PHOENIX -- Right-hander Vince Perkins is the only Brewer in camp on a limited pitch count, and you can forgive him if he's a bit anxious to catch up to the pack.

Perkins, 25, is a little more than nine months removed from Tommy John elbow surgery. The Brewers claimed him off waivers from the Blue Jays at the end of Spring Training last year, and he is trying to repay the club for its patience.

"I think I'm ahead of schedule, actually," he said. "I feel like I'm 100 percent. They keep telling me I'm not yet, and I'm sure I'm not."

He's talked at length about the surgery with Chris Capuano and Matt Wise, two big-league Brewers who successfully rehabbed from the same surgery.

"They all tell me the same thing: Don't push too much, too early," said Perkins, who was considered a top 10 Blue Jays prospect at this time last year.

But he is eager to feel good again. Perkins first felt soreness in his elbow in 2004, but he rehabbed the problem over the course of about six weeks. Then he rushed to get ready last spring for the inaugural World Baseball Classic and was injured during his only inning of work in the tournament, against Mexico.

Again, rehab. But this time, roster considerations forced the Blue Jays to place him on waivers near the end of Spring Training, and the Brewers put in a claim. Milwaukee knew about his elbow issue, but took a chance anyway, hoping to add another power arm to its growing stable in the Minor Leagues. The Brewers also tried rehab, but eventually Perkins was slated for surgery.

It was a significant long-term investment. Perkins drew a full Major League salary last season, and assistant general manager Gord Ash estimated the costs of surgery and a year-long rehabilitation at about $500,000.

"It's significant, but if you look at draft choices, even down into the 34th round, that is the kind of investment you're talking about," Ash said last May. "We're talking about a top 10 prospect, so you're getting a bit more certainty than a draft choice, though the injury does add a degree of uncertainty."

Like Dennis Sarfate, a prospect more familiar to Brewers fans, Perkins will transition from starting to a bullpen role this season, and he could potentially end up a closer. He even compared his pitching style to Sarfate's, working with a fastball that reaches the high 90 mph range and a slider. Perkins expects to begin the year at the team's advanced Class A affiliate in Florida, a common destination for pitchers returning from injuries.

"I felt bad that I couldn't pitch for these guys after they gave me a chance last year," he said. "That's why I'm going to do the best I can to make up for it this year. I'm excited, because this is the best my arm has felt in Spring Training for the last three or four years."

On the move: Right-hander Yovani Gallardo, who vaulted to the top of the list of Brewers pitching prospects last season, drew some "oohs" and "ahhs" from Brewers hitters in bunting drills last week. Second baseman Rickie Weeks and outfielder Tony Gwynn Jr. were among those who had trouble making contact with Gallardo's breaking stuff.

Names in the game: Former Blue Jays infielder and first-base coach Garth Iorg joined the Brewers this winter after five years away from baseball. He will serve as the team's roving infield coordinator and is in camp assisting Brewers bench coach Dale Sveum and third-base coach Nick Leyva, who are responsible for the big league infielders. Two of Iorg's brothers played professional baseball (Dane Iorg played 10 Major League seasons with four teams) and his son, Isaac, was Toronto's 19th-round draft pick in 2001.

They're No. 1: Right-hander Mike Jones, the team's top draft pick in 2001, is not pitching with any restrictions this spring. That is a plus for a player who has battled a number of injuries over the past six seasons, including a sore shoulder last season. Jones has one Minor League option remaining.

Class of '06: Minor League camp does not formally open until the end of next week, though some players have begun trickling in. Key 2006 picks entering their second season include first-round selection Jeremy Jeffress, a hard-throwing right-hander, and third-round pick Cole Gillespie, an outfielder who led the rookie Pioneer League last season with a .464 on-base percentage and ranked second in the circuit with a .344 batting average.

Stat machine: Gallardo, who will turn 21 on Tuesday, led the Minor Leagues with 188 strikeouts last season. He was named the team's Minor League pitcher of the year.

What they're saying: "The more [at-bats] I got, the more I was able to put into motion the things my dad had told me for so long. I always understood what he was saying, but I didn't know quite how to apply it to my game. From the last week of Spring Training last year, the light just went on and everything slowed down for me." -- outfielder Tony Gwynn Jr. on last season's offensive breakout