Pitchers & Catchers Set To Report For Baseball

It's a great time of year, this stretch of mid-February, when pitches & catchers report to their Major League spring training camps. The Milwaukee Brewers did so today.

Even in this Covid-19 era, one can't help but feel hopeful with the start of baseball. Hopeful enough to MAYBE believe we can get into the American Family Ballpark (still think of it as Miller Park....) for the home opener April 1st against the Minnesota Twins.

What kind of season will the BrewCrew have? Well, Christian Yelich HAS to return to his MVP-caliber playing and show that last year's disappointing season. I'll put much of that on that broken kneecap he suffered at the end of the 2019 season. Yeli will be back with a vengeance this year, as will Lorenzo Cain, who said out the season.

Another veteran presence who probably won't be missed is Ryan Braun, who reported recently "he's just not feeling it" for playing again. This after Milwaukee paid him $4 million to buy out the remaining year of his contract. I interpret Braun's feelings two ways; 1) he needs to see where Covid-19 will take the team and the season -- will there be DH in the National League, for example and 2) no teams are kicking down my door and offering me the kind of money I was hoping for.

Despite picking up Kolton Wong to help solidify the infield at second base, the team could still use some power at the corners. Keston Hiura, moving over to first base, won't supply that. Nor will Luis Urias do so at third. Stay tuned, as Milwaukee auditions several candidates.

The club signed pitcher Jordan Zimmerman, pride of Auburndale, WI, and UW-Stevens Point, to a minor league contract. We'll see if the veteran has anything left in the tank.

Another player signing a minor league deal was Jonathan Lucroy, former Brewer catcher. Lucroy spent six productive seasons with the Brewers, left after the 2015 season and has played with eight different teams since. A career .274 hitter, Lucroy signed on with the Chicago White Sox, giving the Pale Hose a matching pair of ex-Brewers behind the plate, since Yasmani Grandall joined the Southsiders as a free agent prior to the 2020 season.