2023 Playoffs Reflections

[TPlush]

I don't intend this to be rant-y or overly negative, but I realize it may come off that way. Just wanted to post my thoughts/reflections (both positive and negative) on our short postseason appearance, Feel free to post yours too.

First, the positives:

• We made the postseason with significant playing time going to rookies. They may or may not become stars, but the fact a few of these rookies are at least potential everyday guys into the future should give us some optimism for the future.
• We got a lot of hits. 21 hits in 2 games.
• 1 run allowed in 8 non-Williams bullpen innings, even with Uribe's not totally unexpected wildness with a bonus semi-meltdown.
• Good aggressiveness early vs. Gallen.

And the rest:

• Why the f### was Jesse Winker on the playoff roster, and given 2 at bats? In 2023 he had a 60 OPS+, can't play the field, hit 1 home run in 200 PAs... completely useless no matter how you slice it. I'm a big fan of Counsell and realtively happy with Arnold, but seriously, were we trying to lose? Compared to Winker's 2023: Tellez OPS was over 100 points higher. Hiura's OPS was 200 points higher last season than Winker this year (I know, lucky peripherals, even so, nowhere close to as bad as Winker). Brian Anderson had an OPS 120 points higher and plays decent D at several positions. Hell, Woodruff with a wrecked shoulder was probably a better PH option than Winker (this is a joke... sort of).
• Yelich got some hits. But he played like rookie that didn't care, not the team leader. Overran 2nd and got thrown out looking like vintage Villar. With 0 chance of reaching 3rd... absolute garbage baserunning. And then slow jogging and letting a hit drop in the 6th(?) inning of game 2, on a very catchable shallow pop up. I believe a run scored on that play or the next one?
• Devin Williams owed us big time for his wall punching antics of the past. He even sort of acknowledged this in his clinching day post game interview. 3 walks, a hit, 2 runs, and only 2 outs. The opposite of what he needed to do.
• Corbin Burnes. 2 absolute terrible pitches got crushed back to back, Burnes totally dropped the ball when we needed a solid Game 1 start after getting the Woodruff injury news. Maybe going out this way will make it easier to stomach him getting dealt, which is 100% the right move to make this offseason.
• Bases loaded 3 or 4 times, and only knocked in 1 run on Sal's sac fly. We got what we deserved. Absolutely brutal with RISP.

 

Overall, it stings. We had the #1 pitching and defense in this year's playoffs. But our season-long kryptonite got us, streaky hitting and not being able to drive runs in when we needed it... with some help from our 2 "best" pitchers. We know the year or 2 ahead is going to be a transition year, it's sad that we weren't able to do more with this core.

But I do think if Arnold plays his cards right, we're in decent shape for the future. 100% chance Burnes gets dealt this offseason, Adames probably should be (unless he signs a very team-friendly extension), and pre-injury Woodruff would too, but maybe we bring him back for half a season to show he's healthy to maximize a trade return. Arnold should be open to an overpay for Williams (2 years of control left), our window to win a pennant is not the next 1-2 years, but we can and should be competitive. Hopefully we can build around Chourio, Contreras, Frelick/Wiemer/Mitchell, Turang, Uribe, Peralta etc. in the years ahead. Solid returns for Burnes, Williams, Adames, and Woodruff should net us multiple top 100 prospects and loads of "decent floor/low ceiling" or "lottery ticket" types of prospects.

It was a fun season, especially the 2nd half, too bad it ended how it did.

[kestrel79]

You summed it up quite nicely. Still depressed. Wasn't ready for this to end yet.

Yep I think we're looking pretty good in a couple years if we can trade those guys you mentioned and get some good young pitching in return to match our young core on the team right now along with the guys in AAA.

Hoping it can be a quite turnaround like 2015-2016 was and then boom 2017-18 we're ready to rock and good again.

[Brewin]

1 hour ago, TPlush said:

 

 

• Yelich got some hits. But he played like rookie that didn't care, not the team leader. Overran 2nd and got thrown out looking like vintage Villar. With 0 chance of reaching 3rd... absolute garbage baserunning. And then slow jogging and letting a hit drop in the 6th(?) inning of game 2, on a very catchable shallow pop up. I believe a run scored on that play or the next one?

 

 

I agree with a lot of your post, but completely disagree with your Yelich comments. He is one of the very best baserunners in all of MLB and definitely had a chance to reach 3rd base if that ball didn't bounce right back to Longoria. It was very aggressive baserunning that obviou;sly didn't work out. Also, he had 0% chance of catching the bloop single in G2. The infield was or else maybe Adames has a shot at that ball, but no chance for an OFer to get to it 

[Nola Beery]

1 hour ago, TPlush said:

I don't intend this to be rant-y or overly negative, but I realize it may come off that way. Just wanted to post my thoughts/reflections (both positive and negative) on our short postseason appearance, Feel free to post yours too.

****

Overall, it stings. ****

It was a fun season, especially the 2nd half, too bad it ended how it did.

I might quibble with some of your post, but not too much. Thanks for starting this.

 

[Nola Beery]

My reductionist (i.e. oversimplifying) mind says we just needed more guys who could hit, especially under pressure with RISP.  

But I'll leave it to the rest of you smarter folks to figure out the details and to provide the necessary guidance to Arnold and the rest of the front office.

Except for the ending, it was a fun season.  I learned a lot from many posters. But mostly, it was just great fun to share the experience with all of you.

Cheers! And better luck next year!

Kevin    

[Thurston Fluff]

2 hours ago, TPlush said:

Overall, it stings. We had the #1 pitching and defense in this year's playoffs. But our season-long kryptonite got us, streaky hitting and not being able to drive runs in when we needed it...

I agree with virtually everything you said except this. Five runs in two games isn't a lot but it should have been enough for this team to win at least one of those games. When your starting pitchers fail to produce a quality start on a pitching first team it's going to be hard to win. That should have been the minimum, yet it was too much to ask. The bullpen was pretty good but the one weak link turned out to be our all star closer. When two current all stars and one former all star wet the bed it's hard to blame the role players.

[torts]

It was niiiiiice having a true 1B for part of the year

[Cool Hand Lucroy]

2 hours ago, torts said:

It was niiiiiice having a true 1B for part of the year

I am all on board to bring Santana back. Not sure what it'll cost, but between the good defensive (even adjusting for age-related decline) and good ABs and clubhouse presence, he'd be much preferred to Canha, at least for me.

[torts]

Canha is not a free agent unless the brewers don't take the club option of 11.5 million.  It's a no brainier to take that, and if anything, flip him in July if things don't look good for the post season.  

[owbc]

According to xwOBA we won the series, so I'm looking forward to our game tomorrow. 

(In other words, it was bad luck combined with some questionable managerial decisions)

[Jake McKibbin]

1 hour ago, owbc said:

According to xwOBA we won the series, so I'm looking forward to our game tomorrow. 

(In other words, it was bad luck combined with some questionable managerial decisions)

If the sneks win, they should just give the medals to the brewers really. It's only fair

[RWeeksFan23]

5 hours ago, torts said:

Canha is not a free agent unless the brewers don't take the club option of 11.5 million.  It's a no brainier to take that, and if anything, flip him in July if things don't look good for the post season.  

I wouldn't say it's a no-brainer.

11.5 million isn't cheap, especially for a small-market team. We also have a billion OFers that need and are deserving of playing time.

[Redd Vencher]

On 10/5/2023 at 12:34 PM, Nola Beery said:

My reductionist (i.e. oversimplifying) mind says we just needed more guys who could hit, especially under pressure with RISP.  

But I'll leave it to the rest of you smarter folks to figure out the details and to provide the necessary guidance to Arnold and the rest of the front office.

Except for the ending, it was a fun season.  I learned a lot from many posters. But mostly, it was just great fun to share the experience with all of you.

Cheers! And better luck next year!

Kevin    

Brewers were T-6th in baseball in average (.270) with RISP, 8th in OPS and wRC+. They hit .300 with RISP during the Diamondbacks series.

[Brewcrew82]

38 minutes ago, Redd Vencher said:

Brewers were T-6th in baseball in average (.270) with RISP, 8th in OPS and wRC+. They hit .300 with RISP during the Diamondbacks series.

Exactly. What this team needs more than anything is an infusion of power. HRs win you games in the postseason where it’s harder to string together hits, and it showed as the Dbacks hit 4 to our 1.

I like Frelick and Canha as pure hitters, but they’re not going to get it done as the meat of your lineup in the postseason. 

Now, guys like Chourio and Wilken may change that, but I still think it’d be wise to explore Hoskins, Alonso, etc.

[Jake McKibbin]

Don't get me wrong, I think Santana was a good pickup for the Brewers

But my question having watched those playoffs is, how different would they have been if the crew had Pete Alonso in that spot?

I think the brewers clubhouse could've been a big boost to his production, and he's a player whos just so good with runners on.

I'd love to find out what the Mets demanded for him

[Sixtolezcano]

Alonso + = Burnes