dhoffman19

I think it does, but I also thing his range factor is below average - which you may put more stock in. Anyway, I watched just about every game last year and I just don't see the range - and I certainly don't think he gets to balls "no one else gets to." I mean, you're not seriously saying he has the best range in the league, are you? I see him reacting slowly to balls and not moving much laterally b4 they get to him. I specifically remember a few where the announcers were kind of marvelling that he didn't get to the ball. I also recall him making a few stops look a lot harder than they needed to be. None of this is scientific of course but I guess we're just seeing diff. things. Agree to disagree.

My concern about Hart is that he's going to turn into Bill Hall. Both showed promise, but once pitchers discovered their lack of plate discipline they stopped throwing them fastballs. Now Hall is terrible and Hart looked just like Hall the whole second half. They both need to make the adjustment and somehow learn to lay off the breaking balls in the dirt or a foot outside. I think Hall is probably a lost cause at this point. Time will tell if Hart can make the adjustment - I wouldn't trade him now either since we'd be selling low, but I am worried about him.

Again, I'm just not seeing the above-average range. Seems below average to me, both based on the "eye-test" and his zone rating. Why is it that people think he has good/great range? Sure, he's fast running the bases, but moving side-to-side and reacting quickly to a batted ball is a different skill.

I was worried about that too, but it seems like one possible explanation was that Beane was telling him to to play and who not to play, and it was therefore tough for Macha to respond to players who had questions about their playing time. For instance, Kotsay might come in and ask why he's being platooned, and Macha can't give him much of an answer b/c it wasn't his idea. Sorry if this was posted elsewhere, but this blog entry has some interesting links. http://www.rightfieldbleachers.com/?p=2805 Not saying I'm completely sold on him, just saying there may be more than one side to him being criticized by his players.

Well said. I agree completely. Even guys like Adam Dunn routinely have among the highest OBPs in the league b/c they take a lot of pitches and walk a lot - and when they do swing it's usually at a hittable pitch. Of course it also leads to a lot of K's since Dunn takes a lot of called strikes and has a long swing - but that doesn't neccessarily mean a low OBP. The Brewers biggest problem on offense is a lack of plate discipline. Most of the guys seem to hack at anything they think they can get a bat on. I'm not exactly sure how to fix it since it's tough to say if it's an instructional issue or of they are just drafting guys who lack that "skill." However, it almost seems to be an organizational philosophy to be "aggressive" at the plate.

I really don't think Weeks' range is all that great. It seems like it should be, since he's fast running the bases, but his range has never impressed me. Either he doesn't see the ball well off the bat or he just doesn't move side-to-side all that well - but i don't remember too many plays where he got to balls I thought were out of reach. I think the range factors and zone ratings kind of tell the story on that.

I'd tend to agree. If, in fact, Escobar is ready, I don't see that as a reason to trade Hardy. This team has huge holes at 3B and 2B. Moving Hardy to either of those spots makes more sense to me than trading him.

Ken Macha is a studio commentator for NESN, the Red Sox network. He has all the personality of a dirt sandwich. Maybe he's nervous in front of a camera, but I wouldn't think that would bode well for his leadership skills.

You're basically right, although there is a long discussion of how Beane & Co. felt that OBP is the most important offensive stat. They keyed on it for that reason, and also because it was undervalued by other teams. The main point of the book is the "undervalued" angle. OBP is still just as important, it's just not as affordable for the A's anymore since other teams have caught on.

"although a thumb dislocation could still be somewhat hindering - especially if it is on his throwing hand." Pretty sure he's a righty. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

Haudricourt: Hardy might have hand injury Update - no official comment, but it looks like something is up.

"The answer to your question why Fielder has a shift. That is an easy question to answer it is because he bats left handed. Nearly every single left handed hitter has an infield shift like that. Most of the balls hit by a left handed batter go to the right side of the infield when they hit a ground ball. If you want proof of this look at Berkman, Ortiz, and Howard. They all have the same pattern as Fielder has. Nearly all left handed batters have the same pattern for outs to the right side of the infield and that is why teams shift to the right when playing these hitters." Wait, are you saying that teams put on that shift for nearly all left handed hitters?

I was thinking the very same thing. Not saying Fielder was driving this or anything, but I'm guessing he was one of the guys Hardy may have been talking about. A good guess, in my opinion.

I think some of Yost's recent comments also hurt him. Some of the things he said gave the impression that he was still learning on the job and figuring out how to manage. That's fine with a younger club but not when you're supposed to be leading a playoff contender. Very weird timing, but the ship is sinking so they had to try something. I have no problem with it.

Booing, yelling insults at the players, etc. is idiotic. It's amazing the bahavior some people think is acceptable just b/c they're at a ballgame and they have a couple of beers in them. Yeah, you have a "right" to boo, but it doesn't say much for you if you act like a loudmouthed idiot. Having said that, Hart's comments are pretty dumb. Can't blame him for being annoyed - and if he and the other players want to complain about it amongst themselves, fine. But insulting the fan base in the media is just downright stupid. He should know it's only going to backfire and make him look like a whiner. And to imply that the booing is actually affecting their play makes it look like he lacks mental toughness. Brewer games have always had their share of loud, obnoxious idiots, but the booing of the home team is much worse than it used to be. Not sure when that changed. I guess this is what you get after 15 or so years of horrible baseball, the utter incompetence of the Bando regime, and later Selig years. People gave up on the organization as a whole. Then after all that, we supposedly have some talented players and hopes are built up, esp. last year, and then we get last year's collapse. That, combined with everything else, leads to the fans expecting the worst - even when things seem to be going well. I think people are just waiting for something to go wrong, so they get frustrated when things start going that direction. The other thing that I think leads to all the booing is that this team is just horrible at fundamental baseball. When they lose, they generally lose in the worst way possible - errors, walks, HRs to 3rd rate players, getting shut down by mediocre pitchers, and striking out by swinging at ball 4. It seems they've brought together a bunch of guys who have talent, but who also have some serious shortcomings. For a lot of the hitters, the issue is plate discipline, for others (Weeks, Fielder) it's brutal fielding. They can just be downright painful to watch.

Agree on this 100%. Anderson and Schroeder are just fine. There is much worse out there.

I find this very hard to believe. No way he's faster than Weeks or Braun. Maybe THEY were dogging it.

This is the absolute truth. People don't always realize this because he's a SS and not a fatso, but the guy is so slow. He might have decent side-to-side movement, but his forward movement is just terrible. I was at the game Monday and he hit a triple and watching him run the bases was hilarious. He has no acceleration and his top speed is laughable. Especially when watching Reyes, lol. Hardy wasn't dogging anything. The guy is really that slow. We always refer to him as "wheels", sarcastically of course. (no, we're not trying to be too witty here rofl) Yes he is slow. I know that. I think anyone who watches the Brewers knows that. I don't even think his range is that great at SS. But ... he dogged it out of the box. I was watching the SD feed and they showed a replay isolated on just him as he broke out of the box. He took a few casual jogging steeps and when he looked out and saw the bobble, he put his head down and picked it up. Gwynn and the other guy were criticizing him. Maybe he would have been out anyway, but it would have been damn close. I expect more in the bottom of the 9th with the winning run on third when the team is in a pennant race.

Anyone notice JJ dogging it out of the box on his groundout ending the 9th inning? He didn't start running until the SS bobbled it. I had the Padres feed and they showed the replay. That could have been the difference between him being safe and out, and so could have won the game right there. Is it too much to ask that JJ runs out a ground ball in the 9th inning with the game on the line? That was flipping ridiculous. He should be embarrassed. PS - Yost is an idiot for pulling CC.

"Oh, we don't play for money. We just play for fun...." Simple as that. Disagree. On the rare occasions I get any complaints I remind her of the last time I won $$$ for "us" and the complaints seem to stop.

Funny that they don't seem to mind when you win money.

Love of a Lifetime - Firehouse Never Let You Go - Steelheart Heaven - Warrant More Than Words - Extreme Muskrat Love - Captain and Tenille

Hall is a good hitter? I admit I like the guy (for some reason) but he's been pretty horrible for about a year and a half now. Yes, he once hit 35 home runs, but once the other teams figured out they didn't have to throw him strikes and he'd just get himself out, he was done for. He has good power and will take advantage of the occasional mistake pitch, but he's not a good hitter at all.

@Baldkin: Yep - but sometimes he's worse than others. Fortunately he has enough talent that he's still very successful. He's hardly the only one though - Fielder, Weeks, Hart, and especially Hall all have the same issue. And it's not just the lack of walks and KOs that are a problem. It also leads to the pop-ups and tap-outs that come from hacking at bad pitches early in the count. This is really a big problem against control pitchers who can paint the corners, or have good breaking stuff.

Defense is obviously a problem, but the biggest issue is a lack of plate discipline. Even Braun - as talented as he is - gets way too aggressive and amped up in big games, and ends up chasing pitches well out of the strike zone. They need to stop getting themselves out. Hopefully this will improve over time - but sooner rather than later.