Milwaukee Brewers 3rd baseman Casey McGehee went from 16 home runs
Casey McGehee
and 66 rbi’s in 2009 to 23 homers and 104 rbi’s last year. McGehee hit .285 last season and said he played with a chip on his shoulder, trying to prove to people that he could come back and be a productive player.
AUDIO: Casey McGehee said he’ll have the chip on his shoulder again this year :18
McGehee knows the Brewers, with some starting pitching additions, are solid on paper. McGehee also knows the game isn’t played on paper.
AUDIO: Casey McGehee said the game has to be played on the field :18
McGehee should get plenty of opportunities to produce again this season. He hit behind Prince Fielder last season and expects to do the same this season. Teams pitched around Fielder to get to McGehee last year and that outcome is likely to present itself again this year.
The pitching staff, especially the starters, won’t likely be the issue for the Brewers this season.
In the past, the Brewers have lived and died with the home run ball. They would score runs in bunches, but then the dry spells would pop up and runs were hard to come by.
New manager Ron Roenicke said this years team would run more and take more chances on the bases. He doesn’t want to sit back and depend on the 3-run home run to win games. Not that Roenicke won’t take a big home run from time to time, but being more aggressive should lend itself to being more consistent, which could push the Brewers over the top.