TooLiveBrew

Normally, I'd have something to say along the lines of, 'Good thing we have Gerut as really solid depth' ... But I'm sure our rocket scientist manager will, at best, platoon Gerut in RF with Hart & play Gomez everyday in CF... batting second, of course. Because your second hitter has to be good at giving away outs, you know. Get well soon, Jim.

With all due respect, I do not think this is how the real world works. On an internet message board that promotes healthy Brewers discussion, it's absolutely how it should (& most often does) work. If you want to complain about the team in general, that's one thing. But to bash a player or players without bringing up some realistic alternative moves that could or should have been made, that's another. Like I said, it's really not hard to do the homework & provide some alternatives.

If it's Melvin's job, and you're not willing to provide alternatives, then leave it as Melvin's job. If you want to complain, find some alternatives. It really doesn't take much homework.

I won't post an opinion either way on how Hoffman was handled in Spring Training, but I will say I think it's 100% the cause of what we're seeing now. If he still has no command after another month or so, then I'll be worried.

Just curious... why the quotes?

And a good one against the Cubs, and a so-so one against the Cardinals in his first start of the season. You're getting too caught up in small sample stats with Bush/Olsen & Pudge/Zaun. He was better than league average in 2008, and looked well on his way to a second consecutive season of the sort before getting nailed on the pitching elbow by a line drive in '09. At what point does BF.net stop overreacting to the small sample?

If we can find a trading partner, do it. I'd love to see Stetter or Braddock back up. Stetter makes the most sense to me. While I have no huge problem with Parra occasionally being used as a LOOGY, I'd rather see him facing multiple batters when he pitches. There's a definite need for a guy like Stetter imo, much moreso than Suppan. I really don't think the Brewers are going to trade or DFA Suppan, though. I just don't think Melvin can get away from viewing him as 'rotation insurance', and insurance he's already paying through the nose to have. From some of the comments in the JS blog that trwi7 linked, you can tell Melvin still likes something(s) about Soup.

Ugh. The right move has been made, in getting Suppan out of the rotation. But then they still manage to pick the lower upside guy (who hasn't commanded his pitches at all this season) to start. I guess, 'hooray'

Not nice to see three Cubs on that list, especially since Castro & Jackson are so close to the bigs

I sure hope the 5th starter spot goes to Parra. His stuff is so much better than either Suppan's or Narveson's, and as noted Narveson hasn't exactly demonstrated command of his stuff so far this season.

I'm pretty sure it's part of Playing the Game the Right Way™. We should probably consult Tony La Russa and/or Cardinals fans.

I would never sign a contract that I didn't think I could live up to Why, when the Suppan contract is discussed, do so many seem to completely/conveniently forget that he signed it in a completely different market? One in which guys like him & Carlos Silva were getting 10M+ AAV. When has Suppan ever owned his poor performances publicly, I read a ton of baseball news every day and I don't recall him ever owning a bad performance like Rand Wolf did earlier this season? Maybe I just have a selective memory? Maybe a baseball player doesn't owe you anything, much less a public apology/'ownership' after a bad game? Seriously, do you need Prince Fielder to own starting the season so slowly?

I can't take Macha anymore. Prior to tonight's game, I think I felt more of just a distaste for him. Now, it's at a full-blown loathing. Batting Carlos Gomez second is stupid. Bringing in Narveson to pitch to Fukudome & then a bunch of solid righty bats (at least against LHP) is stupid -- especially when you also had Carlos Villanueva, whose changeup makes him an effective option against left-handed hitters as well. Leaving Narveson in, when he clearly didn't have command of his pitches & was getting shelled, was stupid. I know I was corrected a while ago when I wondered aloud whether Macha might just not be that bright... but an engineering degree doesn't mean much, if anything, about baseball. I get the feeling Macha's baseball IQ just isn't very high. It's very frustrating to know your team has to win in spite of its manager. Is it really that hard to put your players in positions to succeed?

...if it wants to get better. This is also a big key. I'm just not convinced that MLB itself wants any changes. The profits are already astronomical. This might be a bit loopy, but I'm really starting to believe that the only way MLB changes is if the fans were to go on strike.

The owners need to be strong because they hold all the cards. One thing I will never understand is why so many fans side with the owners. The thing I think most people miss in talking about a payroll cap/floor arrangement is that all it will do is increase the owners' already incredible incomes. Another problem with installing a payroll cap/floor is what to do with teams that are already over or under the limits. I guess the way I feel about it is that if a team like the Marlins can put a competitive team on the field for ~$22M like they did in '08, or ~$37M like they did in '09, or ~$45M in their '03 WS championship season, why should they be punished? Likewise, if the Yankees want to spend over $200M to fill out their roster, and they are being financially responsible as an entity, why should that (inherently) be punished? The biggest problem to me is the ability for teams that don't have über-deep coffers to retain the (star) players they develop. What I think should be pursued is a tweaking of revenue sharing, in which the vast majority of the dollars are allotted to smaller-revenue teams for the exclusive purpose of re-signing their homegrown players. The comparison I can offer is the NBA's "Larry Bird Rule", which I know nothing about aside from its intent -- for those that don't know, the rule allows NBA teams to exceed the payroll cap when they re-sign their own player(s). Perhaps it's not a viable alternative for MLB, I really don't know. However, in concept, it's exactly what I'd like MLB to pursue. In my 'proposal', I'd want to see some revenue sharing money still used for things like infrastructure, foreign baseball academies, etc. However, the bulk of it should address what I believe is the biggest problem MLB faces. Teams would still be able to essentially horde revenue sharing money, but would only be able to utilize the bulk of it to re-sign their own players. And now that I'm typing that out, maybe the money should be available to either re-sign their own players or sign free agents. I regret that I lack financial knowledge, because I think that hinders my ability to offer a tangible plan to this discussion, but I really believe the concept is what's most important.

They're probably comparable players, as Zobrist has started his career better, but he's a year older than Weeks, so he wasn't rushed to the majors like Weeks. Good post, and def. an interesting comparison. I just don't agree that Weeks was rushed. If anything, he rushed himself by obliterating MiLB pitching (with the exception of Huntsville). Are you're referring to the fact that his defense wasn't ready?

This post captures my thoughts 100%. When he came into the game, I thought, 'Hmm -- maybe he's .... NAAHHH'

#1-39 (#39 overall): Kentrail Davis #2-24 (#73 overall): Max Walla Both are guys that are considered to have big-time power upside. Davis, as a collegiate player, is obviously well ahead of Walla. Davis is playing for A+ Brevard County at this point (I believe he's on the DL currently), while Walla is at R+ in Helena.

Good to hear, but come on -- just leave it alone!

Great post, gregmag. Thanks to battlekow & co. for getting this Power 50 up! It was a pleasant surprise to see upon arriving at the forums today http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif Like most (I'm guessing), I was pretty surprised to see Lucroy at #1. I agree with gregmag that Lucroy doesn't seem to have the upside that you want at that #1 overall spot, but to be fair his position & MLB readiness definitely should factor in. I know it's fairly obvious that I'm still very high on Gamel, so I really like seeing him still in the top 5. Since it looks like Braddock will be a bullpen arm, I'd have Gamel ahead of him. I can't argue much, though -- the top 5 or so are all really tight imo. It was kind of depressing to read the blurb on Salome. I really like him, and it stinks that the logjam at catcher (still a good problem to have) has come to such a head. Clearly both he & Lucroy need to be at Nashville & playing behind the plate on an 'everyday' basis. I really don't know how the org. will handle that, and I hope they don't rush into any roster move and/or transaction too hastily. I would hate to see Salome traded just to make room, unless Melvin & Co. found a fair return, of course. It looks like Peralta & Odorizzi have the chance to be the big movers this season. Like gregmag noted, there will likely be some graduations this season in the top 5, and those two young arms look poised to jump right in. Everything I read about Peralta just seems to get better & better, and I hope he can make the jump to & handle Huntsville this season. Craigharmann is right -- this is a deep system, and I fully expect Bruce Seid & his scouts to continue to keep it stocked. I think they've done very well so far.

Prince instantly makes them the favorite for the WS for the next two years I don't think that's true. They're more than one big bat behind the Yankees imo.

The only thing I think that last one hints at is that Macha doesn't like Parra

I wonder if Zambrano's hurt/hurting. He left a recent start (can't remember which one, sorry) with 'forearm cramps'. He kept stretching his pitching-hand fingers out against his forearm, which made me wonder about ligaments.

Or maybe the players need to show some personal responsibility & make sure they aren't putting anything into their bodies that will clash with the list of banned substances.

I like the 'regular' lineup Macha has been running out there: Weeks Edmonds/Hart Braun Fielder McGehee Zaun Escobar Gomez P I'd just like to see Gerut getting some more time in center. But it looks like it's as many feared -- Macha definitely appears to have Jim Edmonds as a better centerfielder than Gerut. *sigh*