparently nagging thumb injury, the uncertainty around the move to right field, and just the general aftermath of the suspension. I'm probably more optimistic on the Braun return than most but that's a hefty line to clear. But I think he's up to the challenge.

Contract info from Cot's Baseball Contracts, ZiPS projections helpfully now on player pages at Fangraphs.

Wherein we talk about Khris Davis, Carlos Gomez, and Ryan Braun, who are people who stand in the grass further away from home plate during most of the games and occasionally take their turn hitting base balls.

Today we move on to the outfield, which has the potential to be a real strength of this team. I've added some value numbers, which are a bit more intuitive for position players than for pitchers. The value lines below your slash stats are the ZiPS-projected Fangraphs calculations of WAR. Defense is measured relative to other defenders at the same position, and offense is measured compared to overall league batting. There's a separate adjustment based on position. An exactly average player over a full year is worth about 2 WAR, or two wins better than an average minor league free agent could be expected to produce.

The Brewers have two players in their outfield who are capable of 7+ WAR seasons. We know this because one of them did it last year, and one of them did it in 2 out of the past 3. No team had two position players with over 7 WAR in 2013, or 2012. Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia pulled it off for the Red Sox in 2011.

Khris Davis

You would have to think it would take a pretty impressive 153-plate appearance cameo to move a 5-time All-Star from his regular position. Everything you would hope to see in a young hitter was there-- patience (7.2% walk rate), power (.316 ISO), and line drives (20% of batted balls).

Contract situation: Pre-arb 1

ZiPS: 457 PA, .249/.330/.450

8 runs below average in LF, 7 runs above average on offense, ~1.4 WAR

Jordan's over/under: Over. I think we can expect average from Davis and that would be a successful year. But it's clear that the upside is there so I would put average (2 WAR) as my mid-point projection. I have little doubt he can beat that projection with relatively decent health, and I think that's the main issue we need to watch.

Carlos Gomez

What would Carlos Gomez get if he would have gotten on the open market had he been a free agent this offseason instead of signing an extension that bought out two of his free agent years? His last 3 seasons he has put up 2, 3, and 7 fWAR in succession. Even if teams valued him as a ~4-5 win player, becoming a free agent at age 28 I think he would have beat out the 6 years and $106 million that Jose Reyes got two years ago. Not that that would be a particularly wise contract, I think, but that has not stopped teams before. I point this out to bring up the incredible bargain the Brewers have here. Even if Gomez produces as a league average-type hitter, he still can be a 4-win player, and if he hits well he is an MVP candidate. Doug Melvin deserves so much credit for making this extension happen, because if he hadn't, there is either no Gomez on this team, or there is no Garza.

Contract situation: 2014: $7 M, 2015: $8 M, 2016: $ 9 M

ZiPS: 491 PA, .260/.313/.462

13 runs above average in CF, 10 runs above average on offense, ~4.1 WAR.

Jordan's over/under: Over. I can buy the regression in the hitting line or the worse year on defense, but not both together. Those value numbers for Gomez last year were +26 offensive runs and +26 defensive runs. I certainly don't expect that again, but healthy Gomez in his prime should be a 5 WAR guy.

Ryan Braun

An underrated aspect to Braun's monster 2011 and 2012 seasons were the strides he made defensively. After putting up one of the worst defensive performances in the history of baseball his rookie year at third base (*not an exaggeration), he managed to make himself into a nearly average defensive left fielder by UZR. It certainly didn't seem fluky, either, watching him almost every day made it really look like he learned how to take better routes. I'm on board with sliding him over to right field but I think it's difficult to expect that he will pick up and be roughly average there in his first season on the other side.

Contract situation: 2014: $10 M, 2015: $12 M, 2016: $19 M, 2017: $19 M, 2018: $19 M, 2019: $18 M, 2020: $16 M.

ZiPS: 664 PA, .300/.367/.540

7 runs below average in LF, 37 runs above average on offense, ~5.4 WAR.

Jordan's over/under: Under. I want to bet on Braun, I really do, but there are a few factors that would make me put my own money on the under: the apparently nagging thumb injury, the uncertainty around the move to right field, and just the general aftermath of the suspension. I'm probably more optimistic on the Braun return than most but that's a hefty line to clear. But I think he's up to the challenge.

Contract info from Cot's Baseball Contracts, ZiPS projections helpfully now on player pages at Fangraphs.

Who is the #11 prospect in the Brewers organization?

His margin of victory was just four votes, but David Goforth held off Clint Coulter to win the #10 spot in our community's ranking of the top prospects in the Brewers organization. Here's where we stand today:

1. Jimmy Nelson (57% of the vote)
2. Tyrone Taylor (65% of the vote)
3. Victor Roache (40% of the vote)
4. Mitch Haniger (39% of the vote)
5. Orlando Arcia (34% of the vote)
6. Devin Williams (37% of the vote)
7. Johnny Hellweg (52% of the vote)
8. Hunter Morris (24% of the vote)
9. Taylor Jungmann (23% of the vote)
10. David Goforth (33% of the vote)

Here are your choices for #11:

(For a full explanation of what we're doing here, check out the first post in the series.)

Jed Bradley, LHP
Age: 23
Top level reached in 2013: A+

2013 stats:

Brevard County (A+): 78.1 IP, 4.14 ERA, 1.532 WHIP, 39 BB (4.5 BB/9), 58 K (6.7 K/9)

Highest position in other rankings:

Clint Coulter, C
Age: 20
Top level reached in 2013: A

2013 stats:

Wisconsin (A): 135 PA, .207/.299/.345, 3 HR, 1 SB, 0 CS, 11 BB, 31 K
Helena (Rookie+): 81 PA, .216/.263/.311, 1 HR, 1 SB, 0 CS, 4 BB, 14 K
Arizona (Rookie): 66 PA, .350/.409/.617, 3 HR, 1 SB, 1 CS, 5 BB, 15 K

Highest position in other rankings:

Nick Delmonico, 3B
Age: 21
Top level reached in 2013: A+

2013 stats:

Combined, Frederick and Brevard County (A+): 350 PA, .232/.346/.423, 13 HR, 7 SB, 2 CS, 48 BB, 80 K

Highest position in other rankings:

Damien Magnifico, RHP
Age: 22
Top level reached in 2013: A+

2013 stats:

Brevard County (A+): 26.2 IP, 6.08 ERA, 1.838 WHIP, 17 BB (5.7 BB/9), 17 K (5.7 K/9)
Wisconsin (A): 54 IP, 3.83 ERA, 1.389 WHIP, 24 BB (4.0 BB/9), 46 K (7.7 K/9)

Highest position in other rankings:

Tucker Neuhaus, SS/3B
Age: 18
Top level reached in 2013: Rookie (Arizona)

2013 stats:

Arizona (Rookie): 219 PA, .231/.311/.303, 0 HR, 6 SB, 3 CS, 23 BB, 56 K

Highest position in other rankings:

Ariel Pena, RHP
Age: 24
Top level reached in 2013: AA

2013 stats:

Huntsville (AA): 142.1 IP, 3.73 ERA, 1.363 WHIP, 79 BB (5.0 BB/9), 131 K (8.3 K/9)

Highest position in other rankings:

Michael Reed, OF
Age: 21
Top level reached in 2013: A

2013 stats:

Wisconsin (A): 539 PA, .286/.385/.400, 1 HR, 26 SB, 10 CS, 71 BB, 108 K

Highest position in other rankings:

Yadiel Rivera, SS
Age: 21
Top level reached in 2013: A+

2013 stats:

Brevard County (A+): 524 PA, .241/.300/.314, 5 HR, 13 SB, 8 CS, 32 BB, 80 K

Highest position in other rankings:

Jason Rogers, 1B
Age: 25
Top level reached in 2013: AA

2013 stats:

Huntsville (AA): 549 PA, .270/.346/.468, 22 HR, 7 SB, 2 CS, 59 BB, 86 K

Highest position in other rankings:

Tyler Wagner, RHP
Age: 23
Top level reached in 2013: A

2013 stats:

Wisconsin (A): 148.2 IP, 3.21 ERA, 1.244 WHIP, 56 BB (3.4 BB/9), 116 K (7.0 K/9)

Highest position in other rankings:

We're looking over results from the first game action of the spring and more in today's roundup of all things Brewers.

Some things to read without picking up the pen.

Day 12 of spring training 2014 is the calm before the storm, the final day before the Brewers' Cactus League opener against the A's tomorrow. The Brewers got ready for the occasion with a three-inning intrasquad game yesterday featuring some of the less experienced pitchers in camp. Here are some of the highlights:

• Carlos Gomez hit a two-run home run off Brooks Hall in the first inning (h/t @MikeVassallo13).
• Wei-Chung Wang pitched a scoreless inning in the first. He walked Rickie Weeks and Lyle Overbay but struck out Ryan Braun, and Todd Rosiak talked to him about that experience.
• Irving Falu hit an RBI single off Michael Olmsted, who allowed just one run on two hits and two walks in an inning. (h/t @MikeVassallo13)
• Mitch Haniger hit a solo home run off of David Goforth, who allowed that single run in his inning. (h/t @Todd Rosiak)
• Elian Herrera hit an RBI single off reliever Dustin Molleken, the only run the Canadian NRI allowed in his inning (h/t @MikeVassallo13). Herrera also talked to Jose M. Romero of MLB.com about trying to win a roster spot as a utility player.
• Kevin Shackelford pitched a scoreless inning to close out the game.

Six rookie pitchers worked in the intrasquad game yesterday, but six with MLB experience are scheduled to pitch in the Cactus League opener tomorrow. Marco Estrada will start the first official game of the spring and is scheduled to be followed by Wily Peralta, Zach Duke, Will Smith, Rob Wooten and Donovan Hand.

Other notes from camp:

• Yesterday was Carlos Gomez Day for the ASU students covering spring training for the JS. Bethany Reed has a story on the new decals on his glove, Gabby Castillo has video and Molly Lange has a photo essay.
• Elsewhere in the outfield, Adam McCalvy talked to Khris Davis' one time college coach Rick Vanderhook about Davis' unlikely ascent to the majors.
• Todd Rosiak has a story on Jimmy Nelson's focus on improving his control this spring.
• Rosiak also talked to Kyle Lohse about veteran pitchers setting a tone in the clubhouse.
• Genaro Armas of the Associated Press has a story on Jonathan Lucroy's emergence as a leader on this team.
• Tom Gorzelanny is still some time away from pitching in his first Cactus League game, but he told Jose M. Romero of MLB.com he's satisfied with his progress in his rehab from offseason shoulder surgery.
• While Gorzelanny spent the winter rehabbing, Martin Maldonado was playing baseball every day in Puerto Rico. Ross Dunham of MLB.com talked to Maldonado and Diamondbacks catcher Tuffy Gosewisch about the experience of playing in the Caribbean Leagues.
• @CraigCoshun has a picture of Wei-Chung Wang's glove.
• ASU student Bethany Reed also has a story on the ongoing media attention going to Hank the dog.

Actually, maybe "stuff about Hank" should just get its own section. This morning he welcomed Joe Block to camp, was pictured posing with Martin Maldonado and watching a team meeting, and the USA Today has a video story on him. Also, Wally from PocketDoppler.com is wondering if the positive distraction Hank has provided this spring wasn't a little too convenient.

While Hank's wagging tail is drawing lots of attention, Lyle Overbay's wagging tongue has flown somewhat under the radar. Justin Schultz of Reviewing the Brew noticed some comments he made to the New York Daily News about Ryan Braun, including a suggestion that he needs to "right the ship" with his teammates.

Meanwhile, the Brewers appear to be more interested in what you think about Braun. They sent out a survey yesterday asking fans for their opinion on how his situation has been handled. If you weren't on the survey list, @NicoleHaase has several screenshots of the questions.

My prediction: much of the concern about Braun will fade away locally if the Brewers put a winning team on the field and he contributes to it. To that end, here's some good news: Jeff Sullivan of FanGraphs surveyed the projections and found the Brewers to be baseball's tenth most improved team. Individually, David S. Grant of Reviewing the Brew is predicting Braun will lead the Brewers in home runs and hit the team's longest home run this summer.

Speaking of outfield predictions, Jordan looked at projections for Braun and the rest of the Brewers outfielders yesterday as part of his ongoing series. If you've fallen behind, you can see all of his projections in their new StoryStream.

Overbay should probably spend less time worrying about Braun and more time trying to win a job. Jonah Keri of Grantland listed Mark Reynolds as the Brewers' most interesting non-roster invitee, and Ben Tannenbaum of  The Brewers Bar says he "offers enough power to merit regular playing time at first base for the Brewers.".

The Brewers are projecting the highest payroll in franchise history for the 2014 season, and it's unlikely they'll push it any higher by signing a protected free agent for the second consecutive year. MLB Trade Rumors has a look at the draft pick each team would forfeit for signing one of those players, and the Brewers' first round pick (#12 overall) is at the top of the board.

Speaking of payroll, Wendy Thurm of FanGraphs notes that the Brewers are spending 38.6% of their 2014 payroll on starting pitchers, the third highest percentage in the majors.

But what are they getting for their money? Jonathan Judge of Disciples of Uecker has a look at pitching talent levels around the division and concludes that "The Brewers' and Cubs' rotations consist entirely of mid-rotation talent."

In the minors:

• As of this writing Clint Coulter holds a commanding lead in the voting to determine the #11 spot in our Community Prospect Rankings. You have until noon today to cast your vote, and the poll for #12 will appear sometime around 1.
• Nick Melotte of Minor League Ball says 14th round pick Hobbs Johnson had the seventh best professional debut among pitchers selected in the 2013 draft, and compared him to Reds rookie starter Tony Cingrani.
• Chris Mehring of Rattler Radio remembers all of the home runs Brock Kjeldgaard hit as a member of the Timber Rattlers in 2009.

Closer to home, the local sales tax to pay for Miller Park has been in place for 18 years now but some local legislators continue to fight it. The Racine Journal Times has a story on proposed legislation that would remove Racine County from the taxing district and quotes on why local legislators are concerned the agreement could be extended to build a new facility for the Bucks.

But what if they threw in a bratwurst? The Crawfish Boxes has a proposed food-themed alternate logo for every MLB team, and the Brat is on the Brewers' cap. This might give the Brewers a dozen alternates.

Today in previews, projections, power rankings and whatnot:

• Rob Rogacki of Bless You Boys says the Brewers are the proverbial dark horse in the NL Central.

Additionally, here's a preview of a preview: The Brewers will be featured on MLB Network's "30 Clubs in 30 Days" on Friday, March 7.

No transactions today, so we're going back to They Might Be Giants for today's musical interlude:

Today in former Brewers:

• Alec Dopp of Baseball Analytics has a look at how Prince Fielder's power against right handed pitchers has dropped in recent years.
• @gopherballs has a screen capture from Yuniesky Betancourt's introductory press conference in Japan. (h/t @wezen_ball)
• Chris Mehring of Rattler Radio has Dickie Thon, Phil Garner, Danny Walton and Don Sutton featured among his collection of Astros cards.

Today's quintessential spring training story comes from the Giants, who announced Madison Bumgarner as their Opening Day starter despite not having played a Cactus League game yet.

Johan Santana has started several Opening Days in his career, but probably won't be on someone's roster this April. He held a workout for teams this week and could barely top 80 mph.

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

• 1996 Brewer Danny Perez, who turns 43.
• Former Brewers bullpen coach Stan Kyles, who turns 53.
• 1978 Brewer Jeff Yurak, who turns 60. He is the only major leaguer with a last name starting with "Yu" in over 60 years, and we covered his birthday in Today In Brewer History two years ago.

Today is also the 35th anniversary of the Brewers selling reliever Eduardo Rodriguez to the Royals in 1979. We covered that event in Today In Brewer History last year.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to delete my history.

Drink up.

Their over/under for 2014 is now set at 79.5 wins, up from last check.

Back on February 14 I published a look at the Atlantic Casino in Reno's proposition bets for the 2014 MLB season. At that point they had set the over/under for the Brewers at 78.5 wins, and were already adjusting the odds to hedge their bets against gamblers voting the under.

You can't win the division in February, but apparently you can gain a game in the standings. Today Bovada emailed me to let me know they've set the Brewers' over/under at 79.5 wins, a game better than the Atlantic's number. That's still only the fourth best figure in the NL Central, though, behind the Cardinals (90.5), Reds (84.5) and Pirates (83.5).

That's a pretty significant drop for the Reds and Pirates, as the Atlantic had Cincinnati at 87.5 wins and the Pirates at 85.5. The Cubs remain far off the pace by most measures, but Bovada's 69.5 win betting line is four wins up from the Atlantic's.

These numbers are, of course, for entertainment purposes only.

Who is the #12 prospect in the Brewers organization?

Clint Coulter was a contender for several previous spots before finally winning in a blowout for the #11 position in our community's ranking of the top prospects in the Brewers organization. Here's where we stand today:

1. Jimmy Nelson (57% of the vote)
2. Tyrone Taylor (65% of the vote)
3. Victor Roache (40% of the vote)
4. Mitch Haniger (39% of the vote)
5. Orlando Arcia (34% of the vote)
6. Devin Williams (37% of the vote)
7. Johnny Hellweg (52% of the vote)
8. Hunter Morris (24% of the vote)
9. Taylor Jungmann (23% of the vote)
10. David Goforth (33% of the vote)
11. Clint Coulter (42% of the vote)

Here are your choices for #12:

(For a full explanation of what we're doing here, check out the first post in the series.)

Jed Bradley, LHP
Age: 23
Top level reached in 2013: A+

2013 stats:

Brevard County (A+): 78.1 IP, 4.14 ERA, 1.532 WHIP, 39 BB (4.5 BB/9), 58 K (6.7 K/9)

Highest position in other rankings:

Nick Delmonico, 3B
Age: 21
Top level reached in 2013: A+

2013 stats:

Combined, Frederick and Brevard County (A+): 350 PA, .232/.346/.423, 13 HR, 7 SB, 2 CS, 48 BB, 80 K

Highest position in other rankings:

Jorge Lopez, RHP
Age: 21
Top level reached in 2013: A

2013 stats:

Wisconsin (A): 117 IP, 5.23 ERA, 1.436 WHIP, 48 BB (3.7 BB/9), 92 K (7.1 K/9)

Highest position in other rankings:

Damien Magnifico, RHP
Age: 22
Top level reached in 2013: A+

2013 stats:

Brevard County (A+): 26.2 IP, 6.08 ERA, 1.838 WHIP, 17 BB (5.7 BB/9), 17 K (5.7 K/9)
Wisconsin (A): 54 IP, 3.83 ERA, 1.389 WHIP, 24 BB (4.0 BB/9), 46 K (7.7 K/9)

Highest position in other rankings:

Tucker Neuhaus, SS/3B
Age: 18
Top level reached in 2013: Rookie (Arizona)

2013 stats:

Arizona (Rookie): 219 PA, .231/.311/.303, 0 HR, 6 SB, 3 CS, 23 BB, 56 K

Highest position in other rankings:

Ariel Pena, RHP
Age: 24
Top level reached in 2013: AA

2013 stats:

Huntsville (AA): 142.1 IP, 3.73 ERA, 1.363 WHIP, 79 BB (5.0 BB/9), 131 K (8.3 K/9)

Highest position in other rankings:

Michael Reed, OF
Age: 21
Top level reached in 2013: A

2013 stats:

Wisconsin (A): 539 PA, .286/.385/.400, 1 HR, 26 SB, 10 CS, 71 BB, 108 K

Highest position in other rankings:

Yadiel Rivera, SS
Age: 21
Top level reached in 2013: A+

2013 stats:

Brevard County (A+): 524 PA, .241/.300/.314, 5 HR, 13 SB, 8 CS, 32 BB, 80 K

Highest position in other rankings:

Jason Rogers, 1B
Age: 25
Top level reached in 2013: AA

2013 stats:

Huntsville (AA): 549 PA, .270/.346/.468, 22 HR, 7 SB, 2 CS, 59 BB, 86 K

Highest position in other rankings:

Tyler Wagner, RHP
Age: 23
Top level reached in 2013: A

2013 stats:

Wisconsin (A): 148.2 IP, 3.21 ERA, 1.244 WHIP, 56 BB (3.4 BB/9), 116 K (7.0 K/9)

Highest position in other rankings:

We'll get you ready for the first official game of the spring in today's roundup of all things Brewers.

Some things to read while monologuing.

Today is the 13th day of spring training 2014, and it's time to hit the field as the Brewers travel to Phoenix Municipal Stadium to play their Cactus League opener against the A's at 2 pm Central time. TV and radio are off today, but Brian Anderson and Bill Schroeder will have their first Brewers.com webcast of the spring. The first WTMJ game of the spring will be tomorrow in Scottsdale, and FS Wisconsin hits the air for the first time when the Brewers play their home opener on Saturday.

Saturday's FS Wisconsin telecast will be their first of 16 this spring, and Nick Michalski of The Brewers Bar notes that that's a major improvement over the five they carried last March. Every home game this spring will be televised, and the Brewers are in Maryvale for seven games in a ten-day stretch from March 1-10.

As of this writing I haven't seen a lineup for today's game, but we've been told to expect Ryan Braun to be in it. The A's have already posted their lineup.

Marco Estrada is expected to start for the Brewers today, piggybacking with Wily Peralta. After that Yovani Gallardo is expected to pitch on Friday, Kyle Lohse (home) and Mike Fiers (away) will pitch in Saturday's split-squad doubleheader and Matt Garza will make his Brewers debut on Sunday. Looking further ahead, that would seem to imply that Jimmy Nelson or Tyler Thornburg could get the ball on Monday.

Other notes from camp:

• Andrew Gruman of FS Wisconsin has a story on reliever Zach Duke's efforts to win a spot on his third NL Central team.
• Todd Rosiak talked to Alfredo Figaro about trying to win a spot in the bullpen for the second consecutive year.
• Rosiak also talked to outfielder Mitch Haniger about his first MLB spring training.
• Brendan Capria talked to Marco Estrada and Rickie Weeks about their first gloves.
• Lauren Guzman has a photo essay of Maryvale Baseball Park in the final stages of preparation for Saturday's home opener.
• The Brewers tumblr has a picture of the back of catcher Adam Weisenburger's jersey to show the challenge of wrapping 12 letters around a BP top.
• Hank the dog donned a hot dog costume and ran in the Sausage Race yesterday.

We'll learn a little more about the 2014 Brewers in the coming weeks, but here's a cause for some optimism: Between the Atlantic Casino's original announcement on February 14 and Bovada's unveiling yesterday the Brewers got a win better, with their 2014 over/under climbing from 78.5 to 79.5. I think many of us would still be disappointed with a losing season, but at least the line is headed in the right direction.

Of course, this doesn't help. Once the Brewers get past the Cactus League schedule, they'll open the 2014 regular season with their most challenging stretch of the year. 32 of their first 41 games this year are against teams that had winning records in 2013, including the Cardinals, Pirates, Reds, Red Sox and Yankees.

There's a strong chance the Brewers will have to get through some of those games without Tom Gorzelanny, currently limited in camp as he recovers from offseason shoulder surgery. Yesterday The Brewer Nation profiled the veteran lefty as part of their "Brewers By the (Jersey) Numbers" series.

In the minors:

• As of this writing Nick Delmonico has opened up a commanding lead on the field in the voting for the #12 spot in our BCB Community Prospect Rankings. That poll closes at noon today, and the voting is going to take a day off before resuming on Friday.
• Speaking of prospect rankings, Jimmy Nelson checks in at #109 on Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com's attempt to average out all of this offseason's major top 100 lists.
• Nashville broadcaster Jeff Hem has a look the likely rosters of some of Nashville's most common opponents in 2014.

Back in Milwaukee, this weekend is the Brewers' annual "Arctic Tailgate," but "arctic" is a pretty on-the-nose assessment of conditions outside in Wisconsin this week. Due to forecasted subzero temperatures, the Brewers won't allow fans to start lining up to purchase single-game tickets until noon on Friday.

I mentioned earlier that Bob Uecker will make his spring debut tomorrow as WTMJ broadcasts their first game of the spring. Maybe he'll dust off one of these suits for the occasion: Carson Cistulli of NotGraphs has a gif of Uecker's unique clothing choices for his many appearances on The Tonight Show.

Around baseball:

White Sox: Claimed pitcher Maikel Cleto off waivers from the Royals and designated infielder Jake Elmore for assignment.

Another day has passed and three of this winter's protected free agents remain out on the open market. Michael Clair of MLB Daily Dish is the latest to argue that the free agent market is broken.

Today in former Brewers: Prince Fielder is featured prominently in Bill Hanstock of SBNation.com's look at teams taking their spring training photos in restrooms.

My favorite spring training story from today comes from Indians camp, where a photographer caught the perfect picture of outfielder Carlos Moncrief making a catch in front of an ad for a home builder.

This story is also kind of fun: The Padres are going to open up Petco Park for fans to come on the field for eight hours on March 15, allow them to take one swing at a pitch and potentially win season tickets by hitting a home run in one of baseball's most pitcher-friendly facilities.

Today's sabermetric note comes via Baseball In-Depth, who notes that eight teams held opposing batters to slugging percentages under .370 in the second half of the 2013 season. That didn't happen a single time from 2004-08.

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 Brandon Moore, who turns 22.
• Yovani Gallardo, who turns 28. We covered his birthday in Today In Brewer History two years ago.
• 2002 Brewer Matt Stairs, who turns 46. We covered his birthday in Today In Brewer History last year.

Plunk Everyone notes that Stairs' 57 career HBP are the most ever for a position player born on Feburary 27. Yovani Gallardo's 14 hit batsmen are also the fourth most ever for a pitcher born on this date.

And, with that, I'm off for a bit. I'm flying out for Arizona in a few hours and will be out there until Tuesday. The BCB staff is coming together to make sure the site won't miss a beat while I'm gone, though, and I'll be chiming in a few times to fill in the gaps from the road.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to find a razor.

Drink up.

A promo on WGN for Cubs spring-training baseball inspired BCB's Danny Rockett to cook up a song parody of the Rolling Stones' "Paint it Black". Enjoy!

While watching news of the impending 17th polar vortex and subsequent snow dumping to hit Chicago this winter, a glimmer of hope shot across my television screen! Cubs Spring Training baseball! Televised! Thursday! So, I took a little inspired break from mixing, and editing my WGN Cubs Contest Song (which, by the way, now includes a few BCB readers chanting, and hopefully a horn player, if he makes the deadline of today), to write a parody of the Rolling Stones' "Paint it Black".

Baseball is finally here, Cubs games are coming back
This winter really sucked, but now the Cubs are back
Sure it’s still snowing and the temp is 6 below.
In Arizona, they’re starting to hit and throw!

So sick of shoveling my car out every day
The Cubs' return tells me that spring’s not far away.
Yeah, its preseason and the games don’t count at all
It doesn’t matter, I just wanna watch baseball!

The Cubs probably won’t do anything this year
But I’ll still be sitting at Wrigley drinking beer.
The Cardinals, Pirates, Reds, and Brewers gonna lose
Only if they’re all suspended for using juice.

Can’t wait til the Cubbies are in a pennant race
The stands are empty when you’re in fourth or fifth place
At least it won’t cost much to buy myself a seat.
I’ll probably use StubHub or scalpers on the street

Don’t wanna go to work, because the Cubs are back
They’re more addicting than meth, cigarettes, or crack
From now until October, I’ll be watchin’ ball.
Now, I won’t get anything done until the fall…

Hmm, hmm, hmm...

I’m so glad the Cubs are back! The Cubs are back!
Back today, back till fall
Gonna sit in the sun, kissin' winter goodbye
I’m so glad the Cubs are back! The Cubs are back!