JS Online: Brewers lineup: An order of magnitude

“They’re going to pitch around Prince because of the intimidation factor,” explained Yost. “Then they’re going to get to Braunie. If Braunie stays in his game, (projected No. 5 hitter) Corey Hart is going to have a hell of a year. “We’ve talked about it. The key is Braunie being selective. Because if he’s not, I’ve got to change the order and put him in front of Prince.”

Braun lapsed into the only offensive skid of his rookie year when Yost placed him behind Fielder in the batting order. But Yost insisted the strategy of trying to protect Fielder was solid. The problem, according to the manager, was that Braun started thinking he had to do more at cleanup.

“He came out of his game,” Yost said. “When they were careful and pitched around Prince, they’d get to Braunie and he’d say, ‘OK, I’ve got to go now.’ Braunie’s struggles in that area were self-inflicted. He was trying to do too much in those situations. “The league never made an adjustment to Ryan Braun last year. When Braunie got in little funks, it was because he got overanxious and came out of his approach. When he stayed in his approach, they couldn’t do much with him.”

...But Yost wants both young sluggers to make opponents sweat to get them out. If a pitcher has to throw the ball over the plate, he believes Fielder and Braun will make them pay.

“In order for them to be successful, they’re going to have (to draw) 100 walks per year,” said Yost. “They’ll get there. It’s a learning process. It’s how you learn to be a complete hitter.

“Prince made great strides last year. You don’t hit 50 home runs without dramatically increasing your walk totals. If you stay disciplined and stay focused, and swinging at strikes, your numbers do nothing but go straight up.”

WTF has Ned Yost been reading?