JohnBriggs12
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Everything posted by JohnBriggs12
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I have a hard time understanding how a fan base that has endured Ned Yost and Ken Macha can really be that down on Roenicke. My biggest beef with him this year was thinking Alex Gonzalez was a viable option at 1B and I'm not entirely sure that was his idea. This team could have tanked and been ripped apart when Braun was suspended. They are above .500 since, in large part to Roenicke's deft handling of a roster full of unheralded rookies with a few veterans sprinkled in. They became a team that was better than the sum of its parts.
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Roenicke did a better job managing this team than he did with the team that won 96 games. He deserves to be back.
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Not exactly..no. The sample size wasn't nearly as large across the board. This season the pitching has been stellar since about the 2nd week of June, about the last 100 games. Of the projected 5 for next year, only Thornburg has less than a season of starting experience. That wasn't the case last year.
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paul253, Roenicke hasn't been managing like he's challenging for the division. He's been dividing up playing time pretty well. Much of the month, they've played contenders within their own division and he's tried to win those games because there is something to be gained by beating those teams in terms of confidence going into next season. Aoki's finishing strong increases his trade value so I have no problem playing him when he's going well. Last night he was 0-4 and had nothing to do with the game being won. They've been winning primarily because the pitching down the stretch has been strong, and you can't ask pitchers to back off can you? Gomez is finishing off a career year where he's dropped off some in the 2nd half. I have no problem with Roenicke giving him ample opportunities to finish strong. Bottom line is it's hard to criticize a manager for going all out to win on one hand and giving ample playing time to Betancourt and Francisco on the other.
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Seriously??? They are playing without Gomez, Ramirez, and Segura, have a 3-4-5 hitters of Lucroy, Davis and Gindl and you think they are trying too hard?? Mets had Wright and Murphy, arguably their two best hitters in their lineup and they're right in that mix too. Fans pay good money for major league baseball. If the Brewers are truly a 74 win team and not a 71 win team, then so be it. Most of the guys the Brewers are putting on the field aren't guaranteed jobs next year. You can't expect them to lie down. Roenicke won't likely be around when whoever is drafted in 2014 is ready for the major leagues. He likely cares more about his overall managerial record than the 2018 Brewer outlook.
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Yeah but what Gomez did has been done before by guys who have a past with a pitcher. It was uncalled for but it was done in the course of the action. Sort of like a guy yelling at a pitcher when he's headed to first after getting hit. What McCann did was instigate a physical confrontation, the same as a batter running out to the mound after getting hit. Gomez actually showed restraint by not barreling into McCann with his path to the plate blocked. That it took the Braves a while to actually put up the run was another joke. It was obvious interference on McCann's part. There was more cause to eject McCann than there was Gomez.
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Starting to feel a little optimism for 2014
JohnBriggs12 replied to The stache's topic in Milwaukee Brewers Talk
For all the pessimists out there, as being I live out of market, I see the out of town feeds on Extra Innings. There's been more than one out of town telecast starting to give the Brewers some respect as a legit threat next year. Chris Walsh on the Reds telecasts is one. Len Kasper and Jim Deshaies with the Cubs too. Those guys have seen a lot of the Brewers in the 2nd half and they've seen the young talent and the pitching up close. I don't think we'll see much national love, but within the division with guys who aren't total homers, Brewers are a team that has respect. -
If you compare what other teams have backing up in the middle infield, I think by comparison, the Brewers aren't in bad shape. Bianchi can play anywhere and is fine defensively and while he'll probably never hit enough to push for a starters job, he does some good things at the plate and he fits well with the makeup of the team. Betancourt returning is a long shot, but, and I'll get hammered here, as a 25th man they could do worse. That's not saying they shouldn't look for an upgrade but I could see a scenario where he's back in Arizona on a minor league deal. He's actually a good clubhouse guy. Halton is another guy that I think can play both corner IF spots and both corner OF spots and against certain types of left handed pitching I think he's a plus in the lineup.
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The pen is a little short heading into 2014. There are some young guys with promise but I'm sure they will look at adding at least 2 vets including a lefty to replace Gonzalez who was rather disappointing this season. As for the right side, another go round for K-Rod? He was less than stellar in Baltimore which should keep his asking price reasonable, clearly likes it here, and might again have value at the deadline.
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Unless the Brewers sign a FA pitcher they are not close to a $100M payroll. Bringing back basically everyone and adding Hart at $5M would still be around a $92.5M payroll. And they can get down to $88M if they trade Weeks by eating 2/3 of his contract and cut Badenhop (while okay, it seems we can get by with min.wage guys w/ options). I don't think Hart's base will be a problem. If he does come back and is the same player, that's going to push payroll higher but it also is going to make them more competitive and watchable. If they still aren't contending, they can save money by unloading Lohse and Ramirez in July.
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2nd half numbers for 2014 projected rotation: Lohse 5-3 3.27 Peralta 4-6 3.99 Gallardo 4-2 3.10 Estrada 3-0 2.26 Thornburg 2-1 2.19 Runs are down all over baseball, so those aren't spectacular but encouraging nonetheless.
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I'll put more weight on what Thornburg did in the majors following his struggles at AAA. To me it's a sign he learned from his struggles and adjusted. That level of maturity is a sign he belongs here. He always had the stuff. His curveball is nasty. The rotation right now looks set going into next year. It's hard to pick out where each fits, as they all look like mid rotation guys at this point. Hellweg, Nelson and a few others will go in AAA and wait for injury, ineffectiveness to open up a spot. It wouldn't shock me if they brought Narveson back on a minor league deal to give them a lefty option in Nashville too. Another year removed some surgery and maybe the consistency which he lacked this year will return. With Peralta and Thornburg still having options, they have some flexibility too.
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While I agree the decision to use Alex Gonzalez at 1B was the single dumbest move by Brewer management this past season if not past decade, I think the fault lies as much with Roenicke as it does with Melvin. They were completely fooled by Gonzalez' 6 weeks from 2012, something I was warning about all along couldn't be trusted, especially after a serious injury. Roenicke was the guy using Gonzalez at 1B in the spring. Betancourt was more an afterthought who had a hot month, primarily at 3B only moving to 1B after the utter failure of Gonzalez was apparent. Then Yuni went stone cold as if on cue as soon as he started playing 1B. I too have a fear they think they can find the key to Francisco's troubles and he's going to get another shot mainly because they want a LH power bat somewhere.
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Starting to feel a little optimism for 2014
JohnBriggs12 replied to The stache's topic in Milwaukee Brewers Talk
Even if you buy logan82's pessimistic outlook that both Segura and Gomez will regress, it's hard for me to believe the team won't easily offset what should be a minor regression (considering their ages) at those 2 positions, with considerable improvement at the other 3 infield spots. Given the strong finishes by Gallardo, Estrada, and Thornburg, there is also reason to be optimistic that the rotation will be solid. Of course nothing is certain, but reason for optimism based on something stronger than hope? Absolutely. Also, the teams they have to beat are just as likely to have guys regress as the Brewers. -
Specifically it was Shulman that kept bringing up that Aoki was a FA after this year. I'm not sure if it was Kruk or Hershiser who a bit later correctly stated it was the Brewers that had an option on Aoki that was only about a million and there was no way they would not pick that up. Shulman never acknowledged the correction as it didn't fit his narrative that the Brewers were in trouble. On the positive side, they did bring up the possibility of Braun moving to RF to make room for Davis. My guess is someone in the organization mentioned that to them and they must have thought that was because Aoki was a FA. I'm kind of wondering if the Brewer media people aren't to blame though. On Friday night, the Cardinal telecast referenced Sean Halton as a Rule 5 pick up. Where would they get that? Either that was in media notes, or Cardinal announcers don't want to acknowledge that Brewers have any success with developing lower round picks. By the way, loved how Shulman had barely finished saying that the Cardinals had only made 70 errors all year when Freese made one on about an easy a play as a 3B will ever have.
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Starting to feel a little optimism for 2014
JohnBriggs12 replied to The stache's topic in Milwaukee Brewers Talk
I think the Brewers have actually demonstrated they do have some depth, since their record post Braun is better than it was with Braun. For all the hoopla about the Cardinals and their depth, the key man on their team still is Molina. Without him, they have been under .500. -
With missing so many games this year, Ramirez really looks fresh right now. I'd like to see him back next year, but with fairly frequent rests. I think he'll be very productive playing 125-130 games.
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The reality is the rankings, not just of Davis individually, but of the Brewer organization as a whole can certainly lower the value of their players/prospects in the eyes of other teams. Just listen to the talking heads on ESPN tearing down Gennett last night, then going silent after he gets two hits as if they didn't see them. Contrast that with the near adoration of every player wearing a Cardinal uniform. They like many GM's are pre-programmed not to put any stock in Brewer farmhand having short lived success at the major league level.
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Rickie Weeks trade challenge
JohnBriggs12 replied to Matt Breen's topic in Transaction Rumors & Proposals
I'd make that deal too but the Brewers would probably need to include Estrada. Buehrle is overpaid but he's still valuable as an innings eater and they'd need to replace those somehow. -
Just about everyone is in that race. Royals benefited by having 2 of the worst teams in baseball in their division. Royals won't ever win anything until they make a change.
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Sometimes the players definition of cheap is a lot more than the team's. Hart may think $8-9 million as a base is cheap. I think he will be back with a low base and large incentives. But, and this is a big but, if he's not producing anywhere near his career norms by mid season, and potential internal replacements Halton and Morris are raking in AAA, I don't think they'll hold on to him and allow the incentives to kick in.
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He was pitching hurt in the big leagues. He looked like a completely different guy than the guy who was dominating major league hitters in the WBC. Let him get healthy before you make such a blanket statement.
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So in the meantime, you'll pay him 3-4 mil for the first half of the year so you can flip him for .....what? If he was already under contract, I could see this scenario, but I can't see paying the guy what he'll likely get for the express stated purpose of turning him around for a prospect. The Cubs have been doing that with pitchers ever since Theo got there. What's wrong with that strategy? I'd say the Brewers have a fighting chance to still be in it in July too....meanwhile....Sean Halton is certainly trying to make a case.
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I'm going to revert again to my Matt Stairs comparison. Stairs first couple years in AAA, he put up modest OPS numbers of .777 and .764 and was back in AA as a 26 year old. He never hit more than 13 HR in the minors. So the assumption that Gindl's upside is set is premature. Davis has upside to be sure, but with the roster as it is, they need a left handed bat in the everyday lineup, and Gindl is that guy assuming Aoki is dealt.
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It's not really clear in my mind that Davis is a better offensive player than Gindl. Both generate a ton of bat speed. I see a lot of Matt Stairs in Gindl. I don't see them going with an all right handed lineup. That's why if Aoki gets traded and Hart returns, I see Gindl in RF, with Schafer and Halton as OF backups and Davis back in AAA playing everyday perhaps learning a new position.