TwinsBrewersWorldSeries

Over Sheets past five starts (dating to July 9th) He's only averaging 5 2/3 IP per start.... 28.3 IP 34 H 19 R 15 ER 9 BB 25 K 4.77 ERA 1.52 WHIP Those are Suppanesqe numbers, not #s for our ace. Is he getting tired not having the "break" his been accustomed to while on the DL. It may be "dropping his price" in the offseason but i'm seriously wondering if Ben is starting to hit the wall

I'm a bit confused. We all seem to agree that Hardy plays plus defense at SS. Yet most in this thread argue that he doesn't have the range to play 2B. I don't see anybody attacking JJ's arm strength, so one figures that the only advantage he might have on JJ is range. It also seems (from this thread) that the argument is that one needs more range to play 2B than SS (especially given having a liability with Prince at 1B). Summarizing all that informatioin, it would only seem logical to move Escobar to 2B. I/m not sure that I agree, but the point made in this thread is that based on range, 2B is the most difficult position to play in OUR infield. Since 2B is already an offensive weakness in our lineup, Escobar's bat could play there if he upgraded our biggest hole (defensively) in the lineup. In looking at offensive numbers, i take issue with the fact that several people seem to think Hardy's #s will decline, and Weeks numbers are going to magically improve. The whole "Weeks has been unlucky" argument doesn't hold any water with me. Rather than using his 2nd Half 2007 numbers to project his future, i am completely discrediting those stats as an outlier. In the other 3+ seasons with Weeks at the big leagues, he has put up numbers similar to his 2008 numbers. He's also quickly approaching his "prime years". Here is the most frustrating thing for me: The pro Rickie Weeks crowd always points to one of two things to claim he's going to be an Elite 2B: 1) Use Brandon Phillips as proof that Weekly will break out if we trade him before Age 27. 2) Weeks has shown (in 2nd Half 2007) that he has the potential to be an elite 2B Both of the above arguments however don't hold a whole lot of water because Weeks has had ONE good half in seven halves of MLB baseball, and Phillips is ONE example of a player who struggled suddenly breaking out. JJ is entering his prime and based on the numbers he's put up in the past two seasons, i'd project him at .280/.340/.480 in the next 2-3 years and neither Rickie Weeks nor Escobar will be able to come close to matching those numbers. I don't believe that Weeks is unlucky, i simply believe he isn't very good. If he puts up better than a .230/.330/.400 line over the next 2-3 years i'd be stunned. To get better, we need to get rid of dead weight (Weeks), not a multi-year All-Star calibur players (Weeks). The best solution (if Escobar's bat will play) is to have Escobar play 2nd. His defense is more valuable to us at 2nd and we remove the weakest link in our lineup (Weeks)

Weeks is also one bad college season away from being a 10th round pick and an afterthought. He had amazing college numbers but nothing special in the minor leagues. I think Weeks might be one in the long line of players that simply could not make the jump from metal bats in college to wood bats in the pros. I'm all in favor of bringing up Escobar as a bench player and super-sub next year. If he gradually shows he can hit MLB pitching, i consider moving Hardy from SS to 2B. But until Escobar shows that his bat can play in the lineup, i see no reason to move Hardy off short. There are much bigger defensive holes on the field (namely 2B. Why move Hardy when we can move Escobar. There is nothing i've seen that can prove to me that Escobar would be a better defensive shortstop than JJ Hardy. Until he proves something i think that is an absurd notion. Escobar might make highlight real plays in the minor leagues on a weekly basis, but so does JJ Hardy, in the MAJORS. If Escobar is as good defensively as you think he is, he maximizes his value to us right now as a "super sub". That allows him to get his feet wet on offense without us risking having a complete black hole in our lineup.

In principle i agree with the Knee/Arm comparison, but it all depends on the comfort level of the player and not "favoring" a different body part as a result of the injury recovery. While a knee injury shouldn't affect the health of his pitching arm, it WILL affect Yo's delivery and hopefully won't have a long term negative impact

Rachel McAdams

I'm in favor of trading Hall is a purely salary dump this offseason, but we really don't have a good option for 3B if we do that. We could move Hardy to 3B and play Escobar as several have mentioned but Escobar's bat in the lineup his first full year in MLB might be pretty dreadful. Its too bad we didn't pull the trigger on the Scott Rolen trade.

i would think that Liriano would be a good example of why to NOT rush a phenom pitcher back too quickly. The Twins did that and did not have good results. Liriano might help for the stretch run, but I'll be tthat the Twins would have prefered to be "safe" this spring and had Liriano from June-October rather that a dreadful April and August-October. EDIT: wow, where is my mind tonight? Pedro Liriano? Seriously self, lay off the crack

I disagree on several points- Again, with a premium being placed on stellar "pre-arby" players due to finances, if Escobar is as good as some say he is, we are essentially trading SIX years of Escobar versus TWO years of Hardy. Therefore, i'd argue that Hardy + Players from Escobar Trade > Escobar + Players from Hardy trade. I also disagree with your assessment of Hardy's value to our offense. Both the July surge this year and the 24-10 streak last year both took place EXACTLY when JJ was hot and carrying the team. Braun and Fielder may get us a steady diet of 13-14 wins, but its JJ's offense that makes a GOOD month a GREAT month. We have a good hit, decent field SS, with a terrible hit/terrible field 2B. You suggest that we'll be okay even if Escobar is a no hit, excellent field SS. If thats true, why not bring him up right now to replace Weeks? I also disagree that JJ's bat doesn't play at third. He's outproducing Billy Hall in a BIG WAY and Billy's bat has played third most of the year. JJ might not be an All-Star 3B, but he'd be heads and shoulders the best 3B we have on the current roster. I will agree with anyone that having BOTH JJ and Escobar on the roster at the same time is deal (especially if Escobar's bat will play), but i still have major doubts about Escobar's bat/ He COULD proiect as a solid offensive SS, or he could be another Rickie Weeks. A Rickie Weeks bat with stellar defense would be decent in our lineup, but it would be BELOW what JJ Hardy currently provides. If Hardy will sign with us long term, I vote we either: 1) Replace Rickie Weeks with Escobar 2) Trade Escobar for Starting Pitching

Escobar could easily end up being a major BUST like Weeks. I'd rather keep the proven Hardy.

.755 OPS might be average for a 2B, but most teams don't bat their 2B leadoff. With the way he is hitting, he should be hitting 7th or 8th. He just is an 'automatic out" far too often at the top of the order. Also, we can't cherrypick his OPS for the year is like .703. That is dreadful. Average 2Bs are a dime a dozen. If that is what he is, thats fine, but the #2 player selected in the draft should be an impact player. Weeks, in no universe, is an impact player. He is, at best, a role player

Considering how "weak" that schedule is, its now or never I realize six of the nine series are on the road, but four of those six series are facing teams that have raised a white flag. Your move Ned Yost

@ Atlanta (3) 2-1 @ Cincinnati (3) 2-1 Washington (4) 3-1 @ San Diego (3) 2-1 @ Los Angeles (3) 0-3 Houston (3) 2-1 Pittsburgh (3) 3-0 @ St. Louis (2) 1-1 @ Pittsburgh (3) 2-1 27 Games I'm going to say 17-10

Its unfortunate when a team becomes the victim of increased expectations, but with the homestand heading to a likely 1-6 record in front of seven sellout crowds one has to wonder if the awesome momentum from last week has been turned on its head. We could easily be 0-7 if not for Braun's heroics and have shown little signs of life against the Cubs after being bloodied by the Astros. This series is starting to remind me of the "Sweep Suits" series in Pittsburgh a few years back. Our offense simply looks pathetic. Given the massive hype heading into this series, and our massive flop thus far, could this carry over into the rest of the season? If we lose today, we're 5 games back and I doubt we have any chance of catching the Cubs. In most cases, i'd be uber excited to be 12 games above .500, but considering we were 16 games over heading into the homestand within a game of first and riding the emotional wave of acquiring Ray Durham and CC, i thought the sky was the limit, but that enthusiasm has been crushed and i worry about the emotional state of the team

a .775 OPS is "hot" in July? thats not terrible, but its not above mediocre either

I can't help but think of Rickie Weeks as Corey Patterson. Weeks' saving grace is that he doesn't have a terrible attitude, but like Corey, Weeks was hyped for years and really has never proven anything. Time to pull the plug. We have better options.

This isn't meant to be directed at a specific team or sport, but i am interested in the topic after learning from an ESPN (Outside the Lines) report that 163 Penn State Football Players have been arrested in the past six years. 46 of these arrests resulted in convictions. I would think that this makes Florida State (Bobby Bowden) and Penn State (Joe Paterno) in a league of their own about being scumbag coaches who can't control their players, or worse, actively recruit low character kids and cover up for them when they are in trouble with the law. Wisconsin Fotoball has had a few hiccups (no where near 163), but i'm very proud that the Milwaukee Brewers, Green Bay Packers (Johnny Jolly not withstanding), Wisconsin Basketball, Wisconsin Hockey, UW-Whitewater Football etc have been able to be very successful with high character kids. Honestly, when was the last time a Milwaukee Brewer was in trouble with the Law? Or one of Bo Ryan's players? That is a remarkable feat and speaks of the character/coaching ability in those organizations. I used to like JoePA, but Penn State has been mediocre (football) since joining the Big Ten, has stunk up every other sport, and now is bringing some very bad press to the Big Ten. I say boot them out of the league. They would fit in perfectly with the ACC or SEC.

I would be thrilled if we finished 91-71 (31-27 the rest of the way). That should win us ATLEAST the wild card, and maybe even the division 18-13 at home and 13-14 on the road gets us there....... Looking at the remaning series: 1-0 Houston 2-2 Chicago 1-2 @Atlanta 2-1 @ Cincinnati 3-1 Washington 1-2 @Los Angeles 1-2 @San Diego 3-0 Pittsburgh 2-1 Houston 1-1 @ St. Louis 2-1 @ Pittsburgh 2-1 New York 2-1 Cincinatti 3-1 San Diego 1-3 @Philly 1-2 @Chicago 2-1 @Cincinnati 2-1 Pittsburgh 2-1 Chicago I count 34 Wins the rest of the way That gets us to 94-68 (34-24) Meaning if we lose 3 games we should win, we're still 91-71 22-9 at home 12-15 on the road

I think the seating capacity is fine. If we start to sellout EVERY game, that means the Supply/Demand has shifted dramatically where the tickets are more valuable and the Brewers can *gasp* charge more.... In reality though, its all about building the fan base. A viewer watching FSN at home is just as valuable as a fan in the seats (especially if we're drawing 40K/night), and building those TV ratings for our next contract will be HUGE. Merchandise sales will also help and i think our attendance/capacity questions can be put to rest for now

I see our doubles machine is back on the bench. I do like this lineup though 2x4 Hardy 2B 2x4 Braun HR (28) 3x4 Prince HR (21) 2x4 Hart Lets get it done fellas

i'm gonna be very irritable if we lose AGAIN, at HOME, after a 7-0 ROAD trip, with a chance to take the division lead TWICE. we should have atleast a 5 game lead on St. Louis by now http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

Could it also be time to put Branyan on the 15 day DL (call it muscle soreness or whatever) with a short rehab stint in AAA, and call him back up Sept 1

cmon Marlins! hold the lead http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

this game is now in the 12th inning and should put some nice wear and tear on the Cubs bullpen before our game. They are even considering putting in Marquis if the game goes longer (significant because he's their scheduled starter tomorrow)........ Either way, if the game goes long tomorrow and we get good pitching performances from our starters tonight and tomorrow we should have a HUGE bullpen advantage for our series. As I type this, the Marlins take a 3-2 lead

This is a great chance for us to rid ourselves of TGJ http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif I'll bet the Padres consider him a top prospect

Well, i'd rather pay Hardy than Fielder. (If for financial reasons), i'd prefer to have Hardy/Gamel than Escobs.ar/Fielder, but by Hardy's FA years Fielder will be gone anyways. If we focus on Hardy, Hart, and Braun as "the core" of the offense and rotate in pre-arby and pre-FA players at the other positions we should have plenty of $$$ for starting pitching and the bullpen