2022 Brewers Offense

[BruisedCrew]

9 minutes ago, KeithStone53151 said:

Talking about strictly offense when discussing how the position player group measures up to the rest of the league makes no sense. It's like saying our pitching isn't good enough because they are below league average at throwing curveballs. 

It's also kinda tough to complain about projecting to be the 5th best run differential in baseball considering we are one of the very smallest markets in the league. It almost seems like you expected the brewers to add freddie freeman or something and the offseason was a failure because of it.

So, you're saying that it makes no sense to talk about strictly offense when the title of the thread is 2022 Brewers Offense Thread?

If you really want to evaluate the Brewers position group based on projected WAR, and not just on offense, I think you'd find that my earlier comment about the Brewers not having players in the top 10 at their position would still hold true.

No, I did not expect the Brewers to sign Freddie Freeman. But, I did, and still do, think that the Brewers could improve their offense by trading one of their top 7 starting pitchers. Just like they improved their everyday lineup last year by trading some marketable relievers and landed Adames. The lockout made that much more difficult than it would have been in a normal offseason, but it could still be done with teams that are in need of a middle rotation starting pitcher.

It may be tough to complain about the Brewers having the 5th best run differential in the NL (not in all of baseball). But, because of their run of playoff appearances, the bar has been raised to evaluating the Brewers as possible World Series contenders. Being 5th best in the NL makes that difficult without a lot of things breaking well in the playoffs, especially if the team has to play in that opening 3 game series.

 

[Robocaller]

On 4/18/2022 at 9:14 AM, brewers888 said:

Of course everyone is going to focus on Yelich when he hits third and is our highest paid player. Yes Cain has been worse but I don't think anyone is expecting much from him at this point.

 

Cain had a decent year last year. The question is how many games would he be healthy for.

[Robocaller]

On 4/18/2022 at 12:48 PM, TURBO said:

When it comes to Yelich, you have to look at what he is paid.  He is strapping the entire payroll from going out and getting an impact bat.  Because he is getting paid that kind of money, there are high expectations, it's the nature of the beast.  Get paid the most, production should be the most.  He is not living up to his end of the deal, and the entire offense is suffering because of it.

At this point, we could pay half of his salary through 2023, and there would probably be no other team that would take him. For nothing. That's a problem.

[brewers888]

We can keep talking about how the sample size is small and while that is true this offense truly sucks and is easily the worst of any contending team. 

This team needs a meaningful acquisition if it has any chance of winning the World Series. There is a reason why Renfroe is on his fourth team in four years and why no one wanted McCutchen. This pitching staff is great and we must do everything we can not to waste it. 

[wibadgers23]

Stearns and Mark A had one job this offseason and that was to beef up the lineup and so far, they simply didn’t get the job done. This offense is going to drive me nuts all summer.

[Outlander]

It's hindsight of course but Eduardo Escobar would be real nice in this lineup and could play 3b/1b/dh. I do wonder how hard they tried to sign him. Priority number one at the deadline is probably a left handed hitter.that can actually hit cleanup vs. lefties. So annoying seeing McCutchen in that spot against RHP.

[SomewhereInTime]

9 hours ago, wibadgers23 said:

Stearns and Mark A had one job this offseason and that was to beef up the lineup and so far, they simply didn’t get the job done. This offense is going to drive me nuts all summer.

They'll probably find a way to be good enough to get to the postseason but winning a postseason series is different than anything in the regular season.  Beating the Dodgers in a best of 5 or best of 7 seems unlikely with this lineup.

[MVP2110]

6 hours ago, SomewhereInTime said:

They'll probably find a way to be good enough to get to the postseason but winning a postseason series is different than anything in the regular season.  Beating the Dodgers in a best of 5 or best of 7 seems unlikely with this lineup.

Any team beating the Dodgers in a best of 5 or a best of 7 seems unlikely but that's why the games are played because who knows what will happen. Nobody predicted the Braves would win last year entering the playoffs

[NBBrewFan]

1 hour ago, MVP2110 said:

Nobody predicted the Braves would win last year entering the playoffs

Nobody?

[sveumrules]

1 hour ago, NBBrewFan said:

Nobody?

Not nobody, but they were pretty solidly an underdog in the NL field by World Series odds.

On Oct 6 last year 538 had the NL teams World Series odds at LA (25%), SF (13%), ATL (9%), MIL (7%)

FanGraphs had the NL teams World Series odds at LA (24.5%), MIL (9.8%), ATL (8.3%), SF (7.0%) on that same date.

The Dodgers have been the NL World Series favorite for the better part of the last decade, yet they've only won one WS in a 60 game pandemic altered season. The odds of another team beating LA in a 5 or 7 game series have been unlikely for a decade & yet it has happened every season save one. 

[brewers888]

We can say almost for certain that the possible NL playoff teams are Atlanta, NY, Philadelphia from the East, Brewers and St Louis from the Central, and LA, SF, SD from the West. Out of all these possible playoff teams the Brewers lineup is the worst and I don't think there is much debate. At some point we need to get a difference maker and not keep spinning our wheels on third rate hitters.

[SomewhereInTime]

5 hours ago, MVP2110 said:

Any team beating the Dodgers in a best of 5 or a best of 7 seems unlikely but that's why the games are played because who knows what will happen. Nobody predicted the Braves would win last year entering the playoffs

Weren't they like the best team in baseball from June through the end of the season and didn't they have some early season injuries that lead to the poor start?  Maybe more people should've picked them.

[SomewhereInTime]

2 hours ago, sveumrules said:

Not nobody, but they were pretty solidly an underdog in the NL field by World Series odds.

On Oct 6 last year 538 had the NL teams World Series odds at LA (25%), SF (13%), ATL (9%), MIL (7%)

FanGraphs had the NL teams World Series odds at LA (24.5%), MIL (9.8%), ATL (8.3%), SF (7.0%) on that same date.

The Dodgers have been the NL World Series favorite for the better part of the last decade, yet they've only won one WS in a 60 game pandemic altered season. The odds of another team beating LA in a 5 or 7 game series have been unlikely for a decade & yet it has happened every season save one. 

They have won the NL pennant three of the last five years.  Sometimes the AL has a really good team too.  Last year they overachieved in the postseason given that they didn't even win their own division.

[sveumrules]

1 minute ago, SomewhereInTime said:

Weren't they like the best team in baseball from June through the end of the season and didn't they have some early season injuries that lead to the poor start?  Maybe more people should've picked them.

From June 1st onward the Braves won 63 games, 8th in MLB. The Dodgers (74), Giants (73), Brewers (66), Astros (66), Rays (65) and Blue Jays (64) won more with the Yankees (63) winning the same.

The Braves were 52-55 on August 1st, so if anything they should serve as an example as to why getting bent out of shape a couple two tree weeks into a 26 week season is mostly pointless.

[SomewhereInTime]

Just now, sveumrules said:

From June 1st onward the Braves won 63 games, 8th in MLB. The Dodgers (74), Giants (73), Brewers (66), Astros (66), Rays (65) and Blue Jays (64) won more with the Yankees (63) winning the same.

The Braves were 52-55 on August 1st, so if anything they should serve as an example as to why getting bent out of shape a couple two tree weeks into a 26 week season is mostly pointless.

Oh wow.  I must've been thinking of a different team.  I hadn't realized it was such a late season push they had.

[brewerfan82]

19 minutes ago, SomewhereInTime said:

Weren't they like the best team in baseball from June through the end of the season and didn't they have some early season injuries that lead to the poor start?  Maybe more people should've picked them.

Maybe you're thinking of the Nationals a few years back when they went on their World Series run?

[Opening Day]

I don’t know what the Braves WS has to do with the Brewers offensive struggles, but it’s always mentioned on here.  The Brewers offense has plenty of room for improvement no matter who won last year.  And the Braves advanced a round in the playoffs because the Brewers couldn’t score runs.  

[NBBrewFan]

6 hours ago, sveumrules said:

Not nobody, but they were pretty solidly an underdog in the NL field by World Series odds.

On Oct 6 last year 538 had the NL teams World Series odds at LA (25%), SF (13%), ATL (9%), MIL (7%)

FanGraphs had the NL teams World Series odds at LA (24.5%), MIL (9.8%), ATL (8.3%), SF (7.0%) on that same date.

The Dodgers have been the NL World Series favorite for the better part of the last decade, yet they've only won one WS in a 60 game pandemic altered season. The odds of another team beating LA in a 5 or 7 game series have been unlikely for a decade & yet it has happened every season save one. 

So somebody?

[SomewhereInTime]

2 hours ago, brewerfan82 said:

Maybe you're thinking of the Nationals a few years back when they went on their World Series run?

You're right I think that was the one.

[NBBrewFan]

3 hours ago, sveumrules said:

The Braves were 52-55 on August 1st, so if anything they should serve as an example as to why getting bent out of shape a couple two tree weeks into a 26 week season is mostly pointless.

I thought it was an example that adding the right players can turn an average team into a World Series contender/winner.  I think you need to take into account the team that went 52-55 had 4-5 roster changes to become the team that went 36-18 to finish the year and win out in the playoffs.

[nate82]

Just now, NBBrewFan said:

I thought it was an example that adding the right players can turn an average team into a World Series contender/winner.  I think you need to take into account the team that went 52-55 had 4-5 roster changes to become the team that went 36-18 to finish the year and win out in the playoffs.

None of the players the Braves acquired would be defined as lineup changers either they were just guys.  Basically the Braves traded for a bunch of platoon players who had a hot streak in the playoffs.  Soler and Pederson are not really impact bats as their career says otherwise on that statement.  

Both Pederson and Soler are career .240/.330/.460 hitters that doesn't really scream impact bat.  Career wise Renfroe is close to both Soler and Pederson and there has been a poster on here who says that player needed to be DFA'd because reasons.  Renfroe's career slash line .237/.297/.489.  While his OBP is lower his average is close to what Pederson and Soler have provided and his slg is higher than what either have done.  

The trade market this year is basically a bunch of Soler's and Pederson's.  Not much of an improvement over what the Brewers already have in Renfroe and McCutchen.  I don't see Castellanos improving the lineup all that much either.  If you think Castellanos would improve this lineup you would have to believe Cain, Yelich, and Tellez would all improve from 2021 significantly.  Castellanos isn't really an impact bat that is going to carry you like a 2019 or 2018 Yelich for stretches.  He never carried the Reds for the years that he was there and he didn't really carry the Cubs when they acquired him either.  

Castellanos is a good hitter but not someone I would put as an MVP caliber player who will carry a whole team for a few weeks.  I also believe the Phillies are going to be regretting that contract in a year or two.  

[brewers888]

22 minutes ago, nate82 said:

None of the players the Braves acquired would be defined as lineup changers either they were just guys.  Basically the Braves traded for a bunch of platoon players who had a hot streak in the playoffs.  Soler and Pederson are not really impact bats as their career says otherwise on that statement.  

Both Pederson and Soler are career .240/.330/.460 hitters that doesn't really scream impact bat.  Career wise Renfroe is close to both Soler and Pederson and there has been a poster on here who says that player needed to be DFA'd because reasons.  Renfroe's career slash line .237/.297/.489.  While his OBP is lower his average is close to what Pederson and Soler have provided and his slg is higher than what either have done.  

The trade market this year is basically a bunch of Soler's and Pederson's.  Not much of an improvement over what the Brewers already have in Renfroe and McCutchen.  I don't see Castellanos improving the lineup all that much either.  If you think Castellanos would improve this lineup you would have to believe Cain, Yelich, and Tellez would all improve from 2021 significantly.  Castellanos isn't really an impact bat that is going to carry you like a 2019 or 2018 Yelich for stretches.  He never carried the Reds for the years that he was there and he didn't really carry the Cubs when they acquired him either.  

Castellanos is a good hitter but not someone I would put as an MVP caliber player who will carry a whole team for a few weeks.  I also believe the Phillies are going to be regretting that contract in a year or two.  

The Braves already had three impact bats in Freeman, Albies, and Riley to make up for the loss of Acuna. Where are the big bats in the Brewers lineup because I currently don’t see any. As for Castellanos he is a better hitter than anyone on the Brewers unless Yelich has a resurrection season.

[sveumrules]

36 minutes ago, brewers888 said:

The Braves already had three impact bats in Freeman, Albies, and Riley to make up for the loss of Acuna. Where are the big bats in the Brewers lineup because I currently don’t see any. As for Castellanos he is a better hitter than anyone on the Brewers unless Yelich has a resurrection season.

Ozzie Albies had a 105 OPS+ in 2021.

If that is an impact bat, then McCutchen (109 OPS+) & Renfroe (112 OPS+) are both impact bats.

[nate82]

27 minutes ago, brewers888 said:

The Braves already had three impact bats in Freeman, Albies, and Riley to make up for the loss of Acuna. Where are the big bats in the Brewers lineup because I currently don’t see any. As for Castellanos he is a better hitter than anyone on the Brewers unless Yelich has a resurrection season.

Before 2021 Riley was only a .240/.300/.450 hitter in the Majors.  If that qualifies as an impact bat then so did Urias, Garcia, Adames and Narvaez.  There were 4 players that by your definition would be big bats.  You may want to look at the stats before making these claims and not just looking at the names of the players.  Albies even in 2021 was only a .259/.310/.488 hitter which would put him in the same category as Adames and Narvaez.

Your arguments have no points because I think you are just pulling things from thin air and not looking at anything to back up what you are saying.  The only player historically that was good that you named was Freeman.  

Castellanos career wise is .279/.330/.487 which would put him as the 2nd best bat for the Brewers but Adames and Narvaez are also close to Castellanos career wise with .260/.330/.439 and .266/.351/.398.  Adames and Narvaez are really close to Castellanos.  Again Castellanos is not in the MVP category for a hitter.  He is a good hitter but he is not in the category of MVP type of a player who is going to carry a team for weeks at a time.  

[Austin Tatious]

It’s hard to look at the numbers in the lineup but for the prospect aficionados out there, it’s much more fun looking at prospect hitting numbers if you look at the likes of Tyler Black, Frelick, Wiemer, Valerio, Mitchell, Turang, Quero and some others.  Knock on wood.