I Don't Believe It

by Jeff Sackmann on Feb 15, 2007 9:48 AM CST in News

Actually, I do believe it, but I still find myself very surprised that things are working out the way they should. Ned Yost has made his preliminary announcement about the outfield, and we can all stop cringing now:

"I'm going to put Billy in center," confirmed Yost, who arrived in Phoenix on Tuesday to begin final preparations for the opening of the Brewers' camp this weekend. "When we start out, we're going to send Billy to center field and probably put Corey Hart in right."

With Hart taking over in right, Yost plans to return Geoff Jenkins to left field, his original position before moving in 2005 to accommodate Carlos Lee. Yost said left field is shaping up to be a platoon situation with Jenkins, a left-handed hitter, and Kevin Mench, who bats from the right side.

"My thought right now is not to platoon with Corey," said Yost, who wants to give the 24-year-old outfielder a shot to prove he should play every day.

Perfect. We'll see whether he actually does this, but this is about as much as we could hope from from Ned at this stage of the process. What worries me a little is this:

"But with the team we've got this year, we've never had such depth, up and down our lineup, at every position. Everybody's got to play."

That's true, as far as it goes. But I hope Yost doesn't think that means he has to sit Billy twice a week in favor of Brady Clark, or that, the first time Jenkins gets hot, he needs to bench Corey just so he can get Geoff's bat in the lineup against a lefty.

(Sounds ridiculous, I know, but tell me, honestly, you don't see that happening. That's what I thought.)

If Yost is more or less committed to this outfield arrangement, that leaves third base (along with the inevitable bullpen decisions) as the big question mark going into the season. I think we're all but resigned to a Graffasell platoon, while perhaps some of us hope Ryan Braun will hit about .650 in spring training and seize the job. The best result, of course, would be a full and fast recovery from Corey Koskie, but it sounds like that ship has sailed.

0 recs | Comment 18 comments

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

I love

.. the photo accompanying that story.

I think all the stalling this winter over the issue was because Yost and/or Melvin had to speak to/convince the players first. Oh, and that pesky arbitration.

We can finally move on with our lives.

by nmc on Feb 15, 2007 10:12 AM CST 0 recs

What is this...

"my thought" nonsense? This sounds like something handed down from on high, especially the not platooning Hart part.

by battlekow on Feb 15, 2007 10:20 AM CST 0 recs

Well, that's encouraging

I don't know if Jinxie and the Giant Head can handle a platoon, but that's certainly what should be done. Maybe Neddy Ballgame reads this blog. (I think he's bleedcubbieblue, that rat bastard.)

Still, I think we can still screw up the team with 3B. I don't think you can count on getting anything out of Koskie, who will probably not play another meaningful game (IMO), and I don't think Moustache will stick with Counsenino for too long. I bet we'll sign someone like David Bell (or the equivalent) for a one-year deal. Could this be the beginning of the Yohannis Perez era?

"C'mon, boys, let's get 'em some RUNS!" --- Daron Sutton, pretty much every game of the 2005 season.

by roguejim on Feb 15, 2007 11:55 AM CST 0 recs

bring back sean barry!!!

by Michael M on Feb 15, 2007 2:30 PM CST up 0 recs

Antone Williamson

I believe he is still avaliable. He was a 4th pick overall so he must be good.

by kjbsam on Feb 15, 2007 3:06 PM CST up 0 recs

Or...

Just put Jinxie at third. Limits his range deficiencies, and it's a good place for a cannon arm.

"C'mon, boys, let's get 'em some RUNS!" --- Daron Sutton, pretty much every game of the 2005 season.

by roguejim on Feb 15, 2007 3:38 PM CST up 0 recs

It's a good place for a cannon arm...

but a bad place for Jenkins. I can't see him playing anywhere but OF.

by Dutch on Feb 15, 2007 5:32 PM CST up 0 recs

Hall to 3B

"...some have wondered why the Brewers aren't moving Hall to that position. But prospect Ryan Braun is being groomed to play that position at some point in the near future and Yost and Melvin don't want to move Hall twice."

WHY? I have never understood what is so wrong about moving Hall to a different position in the future. One of the best things about Hall is his versatility and how playing different positions doesn't affect his offensive output. Not to mention that he can be an above average defender in any of the seven field positions. I don't think moving him every day is good, like what happened in 2005 and the first couple months of 2006, but changing positions every year or even mid-year wouldn't be a bad thing.

Right now we have a surplus of outfielders. An outfield of Hart RF, Gross CF, Jenkins/Mench LF and Clark BN is decent. But in the infield, we've got a huge hole at 3B. I'd love to see Koskie come back, but as roguejim said, he is probably never going to play another meaningful game. I'd also love it if Braun can step up right away, hitting well and playing average defense. But at this point it appears that he would be well served to have a full or near-full season at AAA. And no one here likes the prospect of Graffasell at 3B. So why not play Hall at 3B all year and then Braun will be ready to take it next year, and move Hall to the OF, which will have been vacated by Clark and probably Jenkins. Or, if Braun has a great first half, call him up and then move Hall to the OF for a playoff run.

by craigholl on Feb 15, 2007 8:42 PM CST 0 recs

It does seem silly

We need a third baseman and have a surplus of outfielders.

Hall can play third base.

Therefore, Hall will play...center?

I think it's a case of where you have to pick your weak spot. You put Hall in center, then you're pretty much stuck with Graffasell, with Graffy hitting lefties better than righties, and Counsell hitting righties better than lefties. (Just the same, I think if we get a combined OPS of .750, we'll be pretty damn lucky.) You put Hall at third, then you have some combination of Gross and Clark. Gross has had fewer than 500 MLB at-bats, and is Jinxie-like in his ability to hit lefties. If this were spring training 2006 and Clark had just come off a .300/.798 OPS season, we might see Hall at third; after last season, though, I don't think anyone really trusts Clark in center either (another case of our missing an opportunity to sell high).

Although I think Gross in center (maybe with Brady hitting against lefties) will give us more production over Graffasell at third, I don't really mind Hall in center, though I'm not fond of the idea of Gross not getting many at-bats. The difference between Graffasell and Grark probably won't be THAT huge in terms of OPS, and there is some logic in moving Billy to center if we hope Ryan Braun will play third as soon as next season. (I don't think we have a young CF in the minors who's even close to making a leap.)

Of course, it could be a nod to Hall --- maybe he signed below-market because we promised him that we wouldn't continue to bounce him around like a pinball. Or, maybe it's easier to find a sucky starting free agent 3b than a sucky starting FA centerfielder.

I think if Gross could hit lefties even just a little bit better, Hall would be at third.

"C'mon, boys, let's get 'em some RUNS!" --- Daron Sutton, pretty much every game of the 2005 season.

by roguejim on Feb 16, 2007 8:06 AM CST up 0 recs

Actually...

your thinking is right, and if it were my team (particularly my Strat-o-Matic team), I'd put Gross in center and Billy at third. But while I don't know exactly how good Gross is in the field, I suspect that the Brewers view him as a starting corner guy and a fill-in in center, at best.

Baseball guys aren't very good at considering tradeoff like this (gross's bat + hall's bat - gross's glove in center > graffasell's glove at third - graffasell's bat)...instead, they think in terms of yes and no.

Can Counsell play third? Yes. Does Counsell know how to hold a bat? No. (Sorry, yes.)

Can Gross play center on a daily basis? No. End of story.

by Jeff Sackmann on Feb 16, 2007 8:29 AM CST up 0 recs

To be extra clear

~I~ don't think that Gross can't play center. But I'm almost sure that's what the brain trust thinks.

by Jeff Sackmann on Feb 16, 2007 8:29 AM CST up 0 recs

true

I hadn't really considered defense. I have no idea of Gross can play center for the long haul, though, seeing how it seems to be easier to find a corner OF than a CF, if he could, he probably would have.

One thing, though --- perhaps it's reading into the move too much, but moving Hall to center really is a vote of no-confidence in TG Jr (or, less harshly, an implicit statement that Braun will be playing regularly in the pros more quickly than TG). I wonder: let's say Braun AND TG hit well enough to warrant starting in 2008. Where does Billy go? Catcher? Center, but trade TG? Just how long a rope does JJ get?

"C'mon, boys, let's get 'em some RUNS!" --- Daron Sutton, pretty much every game of the 2005 season.

by roguejim on Feb 16, 2007 8:49 AM CST up 0 recs

Billy

all of this is very true and I agree with all of it

by bigdogg on Feb 16, 2007 10:54 AM CST up 0 recs

TG Jr.

I'd say the Hall move is very much a vote of no-confidence for TG Jr. I'd be shocked if he made the team this year. Given all of the discussion about locking Hall into a position and the contract he just signed, there doesn't seem to be an opening in center in the near future.

There is absolutely no way you could afford Gwynn's bat at one of the corner spots. I think the best case scenario is that he could be a fifth outfielder down the road if and when Jenkins/Mench/Clark are moved. Given the OF logjam and the nature of some of the other contracts, is there even a roster spot for Gross this year?

Don't try to do too much with it. Just take the ball the other way.

by shooty babitt on Feb 16, 2007 11:16 AM CST up 0 recs

True

I'm a big TG defender, and think that someday he'll be an above-average CF (read: better than Brady). Still, if we have to play him in a corner spot, we might as well bring back Macgruder or one of the Moutons. Hell, let's bring back Jerry Royster too.

If I had to guess, I'd say Gross and Gwynn are in AAA for most of the year. Next year (or after the deadline), the Giant Head and Jinxie are gone, Gross is in a platoon in left (or full-time, if he can hit lefties), and Gwynn is a backup outfielder.

Maybe, by then, we'll see which of our Braun/Hardly/Weeks infield is a bust, and Hall goes back to the infield.

"C'mon, boys, let's get 'em some RUNS!" --- Daron Sutton, pretty much every game of the 2005 season.

by roguejim on Feb 16, 2007 1:34 PM CST up 0 recs

i miss you jack voight, vanderwall, and newfield!

by Michael M on Feb 16, 2007 1:52 PM CST up 0 recs

Bill Hall's bat numbers

This is the best thread of the season!

"Good guy" Yost with his congenital optimism and his seeming resistance to any kind of analysis will provide us with more than enough issues to chew on in the months to come.

Should be a great year for analyzing Brewer missteps. Let the games begin!

Are we ready for a fall-off in Bill Hall's bat numbers? Then what? I'm not predicting this, but who knows? Isn't planning for the possible part of management's job?

by junkbonds on Feb 18, 2007 2:21 PM CST 0 recs

hmm

i don't know about that. part of mangements job is to trust their people. why should have any reason to expect his numbers to drop...isn't the reason they're putting him in one spot is so that he can concentrate more and therefore help his batting. now i can see how you may say that it'll take him time to learn the position ergo losing concentration on batting. but isn't that was spring training is for?

by Michael M on Feb 18, 2007 8:17 PM CST up 0 recs

Comments For This Post Are Closed

Search

FanPosts

Community blog posts and discussion.

Recent FanPosts

New FanPost All FanPosts

Featured Poll

Poll

Now that the pitching market is starting to dwindle, has your opinion changed on Ben Sheets?

90 - 72

Games Back: 7.5

Streak: Lost 1

Games Left: 0

NL Central Standings

	W	L	PCT	GB	STRK
Chicago Bleed Cubbie Blue	97	64	.602	0	Lost 4
Milwaukee Brew Crew Ball	90	72	.555	7.5	Lost 1
Houston The Crawfish Boxes	86	75	.534	11	Won 1
St. Louis Viva El Birdos	86	76	.530	11.5	Won 6
Cincinnati Red Reporter	74	88	.456	23.5	Lost 5
Pittsburgh Bucs Dugout	67	95	.413	30.5	Won 1