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Doug Melvin’s gamble to make one run at the World Series in 2008 was a wise one. The NL was wide open, and a 1 – 2 punch of CC Sabathia and Ben Sheets was arguably the best top of the rotation in the league. Add in hitters like Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun, and what’s not to like?

Well, even the best bets lose, and sure enough, that’s what happened to Melvin. Like clockwork, Sheets got hurt, and the Brewers imploded over the final month despite some dazzling performances from CC Sabathia on short rest. So what’s in store for 2009?

C: Jason Kendall’s back? Are you f*(king kidding me? He can’t hit and can’t run, so therefore he must have Varitek-esque leadership abilities, right? But Jason Varitek wouldn’t have let his team collapse down the stretch! After a horrid 2007 throwing out baserunners, Kendall actually nailed 43% of all attempted basestealers in 2008. At $4.6 million for 2009, he’s not as bad as he could be, but he’s definitely not one of the top 10 catchers in the National League.

1B: Prince Fielder’s here, and isn’t going anywhere until possibly after 2010 when the Brewers may not be able to afford him. However, Fielder’s SLG fell over 100 points from 2007, and his body-type isn’t exactly one that’s set up to hold up over the long haul. Still, you can pencil him in for over an .850 OPS, and there aren’t much better first basemen better than he is in the National League. Just don’t expect 50 homers every year.

2B: If Rickie Weeks could actually hit, he’d be a heckuva asset. Despite hitting just .234, he OBPed .342 last year, so a .280 average would mean almost a .400 OBP. Not bad at all. Weeks is only 26 and his defense turned around tremendously from 2007. The Brewers can only hope that his average is next.

3B: Bill Hall’s never going to repeat 2006, but the Brewers can keep hoping, right? After all, they rightfully viewed Ryan Braun’s defense to be too atrocious for third, so they replaced him with Hall, who hit .225/.293/.396 last year. But unless the Brewers want to move Braun back to third, their other option for the hot corner is Mike Alex Rodriguez Stole My Job Lamb.

SS: JJ Hardy took a step forward in 2008. PECOTA projects his production to stabilize because of a very low 15.5% line drive rate, making him susceptible to a BABIP slump. Hardy also shone in the field too, rating second in BP’s ultimate zone rating and third in plus/minus.

OF: Ryan Braun is set in left, despite having a bit of a down year. Don’t let the homer totals deceive you as those three more homers that he hit were in 170 more ABs, resulting in a 80 point SLG drop. And hey, his defense improved too, as he went from -36 at 3B in 2007 to -6 in LF in 2008. Where’s his Gold Glove? Mike Cameron’s $10 million option for 2009 looked good at the end of the season, but with the way the economy went over the offseason, it really doesn’t now. However, it wasn’t like there were any major free agent CFs out there, so it’s not like the Brewers royally screwed up. Cameron will continue to be Mike Cameron, with a high walk rate helping to obscure the low batting average accompanied by good power and good defense. Corey Hart was horrible in 2008, OBPing just .300 thanks to a dip in BA and a terrible walk rate. He’s entering his age 27 season, so a rebound should be expected if he can stop swinging at every pitch he sees.

SP: Yovani Gallardo would be a great ace if he didn’t get hurt. He flashed ace potential for four starts before tearing his ACL, and that was after he had meniscus trouble in the spring. If he can stay healthy, he’s going to be one o the frontline starters in 2009. The bright side is that those injuries have been to his knee, rather than a hip, elbow or shoulder. Behind Gallardo is where it gets messy. Dave Bush is not a #2 starter, but he’s here by default. Braden Looper pitched well for the Cardinals last year, but he shouldn’t sustain that success well enough to be a capable #3, and Jeff Suppan hasn’t done anything to justify the four year $48 million deal that the Brewers gave him. If Manny Parra can avoid injury from the IP increase in 2009, he could save the rotation. The Brewers are being cautious with him, and with good reason. At 26 and lefthanded with a mid 90s fastball, Parra is seen by many as a potential breakout candidate.

RP: Apparently the Brewers didn’t learn their lesson last year with Eric Gagne, so they went out this year and got Trevor Hoffman because he’s “a proven closer.” While Hoffman’s worst year in quite some time was last year, it was still only a 3.77 ERA, not terrible by any means. However, if his velocity declines to the point where his fastball isn’t effective as at least a show pitch, the Brewers are in big time trouble once again at the back end of their bullpen. David Riske Business got a three year $13 million deal from the Brewers after a great season with the Royals, and promptly barfed all over himself, posting a 5.32 ERA with a 1.70 WHIP. Sadly, the Brewers don’t have much else in the pen. Carlos Villanueva posted a nice season from the pen last year, and should become the primary setup man, but this is by far the weakness of the team.

In 100 words or less: Barring a collapse by the Cubs–entirely possible–the Brewers have no shot of winning the division. However given the relative mediocrity of the rest of the Central, they have a shot at second place. Fielder and Braun will have to have better seasons, and Parra or someone else will have to step up behind Gallardo–assuming he’s healthy all year. And that’s not even mentioning the bullpen’s needed improvement. That said, look for them to finish 3rd.