2017 position player group

[JohnBriggs12]

Get Brinson up here if you're not going to trade him. Broxton's had his shot and he can't avoid these monster slumps. This one is especially untimely.

[Baldkin]

Get Brinson up here if you're not going to trade him. Broxton's had his shot and he can't avoid these monster slumps. This one is especially untimely.

 

He has a .095 BABIP in July. Yes, it's a slump, but it's also been hugely bad luck. He's been hitting more GB than normal, which hurts him, but it's not like his April where he was K'ing at a phenomenal rate.

[djoctagone]

Presumably Phillips is headed back for CS when Sogard comes back.

agreed, seeing as he's the only non-catcher position player that can be optioned, but only if the brewers see a need to continue with a 13-man pitching staff. i'm hard pressed to recall the last time a brewers team relied so heavily on 13 pitchers.

 

as mentioned in another thread, since cutting kirk nieuwenhuis, the brewers have pretty much gone without a true backup center fielder.

[rickh150]

Get our best players up here. Whatever at bats they don't get here, the experience of a playoff race makes up for it. Plus, it's late July; prospects have played well over half the season.

 

No more 13 man pitching staff...

Brinson up...

Be open to Burnes up too.

[djoctagone]

Presumably Phillips is headed back for CS when Sogard comes back.

agreed, seeing as he's the only non-catcher position player that can be optioned, but only if the brewers see a need to continue with a 13-man pitching staff. i'm hard pressed to recall the last time a brewers team relied so heavily on 13 pitchers.

 

as mentioned in another thread, since cutting kirk nieuwenhuis, the brewers have pretty much gone without a true backup center fielder.

i should not have stated that there's only one non-catcher position player that can be optioned. there are many other position players that can be optioned (orlando arcia, keon broxton, domingo santana and travis shaw) . . . but none save for broxton would be considered for a demotion.

 

broxton has one minor league option remaining, but if he spends less than 20 days optioned in 2017, he wouldn't burn that option. perhaps when sogard is activated, it'll be broxton optioned to give him time to regain his form with colorado springs.

[Greenleaf1]

Presumably Phillips is headed back for CS when Sogard comes back.

agreed, seeing as he's the only non-catcher position player that can be optioned, but only if the brewers see a need to continue with a 13-man pitching staff. i'm hard pressed to recall the last time a brewers team relied so heavily on 13 pitchers.

 

as mentioned in another thread, since cutting kirk nieuwenhuis, the brewers have pretty much gone without a true backup center fielder.

i should not have stated that there's only one non-catcher position player that can be optioned. there are many other position players that can be optioned (orlando arcia, keon broxton, domingo santana and travis shaw) . . . but none save for broxton would be considered for a demotion.

 

broxton has one minor league option remaining, but if he spends less than 20 days optioned in 2017, he wouldn't burn that option. perhaps when sogard is activated, it'll be broxton optioned to give him time to regain his form with colorado springs.

 

I hadn't really considered Broxton, but it sure would be interesting to see if they'd consider optioning both Broxton and Phillips and giving Brinson an extended shot. He has been killing it in AAA ever since he was sent down.

 

I know this would be selling low at this point, but trading Broxton seems to me like the best course of action right now. I'd rather let Brinson/Phillips platoon a bit and fight it out for CF than let Broxton stay out there every day. At least send him down and let him work some stuff out at the plate like they did with Bandy.

[Ennder]

I think they look at trading Broxton in the off season. He is too good to just give up but not good enough to build on considering how many

guys he's blocking.

[JohnBriggs12]

Get Brinson up here if you're not going to trade him. Broxton's had his shot and he can't avoid these monster slumps. This one is especially untimely.

 

He has a .095 BABIP in July. Yes, it's a slump, but it's also been hugely bad luck. He's been hitting more GB than normal, which hurts him, but it's not like his April where he was K'ing at a phenomenal rate.

 

It's not bad luck when pitches you should be hitting hard are being fouled off. When he's not striking out (and he's still striking out at a very high rate), he's making very weak contact. Could a few more drop in? Sure, but he's got to square up those pitches he's fouling off.

[djoctagone]

as mentioned in another thread, since cutting kirk nieuwenhuis, the brewers have pretty much gone without a true backup center fielder.

this may help explain today's roster move. at any rate, it puts the team back to a five-man bench. probably will go back to four once matt garza comes off the disabled list.

[JohnBriggs12]

as mentioned in another thread, since cutting kirk nieuwenhuis, the brewers have pretty much gone without a true backup center fielder.

this may help explain today's roster move. at any rate, it puts the team back to a five-man bench. probably will go back to four once matt garza comes off the disabled list.

 

The question isn't whether they need a backup CF, by why Nieuwenhuis? My guess is Villar is on the way out as part of a deal, necessitating the need for Perez to primarily be platoon partner with Sogard at 2B and Braun's backup in LF. That would limit Counsell's double switch options.

[djoctagone]

interesting use of jonathan villar in the position player group today as the starting center fielder . . . he's been swinging the bat well, and craig counsell wants to find a way to get him in the lineup along with neil walker and travis shaw.

 

as mentioned elsewhere, walker is able to cover second, third and first, and villar is (hopefully) improving his versatility to the team.

[djoctagone]

seeing a pattern that few would have expected, but it makes sense . . . jonathan villar gets the start in center field, eric thames at first and neil walker at second. thames comes out, walker shifts to first, villar shifts to second, and keon broxton (the better defender) comes in at center.

 

it's a good way to give thames a rest (the mlb daily grind is a big departure from south korea, and he's struggling) and it keeps the hotter hitters in the game (villar and walker) and puts a speedy outfield defender in for the final innings.

 

this also keeps jesus aguilar available to pinch hit late in the game when his bat can make a real difference.