Tuesday's Frosty Mug
by Kyle Lobner on Jun 29, 2010 10:20 AM CDT
in Milwaukee Brewers News
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PrintSome things to read while getting through the first five minutes.
If you missed last night's game, this quote from Ken Macha (via Tom Haudricourt) more or less sums it up:
"Every once in a while, you're going to have a stinker."
I was at said stinker last night and didn't get home until 1, which is why the Mug is late. My reward for the trip was getting to watch Manny Parra fail to make a case that he should remain in the rotation when Doug Davis is eventually reinstated from the DL. Parra allowed four runs on seven hits and four walks and failed to retire a batter in the sixth inning. He also dropped the ball on a rundown attempt and allowed a home run to Michael Bourn, who hadn't hit one since last July.
Most of the relievers used last night weren't much better. Carlos Villanueva, Todd Coffey and David Riske all allowed runs last night. Riske's were his first of the year. In a small silver lining, Chris Capuano pitched a scoreless ninth, pitching in a game for the first time in over two weeks. Brandon Jennings of the Bucks bounced in the first pitch to last night's game: If the Brewers had needed another pitcher, he might have been called back.
Other notes from the field:
- Michael Bourn hadn't homered in 551 at bats, a streak dating back to July 11, 2009, before hitting one off Manny Parra last night. R.J. Anderson of FanGraphs has a look at baseball's longest power droughts.
- Michael Bourn, Hunter Pence and Corey Hart are leading FanGraphs' Star of the Game voting.
- Here's MLB.com's video highlights.
- CoolStandings has the Brewer playoff chances at 3.4%.
- Corey Hart went 3-for-5 last night with two RBI - his 48 in his last 41 games are the most in baseball.
- Craig Counsell started at shortstop and went 0-for-3 before being removed as part of a double switch. He's hitting .235/.295/.235 in his last 36 games, and doesn't have an extra base hit since April 29.
Rickie Weeks went 3-for-4 with a walk last night to raise his season line to .274/.376/.461. Brewers Daily notes that he's projected to be a free agent following the 2011 season, and thinks the Brewers should try to lock him up long term.
Even before winning last night's game, the Astros were enjoying their visit to Milwaukee. When discussing the Brewer facilities, Lance Berkman told Alyson Footer, ""In terms of the position to the dugout and the amenities, I think it's the best clubhouse in the National League."
Another day, another note on bad Brewer pitching: David Golebiewski of FanGraphs notes that Randy Wolf is dead last among NL starters in WAR (-0.9 wins), his strikeout rate is down and his walk rate is up.
In-Between Hops wonders if the Brewers could ease some of the logjam in their pitching staff by trading Trevor Hoffman, Chris Capuano, Todd Coffey or Doug Davis before the July deadline. @notkenmacha just hopes Davis has regained the capacity to love.
At least we can still be positive about one Brewer pitcher: MLB Soup lists Yovani Gallardo among three pitchers that have broken out this season.
In the minors:
- On the field, the affiliates went 3-2 yesterday and got a rare bit of good news from Eric Arnett, who struck out all six batters he faced in Arizona, picking up his first professional win. You can read about that and more in today's Minor League Notes.
- Meanwhile, the news isn't very good for Nashville second baseman Eric Farris. Farris, who is recovering from a knee injury, was removed from a rehab assignment in Arizona after just one plate appearance.
- Khris Davis went 5-for-11 with two home runs over the weekend as Wisconsin swept Burlington, and that performance was good enough to net him Midwest League Player of the Week Honors.
- The Brewers have opened negotiations with first round pick Dylan Covey. It'll be interesting to see what he gets: The picks before and after Covey received signing bonuses of $1.65 and $1.55 million, but Covey's father has told reporters he's seeking $2 million. The two sides seem optimistic about getting a deal done.
- The Brewers have worked out a deal with 18th round pick Thomas Keeling, who was Baseball America's #189 overall prospect before the draft. Keeling had made one start for the Keene Swamp Bats of the New England Collegiate Baseball League.
- In a story that's equal parts sad and bizarre, Brewers 50th round pick Chad Jones, a star college football player under contract with the New York Giants, may be considering making the jump to baseball to protect a foot that was seriously injured in a car accident over the weekend (FanShot). Jones was an outfielder at LSU, but Jim Callis of Baseball America says he could be a high-ceiling LHP if his injuries leave him unable to play the field. (h/t Battlekow) Jones was a junior this season, so he could return to school and attempt to improve his draft stock, either way.
- Brewerfan.net reports the Brewers have signed RHP Darren Byrd, who was pitching for Fargo-Moorhead of the Northern League, and assigned him to Brevard County. Byrd is 23 years old and had posted a 4.58 ERA in four Northern League starts.
On power rankings:
- Craig Calcaterra has the Brewers 19th.
- MLB FanHouse has the Brewers 20th.
- ESPN has the Brewers 21st, up two spots.
If you haven't had a chance yet, please take a moment to vote in this week's BCB Tracking Poll, which will remain open until noon today.
Around baseball:
Braves: Placed outfielder Jason Heyward on the DL with a bone bruise in his left thumb.
Cardinals: Are expected to place third baseman David Freese on the DL with an ankle sprain.
Cubs: Are expected to place reliever John Grabow (knee) on the DL today.
Dodgers: Signed reliever Jack Taschner to a minor league deal.
Nationals: Placed pitcher Tyler Walker on the DL with shoulder inflammation.
Red Sox: Are expected to place catcher Victor Martinez on the DL with a fractured thumb, designated lefty Fabio Castro for assignment and announced that pitcher Boof Bonser has rejected an outright assignment and is now a free agent.
Tigers: Are expected to place pitcher Joel Zumaya on the DL after he sustained an elbow injury last night.
The Home Run Derby is coming up, which means it's time for players to start announcing they won't compete. Yesterday's big name to decline the invitation was Albert Pujols. MLB Daily Dish looks at alternatives, should MLB decide to ditch the derby.
Interleague play is over, so it's time to review the results: Justin Inaz of Beyond the Box Score has the first look.
At the very least, interleague play was a success financially: Tom Haudricourt reports the average interleague game drew 33,253 fans this season, up from 28,233 for intraleague games.
This could have interesting financial ramifications for a handful of teams: Several teams' decision to delay callups in an effort to manipulate arbitration status might have backfired, as the 2010 Super 2 cutoff is projected to be 2 years and 124 days of service time, down from 2 years, 139 days last season. Red Reporter notes that Jay Bruce is one of the players affected.
Here's a cool baseball history/uniform note: Wezen-ball has a look at the "average" major league uniform, season by season since 1900. We'll have our own Uni Notes later today.
Also, today is the 105th anniversary of Archibald "Moonlight" Graham's lone major league appearance.
Happy birthday today to:
- Joe Inglett, who turns 32.
- 2008-09 Brewer Hernan Iribarren, who turns 26.
- Wisconsin Timber Rattlers Kentrail Davis (22) and Cutter Dykstra (21).
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going back to solving mysteries.
Drink up.
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Chad Jones
Didn’t he officially sign with the Giants? Doesn’t that impact his college eligibility?
Also, haha:
This could have interesting financial ramifications for a handful of teams: Several teams’ decision to delay callups in an effort to manipulate arbitration status might have backfired, as the 2010 Super 2 cutoff is projected to be 2 years and 124 days of service time, down from 2 years, 139 days last season
I kind of wondered if that would happen when all the teams tried to outsmart each other by doing the same thing.
I've had it with this verkakte flippity-ship!
I believe he was signed, but unsigned
You’re still eligible if you don’t hire an agent. The part I’m confused about is why the article quotes his agent. You’re right that he should be ineligible, but may be his “agent” is just some kind of PR guy.
Regarding the Super Two system deadline changing is exactly how it’s supposed to work. It’s supposed to be a self-correcting system, isn’t it?
How is Chad Jones situation any different than Brent Brewer or numerous others that play minor league baseball then decide to quit so they can go play college football?
"I agree but dont agree"
by juggernaut400 on Jun 29, 2010 11:37 AM CDT up reply actions
New York Giants
He was drafted by a pro football team and presumably has a football agent. The eligibility rules are different for baseball for some reason. Maybe because it’s cross sport? I doubt a former minor leaguer can play college baseball.
Mark Prior
Is supposedly going to throw for scouts soon. Wonder if he’s got anything left in his arm/shoulder left?
On manny parra,
if that’s “failing to make a case to stay in the rotation”, exactly what have wolf and bush been doing, then?
All is vanity.
Making more money?
Towlieppan: "You wanna throw high?"
by GoGregGo on Jun 29, 2010 10:59 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Bush still has his sparks of dominance and his magical under-100 pitch count performance
Macha has been using Bush better as of late and we know Bush is capable of throwing a no-hitter on every trip to the mound. When his One Bad Inning isn’t very bad, he’s a very good bet to make a quality start. You have to give Wolf a chance to regress back to his normal performance.
And they’re making more money.
There is only two guys who at this point seem to be a lock in the rotation. Gallardo and Wolf. Wolf makes to much money for us to do anything with. In terms of performance, Narveson went big his last outing, and another good showing could keep him as a starter. Bush and Parra are kind of neck and neck. Parra didn’t pitch bad yesterday, and Bush has had some great outings. We could go with a 6 man rotation, but that never works out good for anyone.
i seem to recall that same argument being made for a one Suppan, J.
i'm fighting all the french people i can find. happy cinco de mayo!
by sowingwildoats on Jun 29, 2010 12:06 PM CDT up reply actions
I don't care about the money Wolf is making.
I look at it as who is likely to be with us after this year. To me, Parra, Gallardo and Wolf stay in the rotation since they are going to be part of our rotation next year. Bush or Narveson is the question. Maybe Davis doesn’t come back to the rotation either.
Give him an offspeed pitch down and in. He will swing and miss.
by cooper82 on Jun 29, 2010 1:32 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Bush has been pretty damn not good this year.
Shruggity.
by Mykenk on Jun 29, 2010 11:21 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Define pretty damn not good?
He has 7 quality starts and only 2 disaster starts out of 14 games started. That’s not going to get him into the All-Star game, but he left the game while giving his team a chance to win in 12 of 14 starts. Maybe I’m just biased because of the terrible #5 pitchers the Brewers have tossed out there in the past, but I’m content with a back-of-the-rotation guy that’s giving the team a chance to win 86% of the time.
You can look at his +0.2 WAR and balk at being a $4 million replacement player, but I doubt there are any starters in Nashville that would do any better and Kameron Loe is the only pitcher in the bullpen with a chance to be a replacement level starter.
I can’t really argue that Parra is any worse, but no one can argue that he’s really any better.
We know Bush is capable of a no-hitter every start
But so is Parra. He threw a perfect game at AAA. Personally, I hope that Bush is traded after his start tomorrow. He’s still serviceable but they really need to let Parra ride in the rotation the rest of the year.
E: George 4 (5, throw, throw, throw, throw).
I'll agree with that.
Bush’s potential is dwindling, while Manny’s is staying high.
http://www.mlbsoup.com
But why?
Is it just because he’s a little younger? He hasn’t given us any proof he can keep his control over the course of a long season. I’m not saying Bush has (pretty much the opposite), but I don’t see Parra living up to his #2 rotation spot potential that everyone was predicting 2 years ago.
Bush has lost FB velocity
From last year to this to the tune of about 5 mph. And he’s striking out less hitters and walking more. His pitches are just not as crisp as they were when he was simply a .500 pitcher.
Was typing up something similar
Strikeouts down to 4.5 per 9. His fastball has actually “only” dropped 2 mph from last year — down 4 mph since he joined the team a few years ago.
Get a ife broseph
CC Sabathia, David Price, Francisco Liriano, Jon Lester, Clayton Kershaw
These are the five left-handed starting pitchers that have a higher average fastball velocity than Manny Parra. These are the only 5.
E: George 4 (5, throw, throw, throw, throw).
In 2008 there were 2
Sabathia and Lester. It was a fun fact I dropped every once in a while.
E: George 4 (5, throw, throw, throw, throw).
Does velocity = potential?
I’ve heard that
a) you can’t teach power
b) lefties tend to develop on a slower pace than righties
Is that the general basis of the argument for Parra’s potential?
Turnbow threw hard, but that didn’t really work out for him. That said, his potential was high for years, wasn’t it?
He threw 160 innings with a 4.19 FIP in 2008
Had a bad year, shot up to 4.88 last season. In his first 56 innings this year he’s racked up a 3.79 FIP. I defend Parra so often I should just make a default argument and paste it every time it comes up. I don’t see why a hard-throwing, young-ish lefty with a track record of success in the minors and majors to some extent should get buried in the bullpen for a below average veteran righty who has had some success but has lost about 3 miles per hour on his fastball in two years.
E: George 4 (5, throw, throw, throw, throw).
by Jordan M on Jun 29, 2010 1:12 PM CDT up reply actions 2 recs
With an attitude like that
You’ll never make it as a manager in the major leagues.
If you look at it from Macha’s perspective, if he doesn’t win this season, he loses his job. Parra’s recent history hasn’t proven he can consistently keep the team in games and save the bullpen. Let the Next Guy develop his potential.
by ecocd on Jun 29, 2010 1:19 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
I think the argument is that
Bush hasn’t shown he can consistently keep the team in games and save the bullpen either, so why not keep upside with your underachieving 5th starter and send the other guy to the pen?
From that perspective, Narveson should be taken out of the rotation, too
I've had it with this verkakte flippity-ship!
That's Macha's perspective
If I have Macha’s perspective, I have lost. Not interested in what they will do. I want to know what they should do.
E: George 4 (5, throw, throw, throw, throw).
No, I see your argument now.
I concur with your perspective now. I just didn’t understand why it was a foregone conclusion.
The More You Know.
(And not just according to mysterious stats like FIP, he has the second lowest ERA too)
Ryan Braun: He loves it.
Removing all of his RP appearrances?
I’m too lazy to look up the splits. I’m sure you looked at the right split, just making sure.
"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 Jun 29, 2010 3:15 PM CDT up reply actions
Yep
Here’s a list of Brewers pitchers filtered to include starts only: via Fangraphs.
Removing the couple starts made by Capuano/Estrada, Parra is second to Gallardo in ERA, FIP and xFIP
Ryan Braun: He loves it.
Because Jorge de la Rosa pitched pretty well for 3/4 of a season.
Just my take.
SRS BSNS
by Rubie Q on Jun 29, 2010 1:10 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Manny's spent less time in the rotation, and he's been showing at least flashes of improvement.
Bush has been the same for quite some time now
http://www.mlbsoup.com
"He hasn't given us any proof he can keep his control over the course of a long season"
2008: 166.0 IP, 4.16 FIP
Ryan Braun: He loves it.
FWIW, he did walk 4 guys per nine that year
Depending on what “control” means, that could be more useful information.
I've had it with this verkakte flippity-ship!
True
Though Gallardo walks almost 4 guys per nine too. If the pitcher is effective I’m not sure why BB/9 alone should trump everything else.
Ryan Braun: He loves it.
I don't know either
Just wanted to point out that FIP wasn’t necessarily the number to pick.
I've had it with this verkakte flippity-ship!
we'll if you're talking solely about control, BB/9 is one of the first stats to come to mind.
http://www.mlbsoup.com
IDK. I guess we were all just referring to ecocd's initial comment
He hasn’t given us any proof he can keep his control over the course of a long season.
http://www.mlbsoup.com
Would you be ok with a 4 LHP rotation?
Not that its a tremendously huge deal, but I would much rather see them move Narveson before Bush for that reason alone. Going into a series where Wolf, Davis and Parra are the slated starters could have pretty bad results. Bush might not help as much, but at least the opposing teams arent going on that third day in a row against a LHP and teeing off on whoever is the starter that day.
I really don't see it as a problem
I’ve never done or seen any research on the effects of facing multiple lefties in a row, but I don’t know why the overall effect would be different from when the Brewers had the five righty rotation going for a while. Certainly there would be a disadvantage against some teams and an advantage against others. But I’d rather have the five best pitchers, I’m not too concerned with which hand they throw with.
E: George 4 (5, throw, throw, throw, throw).
by Jordan M on Jun 29, 2010 12:54 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Majority of hitters in the game are right handed
RH batters tend to hit Lefties better than righties.
I think there is little difference between Bush and Narveson at this point, but I just think that if a trade is going to be done try and move the cheaper lefty like Narveson for the reasons I state above and let Bush play out his last arb year here.
Not sure I follow that logic
If the LHP is better than the RHP at getting all batters out, why should the RHP play instead?
Obviously there are going to be lineups loaded with RHB (past Brewers teams) and lineups full of LHB (Phillies) so its not perfect, but I don’t see why you should should pitch a guy who isn’t that good because of he is right handed.
Get a ife broseph
True
my point is just that with Bush and Narveson, I consider all things equal, except the salary. (i.e. neither of them are all that good)
And if there is a team out there that wants a 5th starter and also a lefty, while he is cheap, Narveson is the more attractive trade chip.
Handedness doesnt really have a lot to do with it, other than the fact that without Bush the roation is 80% Lefthanded then.
Agree
If we’re debating Narveson and Bush — I don’t really care. If one of them brings back any value in a trade that is fine. My only point was other than being an interesting fact (4 lefties in a rotation), it shouldn’t be a deciding factor in who is in the rotation.
Get a ife broseph
I'd rather trade Bush
As you state, Bush is in his last arb year.
Narveson has 5 more controlled seasons, including 2 at peanut pre-arb prices. I don’t care about handedness with those facts.
I know this but I don't know why 4 is bad but 3 is fine
Seems to be an imaginary cutoff. Also you have to consider that lefties get bigger strike zones, one of the reasons that they can generally be as effective as righties while facing the opposite handed batters more often.
E: George 4 (5, throw, throw, throw, throw).
You'll always have a righty pitch in a series
I’m not saying it makes sense, but with a 4-lefty rotation you’re necessarily going to have a 3-game series where the other team sees 3 left-handed pitchers. A 3-lefty rotation means every series will have a righty. This is magnified dramatically in the postseason.
I tend to not rely on baseball common practice
Because when things like saving the closer in a tie game on the road come into play, I have no reason to believe that avoiding throwing 3 lefties in a series has anything to back it up, either.
E: George 4 (5, throw, throw, throw, throw).
I tend to agree --
I could perhaps see a scenario where you would not want to throw 3 LHers at a specific team, but then that would probably be balanced out by teams you would want to throw 3 LHers at.
Taking shallowness to new depths -- FtJ's blog
by Fatter than Joey on Jun 29, 2010 1:19 PM CDT up reply actions
It probably all washes, but we're arguing details here
A +0.5 WAR righty is going to perform pretty much the same as +0.5 WAR lefty so the point is moot over the long haul.
The key is the postseason scenario. A team that can field 4 power bats a lefty, but only 3 power bats against a righty (think Bill Hall before super-sucko days) could mean you want to throw that +0.5 WAR righty rather than the +0.5 WAR lefty.
That said, the Brewers aren’t setting up their rotation for a playoff run and if you’re throwing +0.5 WARs in postseason games, you’re one sad manager, anyway.
Not with our 4 LHers.
Taking shallowness to new depths -- FtJ's blog
by Fatter than Joey on Jun 29, 2010 2:19 PM CDT up reply actions
In the regard we don't have better starters.
but our 4 LHers are just not collectively good.
Taking shallowness to new depths -- FtJ's blog
by Fatter than Joey on Jun 29, 2010 2:27 PM CDT up reply actions
Well, no argument re: your latter point.
And I’m not saying these four should be penciled in as 2-5 for the rotation next spring. I’m just sayin’: I don’t think we’re going to make the playoffs this year, so we might as well give Narveson and Parra some run to see if they should be part of our plans going forward.
SRS BSNS
fair enough
Taking shallowness to new depths -- FtJ's blog
by Fatter than Joey on Jun 29, 2010 3:43 PM CDT up reply actions
Higuera
Today was Higuera’s last apperance in 1991, but Teddy made 25 more appearances with the Brewers in ‘93 and ’94. The BR note also isn’t quite right.
by Infield Fly Rule on Jun 29, 2010 11:02 AM CDT reply actions
Weeks
I agree that Weeks should be extended. Problem for the Brewers with him right now is that he is starting to play at the level they have been hoping for for him for the past 4 years, and if he continues at this pace, his agent may want a sweeter deal for him.
I would have no problem with an offer being extended to him for something like 5 years/$63 million. I dont know if the Brewers want to dish out that kind of money to him, but that $63 mm number would be team friendly. He could possibly get as much as $70 on the open market with another season like this one.
A contract that big scares me
given his health problems. It also means he would get expensive at the same time as Braun and Gallardo, which could cause some problems.
Good point
They could reduce that amount by only giving him a number more in line for ’11 with what his arbitration raise might be versus what a 4 WAR season could be worth.
How about $5mm for 11, and then $38mm for the next 3 years, with an option for the 5th year at $10mm. At least that way the last year is only an option year, and if they are in it to win at that point they take it on, or let him be a free agent for his age 32 season. Less guaranteed money and gives him assurances for 4 or 5 years if he performs.
The Mets, Cardinals and Cubs might all be willing to dish out that $70mm number to him, and if it were the Cubs, could possibly be an opportunity for him to become teammates again with his buddy Fielder if they were to sign him as an FA.
When a guy like Orlando Hudson can't get more than $5M
How is a guy like Weeks going to get five years at $10M+?
I've had it with this verkakte flippity-ship!
Teams will pay for power
Granted, this is all based on him continuing his production at a level he is at or near right now.
His offensive production this year is in the Utley/Pedroia range. I’m willing to bet that someone will pay for that. Maybe not $70 million, but $60 wouldnt be out of the range of possibility.
Can he be worth a contract without a full season?
Dominant starters can be worth $10 million with only a half season of work. Do you feel hitters can do the same?
If we get 3 full productive seasons out of Weeks for $38 million, that would be a great deal given the free agent market prices, wouldn’t it? Can that $38 million be earned if he only makes 120 starts per year? 130?
I'd only offer it
If he were able to complete a 4 WAR season this year with 140+ games. If you let him go to arb without an extension, and he duplcates the production next year, his agent will let him walk and then all you get is a draft pick and the price approaches that $70 mm number which the Brewers probably do not want to pay for him.
I would be surprised to see Weeks get much more than $8M a season
Only the best 2B in the league get that much. That is why I would like to see Weeks extended. Less than $10M a year for a solid MLB starter sounds pretty good to me.Per Cot’s
Second basemen
The highest-paid active second basemen, by average annual value:
1. Chase Utley, $12,142,857 (2007-13)
2. Brian Roberts, $10,000,000 (2010-13)
3. Robinson Cano, $7,500,000 (2008-11)
4. Brian Roberts, $7,150,000 (2008-09)
5. Dustin Pedroia, $6,750,000 (2009-14)
Brandon Phillips, $6,750,000 (2008-11)
6. Orlando Hudson, $6,250,000 (2008)
Luis Castillo, $6,250,000 (2008-11)
7. Kaz Matsui, $5,500,000 (2008-10)
Freddy Sanchez, $5,500,000 (2008-09)
Mark Ellis, $5,500,000 (2009-10)
8. Placido Polanco, $4,600,000 (2006-09)
Give him an offspeed pitch down and in. He will swing and miss.
That's good news, I think
Brian Roberts would seem to be an equivalent value to Weeks at Weeks’ current production level so it’s nice to see he signed for “only” $10 million. It would be a tough sell to a general manager that Weeks is that much more valuable than Roberts and more valuable than Chase Utley.
I get the feeling Brandon Phillips would be brought up, too
Heralded prospect, didn’t reach his potential until a few years into his career, has power, has speed. Of course, Phillips has been healthier and has a Gold Glove to boot.
I've had it with this verkakte flippity-ship!
So do you think market value is something like
3-4 years at $8 million/year with an option year at $9 or $10 million?
Depending on the actual market for 2B, I would imagine it might be lower than that. Weeks is perceived as a poor defender and, whether fair or not, I think a guy who has never really had a full season (as of right now) is going to be penalized.
Ryan Braun: He loves it.
Yeah
I just don’t see teams spending a lot of money on a guy with one healthy season, even a good one, and a suspect glove.
I've had it with this verkakte flippity-ship!
I get the point is to save money if he hits like this for the rest of the year
And again next year. I just wouldn’t guarantee him much money until he actually did that. If that means he leaves as a free agent, oh well.
I've had it with this verkakte flippity-ship!
I wish more people were higher of Weeks
He hasn’t sucked for a long time now. Last year he was breaking out before he got hurt, and this year he is hitting the cover off of the ball with an OBP of ~.400. What more can you ask for? He is a leadoff hitter with power who knows how to get on base.
by LosinCatmansLove on Jun 29, 2010 4:21 PM CDT up reply actions
Don't get me wrong
I love Weeks hitting. It’s his relative inability to turn a double play that frustrates the hell out of me.
Towlieppan: "You wanna throw high?"
Yeah that money should be reserved for a 4th or 5th starter or washed up closer
(I kid…I kid)
Get a ife broseph
Who takes over for him when he walks in free agency?
"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 Jun 29, 2010 5:20 PM CDT up reply actions
Joe Inglett, the Longterm Answer (TM) at 2B?
"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 Jun 29, 2010 6:04 PM CDT up reply actions
ha
I know Marlow disagrees with this, but there is a chance Lawrie sticks at 2B.
I want to keep Rickie, but understand if they don’t offer a multi-year deal with his injury history. I’ll still be sad to see him go.
Get a ife broseph
You must have missed all of the posts I made about the dearth of 2B organisational depth
and the argument FOR Lawrie to stick there, and stay in the system rather than be traded for 2 years of a guy having a career year, or a guy with a #4 SP upside.
Last year’s TotalZone on Lawrie had him at about a -3 defender at 2B. I WANT him to succeed there, but I don’t know if he will. If not, he’s probably heading to a corner OF or 1B (although I think Lorenzo Cain and Mat Gamel are probably those guys).
"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 Jun 29, 2010 6:03 PM CDT up reply actions
Yeah my bad
Thought you were vocal in wanting him moved to a new position ASAP.
Think we’re probably in agreement. I think he should stick there as long as possible, has been only playing there for 1.5 years.
Where do you find total zone for minor league players?
Get a ife broseph
Ash said that 2B was a position of strength earlier this year in an interview.
I think they really like Farris. Lawrie maybe.
I think the going rate for a decent 2B is pretty cheap compared to the production you get. That’s why I wouldn’t mind them extending Weeks. There really is no hurry to do so though other than the fact that if he is planning to walk we would probably be better trading him. I think this is the year to extend him or, if the return is good, trade him.
Give him an offspeed pitch down and in. He will swing and miss.
RIght
Scooter and Lawrie are probably the only two legit prospects at 2B. Farris is a pretty light hitter, defensive first looking guy. Plus he’s injured, and it isn’t looking good.
"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 Jun 29, 2010 7:37 PM CDT up reply actions
One of the established prospects that will come back in all the upcoming trades, of course
I've had it with this verkakte flippity-ship!
Agreed
Injury history is a HUGE concern when doling out that much cash. The guy has averaged 95 games/season over the past five years. Now maybe he’s just had bad luck and is past the injury bug; but giving a guy $12.6mm/year when he’s averaging 95 games played per season? Oof…If that average holds, you’d be paying out an equivalent of about $21.5mm/162 games. I like Rickie, but there is no way that he makes that much in a contract extension.
totally unfair to say parra has not "made a case for sticking in the rotation" per the JS
man i hate witrado.
i'm fighting all the french people i can find. happy cinco de mayo!
by sowingwildoats on Jun 29, 2010 12:07 PM CDT reply actions
Make your argument for last night's performance
How did that help his cause for not getting bumped to the bullpen? Even if he were pulled after the 5th inning having only given up 2 runs, he’d still be giving the bullpen 4 innings to cover. That’s not a line you would want for a pitcher in the regular starting rotation.
I seem to recall that being the story regularly for doug davis, who according to the JS will most likely take parra's spot.
The team has been pitching better as of late, but still on the season has not pitched very deep as a whole. Parra has gone out and given quality starts in his last three (prior to yesterday) with some dazzling performances. Pitchers give up runs, it’s going to happen.
The bottom line is, one bad apple here shouldn’t be his starting rotation spoiler.
i'm fighting all the french people i can find. happy cinco de mayo!
by sowingwildoats on Jun 29, 2010 12:38 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
Ah, I think you may have misunderstood the article then
Witrado was pointing out that last night’s performance didn’t help his chances. He didn’t mean Parra’s body of work doesn’t deserve recognition. The angle is that in competition for a spot, yesterday’s performance means more than his performance last week.
by ecocd on Jun 29, 2010 1:05 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Game last night
Don’t worry, you didn’t suffer alone, I was at said “stinker” as well. Though my drive home is more along the 10-15 minute variety.
My two favorite teams are the Tigers and Brewers. Drunk tigers. That sounds about right.
Me in 140 characters
And you got home just in time to see the replays of Zumaya's elbow disintegrating.
That was awful. Feel terrible for the kid.
SRS BSNS
I can't decide which comment above to reply to
Remember when the 2004 Royals had an all-lefty rotation? 36 of their first 39 games were started by LHP.
I've had it with this verkakte flippity-ship!
Meh, it's the Royals, everything they do is a cautionary tale
Don’t put five bad pitchers in your rotation is probably the moral of the story.
I've had it with this verkakte flippity-ship!
I was curious
To see if there was any trend with the hitters, if their total bases would rise or dip together as a result of different circumstances, and I ran across a startling discovery. When Braun was plunked in early May, Hart went on a tear and has been hitting like Braun ever since. The answer is clear:
Hart has stolen Braun’s mojo.
by nullacct on Jun 29, 2010 4:08 PM CDT reply actions 4 recs
That Fielder line is depressing
Maybe Melvin will demote him to AAA towards the end of the season
"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 Jun 29, 2010 4:12 PM CDT up reply actions
Someone, I don't think we can keep one more of Fielder's arbitration seasons through demotion
I wonder if Fielder has any options left.
Yeah, it was sarcasm
because Doug Melvin not only fails at understanding where a player’s value is highest, he also fails at trading.
"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 Jun 29, 2010 6:05 PM CDT up reply actions
So what you're saying is
Braun must develop a time machine, go back in time to may, stop hart from stealing his mojo, but must not run into his former self thus causing the end of baseball, but also must ensure that hart steals the mojo of someone else in order to hit well… and now ive gone cross eyed…
Jeffress put on the 40 man
Because of this, he will no longer be drug tested. That is actually the only reason I can think of adding him at this point.
Get a ife broseph
There's no drug testing?
That seems… silly. Although now that you mention it, I’ve read something about that before.
Shruggity.
I don't think this effects his status as a 3x offender in the drug program
ANY test fail at ANY level and he’s gone, IIRC.
"The Milwaukee Brewers' line score is starting to resemble an international phone number" - Pittsburgh Pirates Radio during 20-0 shutout - 4-22-10
Nope
Players on the major league 40-man aren’t even tested, I don’t think. Weird, but true.
Ryan Braun: He loves it.
that is not correct
Its a whole different set of tests and rules once you get to the MLB level (ie the 40 man roster). Doesn’t make sense, but I know this option has been discussed with Jeffress in the past.
Smart move by the Brewers to put him on the 40 man.
Get a ife broseph
That's good news
I guess they are impressed with how he’s handling himself off the field this season, since they were so reluctant to do this before.
Ryan Braun: He loves it.
Or the opposite
They are afraid he’ll fail another test and want to protect him.
Either way, a smart move.
Get a ife broseph
Apparently the local Appleton paper interviewed the T Rats coach
and he thinks Jeffress will be with the club this year. I’d assume Sept call up if anything. No, I didn’t read it, just heard it. Yes, too lazy to search for it.
"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 Jun 29, 2010 6:11 PM CDT up reply actions
Here it is
"The Milwaukee Brewers' line score is starting to resemble an international phone number" - Pittsburgh Pirates Radio during 20-0 shutout - 4-22-10
Well played
"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 Jun 29, 2010 6:25 PM CDT up reply actions
graduated from HS with Brett Christopherson
"The Milwaukee Brewers' line score is starting to resemble an international phone number" - Pittsburgh Pirates Radio during 20-0 shutout - 4-22-10
and college with Corey Jennerjohn
"The Milwaukee Brewers' line score is starting to resemble an international phone number" - Pittsburgh Pirates Radio during 20-0 shutout - 4-22-10
I don't think that will be an issue
There are other pitchers to remove.
I've had it with this verkakte flippity-ship!
Where did you see that?
"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 Jun 29, 2010 6:10 PM CDT up reply actions
Jeffress added to 40 man
I didn’t see it, but I know if they don’t, he’s Rule 5 eligible.
"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 Jun 29, 2010 6:19 PM CDT up reply actions
Also, Jordan Schelling tweeted it about an hour ago
"The Milwaukee Brewers' line score is starting to resemble an international phone number" - Pittsburgh Pirates Radio during 20-0 shutout - 4-22-10
Who did they remove?
"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 Jun 29, 2010 6:27 PM CDT up reply actions
I count 40 on the front page, and Smith isn't listed.
"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 Jun 29, 2010 6:38 PM CDT up reply actions
Schelling's article says it was due to the Smith move
But I’m still counting 40 on the front page. Odd.
"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 Jun 29, 2010 6:40 PM CDT up reply actions
That's a possibility
"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 Jun 29, 2010 6:43 PM CDT up reply actions
Zaun still listed on 15 day
Also 40 men listed there, and no Chris Smith
"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 Jun 29, 2010 6:46 PM CDT up reply actions
hmmm
Hawkins definitely on the 60 day
http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/95886489.html
Get a ife broseph
When did he start on the 15 day?
Perhaps they can stretch that until a certain point and then the 60 day officially starts or something?
Or maybe brewers.com just isn’t good at updating?
"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 Jun 29, 2010 6:53 PM CDT up reply actions
@s99psk No idea. Someone has to go to get Hawkins back on 40-man eventually.
In reply to:
@jordanschelling Is the Jeffress move permanent, or merely for this season?
and
@jordanschelling Also, the brewers.com roster for Milwaukee shows 40 men…no Chris Smith, no Jeffress. Missed a Zaun or Hawkins 60 day DL?
"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 Jun 29, 2010 6:58 PM CDT up reply actions
Or does Hawkins not count against the 40 because he's on the 60 day DL?
Not really sure.
Get a ife broseph
Yeah, I have 39
There’s 40 players listed, but Hawkins is on the 60 day DL, so he doesn’t count.
Shruggity.
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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)
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