Friday's Frosty Mug
by KLSnow on Sep 11, 2009 9:29 AM CDT
in News
59 comments
With the day off yesterday, both Anthony Witrado and Adam McCalvy took an opportunity to look ahead to the offseason, with Witrado even breaking out some statistical analysis in what might be his best story as a Brewer beat writer. In his story, McCalvy notes that the Brewers appear to be leaning towards starting Casey McGehee at third base next season, and will likely have to make a decision after the season regarding Ken Macha.
You can add Miller Park Drunk and Quevedo at the Buffet to the list of blogs calling for Macha's head. This is the first managerial season of Macha's career where he's not involved in a pennant race. It may also turn out to be his last managerial season.
Could Javier Vazquez become an option for the Brewers once again? Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution is speculating that the Braves may have too much money invested in pitching, and could look to move Vazquez this winter. MLB Daily Dish thinks Kenshin Kawakami may make more sense for the Crew.
In the minors:
- Brewer farmhands Brett Lawrie (1-for-5 with a run scored), Adam Stern (2-for-4 with a walk and a run), Nick Bucci (five scoreless innings) and Jim Henderson (picked up the win, faced four batters, struck them all out) made their first appearances for Team Canada in their 9-1 win over South Korea in the first round of the Baseball World Cup yesterday. Stern and Lawrie batted #1 and 2 in the Canadian lineup.
- Chris Capuano is expected to start tonight for Helena in their season finale. Cappy did not allow an earned run in his previous two Helena starts, each of which lasted two innings.
- The Brewers held steady at #22 at Beyond the Box Score.
- Yahoo dropped the Brewers one spot to 19th.
Nationals: Claimed pitcher Jesse English off waivers from the Giants and designated catcher Luke Montz for assignment.
There's definitely something to be said for busting out of a slump emphatically. Matt Stairs, who had been 0-for-30 since the All Star break, came up in the ninth inning for the Phillies last night and hit a grand slam. And if you thought the occasional intentional walk to Jason Kendall was bad, here's something worse: On September 5th, nearly two months removed from his last hit, Stairs was intentionally walked by the Astros.
Raul Ibanez also hit his 29th and 30th home runs last night, giving the Phillies four hitters with at least 30. That seems great on the surface, but Walkoff Walk reports that none of the eleven previous teams to accomplish that feat won the World Series.
On this day in 1987, Teddy Higuera allowed a fifth inning home run to Tigers third baseman Tom Brookens, ending his franchise record 32-inning scoreless streak. The Brewers won anyway, 5-2. On this day in 1998, the Brewers won a wild one in Chicago, 13-11 over the Cubs. Sammy Sosa hit his 59th home run in that game: Of the 66 he hit that season, 12 were against the Brewers. No other team allowed more than six.
I wasn't able to find any Brewer birthdays again today, so you'll have to settle for wishing a happy birthday to Ellis Burks, who turns 45.
It's a slow news day and a short Mug today, so you should use the extra time to go check out the new SBNation.com.
Drink up.
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I agree, easily Witrado’s best paper since he got a B- on “The Great Gatsby,” and it’s usage of personification. In all seriousness, nice to see a proper article from him, and from someone at the JSO looking into future plans for the team.
Keeping with nice to see, I love having players say they want to stay in Milwaukee, even if they bat a jaw dropping .240, and that Cappy is slowly making regaining some form. In the long run, hopefully Cappy can be a quality left handed arm from the pen. I just don’t see him ever starting again, given how much that arm has gone through.
PensBurgh penalty - Lavender - 2 Minutes for Excessive Stanley Cup Raising.
by Lavender on Sep 11, 2009 9:41 AM CDT reply actions 1 recs
I see Witrado's piece as a mixed bag:
No doubt, my jaw hit the floor when I saw him referencing OPS and WAR as evidence that Cam’s been very valuable to the team.
And then I thought: it’s kind of sad that citing OPS and WAR in a newspaper article is somewhat revolutionary, and that Witrado’s piece — which any commenter on this site could have written — qualifies as his best work to date.
by Rubie Q on Sep 11, 2009 10:06 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I agree, and could go on with that, but I think I’ve had enough of talking about what Witrado can’t and can never do. I could also make a Witradowanomi post where he says they need special OPS to go to WAR tonight, but instead, I’ll just listen to The Resistance and gladly await a late night game for the Crew to start the weekend, to which I hope everyone has a good one.
PensBurgh penalty - Lavender - 2 Minutes for Excessive Stanley Cup Raising.
by Lavender on Sep 11, 2009 10:14 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Hmmm....
maybe Witrado is spending some time around here.
by sjlee on Sep 11, 2009 10:33 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
True
but at least it shows effort, which is something we haven’t had in awhile from either JS writer
"That's not a weird stat. Rickie is a run-scorer," Yost said. "It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter," Yost told reporters. "See, you guys have no concept. He's a run-scorer. So there's nothing weird about it. That's what he does."
by Hyatt on Sep 11, 2009 10:39 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
someone does?
i remember when any reference to him around here would lead to the poster being chastised.
by PagsBrewCrew on Sep 11, 2009 3:43 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
It's true.
But I think the outlook on Haudricourt mellowed when:
1) Everyone realized how much worse Witrado was.
2) Haudricourt made with the funny-bitter-twittering.
by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Sep 11, 2009 9:08 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I dunno...still looks like a steaming pile of suck to me
“Defensively, he still ranks as one of the best in the game at his position and is among baseball’s leaders in center field in terms of runs above replacement level and wins above replacement level – both stats rank a player’s worth against what a replacement level fielder, hitter and/or pitcher would be.”
Gee whiz: both runs above replacement AND wins above replacement???? How’d cam manage that? Oh, wait you’re telling me that they’re not only correlated but directly proportional? And the circular definition of “runs above replacement = worth against what a replacement level player can do” is laughable. He doesn’t say WHAT they’re replacing the player with – is it a career minor leaguer? a top-notch AAA player? a free agent? a homeless guy? yeah…we replaced someone with a replacement. that is all. I’m familiar with the concept of a replacement level player, but is the average JS reader? Did that definition do ANYONE any good?
And I’m only halfway through the article.
by PagsBrewCrew on Sep 11, 2009 3:39 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Stairs IBB
I was going to say it’s more defensible than an IBB of Kendall because he can hurt you with his power, but I’ll settle for this snark: the game took place in Houston which is where Kendall has hit fully half of his home runs since the start of the 2007 season. The Stairs IBB worked out too, as the next batter hit into a double play with the bases loaded.
The Witrado article is alright, but how do you run down the CF options and not mention Jody Gerut at all? Regardless of whether you think he’s the answer, he’s an option to look at.
PS: It is 1985 Brewer Brad Lesley’s birthday. He was pretty crazy, especially in Japan.
You know me Al.
by TheJay on Sep 11, 2009 9:46 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Not only did he not even mention Gerut, but he also neglected Bourgeois.
Yet, he still found space to mention Patterson.
by sjlee on Sep 11, 2009 10:35 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
BOOOO. How can you look past Brad Lesley? BOOOO.
Brad Lesley is probably one of my favorite ex-Brewers.
Brad Lesley went on to star in the greatest TV show of all time… MXC
Here at the :37 mark you can see Brad Lesley plunking contestants.
Taking Shallowness to New Depths...
by Fatter than Joey on Sep 11, 2009 11:13 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Embed videos Fail
MXC Lesley at the :37 mark.
If you want to waste away your Friday, I am not sure there is anything better than MXC on Youtube.
Taking Shallowness to New Depths...
by Fatter than Joey on Sep 11, 2009 11:15 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Just to be clear:
I wasn’t calling for Macha’s head, just saying that I think he’s going to be fired.
by Rubie Q on Sep 11, 2009 9:50 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Is it just me?
(not that that would be out of the ordinary here)
But who else thinks that it would be a mistake for the Brewers to commit to McGehee as the starting 3B next year over Gamel?
by backtocali on Sep 11, 2009 9:57 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
No
it isn’t just you… there are at least two of us in that boat.
I am a firm believer that Casey McGehee is at the absolute peak of his career and his trade value will never be higher. I don’t even want him on the team next year.
by Saberilliterate on Sep 11, 2009 10:04 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I do
I appreciate everything McGehee has done this year (especially playing hurt), but I don’t quite understand why the Brewers would be so quick to ignore McGehee’s 3,000 minor league PAs and make a big decision like that based on 300 PAs from this year.
by Supertramp on Sep 11, 2009 10:05 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Agreed with above
battlekow: Bill is having an oppo-gasm
by Michael M on Sep 11, 2009 10:06 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
They called up Corey Patterson based on fewer minor league ABs, and more MLB ABs.
by Mykenk on Sep 11, 2009 10:07 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Not entirely true
As it turns out, general manager Doug Melvin said he promised Patterson’s agent, Jim Bronner, to call up his client on that date if he was playing well, which he was (.331, five HRs, 22 RBI in 29 games).
So since he was playing decent, they called him up because of a promise. So all you Agents reading bcb, make sure you have DM promise to call you up, no matter how low of a ceiling your client has.
by SgtClueLs on Sep 11, 2009 10:48 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I didn't know that either
I wonder if Patterson had an opt-out clause if he wasn’t called up (probably). Makes the move a little more tolerable.
You know me Al.
by TheJay on Sep 11, 2009 10:58 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
So let him opt out.
"The reports are that he is getting better. The definition of better is nebulous."
by KLSnow on Sep 11, 2009 11:04 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
wow
i thought that was common knowledge. i guess I should actually link articles I read:P
by PagsBrewCrew on Sep 11, 2009 3:56 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Commit?
Yes, but I think he deserves a shot as much as Gamel at starting at 3B. Let the guys fight it out during spring training.
by sjlee on Sep 11, 2009 10:37 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
So you want to ignore the 3000 minor league ABs in favor of the 40-50 that each would get in March?
by Saberilliterate on Sep 11, 2009 10:41 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Let me be perfectly clear, I'm playing devil's advocate with this
But based on the way veterans were handled last spring, my guess would be McGehee’s positive contributions this season will be treated as a “track record,” his minor league numbers will be forgotten and Gamel will have to clearly outperform him next spring to unseat him.
"The reports are that he is getting better. The definition of better is nebulous."
by KLSnow on Sep 11, 2009 10:54 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Actually, I'd pay more attention to how he did more recently in MLB.
He wouldn’t be the first MLB player who didn’t “light it up” in the minors, but had success in the majors.
People are willing to give Gerut a chance based on his 2008 stats, so why is this any different?
by sjlee on Sep 11, 2009 10:57 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
People are willing to give Gerut a chance based on everything he did before 2009
That’s the opposite of writing him off because of what he did in 2009
E: George 4 (5, throw, throw, throw, throw).
by Jordan M on Sep 11, 2009 11:39 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Everything?
My point is that people are willing to give Gerut a chance because of one (2008), maybe two (2003), good seasons, but yet not ready to give McGehee a chance after one good season.
If you want to include minor league stats, Gerut’s are comparable to McGehee’s.
by sjlee on Sep 11, 2009 12:51 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Gerut has a career .763 OPS
Therefore, I would expect something similar from him going forward.
In most situations it would be fine to commit to McGehee. He’s looking like a pretty god player. But we have Mat Gamel sitting here whose worst case-scenario is pretty similar to what we expect from McGehee next year. What would you expect from McGehee, maybe .270/.330/.430 and -5ish defense at third?
E: George 4 (5, throw, throw, throw, throw).
by Jordan M on Sep 11, 2009 1:08 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Those same two seasons I referenced earlier...
were the only two seasons Gerut’s OPS were higher than his career average. I think it would be fair to say that expections going forward should be less.
Worst-case scenario for Gamel? Who knows? He hasn’t had a full season in Nashville yet, so I don’t think anyone can speculate beyond looking at MLEs, but it could be worse than those numbers you listed.
As far as McGehee, I expect him to at least perform that well next season… particularly if he’s not putting up with a bad knee.
by sjlee on Sep 11, 2009 1:21 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
how does a full season of what we’d expect out of McGehee at second compare to a full season of what we expect out of Weeks?
by warwick5s on Sep 11, 2009 2:19 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Based on
What Weeks did until he was injured, which is what a lot of people were waiting for from him for 3 years, McGehee wouldnt measure up to Weeks.
Weeks was on pace for a 5+ WAR this year.
Figure some time figuring things out, Id put Weeks as a 4 WAR player. At best, in his wildest dreams McGehee is a tad over 3 (I am of the crowd that believes he is at his peak and should be dealt).
by backtocali on Sep 11, 2009 3:02 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I think it would be a mistake
E: George 4 (5, throw, throw, throw, throw).
by Jordan M on Sep 11, 2009 11:37 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I think it would be a mistake to commit to McGehee at 3B
I think he’s probably in for a slump next year. Not a Bill Hall-esque nosedive, but not the numbers he’s put up this year. He’s definately earned the right to be considered the starter next year, but Gamel was never given that chance with the way Macha used him.
"my goodness"
by BrewHaHeather on Sep 11, 2009 11:47 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Do you Twitter? Are you sick of the Batting Stance Guy?
FSWisconsin just tweeted this:
Guess the Stance during Brewers Live tonight! Who do you think Batting Stance Guy is imitating? Text 234234 to vote! Answer during postgame.
So I tweeted this:
@fswisconsin – I’ll be sad when Brewer season is over, but happy to be done with “Guess the stance” and Batting Stance Guy.
And if you’re as sick of him as I am, maybe you should too. :-)
"The reports are that he is getting better. The definition of better is nebulous."
by KLSnow on Sep 11, 2009 11:50 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
You have to give him a little credit, annoying as he is:
He’s gotten more out of less (no?) talent than anybody since Paris Hilton.
by Rubie Q on Sep 11, 2009 11:55 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Or at least since Jerry Garcia
Taking Shallowness to New Depths...
by Fatter than Joey on Sep 11, 2009 12:33 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I hope you mean the "chef" Garcia
battlekow: Bill is having an oppo-gasm
by Michael M on Sep 12, 2009 12:16 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
i thought he was hilarious on letterman!
by Jamie in LA on Sep 11, 2009 1:49 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
That's a lot different than I thought it would be
In conversation he knows how completely inane the entire gag is so it makes me like him far more than if he thought it was a God-given talent. I’m sure he has a few other good stories to tell at some point.
by ecocd on Sep 11, 2009 2:04 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Reminds me of this kid I met at summer camp once
he could sing row-row-row-your boat in a round… by himself… It was a safe assumption that that kid had no friends.
"That's not a weird stat. Rickie is a run-scorer," Yost said. "It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter," Yost told reporters. "See, you guys have no concept. He's a run-scorer. So there's nothing weird about it. That's what he does."
by Hyatt on Sep 11, 2009 4:30 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Bill Hall quietly went 3 for 3 with a double last night against the Angels
He had fully 60% of Seattle’s hits against John Lackey. When you combine that with the RBI double he hit last week off Scott Kazmir, I think we’ve found another team against whom Hall has success. The Brewers’ problem with Hall was all related to the schedule — they don’t play enough games against the Angels. Or maybe Hall just gets enraged by the color red.
by Brew Angel on Sep 11, 2009 11:53 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
If he were enraged by the color red...
He would clean up against the Cardinals, Phillies, Astros, Reds, and Dbacks. Brewers play enough games against them, all told.
by Yar Nivek on Sep 11, 2009 12:28 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Good Point
Maybe Bill Hall is a minion of the underworld then.
Taking Shallowness to New Depths...
by Fatter than Joey on Sep 11, 2009 12:31 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I’ll be at the Metrodome tonight watching the Twinkies (hopefully Dana Eveland will get into the game—make up your own minds what I mean by that) so won’t be around for the game thread, which I regret, because I’m sorry to miss any chance to make fun of Daniel Schlereth. (Just watch him K three Brewers in a row, with a couple o’ wild pitches.)
I hear McClung got exiled to the instructional league, btw.
by morineko on Sep 11, 2009 12:44 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Where'd you hear that from?
Last I heard was that he had a 40-pitch bullpen session back on 9/2… nothing since then.
by sjlee on Sep 11, 2009 1:22 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
one of McCalvy's game previews
He pitched a few simulated innings during this week and they’re leaving him in AZ after the road trip.
by morineko on Sep 11, 2009 4:28 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Swapping out McClung for Don Money, huh?
You know me Al.
by TheJay on Sep 11, 2009 5:30 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
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NL Central Standings
| W | L | PCT | GB | STRK | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
St. Louis
|
91 | 71 | .561 | 0 | Lost 6 |
|
Chicago
|
83 | 78 | .515 | 7.5 | Lost 1 |
|
Milwaukee
|
80 | 82 | .493 | 11 | Won 3 |
|
Cincinnati
|
78 | 84 | .481 | 13 | Won 2 |
|
Houston
|
74 | 88 | .456 | 17 | Lost 3 |
|
Pittsburgh
|
62 | 99 | .385 | 28.5 | Lost 2 |
(updated 11.20.2009 at 4:30 PM CST)
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