Tuesday's Frosty Mug
by Kyle Lobner on Oct 18, 2011 9:28 AM CDT
in Milwaukee Brewers News
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PrintSome things to read while checking the warranty.
Good morning and welcome to day two of the offseason, where stories continue to trickle in regarding the scene in the clubhouse following Sunday night's season-ending loss. Trenni Kusnierek noted a tearful moment for Prince Fielder's son Jadyn, and Wayne Drehs of ESPN captured a sad goodbye between Fielder and Casey McGehee. Colin Fly has a story on Fielder's uncertain future.
It should come as no surprise that Fielder is #2 on The Outside Corner's list of the top ten free agent first basemen this winter. What is surprising, though, is how fast the talent level on the list drops off once you get past Fielder and Albert Pujols.
Two days out, how are you coping with the end of the Brewer season? J.D. of View From Bernie's Chalet has moved from anger to disappointment. Miller Park Drunk is still surprisingly angry with Ron Roenicke. Josh Wussow is willing to look past Roenicke's rough NLCS and give him a vote of confidence. Tyler Lockman of FS Wisconsin says the Brewers still consider the season a success.
I think I'd find this stuff fascinating if I wasn't still sad: SportsLogos.net has a look at Brewer NL Championship merchandise that will never be released. (h/t @bigleaguestew)
Meanwhile, here's another stat to add to Ryan Braun's MVP resume: Jesse Wolfersberger of FanGraphs estimates that Braun singlehandedly raised the Brewers' playoff chances by 59% this season. That's the second highest total in the NL, behind Justin Upton.
Elsewhere in awards, Baseball Prospectus has opened the voting for their 2011 Internet Baseball Awards. Last night I cast my MVP vote for Braun.
It doesn't show up on most stat sheets, but if you watched the Brewer playoff games then you got an awful of opportunities to see how good Jonathan Lucroy is at blocking balls in the dirt behind the plate. Bojan Koprivica of The Hardball Times has an in-depth look at catcher defense and combined his findings with fWAR to rate Lucroy as baseball's tenth best catcher this season. That's a huge step forward from previous Brewer backstops.
Of course, not every Brewer is good at getting in front of the ball. Carson Cistulli of NotGraphs has a gif of what will hopefully be Yuniesky Betancourt's final defensive gaffe as a Brewer.
Replacing Betancourt at shortstop should (and likely will) be one of the top Brewer priorities this winter. Todd Rosiak has a look at some of the questions the team will have to answer, and MLB Depth Charts has a Brewer offseason preview.
Nick Punto is one name that could come up: He hasn't played any shortstop this year but has 265 career games there and is due to become a free agent this winter. He also picked up a Golden Sombrero in Sunday's NLCS Game 6.
Maybe it'll help Nick Punto to know that there weren't many people watching him strike out. The fact that the deciding game was a blowout probably didn't help but NLCS TV ratings were down dramatically this season, from 5.1 for last season's Yankees/Rangers TBS series to 2.9. Rob Iracane of Big League Stew notes that Sunday's episode of "Walking Dead" outdrew the series' final game.
Zack Greinke's wife Emily didn't see much of the series' middle games: She's still not happy about the Cardinals' decision to move player families away from their usual seat locations around home plate, and posted a picture of the view from her seats in the outfield. (h/t BBTF) Until reading that story, I had no idea she's on Twitter.
With that said, it's notable that the bickering over family seat locations was really the biggest issue between the Brewers and Cardinals. Tyler Lockman of FS Wisconsin notes that the two teams were able to put aside the regular season issues and play a clean series.
I think it's pretty surprising how quickly we've gotten spoiled as Brewer fans: Not every team's fan base can say this, but I feel relatively confident that if there's something that can be done to improve this team Mark Attanasio and company will find a way to make the money work. Jon Heyman has a good story today on Attanasio and the winning team he's brought to Milwaukee.
In the minors:
- John Sickels of Minor League Ball has revealed his list of the top 20 Brewer prospects for 2012. Wily Peralta tops the list, but eight other Brewers are right on his heels with B or B- grades.
- In a move that should come as a surprise to no one, Nashville outfielder Brandon Boggs has decided to become a free agent. I really wish the Brewers would have given Boggs a chance to show what he can do in the majors as a switch-hitting center fielder with decent plate discipline and power, but apparently the organization sees him differently.
- Daniel Meadows was one of three Brewers in action in the AFL yesterday, and he pitched a scoreless inning in Peoria's 8-7 loss to Surprise. You can read about that and more in today's Winter League Notes.
- Meadows has a new teammate with the Javelinas: 2011 first round pick Jed Bradley, who had been scratched from the league with a groin strain, has been returned to the roster and will make his pro debut in the AFL sometime in the coming weeks. He's taking Tyler Thornburg's place.
- Meanwhile, this week's edition of Mehring Monday has a look at former Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (including several former Brewer prospects) playing independent ball this season.
The transaction wire is quiet again today, so today's musical interlude comes via The Doobie Brothers:
I guess this is kind of like a transaction, and it's certainly good news for us: JS reporter Todd Rosiak announced yesterday that he's leaving the Marquette beat to cover the Brewers full time. This isn't as good of news for Anonymous Eagle, but they thanked Rosiak for all his hard work covering the Golden Eagles.
There's not a lot of talk about it recently, but the new collective bargaining agreement is looming on the horizon. The current deal expires after the World Series, and Ken Rosenthal has a look at some issues standing between the two sides and a new deal.
I'm not going to spend much time this week on World Series coverage: I figure there's enough of it elsewhere and frankly, I'm not all that interested. With that said, I was fascinated by this Jeff Passan story on Cardinals reliever Jason Motte, who has been pitching very effectively this postseason despite the fact that he can hardly see the plate.
He's not exactly a former Brewer, but Robin Yount's brother Larry remains one of the more fascinating brief careers in major league history. John Odell of Cooperstown Chatter retells the story.
Now, if you'll excuse me, someone's at the door.
Drink up.
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Rosiak
So, does this mean that the JS will have two full-time guys covering the Brewers or is there something going on with TH?
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
Haven't they usually had 2 full time guys?
Last year’s spring training being the exception.
Get a ife broseph
Right.
In previous years they had Haudricourt and Witrado. This year they had Haudricourt and the Arizona State students, since Rosiak was off covering Marquette.
Next year they’ll be back to two full time. I think Rosiak said he’ll do some other stuff this winter (maybe Bucks coverage?), but the Brewers are his primary focus going forward.
Now that's great tasting chicken!
by Kyle Lobner on Oct 18, 2011 10:18 AM CDT up reply actions
I don't think there's going to be much Bucks to cover this year
"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
"Something always good seems to happen when he's in there. Numbers matched up good."
~RRR
by Charlie Marlow on Oct 18, 2011 10:39 AM CDT up reply actions
LOLLERSKATES!
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
by sjlee on Oct 18, 2011 11:45 AM CDT up reply actions 2 recs
Axford's comment about Motte's eyesight from the Passan piece is priceless
"At least he’s got an excuse when he walks guys," Milwaukee Brewers closer John Axford(notes) said.
"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
"Something always good seems to happen when he's in there. Numbers matched up good."
~RRR
by Charlie Marlow on Oct 18, 2011 10:38 AM CDT reply actions 4 recs
God, I love him
"Our attitude is we look at ourselves and we grade ourselves. And even if we don’t like what’s happening on the other side, we don’t make a — it’s not our business" - Tony Larussa
by mnbrewer on Oct 18, 2011 11:09 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions
3rd World Countries
I think a lot of that stuff usually gets sent to Africa, Latin America and Asia.
So if youre ever on vacation to any of those places and you see Brewers championship gear thats where it comes from.
Usually donated to worthy causes, since its already produced.
Someday
I want to write a short story about a kid who grew up wearing the donated championship gear. He’s a huge fan of the success the Minnesota Vikings have had in the Super Bowl.
REWIND YOURSELF!
by drezdn on Oct 18, 2011 12:10 PM CDT up reply actions 2 recs
I've had that discussion
with a friend of mine when discussing stories we’re writing. I don’t think either of us have actually written it yet, though.
They don't bother producing Cubs championship stuff
They dont get close enough.
I hate Yuni.
by BrewCrewBrian on Oct 18, 2011 2:15 PM CDT up reply actions
Could've been...
The NL Champions clothing looked a lot nicer than the Central Division Champs and NLDS stuff. I saw Texas wearing theirs on Saturday night and thought a Brewers’ version with the script ‘M’ logo would be great. I was holding out for NL Champs or World Series wear, but I guess I’ll have to go out and get some uninspired, pedestrian NLDS stuff on clearance.
Today, with much sadness,
I entered jiggle mode and deleted MLB At Bat 2011 from my phone.
fka "warwick5s"
Me too
Evernote just doesn’t hold the same promise. More productvity, though. There’s that at least.
by MKEtotheATX on Oct 18, 2011 11:05 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions
Thanks for the reminder
I forgot that I wanted to remove the app as soon as the Brewers season was over to free up some memory on my phone.
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
I should do that as well.
I deleted the shortcut but not the app. Makes sense to do since I’ll have to buy it again next spring. Plus, my phone like to complain about not enough application space despite the fact that I have 8 GB of internal memory and a 16 GB SD card. The annoying thing is if it starts complaining, it won’t update my email until I delete some applications.
Contributor on Brew Crew Ball, Commissioner of Prognostikeggers, Owner of a broken sarcasm detector
That's the problem with some smartphones
It may have 8GB of internal memory, but you usually only get a fraction of that (maybe 1GB) for actual application usage.
Unfortunately the MLB At Bat app isn’t able to be moved to SD card.
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
Brewer article over at Daily Dish
Let Gamel play 1b, sign Barmes and Kouzmanoff and Frank Francisco…..
Team is probably an 84 win true talent team right now and thats without a 1Bman or SS. Mediocre upgrades at both positions put them in the running for WC.:
Kouzmanoff - nooooooo
But overall, the “good” thing is the team won 96 games without a SS or 3B so improving that can make up for losing Prince.
Get a ife broseph
The first sign that no one should read that article is
Yuniesky Betancourt’s option next expected to be picked up, the Brewers have a lot of questions to answer before they take the field again in 2012.
Also, how many ‘true-talent wins’ was the 2011 team supposed to have? 86?
"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
"Something always good seems to happen when he's in there. Numbers matched up good."
~RRR
by Charlie Marlow on Oct 18, 2011 11:30 AM CDT up reply actions
I think that's a typo
Probably should be “not” instead of “next”.
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
Also?
Kouzmanoff bounced around last season between the Oakland A’s and Colorado Rockies and managed to hit .235/.284/.372 in 257 PA’s. Back in 2010, Kouzmanoff hit 16 HR’s with the A’s, so he still has pop in his bat.
So replace McGehee with a guy who can’t hit. Even in the year that he “showed some pop” he sluggled under .400.
And so help me if they give a relief pitcher who missed 2011 with an injury to a 2 year deal.
Agree on the Barmes thing, he seems like the obvious sign this offseason.
Get a ife broseph
So that wasn't a good point
But he at least had the budget right, which is going to put it head-and-shoulders above most analyses that aren’t coming from hardcore Brewers fans.
Of all the SS names that have been thrown around, Barmes seems to come up in every discussion. If someone can get him for less than a 2-year contract I’ll be surprised. There’s no reason at all the Brewrs should shy away from a 2-3 year contract on a shortstop whoever that may be. Do the Brewers have a viable replacement even at the AA level?
His statement that relievers are going to be expensive this year is likely prophetic. We’ll moan about how much Doug will spend on a reliever, but the going rate is going to be very high and Doug won’t have any choice.
I think there’s a lot to like in the article.
I"m guessing that was before he re-signed with the Cardinals
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
That's how I read it, too.
I have a hard time believing anyone would think the Brewers would pick up that option.
by kotsaythebuzzkill on Oct 18, 2011 12:34 PM CDT up reply actions
Probably true
But the same line of thinking that produces statements such as “He had 70 RBI on a bad Royals offense” could also say “he had a killer postseason” and boom he’s a 2012 Brewer.
That's an excellent point
And it gets down to the crux of Yuni. No one could actually argue that he’s useless. He’s always driven in runs. And you can count on him for an RBI every couple of games. But it’s those other godawful, useless 3 or 4 plate appearances mixed with his dreadful defense that make him this team’s Rob Deer. Except the stakes are so much higher because he’s in such a high-stakes defensive position.
I wonder sometimes if Melvin or anyone higher up read any of the blogs like this. While some might argue that they have “better things to be doing”, I think it would please me greatly to hear that they read the thoughts of the general public, be it here or elsewhere. But when the entire BCB nation venomously reacts to a postseason start by Kotsay and accurately predicts it as a terrible move, I wonder. Do they see the everyday frustrations the fans see with Yuni, Kotsay, etc? Or do they really not? I guess that a few of us are taking for granted the idea that Yuni will be gone just it seems unfathomable that he wouldn’t be. But it was unfathomable to give Kotsay a postseason CF start, too, and that happened. Now I’m a little scared. I guess it’ll come down to the options available, but as has been mentioned before, 6M seems so excessive for Yuni that even a lesser hitter at a fraction of the cost would seem like an upgrade as long as they were average or above defensively. That’s what you ask for in a shortstop, right?
by kotsaythebuzzkill on Oct 18, 2011 2:11 PM CDT up reply actions
I think they figure that they, as professional baseball people, feel like they know better than us. They’re probably mostly right, too.
fka "warwick5s"
by DEUCE SLUICE on Oct 18, 2011 2:24 PM CDT up reply actions
I prefer to use the word inconceivable as opposed to unfathomable.
Give him an offspeed pitch down and in. He will swing and miss.
But I do not think that word means what you think it means.
Applying pop culture to Brewers discussions since 2009, earning the nickname of "Our Little Abed".
by Yar Nivek on Oct 18, 2011 4:26 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
84 wins eh
You never did explain what the difference was between your 88-win prediction and our 96-win performance. Where did you do wrong?
c'mon now
all “advanced metrics” are estimates. based on what he knew to date, he gave the team X wins. they performed at an X+Y level, so they’re better than he thought. he’s revising his estimates based on that.
at the end of the day, it’s the same thing you and i put out there yesterday: between three positions we need to replace X points of woba or OPS or true talent wins. whatever, i’m just glad people are optimistic we can compete next year. (as am i, but, at first, i was worried.)
by Capt Science on Oct 18, 2011 11:37 AM CDT up reply actions
"Advanced metric" implies a scientific method
BtC just takes other people’s projections and lowers the Brewers’ win total
"Our attitude is we look at ourselves and we grade ourselves. And even if we don’t like what’s happening on the other side, we don’t make a — it’s not our business" - Tony Larussa
ehn
i don’t know his methodology. and i don’t know all the other methodologies. at the end of the day, unless it’s a generic counting or rate stat, it’s some sort of interpretation and should be taken with a grain of salt. some interpretations are more robust than others. it doesn’t really matter.
by Capt Science on Oct 18, 2011 11:46 AM CDT up reply actions
True
Except I remember him distinctly saying that his method (while not correctly getting the number of wins right) gets the order correct almost every time.
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
well
that’s your fault for believing it without a full analysis posted.
by Capt Science on Oct 18, 2011 11:52 AM CDT up reply actions
Who believed it?
"Our attitude is we look at ourselves and we grade ourselves. And even if we don’t like what’s happening on the other side, we don’t make a — it’s not our business" - Tony Larussa
Who said anything about believing it?
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
by sjlee on Oct 18, 2011 11:57 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
I dont think I ever said every time
But it was dead on in ’09, and had only missed the NL Wild Card by 1 game, and the season before did a pretty good job too.
Had the Phillies and Braves about right this year, no one had the DBacks, and missed on the Reds/Brewers. Overall Im not too disappointed with only being off on the Brewer season by 4 wins, seeing as how most of the projections were around what mine were for them.
You were off by 8 wins on the Brewers
You projected 88 (and that was before you adjusted downward for every team having too many total wins projected).
by cwolf20 on Oct 18, 2011 1:55 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Considering the exponential value of wins added outside of the median
Being off by 8 wins is like being off by a cardinal direction
by nullacct on Oct 18, 2011 1:57 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Yeah,
I think it had something to do with lowering value for players he thinks are overrated, without doing the same for other teams. Something like that.
According to 3rd order wins, they were a 92 win true talent team this year
I was 4 wins off, Im not too concerned about it. Especially since the 88 win guess was right in line with what a large majority of people predicted for the team. Add too it that in the past I had been, on average about 4 wins too optimistic.
A large majority of people predicted they'd win the division
You had them tied for 3rd. With the Cubs.
"Our attitude is we look at ourselves and we grade ourselves. And even if we don’t like what’s happening on the other side, we don’t make a — it’s not our business" - Tony Larussa
by mnbrewer on Oct 18, 2011 11:52 AM CDT up reply actions 4 recs
It was 2nd, but whatever makes you feel better
and I dont really think a “large majority” of people picked them to win. My main source for data had then 2nd as well behind the Cardinals, with I believe an 86 win prediction, could have been even less.
(Source: Pee Flavored Cheerios)
So far that would mean a true talent level standings for 2011 as:
Reds 90-72
Cardinals 86-76
Brewers 85-77…..
And my apologies on the Cubs thing. I was probably remembering that comment about how they and the Brewers were essentially the same talent-wise, with a pitching advantage to the Cubs.
"Our attitude is we look at ourselves and we grade ourselves. And even if we don’t like what’s happening on the other side, we don’t make a — it’s not our business" - Tony Larussa
by mnbrewer on Oct 18, 2011 12:03 PM CDT up reply actions 2 recs
So you went from having them 3rd
To having tied for 2nd with the Cubs. Not a big improvement.
"Our attitude is we look at ourselves and we grade ourselves. And even if we don’t like what’s happening on the other side, we don’t make a — it’s not our business" - Tony Larussa
by mnbrewer on Oct 18, 2011 12:10 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Here's what you said back in March///
Not Quite Enough for the Playoffs
Florida Marlins (88)
Milwaukee Brewers (88)
Chicago Cubs (88)
All three of these teams have one thing in common: Good Starting Pitching. Of the group, the Marlins probably have the best rotation top to bottom, and the Cubs have the best bullpen of the bunch; and the Brewers will have the best offense of the bunch.
Of all of the teams in the National League, the Brewers are the one team that can blow away their projection and perhaps even become a division winner. There is regression in the numbers for Rickie Weeks, Corey Hart and Casey McGehee, and if Hart AND McGehee can prove PECOTA wrong, as well as Weeks putting up an all star caliber year; that could be the thing that makes them NL Central winners. The team is dramatically improved from last year with the additions of Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum, but as most of you have read from me in the posts, I just dont think that the Brewers will have enough in the end to be a playoff team. I will say that they are the team that if those three players mentioned above can do what they did last year (Hart and McGehee particularly) I will be the first to admit that I was wrong. But I’m sticking to my guns here with the Brewers and putting them at 88 wins and a 2nd or 3rd place finish in the Central.
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
by sjlee on Oct 18, 2011 12:04 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
That's the one
"Our attitude is we look at ourselves and we grade ourselves. And even if we don’t like what’s happening on the other side, we don’t make a — it’s not our business" - Tony Larussa
Sorry, I hate to be a jerk about it
But if you don’t need a scientific method to come within 8 wins of a team’s total. It’s 5% difference on an exponential curve – it’s like putting on a funnel-shaped green.
by nullacct on Oct 18, 2011 12:25 PM CDT up reply actions 3 recs
You cant account for luck or injuries
No system is perfect, and never said mine was, just that I had been successful with it in the past. And still stand by, and am in no way embarrassed, by what I had for this year’s Brewer team.
Any MLB preview is going to give you a number, and whether its a stats based prediction or something pulled out of thin air, it cant ever be perfect.
What was the average prediction for the team from this sites readers/contributors?
Don't act like it was just the Brewers
You had the Astros at 79 wins, the D-Backs in last place, and the Dodgers making the playoffs.
"Our attitude is we look at ourselves and we grade ourselves. And even if we don’t like what’s happening on the other side, we don’t make a — it’s not our business" - Tony Larussa
by mnbrewer on Oct 18, 2011 5:39 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
I not only thought they'd finish last
I remember thinking that they stood a really good chance of having the worst record in the whole of baseball…
"I love it when any team called 'The Brew Crew' wins": Tad Kubler
"LOLOL I LOVE YUNI!!!!": ThroughBeingCool
Troll.
"fortunate, but also lucky"
by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Oct 18, 2011 10:48 PM CDT up reply actions 3 recs
I'm pretty sure I missed by more.
Do we really have to have this argument again?
Now that's great tasting chicken!
Honestly
As long as he comes here touting his projections, why shouldn’t we say something?
"Our attitude is we look at ourselves and we grade ourselves. And even if we don’t like what’s happening on the other side, we don’t make a — it’s not our business" - Tony Larussa
by mnbrewer on Oct 18, 2011 10:18 PM CDT up reply actions 4 recs
I don't think you will have a very receptive audience
for “true talent” projections this year. Not after last year’s travesty.
"Our attitude is we look at ourselves and we grade ourselves. And even if we don’t like what’s happening on the other side, we don’t make a — it’s not our business" - Tony Larussa
Horrible ideas
want no part of Kouzmanoff who is awful and Francisco isnt very good either. I do like the idea of Barmes though. My prediction is Aramis Ramirez at third, either Josh Willingham or Derek Lee at first and Yuni back at shortstop.
I see no way that Green or especially Gamel ever get a real chance with Melvin and Gump Roenicke in charge.
by bklynbrewcrew on Oct 18, 2011 11:46 AM CDT up reply actions
No offense, but I hope your prediction doesn't come true
Ramirez will probably get about $15M next season while Lee is 36 and not getting any healthier. Yuni has a $6M option and his value is easily replaced by someone for fraction of that.
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
I also hope I am wrong
but I have seen no indication that Roenicke is willing to play the young guys and I could see him liking guys such as Ramirez and Lee. As for Yuni most people see no way he is back but I think its possible.
by bklynbrewcrew on Oct 18, 2011 12:12 PM CDT up reply actions
He didn't play the young guys this year because he had a team good enough to win 96 games
With the players he had.
Get a ife broseph
by Supertramp on Oct 18, 2011 12:14 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Did we win 96 games
because of McGehee or despite of him. The fact that Roenicke chose to give Casey that long of a leash instead of ever giving Taylor Green a shot shows that he dislikes young players. Luckily Hairston was a veteran or Casey would have been allowed to flail away through the playoffs.
Roenicke has himself stated numerous times how much he trusts veterans over young players. His insane love affair with a washed up Kotsay is the perfect example of this.
by bklynbrewcrew on Oct 18, 2011 12:17 PM CDT up reply actions
No, it really doesn't
He gave Casey a long leash because of his MLB track record, then put in Hairston in the playoffs.
I have doubts about Green’s ability to hit MLB pitching. I don’t blame RRR for trying to get something out of Casey and defaulting to a player like Hairston for the postseason.
Get a ife broseph
by Supertramp on Oct 18, 2011 12:20 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Casey
was among the worst everyday players in all of baseball this year yet he played nearly everyday until the playoffs. I dont know if Green will be good or not until he gets a chance but I am pretty sure he could have done a much better job than Casey did this season.
I really hope we dont tender McGehee a contract this offseason but I dont trust this organization to do the right thing. I have read that McGehee could get upwards of 3 million in arbitration and I for one absolutely would not spend that money on him.
by bklynbrewcrew on Oct 18, 2011 1:27 PM CDT up reply actions
Eh, I'm not sure he'd have been that much better this year
Definitely could have been though.
There’s a time to throw a young guy into the fire (and Green isn’t an elite prospect at all), not sure I blame RRR for not doing it with the 96 win team he had this year.
Next year is a different story.
Get a ife broseph
But why does McGehee get the continous opportunties if he's proven after, say, 100 games that he doesn't have it this year?
If Green hasn’t had the opportunity to prove anything yet, I don’t see a reason to start McGehee over him. This may be the same point you’re making, but it doesn’t make sense to me to sit on a player whose value we don’t know and to choose someone who’s value we DO know as poor over him.
by kotsaythebuzzkill on Oct 18, 2011 2:16 PM CDT up reply actions
Who said anything about starting McGehee over Green next season?
I think at best, people are advocating having them both battle it out in ST.
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
Sorry if I misread something
I was interpreting the conversation to be about this past year and the decision to start McGehee all season long until the playoffs and never give Green much of a chance.
My poorly made point was that McGehee showed that he didn’t have it pretty much from the get go this year. A few people are saying “I don’t think Green” would have been any better. He might not have been. But he should have at least gotten the opportunity when it was clear that McGehee didn’t have it. At worst you’re benching one player who doesn’t have it for one who also doesn’t have it. At best you’re benching a pleasant surprise for someone who doesn’t have it. There might be an upside, but there doesn’t seem to be a downside. And at least we’d know what we have with Green. Last offseason no one really knew his value. This offseason no one really knows his value. And we’re questioning whether he might be an everyday/ platoon starter next year. Maybe I’m overexplaining it now, but I think when it became clear that McGehee was going nowhere we could have tested him a bit.
by kotsaythebuzzkill on Oct 18, 2011 2:30 PM CDT up reply actions
Using your 100 game cutoff
If you bench McGehee, you would have missed his next 30 games in which he hit .846 OPS. He had a pretty good August overall.
I don’t think at any point you “knew” what you were going to get from any player, basically played the odds that a guy with 2 years of good MLB play would figure something out vs average prospect would figure something out his first time facing MLB pitching.
Get a ife broseph
I still think McGehee needs to slim down
He was a better fielder and had a faster bat when he was lighter. Bulking up has not been good to him.
Better fielder?
Wasn’t his UZR/150 higher this season than his previous two?
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
Probably
They blamed a lot of his poor 2009 fielding on knees, which makes sense.
Even if he was a good fielder this year, becoming more mobile and quicker wouldn’t hurt him in the field going forward.
Get a ife broseph
I agree that Green probably should've been given more opportunities to play at the end of the season
particularly when they decided he was going to be on the post-season roster.
However, I don’t fault the team for sticking with McGehee. I’m guessing that they’d hope that he would start heating up at the plate at the end of the season, so he could be of more use in the post-season.
McGehee had over 1000 PAs in 2009 and 2010. Are you saying that 100 games worth of PAs (~400) is more indicative?
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
No, not really.
But I wouldn’t have minded McGehee getting benched so Green could have an opportunity for us to finally see if he has anything. All I’m saying is that we still don’t know if Green is going to be a worthwhile major league player. He was sitting the bench so that McGehee, who was terrible all year (except for apparently a decent August), could play. I don’t really know how else to say it. I like McGehee but he wasn’t good this year. We had another, untested player who may have had more upside and almost surely couldn’t have been worse than what they were throwing out there everyday. So why not give him some opportunities?
by kotsaythebuzzkill on Oct 18, 2011 2:53 PM CDT up reply actions
Did Green really have more upside than McGehee this season?
McGehee’s ceiling is probably his 2009 season. I don’t know how much higher Green’s ceiling is compared to that.
As far as being worse… he could’ve easily been worse.
The Brewers were playing for the playoffs. They weren’t going to hand over the starting job at 3B to an unproven rookie when they had already had a guy with a history of success at the MLB level and was healthy (albeit struggling at the plate).
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
Yes, and McGehee could have easily been worse too.
It’s admittedly strange that they didn’t try him out there. Even if they have faith in McGehee for next season, you’re hopefully establishing Green as a trade chip.
Applying pop culture to Brewers discussions since 2009, earning the nickname of "Our Little Abed".
McGehee's fWAR this season was 0.3
This season there were 16 MLB regulars who had an fWAR of 0.4 or lower… 7 of which played for a playoff team (5 different teams).
While not ideal, it’s not unusual for a good team to have a regular that’s not performing very well.
Green might be better, but I for one cannot say with any confidence that a guy who’s never done anything at the MLB level would have done a better job than a guy who’s been in MLB for 3 seasons and has had only one bad season up to this point.
Don’t get me wrong… I’m all for them to compete for 3B next season.
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
by sjlee on Oct 18, 2011 1:51 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
First off
It’s not RR’s decision to make on signing Ramirez or Lee… it’s DM’s. It’s also DM’s job to figure out how to assemble a team that fits under Mark’s budget.
If DM signs those guys, RR won’t have any choice but to start them.
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
SS Market
I thought the SS market was going to be fairly thick this off season. What guys are out there? If Reyes could win a batting title with the Mets imagine what he could do in front of Braun. Not promoting just saying.
Brewers have $7 million unless they trade Wolf
They can’t afford Reyes. If they could afford Reyes, they would sign Fielder.
Here are the FA 2B, SS and 3B
From Cot’s…
An asterisk means that an option is available.
Second Basemen
Clint Barmes HOU
Willie Bloomquist ARI *
Orlando Cabrera CLE
Robinson Cano NYY *
Jamey Carroll LAD
Luis Castillo NYM
Alex Cora WAS
Craig Counsell MIL
Mark Ellis OAK
Carlos Guillen DET
Jerry Hairston Jr. MIL
Aaron Hill ARI *
Omar Infante FLA
Joe Inglett HOU
Kelly Johnson TOR
Adam Kennedy SEA
Felipe Lopez TB
Jose Lopez FLA
Aaron Miles LAD
Brandon Phillips CIN *
Shortstops
Yuniesky Betancourt MIL *
Ronny Cedeno PIT
Adam Everett CLE
Rafael Furcal LAD
Alex Gonzalez ATL
Cesar Izturis BAL
John McDonald TOR
Augie Ojeda ARI
Jose Reyes NYM
Nick Punto STL
Edgar Renteria CIN
Jose Reyes NYM
Jimmy Rollins PHI
Ramon Santiago DET
Marco Scutaro BOS *
Jack Wilson SEA
Third Basemen
Wilson Betemit DET
Casey Blake LAD *
Eric Chavez NYY
Mark DeRosa SF
Greg Dobbs PHI
Edwin Encarnacion TOR *
Wes Helms FLA
Melvin Mora ARI
Aramis Ramirez CHC
Miguel Tejada SF
Omar Vizquel CWS
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
My first thought was "Why is Betancourt the top available SS?"
Then I realized it was alphabetical.
Applying pop culture to Brewers discussions since 2009, earning the nickname of "Our Little Abed".
This is Yuni's personal ranking
Greinke: "It’s not about the guacamole itself. I just don’t want to let them win."
2-time BCB Fantasy Baseball Champion
I think Willie Bloomquist might also be an option for the Brewers.
But does the asterisk mean the Dbacks can exercise an option to keep him?
Applying pop culture to Brewers discussions since 2009, earning the nickname of "Our Little Abed".
He had a positive BTY.
Applying pop culture to Brewers discussions since 2009, earning the nickname of "Our Little Abed".
by Yar Nivek on Oct 18, 2011 7:13 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
In 2011.
Yuni was better than him in 2010. They are both awful, awful players and I don’t want them ever sniffing Milwaukee (again, in the case of Yuni).
Barmes is the guy for SS
I think he is the most undervalued player of the top SS’s available. He could probably be had on something like 2/12 or possible 3/15. That’s a good amount of surplus value, as he’s probably a 3 win player or so.
Am I crazy that an IF of...
Gamel 1B
Weeks 2B
Barmes SS
Green 3B
JHJ IF
???? IF (FREE HAINLEY? Maybe even keep McGehee as a platoon sub for third or first?)
would be pretty decent? And cheap?
fka "warwick5s"
by DEUCE SLUICE on Oct 18, 2011 2:00 PM CDT up reply actions
Maybe not crazy
but putting alot of faith into minor leaguers at two IF positions typically held down by big bats.
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
by sjlee on Oct 18, 2011 2:05 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
I'll be happy if I'm wrong
but I think they non-tender Morgan, figuring they caught lightning in a bottle for a season and that it isn’t likely for it to work out two years in a row.
fka "warwick5s"
by DEUCE SLUICE on Oct 18, 2011 2:08 PM CDT up reply actions
They don't owe him much at all, what's the point of a non-tender?
Get a ife broseph
by Supertramp on Oct 18, 2011 2:09 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
I think you'll be happy
Why would they do that? Morgan only made $450k last season and is in his first year arby-eligible. He’s going to be relatively cheap ($1.5M or so). Even if he regresses back to his career numbers, he’ll still be worth it.
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
by sjlee on Oct 18, 2011 2:12 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Fear of him turning into Bad Nyjer?
I dunno, I thought Melvin stepped out of my expectations of him (not really being the type to pick up character-concern guys) when he picked him up, and I’m curious to see if that holds.
fka "warwick5s"
by DEUCE SLUICE on Oct 18, 2011 2:21 PM CDT up reply actions
Perhaps I'm wrong
but wasn’t Bad Nyjer only while he was with the Nationals? I don’t recall any problems while he was with the Pirates.
In any case, Morgan seems to enjoy playing for the Brewers, so I don’t think that’ll happen… and if it does… he’ll be easy enough to DFA or trade.
I just don’t see them letting go of him on the chance that he becomes a problem in the dugout.
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
I think there's someone that pays him 3/20, given the need for SS this year and the lack of MiLB depth at the position
I’d rather give 2/8 to Jack Wilson and spend the “shortstop/Prince Fielder fund” on getting a solid, undervalued 3B and 1B. Make up the difference of losing Fielder with upgrades with the glove and minor batting improvements that cumulatively add up at 1st, 3rd and short.
Why?
They’re both plus defense, .320 OBP guys. It’s just that with Barmes, you’re paying more for upside he hasn’t shown since 2008. Take the 3 million saved per year and invest it in the bullpen or at 3rd and you’ll end up doing better in the long run.
Because Barmes was worth 3.1 fWAR this year and Wilson was worth 0.0
Greinke: "It’s not about the guacamole itself. I just don’t want to let them win."
2-time BCB Fantasy Baseball Champion
B-Ref has them at 2.9 and .9, respectively
Regardless, looking at their careers outside of this year, they’ve been pretty similar 1.5 bWAR players annually. Barmes had a career year this year, and it’s going to drive up his free agent price. If the Brewers sign him, I hope I’m wrong, but honestly I expect them to be pretty similar going forward.
Who on that list of 3B is "undervalued" though?
Greinke: "It’s not about the guacamole itself. I just don’t want to let them win."
2-time BCB Fantasy Baseball Champion
Maybe nobody
but you can convert a 2nd or SS to 3rd with relative success. Maybe you move Weeks to 3rd and pick up a good defensive 2b too? I don’t know, I haven’t really been thinking about the off season all that long.
He probably did, but we should be looking at the "3b options" list
on which Taylor Green should be at/near the top due to his ceiling and low-cost.
I agree Green should be on that list
But I think that’s a big reason as to why it would be worth it to make a run at Barmes for ~$6M per season for 2-3 seasons.
Greinke: "It’s not about the guacamole itself. I just don’t want to let them win."
2-time BCB Fantasy Baseball Champion
Exactly.
Take the cheap / potentially decent options at third and first that the team already has, and spend the money on a solid shortstop.
fka "warwick5s"
by DEUCE SLUICE on Oct 18, 2011 2:49 PM CDT up reply actions
Even assuming Gamel will be an average 1b (which is a huge assumption)
this team still has other needs: specifically in the bullpen. What was the biggest strength of this year’s team is going away, and there’s really no comparable options in the minors (with the exception of maybe Michael Fiers depending on what you think of him) that will be above average bullpen guys.
Sure.
So, go with cheap and potential upside at first and third, substantial upgrade but not bank-breaking Barmes at short, couple of free agent arms for the bullpen, and leave a little bit of cash left over in case you need to make a move at the trading deadline.
I don’t think a whole lot of crazy shit needs to take place for this team to be in contention next year.
fka "warwick5s"
by DEUCE SLUICE on Oct 18, 2011 3:01 PM CDT up reply actions
I guess the thing we diagree on is how much money will be available in payroll next year
with all the raises due around, I honestly don’t think there’s going to be much to make a splash in the free agent market, and I think we need a 1st, a SS and at least 1 bullpen arm to stay in contention again next year.
Of course, lots of season tickets were sold so people could buy postseason tickets, so that may up revenue too. We’ll see! I hope you’re right, I’d rather have Barmes than Wilson. I just don’t think the difference is as big as everyone is making it out to be.
Bullpen
Only three guys will be FAs: Hawkins, Saito and K-Rod.
They might be able to re-sign Saito and/or Hawkins if DM was so inclined. Otherwise, there’ll be other aging relievers available in FA.
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
And those 3 guys are reasons #2, 3 and 4 as to why the bullpen was great this year
Axford can’t do it alone. Do you really want to see Loe as “the 8th innning guy” again next year?
Cant do it alone
And would be wildly optimistic to think he could do it again.
HUGE workload, injury history, and about a run’s worth of good luck (on average) does not bode well for his future. I wouldnt be the first to speculate Turnbow II when speaking of him.
An exact repeat performance? yeah, that'd be wildly optimistic. This was a historic season.
but there’s no reason to think that given the opportunities, Ax won’t be in the top 5-10 of closers in MLB again next season. I expect him to look like 2010 Axford again: very good.
by Fiesta on Oct 18, 2011 3:24 PM CDT up reply actions 2 recs
A career 2.91 xFIP and 2.41 FIP doesn't really scream "Turnbow" to me
Turnbow had an xFIP under 3 once, and that was in 15.1 IP with the Angels in 2003.
Greinke: "It’s not about the guacamole itself. I just don’t want to let them win."
2-time BCB Fantasy Baseball Champion
But he played for the Brewers! Any closer who struggles must be compared to him!
Get a ife broseph
by Supertramp on Oct 18, 2011 3:26 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Theres also a bit of a historical issue here as well
going back the past few years, for closers who have thrown over 70 IP have tended to struggle pretty mightily the following year (e.g. ’10 Marmol, Bell, Wilson, ’09 Broxton Soriano) pretty rare for a closer to have the workload that he had this year and not expect struggles the following year.
Marmol, Bell and Wilson all had FIPs around 3.20-3.50 this year
Not as good as their standout 2010, but not sure I’d call that struggling mightily
Get a ife broseph
Right, because he pitched 70 innings the year before?
Lyon, Lindstrom, Kuo, Jenks, Aardsma, Bailey, Rauch, Rodney, Soriano (I could go on) all got hurt and they pitched less than 70 innings in 2010.
I suspect you know this, but your “historical issue” isn’t backed up by any actual evidence.
Get a ife broseph
by Supertramp on Oct 18, 2011 3:58 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
This post is really funny to me.
fka "warwick5s"
by DEUCE SLUICE on Oct 18, 2011 4:09 PM CDT up reply actions 2 recs
Why?
Axford could get hurt, just like any pitcher can get hurt. Him getting hurt wouldn’t show your non-researched theory any more “right.”
Get a ife broseph
by Supertramp on Oct 18, 2011 4:13 PM CDT up reply actions 3 recs
Don't pee in his cheerios man.
Applying pop culture to Brewers discussions since 2009, earning the nickname of "Our Little Abed".
by Yar Nivek on Oct 18, 2011 4:15 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Just like we saved our responses
To you projected the Brewers to finish third until now?
"Our attitude is we look at ourselves and we grade ourselves. And even if we don’t like what’s happening on the other side, we don’t make a — it’s not our business" - Tony Larussa
*Projecting
Fail
"Our attitude is we look at ourselves and we grade ourselves. And even if we don’t like what’s happening on the other side, we don’t make a — it’s not our business" - Tony Larussa
Wilson also pitched over 70 IP in 2009
and pitched even better in 2010.
There are also others who didn’t “struggle mightily” following a 70+ IP season… Wagner, Rivera and Cordero to name a few.
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
Troll.
"fortunate, but also lucky"
by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Oct 18, 2011 10:50 PM CDT up reply actions 3 recs
Urban Dictionary
Troll
One who posts a deliberately provocative message to a newsgroup or message board with the intention of causing maximum disruption and argument
Yeah, that sounds about right
"Our attitude is we look at ourselves and we grade ourselves. And even if we don’t like what’s happening on the other side, we don’t make a — it’s not our business" - Tony Larussa
by mnbrewer on Oct 18, 2011 11:08 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Who said anything about not filling those spots?
Hawkins and Saito were both picked up in FA and had for relatively little money ($5.75M this season). They might both be re-signed or DM could simply look around in FA for another couple of aging relievers who still can pitch well.
My point is that they don’t need to worry about not having replacements for those guys in the minors since they didn’t come from the minors in the first place.
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
by sjlee on Oct 18, 2011 5:03 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Boggs
this team should have really given this guy a chance as a backup outfielder. Of course its much easier to play a useless Kotsay than give a young guy like Boggs who has incredible walks rate a shot.
I agree and I think a lot of people around here do
A lot of us were pretty high on Boggs, especially coming out of spring training.
by kotsaythebuzzkill on Oct 18, 2011 12:39 PM CDT up reply actions
Casey Kotchman, Jose Reyes and Taylor Green
A much better team IMO but do we have the $?
Ring Out Ahoya!
by bleedbluegold03 on Oct 18, 2011 12:02 PM CDT reply actions
Or maybe Jimmy Rollins?
Ring Out Ahoya!
by bleedbluegold03 on Oct 18, 2011 12:11 PM CDT up reply actions
I really hope they don't overpay for Kotchman (in years or $) coming off a career year
Get a ife broseph
by Supertramp on Oct 18, 2011 12:12 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Kotchman
has been useless as a hitter before this year and I would much rather roll with Gamel than sign Casey Kotchman.
by bklynbrewcrew on Oct 18, 2011 12:14 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
There isnt enough for Reyes alone
Much less a bad investment in a really lucky ’10 Kotchman.
I expect that McGehee sticks around another year. He had a really unlucky year offensively, and if you regress him to the norm he turns into a below average player still but not as bad as he was. I dont think Green would be much of an improvement over what McGehee could probably do in ’11 (1.7 WAR type season).
I wonder if they dont try and move Wolf for salary relief and then go after a guy like Carlos Pena and then Barmes as well if he were willing to come here. That gives you probably 3 wins total between the 2 of them, and you dont lose much by getting rid of Wolf and replacing with Estrada.
Russell Branyan, Ronny Cedeno/Alex Gonzalez, Miguel Tejada
With Taylor Green playing 1B vs. lefties and 3B vs. righties
My goal for the offseason is to get you to stop mentioning the possibility of Tejada for next year
Get a ife broseph
by Supertramp on Oct 18, 2011 1:09 PM CDT up reply actions 4 recs
Well, if we're sure that Taylor Green is going to produce
Then have him play 3B full time, with McGehee playing 1B vs. LHP
No
Tejada is really, really bad. He had a .596 OPS last year and was such a bad clubhouse guy the Giants let him go when they were still competing for the playoffs, and no one picked him up. He’ll also be 38 next year.
There is nothing appealing about him.
Get a ife broseph
Not only that
But 38 in Dominican years.
by backtocali on Oct 18, 2011 1:26 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
He's 35, same age as Kotsay (chorus: ewwww)
He might have a year left in him. Unlike Kotsay, we wouldn’t be asking him to do anything but play 1B and swing for the fence. He sucked last year as a PH, but playing full time (for Branyan FT means about 90 games) he hits HR at a HOF rate.
I'd give him a ST invite like they did Edmonds or Kapler
Similar situations it seems, no harm in seeing if he has anything left.
Get a ife broseph
by Supertramp on Oct 18, 2011 1:56 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
I know you guys love him.
But I watched his ABs with the Angels. He isn’t 2008 Branyan anymore.
These aren’t the Branyans you’re looking for.
Don't ruin the dream by using facts...
"I love it when any team called 'The Brew Crew' wins": Tad Kubler
"LOLOL I LOVE YUNI!!!!": ThroughBeingCool
Just savor the memories. It was a beautiful thing, but that was the past.
Applying pop culture to Brewers discussions since 2009, earning the nickname of "Our Little Abed".
I'd be fine with Ramirez... just not for the price he's going to get
Tejada is a no at any amount.
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
by sjlee on Oct 18, 2011 1:57 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Tejada: Unsafe at any speed.
Applying pop culture to Brewers discussions since 2009, earning the nickname of "Our Little Abed".
Anyone heard if the Red Sox will pick up Scutaro's option for 2012?
He’s due $6M next year, which isn’t much to Boston so I hope he gets caught up in the bloodletting that will follow their collapse. I wouldn’t mind a 750ish OPS and average defense for 120 games next year at SS, with JHJr playing the rest.
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 Oct 18, 2011 1:13 PM CDT up reply actions
Rumor was that they were planning on picking it up
If nothing else, you’d figure he’d be a decent trade piece for them.
Get a ife broseph
Even if he does, I think they'll ease him into the role in 2012
With aims at giving it to him full time in 2013
Get a ife broseph
Yuni
Has a philosophy directly opposite Wayne Gretzky. Yuni goes where the ball already was or will never be.
REWIND YOURSELF!
by drezdn on Oct 18, 2011 12:13 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs
Some people love animals because they have a big heart and love critters
Some people love animals because they need something to fill a void that humans usually occupy
by nullacct on Oct 18, 2011 1:38 PM CDT up reply actions 3 recs
Tony should tell the marketing department to
leave the Squirrels alone : (
FanGraphs should consider a venue for a Gallery Night... they could even serve a cake with a Win Expectancy Chart of the 7/7/11 Brewers' game etched in the frosting, and 7-up. Oh, yeah - and t-shirts that say "SABR-Friday." I'm totally there.
by Jess'HittheBall on Oct 18, 2011 1:51 PM CDT up reply actions
You can tell them to leave the Squirrels alone,
But all in all, it’s just another brick in the wall.
Applying pop culture to Brewers discussions since 2009, earning the nickname of "Our Little Abed".
Some people love animals because they are tasty.
Give him an offspeed pitch down and in. He will swing and miss.
by cooper82 on Oct 18, 2011 4:38 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
More likely Hart or Braun.
My goodness.
by BrewHaHeather on Oct 18, 2011 1:22 PM CDT up reply actions
Hart yes
But then you kind of have to play Morgan Full time in RF which diminishes his value quite a bit, and this with a hefty drop year over year.
But I cant see them moving Braun to 1B. Despite the awful reads he makes in LF it would be a total waste to put his speed at 1B.
Or get a low-cost free agent to play right.
by Cheeseandcorn on Oct 18, 2011 1:30 PM CDT up reply actions
Although probably too expensive
Magglio Ordonez would be a nice guy but might not be happy as a platoon player. If this were an AL team he may not be a bad pickup.
Matt Diaz could be a guy to look at if thats the avenue you are taing as well. Lastings Milledge, Reed Johnson…lots of options there. You would also have to live with Schafer as your CF against RHP though.
Except Adam Dunn was one of the most consistent players in the league and is five years younger than Ordonez
The two aren’t very comparable at all.
Wily Mo Pena, come on down
You’re the next contestant on “Your Price is Right”. Plus Uke loves that guy.
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 Oct 18, 2011 1:46 PM CDT up reply actions
Ueck seems to love big guys who strikeout a lot but can hit the ball out of the ballpark.
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
Answer
Hairston the super-sub.
He could platoon with Morgan in RF as well as give someone a day off once in a while.
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
But Hairston can only play outfield when Yuni is the SS
#Roenicke’d
Applying pop culture to Brewers discussions since 2009, earning the nickname of "Our Little Abed".
Agreed
I don’t think they’ll move Braun to 1B, nor would I want them to, but I have heard vague mentions of it.
My goodness.
by BrewHaHeather on Oct 18, 2011 2:13 PM CDT up reply actions
Part of what makes Rickie so valuable
Is that unless you have a shelf full of Robinson Cano it’s impossible to field very much offense at that position.
I think this is the 2nd time you've pushed this agenda
You’re out of your mind if you think they’re going to move him off 2B. I’d rather move him to SS than 1B. Both are bad ideas, but at least SS can’t be filled internally with a similar bat.
So I was really worried about the bullpen coming into the offseason
and then I realized that hopefully the team will have Braddock, Parra, and DiFelice back off the DL next year. While it’s no Hawkins/Saito/K-Rod, it’s not a hopeless bullpen situation either. Throw in Michael Fiers (who I think would make an incredible set up guy, but not a very good starter), and that’s a solid, if unspectacular, bullpen.
I would be surprised if Braddock, Parra or DiFelice ever pitch for the Brewers again
Get a ife broseph
by Supertramp on Oct 18, 2011 1:53 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
I think Braddock has been awake now
for 7 straight months, so might make things a little stressful in the clubhouse
I thought he'd been sleeping with Hart's wife for 7 straight months.
Applying pop culture to Brewers discussions since 2009, earning the nickname of "Our Little Abed".
There was a rumor that Braddock laid with Hart's wife in the biblical sense.
I hate Yuni.
by BrewCrewBrian on Oct 18, 2011 3:27 PM CDT up reply actions
I don't think it was even a rumor
Just a joke.
by Cheeseandcorn on Oct 18, 2011 3:38 PM CDT up reply actions
Ahaha so awesome!
I love that this has become the stuff of “I heard a rumor that…”
So funny
"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
"Something always good seems to happen when he's in there. Numbers matched up good."
~RRR
by Charlie Marlow on Oct 18, 2011 10:35 PM CDT up reply actions
Not at all.
The rumor was that Gabe Kapler slept with Hart’s wife. It was brought up during a discussion about Braddock, and the running joke became that since Braddock seemed to have been banished from the team, that it was because he was the actual one who slept with Hart’s wife.
See my links above.
But the joke was made that it was Lopez not Kapler, because Lopez got sent down. Then it became a joke on Braddock’s “sleeping disorder”.
Applying pop culture to Brewers discussions since 2009, earning the nickname of "Our Little Abed".
Ah, so you're "sources inside the club"...
"fortunate, but also lucky"
by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Oct 18, 2011 10:54 PM CDT up reply actions
"sources interviewed while carrying a club for protection"
Applying pop culture to Brewers discussions since 2009, earning the nickname of "Our Little Abed".
Parra is out of time
He’ll be 29 next year and we’re still waiting for him to grow up. If only we had traded him while he still had some value…
I was worried about our BP too
then I realized we have Braddock, Parra and DiFelice coming back and felt worse
"...just throw that pill over the plate and I'll make it happen." - Tony Plush
by thefreewheelin76 on Oct 18, 2011 1:56 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
I think that should make Batting Practice go very well.
Oh, wait, that’s not what you meant by “BP.” My bad.
by Brew Angel on Oct 18, 2011 2:03 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
I was gonna say
If you’re looking for straight fastballs directly down the middle for BP, there’s your guys. Just tell them to paint the corners and it’ll be perfect.
Pretty much my thought as well
Greinke: "It’s not about the guacamole itself. I just don’t want to let them win."
2-time BCB Fantasy Baseball Champion
Probably
Her Tweet is getting alot of media coverage right now… much like Zack’s comments (which she reportedly didn’t like).
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
I would not be happy with those seats.
FanGraphs should consider a venue for a Gallery Night... they could even serve a cake with a Win Expectancy Chart of the 7/7/11 Brewers' game etched in the frosting, and 7-up. Oh, yeah - and t-shirts that say "SABR-Friday." I'm totally there.
by Jess'HittheBall on Oct 18, 2011 2:39 PM CDT up reply actions
I'm sure anyone related to an MLB player would be too
but that’s beside the point. According to Zack, his wife was upset with him for making those comments about the Cardinals. It seems a bit hypocritical that she’d turn to Twitter to express her complaints about the seats.
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
Cards needed those seats behind home
for their sign stealers. Larussa’d
REWIND YOURSELF!
by drezdn on Oct 18, 2011 2:56 PM CDT up reply actions 3 recs
I thought I heard during the game that Greinke was 74 pitches into the game before he got a swinging strike.
That explains it. Just curious, how often does something like that actually happen to a strike out pitcher?
That, or without his wife back there smiling at him, he just couldn't pitch as well.
Applying pop culture to Brewers discussions since 2009, earning the nickname of "Our Little Abed".
Is there a designated time for offseason signing of free agents
Or could the news of Prince’s departure surprise us at any moment? I am trying to protect myself from the news a little :(
After the close of the World Series it's fair game.
But no announcements until then. So you’ve got a week.
Applying pop culture to Brewers discussions since 2009, earning the nickname of "Our Little Abed".
From MLBTR:
Players have 15 days to file for free agency once the World Series is over. During that period, they can only negotiate with their former club.
Teams have until December 1st to offer their players arbitration.
Players then have until December 7th to reject or accept their team’s offer. If they accept the offer, they can negotiate with their club until arbitration hearings take place later in the winter. If they reject it, they can negotiate with the teams of their choice, including their former team.
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NL Central Standings
| W | L | PCT | GB | STRK | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cincinnati
|
25 | 20 | .555 | 0 | Lost 1 |
|
St. Louis
|
25 | 21 | .543 | 0.5 | Lost 2 |
|
Houston
|
22 | 23 | .488 | 3 | Won 4 |
|
Pittsburgh
|
21 | 24 | .466 | 4 | Won 1 |
|
Milwaukee
|
19 | 26 | .422 | 6 | Won 2 |
|
Chicago
|
15 | 30 | .333 | 10 | Lost 10 |
(updated 5.26.2012 at 6:00 PM CDT)
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