Scooter Gennett getting down and dirty Photo: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

With all of the winter weather tearing through the country right now, it is hard to even fathom the thought of Spring.  But, regardless of how much snow we get tonight in the land of cheese curds and beer, Spring Training is in full swing.  After 4 games, I think that it is pretty clear who will be on the roster in 2013 and who will not (unless you count the bizarre 1B situation we find ourselves in) .  What I am looking out for are the next big pieces of the franchise.  And I think they are already starting to emerge. 

Spring Training is a magical time of the year when you can actually watch and follow the future of the franchise.  These are 5 players who are going to turn heads this Spring and build momentum for the 2014 Brewers roster.  I personally believe these 5 players could all be on the Opening Day Roster in 2014, which is why I have chosen them to watch this Spring Training (or ST, as it will be further known).    

Keep in mind that I do not think any of these 5 players will find themselves on the Opening Day roster this season.  Which makes it all the more imperative you watch them now.  

Hiram Burgos - In the RtB Prospect Rankings, I had Burgos as my 10th rated prospect.  After watching his outing from yesterdays game, there is a lot to like.  Of the outings I have seen so far, he seems to be the only Brewers pitcher who does not need to work on his location as ST progresses.  If anything, location is the biggest strength of Burgos’ game.  None of his pitches (fastball, change-up, curve ball, and a cutter) are electric, but as many Hall of Fame pitchers can tell you “It’s about location, location, location.”  Despite Burgos moving from Single-A ball to Triple-A ball over the course of one season and being named the 2012 Brewers minor league Pitcher of the Year, I still believe he needs a full season in Nashville to really fine tune his arsenal.  At this point though, I am fairly confident that he will be a front runner for a rotation spot in 2014.  So take note and follow the kid on Twitter @Burgos196

Johnny Hellweg -  I really like this guy (Ranked him 12th in my Prospects list).  Hellweg was a piece of the Greinke deal with the Angels last season.  The kid looks like a giraffe on the mound, standing 6’9″ tall and only weighing about 210 pounds, but throws a nasty fastball.  From everything I can gather, the Brewers front office isn’t sure where this kid belongs.  Is he a starter, reliever, set-up, or closer?  No one seems to know.  Prior to coming over to play for the good guys, Hellweg was having success as a starter and had struggled out of the bullpen.  His biggest obstacle in being a starter for the Brewers, is the staggering amount of young starters already in the team pipeline (Thornburg, Fiers, Jungmann, Bradley, Peralta, etc.).  If he wants to be on the big league roster sooner, rather than later, he should focus on coming out of the pen.  If he makes the team in 2014, then he will need to have a solid enough ST to get a Nashville assignment rather than being sent back to Huntsville.

Caleb Gindl - I have liked Gindl for a few years and his time is getting closer(6th in my Prospect list).   Ron Roenicke has pretty much guaranteed that Logan Schafer is going to be the 4th outfielder (ranked him 2nd on my Prospect list) and it is justly deserved.  Gindl could find himself on the big league roster in 2014 because Carlos Gomez only has a contract through this season, and Nori Aoki has an option for 2014.  If the team continues to gear towards youth, they may decide Gindl is ready for the challenge.  So far this ST he is 2 for 3 with 2 RBI’s, not too shabby.  Gindl’s numbers at Nashville last season were underwhelming; .261 batting average, 12 HR’s, and 50 RBI’s, but I still believe that he has big league talent.  This particular ST will be great for him, thanks to all of the Brewers who will soon be departing for the World Cup of Baseball.  Whether or not Caleb can make the Brewers Opening Day roster in 2014, may have very little to do with him.  But should Gomez or Aoki leave the team via Free Agency, then I expect Gindl would be the primary benefactor.

Scooter Gennett - (Ranked 4th in my prospect list) Before you even start, I know Rickie Weeks is our 2nd baseman and he is locked up for a couple of years.  In case you missed it, I have been seeing a therapist about my hang-ups with Rickie.  The reality is that Scooter was the first prospect I fell in love with when I started writing for RtB in the winter of 2010.  Gennett has excelled at every level of the minors.  Last season was his worst statistical season in the minors, but he still hit .293 and had 156 hits.  Not to mention that when the Brewers acquired Jean Segura and he went to play a few games in Huntsville, several scouts acknowledged that the two had almost instant chemistry.  So, should the team decide that Rickie Weeks is not worth the contract, or they can trade him for some quality prospects, I envision Scooter Gennett becoming our everyday 2nd baseman.  However, he might still be on the fence in 2014.  At 22 years old, we still have some time…  The real thing to watch with Scooter is, how much playing time he actually gets this ST.  Catch him on Twitter @Scooterg11

Tyler Thornburg - (My #1 Rated Prospect) I saved him for last for one particular reason, which is that many of you will disagree.  Tyler Thornburg is very, very good.  The hard truth is, I don’t think he is ready just yet.  While I only have one outing to go off of (2 IP, 2 ER, 0 K’s, and 1 BB), it just seems like he needs another season in Nashville to truly be an option for the starting rotation.  Thornburg is immensely talented and will be in the starting rotation soon, just not quite yet.  Let us not forget his MLB debut, where he surrendered back-to-back-to-back home runs.  Does that mean he is not a big league talent?  Heck no!  Does it mean he needs more time to work on his game?  Yes.  There is no need to rush him into the rotation, there are 6 solid guys who are already vying for those spots.  So, we should enjoy watching him this Spring.  If you care what I think, he will be in the rotation in 2014.  That means we should use this opportunity to watch him grow against big league hitters.  Follow him on Twitter at @TylerThornburg

No one knows more than me how much can change in Spring Training (Erick Almonte anyone?).  These are just guys who are young and on the verge of being Brewers, so it is best to get familiar with them now.  Feel free to disagree, or share some guys you are looking for this ST.

Looking back, that rotation is literally in tatters.

Greinke was traded to the Angels when the Brewers thought they were out of contention. Marcum went on the disabled list for over two months, and has a 5.70 ERA in five starts since returning. Wolf was released towards the end of August after he was unable to ever find himself as a starter this season. Narveson went down after just his second start in April with a torn rotator cuff.

In other words, Gallardo has been the one staple of the rotation. The Brewers have had to dip into their farm system to find the rest of their current rotation. And, I have to say, most of them have filled in admirably. Marco Estrada, who pitched out of the bullpen to start the season, was the first guy the Brewers turned to, and, despite the fact he hasn’t been able to notch many wins, he’s been very solid. Mike Fiers, who was having just a mediocre year at Triple-A Nashville prior to his call-up, has come up and established himself as a perennial Rookie of the Year candidate. Mark Rogers was solid before his shut-down, but Wily Peralta has been dominant since taking his rotation spot.

Let’s say the Brewers don’t make any starting pitching-related moves this offseason. The 2013 rotation would look something like Gallardo, Estrada, Fiers, Rogers, and Peralta, since Marcum is leaving via free agency. There are plenty more prospects who will get a chance in ’13 Spring Training, but these pitchers are the ones with the most experience (despite the fact some of them still have very little experience).

There is definitely a lot of inexperience in that rotation, but, if they all pitch to their ability (and get solid run support while doing so), they could all be successful in the Majors. And, personally, I’d almost like to see the Brewers experiment with that next year.

But we know they won’t, because there’s too much risk involved. The Brewers will more than likely go after at least one free agent starter. But, many consider the 2012-13 offseason’s starter front to be one of the worst in years. The highlights will be Greinke, Marcum, Ryan Dempster, and that’s really about it, at least for big names. Greinke is definitely the safest of the three, and he expressed the possibility of re-signing with the Brewers this offseason. But we might have to wait and see if he’s still around after waiting for the $15 million per year that he isn’t going to get.

Since it’s more than likely the Brewers won’t pick up one of those three, I’d almost like to see the Brewers try an experiment of young, in-house starters in the rotation, like I said earlier, and I’d like to see that for a few reasons.

First off, it would keep the Brewers from thinking they need to make an actually unnecessary move that would make the team worse. The most recent examples of that are Wolf and Jeff Suppan. Now don’t get me wrong; I liked Wolf. He had a solid year and a half under his belt with the Crew prior to his release. But things weren’t clicking this year, which makes me worry about the Brewers signing a similar veteran over this offseason. I don’t think I need to explain my reasoning for Suppan.

The front office will probably think that veteran presence is needed in a young rotation, but Gallardo should be at the point of his career where he can start setting an example for the guys behind him and serve as that “veteran” (although he’ll only be 27 next year). Estrada hasn’t been on the Brewers for very long, but he’s been around. I don’t think the Brewers should waste money on getting that “veteran starter” this year.

My second reason is that the Brewers have something that they didn’t have previous years in which they needed a veteran guy: they have a ton of prospects that are big league ready. Fiers, despite his inconsistency recently (which could be due to fatigue from his first year in the Majors), should have a rotation spot locked up for next year. Before his shut-down, Rogers was giving the Brewers a chance to win every time out. It’s too early to say about Peralta, but, after three dominant starts, a good Spring Training next year could net him a rotation spot. And then there are all the prospects (i.e. Hiram Burgos) and the recent draft picks (i.e. Taylor Jungmann, Jed Bradley) that haven’t even made it to the Majors yet.

Even though Gallardo is the only pitcher who has a spot locked down for next year, the Brewers have so many starting pitching prospects that they’ll have to be able to get something out of at least some of them, particularly the ones who are getting big league experience this year. This could be the makings of a very dominant future rotation for the Brewers; why not get a glimpse of it next year?