Friday's Frosty Mug: (Ninth) Most Valuable

Some things to read while having an awkward interaction.

The BBWAA awards week wrapped up yesterday with the announcement of both leagues' most valuable players, and as you might expect it was a quiet day for the Brewers. Carlos Gomez finished ninth in the voting, getting mentioned on 15 of 30 ballots and ranked no higher than fifth on any of them.

One of the 15 voters leaving Gomez off their ballot was Tom Haudricourt, who explained his logic in this tweet:

With #Brewers out of pennant race before Memorial Day, had trouble attaching MVP status to any of their players. Gomez did have big year.

— Tom (@Haudricourt) November 15, 2013

Fellow JS writer Todd Rosiak also had an NL MVP vote and had Gomez tenth on his ballot. For whatever it's worth, Beyond the Box Score had Gomez sixth in their voting, and one writer gave him a second place vote.

Maybe Gomez could've been ranked a little higher if he'd handled 3-0 counts better. Jeff Sullivan of FanGraphs has a gif of Gomez swinging at a 3-0 pitch almost 18 inches away from the center of the strike zone, making it the fourth worst 3-0 hack of the season. Gomez reached a 3-0 count in just 19 plate appearances this season, and went 2-for-8 with eleven walks.

Meanwhile, in free agency:

• Adam McCalvy has a look at the Brewers options at first base, which more or less gravitate around Corey Hart.
• Aaron Yorke of Amazin' Avenue profiled Hart and said, "If the Mets think he can play the outfield, he's certainly worth a look." It seems unlikely Hart can run for a full season in the outfield at this point.
• Dave Radcliffe of Yahoo listed re-signing Hart as #1 on a list of five things he'd do as GM this winter.

Of course, no conversation of the hot stove is complete without addressing trade possibilities. Yesterday David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitutional singled out Kyle Lohse as a possibility for the Braves.

If the Brewers do make a trade this winter, maybe they can acquire a new head groundskeeper. Justin Scott, who has been in that role at Miller Park for the last two seasons, is leaving for St. Louis to take over maintenance at Busch Stadium.

It's likely safe to assume, however, that none of the Brewers' trade proposals this winter will involve Jean Segura. Dave Radcliffe of Yahoo says Segura is untouchable this winter.

Ryan Braun also isn't going anywhere, and Radcliffe also has a list of five reasons why he'll be back stronger than ever in 2014.

The Brewers were largely non-factors in this year's BBWAA awards, but Reviewing the Brew is still handing out awards to Milwaukee's top performers. Benjamin Orr named Carlos Gomez team MVP and Kyle Lohse pitcher of the year.

Lohse took home pitching honors partially because Yovani Gallardo backslid noticeably this season. Nicholas Zettel of Disciples of Uecker has Gallardo third in his proposed 2014 rotation behind Marco Estrada. Justin Schultz of Reviewing the Brew says struggles throwing strikes are what's holding Gallardo back.

Two more Brewer pitchers are the latest subjects in our player-by-player look at the 2013 season. On Wednesday JP profiled Hiram Burgos, and we looked at Alfredo Figaro yesterday. Check back this afternoon to see who we're profiling today.

In the minors:

• Congratulations are due out this morning to Jimmy Nelson, who Baseball America is listing as the organization's #1 prospect for 2014 (h/t @AdamMcCalvy). We'll have more on the top ten list later today.
• The Arizona Fall League regular season wrapped up yesterday and Surprise had a rough day. Mitch Haniger went 0-for-4 and Jason Rogers went 1-for-3 in the Saguaros' 3-0 loss to Peoria (box score). Kevin Shackelford pitched a scoreless eighth inning in the loss.
• Despite wrapping up the season with back-to-back losses, Surprise finished 18-12-1 to win the AFL West and will face Mesa in the league's championship game on Saturday. That game will be broadcast on MLB Network.
• Meanwhile in Puerto Rico, Martin Maldonado went 1-for-2 and scored a run in his winter ball debut for Mayaguez, who beat Santurce 4-2 on Wednesday (box score).
• Ryan Connor of Reviewing the Brew has a list of the Brewers' top five prospects that starts with 2013 Wisconsin outfielder Tyrone Taylor.
• MLB Prospect Watch has a profile of former first round pick and 2013 Wisconsin Timber Rattler Victor Roache. (h/t @Mass_Haas)
• The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers have announced a contest where fans are encouraged to search for hidden Jonathan Lucroy bobbleheads around northeastern Wisconsin starting on Monday. Follow that link for more details on how you can get yours.

Back in Milwaukee, it's a busy time of year for many charitable organizations and the Brewers Charity Foundation is no exception. Adam McCalvy has a look at some of the projects they're taking on leading into Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving may be a busy time of year for the Brewers Charity Foundation, but it's a quiet one for broadcaster Joe Block. Yesterday Alec published an interview with Block about his life in baseball and his experiences with the Brewers.

Meanwhile, the Brewers organization has wrapped up their announcements of 2014 giveaways and the feedback has been largely positive (and will likely remain so unless Kyle Lohse and/or Norichika Aoki get traded away). Nick Michalski of The Brewers Bar says the Brewers showed good taste in their giveaway selections.

Around baseball:

Athletics: Signed infielder Nick Punto to a one-year, $3 million contract with a vesting option for 2015.
Braves: Avoided arbitration with reliever Jonny Venters (one year, $1.625 million).
Phillies: Signed pitcher Shawn Camp to a minor league deal.
Rangers: Signed infielder Adam Rosales to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
White Sox: Signed third baseman Alex Liddi to a minor league deal.

If this is any indication, it could be an expensive winter on the free agent market: Ricky Nolasco's agent is telling reporters his client has received multiple four-year offers and others for three years.

In former Brewers:

• After sitting out all of 2013, Randy Wolf is trying to make a comeback and will throw for teams in Los Angeles later this month.
• Chris Mehring of Rattler Radio has a look at his collection of Cardinals cards, including one-time future Brewers Mike Caldwell and Ted Simmons.

Now, if you'll excuse me, the clowns are back.

Drink up.