Friday's Frosty Mug
by Kyle Lobner on Sep 3, 2010 8:38 AM CDT
in Milwaukee Brewers News
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PrintSome things to read while fixing the situation.
The Brewers were off yesterday before opening a series in Philadelphia tonight. Tom Haudricourt suggests you shouldn't get too excited about this weekend's set, as the Brewers are 23-43 against teams with winning records this season.
I think many of us have been treating a potential Prince Fielder trade as inevitable for months now, but maybe it's less likely than we thought: Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated says the Brewers are "still holding a slim hope" to sign Fielder to an extension, and Jayson Stark says the Brewers have been "shocked" by the other teams' lack of interest in trading for him. 7th Inning Stache has a look at what it might take to keep Fielder in Milwaukee.
Prince Fielder's long-term future with the organization is still in doubt, but Jeremy Jeffress' might be coming into focus. Bryan Smith of FanGraphs has a look at Jeffress' stuff and says he "profiles as a major league closer."
Carlos Villanueva rejoined the team this week, and Tom Haudricourt has a story about his experience back in the minors. Villanueva says he worked with Nashville pitching coach Rich Gale to correct some glitches in his mechanics.
MLB Depth Charts has unveiled their NL All Star Team for August, and the Brewers have two position players (Ryan Braun and Casey McGehee) in the starting lineup. Not surprisingly, no Brewer pitchers are mentioned.
It's possible Chris Narveson might be the Brewers' most effective pitcher since August 1: He's posted a 3.55 ERA over six starts, and the Brewers are 4-2 in those games. The relatively sudden surge has prompted Jack Moore of Disciples of Uecker to change his opinion: He now says Narveson projects for about 1.5 WAR per season, good enough to be a #4 or 5 starter in a good rotation.
MLB Trade Rumors has a look at this offseason's projected Elias rankings, and the Brewers project to receive no compensation for their pending free agents. Trevor Hoffman is a Type B free agent, but the Brewers would have to offer him arbitration and have him sign elsewhere to receive compensation, and that combination seems unlikely. Dave Bush is still outside the cut for Type B status.
If nothing else comes of this season, at least we can claim this victory: A poster at Brewerfan.net got an email from WMLW letting them know that they're planning on upgrading their 2011 Brewer broadcasts, and mentioning the possibility of HD.
In the minors:
- The affiliates went 2-4 last night with the only wins coming in Oklahoma City, where Brendan Katin went 3-for-6 with a pair of doubles as Nashville swept a doubleheader against the RedHawks. You can read about that and more in today's Minor League Notes.
- 2004 first round pick Mark Rogers is having the kind of season he needed to have to prove he's healthy and back to being a solid pitching prospect. Rogers has struck out 114 batters in 116 minor league innings this season, and reportedly hit 101 on the radar gun his last time out. (h/t Battlekow)
- The Appleton Post Crescent has a pretty nice profile of Wisconsin starter Nick Bucci, with a focus on his aggressive style.
- Wisconsin plays their final home game of 2010 tonight, and they're auctioning off jerseys from their "Brewers Sunday" promotion. Six jerseys remain, including one worn in a game by Kyle Heckathorn and one signed by the team. Proceeds from the auction benefit the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin.
- Ever wondered what it's like to catch in the minor leagues? Chad Anderson has a great feature story with quotes from three veteran catchers in Huntsville: Anderson De La Rosa, Patrick Arlis and Dayton Buller.
- Call to the Pen mentioned Angel Salome as part of their This Week in Prospects feature, and sums up his season pretty nicely with this quote: "Pretty much everything that made Salome such an intriguing prospect in the first place is gone."
Around baseball:
Marlins: Signed catcher Mike Rivera to a minor league deal.
It's once again worth noting that the Reds are having pretty significant problems drawing fans out to the park, but they're doing great on TV. Tuesday's Brewers/Reds game set a new ratings record for FS Ohio, and Wednesday's game broke that record. The Reds are eight games up and play the Cardinals this weekend. The NL Central race could be over by Monday.
We've seen a lot of September callups this week, but this might be the most unlikely one: The Diamondbacks called up Mike Hampton yesterday. He pitched four games in relief this season for AAA Reno, but hasn't appeared in the majors since August of 2009.
Speaking of the Diamondbacks, they're on the verge of breaking a dubious Brewer record. TheJay sent me this email yesterday:
The fact that the D-backs might break that record isn't all that surprising. But the fact that they might break it by 100 is pretty impressive.
Here's today's update on the upcoming minor league shuffle: One more AA option for the Brewers is off the table, as the Rays have extended their contract with Montgomery.
1990 Brewer Dave Parker is not in the Hall of Fame, so he'll have to settle for being the starting right fielder and #5 hitter on Baseball Past and Present's starting lineup of players not enshrined in Cooperstown.
On this day in 1976, Mike Hegan hit for the cycle as the Brewers beat the Tigers, 11-2. It was the first cycle in Brewer franchise history.
Happy birthday today to:
- Brevard County Manatee R.J. Seidel, who turns 23.
- 1998-2002 Brewer Chad Fox, who turns 40.
- 1998-99 Brewer Eric Plunk, who turns 47.
- La Crosse native Ed Konetchy, who would have turned 125. Konetchy spent 15 years in the major leagues with the Cardinals and five other teams.
Now, if you'll excuse me, it's time for breakfast.
Drink up.
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I don't know the specifics about their situation
but over the air HD is pretty prevalent in larger cities.
"The Milwaukee Brewers' line score is starting to resemble an international phone number" - Pittsburgh Pirates Radio during 20-0 shutout - 4-22-10
OTA HD is very common.
The issue is 58-1 is already HD. WMLW is 58-2 & I don’t think you can squeeze 2 HD feeds on the same set.
Villanueva
Carlos Villanueva rejoined the team this week, and Tom Haudricourt has a story about his experience back in the minors. Villanueva says he worked with Nashville pitching coach Rich Gale to correct some glitches in his mechanics.
Fixing what Peterson f-ed up? Just sayin’…
"The Milwaukee Brewers' line score is starting to resemble an international phone number" - Pittsburgh Pirates Radio during 20-0 shutout - 4-22-10
Agreed
I think its the Mike Maddux effect. Too much credit in too short a time to a coach.
"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 Sep 3, 2010 9:57 AM CDT up reply actions
Not necessarily brewer related, but sports-related.
Time Warner Cable Customers are (finally) gonna be able to use ESPN3.com. Linkity Link Link,
http://www.twitter.com/mykenk
Let's just keep talking about Fielder
So if everyone is agreed that the Brewers would be foolish to sign Fielder for $23 million/year for the next 6 years, what is an acceptable deal? If there isn’t much interest in trading for him, the free agent market may be likewise short – as many have pointed out for the past year. So what can the Brewers afford, if anything, for his services?
Or is this similar to Corey Hart where a fair contract for his services may still not be the right move for the Brewers and their payroll flexibility? His production could very well be worth $18 million / year, but that doesn’t mean it’s the right move for the Brewers.
Could we find ourselves in the situation that compensatory draft picks are actually the best return for Fielder? Would it be worth the risk of getting screwed like they did with Sabathia and the Yankees when they only got a 2nd round compensatory pick?
Are the Brewers going to be forced to package up the likes of Gamel or Lawrie along with Fielder to get the pitchers they want? It will be an interesting offseason, but I won’t necessarily be disappointed if he’s still with the Brewers in Spring Training, anymore.
Go Reds! (This signature applies only through the 2010 regular season)
Its sort of hard to say, I think
I think the biggest part of the problem is the length. A 3 year contract for around. 20 per wouldn’t be as crippling, but would certainly present problems of its own.
"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 Sep 3, 2010 11:18 AM CDT up reply actions
Beat me to it
Lets do an informal poll here….
what is your desired return regarding Fielder:
A) Re-sign him to a long term deal
B) Retain him until the end of 2011 and take the 2 draft picks
C) Ask the acquiring team to give up an exorbitant amount such as a major league starting pitcher and a top prospect(s) (Doug Melvin need not respond)
D) A package of high upside prospects 2 to 3 years away from graduation.
I think everyone knows my stance. Team cant afford financially to sign him long term and build supporting parts for a successful playoff team. Cant afford to take the 2 picks because why let them pick 2 pitchers in the draft when it has worked out so well in the past (not to mention the fact that its 4 to 5 years probably before those picks become mlb regulars). And they cant win if they simply create one hole by trading Fielder for an MLB starting pitcher and expect to win.
You know my stance too.
I don’t think any of those work out well for the Brewers.
A) Long term deal financially handicaps the team
B) Draft pick success has been iffy at best, more recent draft picks aren’t far enough along to gauge the success of the new guys
C) That deal’s probably not out there
D) Odds that the Brewers can successfully develop A-Ball talent to worthwhile major leaguers? Iffy at best. Also, this deal might not be out there either
Best result: Give up.
http://www.twitter.com/mykenk
Resigning Fielder to a long-term deal will be pointless
the Brewers need pitching, not offense. They have enough offense without Fielder. Plus they have Lawrie and Gamel that could substitute some of the offense void left by Fielder
by ilikeburritos on Sep 3, 2010 4:42 PM CDT up reply actions
The offer the Brewers gave him
Supposedly 20/5 – is a good deal for both Fielder and the Crew. I know we keep saying it only takes one team willing to give him the contract, but I don’t think that team is out there. No strings attached, I don’t think any team out there offers him any more than that. Simply put: He’s a big fat guy. I’d sign him for 20/5 because at age 26 I think we’ll probably get our money’s worth through age 31. After that, I don’t think he’s going to produce much at all. It’s not his fault, it’s the consequence of his genetics. There are no older ballplayers with his shape. They either bloat or break down.
Until then, he’s a valuable commodity. Whoever gets his bat for the next three years is a lucky team.
I think he's worth that deal too
Going back to Sackman’s review of the Hart extension:
In the long term, the bigger question is what I opened this post with. A mid-market team is going to pay the going free-agent rate for some of its players…To me, right field, left field, and first base are kind of like the bullpen. If you can get a super-premium player (like Fielder or Braun), you should—it’s like having Mariano Rivera pitching the 9th inning. It’s worth the big bucks.
While Jeff isn’t the be all end all, I certainly respect his opinion greatly. While Melvin’s success on the free agent market for pitchers is … spotty, he seems to do really well with position players. Not offering F. Lopez arbitration in the offseason was a really savvy move. He kept Cameron on the roster for a year longer than anyone expected and he performed according to expectations that season. He also found McGehee. Bill Hall was a clear misfire and Kendall was horrendous, but they’re both gone now. Take a look at the position players right now and assuming Cain in CF, name a player you think is either overpaid or you don’t want?
I don’t necessarily trust Melvin to trade Fielder, but if it comes time next year to negotiate a FA contract, I’d feel pretty good about keeping that in Melvin’s hands.
Speaking of which, what’s stopping the Brewers from trading Fielder this offseason and signing him as a free agent in 2012?
Go Reds! (This signature applies only through the 2010 regular season)
by ecocd on Sep 3, 2010 11:54 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Type A draft compensation
Right. But that doesn’t mean they can’t sign him as a FA. Just that it would hurt a bit more. If the return they got in the trade is greater than the value of 2013 1st round pick it’s still a good move.
Go Reds! (This signature applies only through the 2010 regular season)
Kendall
I don’t think signing him was that bad. He was good defensively his first year… and probably worth the $4.25M they paid him. I personally think he was overused, which caused his hitting to suffer… plus if they didn’t play his so much that first season, the Brewers would’ve had an option for the second year.
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
I wouldnt go as far as good...
But I would be ok with “not awful”
by BrewCrewBrian on Sep 3, 2010 4:04 PM CDT up reply actions
I kinda want the brewers AAA team to move to Vegas.
Actually, I really want that.
http://www.twitter.com/mykenk
The only downside to that
Is that Las Vegas historically has inflated batting numbers, so when it comes time for these players to become major leaguers, the numbers they put up in the real world are less than spectacular, resulting in disappointment….
some examples from the recent past….Travis Snyder, Andy LaRoche, Delwyn Young, Cody Ross, Chin-Feng Chen…nothing spectacular here and some of these guys have been serviceable, but lots of failure comes after a promotion from LV to MLB and its a hard thing to grasp sometimes for a player.
That and August baseball?
I hope they have a dome, because even evening temperatures are brutal in the dog days of summer in Las Vegas. I got married there when it was 110 degrees and “dry heat” only goes so far. 110 is hot. I like watching baseball, but I don’t think I could handle that for 3 hours.
Go Reds! (This signature applies only through the 2010 regular season)
Interesting Mug
Prince Fielder’s long-term future with the organization is still in doubt, but Jeremy Jeffress’ might be coming into focus. Bryan Smith of FanGraphs has a look at Jeffress’ stuff and says he “profiles as a major league closer.”
The Ax would like a word with Bryan Smith.
If nothing else comes of this season, at least we can claim this victory: A poster at Brewerfan.net got an email from WMLW letting them know that they’re planning on upgrading their 2011 Brewer broadcasts, and mentioning the possibility of HD.
by Bush League All Star on Sep 3, 2010 12:36 PM CDT reply actions
Did Ax always profile as a closer?
I thought he was supposed to be a set-up man, but fell into the closer role almost by default. Or I’m 100% mistaken. I would think the Brewers would try moving Jeffress to starting pitcher in Nashville next year before they’d move him to closer.
Go Reds! (This signature applies only through the 2010 regular season)
What do you guys think of Rogers status
In the organization next year? I am holding out hope he breaks camp with the team
"Staying up to watch the 10 o'clock Olds? This just in--Go to bed."
by schmita91 on Sep 3, 2010 1:02 PM CDT via mobile reply actions
He's still got some work to do
Problem for him is that he will be 25 next year already, and has had a huge bump in his innings from 09 to 10.
I think he has the problem that some of the other arms in the system have in that he only really has a 2 pitch arsenal, and profiles very well as a back of the bullpen flame thrower…7th, 8th, 9th inning guy. The nice thing for the team is that they have stockpiled a bunch of these guys now in Axford, Loe, Braddock, Jeffress and Rogers.
You only really need a couple or 3 of those guys in your pen. I wouldnt be shocked at all to see him start next year in AAA and possibly dealt somewhere else or used as a long reliever if eventually called up.
I think, even if he stays healthy, Rogers' injury history will limit his trade value.
As such, it’s probably best for the Brewers to hold onto him and see what he can do.
I advocated for something like this last offseason, and I’ll most likely do it again this year: Instead of going out on the open market for another Randy Wolf type deal and putting all their eggs in one basket, I hope the Brewers will open the door for 6-8 minor leaguers, minor league free agents and reclamation projects to compete for the last two spots in the pen.
If they go that route, Rogers is one of the guys I’d like to see given a shot.
Now that's great tasting chicken!
and when I say "last two spots in the pen"
I meant “last two spots in the rotation.”
It’s been a long day.
Now that's great tasting chicken!
I hear ya
Works for the Twins, and is a good way for small market teams to cheaply get a leg up.
With Rogers though, my big concern with him would be that he only averaged about 4 innings per start this past year, and you add that to the almost doubling of his workload from year to year, with becoming a mlb starting pitcher, its just a recipe for disaster or injury.
So you take your time with him next year.
Keep a close eye on his pitch counts. If it gets to be August and you’re worried about his workload, shut him down.
If he’s capable of pitching five effective innings every fifth day and building towards more, I’d like to see him given a shot to do it in the big leagues.
Now that's great tasting chicken!
If you're doing that, you better have 4 other starters who can give you 6+ every 5 days
http://www.mlbsoup.com
Or guys in the pen capable of eating 3-4 innings once every 4-5 days
And if you bring in a bunch of starter candidates, you might have that too.
Now that's great tasting chicken!
were the brewers still doing the stacking 2 starters for 4 ip each with him?
"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 Sep 3, 2010 5:25 PM CDT up reply actions
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NL Central Standings
| W | L | PCT | GB | STRK | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chicago
|
0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | Lost 0 |
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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 2.12.2012 at 7:02 AM CST)
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