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Make It or Break It
The Milwaukee Brewers are hopeful that an influx of prospects to Indianapolis will result in a winning season on the farm. Their AAA affiliation with the Indians could depend on it.

Pete Cava
MinorLeagueNews.com

04.07.04 – Indianapolis IN – There's a lot riding on the Indianapolis Indians this season.

As the Milwaukee Brewers triple-A affiliate for the past five seasons, the Indians have struggled, much like their parent club, to put a quality product on the field.

Whether the Indians and Brewers remain associated beyond the 2004 season may hinge on a winning club surfacing on the diamond this year in Indy.

The Brewers are among the twenty major league teams whose Triple-A player development contracts will end after this season.

An outstanding downtown ballpark, central location, and three decades of operating in the black make Indianapolis a desirable choice as minor league affiliate.

"This is a critical year for the Brewers in Indianapolis," says Indians board chairman Max Schumacher. "They have to produce a competitive team here."

In their first year as a Milwaukee affiliate, the Indians won the 2000 Triple-A World Series with a cast of veteran players. Indianapolis has mirrored the Brewers ever since.

Milwaukee hasn't been above .500 since 1992, while the Indians are in the midst of three consecutive losing seasons.

The last time Indianapolis endured four straight years below .500 was from 1904 to 1907. Indianapolis skipper Cecil Cooper realizes that if his 2004 club doesn't buck the current trend, it could be the final straw.

"We have to face facts," stated Cooper. "This is the last year of our contract with Indianapolis. If we want to stay here, we have to step up and bring in some players to help us win at this level."

Lately, Milwaukee's player development system has been drier than a desert landscape and has provided Indianapolis with very few prospects. The Indians hope things will change soon though, with the arrival of three top Milwaukee farmhands.

The trio expected to change the club's fortune this season includes shortstop J.J. Hardy, third baseman Corey Hart and outfielder David Krynzel.

Hardy batted .279 with 12 home runs last year at Double-A Huntsville in the Southern League. His great range and strong arm is good enough to have scouts drooling.

At 20, the right-handed hitter will be one of the youngest players in Triple-A. He is projected to be Milwaukee's shortstop for a long, long time.

The 6-foot, 6-inch Hart was the Southern League's MVP last year as a 21-year-old. He hit .302 with 13 homers and 94 runs batted in, but remains a question mark in the field.

Hart committed 32 errors after switching from first base to third. The right-handed hitter will likely spend time in left field for the Indians.

Krynzel, 22, was Milwaukee's No. 1 pick in the 2000 draft. Many project the speedy left-hander as the Brewers' center fielder and leadoff hitter of the future.

He batted .267 for Huntsville last year, despite averaging just .137 in August. Krynzel will face the challenge of trying to cut down on last year's strikeout total (119) against AAA pitching.

"Those three guys will be here," says Cooper. "This is where they belong. I don't think they would push those kids to the next level, and it's not fair to send them back to Double-A."

Hardy, Hart and Krynzel are "the cornerstones" of this year's Indianapolis club, according to Cooper. "I've known all three since they were drafted. They're the kids that are always at the complex, working on the extra stuff. There's not going to be a problem with these guys."

Still, it's a huge jump from Double-A to the International League. "That's the thing that concerns me most," says Cooper. "They're going up against much older players."

The Brewers will surround their prized prospects with veteran holdovers like catcher Alex Delgado and infielder Steve Scarborough, along with newcomers like Jonathan Nunnally and Scott Sheldon.

Nunnally, a 32-year-old outfielder, slugged 25 homers last year for Memphis in the Pacific Coast League.

Sheldon, 35, is a versatile utility man who returns to the U.S. after two years with the Orix BlueWave of Japan's Pacific League.

"It's a whole different world from Double-A to here," says Cooper who was an outstanding first baseman for the Red Sox and Brewers from 1971 to 1987. "I'm looking for guys who are good people, guys who can produce and try to protect some of these young kids for the first few months until they get themselves going."

Cooper, now entering his second season as manager, believes the infusion of young talent puts pressure on him.

"I'm gong to have a much better team than I had last year," he says. "This year I can't say I didn't have experience, can't say I wasn't used to the league. This year I have to improve. I know I'm going to be on the hot seat, but who cares? That's part of being competitive."

 

 

 

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