Jump to content
Brewer Fanatic

joepepsi

Verified Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    2,784

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Profiles

Forums

Blogs

Events

News

2026 Milwaukee Brewers Top Prospects Ranking

Milwaukee Brewers Videos

2022 Milwaukee Brewers Draft Picks

Milwaukee Brewers Free Agent & Trade Rumors, Notes, & Tidbits

Guides & Resources

2023 Milwaukee Brewers Draft Picks

2024 Milwaukee Brewers Draft Picks

The Milwaukee Brewers Players Project

2025 Milwaukee Brewers Draft Pick Tracker

2026 Milwaukee Brewers Draft Tracker: Picks & Bonuses

Store

Downloads

Gallery

Everything posted by joepepsi

  1. joepepsi
    You state this with a lot of certainty. Is this based on things you've heard from the Brewers FO, or just speculation on your part? I'm just being logical. You don't trade your best player, especially one who you still hold rights to for two more seasons, unless you intend to go into full rebuilding mode. The Brewers will continue to be a playoff caliber team in 2009. They have t fix 3B, find another starting pitcher, and re-tool the bullpen. They can achieve those things without tradig Hardy.
  2. joepepsi
    This implies that a manager has no effect on the game whatsoever.
  3. joepepsi
    They are not going to trade Hardy this winter and they aren't going to move him to another position. I am positive they will offer him a 3-5 deal in the winter. If he accepts it, Escobar will be traded before the end of 2009. If he rejects any long term contract, then they'll entertain offers for Hardy after 2009.
  4. joepepsi
    I think this is Ned's greatest failing. he goes with a set lineup and won't change it.
  5. joepepsi
    All this talk about Escobar and Gamel in 2009 is, I think, a misunderstanding of the organization's "plan". The Brewers no longer have to rush players like they did Weeks, Fielder, Braun, and Hardy. In today's Brewer Organization, players like Fielder and Weeks would be spending at least one additional season in the minors, if not two. Doug uses the Twins as his model for organization building. The Twins are notorious for keeping players in the minors for a long time, Joe Mauer notwithstanding. The main reason for this is you don't start the arby clock until the player is ready to contribute. Morneau had 2300 minor plate appearances; Cuddyer, over 2800. Kubel had 1800+, Span 2300+ plate appearances. Contrast that with Weeks, 865 minor league PA, Braun 864, Hardy 1253, Fielder 1881. It's true that Gamel (nearly 2000 PA) and Escobar (2200+) have already had more minor league experience than those four. But it's also clear, even from the perspective of their most supportive posters here, they have things to improve upon before they're ready for the majors. And for heaven's sake, why would start their arbitration clock when they've never played a game in AAA and there isn't a pressing need for them in Milwaukee? This notion that you have to trade your best player while still in his early arbitration years is the lingering effect of fan malaise precipitated by 25 years of dysfunctional loser management. Those days are gone.
  6. joepepsi
    While they could improve on Weeks at 2nd I think they'd have to pay too much to get someone incrementally better. It would have to be a change of scenery type thing, like Weeks and a couple good pitching prospects for one year of Roberts. It's just not worth it. Besides, the difference between Weeks and an average 2B isn't near as much as the difference between Hall and a middling 3B. They probably are stuck with Hall. On the other hand, sometimes teams will trade bad contracts. The Orioles have a gaping hole at ss and no one in the minors to inherit the position. If Hall can still play ss and hit .250, seems like a tall order for him these days, the Orioles might be satisfied to take him on and a decent prospect for Mora. Same with Beltre. Blalock is an interesting idea. Another lefty in the lineup should help. Rangers have an option for next year, so expect him to become a free agent. At any rate, I think the only position they'll be able to afford upgrading and the only one that desperately needs it is the automatic out at 3B. Even if Hall can't be moved and is stuck on the team he can no longer be considered for an every day job. But you do worse than him and Kapler as righties off the bench. Add in any combination of Branyan, Durham, and Lamb, and the bench is all right. If you only worry about upgrading 3B, then you can spend more time working on the pitching, which is the real area of concern.
  7. joepepsi
    There are some options at 3B that could be available as placeholders until/if Gamel is ready to play 3rd. Casey Blake is a free agent after the year. He's a decent player. Melvin Mora ended up having a pretty good year. He's somewhat fragile and old and didn't really heat up until after the All Star break. But if you keep Branyan around to spell him once or twice a week, that would be a nice combo at the hot corner. . Mora is due $9 million next year and the team has an option for 2010. While he may not be worth $9 million, that's an affordable contract. Adrian Beltre is also only signed for 2009. It's a steeper at $12 million, but with no option. I'm sure the Mariners would love to deal him. He is a great 3B. Maybe the best in the game. While his contract has been heavily criticized, he's actually been pretty good for the Mariners, especially the last three seasons. His career numbers at Safeco are .253/.309/.416, so you have to think he'd have better overall numbers as a Brewer. Sort of like Cameron has done. So my idea would be to use Escobar as a trading chip for a pitcher or a 3B, then try to acquire Beltre first, Mora second, and failing that, signed Casey Blake to a 3 year deal.
  8. joepepsi
    It wouldn't surprise me if Rickie is traded for a more stable 2B in 2009, like, say, Brian Roberts. But I think the most likely 2009 infield is Prince, Rickie, Hardy, and somebody new, a veteran free agent or through trade, at 3B. Escobar starts at AAA or is traded to get another veteran starter or that 3B. There is simply no way Bill Hall can be counted on as anything but bench material. I'd like to see Branyan and Kapler back too. Counsell should be offered a job in coaching, but should never bat for the Brewers again. I don't see how you can displace Hardy in 2009. His defense and offense are looking like a young Tejada. You don't bump a guy like that before free agency for a kid with no experience above one season at AA. If they can upgrade 3B they can afford another season with Rickie at 2B, just to see if he can develop into anything.
  9. joepepsi
    By my count he has only 3 more starts until the end of the season. After his Philly start on Friday he'll have an extra day in his last two starts. I don't think there is a better option. Keep a watchful eye on him...
  10. joepepsi
    I miss Russell Branyan. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/frown.gif
  11. joepepsi
    It's pretty clear Yost will only use pinch hitters for pitchers. Why would you bat Hall and Kendall late in a tie game with a righty on the mound? Why didn't he do a double switch with Hall/Lamb when Torres came in? At least he would have had the option of using his best reliever for one more inning. Honestly, I don't think Ned is a terrible manager, but he won't alter his lineup in-game and is terrible at managing the bullpen. He's not responsible for defensive miscues, flailing away at low outside pitches, or bullpen gopher balls, but I think he's cost the team opportunities over the season due to his "stay the course" strategies. I think that's translated into a handful of losses that shouldn't have happened. If they don't make the Wild Card, he's gone.
  12. joepepsi
    I thought it was stupid he didn't do a double switch with Hall/Lamb when Torres was brought in. Instead he had to pinch hit for Torres the second batter. Who did he use? Mike Lamb! Then when Hall comes up in extra innings he pinch hits him for Counsell!
  13. joepepsi
    I know he's listed at 6' but that's being generous, isn't it? He looks shorter than almost every player out there. I can't imagine he'd be able to even play at 300 pounds and that short.
  14. joepepsi
    Salomon Torres is the most articulate player in the game. If he did say something like this it was probably to motivate his teammates and get them to put last night's loss behind.
  15. joepepsi
    I agree with everything you said here!
  16. joepepsi
    Honestly the most surprising/disappointing aspect of this season for me has been the offense as a whole. The whole team was pretty awful for the first 6-8 weeks. Braun has been consistently good since then; Hardy kicked it in June and is arguably their best player right now; Cameron's offense showed up after the All Star break, about the time Hart disappeared. Fielder has been pretty consistent until these last 20 games; a somewhat disappointing but overall solid season. The team is 5th in the league in runs scored and 2nd in slugging. But they are 10th in batting average and 7th in obp. I didn't expect Braun and Fielder to repeat their numbers from 2007 necessarily, but I did expect the offense to be the team strength and much improved overall from last year. It's not. It's about the same; which makes me wonder if this is as good as the young core will get. There isn't an MVP caliber hitter on this team, which is pretty unusual for a team with the second best record in the league.
  17. joepepsi
    92-94 wins seemed reachable until the Mets came to town. .....
  18. joepepsi
    He's in the middle of a terrible 20 game slump. The game before this slump set in his OPS had peaked for the year at .907, which currently would place him 3rd in the league among 1B. No he's not having the same great year as 2007--that may never happen again. Yes, compared to that season his season has been disappointing. But even with this horrible slump he shares the 8th highest OPS among NL 1B with, ahem, Derrek Lee. I suppose it's possible he's now so fat he's worn down. Maybe a day off would be good for him. It's also true he's not hitting lefties well this year. But those kind of splits can vary widely from year to year. It's not like he's pulled an Andru Jones. I think this season is within a reasonable range of his expected performance. He's going to end up with 30 some homers, and an .850 or higher OPS. It that constitutes a bad year, then the Brewers are very lucky to have him for several more seasons.
  19. joepepsi
    The problem with relief pitchers is almost by definition they are inconsistent. If they were consistent most of them would be starters. Villy, Gagne, Torres, and McClung are all failed starters at least on some level. The conundrum with building a playoff team is a GM finds himself emphasizing experience over inexperience. So you spend millions on a bullpen of major leaguers who have had some success in the past instead of taking a risk with younger pitchers who may actually be better. This is a problem when building the bullpen because it seems past success as a reliever is not a very good indicator of future success. I think a big reason for this is because a lot of the success a reliever experiences is due to a manager who does a good job of using that pitcher and his bullpen. I'm not a big Yost basher, but he is weak on bullpen management. It's his greatest fault. Unless Melvin has mandated that the top paid relievers have to pitch in the most pressurized situations, it's Yost's fault we are still seeing Gagne, Mota, and Riske this late in the season in close games. He has better alternatives; he simply refuses to use them.
  20. joepepsi
    So you're saying he weighs 300 pounds now? I can't buy that, but I bet next Spring we will hear stories about how much weight he lost over the winter.
  21. joepepsi
    Like every Brewer fan I know he's abandoned them in favor of the Packers.
  22. joepepsi
    I hate football. Any more questions?
  23. joepepsi
    Brian isn't great; doesn't always seem to understand the game completely, but I'll take all the Brewers announcers over anybody else out there. Brian's better than most. I think he and Rock are working much better this year. I have extraInnings so I watch a lot of other broadcasts. One thing I've noticed is Brian and Bill are the only ones who talk about what the next pitch will be. The production crew will show closeups of the pitcher gripping the ball and slo-mo replay of his pitch as the announcers talk about the motion. Trust me, most other broadcasters don't do this. They just say things like"ball one. Strike one. Low and away".
  24. joepepsi
    If they eliminated the All Star game they could end a week earlier and make the first round a 7 game series. I'm down with that.
  25. joepepsi
    Lamb's previous two years at Houston are representative of the type of hitter the Brewers sorely need. Average in the 280's very good on base pct, slugging in the .450's. It wasn't all due to MinuteMaid park either. He was however, terrible at the Metrodome this year. Not sure why; statistical anamoly most likely. On the road in the AL he was closer to his career numbers. What's not to like about this? Stick him between Hart and Cameron and the Brewers score a couple extra runs in their last 22 games.
×
×
  • Create New...