Sitting behind a desk at Miller Park, Milwaukee Brewers general manager couldn’t help but turn the pre-season line of questioning away from the late Kyle Loshe signing and the inexperienced starting rotation to what he considered a new strength of the team: Up the middle.

Specifically, the long-time baseball man talked about catcher Jonathan Lucroy, second baseman Rickie Weeks, shortstop Jean Segura and centerfielder Carlos Gomez.

"That’s how you build a club," he said. "Having those players and having them at the age they’re at and now gaining the experience. I feel good about the club in that regard."

Knowing that, Melvin locked up Lucroy through 2017. Segura has already been offered a contract extension and the team will do its best to do so in short order. Gomez is signed through 2016.

Barring a surprising trade or waiver claim, the oft-maligned Rickie Weeks will also be in a Brewers uniform for another season.

Then, you have an above-average backup catcher in Martin Maldonado who has a good rapport with the pitching staff and a strong arm.

It’s an enviable position to be in, where half of your position players and lineup are set for years.

"Two or three years ago you would not have known we would have those guys, and to have them at the ages they are," Melvin said. "Centerfielders, shortstops and catchers, sometimes you’ll go four, five, six years without having them and it’s really difficult. Those are the tough positions to try to fill."

From an organizational perspective, being strong "up the middle" usually means the team is competitive year in and year out.

The standard bearers, of course, are the New York Yankees.

Bernie Williams, Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada became teammates in 1998 and played together through 2005. In those eight years, the Yankees won three World Series titles, lost two other times in the World Series, and won fewer than 90 games just once.

Second base was fairly consistent, as well, with Chuck Knoblauch and Alfonso Soriano playing three years each. Miguel Cairo acted as a transition in 2004 and then Robinson Cano played second in 2005.

Williams retired, but now you had Jeter-Posada-Cano to rebuild around. That trio played together for four years, winning one World Series and making the playoffs two other times.

"They had some other guys that played outside of there but it’s kind of not how you build it," said Brewers reliever Burke Badenhop, who spent last season in the American League East with the Tampa Bay Rays.

Wanting to keep three of the four "middle" positions set, the Yankees then signed centerfielder Curtis Granderson to a big contract after he came to the team in 2010. Since then, he, Jeter and Cano have been to two American League Championship series.

Of course, not every team can follow the Yankees model. First, few are fortunate to draft and develop consistent Hall of Famers (or borderline HOFers like Williams), and even fewer have the financial wherewithal to retain them their entire careers.

But, there is something to be said for having some consistency in at least three of the four spots.

Alex Avila, Johnny Peralta and Austin Jackson have anchored a Detroit Tigers team that has advanced to two American League Championship series’ and one World Series since 2010.

Teams that have done it in different ways include the St. Louis Cardinals, where only catcher Yadier Molina has been the cornerstone through two different centerfielders, three different second basemen and four different shortstops since 2010.

Like the Cardinals, the two-time World Series champion San Francisco Giants are led by a catcher in Buster Posey. Since 2010 they have cycled through three second basemen and centerfielders and two shortstops.

"To have a good rapport with a catcher is pretty important," Badenhop said. "You see some of the best pitching staffs in the game also have some of the best catchers in the game."

Ian Kinsler and Elvis Andrus have helped solidify the Texas Rangers the last four years as the team has gone through four different catchers, and the team is now on its third centerfielder since 2010.

On the field, the players don’t seem to think it matters that much.

"I’m not sure what the up the middle things means, to be honest with you," Brewers starter Marco Estrada said. "If we’re all playing right we’ve got a great team and we’re glad we’ve got those guys up the middle, but we need all nine guys together to get things going."

Badenhop also struggled with turning that organizational phrase into something tangible, though he finally allowed that having Gold Glove-caliber athletes immediately behind him eases his mind in terms of attacking the strike zone and pitching to contact.

Hearing that, Estrada nodded.

"I guess when you look at our defensive point of view, you look at Gomez in center and he’s one of the fastest guys in the league," he said.

"He’s a great outfield. You look at Seggy and – I don’t think he’s as fast as Gomez – but he’s pretty quick. He’s got huge range. So does Rickie. He’s got a lot of range. Both of them have great arms. It does make you feel better because you know those guys are going to get to a lot of balls, but so can the other guys. … I try to make pitches regardless of who’s playing, but I guess, you know when a ball’s hit in certain areas you’re like ‘OK, he’s got it.’

He leaned back in his chair.

"So, it is a good feeling. But I try not and depend on those plays where the ball is hit really hard and Gomez has to go 100 feet to his left and make a diving play."

For the pitching staff at least, being strong "up the middle" definitely starts behind the plate, and to that end the Brewers are very happy with having Lucroy and Maldonado for the foreseeable future.

"I’ve already thrown to both guys this year and I feel just as confident bouncing the ball to one or the other, it doesn’t matter," Estrada said.

"I know they’re going to make the play. If there’s runners on, you try to be a little quicker for them but they’re pretty good back there. I gotta be honest, Maldy, he’s got a great arm. You don’t have to be as quick with him. He’s got a little better arm. But defensively they’re both just as good. They’ll block balls, they’ll make great plays, they call great games and it’s good to have good back there that can catch as good as they can."

The Brewers may be struggling in the present, but Melvin knows a big piece to consistent success is already laid in place.

"Finding players up the middle is very difficult, very tough to find," he said. "It makes us feel a lot better knowing the team is young, very young at key positions and then you add in the pitching staff there is some youth on that side with experience."