Projected batting order
1. CF Brady Clark, .280 BA, .385 OBP, 15 SB in 2004
2. 2B Junior Spivey, .272 BA, 7 HR, 28 RBI in 2004
3. 1B Lyle Overbay, .301 BA, 53 2B, 87 RBI in 2004
3. LF Carlos Lee, .305 BA, 31 HR, 99 RBI with CHW in 2004
5. RF Geoff Jenkins, .264 BA, 27 HR, 93 RBI in 2004
6. 3B Russell Branyan/Wes Helms, It's up for grabs
7. C Damian Miller, .272 BA, 9 HR, 58 RBI with OAK in 2004
8. SS J.J. Hardy, .277 BA, 101 AB in Triple-A in 2004

Projected rotation
1. Ben Sheets, 12-14, 2.70 ERA, 264 K in 2004
2. Doug Davis, 12-12, 3.39 ERA in 2004
3. Victor Santos, 11-12, 4.97 ERA in 2004
4. Chris Capuano, 6-8, 4.99 ERA in 2004
5. Ben Hendrickson, 11-3, 2.02 ERA at Triple-A in 2004

Projected bullpen
Closer: Mike Adams, 3.40 ERA, 1.21 WHIP in 2004
RH setup man 1: Ricky Bottalico, 3.38 ERA in 2004
RH setup man 2: Brooks Kieschnick, 3.77 ERA in 2004

The new guys
Carlos Lee: Can he fill the right-handed power void left by the Richie Sexson trade before last season? Lee, acquired in a Winter Meetings trade with the White Sox, finished one RBI short in 2004 of his third straight season with a .300 average, 100 runs scored and 100 driven in, and he will probably be the Brewers' cleanup hitter.

Damian Miller: Brewers catchers combined to bat .215 last season with eight home runs and 47 RBIs. A free agent pickup, Miller should be an upgrade and will be regarded as the No. 1 catcher in front of Chad Moeller. He also brings experience handling an impressive slew of aces, from Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson in Arizona to Mark Prior and Kerry Wood in Chicago to Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder and Barry Zito in Oakland.

Ricky Bottalico: The veteran could emerge as the Brewers' closer if Adams is not up to the task. Bottalico is by far the most experienced member of a mostly unproven bullpen, and may be counted on to fill Dave Burba's role as the bullpen sage.

Justin Lehr: Another potential candidate for the closer's job, Lehr never got much of an opportunity with Oakland. The Brewers acquired him along with intriguing outfield prospect Nelson Cruz in a trade that sent power-hitting infielder Keith Ginter to the A's.

Spotlight on the Brewers An up-close look at the club as we approach Opening Day • Molony: Brewers firmly on right track • Heat is on: Geoff Jenkins • Top prospect: Rickie Weeks • Breakout player: Lyle Overbay • Brewers organization report • Brewers Spring Training preview • Brewers Spring Training quick hits • Video preview MLB.com spotlights the team directly from Phoenix: 56K | 350K

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Prospects to watch
J.J. Hardy: The 22-year-old hopes to add his name to the list of good young Brewers shortstops, from Robin Yount to Pat Listach to Gary Sheffield. He will get every opportunity to win a job as the starter.

Ben Hendrickson: He dominated the Triple-A International League, but mostly got hit hard in the Majors. Command is key because Hendrickson's fastball tops out below 90 mph, and rookie nerves may have contributed to his struggles last season.

Jose Capellan: Acquired from the Braves for closer Dan Kolb, Capellan came at a high cost, but has a high ceiling. His fastball has been clocked in the triple digits, and the team feels that he could have a future as a reliever if he does not work out as a starter. But he is too valuable to move to the bullpen just yet.

Dave Krynzel: The speedster will get a chance to win the starting center field job, but he needs to improve his plate patience to be a true leadoff man. If he does not win the job, the team faces a tough decision: keep Krynzel on the bench or let him play every day at Triple-A?

Corey Hart: Like Krynzel, the lanky outfielder appears on the cusp of the Majors. Some have compared him to Sexson, though Hart may need some more time at Triple-A.

Returning from injury
Ben Sheets: The ace underwent surgery to alleviate a bulging disc in his lower back and says he feels better than ever. It is amazing that Sheets put up his 2004 numbers while suffering sometimes serious back pain.

Junior Spivey & J.J. Hardy: Both players dislocated their left, non-throwing, shoulders and missed the second half of the season following surgery. Both are reportedly at full strength.

Chris Capuano: The lefty suffered every injury in the book during 2004 and has to prove to his coaches and teammates that he can stay healthy.

On the rebound
Victor Santos: The little-known right-hander won eight games before the All-Star break, but went 3-9 with a 5.97 ERA in the second half. He hopes to put together a more complete season in 2005.

Chad Moeller: He handled the pitchers brilliantly, but Moeller's season-long offensive slump prompted the team to acquire Miller. Moeller may serve as Sheets' personal catcher.

Long gone
Scott Podsednik and Luis Vizcaino: The team heaped a lot of pressure on one of 2003's top rookies, and Podsednik suffered a sophomore slump. He was packed along with reliable reliever Vizcaino and a prospect and shipped to the White Sox for Lee.

Danny Kolb: The Brewers figured Kolb had maximized his value after racking up a franchise-record 39 saves, so he was traded to the Braves for Capellan.

Craig Counsell: He was looking for a chance to play every day, so Counsell signed a free agent deal with Arizona. The Brewers will go with Hardy at shortstop.

Keith Ginter: Looking to bolster the suddenly depleted bullpen, Brewers GM Doug Melvin traded Ginter to Oakland for Lehr. Ginter could get a chance to play every day for the A's, something he never was able to get in Milwaukee.

Gary Bennett: He signed as a free agent with the new Washington, D.C. club. The Brewers were looking for more offense behind the plate.

2004 hitting leaders
(min. 200 at-bats)
Avg.: Overbay, .301
OBP: Clark, .385
SLG: Ginter, .479
Runs: Jenkins, 88
RBIs: Jenkins, 93
Hits: Overbay, 174
2B: Overbay, 53 (led Majors)
3B: Podsednik, 7
HR: Jenkins, 27
SB: Podsednik, 70 (led Majors)

2004 pitching leaders
(min. 30 IP)
IP: Sheets, 237
W: Sheets/Davis, 12
L: Sheets, 14
Win %: Burba, 3-1, .750
S: Kolb, 39
ERA: Sheets, 2.70
K: Sheets, 264
K/9: Sheets, 10.03
WHIP: Sheets, 0.98

News and features: • Brewers notes: Club to open with 12 pitchers • Lee, Santos lift Brewers past White Sox • Brewers hang on to defeat White Sox
Multimedia: • Brewers pitcher Mark Rogers talks about his first Spring Training  • Adam McCalvy on Brewers' full-squad workout   • Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writer Tom Haudricourt breaks down Brewers:
Info:	Schedule  | Ballpark  |  Tickets MLB.com's complete coverage

Triple play: Three questions that need answers
1. Can Brady Clark bat leadoff?
Asked about replacing Podsednik, one of the Brewers' most popular players, Clark simply insisted he is a different type of player. He will not steal 70 bases like Podsednik did, but Clark brings far superior defensive skills and a higher on-base percentage (.385 last season). He may not be a prototypical leadoff man, but Clark will be driven by the chance to finally play every day in the Majors.

2. Will Ben Sheets and Doug Davis repeat their career years?
Sheets is coming off back surgery and Davis was cast off by the Rangers and Blue Jays just two years ago. With so many question marks in the rest of the rotation, the Brewers will be counting on this duo to pile up the wins.

3. Will the bullpen hold up?
Kolb and Vizcaino were the most durable and reliable members of the bullpen and Dave Burba was the group's veteran leader. All three are gone, leaving behind a mixture of youth and inexperience led by Adams. If he cannot emerge as the closer, the Brewers may turn to Bottalico.

The bottom line
It's 12 years and counting since the Brewers put together a winning season, a streak that every coach and player is well aware of. If this is the year to break the streak, it will have to come on the arms of what looks like a deep if unproven starting pitching staff.