Why the doom and gloom?
by roguejim on Jan 12, 2010 1:18 PM CST
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PrintWhat's with all the long faces around here? I've just read a second comment in the past few days that says we're not going to contend in 2010.
While I admit I tend to be a tad overly optimistic about most things Brewers...what's not to like about 2010?
OK, let's say we don't make any other significant moves, and that none of our Moldy Halama pitching projects works out except as AAA depth or something.
Last season, we finished at one game under .500, which is astounding the more I think about it. Let's look at what we have now.
Starting Pitching
Last season, our starters were atrocious. To a man, they all underperformed. Dave Bush, an ERA more than 2 runs worse from the previous season. Parra, 2 runs worse. Looper, a run worse. Even Suppan was worse than 2008, and 2008 had been his worst season since 2003. Even if we did nothing at all and started the same 5, it's hard to imagine a repeat of 2009's pitching suckitude. Instead of doing nothing, though, we have a new pitching guru and landed arguably one of the top FA pitchers out there. Plus, DM seems to be indicating that Suppan has a pretty short rope this time out --- I wouldn't at all be surprised if we see a Bill Hall-esque dismassal if he can't get his ERA under 5. I think there's reason to expect at least an average pitching staff in 2010, which would be leaps and bounds better than last season.
Relief Pitching
It's a little tough predicting relief pitching, and last season's relievers were pretty good. However, our top relievers are all coming back (Hoffman, Vargas, Coffey, Stetter), and we're adding another guy with a sub-3 ERA in LaTroy Hawkins. Did we overpay to get Hawkins? Probably. Still, 4 of these guys had ERAs under 3 last season. If one were to get excited about relief pitching, well, this would be worth getting excited about.
Offense
Offensively, we rocked last season, and there's a lot to like this season too. There's no reason to expect down seasons from Prince and Braun, the big guns in our lineup. We'll likely see a drop offensively in Cameron to GoGo Gomez, and there will be questions about Rickie being able to match the production we got when he went down last season (though he was hitting pretty well at the time), or about McGehee duplicating last season's success. Still, there's reason for optimism too: we wasted more than 1000 ABs on .650 (or less) OPSs of Hardy, Hall, and Kendall. Escobar is putting up encouraging numbers this winter, especially in walk totals, and, though no juggernaut, Gregg Zaunn is hands down a better hitter than Kendall. Finally, even if Hart isn't the .892 OPS hitter from 2007, he's not likely to be worse than he was last season, his worst offensive season as a starting rightfielder. Plus we have Mat Gamel pacing in the dugout (or in Nashville) waiting for the call. We may not improve on last year, but I don't see us being worse either.
Defense
Although third base may be our defensive Achilles heel, the defensive news is that we upgraded defensively from good-defense guys (Hardy, Cameron) to jaw-dropping amazing defensive guys (Escobar, GoGo Gomez).
And all this assumes that DM is done looking for players, and that Gamel doesn't find much playing time. I mean, we were a .500 team despite full seasons from two of the worst players in the game today at their position (Kendall, Suppan) and a pitching staff that didn't have one guy meet the previous season's or career norms. On the flip side, the only player who seemed to be playing better than one thought he was capable of is McGehee. If McGehee regresses to the mean (if you can say that about a rookie), then there's reason to think that the 5 or so underperformers from 2009 can pro-gress to the mean in 2010.
Sure, there will be injuries and underperforming. Still, I think we'd have a better 2010 than 2009 with the exact same players, and we went out and signed better ones. What's not to like?
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I don't think "won't contend" means "below .500
I think they’ll win 84ish games, but they still won’t contend for a playoff spot.
"If we want to sign a Type A free agent, we would lose a second-round pick, but we don't have a way to get picks back. Our whole Draft process needs to be redone."
~Doug Melvin
I think 84 wins is contending
though perhaps not making the playoffs. Unless there are some unbelievable teams, I think if you’re above .500 going into September, you’re probably contending.
"I will agree that the attitude [at BCB] is ridiculous and they have done so much to instigate animosity and then block us from responding. Real mature!"
That may only be true for the miserable NL Central
Although I highly doubt 84 wins gets near the win total I think St. Louis is going to put up this year. They’ll be at or above 90 wins, and the NL wild card will likely NOT come out of the Central.
"If we want to sign a Type A free agent, we would lose a second-round pick, but we don't have a way to get picks back. Our whole Draft process needs to be redone."
~Doug Melvin
by Charlie Marlow on Jan 12, 2010 3:16 PM CST up reply actions
I'm not sure about the Cardinals
Well, I guess I wasn’t sold on them last season either, so see what I know. Still, I guess I can see them with the same win total as the Brewers.
"I will agree that the attitude [at BCB] is ridiculous and they have done so much to instigate animosity and then block us from responding. Real mature!"
I'm not either
Last year was basically everything goes right for the Cardinals. I’m very dubious about their pitching staying healthy again and there is almost no way they repeat last year even if they do. I could easily see the Cardinals at mid 80 wins. If Pujols gets hurt I could see them under .500.
I don't know if I'd call it doom and gloom ...
but, as I’ve written before, there’s just so much uncertainty at so many positions right now. Take out left field and first base, as those are more-or-less givens. At every other position, there are huge question marks:
Can Rickie stay healthy and make the leap we’ve been expecting for the last three years? Can Esky hit? Can Gomez? Can Hart break out of his death spiral? Can a 39-year-old catcher hold up over the whole season? Can McGehee continue what he started last year?
And that doesn’t even address the pitching: can Parra figure it out this year? Can Wolf come close to his numbers from last season? Can Soup raise his game from “terrifyingly bad” to “almost serviceable”? Is Dave Bush finished?
I know that every team faces uncertainty at the beginning of the year. In the Brewers’ case, it just seems like the question marks are dwarfing the known commodities this year. And that’s why I feel uneasy.
Well, sure
There’s reason for unease: I mean, things certainly can go badly, and we do have question marks a-plenty. But I take issue with people ruling out (or essentially ruling out) the playoffs. We had a lot of players play their worst baseball on our team last season, and we were still at .500(ish).
Besides, every team has question marks. Plus, some teams who don’t have question marks have instead bad players: at least we have upside (or reason for optimism) just about everywhere.
"I will agree that the attitude [at BCB] is ridiculous and they have done so much to instigate animosity and then block us from responding. Real mature!"
You are correct about the reason for optimism
at almost every position. The reason I have been negative about the future is not so much next year. I can’t bring myself to believe signing a 3 year 30 million dollar contract for a guy who we all hope puts up a 4.40 ERA is a recipe for winning baseball.
by Braunstalker on Jan 15, 2010 5:45 PM CST up reply actions
I don't hope he puts up a 4.40 ERA
That’s considerably worse than his career ERA of 4.13. I might be alone here, but I’m fairly optimistic about Wolf. He mentioned in some of his interviews after he signed that he tweaked his delivery when he got to Houston, and he has been pretty successful since then.
"A D+ Grade? That must have been a Wittardo grade"- @73_MC
by BrewHaHeather on Jan 15, 2010 9:21 PM CST up reply actions
I don't either
Not only is his career ERA better than that, his velocity went up the last 2 years so at least some of the improvement is reflected in that.
Age 33, 34, and 35
I am not being crazy here. If he sticks around 4.13 at Miller Park I would be ecstatic, and so should anyone. If it happens you can all have a PBR out of my cooler.
by Braunstalker on Jan 16, 2010 11:44 AM CST up reply actions
You not crazy
just overly pessimistic
"A D+ Grade? That must have been a Wittardo grade"- @73_MC
by BrewHaHeather on Jan 16, 2010 1:54 PM CST up reply actions
Then the season will start
and I will secretly believe Dave Bush can win the Cy Young, Hart will be good again, Fielder will hit 60, and Yovani will strike out 250.
by Braunstalker on Jan 16, 2010 5:19 PM CST up reply actions
I think we have a competitive team
That would get stuffed in a seven-game set against the Phillies, Cubs, Cards, or Dodgers.
Don't be silly,
the Cubs would never make it to a seven-game set. They’d be swept out of the first round.
"A D+ Grade? That must have been a Wittardo grade"- @73_MC
by BrewHaHeather on Jan 12, 2010 1:51 PM CST up reply actions
I like your optimism
I don’t entirely believe it, but I like it.
Out offense might take a little dip from last year, but our pitching will most definately improve; there’s only one way to go from where the starting rotation was last year. If Peterson can teach Gallardo and Parra how to throws strikes, we’re already looking at a much better team than last year. Overall we’ve improved from last year, but I don’t really think we’re contenders just yet.
"A D+ Grade? That must have been a Wittardo grade"- @73_MC
OK, that I can live with
I guess I boil it down this way:
- Last season were were .500(ish), and even had a long stretch in first place
- We lost no one we didn’t want to get rid of. We didn’t trade Fielder or have to replace Gallardo due to free agency.
- We had far more players underperform (5 or 6) than overperform (1 or 2).
- We brought in better players via free agency.
Like Rubie said, we have plenty of question marks. Still, I don’t think it’s a stretch to say we’ll be competing for the NL Central. Assuming we don’t have anyone other than Rickie have a lengthy injury, I think 86-76 is realistic. (Needless to say, the optimist in me has us winning 90.) :)
"I will agree that the attitude [at BCB] is ridiculous and they have done so much to instigate animosity and then block us from responding. Real mature!"
I'm curious: who's on your "overperformed" list?
I’d include Fielder, McGehee, Lopez, Hoffman, and Coffey. And, of course, Corey Patterson.
Hmmm
I was thinking McGehee and Fielder. I forgot about Coffey, though he’d be a good one to add.
I didn’t really count Hoffman, because despite the sparkling ERA, he did what he always does: save about 40 games, blow about 5.
Even Fielder’s incredible 2009 season is only one tiny OPS point over his incredible 2007 season. The remarkable thing about last year was his 26 more walks. I mean, he’s just good.
"I will agree that the attitude [at BCB] is ridiculous and they have done so much to instigate animosity and then block us from responding. Real mature!"
Tangentially:
this is why I really, really hope they don’t trade Prince until they absolutely have to. I thought he had hit the ceiling in 2007, and then he was even better last year. I don’t know what the limit is for him anymore.
I know
That’s what sucks: I don’t see any conceivable way where we SHOULD try to sign him long-term, but it would be rough without him.
"I will agree that the attitude [at BCB] is ridiculous and they have done so much to instigate animosity and then block us from responding. Real mature!"
He didn't overperform
He’s just warming up! :)
"I will agree that the attitude [at BCB] is ridiculous and they have done so much to instigate animosity and then block us from responding. Real mature!"
Pitching
Last years squad, rotation and relievers combined was the worst in the league according to WAR, a combined 3 Wins Above Replacement.
League Average was 15.35 WAR. So if the team was to revert back to League average, they would have to make up 12 games. If I am doing my math right here.
Lets say the bullpen is just as good as it was last year, which was about league average, that means that each starter has to be more than 2 wins better than they were last year.
That means Gallardo drastically cuts his walks and becomes a 5 WAR pitcher and contends for the Cy Young, Wolf is a 1.5 WAR pitcher or so to improve upon Looper which is very probable (I think I have him at about 1.8 with the switch to MP), Parra becomes a solid pitcher at 3 WAR, quite possible though not expected, Bush and Suppan then become 1+ WAR guys.
These things are all possible, but all 5 of them to perform at that level at the same time is a big request. This would also put them at a 90 win season if the offense and defense remains the same. D will probably improve a little, but the O staying same or better is a ton to ask for.
I dont think its doom and gloom, but its not pessimistic at all to think the Brewers can win 84 games and still not be in the playoffs.
I don't understand WAR values
How is it possible to be the worst pitching staff in the league and still have a positive WAR? If you’re the worst then who would they replace you with?
Twelve guys off the street.
The Brewers had some total losses on the staff last season, but also had very good seasons from Hoffman and Coffey, a nice partial season from Vargas, and a not-entirely bad season from Gallardo.
That's all I've got for you today, unless you're interested in some Chris Capuano/Tom Haudricourt Fan Fiction.
I'm not a big believer in WAR
Or maybe it’s that I don’t fully understand the math behind it.
In either case, you seem to think that our worst-in-the-league pitching from last season is a reason for not contending, whereas I see it as the main reason we will contend.
Beyond that, you’ve said that the Brewers shouldn’t pursue another starting pitcher: that we won’t even be close enough to contending to make it worth it. However, if someone like Bedard (projected to be about a 2 WAR) replaces Suppan (negative WAR over the past two seasons), how can you still seriously assert that we’re not going to contend? With your 84 win projection (which isn’t unreasonable), wouldn’t Bedard instead of Suppan push us into 87 win range? I know having the Brewers make the playoffs would bother you, but I don’t understand the math behind the assertion.
No, I think the offense will drop a little, though when I think about the seasons Hardy-Hall-Kendall had, I tend to temper that dropoff somewhat.
(As an aside, it’s odd that CHONE is projecting GoGo Gomez to have a higher WAR in 2010 than Mike Cameron.)
"I will agree that the attitude [at BCB] is ridiculous and they have done so much to instigate animosity and then block us from responding. Real mature!"
Actually I'm indifferent on the making or not making the playoffs
But in the case of Bedard, he probably wont be ready until late July/August so 2 WAR is pretty huge if that were the case.
As Kyle mentioned earlier the NL Central with 85 wins thats contending. That is a fair assumption, but my belief is that, going into the season, you should be projected at about 87 or 88 wins to be considered “contenders”, that way you can have downside surprises or lapses and still be fine. Lower than that you are counting on more than can be counted on. I like to look at Baseball Prospectus’ projections as my starting point. when I say 83 or 84 wins, thats just based on the Wolf signing as a slight improvement over Looper. It doesnt account for lapses on the offensive side. I will have a more concrete “prediction” once BP updates their numbers.
My whole philosophy, whether for the Brewers or Red Sox is to not spend money foolishly or stupidly. And that means continuously generating from within, all the while improving. Why spend money on a gamble like Bedard or Garland, if they dont perform well, when it could be better spend on scouting and player development.
The funny thing is
we agree on your main philosophy: I’m not a big believer in free agent grabs either. Besides, it’s more fun when you succeed based on your homegrown prospects.
Still, I don’t think you can say “spend it on development and scouting” and assume that will work. The Brewers have a pretty good record of signing their drafted players, and it’s hard to say more money thrown at scouting would have resulted in better players. I mean, I like to think it would, but that doesn’t make it so. Or, in other words, I don’t think you can assume “continuously generating from within” = “all the while improving.”
But that’s beside the point too. Posting before the season starts that the Brewers will not improve, so they shouldn’t even bother going after free agents is rankling.
"I will agree that the attitude [at BCB] is ridiculous and they have done so much to instigate animosity and then block us from responding. Real mature!"
So you're saying
WAR, huh, good God ya’ll,
What is it good for?
What begins in fear usually ends in folly.
by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Jan 12, 2010 7:07 PM CST up reply actions
Aboslutely nothin'!
"If we want to sign a Type A free agent, we would lose a second-round pick, but we don't have a way to get picks back. Our whole Draft process needs to be redone."
~Doug Melvin
by Charlie Marlow on Jan 12, 2010 7:30 PM CST up reply actions
WAR
Has shattered many young men’s dreams.
Made him disabled, bitter and mean.
Wait, are we talking about Vietnam or Milton Bradley?
by Cheeseandcorn on Jan 12, 2010 10:19 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs
You’re really not supposed to use WAR like this, but for the sake of argument:
Say Gallardo improves from his 2.7 WAR in 2009 to 3.0 WAR (0.3)
Say Wolf is a 2.5 WAR pitcher (he was worth 3.0 in 2009) and replaces Looper (3.4)
Say Bush returns to being an OK pitcher with 1.0 WAR (0.7)
Say Parra turns back into just a 1.5 WAR pitcher (he was 2.3 in 2008) (0.9)
Say Suppan (assuming he’s in the rotation) stops being obscenely bad and is worth 1.0 WAR (1.7)
None of those projections are very extraordinary, and in fact most of them are extremely conservative. The chances of them all happening are actually very good, I would say, as are the chances of all five pitcher exceeding the modest numbers above. That’s an extra 7 wins just from the rotation returning closer to around their career averages. This doesn’t mean you can say “well, the Brewers will win 87 games next year then” but just goes to show that the pitching staff doesn’t need to be all that phenomenal (or even noteworthy) to be considerably better.
Ryan Braun: He loves it.
Bullpen
won’t it improve simply by not having to pitch as many innings as (theoretically) pitchers like Looper and Suppan aren’t pulled in the 3rd and 4th with regularity?
(and Gallardo)
"I will agree that the attitude [at BCB] is ridiculous and they have done so much to instigate animosity and then block us from responding. Real mature!"
Makes sense since Wolf will likely do better than Looper...
but we could have more of the same with Suppan (unless Peterson can work his magic).
They have a 2009 pythag record of 88-74 with a league average ERA
Which is three whole games behind the Cardinals. I don’t see how that is cause for optimism. Nope, the team will suck.
When there is a scuffle in Ireland, there’s no need to specifically mention in the news story that alcohol was involved
If you can project for 86-88 wins, you're a playoff contender
Because all you’d need is a thing or two to go right to contend.
The Cardinals were the worst NL playoff team last season with 91 wins, first time in 5 years that a team with 80-something wins hasn’t made the playoffs in the NL.
84 wins would have won the NL West in 2008.
85 won the Central in 2007.
83 won the Central in 2006.
82 won the West and 89 won the Wild Card in 2005.
Also, your logic above is flawed. If the Brewers had been eight games better in 2009, at least one of those wins probably would have come against the Cardinals.
But, if you’d rather be pessimistic and miserable, suit yourself.
That's all I've got for you today, unless you're interested in some Chris Capuano/Tom Haudricourt Fan Fiction.
If you project to win 88 games.
Then I’d say the team doesn’t suck. Talk about doom and gloom.
Applying Simpsons and Star Wars quotes to Brewers discussions since 2009.
That's what I thought too
"I will agree that the attitude [at BCB] is ridiculous and they have done so much to instigate animosity and then block us from responding. Real mature!"
I thought so to
When there is a scuffle in Ireland, there’s no need to specifically mention in the news story that alcohol was involved
by Getting Yosted on Jan 12, 2010 4:01 PM CST up reply actions
Apparently not the correct usage of to/too
When there is a scuffle in Ireland, there’s no need to specifically mention in the news story that alcohol was involved
by Getting Yosted on Jan 12, 2010 4:15 PM CST up reply actions 5 recs
Whats the math on that
And does it account for Park Factor and things like that? Do you have a number for 3rd degree Pythag?
785 runs scored, 159.4444 game’s worth of innings pitched at 4.2 ERA gives you 670 earned runs and I think the team gave up 46 unearned runs. Assume defense stays the same so a total of 716 runs against.
When there is a scuffle in Ireland, there’s no need to specifically mention in the news story that alcohol was involved
by Getting Yosted on Jan 12, 2010 4:05 PM CST up reply actions
I am optimistic. I get to watch professional baseball in Milwaukee.
I don’t try to get caught up in predictions. I am not a stats guy like you fine folks are here. I played baseball for years from Rec Dept baseball, Little League, HS, and thankfully college baseball. I just love the game and love the Brewers. Baseball was a bond in my family from my late grandfather to now my younger cousins who ask me for baseball tips. I went to my first Brewers playoff game in 1982. Though I didn’t see anything, my mother said I kicked every single time the Brewers fans went nuts.
I can see how people can be down on the Brewers. We got our first taste of playoff baseball in a long time. The fact that we can be in this point to expect our team to do good is a long, long way from the Brewers teams in the 90’s and early 2000’s. I am proud of the people here who get after the stats, signings, and analysis that make professional ball fun to watch YEAR ROUND.
Just knowing each and every one of you will smile when the clock hits 0 for spring training makes me think that our team has come a long way. Baseball will be exciting in Milwaukee. Keep your heads up.
Looking to buy: General Manager Deputy Badge
by Bush League All Star on Jan 12, 2010 3:21 PM CST reply actions
Yup.
The Brewers are much more than a stat sheet to me, and I have some very fond memories… Coop-Money-Thomas hitting back-to-back-to-back homers, seeing Nolan Ryan win his 300th, and not seeing the end of the Easter Sunday game when we left early and my dad and I listened to the end of it on the radio… following Molitor’s hitting streak by sneaking away with a radio while at camp… wins and losses and numbers are only part of the story. I’d follow this team if they were 0-162, makes no difference. Every day is a good day for a baseball game.
I remember the 'Crew going pretty hard after FA Ryan probably back in '80-'81...
My whole class was devastated when we didn’t get him, but my dad talked me through the finances of the game :) Great memories of the mezz box next to Uecker in County Stadium as well (and $5 bleacher seats)! I still need to see Miller Park; my friends tell me it is amazing! Not sure if I could handle 0-162, but I am a lifer never the less!
Miller Park is a great place
I’ll miss County Stadium – I had my tryout there in ‘89 and I loved being on the field where so many memories were made, but it was starting to show its age. There were huge patches in the outfield wall where cleats had torn it up and it was weathering with age, and the wooden cash trays at the concession stands were rotting away from too many beer baths. Miller Park is beautiful, it’s a cathedral to baseball. Go see a game and enjoy yourself.
Another area to consider
Is how much the teams in our division, as well as league, have improved from last season. It seems like most of our discussion has focused on how the Brewers have changed over the past year. How will other teams that we’ll be contending with adjust to their roster changes/player development?
I had thought about that
Unless I’m forgetting some FA signing, I don’t think anyone in the NL Central has gotten much better from last season. And I think the Cubs have gotten significantly worse.
"I will agree that the attitude [at BCB] is ridiculous and they have done so much to instigate animosity and then block us from responding. Real mature!"
A full season Vs a partial season
of Holliday can’t hurt the Cards any. I mean, maybe at that price 6 years from now it hurts them, but not in 2010, right? Just saying in response to wondering about the NL Central, I don’t think the team that won it last year got too much worse.
i still agree with your original point that it’s not impossible for the 2010 Crew to make the playoffs, though.
Suppan, who has seen his ERA rise from 4.12 in his final year in St. Louis to 4.62 in 2007 and 4.96 last year, isn't an option in fantasy leagues - Rotoworld
That's true
Then again, Halliday isn’t the fantasy stud he was even a few years ago. He’s still very good, but his HR total dropped from 36-25-24 the last three seasons, and last season he didn’t quite mash lefties like he used to.
No question, the Cards are still the team to beat - I just happen to think they’re not as good as they’re made out to be, especially on offense. (After Pujols and Halliday, they’re next best player is probably Ryan Ludwick - who isn’t bad, by any stretch - it’s just that they go from two superstars to average in a hurry. I think our offense is better than theirs, and with Randy Wolf, their advantage in pitching isn’t nearly as glaring.)
"I will agree that the attitude [at BCB] is ridiculous and they have done so much to instigate animosity and then block us from responding. Real mature!"
Is Halliday
some sort of pitcher/hitter combo?
Cards Announcers On Gamel's First Career HR, "That’s all they need is another home run hitter".
I like this post
I see a lot of people being unnecessarily pessimistic. The Brewers have arguably the two best young hitters in the major leagues, a number of high-upside young players, and a pitching staff that (even without the solid addition of Wolf) could not possibly perform worse than it did last season. Are the Brewers a sure thing? Clearly not, there are a lot of question marks, but there’s also a lot to be excited about. I honestly can’t think of a team that has more potential to have a breakout season next year. That doesn’t mean the Brewers are the best team, obviously, but the potential is there to be a very good team. Might as well be optimistic about it.
Also, for those coming up with some calculus like “-2 downgrade at centerfield, +1 upgrade at catcher, etc., etc.” and then applying that to last year’s win total doesn’t make a lot of sense and probably isn’t very productive.
Ryan Braun: He loves it.
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMEZZ!!!!!
Cards Announcers On Gamel's First Career HR, "That’s all they need is another home run hitter".
I will only put a Stanley Nickel on it.
Cards Announcers On Gamel's First Career HR, "That’s all they need is another home run hitter".
heh
you’re just sayin’ that because you think it better than the old CF option.
by PagsBrewCrew on Jan 13, 2010 2:43 PM CST up reply actions
Gomez
He was a 2.3 WAR player in 2008 just because of his defense. His plate discipline actually improved last year, he hit more grounders, his ISO increased which are all positives, his numbers were largely hurt by a .288 BABIP which seems unlikely from a speedy guy. I think there is a 3 WAR player in there somewhere, just might not see it until 2011 or 2012.
grounders are good?
I thought the goal was liners? You know…something that doesn’t slow the ball down enough for infielders to be able to catch up with it.
by PagsBrewCrew on Jan 16, 2010 12:57 PM CST up reply actions
yes they are
When you are a low ISO high speed player grounders are a good thing. One of the big complaints with Gomez his earlier season is that he tries to hit everything out of the park which doesn’t really fit his skillset.
His LD% progression has been 15.9%, 17.4%, 19.2% as well which is a positive. Unfortunately LD% doesn’t show as strong a correlation season to season as FB% or GB% so harder to know what it means.
On top of all of that his infield fly% has dropped each year as well. His swing% at balls out of the zone has improved as well. Pretty much every indicator shows improvement for him season to season even if his slash stats haven’t shown it yet.
So this more or less means
if he stops over-swinging we should see marked improvement? Cool.
by Braunstalker on Jan 16, 2010 5:21 PM CST up reply actions
Maybe they should make him do pushups every time he doesn't hit a grounder...
I’ve heard it has worked before for another team that Uecker announced for.
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NL Central Standings
| W | L | PCT | GB | STRK | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chicago
|
0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | Lost 0 |
|
Cincinnati
|
0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | Lost 0 |
|
Houston
|
0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | Lost 0 |
|
Milwaukee
|
0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | Lost 0 |
|
Pittsburgh
|
0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | Lost 0 |
|
St. Louis
|
0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | Lost 0 |
(updated 2.16.2012 at 7:03 AM CST)
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
