28-year old righty swinging LF Ryan Braun of the Brewers has been voted as the 2011 N.L. MVP. He played in 150 games for the Brewers last year and he was 187 of 563 (.332 avg, .994 OPS) with 109 runs scored, 33 homers, 111 RBIs and 33 stolen bases. Braun has now played in 729 games in his first five years with the Brewers and he is 898 for 2,879 (.312 avg, .933 OPS) with 506 runs scored, 161 homers, 531 RBIs and 96 stolen bases. Braun could add more of these trophies in the future because he is just warming up.

UPDATE: (12/11/2011) - Ryan Braun has tested positive for performance enhancing drugs. He is now facing a 50-game suspension to open the 2012 season and that is a major blow to a Brewers’ team that is also likely to lose 1B Prince Fielder in free agency.

27-year old lefty swinging 1B Prince Fielder finished 3rd in the voting for the 2011 N.L. MVP Award. Fielder played in 162 games for the Brewers last year and he was 170 for 569 (.299 avg, .981 OPS) with 95 runs scored, 38 homers, 120 RBIs and 1 stolen base. He has now played in 998 games in his first seven years in the majors and he is 996 of 3,527 (.282 avg, .929 OPS) with 571 runs scored, 230 homers, 656 RBIs and 16 stolen bases. Fielder will have a good chance of winning one of these awards in the near future with the Brewers or someone else.

The Brewers could be undergoing a big change this year as Prince Fielder is likely to leave Milwaukee for greener pastures. This is going to send shockwaves through the team. They shouldn’t panic but they should act quick to keep the team near the top of the N.L. With that in mind, I think that these are the three free agents they should go hard after:

1. Jimmy Rollins - Jimmy Rollins would be a huge upgrade at SS over Yuniesky Betancourt. Rollins would give the Brewers a true leadoff hitter, so they can utilize Rickie Weeks’ power lower in the batting order.

2. Derrek Lee - Derrek Lee is an outstanding defensive player and he has 25-30 homer power. He can’t replace Fielder as a hitter, but he can cushion the blow to the lineup.

3. Nick Punto - Enough of Craig Counsell already. Punto can play all over the place and he adds speed and versatility to the bench.

25-year old righty starting pitcher Yovani Gallardo of the Milwaukee Brewers finished 7th in the voting for the 2011 N.L. Cy Young Award. He pitched in 33 games (all starts) for the Brewers last year and he was 17-10 with a 3.52 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP. Gallardo has now pitched in 118 games (115 starts) in his first five years with the Brewers and he is 53-34 with a 3.63 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. Gallardo might eventually win a Cy Young Award as his stuff is downright nasty.

28-year old righty closer John Axford finished tied for 9th in the voting for the 2011 N.L. Cy Young Award with reliever Craig Kimbrel of the Braves. Axford pitched in 74 games (0 starts) for the Brewers last year and he was 2-2 with 46 saves, a 1.95 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. He has now pitched in 131 games (0 starts) in his first three years with the Brewers and he is 10-4 with 71 saves, a 2.26 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP.

UPDATE: (11/22/2011) - John Axford of the Brewers tied for 17th in the MVP Voting in the N.L. with 3B Pablo Sandoval of the Giants.