Fear The Chorizo

This appears to be a forfeit lineup in every way...Perkins with an awful break and then cant make the throw to at least get an out Jeez

Walk the damn tee out

Challenge that pitch

Please throw strikes, Sproat!

I think that is valid...but remember the Brewers also have about 4-5 other very viable options in the high minors to fill those rotation spots as the season progresses

Was there something with his 2023 mid season demotion for a month or two that bought another year of service time? Maybe I'm remembering incorrectly, but I think that's why we are in Season 4 with Turang in the majors and 3 full ones ahead of it before hes actually a free agent. He wasnt hitting out kf a wet paper bag back then and the move was justified...but now it also looks very prudent getting an extra year of control, too.

So, 1 game in and we have two key hitters with broken bones in their hands? Seems about right....smh

Overall, I don't see this type of contract torpedoing the Cubs should PCA revert back to being consistently atrocious at the plate. He was a borderline MVP candidate into the all star break last year and then reverted back to being awful for the final 3 months of the season. He's always going to have some value as an everyday player because of his defensive abilities - then again...

Pitch framing will still be a huge part of the game....because not all borderline calls are going to get challenged throughout the game because teams/players are going to be wary of burning their challenges early and then not have one to contest a blatant miss late in the game at a critical moment. One thing I think that can make this process much faster is to do away with the video graphic of the pitch going all the way to the plate and then registering as a ball or strike on the jumbotron. If a challenge is called, just look at an image on the board than instantly says whether it's a ball or strike. ABS is going to be great for the umpires, too - because it gives them a realtime tool to determine if they need to adjust in-game. So many different arm angles/pitch types and sometimes umpires don't realize they are setting up 2 inches off the zone with their point of reference.

A month, I would say. Hoping he is getting some rehab ABs innthe minors before then so we see him in Milwaukee when the calendar gets to May. Bummed this happened, but for the love of God don't rush back and have this linger the entire year.

Yep - theyll be on pace for 237 wins after today, lol

NL Central teams checking the out of town scoreboard... "Here we go again"

324 RBI pace for Mr. Ortiz

That was the coolest infield single ive seen this year, lol. Hamilton is fast as hell

His stuff is borderline unhittable when its not middle-middle, Miz just needs to get ahead early in counts to force batters to swing - otherwise they're waiting on walks and driving pitch count through the roof.

Maybe throw strikes, Miz Put that 3-2 heater on a tee

Cruz is directly responsible for at least 3 of them playing an atrocious CF...and Skenes is out of the game

Cruz...I remember an offseason post here about trading for him...lol The 2026 Pirates - same as the old Pirates

94 wins. I'd go higher, but besides a good Cub team I think the rest of the division has gotten better, too...the race will be more competitive. My MVP is Turang - I think he is poised to have a monster year at the plate and his defense anchors the team. Despite trading away Freddy, pitching appears to be unbelievably deep and talented. Assuming good health, I have Gasser or Woody as my Cys, even though Miz will also have a really good year - i just think he'll have some struggles here and there with command or a funky non-arm related injury that is an issue. ROY - too many options to even compare at this point....which is a great problem to have! Disappointing player - one of the vet bullpen arms is going to have a bad year that winds up costing him a key late inning role, whether thats Koenig or McGill is a flip of the coin.

I will start this too long post by stating I'm glad to have been proven wrong with how great an event the WBC has become. When Bud first introduced this I didn't think it would gain any sort of sustained popularity, and it's turned into must-watch television rivaling the 4 nations hockey/olympics in terms of a sport showcasing most of its best on teams put together based on a mix of citizenship and cultures. I think the best thing the WBC has done in this format is expose people in the United States to the passion for baseball in other countries - particularly across Latin America. That energy/excitement for the game has rubbed off in the United States, just as many of the players and fans from these other countries have become dual citizens and are excited to be part of the American experience. No country can say that more than Venezuela, their people are having a fantastic 2026! And just because Team USA didn't have choreographed home run celebrations that carried all the way out onto the field like other countries did doesn't make them stoic/unlikeable unless people are looking under every rock to make that contrast. Had team Japan made the final, I guess we'd all be upset about both teams being too stoic because cultures didn't include TikTok routines when something good happened for either team. Reality is that every single one of MLB's teams will have some goofy dugout celebration every time someone hits a HR on Opening Day in a couple weeks - in every MLB stadium throughout this country....and what's best is that will include players from all over the world on the same team celebrating together over the course of 162 games and not just a 2.5 week preseason tournament whose initial goal is to grow the game internationally. I also see Bryce Harper getting dragged over the coals by the same people pining for US players to be more likeable/passionate for their country, for pointing to the US flag on his jersey while rounding the bases after tying the game up in the 8th with a home run. Meanwhile Team Italy, who are entirely American born citizens, are given props for taking stereotyping espresso shots and kissing cheek to cheek like they were taken to the stadium in a Venice gondola. Team Venezuela were draped in their colors throughout showing their national pride, and rightfully so - it's no secret and unfortunate that when Americans do it, way too many people are offended. I think Derek Jeter said it best, when asked if the WBC is now a bigger event than the MLB World Series - at least from an American's perspective: “I think the people that say [the WBC] is bigger than the World Series, never played in a World Series.”

I think the difference is Huntsville's really good group of prospects that year were largely ballyhooed for their minor league offensive statistics at that level - with the exception of Escobar and Cain (both traded to KC for Greinke), most of those guys were bat-first players who were largely considered subpar defensively. Once some of their offensive weaknesses were exposed at higher levels, they flamed out (or quite frankly were traded away to teams for impact starting pitching before they had really good MLB careers for teams besides the Brewers). The distinction I think this current crop of Brewer prospects has is they have a mix of incredibly young for their level with multi-tool talent, and college bats with light tower pop. Plus, the current Brewer IF prospect system list doesn't just shine in AA, but has talent most likely stockpiled at really good depth from High A, AA, and AAA - with younger prospects likely competing for their spots in lower levels as they continue developing. The guys aren't just "if everything goes right for them they'll make it to the majors" - they're more "unless injuries rob them of their primes, they'll be at minimum major league regulars for multiple seasons". Will all of these guys turn into even average major leaguers? Of course not - but the Brewers have an abundance of depth of talented prospects with star-caliber MLB ceilings. 4-5 Springs ago this board was full of people poo-pooing what Turang could ever amount to at the MLB level when he was a MIF prospect between AA and AAA. I'd argue right now they've got 4-5 MIF prospects at that same stage of development or even more MLB-ready who would comfortably be considered much better than Turang was 4-5 years ago.

Im actually not that surprised - carribean/south American countries just coming off winter ball is a different animal for hitters and timing compared to Spring training mode ramping up for the regular season. Kudos to Venezuela winning a very entertaining WBC, though.

Welp, my last comment aged well, at least my thinking they wouldnt tap the SPR anytime soon....really not a fan of doing so and hope the plan is to replace faster than they draw it down another 172 million barrels.

I doubt the SPR gets tapped because it's not anywhere close to full, and the only countries who cared about Iran's supply of oil are China and Russia. US refineries are still getting all the supply they need from domestic and nearby suppliers. Under normal circumstances they only import about half a million barrels per day from the middle east. If anything, the rate of the SPR getting refilled from its 2022-2023 low will slow or stop to help offset that loss in the short term. The key is to get the Strait opened up for the rest of tanker traffic destined for Asia, then the added stability of oil coming from Venezuela will push its price back well below $90 a barrel. Iran's navy has essentially been reduced to kayaks in recent days - clearing mines and protecting from pirate-style attacks on tankers not equipped to defend themselves will take time, but its not like Iran has gunships capable of sinking the tankers patrolling or blocking the Strait right now. Back to the original question on this, DCA should remain the approach on investment. Lots of uncertainty right now for sure, but its not a good time to stash money on the sidelines until after the markets start factoring in what the largest pain in the middle east region for 50 years no longer being a pain means for longterm energy prices. Better to take a bit of a hit in the short term, invest more along the way, and catch the whole bull rush back up the ladder than try to time it perfectly.

Of course not, especially since its currently difficult to keep track of who their actual leader is on any given day - but threats from Iran that prey on economic angst are then reacted on by leaders here and in other countries that can dramatically sway markets with a statement, fundamentals are sideshow with these swings. Oil prices are swinging like crazy based on what might happen to supply in the short term, but longterm there is going to be alot more supply certainty with both Venezuela and Iran supplies and more importantly safer shipping routes. Gas prices skyrocketing here feels more like gouging right now. Ironic that now would probably make sense to tap the SPR for a month or two, had it actually been full and not still severely depleted when gas prices here were much higher due to a mix of prolonged Covid inflationary pressures and domestic energy policy, and it was unnecessarily emptied to levels not seen since the early 1980s leading up to the 2022 midterms - all the while seeing Russia continue selling oil and gas all over Europe and Asian markets while they were attacking ukraine.