Monday's Frosty Mug
by Kyle Lobner on Jun 20, 2011 11:05 AM CDT
in Milwaukee Brewers News
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PrintSome things to read while learning when to stop.
I checked Toby Harrmann's handy dandy chart this morning and learned that a 2-5 road trip is "disappointing, but not the end of the world." I can see how one would see it that way but I'm feeling more than that level of disappointment now that the Brewers have been embarrassed three times in four days and lost two of three in Boston to go with three of four in Chicago.
Yovani Gallardo melted down in yesterday's loss, allowing six runs in the first inning and retiring just nine batters on the day. Jaymes Langrehr of The Brewers Bar says Gallardo was hanging his curveball.
Mark DiFelice made his 2011 debut yesterday, allowing a run on two hits while pitching the seventh inning. Corey Hart did him no favors by dropping a fly ball that led to the run. DiFelice rejoined the team when Daniel Ray Herrera was designated for assignment following Friday's game (FanShots on DiFelice, Herrera).
Other notes from the field:
- Here's a transcript of Ron Roenicke's postgame comments.
- Jacoby Ellsbury, Tim Wakefield and Yovani Gallardo are leading FanGraphs' Star of the Game voting.
- Nyjer Morgan and Prince Fielder's home runs from yesterday clocked in at 18.42 and 22.31 seconds, respectively.
- Going back a day, Rickie Weeks and Corey Hart rounded the bases in 20.73 and 19.79 seconds on Saturday. Hart's trot was only .65 seconds away from being the fastest of the day.
- Prince Fielder failed to draw a walk on Friday, ending his streak at eight straight games. The Brewer franchise record is nine.
- The Red Sox sold 37,903 tickets for yesterday's game, and were one of three teams to sell tickets for 103% of their stadium capacity.
- Bob Uecker missed this weekend's series to tend to a family matter but is expected to be back in the booth tonight.
The Brewers only had four hits yesterday but Ryan Braun had one of them, extending his hitting streak to 12 games. The hit was his first ever as a DH, snapping an 0-for-14 skid. Braun is the only Brewer starter on The Common Man's All Star team, but Prince Fielder, Rickie Weeks, Shaun Marcum and Zack Greinke also made the squad.
Here's another note on Fielder: Jeff Sullivan of Baseball Nation listed him among players who are having success in 2011 by making more contact.
Yuniesky Betancourt went 0-for-8 in Boston this weekend, and his OBP is now down to .247. Here are today's Yuni notes:
- Tom Haudricourt says he's "never seen a hitter in a bigger hurry to make an out" and doesn't know how he made it to the big leagues.
- Jason Mastrodonato of The Official Site says the Brewers are "waiting for Betancourt to connect."
- Matt Klaassen of FanGraphs has a list of 12 below replacement level players who have appeared on a playoff team since 2002. Mark Kotsay (2006 with the A's) is one of them.
- Matthew Pouliot of Hardball Talk is getting ready to rank this winter's top 111 free agents, but Yuni missed the list.
- Brewers in 11 is even ready to admit he misses J.J. Hardy.
- MLB Trade Rumors looks at the possibility that Dodgers infielder Jamey Carroll could be available.
Rickie Weeks went 0-for-4 yesterday but still has multiple hits in six of his last ten games. Over at Disciples of Uecker Jordan declared yesterday Rickie Weeks Appreciation Day. Weeks, by the way, is leading last week's Brewer of the Week voting. I'm leaving the poll open for an extra day since I dropped the ball on Friday.
The Brewers returned home yesterday and open a three game set against the Rays tonight. Spencer Fordin of MLB.com has a preview, and we'll have ours later today. Tonight's game is also the start of the Brewers' "Green Week" promotion.
Shaun Marcum is tentatively scheduled to start Wednesday afternoon's game, but that could change: Marcum left Friday's game with a strained hip flexor and the team isn't sure if he'll be able to go.
Looking further ahead, the Brewers series against the Twins this weekend might be more difficult than we had expected. The Twins were baseball's worst team for a while this season but have won 14 of 17 to climb back into contention in the AL Central.
Looking even further ahead: Takashi Saito may rejoin the Brewers someday, but when still remains a question. Saito returned to Milwaukee to be reevaluated after complaining of still feeling the effects of the oblique injury that's had him on the shelf since April. He's thrown two scoreless innings in rehab appearances for Nashville.
In the minors:
- Tyler Thornburg is tearing up the Midwest League, with a 1.57 ERA and 76/25 walk ratio over 12 starts. John Sickels of Minor League Ball says Thornburg is "too good for the Midwest League right now and as a college pitcher he should move up sometime in the second half."
- The affiliates went 2-1 yesterday, with Brandon Boggs and Brett Carroll each hitting a pair of home runs in Nashville's 5-3 win over Memphis. You can read about that and more in today's Minor League Notes.
- The Walton Sun has a profile of Mat Gamel, who sounds like he's getting comfortable at first base.
- Speaking of Nashville, Wil Nieves has accepted his assignment to the Sounds.
- Brevard County was off yesterday for the Florida State League All Star Game. Scooter Gennett and Khris Davis went a combined 0-for-7 with a walk, but Nick Bucci pitched a scoreless third inning for the North Division in their 5-3 win.
- Gennett was one of nine top prospects to appear in the game, according to Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com.
- The Appleton Post Crescent has a profile of Wisconsin reliever Stosh Wawrzasek.
- The Helena Brewers start their season tonight, and Eric Arnett is expected to get the start. The H-Brewers roster includes seventh round pick P David Goforth and 21st round pick 1B Mike Nemeth, who both signed over the weekend.
- The Brewers have also signed undrafted free agent P Connor Whalen of UC-Santa Barbara.
- The AZL Brewers open play tomorrow.
Today in draft notes: First round pick Taylor Jungmann had a rough outing for Texas in the College World Series on Saturday, and people are noticing that his velocity appears to be down. Jungmann has already thrown over 130 innings in 2011. Keith Law, however, acknowledged the possibility that Jungmann could add velocity by learning to use his legs more.
Tuesday is almost always power ranking day, but Craig Calcaterra of Hardball Talk is once again an overachiever: He has the Brewers fifth this week, down two spots.
If you'd like more from me today but your eyes need a rest, you're in luck: I'll be making an appearance on The Home Stretch with Justin Hull around 2:30 today on The Score 1570 in Appleton.
Around baseball:
Blue Jays: Signed shortstop Yunel Escobar to a two year, $10 million contract extension with club options for 2014 and 2015.
Braves: Designated infielder/outfielder Joe Mather for assignment and placed pitcher Tommy Hanson on the DL with a sore shoulder.
Dodgers: Placed catcher Rod Barajas on the DL with a sprained ankle.
Indians: Fired hitting coach Jon Nunnally and placed first baseman Matt LaPorta on the DL with a sprained ankle.
Marlins: Announced the resignation of manager Edwin Rodriguez, placed outfielder Chris Coghlan on the DL with a knee injury and designated pitcher Dustin Richardson for assignment.
Nationals: Placed outfielder Rick Ankiel on the DL with an intercostal strain.
Orioles: Designated pitcher Jeremy Accardo for assignment.
Red Sox: Placed shortstop Jed Lowrie (sore shoulder), outfielder Carl Crawford (hamstring) and pitcher Clay Buchholz (back) on the DL.
The Marlins are expected to name 80 year old former manager Jack McKeon as their interim skipper today. In today's best read, Chris Jaffe of The Hardball Times has a look at just how long McKeon has been around. Edwin Rodriguez, by the way, was the lowest paid manager in baseball before he resigned.
Unless you spent the weekend under a rock (everyone celebrates Fathers' Day their own way, I suppose), you've probably heard that Albert Pujols injured his wrist in a collision at first base yesterday with Royals third baseman Wilson Betemit (video here). Rubie has more on that story and much more in today's edition of Around the NL Central, which as always comes sealed for your protection.
Today in former Brewers:
- There might not be a hitter in baseball hotter than Alcides Escobar right now. He has multiple hits in eight of his last nine games and is hitting .512 over his last 12. Yet somehow, he's still only hitting .255/.289/.322 on the season.
- Jason Kendall is expected to begin a minor league rehab assignment in Arizona this week. It's unlikely he'll still be with the team when the AZL Brewers and Royals meet on July 7.
- The B-Ref Blog lists Randy Lerch as one of twelve pitchers in major league history with an ERA+ under 92 but an OPS+ over 50.
Not everyone likes interleague play, but this is why MLB keeps it around: This weekend's Cubs-Yankees series set a Wrigley Field three day attendance record, and Saturday's crowd of 42,236 fans was the Cubs' largest since 1978.
Here's today's bad umpiring note: Astros center fielder Michael Bourn and manager Brad Mills were both ejected yesterday after Bourn allegedly asked home plate umpire Jeff Nelson a question about the locaton of a pitch that was called a strike.
Elsewhere in umpiring: Joe West hasn't had much time for off-the-field adventures lately, but it's good to know he still has them on occasion: Navin Vaswani of NotGraphs caught pictures of West practicing his skills on a balcony, then putting them to use during recent rioting in Vancouver.
That's all I've got for you today, unless you needed another tattoo.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to take cover.
Drink up.
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Taylor Jungmann
reminds me very much of Jamey Wright. I hated the pick when it was made and after watching him twice in the college playoffs its obvious to me that he isnt any good. I hope I am wrong but he doesnt seem to have any plus pitches and his velocity was average at best.
I am sure I will be ripped apart for being negative but I dont like this pick and its pretty hard to trust Seid when his drafts dont look good at all so far outside of Thornburg. Arnett is in rookie ball and Nelson has been awful like his pre draft scouting comparisons to Suppan should have warned us.
Doubt anyone cares if you're negative
I do find the idea that you can decide a guy isn’t any good based on watching him twice kind of humorous though.
Get a ife broseph
by Supertramp on Jun 20, 2011 11:31 AM CDT up reply actions 3 recs
It would be humorous
If it werent true.
There are times that scouts will see a player once, maybe twice, before making a decision on him. In the case of Jungmann, he was probably seen by his area scout a couple of times this season, then again a couple by a cross checker, as well as by Seid and Melvin as well.
I wasnt a huge fan of the pick either, but can live with it. But to not like him because the two times youve seen him he looked awful, is VERY common in the scouting world.
I'm positive the Brewers saw quite a bit of Jungmann
So its not really true in this case.
Its obviously much more common later in the draft, but 1st round draft picks (especially those at big programs like Texas) get seen a ton.
Get a ife broseph
There are times that scouts will see a player once, maybe twice, before making a decision on him.
Actually, this is my biggest scouting pet peeve. I know scouts are very good at what they do, but there are a fair number of examples of guys who were typecast after being seen once or twice, then that opinion spreads around and all of a sudden a guy like Jonathan Lucroy is “backup material only.”
I understand that being certain and confident is part of the job, but it seems like way too many absolutes get thrown out there based on an opinion from someone who’s seen a guy at best a handful of times.
Now that's great tasting chicken!
by Kyle Lobner on Jun 20, 2011 12:38 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Also, from what I know bklynbrewcrew isn't a scout
If he was, he’d get fired for posting his opinions on a blog.
A professional scout (employed by a team) seeing a player twice and coming to that conclusion – fine. A fan on a blog seeing a player twice and coming to that conclusion – humorous.
Get a ife broseph
I don't think there's any difference
Both are making the same evaluation, and both opinions carry weight proportional to their expertise.
The difference to me....
Is that I care about one opinion, and don’t care about the other
Get a ife broseph
by Supertramp on Jun 20, 2011 12:44 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
the opinion of a professional scout versus a fan on a blog
is the difference between a doctors diagnosis and what your buddy thinks about that rash on your leg. Who you gonna give more credibility too?
by Uhhhhdel on Jun 20, 2011 1:24 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Its my opinion
that Jungmann reminds me a lot of Jamey Wright and I have actually seen him pitch 5 or six times as well as watched a decent amount of film on the guy. I try to do a lot of research on the players that are projected to be picked around the Brewers spots in the draft so I dont make blind assumptions.
I dont like his mechanics and dont think he has a plus pitch. I do happen to like Sonny Gray quite a bit even though he hasnt pitched well of late either. Gray is like Sheets in that he has two plus pitches in his fastball and hard curveball.
Also why is my opinion any more humorous than a professional scout? I think many people that arent professional scouts have as good of a talent eye as professionals do. I also wonder why we should just blindly trust Seid whose track record is spotty at best at this point.
by bklynbrewcrew on Jun 20, 2011 12:49 PM CDT up reply actions
I don't blindly trust Seid at all
I’d look to BA, BP, ESPN or any of the numerous resources who are paid to talk to scouts and cover the amateur game before a fan.
You initially wrote “after watching him twice in the college playoffs its obvious to me that he isnt any good” with none of the additional reasons (which you later mentioned above) leading me to believe you had little to back up your beliefs than catching a couple games. Thanks for the clarification.
Get a ife broseph
"I think many people that arent professional scouts have as good of a talent eye as professionals do"
That just isn’t true…
"PLUSH ALERT: THERE WAS AN UNTUCKING AT FENWAY!"
by SRB on Jun 20, 2011 5:17 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
No offense, but you don't know what you're talking about.
Neither does bklynbrewcrew or me or anybody else posting here. All we have to go on are online scouting reports from people who write about prospects professionally (all of whom had Jungmann as a top 10/top 12 talent, by the way), but who are still mostly getting their info secondhand from actual professional scouts
Watching Jungmann pitch once or twice and declaring that he was a bad pick or that you wanted someone else is fine and all, but at the end of the day it doesn’t mean anything at all.
"PLUSH ALERT: THERE WAS AN UNTUCKING AT FENWAY!"
by SRB on Jun 20, 2011 5:15 PM CDT up reply actions 3 recs
Unless of course
You have professional insight as to what a professional scout does or how the job is done, which I do.
No offense taken, but as easy as it is to dimiss what someone on the internet says, there are instances where the person reporting something actually know what they are talking about.
I'm really sorry I missed this.
It’s a rerun, but it’s funny every time he claims it.
by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Jul 10, 2011 7:36 PM CDT up reply actions
Nieves
I think we need to hope he doesnt hit at all because Roenicke would probabloy bring him right back if he hits .250 or so. Nice to see Don Money has decided that Nieves is worthy of hitting second in the lineup.
Lucroy is our guy, and Kottaras is a nice backup
But if we can make something out of Nieves then it gives us something to trade.
by nullacct on Jun 20, 2011 11:28 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Why would RR bring him back up?
First off, it’s the GM’s move to make, not the manager’s (although he can ask for him).
It wasn’t RR’s idea to keep Nieves instead of Lucroy out of ST. IIRC, DM was afraid that Nieves would be claimed on waivers, so he kept him and sent Kottaras down. I don’t think it was because RR thought that Nieves was better.
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
by sjlee on Jun 20, 2011 11:32 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Nieves
I am convinced that Roenicke has a lot of say in the bench players. As for Melvin being afraid of Nieves being claimed he is lucky that Kottaras wasnt claimed because he was out of options when he was sent down.
If you listen to comments from Ash it becomes obvious that Roenicke has a say on the roster. When the subject of Gamel coming up to DH was asked of Ash the comment was we discussed it but RRR likes the guys we already have. Gamel is clearly a better option that Kotsay or Wilson but RRR feels differently.
by bklynbrewcrew on Jun 20, 2011 12:04 PM CDT up reply actions
Not necessarily.
What Ron said, was that the Brewers didn’t have enough consecutive games in an AL park to justify bringing Gamel up to DH. It was a 3 game series, then back home.
Applying pop culture to Brewers discussions since 2009, earning the nickname of "Our Little Abed".
I would think that all managers have a say on who is on their roster
but ultimately it’s the GM who makes the final call.
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
Anyone know if umpires do a post game report?
Specifically if they are forced to justify why an ejection was needed.
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 Jun 20, 2011 11:47 AM CDT via mobile reply actions
In the book, "As They See 'Em"
the author discusses how Umpires do fill out a post game report. How thoroughly these are reviewed? I dont know.
"I haven't been out carousing." -Aaron Rodgers
Wow
As much as I despise them and their 40-33 record despite their DL, now I really do feel sorry for the Cardinals.
Yikes.
Can we ban BEARDEDJEFF for a week?
http://www.mlbsoup.com
by tcyoung on Jun 20, 2011 11:59 AM CDT up reply actions 4 recs
Rec
That is the first thing I thought when I saw the headline.
Celebrating the addition of Greinke and mourning the loss of my man crush Cain
They've got Freese coming back.
That’ll help a little. I’m not throwing dirt on them after they’ve managed to play through a bunch of other injuries this year already.
But they better hope that Berkman doesn’t regress over the next 4-6 weeks. If he does, that lineup could struggle to score runs. They’ve got some good bats left but obviously pulling Pujols out of the lineup should change the kinds of pitches the others see fairly dramaticlaly.
by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Jun 20, 2011 12:26 PM CDT up reply actions
He'll be out for the All-Star game
Given that it was probably going to be Pujols, Votto, it pretty much has to be Votto. Fielder now, right?
nitpick
in the paragraph under “around baseball”, you indicate the marlins fired their manager. i think he resigned. i don’t think it was forced.
by Capt Science on Jun 20, 2011 11:50 AM CDT reply actions 1 recs
I see your point, I'll fix it.
Now that's great tasting chicken!
by Kyle Lobner on Jun 20, 2011 11:55 AM CDT up reply actions
Gomez was given his chance, but it sounds like Roenicke is done with him
No surprise given how many starts Kotsay has made in center, but it sounds like Roenicke is pretty much done with Gomez now.
“I didn’t think he would (revert to past ways),” said Roenicke. “It’s harder now because he is isn’t playing as much. If it was a different right-hander (pitching), I don’t think Carlos would be in there.”I think it was fair giving him one last chance since his defense is so incredible. Good to at least know why Roenicke is playing Kotsay is playing center. One has to wonder now if Gomez is going to get sent down to Nashville to get regular playing time since he doesn’t really have a role doing anything in Milwaukee, anymore. Even Boggs was useful (to Roenicke) as a pinch-hitting switch-hitter.
I don't quite understand why that explains the Kotsay starts
One would think that Morgan will always be the better option in CF
Get a ife broseph
I meant, we know that RR doesn't consider Gomez a big league player now
So there are no other options than Morgan. Even if Morgan were the full-time CF – as he appears to be now – he’ll have to be spelled occasionally and his splits against LHP are horrendous. He might see a few starts against lefties now.
Given that RR doesn’t see Gomez as an option in CF, we can hope that he doesn’t really see Kotsay as a good option in CF, merely a necessary move. We can hope, anyway.
I think its a leap to say he doesn't consider him a MLB player based on those comments
He’s basically saying he won’t start against RHP, which he hasn’t for a while now
Get a ife broseph
I was taking the playing time along with his comments
Gomez just isn’t seeing much game time anymore and now Roenicke is talking openly about his struggles at the plate without any optimism. When McGehee was struggling, he acknowledged it, but the message was more about him getting back to where he should/will be. His comment on Gomez was more like, “I wish he would’ve gone back, but the skill just isn’t there.”
It's been a straight platoon though, right?
“If it was a different right-hander (pitching), I don’t think Carlos would be in there."
I don’t think those comments mean that Gomez won’t continue to start against LHP. A player who starts against LHP still has a role on the team. Something to keep an eye on though.
Get a ife broseph
Has it?
My bad. I still don’t see any optimism in RR’s quotes. As you say, we shall keep an eye on it.
Sort of related
Does he ever get asked about Yuni and how long he’s going to stick with him? I’m sure he does and I’m just missing it, but seems like Gomez gets talked about much more often.
I know there aren’t many other options, but there are two other SS on the roster.
Get a ife broseph
The latest comments were June 14
http://www.jsonline.com/sports/brewers/123880509.html
“When he was hitting last year, there wasn’t a whole lot of thought going on as far as people making him do things,” said Roenicke. "There was his last year in Seattle and it caused some problems. So, I don’t want to do that.
“A player doesn’t always figure out why you’re asking him to do things. They think you’re trying to dictate things to him. If I tell Yuni, ‘Hey, you have to go up and take the first pitch every at-bat,’ he’s going to say, ‘Why does he want me to do this? My batting average is good when it’s a 0-0 count.’ But that’s a very misleading stat.”
Roenicke said that does not mean Betancourt can’t take instruction. Hitting coach Dale Sveum has been trying to get him to take more pitches the other way with hopes of staying on the ball longer.
“What Dale is doing with him lately, trying to get him to go the other way, I think that’s huge for Yuni,” said Roenicke. "That’s what he needs to do.
“He’ll do that for a while, then all of a sudden he starts pulling the ball again. When his mind-set is going the other way, he’s going to start getting more hits.”
He’s not too pleased. Here’s a good SBNation reaction to it. In this case, Roenicke seems to be showing some misplaced optimism in addition to his frustration. As Jeff Sullivan article points out, there’s an inherent contraction in his statements, however:
Roenicke goes on to say that Betancourt is coachable, but if you read his quotes and take them in, the message you’re left with is: he’s basically uncoachable. He can’t be told to lay off the first pitch more often because he has zero selectivity, and he hasn’t learned any in seven years. He has a bad approach that won’t get better.
by ecocd on Jun 20, 2011 1:51 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
I have one quibble with Sullivan's article:
we don’t need a decent shortstop. We just need a replacement-level one.
We pull our pants up and do our jobs here.
Excluding the 3 times a manager inexplicably IBB'd Yuni
He has a .238 OBP. Unreal.
Get a ife broseph
Haven't seen the movie....
But I’m going to assume she was at least somewhat pleasant to look at, which you can’t say for Yuni.
Advantage Jones.
Get a ife broseph
by Supertramp on Jun 20, 2011 2:03 PM CDT up reply actions 2 recs
I actually looked at those three IBBs last week.
In every case, the Brewers had runners on 2nd and 3rd with at least 1 out. The ONLY reason he was walked was to load the bases. In two of those cases, it came back to bite the opponent as the Brewers scored in that inning (once on a suicide squeeze bunt in the 9th inning).
"You need to add a signature line about your sarcasm detector being broken like a Cubs fan’s spirit."
- molitorfan
You never walk the bases loaded.
Give him an offspeed pitch down and in. He will swing and miss.
Depends upon the definition of "need"
The Brewers only need a replacement level shortstop, but they sure could use a decent one.
Send Gomey down to AAA to stall his service clock, and then trade him for JJ Hardy.
http://www.mlbsoup.com
by tcyoung on Jun 20, 2011 12:02 PM CDT up reply actions 8 recs
When will he be done with Kotsay?
At least Gomez is a great defensive CF while Kotsay cant hit or field. We should just release Kotsay and call up Boggs who is a better hitter and decent enough fielder.
by bklynbrewcrew on Jun 20, 2011 12:06 PM CDT up reply actions
Boggs is definitely a better fielder than Kotsay
but he’s not a better hitter.
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
Boggs has a higher SLG, but lower BA and OBP
Boggs
.158/.273/.474 in 22 PAs
Kotsay
.244/.321/.293 in 137 PAs
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
22 PAs with a .111 BABIP
Even in those 22 PAs, Boggs has a .304 wOBA to Kotsay’s .280. Frankly I don’t think its that close.
His career numbers in MLB are .209/.315/.380 and that’s against LHP and RHP, where Kotsay is only facing RHP (advantage for a guy coming off the bench).
Get a ife broseph
Kotsay
Also remember that Kotsay is 2 years removed from putting up a .278/.327/.390 or so line for 2 consecutive years (2008-2009), albeit one of the years was shortened significantly. While I’m sure he has regressed some due to age and was quite bad at the plate last year and this year, I don’t have nearly the rage concerning Kotsay’s status on the roster as I do for Yuni.
Kotsay is a serviceable hitter and below average fielder at a few positions (OF, 1B). You can argue that he’s significantly below average at CF, which is probably true. My main frustration is that we already have 2 guys who can easily platoon CF in Gomez and Morgan, and Kotsay should be just a spot starter to rest other guys around the diamond and a pinch hitter.
However, while I have a bit of an issue with the amount of playing time he’s getting, I have no issue with having Kotsay on the team. He’s a proven major league player (who’s had some really awful single year performances, granted – see 2007), and it’s probably likely that he brings some intangibles that all of us fan statheads like to pretend don’t matter at all. I would argue that clubhouse chemistry, leadership, etc. may not be measurable, but still do matter. Kotsay is probably a better overall fit on this team than Boggs for this year. Boggs himself will be better served by playing regularly in AAA, ready to come up in case of injuries. I refuse to believe that we can confidently state that someone with 382 career major league PAs without stellar production is demonstratively better than Kotsay AS A BENCH PLAYER. If RR considers Kotsay a borderline starter in CF, well, then we’re having a different conversation…
by JLHanke on Jun 20, 2011 4:47 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Is there a statistical point where you'd be OK letting Kotsay go for another option?
Hitting .244/.321/.296 right now.
Is being a proven major league player good enough to keep him on the team all year, or at what point do you think its OK to see if they can improve on what he’s giving the team?
Get a ife broseph
That point comes (for me at least) when there is someone that I believe will produce better than Kotsay. At this point, I’m not convinced Boggs will do that – at most, they’re about a wash in my mind, and Boggs is better served by playing every day in Nashville. I would guess (and it is TOTALLY a guess, since I have no inside info) that the rest of the team and coaches would rather have Kotsay on the roster than Boggs if the two produced at exactly the same rate, so for now I am fine with keeping Kotsay on the ML roster (so long as he doesn’t start more than 1-2 games per week). If he continues to get worse (something like .220/.300/.280 with continued shitty CF defense), then I start thinking about bringing up Boggs.
Well now he's .236/.312/.283, so you're ready for Boggs?
Another 0-4 night should put him pretty close to the .220/.300/.280 mark – that’ll do it?
Get a ife broseph
i don't understand why we don't start Morgan more
i know ‘lol small smaple size’ but it’s not like we have a Casey McGehee type in CF, it’s Carlos Gomez, a guy we’ve been iffy on since the start, and Mark Kotsay who was obviously not signed to be a starter
"I don't even know who Bryce Harper is — hah, hah, hah, hah, hah!" -Nyjer Morgan
More than what?
He’s been starting against RHPs for about a month now. He’s bad (worse than Gomez bad) against LHPs.
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
It took Brewers in 11 this long to miss JJ Hardy?
I’ve been missing JJ for like a year now.
How expensive would it be to get him back in a Brewers uni?
My goodness.
probably not going to happen - Orioles seem to like him a lot and should extend him soon
though I wonder if he’d be hitting like this had he stayed with Milwaukee.
"I don't even know who Bryce Harper is — hah, hah, hah, hah, hah!" -Nyjer Morgan
I miss him because the guys we have suck.
If they were any good I probably wouldn’t think about it much at all. I wish him well and it would be nice to have him at SS instead of Yuni, but I think sometimes he got credit for being better than he really was.
by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Jun 20, 2011 12:20 PM CDT up reply actions 2 recs
We have a no bat SS who can't field. Everyone looks good.
by Bernie's Mustache Wax on Jun 20, 2011 12:23 PM CDT up reply actions
Yuni goggles.
Applying pop culture to Brewers discussions since 2009, earning the nickname of "Our Little Abed".
by Yar Nivek on Jun 20, 2011 12:32 PM CDT up reply actions 9 recs
Well yeah, that's why I miss him too.
I think he was underrated though. At least for those two years he was really good. A excellent defensive SS that can hit 25 bombs a year? Yes please.
My goodness.
by BrewHaHeather on Jun 20, 2011 12:28 PM CDT up reply actions
Did we really consider him "excellent"?
I didn’t follow the Brewers like I do now when we had JJ, but …it’s just hard to wrap my mind around a guy being THAT slow and still having enough quickness to have the range to be an “excellent” defensive shortstop.
I haven’t looked at his defensive metrics though, and I don’t get many Brewers games live out here in LA.
by Archibaldcrane on Jun 20, 2011 12:52 PM CDT up reply actions
Hardy may be slow on the basepaths
but he has very good instincts and reacts quickly to the ball.
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
Can he bend at the waist?
If yes, then it is an improvement.
by Bernie's Mustache Wax on Jun 20, 2011 1:58 PM CDT up reply actions
There's no denying that JJ's a plus defender
I hate Noah's guts right now.
by Dikembe Meiztombo on Jun 20, 2011 1:59 PM CDT up reply actions
Except his negative UZR this year?
Probably an early season hiccup, but it stands that his positive value is coming from his bat this year.
Yup. This is the first year he's played negative defense.
It’s nothing more than a sample size issue, though, as he has 5-6 years of data supporting his value as a defender.
http://www.mlbsoup.com
FanGraphs had JJ rated as the third-best defender overall from 2007-'09.
We pull our pants up and do our jobs here.
Yuni really puts things into perspective
I seem to remember Hardy looking absolutely horrendous in ’09 as he tanked all of his trade value, but looking back he had a .292 wOBA that season (with plus defense, of course). A .292 wOBA would look amazing coming out of the Brewers SS these days.
"PLUSH ALERT: THERE WAS AN UNTUCKING AT FENWAY!"
I also miss JJ Hardy
I hated trading him for Gomez and wanted to extend JJ at a low cost when he was struggling and trade Escobar then. Hardy is a top of the line defensive shortstop who is also a really good hitter for his position. Its a shame that we have to endure Yuni to finally realize that JJ is a really good player.
by bklynbrewcrew on Jun 20, 2011 12:53 PM CDT up reply actions
if JJ was playing like he is this year, we never would have let him go
"I don't even know who Bryce Harper is — hah, hah, hah, hah, hah!" -Nyjer Morgan
If we didn't trade Hardy, and Esky never saw the majors, I wonder how that trade would have looked.
Escobar probably would have had more value, because he wouldn’t have been sporting a major league batting average around .220. I wonder if we could have kept Odorizzi or Jeffress. We wouldn’t have been playing Yuni, as we’d have Hardy, or it’s possible he wouldn’t have been a condition of the trade at all.
http://www.mlbsoup.com
I agree with this.
I think we should have traded Escobar instead. I think the return would have been much better than Gomez.
Give him an offspeed pitch down and in. He will swing and miss.
If I separate my rooting interests from Yuni
It is a special kind of miracle that he is s starting SS for a MLB team. It isn’t even an issue that he is paid too much relative to his output. His output is so terrible that if he was playing for free it would be a disaster. Is there a single facet of the game where he is not sub par?
by Bernie's Mustache Wax on Jun 20, 2011 12:44 PM CDT reply actions
Is his baserunning that bad?
Might be a sample-size issue.
by Archibaldcrane on Jun 20, 2011 12:53 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Small sample size is sort of his own fault.
by Bernie's Mustache Wax on Jun 20, 2011 12:54 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
...damnit, that's supposed to be my rec
I was being cheeky.
by Archibaldcrane on Jun 20, 2011 1:56 PM CDT up reply actions
He waived Lucroy over to third when he was caught in a pickle between 3rd and home.
He is fail.
That was the “almost triple play”
by BrewCrewBrian on Jun 20, 2011 1:09 PM CDT up reply actions
Very good memory.
Can also recall the epic voice crack without even watching it, but I’m gonna go ahead and watch anyways.
Not really
MLB ranks among qualified SS…
.224 BA (3rd worst… ahead of Tejada and Ramirez)
.247 OBP (last)
.325 SLG (21st out of 29)
-0.6 fWAR (2nd worst… ahead of Tejada)
-11.4 UZR/150 (4th worst… tied with Castro and better than Theriot, Pennington, Cabrera and Ramirez)
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
So your telling me there is still room to fall?
by Bernie's Mustache Wax on Jun 20, 2011 2:20 PM CDT up reply actions
Yes
Just not very far. Sort of like saying you could fall down the stairs… when you’re standing on the last step.
Also, I think some of my rankings are off a little, but I think everyone gets the gist.
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
Stairs
Perhaps a more apt analogy, given the painfulness of watching Yuni trot out to SS nearly every day, would be this:
It’s sort of like falling down the stairs from the second to the top step, then saying, “Well, it could’ve been worse – I could have started on the top step!”
by JLHanke on Jun 20, 2011 4:51 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Only because Tejada is somehow worse
Final fWAR for qualifying shortstops had to lowest at -0.3 fWAR in 2010. Yuni is 2nd worst only because the Giants somehow found someone even worse. Tejada has managed to put up a -0.7 fWAR while sharing time at SS with Mike Fontenot (who is currently on the DL). Tejada has played less than 50% of the innings as Yuni. There’s no catching Tejada for worst shortstop as long as he keeps racking up innings while Fontenot is out.
The Brewers are definitively better off with Yuni.
It's time for a comment that will make you sick.
Now that you’re unsure if you want to read the comment, here it is.
Betancourt is 5th in the all-star voting for shortstop. He’s far enough behind that he won’t win, but has made it into the top five.
"You need to add a signature line about your sarcasm detector being broken like a Cubs fan’s spirit."
- molitorfan
American League fans...
Want their side to win the All Star game.
Applying pop culture to Brewers discussions since 2009, earning the nickname of "Our Little Abed".
by Yar Nivek on Jun 20, 2011 2:48 PM CDT up reply actions 2 recs
Sick?
The Brewers fans are crazy good at All-Star voting. That doesn’t make me sick. It makes me proud to be a Brewers fan!
There's being an enthusiastic Brewer voter and being a dumbass, though.
I could vote for Casey or Nyjer for the all-star game and not feel icky about it.
What I want to see is every Brewers player with a ton of votes, and then Yuni with zero.
fka "warwick5s"
by DEUCE SLUICE on Jun 20, 2011 4:18 PM CDT up reply actions
If I were to vote 100% Brewers
I would write in the Deity.
by BrewCrewBrian on Jun 20, 2011 4:27 PM CDT up reply actions
I want Betancourt to win!
It’s like that thing going around the internet to get the fat kid to win some UK modelling contest.
"PLUSH ALERT: THERE WAS AN UNTUCKING AT FENWAY!"
Rubie Will Win His Bet With KL, Day ... Something:
2B Weeks
CF Morgan
LF Braun
1B Fielder
3B McGehee
RF Hart
SS Betancourt
C Lucroy
P Narveson
We pull our pants up and do our jobs here.
First comment on the Brewers.com feed is great
Ugh, Betancourt
I’m down for a name change to Ugh Bentancourt or simply UB
Get a ife broseph
WAYB or BTY
I vote that henceforth in all discussions regarding possible SS candidates for the Brewers, we coin a new advanced statistical measure: WAYB (Wins Above Yuni B). This could also be expressed as "X wins BTY (Better Than Yuni).
That way we can even get excited about negative WAR guys like Jack Wilson: just imagine, instead of trying to say, “Well, I don’t really like Jack Wilson, but …” we can have the discussion “Well, he sucks, but look at his positive WAYB value! He’s at least 1.5 wins BTY!”
No Kotsay
This is the most dangerous lineup the Brewers will field until a SS replacement is found. It should be a fun one tonight.
I'd prefer Josh Wilson right now
He’s hot, Yuni is not, might as well go with it until he starts reverting to his career norms.
Get a ife broseph
Hmm
I think Wilson goes before Yuni. I think they keep Yuni on the roster all year and use him as a back-up for their SS replacement. What was the discussion that led to the July 15 deadline? You’re both assuming he’ll be DFA’d, but one thinks the trade will happen before July 15 and then other after?
Rubie thinks he's around all year.
I have a hard time believing they’ll keep him around if he’s not the starter. He’s a poor defender, plays one position and his plate approach sucks. Why would anyone ever bring him off the bench?
Now that's great tasting chicken!
Why would anyone leave him on the roster in the first place?
I imagine you’ve hashed out this discussion already so I’ll leave it be.
Necessity.
If the Brewers weren’t in a position where they felt like they had no viable alternatives, they’d dump him.
Now that's great tasting chicken!
by Kyle Lobner on Jun 20, 2011 5:23 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
History's on your side.
I’m still keep dunkelweiss in the back of my head from Suppan’s DFA, Rubie.
http://www.mlbsoup.com
Good call, I didn't remember that one.
Find me the next time you’re on Water Street.
We pull our pants up and do our jobs here.
Good news on Marcum
He’s cleared to throw. No tears detected in his hip. If the throwing session goes well, he could make his start Friday.
"You need to add a signature line about your sarcasm detector being broken like a Cubs fan’s spirit."
- molitorfan
And by Friday, I mean Wednesday
"You need to add a signature line about your sarcasm detector being broken like a Cubs fan’s spirit."
- molitorfan
So are the Giants or Reds going to go after Hanley Ramirez?
McKeon doesn’t want him. He doesn’t want Florida. A trade will happen sooner than later. The Giants and Reds seem like the kind of teams that would be able to absorb his salary. The other might end up with Reyes which would take the two big buyers out of the SS trade market.
Yuniesky is from Cuba. Florida is close to Cuba.
It’s a match made in heaven!!!
"PLUSH ALERT: THERE WAS AN UNTUCKING AT FENWAY!"
Kotarras available in a trade?
According to some Giants dude.
"PLUSH ALERT: THERE WAS AN UNTUCKING AT FENWAY!"
I would rather keep Kottaras
However, if Rivera could fill the gap there, and the Brewers could get something that would help, maybe….
"You need to add a signature line about your sarcasm detector being broken like a Cubs fan’s spirit."
- molitorfan
If they can turn a backup into a starting SS or useful bullpen arm I'd be real happy
Kottaras will likely only play once, or twice a week at the most.
Get a ife broseph
by Supertramp on Jun 20, 2011 6:23 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
If they can turn a backup catcher into a starting shortstop, then Melvin's approval rating should be 104% for the rest of the season.
Now that's great tasting chicken!
by Kyle Lobner on Jun 20, 2011 7:18 PM CDT up reply actions 2 recs
104%?
I was thinking more like infinity billion percent, but 104 would work.
As Supertramp says, the shortstop doesn’t need to be good enough to start for most teams – or even as good as the major league average. He just has to have positive WAYB.
by BrewCrewBrian on Jun 22, 2011 8:25 AM CDT up reply actions
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NL Central Standings
| W | L | PCT | GB | STRK | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cincinnati
|
26 | 20 | .565 | 0 | Won 1 |
|
St. Louis
|
25 | 22 | .531 | 1.5 | Lost 3 |
|
Houston
|
22 | 24 | .478 | 4 | Lost 1 |
|
Pittsburgh
|
22 | 24 | .478 | 4 | Won 2 |
|
Milwaukee
|
19 | 27 | .413 | 7 | Lost 1 |
|
Chicago
|
15 | 31 | .326 | 11 | Lost 11 |
(updated 5.27.2012 at 12:11 PM CDT)
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