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JohnBriggs12

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Everything posted by JohnBriggs12

  1. JohnBriggs12
    Even if it costs teams nothing, spots on the 25 man roster are too valuable to give one to a 27 year old with a spotty injury history and only flashes of the talent that made him a number one pick. Thats why I believe it's quite likely the Brewers could get Rogers through waivers. He's not a top prospect. Teams are now looking how to get down to 25. I feel bad for him. Just when it seeemed he had arrived with 3 straight wins last year, the Brewers shut him down as if he's in Strasburg's class. Inexplicable.
  2. JohnBriggs12
    The object isn't to see how many guys you strike out. The object is to win and Garland has done that 132 times in the major leagues. The guy the Brewers are going to start the season with at first base has a career OBP under .300 and has never played the position. I read earlier in the week that Garland really looked good this spring but Seattle didn't have room for him and he had an out clause in his minor league deal. I'd take Garland over trading for guys like Harang or Capuano or overpaying Lohse. Numbers wise Jacobs had a solid spring too and yes he's had OBP well over .300 since 2007, just in AAA.
  3. JohnBriggs12
    Think about it. Since the start of guaranteed long term contracts, how many roster decisions are made purely on the amount committed to a particular player (cough Jeff Suppan cough) rather than the ability to perform at that moment? Boras didn't invent that system (Marvin Miller did, which is why I oppose him getting into HOF), but he profited from it. How is having players on your roster beyond their useful years good for the integrity of the game? They don't do that in the NFL. If you can't play anymore, you're gone. So now Boras is concerned about the integrity of the game? What a joke.
  4. JohnBriggs12
    They are going after minor leaguers who are not in the union.
  5. JohnBriggs12
    What does this tell us about MLB's drug testing that they will go to these lengths so they can suspend guys who've passed their tests or in the case of Braun, passed them before and since the one positive test that he beat on chain of custody question. If MLB is so convinced they are still taking PED's, and their tests aren't catching them, why spend all that money on testing? I thought MLB had the most up to date testing available?
  6. JohnBriggs12
    There's a reason private entities don't have subpoena power. Private entities aren't accountable to the public.
  7. JohnBriggs12
    The key guy for the Brewers is Peralta. If he pitches to close to his talent level, it boosts the entire staff and gives them a great chance to contend. I think Gallardo, Estrada and Narveson will perform to their prior experience. Fiers is a question mark but he can fall off and a guy like Burgos or Thornburg can step right in and likely be more than an adequate replacement. The goal is to stay competitive and in contention into July when more experienced arms will be available.
  8. JohnBriggs12
    Gonzalez at 1B and 6th in the order is utter nonsense. Lucroy isn't going to see a thing to hit. Gomez is going to lead off a lot of innings and hit a lot of solo HR.
  9. JohnBriggs12
    The only evidence someone took something is a drug test. MLB pursuing "other evidence" is an admission that their testing is inadequate. Since this firm also apparently sold approved products, proving that someone engaged in commerce with it, doesn't prove anything either and it's unlikely that they'd keep detailed records of the illegal stuff. Names written on a piece of paper evidence? Really?? Some minor leaguer who knows Braun throwing him under the bus to save his career? Dubious at best.
  10. JohnBriggs12
    Isn't attempting to nail one player through means other than testing, an indictment of the testing process itself? Aren't the reason they are after Braun that his successful defense brought the testing process into question? So which is it Bud? Are you saying you can't nail Braun with your test because it's not foolproof so you need to find other dubious means to punish him for making that exact point? As for Bud's statue, I'm not advocating vandalism, but a few placards attached to it might get the point across.
  11. JohnBriggs12
    Gonzalez' value is primarily in his glove at SS. His offensive plus is that for that position, he's got pop or at least he's had pop. He's getting to an age where even that may dwindle. There's little to no value in his glove at 1B vis a vis an average guy there. The pop in his bat isn't anything special for a corner If, and he almost never walks. Plus as long as he's at first, he can't backup in the middle infield. Other than that, great choice Ron! I'd hit both Lucroy and Gomez ahead of him, but I'm still hoping they find another option.
  12. JohnBriggs12
    Burgos is a perfect example of why guys shouldn't be judged entirely on gun readings. He commanded his stuff with confidence and poise. His breaking pitch fell of the table. Costas and Kaat (who knows a little about pitching) seemed very impressed. He should have started. They mentioned Ricky Bones had been glowing in his praise of Burgos. Now I had been wondering why the Brewers just didn't give him a real shot this spring. After thinking about it, I'm hoping their reasoning was that pitching like he has been in pressure situations is a lot different than pitching in exhibition games and that they don't want to burden him too quickly on top of that with pressure that would come in making it to the big leagues the first time right out of such a spring. I'm fairly certain Burgos has leapfrogged Thornburg in the rotation order. That's no knock on Tyler either. Burgos is ready for the major leagues and he proved it in the WBC. Burgos doesn't have the measurables to crack prospect lists. He's short. He's not overpowering, etc. etc. But he's got a bright future because he can practice the art of pitching.
  13. JohnBriggs12
    I'd start Maldonado in Nashville. He needs AB's. He's been basically a bullpen catcher for Puerto Rico. I still don't like Alex Gonzalez as the everyday 1B either. I'm not even sure I like him on the bench. I think RR was fooled by his hot start last year. He's a 36 year old coming off a major injury and in his last full season, he hit .241/.270/.372. They should be able to find better on the waiver wire.
  14. JohnBriggs12
    Rogers may never be right after being pulled out of rotation at the beginning of September in perfect health on a 3 game winning streak. It made no sense then. It makes less now. My guess is he's going to want out. They obviously are very concerned with the confidence of Peralta. They basically gave him no real competition this spring. Thornburg and Hellweg were sent down very early (before the return of Gallardo and Estrada) as was Burgos who's outstanding work in the WBC seems to have meant nothing. Melvin also quickly dismissed reports of interest in Harang. I'm less apprehensive than most on Narveson and Fiers. Narveson was solid in both 2010 and 2011, and if healthy, he deserved the inside track. Fiers did fade a bit down the stretch but that's not uncommon for guys used to shorter schedules. I like his makeup.
  15. JohnBriggs12
    It sounds like Bianchi could start the year on the DL. That could be the spot that goes to the 13th pitcher. I'm not a fan of 13 pitchers though. It smacks of just a method for holding on to Rogers and hoping they find the key to his issues. Eh, Lalli or Green? I'm not sold on either but I'm not overly concerned over which one makes the team. I'd rather they pick up a guy who could play first for now and backup in the OF later and free up Gonzalez to backup in the middle infield with Bianchi hurt.
  16. JohnBriggs12
    Lalli's had a nice spring. He spent a lot of time at AA in the Cubs organization and there's nothing wrong with his AA numbers: .304/.377/.416. It's kind of surprising it took him so long to get to AAA with numbers like that. He wasn't great at AAA last year but he wasn't awful. The fact that he hits left handed is a plus too. Maldonado hasn't seen much action playing behind Yadier for Puerto Rico. I could see the Brewers keeping Lalli and letting Maldonado play every day at AAA at least until he's in some kind of groove. There's also a number of teams looking for a backup. I don't think they'd regard Lalli all that highly but who knows?
  17. JohnBriggs12
    I thought it was interesting the Yankees released Matt Diaz. Diaz is a veteran who's somewhat limited defensively like Davis but has managed to carve out a decent career primarily as part of a platoon. Though he's also played 140 games in RF too. Whether Diaz is done or not is questionable, but he's certainly wore out lefties in his career and if the Brewers think Davis should be getting AB's every day at AAA, Diaz might be worth a look.
  18. JohnBriggs12
    His value is limited in the Brewer lineup. But for a team like Houston, he seems ideal. What that means down the road, who knows? His spring numbers are meaningless (see Erick Almonte). I'd love to see him get a taste early in the season, then once Hart returns, go down and rake again at AAA and make himself into a guy that an AL club will covet, then flip him.
  19. JohnBriggs12
    Nieman's numbers look good this spring, but I'm reading stuff that his fastball is sitting at 85-86 so I'd hold off on any deal. A Thornburg/Davis combo might be appealing to Houston (Norris). Davis clearly would have more value to an AL team. That the Brewers are sticking with (for now) Hellweg as a starter, means they could be seeing value in Thornburg on the market and are protecting themselves a bit.
  20. JohnBriggs12
    Excellent comparison to Mike Cameron. I might add that he compares to Mike Cameron in his prime who was better than the version the Brewers had late in his career. Really the only difference between the two can be summed up in one word: patience. Cameron saw more pitches, and as a result had a higher walk rate but also a significantly higher strikeout rate as swinging more early in counts by Gomez does result in more balls in play. The key for Gomez going forward is finding that balance.
  21. JohnBriggs12
    It will be interesting to see how playing time is determined at Nashville with both Morris and Halton there. Neither has experience elsewhere defensively, save one game where Halton played 3B last season. The will have DH occasionally, but I'm guessing Halton will be tried some in the OF and 3B. That actually increases his chances at a major league career if he shows he can be versatile.
  22. JohnBriggs12
    Henderson is not helping himself in the last week or so. The 8th inning is an issue. I thought Sanchez had a shot but he was just sent down. It could well come down to Kintzler, Olmsted, and Henderson battling for 2 spots. All 3 are limited experience wise so it should come down to performance. That's not always great to go on in Arizona but it is what it is.
  23. JohnBriggs12
    He looked fantastic. Kept everything down. FB hit 91 and he was painting with it. Was that a cutter he was throwing too at around 86? Boy did that look like a good pitch as did his sharp late breaking slider. I think he's thrown himself right into the competition for a rotation spot with Rogers struggling mightily and Peralta not particularly sharp. Brewer brass had to be smiling. I was.
  24. JohnBriggs12
    Boras had 2 top CF ready to hit the market next year. He also represents Jacoby Ellsbury. That would have depressed the market for both of them. Gomez had expressed desire to stay, so Boras focused on getting him a deal now. That makes his other client more valuable. It could also be that Boras is courting the good graces of the Brewers in hopes it helps him sell the Brewers on Lohse. Brewer fans respond to Gomez, and vice versa. It's a great day.
  25. JohnBriggs12
    I love this deal. There's not many guys who are as fun to watch play as Carlos Gomez in all of baseball. His attitude is infectious as well. That day of the tragic sudden death of the Brewer employee in the bullpen, Gomez got on base with the game tied in the bottom of the 9th, induced about a dozen throws to first, before finally taking off. Montero's throw went into CF and Gomez took off for 3rd, inducing another errant throw, allowing him to trot home with the winning run. I've been watching baseball a long time and never saw a game end like that. I feel confident the Brewers invested wisely for what figures to be Carlos Gomez' prime years. I'm stoked.
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