Yost, staff face pressure to produce

Upon sitting back and taking a second look at Milwaukee's 2007 season, most fans have to admit that the Brewers accomplished a lot, especially considering that the franchise hadn't posted a winning season since 1992.

However, the fact that Ned Yost's squad led the National League's Central Division for most of the season made the faithful_and those who jumped on the bandwagon_to expect more. That didn't happen as the Brewers finished 83-79 and two games behind Chicago, forcing them and those who followed the team to wonder what could have, or should have, been.

So, expectations are extremely high for this summer, and that's a good situation because that's something that's been missing on the shores of Lake Michigan and across Wisconsin.

That means that this talented bunch has to produce or general manager Doug Melvin and owner Mark Attanasio may make changes despite signing off on Yost's option for 2009, and that includes the staff: Ted Simmons, Ed Sedar, Dale Sveum, Jim Skaalen, Mike Maddux and Bill Castro.

Here are four factors that I believe need improving for Milwaukee to reach the postseason:

1. The Brewers must play better defense. They tied for 12th in fielding percentage and were 12th in double plays. Several key off-season moves emphasized this area, namely signing three-time Gold Glove winner Mike Cameron to play center, which allowed for Bill Hall to take over at third base and Ryan Braun to shift to left. Veteran Jason Kendall also was brought in as the No. 1 catcher.

2. Milwaukee's hitters much show better plate discipline. Brewers batters led the majors with 231 homers, but the backlash from that free-swinging approach resulted in a .262 team average and only 501 walks, which placed them 14th in the Senior Circuit. Kendall is a big upgrade from Johnny Estrada in that regard, but Cameron more than offsets that gain. Milwaukee's young core players should be better after a full year of experience, but opposing pitchers also know their tendancies better.

3. Once Cameron returns from his 25-game suspension to open the season, here's hoping that Yost settles on a regular lineup. Injuries and any prolonged slumps will dictate who and where players will bat, but because several key pieces were so inconsistent last year, Yost juggled his batting order almost every other day. Hopefully the players will make those decisions easy, but it'll be interesting to see who's the No. 2 hitter, whether Braun bats ahead of or behind Prince Fielder and who settles into the Nos. 5-7 spots.

4. They must improve drastically on the road. Milwaukee posted the league's best home mark at 51-30, but its dismal record away from Miller Park (32-49) was better than just lowly Houston and Pittsburgh, and by only one game. There may be no easy explanation for those numbers, but it's still inexcusable. The Brewers are a year wiser and better, so that statistic will go a long way in determining whether they're a contender or a pretender.