Fear The Chorizo

His link to Biogenesis that MLB pinned on him in 2013 had to do with his actions in 2011 that likely led to his failed test in the first place. So while his suspension wasn't ultimately from the failed test, the evidence justifying it was from the timeframe leading up to and around the failed test.

We'll see how Hiura's arm issue shakes out - concerning, but then again I don't think the sky is falling with it either...yet. He basically took 1+ years off from throwing leading up to the draft, and he went through an entire MLB spring training without experiencing anything that caused him to drop out of fielding/throwing work. This could be normal fatigue experienced while building strength back up in the arm. I do agree that if it continues giving him problems and Hiura isn't on the field defensively playing every day in the minors by Memorial Day, they strongly need to consider if surgery is the best option - and if so they need to get the thing done ASAP. I remember many wanted them to go ahead and get his surgery done right after he signed post-draft. The only thing keeping Hiura out of a major league lineup in 2019 is the defense question - frankly I think DH-ing him while resting his arm is pointless, unless it's for 1-2 weeks and they fully expect him back in the field everyday. I'm sure other organizations have comparable things happen with prospects, but it sure seems like the Brewer medical staff leans on the rest/recovery/wait and see approach with arm issues a bit too much with certain injuries - and all it winds up doing is burning minor league service time without giving a prospect time to develop, only to wind up getting the surgery after the fact. Specific to this thread - frankly Villar should be the everyday 2B until the ASB, and barring an injury I just don't see a move happening between now and then that would change that. If he's playing well, then there won't be a 2B move in 2018.

He's hated because he won an appeal after the media hammered him for 2-3 months after his PED test result and looming suspension appeal was leaked shortly after he received the NL MVP, then proceeded to hammer the media and all parties involved during that spring training 2012 presser as a way to try and restore his image while hoping the paper trail would dry up on past indiscretions. It was a huge story because it took place during a MLB offseason and it happened to a newly crowned MVP and player that would've otherwise been one of the faces of baseball. Basically, Braun in 2011 was quite similar as a rising star to what Kris Bryant or Bryce Harper currently are. It was obvious his statement during that press conference was carefully crafted, and his PR team and representatives didn't see the forest through the trees and gave Braun bad advice on how to handle things. He couldn't just come out and say "hey, I won my appeal based on a technicality - I really did take PEDs last season." That would've resulted in an automatic suspension at the start of 2012. He also couldn't have just not said anything if he wanted to try and repair his public image. It was a no-win situation, and he took the gamble of openly lying to the media and MLB with his statement at a time when everyone was listening. Hindsight being 20/20, he would've been better off with a statement along the lines of stressing that he respected MLB's PED policy and appeals process, that he was happy he won his appeal, move forward with getting back to playing baseball, and wished things would've been kept confidential throughout like how the policy was supposed to dictate. He burned the media who broke the leaked information, and more importantly burned MLB by making their drug testing policy look like it was full of loopholes - I believe to this day that the press conference directly led to MLB and media officials to double down on investigating PED abuses in search of evidence beyond test results, and it led them to Tony Bosch and ultimately Braun's delayed PED suspension.

If you're into the show/movie format involving drugs and a main character narrative as things unfold (ala Blow, Goodfellas), then Narcos is a great show. First two seasons focus on Pablo Escobar, while Season 3 centers around the Cali cartel following Escobar's death. I'm pretty sure they were working on filming a 4th season centered around Mexican cartels, but a location scout was actually killed looking for sites in Mexico that delayed filming/release of that season. I think it's still coming, though. I also really enjoyed Ozark, but after how season 1 ended I struggle to see how a 2nd season could keep things within the realm of being realistic and keep the main characters all aboveground.

This wouldn't have even been a blip on the transactional radar screen had Haudricourt not "scooped" this so vaguely - he could've just tweeted that the Brewers made a minor league signing to fill out their AAA roster, announcement pending a physical. Him adding that he guessed the player and that he had MLB experience at 3rd just built this up way more than it needed to be. I guess my biggest beef with Haudricourt is how in the world did he guess Blanco when there were so many other better options from a MLB veteran perspective?

I think most of Arcia's errors are on routine plays though - he needs to get more consistent with the routine plays in order for the fantastic plays to really separate him from other quality ss defenders. It's one thing for him to have more errors than most due to just getting to many more balls and trying to do too much to make a great play - that's not the case.

I love that play by villar

Starting that lineup and having the roster flexibility to bring either Santana or Aguilar in to face a lefty specialist late in a game is fantastic...early season opponents of the Brewers have gotta be praying for the day to come when Milwaukee needs more arms and has to make a roster move or two to weaken their bench. I don't think Santana sits every game there's a righty starter just based on today's lineup - it's the home opener so Braun's in the starting lineup and he had Saturday's game off, simple as that.

Yeah, pretty stupid. So now there are unwritten rules where you can't try to beat a shift? It's too early in the season for the red-rear ends to come out, particularly over something that's a non-issue. Also, I know people by and large hate the bunt as a baseball play in today's game - but I think it's something that will become a better play to make after its frequency declines to the point where opposing defenses become poor at defending it. Even successful sac bunts are becoming far less routine, simply because the plays and throws corner IF's, P's, and C's have to make to get outs aren't required nearly as much - particularly when IF positioning due to shifts forces defenders to make plays they are essentially out of position to make because a 3B is closer to SS than his normal position when the pitch is made. I think a safety squeeze is a great play for a middle of the order hitter to attempt early in the count with less than 2 outs and a defense trying to employ some sort of spray chart-based shift. If there's a market inefficiency developing in today's game that a small market team could take advantage of, it's over-reliance on defensive shifts and developing athletic players who can put pressure on a defense using small ball tactics - the mid 80's Cardinal teams would be a nightmare in today's game.

Either Mark Reynolds or Lawrie

Mentioned before, but the 2017 team couldn't win games like the first two of this season...their pen wasn't deep enough to go long into extras or keep them in the game if a starter struggled, and their offense couldn't put together crooked number rallies. Their bench won't be as deep at times when more pitchers are needed, but it will still be better than last year. Great start to 2018!

If hitters like Gallo adapted a bit and simply hit the ball to where it's pitched, they'd be 0.400 hitters. Shifts exist and are effective because hitters try to do too much with pitches on the outer half and wind up rolling over outside pitches (thus the 3 infielders on the 2b side), or when they do get the ball in the air to the opposite field, not hitting it that way with authority due in large part to their swing's launch angle (thus the two lazy fly ball outs Gallo hit to Bregman in ~LF on pitches located over the outer 1/2 of the zone). Gallo has tremendous power, if a pitcher comes inside to him he's going to hit the ball 450 feet into the upper deck somewhere - shifts aren't put into place to set a defense up for a pitcher to work in a hitter's happy zone. Most shifts aren't as insane as that one to Gallo was yesterday because most hitters aren't as all or nothing as he is, but when shifts start getting that nuts it's almost the equivalent of an NFL defense playing 11 DB's 30 yards downfield at the snap in order to prevent a big play. Hitters not trying to take advantage of it winds up looking like an NFL offense refusing to just run a draw play to gain a guaranteed 1st down and instead try to run a pass pattern 30 yards downfield. There was essentially 1.5 defenders covering the entire left side of the field (IF + OF)

Not even bunt, just put the ball in play to the left side of the infield and that shift would have problems limiting it to a single. I get that slugging is a premium compared to batting average, but at some point there's a benefit to hitting 'em where they ain't even if it sacrifices power to get on base.

While true that Tommy John has become a surgery pitchers can rebound from more often than not, this definitely speaks to the argument for opting to draft position players towards the top of the draft instead of pitchers. Position playes have a much lower chance to sustain serious and career-derailing injuries that wind up scuttling a high draft pick for teams that can't afford too many total misses.

Adding someone like Peterson followed by signing a safety like Reid or allowing Jones to play the SS role would make the secondary into a strength, not a weakness. King back from injury, Williams covering the slot, Haha playing cf....that's not bad at all.

I think the glut of OF and 1B depth that is apparent on this roster should afford the Brewers to give guys like Cain and Braun extra time off than they'd otherwise be getting. I'd rather have Cain get a designated game start off every ~1.5 weeks to try and stay fresh instead of just riding him until an injury forces a missed block of 15-20 games. It's one thing if the cupboard is bare from an OF production standpoint, but that's not the case with the Brewers at all. The way the starting rotation and pen is currently set up, there will be alot of opportunities for guys not getting starts to get subbed into a game in the 5th or 6th inning as part of a double switch to give a reliever the best opportunity to go multiple innings without his spot coming up in the order. While not a full off day, letting Cain sit out a start and come in mid-game would bolster late inning OF defense and still give him at least 2ABs offensively - while reducing wear and tear of playing a full 9-inning game. Normally sitting a guy of his caliber if he's healthy wouldn't make sense at all - but this team could start a game with Braun - Yelich- Santana in the OF and still be potent offensively.

It stinks for guys like Guerra, Broxton, Phillips and Aguilar as players to get squeezed out of MLB playing time by improvements to the roster, but overall it's good for the Brewers as an organization - particularly when the Brewers can exercise options to keep most of them in the organization as depth until a trade that works for the Brewers or MLB injuries requiring that depth present themselves. Fortunately it's not like the NFL where you have a pretty limited capacity to retain guys on the practice/development squad for depth and wind up jettisoning good players at certain positions because they need to keep #'s at other positions - even though the players at the other positions kept on an NFL gameday roster aren't any good compared to guys that needed to be let go. I'm for any trade that brings in a low minors lottery ticket or a decent prospect that's hopelessly blocked by superior MLB talent at his position from another organization for any one of Aguilar, Choi, or Broxton. That's essentially what those players are currently to the Brewers right now. On paper, this roster is going to mash offensively compared to their team last season if key guys stay healthy. Starting pitching will have its ups and downs, but we have to remember that last year's team starting pitching performed pretty well while dealing with a bunch of crap, too. Nelson was lost for 1 month with the shoulder, Guerra basically lost his season after that opening day calf strain, Anderson missed roughly 1.5 months with his oblique, and Woodruff missed roughly 1.5 months after injuring himself warming up for what his actual MLB debut would've been and was rushed back. Suter also dealt with shoulder issues down the stretch, IIRC, and Garza was a walking DL stint.

Rotation has a chance to be downright awful, especially if an injury or two hits Their rotation this opening day will be better than their #1-5 at any point last season, and that's without Nelson in the mix hopefully before the AS Break. Just because they don't have a rotation full of big names earning $15-20M per season doesn't mean they are going to be horrible on the mound. Also, their pen is light years better at this point than it was heading into opening day 2017 - in fact last year's team managed mid 80's wins with a dumpster fire of a pen for more than 1/2 last season. The 40-man's pitching staff has much more depth on it than last year's team - while true there are currently no Cy Young contenders in their rotation, there are no black holes, either. Win-Loss Record: 93-69 Playoffs: Yes Highest Playoff Level Achieved: NLCS All Star Game Representative(s): Yelich, Knebel, Cain, Villar Offensive Player of the Year: Braun (if healthy still the best offensive player on this team) Pitcher of the Year: On the current opening day roster, I'd say Davies - although I think the most impactful pitcher for the 2018 Brewers is on a different organization's opening day roster. They're going to trade for a #1 by late July. Most Surprising Player: Villar (i think he reverts back to his 2016 self and really bolsters this lineup) Most Disappointing Player: Pina - catcher will be a positional weakness that will need to be addressed at the trade deadline With the MLB roster as constructed I don't see a mid-90's win team - however they are good enough to be in contention at the trade deadline with how imbalanced the NL appears to be this season, and they will have a leg up on some of their competition in terms of minor league ammo to either call up (burnes, vet starter help) or use to acquire impact starting pitching at the trade deadline. I see 2018 resembling the 2008 season, with the Brewers bringing in an impact starter via trade to solidify a rotation mid-season and make it a strength - particularly after Nelson returns and a talent like Burnes comes up.

I get the premise, but Melvin acquired santana, hader, phillips, and houser from the astros, where Stearns was part of their FO.

Giving Braun flexibility to get his healthy abs while playing several positions basically eliminates the logjam many are currently worried about. Contrary to some opinions, if Braun is healthy he is still the best offensive player on this team, and he won't be sitting games solely because there is a righty starter on the mound. I'd call it a soft platoon where a healthy Braun is the primary option at either left or 1b unless he needs a day off. If thames scuffles out if the gate I can see his abs dwindle if both Braun and santana are healthy and hitting. That said, he should get at least 1 game off a week to stay fresh and try to avoid nagging issues. I also agree that perez's best value is diminished by just how much versatility the roster will appear to have - although I'd want him on the roster as the primary backup 3b option

I wish the Brewers would've pushed the envelope and given Hader a shot at going back to a starting role - with how this offseason has shaken out, IMO this would've been the perfect spring training to do it. You've got Nelson probably returning by mid-season, so any concerns about Hader's innings could easily be solved by letting him start until Nelson could take his rotation spot, then let Hader wrap up 2018 in the pen. As it's played out, now the Brewers will be in the same spot next offseason with Hader - I'd rather at least give him a shot sooner than later. Maybe they don't see Hader as a starting pitcher option at all and that ship has sailed - I for one think they have to at least try before giving up on the organization's best arm as a starter.

If he's on the mound less than a month from now, then a month before the ASB is very realistic if there are no setbacks - that means mid June. Obviously depends how his program progresses and when rehab stints get going to really forecast his MLB return. Nelson's shoulder injury didn't really involve damage to portions of the shoulder routinely stressed to throw a baseball - IMO if the surgery was successful and he's been able to rebuild the strength he had across that portion of the shoulder, his throwing program is essentially the same as any healthy pitcher walking into spring training. That's all great news!

The Brewers biggest team weakness last season was their offense, center field being a pretty big black hole of production - Cain fills that. That's not spin

All this discussion about payroll budgeting caps for the Brewers apparently assumes team and MLB-wide revenue streams are static? Truth is none of us know how much wiggle room they'll have for increasing payroll, especially a few years down the road after their current TV deal expires and while MLB revenues continue to grow. Spending 1/2 of each thread trying to project roster construction and payroll for future seasons is writing alot of words that really amount to nothing.

Maybe a guy like Cobb who has spent his entire career in the AL doesn't want to suddenly have to grab a bat and hit during most of his starts over the next four years - The brewers lost 3 starters for significant portions of last season entirely due to pitchers needing to hit/run the bases (Guerra, Nelson, Anderson). I'm sure Cobb would've signed on the dotted line with an NL team if the $ was significantly greater, but there's something to be said about a pitcher with a pretty long injury history possibly wanting to limit the ways additional injuries may occur every time he takes the hill.