27-year old Casey McGehee better play well this spring if he’s going to hold off Mat Gamel for the starting job at 3B in 2010. McGehee played in 116 games for the Brewers last season and he was 107 for 355 (.301 avg, .859 OPS) with 58 runs scored, 16 homers and 66 RBIs. He played in 71 games at 3B for the Brewers last season and he made 13 errors while showing below average range. McGehee will get challenged this spring and it will be interesting to see if he’s up to it.

24-year old lefty swinging Mat Gamel is one of the best prospects the Brewers have and he will try to steal the starting job away from Casey McGehee this spring. Gamel played in 61 games for the Brewers last season and he was 31 for 128 (.242 avg, .760 OPS) with 11 runs scored, 5 homers and 20 RBIs. He also played in 75 games in AAA-ball last season and he was 76 for 273 (.278 avg, .840 OPS) with 42 runs scored, 11 homers and 48 RBIs. Gamel made 7 errors in 27 games at 3B for the Brewers last season and he showed slightly below average range. Gamel will need to step up both offensively and defensively to reward the Brewers for their faith in him as they got a lot of trade offers for him last winter which they turned down.

39-year old lefty swinging Craig Counsell will also likely get some P.T. at 3B in 2010 for the Brewers. He played in 43 games at 3B last season and he made 4 errors while showing outstanding range.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 3B IN 2010: C+

23-year old righty swinging Alcides Escobar will finally get his shot in 2010 as the Brewers’ starting shortstop. He played in 38 games for the Brewers last season and he was 38 for 125 (.304 avg, .701 OPS) with 20 runs scored, 1 homer, 11 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. Escobar also played in 109 games in AAA-ball last season and he was 128 for 430 (.298 avg, .762 OPS) with 76 runs scored, 4 homers, 34 RBIs and 42 stolen bases. Escobar has a nice upside and I have a feeling that he will make Brewers’ fans forget about J.J. Hardy. Escobar made 6 errors in 37 games at SS last season while showing good range.

39-year old lefty swinging Craig Counsell will backup Escobar in 2010. He played in 27 games for the Brewers at SS last season and he only made 1 error there while showing outstanding range.

26-year old righty swinging Luis Cruz will likely start the season in AAA and get a call to Milwaukee if the need arises. He played in 27 games for the Pirates last season and he was 15 for 70 (.214 avg, .511 OPS) with 5 runs scored and 2 RBIs. Cruz made 2 errors in 17 games for the Pirates at SS last season but he showed out of this world range there.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE SS IN 2010: B

The Brewers have signed 36-year old lefty reliever Scott Schoeneweis to a minor league deal that will pay him $800,000 bucks if he makes the team. Schoeneweis pitched in 45 games (0 starts) for the D-Backs last season and he was 1-2 with a 7.12 ERA and a 1.75 WHIP. He gets a mulligan for last season due to the tragedy he was dealing with in his personal life (the death of his wife). He has now pitched in 562 games (93 starts) in his major league career and he is 46-57 with 9 saves, a 4.97 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP. This was a good signing for the Brewers who need help from the left side of the pen.

27-year old righty swinging Rickie Weeks was finally starting to live up to his potential last season before a injury cut it short. The Brewers hope that last season was a glimpse of what Weeks is going to do for them in 2010. Weeks played in 37 games for the Brewers last season and he was 40 for 147 (.272 avg, .857 OPS) with 28 runs scored, 9 homers, 24 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. Weeks made 6 errors in 27 games at 2B last season and that is way too many while showing average range. The Brewers have been waiting for Weeks for a long time so they need him to pay them back for the patience they have showed in him in 2010.

39-year old lefty swinging Craig Counsell had one of his best seasons of his career in 2009 and that is why the Brewers decided to bring him back for 2010. Counsell played in 130 games for the Brewers last season and he was 115 for 404 (.285 avg, .765 OPS) with 61 runs scored, 4 homers, 39 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Counsell played in 50 games without making an error at 2B last season while showing outstanding range. He is also more than capable at either SS or 3B.

31-year old lefty swinging Joe Inglett was a late addition to the Brewers this winter. He played in 36 games for the Blue Jays last season and he was 25 for 89 (.281 avg, .695 OPS) with 11 runs scored, 6 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Inglett played in 3 error-free games at 2B last season while showing above average range. Inglett can play all over the field and he is a pesky hitter so he will have a good chance of making the Brewers this spring as a bench player.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2B IN 2010: C

The Brewers have designated 26-year old righty reliever Tim Dillard for assignment to make room on the roster for Marco Estrada. Dillard pitched in 2 games (0 starts) for the Brewers last season and he was 0-1 with a 12.46 ERA and a 2.77 WHIP. He has now pitched in 15 games (0 starts) in his major league career and he is 0-1 with a 6.27 ERA and a 1.88 WHIP.