joepepsi

Billy Jo Robidoux should have been a major league star just based on his name. But he also had a career .903 OPS in the minors. When he was 21 in AA he posted a 1.020 OPS with 23 homers. Talk about your "can't miss prospect"! He needs to be starting on this team, either at 1B or DH.

How about Mike Kinkade at 3B? He made to AAA for Milwaukee before being traded to the Mets. Was hitting .309/.385/.505; .890 OPS when they traded him. I could never understand why he didn't get a better chance in the majors. Brian Banks is another possibility.

I like the idea he's thinking out of the box a bit. I like that he's thinking about putting hitters who take a lot pitches at the top of the lineup. I like that he's thinking about running up pitch counts on pitchers early in the game. I like that he realizes "small ball" takes a back seat to power. I don't like the idea of Kendall hitting leadoff on a regular basis. Why not have him bat 2nd?

As an Orioles fan I never thought Roberts was much more than a useful average-ish pipsqueak 2B who'd had some injury issues. Through age 26 seasons, Weeks' career compares or even improves upon Roberts'. Then came 2005, the year after Tejada arrived with his "B-12" syringes. Suddenly Roberts was having an MVP caliber season. Since then he's settled down into a very good player. I've noticed Hardy's offense numbers compare favorably with similarly aged Tejada. While this is encouraging, it's a mistake to just assume Hardy and Weeks will have careers like Tejada and Roberts.

I always figured because it's too many seats for baseball. It really is a football stadium, modified for baseball. Why the Twins ever signed off on this design is a mystery.

Well you are getting a good deal on parking. I went to a day game in the middle of the week last year and paid $20 in a lot by the Star-Tribune. I think if you park in the old Lakers fieldhouse it's $15-20 bucks too. Don't be surprised if half the people get up and walk out around the 7th inning. Even if it's a close game. A decade ago when the Twins had good young talent but weren't very good yet, you could go to a game for 99 cents some nights and pretty much sit wherever you want. I went to one in 1999 where the announced paid attendance was just over 9,000, but there couldn't have been 4,000 people there. The ushers didn't much care where you sat, so by the mid innings we were in the front row behind home plate. Also, we parked on the street for a quarter at that sports bar right next to the dome. Ah, those were the days....

It's really a football stadium where all seats look straight ahead. However, if I recall correctly I think there is a section at the end of each foul line that does indeed tilt back towards 2B. That would probably be better than sitting one section closer to home plate and having to turn in your seat the entire game.

How can this be? You mean FUTURE HALL OF FAMER BRAD AUSMUS is no longer on the team?

Sit in a aisle seat! The rows are very long and those staid Minnesotans get real mad if you keep getting up or if they have to pass beers to you every few innings. A co-worker loves to sit out in LF when he goes to games. I've sat in RF once, and it was pretty good, except you can't actually see the right fielder. I usually sit along the first side, but it's very crowded on the base lines. And the farther you get from home plate the more you have to twist in your seat and turn back to see home plate. That said I kinda like going to games there. It's convenient for me. Also, you can park at say, Mall of America and ride the light rail to the game, saving the steep parking rates downtown. And they have a Famous Daves in the metrodome with pricing about what you'd pay at the restaurant. Miller Park of course is vastly better, but if you want to eat there you better like your meats in rolled tubes or else be willing to settle for greasy, convenience store slices of pizza.

I have a 42" Phillips plasma I got from amazon in Deember 2007. $996, no sales tax, free shipping. I love it. Panasonic's plasmas are probably better but I couldn't get as good a deal at the time. Pioneer used to make the best plasma TV in the world. Alas, they are making them no more. It is generally accepted that in tv's 42" or less you can't tell a difference between 1080p and 720p. Good discussion on the difference between LCD and Plasma. My son has a 32" bravia at his apartment but he loves to play Halo on my plasma because the movement is much better. For the most part I've found people who have LCD tv's love them. The picture often appears brighter and sharper than plasma. To me it's a "fakey" look, live action movies look like Pixar productions. And the "sharpness" is a function of the clearly defined pixels. Cheap LCDs seem to have the most angle of view issues. There's a neighborhood bar near me that recently bought an Insignia and Westinghouse LCD. They are mounted rather high above the bar. If you are too far under them you can't see the picture at all. If you are off angle a bit the colors and brightness really worsens. Looking around at place like Best Buy, the more expensive LCD's seem to have minimized these problems. So to me, with LCD's you really get what you pay for, whereas even modestly priced plasma look very good.

Morneau, Cuddyer, and Span all had around 600 plate appearances in AAA. One thing the Twins do, almost to a fault, they keep their players in the minors longer than most to minimize growing pains at the major league level. The Brewers, or any budget conscious team, would be wise to adopt that policy as long as there is a competent player on the major league team. The Brewers are in the position now that they don't have to start the arbitration clock early as they did with Hardy, Weeks, Fielder.

If he stays a .750-ish, mediocre fielding 2B he's gonna price himself out of a job by then. I am hopeful he'll improve enough to be a bargain through 2011. Too Live Brew wrote: This is why I think there is a greater difference between an average and great hitter than an average and great defender. No matter how good you are on defense you only get so many chances a year to make a great play or save a run. The overwhelming number of plays are routine; something any player can make. With offense a batter has the chance to make a run every game. Every at bat, at least in theory, could be a game winner.

Ok. It's a little heavy handed, but ......OK. I think it gets back to what was posted above about lots of positions to fill and limited payroll. If Rickie stays as he is they'll probably just keep him at 2B, then let him walk when he's eligible. If he really gets good, then it's a problem similar to JJ. Then maybe they trade JJ, keep Weeks and bring up Escobar.

I think Suppan has enough "wily veteran" credentials that even if he's terrible in the rotation he'd do fine in a mop up role out of the pen. Sorta like Dave Burba. I think the only way he isn't on the team for the entire contract is if he pitches well one year but the team tanks it. Then it's possible a contender in desperate need to replace an injured 3/4 starter will be willing to take on the contract.

I wonder why I've had two of my posts deleted from this topic in the last two days?

Mora has a no trade, though for the Yankees he might be inclined to waive it. I think it will be a cold day in you-know-where-before Peter Angelos signs off on a trade with the Yankees.

Suppan's best years were his 3 in St. Louis, probably due a combination of age/wily experience and great defense. Here's his ERA's the 4 years before St. Louis: 4.94, 4.37, 5.32, 4.19. The Cardinal years were his peak, and the Brewers bought high. I think he's still the same league average innings eater that he's always been. As one of the guys who "pitches to contact" he'll always be susceptible to swings in ERA from year to year. His career ERA is 4.63. After his September 9th start last year his season ERA was 4.63. Then he had two really bad outings. I think he was nursing injuries for a big part of last year. I don't think we'll ever see sub 4 ERA from him again, but I expect him to be right around his averages. McClung wasn't really much better than Suppan as a starter. I'm not sure he has the track record for us to assume he would perform better than Suppan, even if Suppan is sitting on a 5 ERA. Now, if after 10-15 starts Suppan has a 6 ERA, then maybe it's time claim tendonitis and sit him down for a couple weeks. Then let's see what McClung can do. Or someone else.

OK, I have seen the light! I've watched parts of several games and really enjoy what I've seen. (Thank God for MLB Network!) There is a playoff atmosphere about it and the crowds are really into the games. In the end it makes me excited for MLB, and that's always a good thing. Let me add that I don't really care who wins. In fact, I kinda hope USA loses again; it's much more exciting watching some of these "underdog" teams play so well.

Well as long as he's not a "super 2" player there's nothing wrong with working a guy into the lineup for half a year or so. But it's fine with me if he stays in AAA and they don't need him at 3rd this year. TH's blog today says McGehee has played some 2B in the minors and Macha finds that interesting. He's actually only played 7 games at 2B in the minors. But he has caught 93 games and played first 32 games. So he does present intriguing options.

As I recall Doug was interested in keeping Branyan, just like he was with Kapler. Both thought they had more playing time with other teams. I've always been a fan of Lamb and was kinda annoyed he didn't play more last Fall. But if he doesn't make the team it could hasten Gamel's arrival. Which is probably the best thing for the team. I can see McGehee being this year's Dillon, starting out on the 25 man roster getting some pinch hitting a few games at 3B. But if Gamel it tearing up AAA and Hall is still struggling against righties look for Gamel to be called up sometime in late May-mid June.

I'll pitch a tent in this campsite as well. Defense is an important aspect of the game, but it tends to be overrated. The difference between an average defender and a great defender isn't nearly as great as the difference between an average hitter and a great one.

I'm not picking on you, but you continually ignore the financial ramifications of signing Hardy or any other FA for that matter. Halladay was mentioned, his contract is about what Hardy would make on the FA market, how could the team afford both even for only a year? ....I can accept the fact that many Brewer fans just wanted to get into the post season again no matter what the cost, but there is simply no way the team can trade away prospects for rentals every year and remain competitive. … they can afford to sign average players, but the value per win just isn't there, the elite players will always price themselves out of what Milwaukee can afford. ... I don't think you're picking on me. This is an fun discussion; it's been a long time since Brewer fans could debate over how to deal with depth at an important position. If Escobar is ready after a full season in AAA this year, I have faith Doug will make the best decision for the future of the team. If that means trading JJ and giving the job to Escobar, so be it. I'm playing a bit of devil's advocate for a couple reasons: 1) there's a culture Brewer fans have learned in the last 15 years that says everytime a player gets good they must be traded. I'm trying to help break that thinking. 2) It's dangerous to assume a prospect is a guarantee to adequately replace a star. Billy Beane let Tejada walk, because he had a wonderful prospect, Bobby Crosby, ready in the minors. Well that didn't work out so well, though Beane did save money ditching Tejada. You're right. The Brewers can't keep everyone. That's why I suggested Hart and Fielder would be gone in a couple years. Maybe it makes most sense to let Hardy go too, especially if Escobar truly is the Real Deal. Personally, I think Hardy may be the best player on the team. If I had to build a team around one Brewer player, it'd be him. From today's perspective the best way the Brewers compete for the playoffs over the next 5 years is to build the team around Braun, Hardy, Gallardo, and Parra. Backupcatchers wrote: I agree. There's a lot of luck involved in the playoffs. I thought that 2006 Twins team was the best in the league. But, Shannon Stewart aside, the Twins are notorious for standing pat. The team they field on Opening Day is pretty much the team on the last day of the season. Maybe if they had addressed the holes in the offense at the deadline, or tried harder to replace Liriano after he was shut down, they would have fared better than a first round elimination. It's great to have your team win around 85-90 games a year, but it's better to have them go for it with a vengeance once in a while, the future be damned. If the Brewers had to use Escobar to get a pitcher like Halladay, and if that brought them a World Series, I'm OK with that. Even if it means two years from now the team has no Halladay and nobody to play ss. To me that beats a 3 year scenario of 85 wins where one by one the current core players are dumped, prospects take their place, and we cheer learn to accept a constant rebuilding phase.

D'oh! You got me there.http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/embarassed.gif And they are never quite good enough to make the World Series. The wisdom of trading Escobar for a Halladay-type was questioned earlier. I would do this trade precisely because it's the kind of the move the Twins or A's would fear. Even if in the long run it hurts the team, getting a Halladay or Peavy type for a stretch drive or even a full season gives the Brewers a much better chance at the World Series. When a team makes it to the World Series, their fans forgive whatever costs incurred getting them there. If Escobar is a stellar major league defensive ss who provides .710 OPS as was projected above, well, what are they out really? Slick fielding .700-ish ss are not that hard to find, nor are the terribly expensive. Renteria has a career OPS of .750; Orlando Cabrera, .720. Those guys are available every year.

I think Escobar would have almost the same value in a deadline deal. Don't want to turn this into a trade proposal topic, but if Toronto is shopping Halladay this July, they will be far more interested in Escobar. In other words, any team ready to chuck this season and get a jump on rebuilding will be interested in Escobar. Hardy, not so much. However, if the Brewers are stinking up the joint at the deadline and Escobar is tearing up AAA, then it may make sense to shop Hardy to a competitor. Most playoff caliber teams tend to have pretty shortstops though.

I would agree with you at if we weren't talking about SS. Getting to a ball or two a game at SS is a big deal and that is the difference between above average and excellent.So you're saying an excellent ss would field162-324 more balls a season than an above average ss? I don't see how that could possibly be true. There just aren't that many more chances available. I don't even know who is considered an excellent defensive ss anymore. I guess Cesar Izturis is considered a wizard with the glove. He played 130 games at ss last year, Hardy 146. If you add up their putouts, assists, and errors, Hardy touched the ball about 85 more times than Izturis.