54-year old Ron Roenicke is getting his first shot as a major league manager in 2011 for the Brewers. Roenicke was a coach under Mike Scioscia with the Angels and I would expect that he will bring the same style of baseball to Milwaukee. That means the Brewers are going to run the bases a lot more aggressive in 2011, which will put a new kind of pressure on opposing pitchers and defenses. I like the improvements that the Brewers have made for 2011, so Roenicke will be under pressure to win right away.

The Brewers are loaded in the starting rotation but they have a lot of questions about the bullpen heading into 2011. 27-year old righty closer John Axford burst onto the scene for the Brewers in 2010 as he replaced Trevor Hoffman during the year. Axford pitched in 50 games (0 starts) for the Brewers last year and he was 8-2 with 24 saves, a 2.48 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. He only gave up 42 hits while whiffing 76 batters in only 58 innings last year which shows how nasty he was. But, he was not perfect as he walked 27 batters last year, so he has some things to improve on. Axford has pitched in 57 games (0 starts) in his first two years with the Brewers and he is 8-2 with 25 saves, a 2.60 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP. The Brewers really hope that Axford’s 2010 season wasn’t a mirage because they really don’t have a backup plan.

41-year old righty Takashi Saito will serve as the Brewers’ top set-up man in 2011. Saito pitched in 56 games (0 starts) for the Braves last year and he was 2-3 with 1 save, a 2.83 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP. He only gave up 41 hits in 54 innings last year with 69 whiffs, so Saito still has it. He has now pitched in 292 games (0 starts) in his first five years in the majors and he is 17-13 with 84 saves, a 2.19 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP. I think he has at least one more good year in him.

38-year old righty LaTroy Hawkins will start the 2011 season on the D.L. Hawkins played in 18 games (0 starts) for the Brewers last year and he was 0-3 with a 8.44 ERA and a 1.69 WHIP. He has now pitched in 771 games (98 starts) in his first 16 years in the majors and he is 60-84 with 87 saves, a 4.56 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP. The Brewers really need Hawkins to get healthy as they don’t have much depth in the pen.

29-year old righty Kameron Loe must have really learned how to pitch in Japan in 2009, as he was really good for the Brewers in 2010. Loe pitched in 53 games (0 starts) for the Brewers last year and he was 3-5 with a 2.78 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. He has now pitched in 160 games (47 starts) in his first six years in the majors and he is 22-28 with 1 save, a 4.48 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP. I think he’ll be solid again for the Brewers in 2011, and they really need him to be.

23-year old lefty Zach Braddock burst onto the scene for the Brewers last year. He pitched in 46 games (0 starts) for the Brewers last year and he was 1-2 with a 2.94 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP. Braddock whiffed 41 batters in only 33 2/3 innings last year, which shows just how nasty he can be. But, he walked 19 batters last year, so Braddock will need to really tighten up his control to fully reach his potential.

31-year old righty reliever Sean Green might really surprise for the Brewers if he can just stay healthy in 2011. He pitched in 11 games (0 starts) for the Mets last year and he was 0-0 with a 3.86 ERA and a 1.61 WHIP. Green has now pitched in 250 games (0 starts) in his first five years in the majors and he is 10-11 with 2 saves, a 4.36 ERA and a 1.51 WHIP.

30-year old lefty Mitch Stetter will get another chance to win a job as the situational lefty for the Brewers in 2011. Stetter pitched in 9 games (0 starts) for the Brewers last year and he was 0-0 with a 14.73 ERA and a 2.73 WHIP. He has now pitched in 116 games (0 starts) in his first four years in the majors and he is 8-2 with a 3.99 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP.

34-year old righty Mark DiFelice missed all of last year due to injury. He last pitched with the Brewers in 2009. DiFelice has pitched in 74 games (0 starts) in his first two years with the Brewers and he is 5-1 with a 3.44 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. If he is healthy, he will likely help the Brewers at some point in 2011.

27-year old righty Tim Dillard pitched in 2 games (0 starts) for the Brewers last year 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 first two years in the majors and he is 0-1 with a 6.27 ERA and a 1.88 WHIP. Dillard is a longshot to be much help for the Brewers in 2011.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE BREWERS BULLPEN IN 2011: C

The Brewers have imported some big time talent (Zack Greinke & Shaun Marcum) in trades over the winter, so look for the starting rotation to be really good in 2011. 25-year old righty Yovani Gallardo will probably be the #1 starter for the Brewers once again in 2011. He started 31 games for the Brewers last season and he was 14-7 with a 3.84 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP. Gallardo has now pitched in 85 games (82 starts) in his first four years with the Brewers and he is 36-24 with a 3.67 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP. This could be the year that Gallardo makes a run at either the Cy Young Award or an ERA title.

27-year old righty Zack Greinke will start the season a couple of weeks late due to a rib injury. He started 33 games for the Royals last year and he was 10-14 with a 4.17 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP. Greinke has pitched in 210 games (169 starts) in his first 7 years in the majors and he is 60-67 with a 3.82 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. A think a move to the National League and a better team will spark Greinke to return to his 2009 level, when he won the Cy Young Award in the American League.

29-year old righty Shaun Marcum has good stuff and he pounds the strike zone. Marcum started 31 games for the Blue Jays last season and he was 13-8 with a 3.64 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. He has now pitched in 120 games (95 starts) in his first five years in the majors and he is 37-25 with a 3.85 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP. Look for Marcum’s ERA to take a dive in the National League starting in 2011.

34-year old lefty Randy Wolf will likely be #4 in line for the Brewers in 2011, when everyone’s healthy. Wolf started 34 games for the Brewers last season and he was 13-12 with a 4.17 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP. He has now pitched in 313 games (309 starts) in his first 12 years in the majors and he is 114-97 with a 4.13 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP. This is a good slot for Wolf as he might win 15 games for the Brewers in 2011.

29-year old lefty Chris Narveson will likely be the #5 starter for the Brewers in 2011. He pitched in 37 games (28 starts) for the Brewers last year and he was 12-9 with a 4.99 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP. Narveson has now pitched in 58 games (32 starts) in his first two years with the Brewers and he is 14-9 with a 4.74 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. The Brewers hope that Narveson improves some in 2011.

25-year old righty Mark Rogers comes into this season as the Brewers’ #2 prospect heading into the 2011 season according to Baseball America. Rogers pitched in 4 games (2 starts) for the Brewers last season and he was 0-0 with a 1.80 ERA and a 0.50 WHIP as he only gave up hits while whiffing 11 batters in his first 10 major league innings. Rogers also started 25 games in AA+AAA-ball last year and he was 6-8 with a 3.65 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP. Rogers will likely replace Zack Greinke in the rotation until he’s ready to return to action.

28-year old lefty Manny Parra could also get some starts this season for the Brewers, but I think he’s better in the pen. Parra pitched in 42 games (16 starts) for the Brewers last year and he was 3-10 with a 5.02 ERA and a 1.62 WHIP. He has now pitched in 110 games (74 starts) in his first four years with the Brewers and he is 24-30 with a 5.13 ERA and a 1.64 WHIP. Parra needs to tighten up his control a bit as he has walked 227 batters in only 454 1/3 major league innings and it often gets him into trouble. Parra does have 418 whiffs so that shows that his stuff is good enough to succeed.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE BREWERS STARTING ROTATION IN 2011: A-

The Brewers gave 28-year old righty swinging Corey Hart a nice contract extension, and they hope he rewards them for it. Hart played in 145 games for the Brewers last season and he was 158 of 558 (.283 avg, .865 OPS) with 91 runs scored, 31 homers, 102 RBIs and 7 stolen bases. Hart only made 2 errors in 141 games in RF last season while showing above average range. He also had 7 assists out of RF, so he has a strong throwing arm. Corey Hart was one of the better all-around RF in all of baseball last season and the Brewers hope that continues in 2011.

35-year old lefty swinging Mark Kotsay will be Hart’s top back up in 2011. Kotsay played in 107 games for the White Sox last season and he was 78 of 327 (.239 avg, .683 OPS) with 30 runs scored, 8 homers, 31 RBIs and 1 stolen base. Kotsay has a career batting average of .279 with a .746 OPS in his first 14 years in the majors, so look for his bat to improve in 2011. He played in 8 error-free games in RF last season while showing slightly above average range. He also had 2 assists while playing RF as he has a strong throwing arm still.

Chris Dickerson, Brandon Boggs and Jeremy Reed can also give Corey Hart a day off if he needs one.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE BREWERS RF IN 2011: B+

25-year old righty swinging Carlos Gomez enters spring training as the starting CF for the Brewers in 2011, but he’s going to have to play well to keep the job. Gomez played in 97 games for the Brewers last season and he was 72 of 291 (.247 avg, .655 OPS) with 38 runs scored, 5 homers, 24 RBIs and 18 stolen bases. The Brewers want Gomez to hit the ball on the ground more so he can start using his blazing speed more often on the basepaths. Gomez had 5 errors in 75 games in CF last season while showing awful range. He also had 2 assists in CF for the Brewers last year. The Brewers need Gomez to improve both offensively & defensively if he wants to keep the starting CF the whole 2011 season.

28-year old Chris Dickerson is Gomez’ biggest competition for his starting job. The lefty swinging Dickerson played in 45 games for the Reds & Brewers last season and he is 20 of 97 (.206 avg, .518 OPS) with 11 runs scored, 5 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. Dickerson has a .267 batting average with a .759 OPS in his first 3 years in the majors, so he’s a better hitter than he showed last year. Dickerson played in 20 games in CF last season and he didn’t have any errors but showed pretty awful range there.

35-year old lefty swinging Mark Kotsay and 29-year old lefty swinging Jeremy Reed can also playing CF if the need arises for the Brewers in 2011. Kotsay hasn’t played out there in a while but Jeremy Reed is a very solid defender in CF.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE BREWERS CF IN 2011: C-