Jump to content
Brewer Fanatic

JohnBriggs12

Verified Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    13,295

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    1

 Content Type 

Profiles

Forums

Blogs

Events

Milwaukee Brewers News, Rumors & Analysis

2026 Milwaukee Brewers Top Prospect Rankings

Milwaukee Brewers Videos

2022 Milwaukee Brewers Draft Picks & Signing Bonuses

Milwaukee Brewers Trade & Free Agent Rumors

Milwaukee Brewers Fan Guides & Resources

2023 Milwaukee Brewers Draft Picks & Signing Bonuses

2024 Milwaukee Brewers Draft Picks & Signing Bonuses

The Milwaukee Brewers Players Project

2025 Milwaukee Brewers Draft Picks & Signing Bonuses

2026 Milwaukee Brewers Draft Picks & Signing Bonuses

Store

Downloads

Gallery

Everything posted by JohnBriggs12

  1. JohnBriggs12
    I think Jeff Baker is a guy who'd be a nice addition to the Brewer bench. He's a career .296/.344/.498 hitter vs. lefties, and has shown he can handle a bench role in the past. Plus he's very versatile and loves hitting in Miller Park where he's hit .404/.456/.596 in 57 PA.
  2. JohnBriggs12
    I think a lot of fans get caught up in the national talk and perception of the Brewers needs. Everyone nationally was aware that the Brewers dealt away Greinke, and that Marcum was gone too so the assumption was that their number one need was starting pitching. But those guys pay scant attention to the years Estrada and Fiers had, how well Rogers and Peralta looked late in the year and the fact that Narveson is healthy now. They also don't see Thornburg, Burgos, Jungmann, Nelson, and others on the near horizon. We all know, or should remember, just how god-awful the bullpen was for 4 1/2 months of the season. The national media glosses over that. Some poster on MLBtraderumors was surprised to read the Brewers had a worse bullpen than the Mets. Obviously we knew, but apparently nobody else did. So Melvin improved the club almost immediately by subtracting many of those responsible: Loe, K-Rod, Parra, and Veras. The guys he's added aren't huge names, but together it's a solid group. The price for starting pitching is so out of whack that it behooves the Brewers to see what they have in these guys before they overpay to replace them. If 2 or 3 of them pan out, they save a ton in the long run plus with this offense, they should be able to be competitive enough early that if there is a glaring need to add a vet arm for the stretch, they have the ability to do that.
  3. JohnBriggs12
    There are valid reasons for trading Hart, but making room for Gamel and Green aren't in my top 10. In fact if Hart were to be traded and LaRoche was still available I'd sign him in a heartbeat before I'd entrust 1B to Gamel. I'd also look into Lance Berkman before I'd hand the job to Gamel. No offense to Gamel as he's not totally responsible, but he missed almost and entire year and at 27 going on 28 hasn't established any major league credentials. Want a comparison? How about the Astros dumping Berkman to make room for Brett Wallace in 2010? How did that work out? Wallace was easily as highly regarded as Gamel at one time.
  4. JohnBriggs12
    The highlight of Tosoni's career was taking Greinke deep for a 3 run shot after the Brewers had staked him to a 6-1 lead, a game the Brewers eventually lost 9-7. The next day Marcum couldn't hold a big lead after his grand slam. Can't say I'm all that impressed with him other than that.
  5. JohnBriggs12
    I'm in Chicago, and the White Sox fans wanted him out of there badly. So to say he only had one bad year is wrong. He was bad in Chicago 2 out of 3 years. I'd take him for the right price (very, very cheap and very incentive laden), but no way is he a number 2. No way I'd give him a rotation spot either. Bring him in and let him earn it. There's a lot of question marks. He hasn't been a number 2 since his days in Montreal. I'd put the over/under for HR allowed at about 33. Anytime he's pitched in a hitter friendly park, he's not been good. He's an extreme flyball pitcher. It's no accident his two best recent years were with Atlanta and Florida. His Florida numbers are very deceiving too. That year he allowed a line drive percentage of 23%. Major league average is 19-20% He also has the disturbing tendency to sail through a lineup twice then boom, lose it quickly before a manager can react. Career wise, he allows a .466 slugging percentage the 3rd time through the lineup. He's just as likely to post an ERA over 4.50 as he is to post one under 4 at this stage. Be careful what you wish for here. I think the lack of activity by Melvin has some of you guys doing too much wishful thinking looking for that magic guy. Vazquez isn't it.
  6. JohnBriggs12
    The Macha teams allowed more than 800 runs in both years. Last year, with a complete bullpen collapse the pitching staff allowed 733, around 80 fewer than either Macha team. After Greinke left, there was no dropoff in the quality of the starting pitching. The key was finally dumping Wolf. Look either you have faith that the performances of Estrada, Fiers, Rogers, and Peralta were real and not mirages or you don't. I'm not entirely sure, but I do have faith they are a lot better than the Dave Bush, Manny Parra, Jeff Suppan, Braden Loopers, that we saw in 09 and 10. I also know that economically they have room to make a splash at mid season, much like they did in 2008. So I believe the better comparison is to 2008. Teams can win with lesser "name" starting pitching. Oakland and Baltimore did last year and the Brewers have a much better offense than Oakland. The 2010 season was also sabotaged less by mediocre starting pitching than it was early season bullpen implosions of Hoffman and others. Fielder also suffered through what was for him a lousy year.
  7. JohnBriggs12
    I think he's approaching the stage of his career where he is basically a loogy. He had considerably less innings than appearences last year. That's not unusual as lefties age. Plesac morphed into a loogy in his mid 30's as did Jessie Orosco, two guys that hung on a long time. That's not a bad thing in light of the prior signing of Gorzelanny who seems capable of facing both. If the Brewers look at him as an "8th inning guy", I'm a bit worried.
  8. JohnBriggs12
    I'm pretty sure this will be the lineup. Eventually though Segura is going to be a top of the order guy, just not this year. I'd keep Lucroy between Hart and Gomez. Even good offensive catchers primary job is defensive. He doesn't need added pressure in a prime RBI spot. It will be interesting to see how many starts Gamel and Schafer get if the lineup proves to be a susceptible to top RH starters.
  9. JohnBriggs12
    That's a pretty big "if". The only reason he might be a fit is if he'd take a minor league deal. It sounds like they are done (we did hear that before), but we also know they have talked to Rauch, Frasor, and Farnsworth.
  10. JohnBriggs12
    Narveson was on the radio pregame the last week of the season and he was already throwing. He was well ahead of schedule. All rotator cuff injuries/surgeries are not the same. Most likely, he had a partial, not a complete tear. Recovery from surgery for partial tears is a lot more certain. The catastrophic rotator cuff tears happen because guys continue to pitch. That's what happened to Pete Vuckovich. He won a Cy Young with one that was probably worse than what Narveson had. Narveson alerted the Brewers after a little extra soreness after his last start. He probably could have kept pitching, but he had shoulder issues in the minors and knew he needed to say something. The surgery should prolong his career, not end it. A lot of pitchers have slight tears and still are able to pitch. If the Brewers weren't relatively confident in his return, they would have just non-tendered him. Trust me, their trainers are monitoring his progress and Melvin is getting their reports. Just because it's not being reported by anyone is no big deal. They also would be more aggressively looking for a starter. I not only expect him back but I expect him to be in the rotation.
  11. JohnBriggs12
    I'm still a little nervous about the 8th inning. Now they can mix and match with Henderson, Kintzler, and the 2 lefties but who exactly is the 8th inning guy?
  12. JohnBriggs12
    I agree this is a good comp for Hart's value. Not sure how I feel about that. I feel the same way I've always felt. I like Corey and he's been a good Brewers. However, even at a slightly reduced "team friendly" deal, he will be too expensive for the Brewers to extend considering all of the other contractual obligations of the team. If that is indeed the case, then I think that given the present state of the Brewers franchise, what Hart would bring in trade is of greater value to the Brewers than having him play one more season for the Brewers and then leave in free agency. Ramirez comes off the books after next year and Weeks and Gallardo the year after that. Braun's big money doesn't kick in until 2016. I would think they could afford to extend Hart if he gives them a discount in years, say 3 instead of 4.
  13. JohnBriggs12
    Melvin has looked around and knows that arms will be available in spring and during the season. Teams that have brought guys in will need to trim guys. If he knows Marcum is looking for X dollars, and he's not interested at that level now, why bother? The Brewers are not lacking in number of starting candidates. A lot are younger/less experienced and they likely want them to get a full look in spring. Bringing in second and third tier vets now only clouds their decision making on their other guys. If they get to the last week of spring training and they don't feel comfortable with their rotation, they'll deal for someone.
  14. JohnBriggs12
    You guys can knock Yuni all you want but he was the starting SS on the Brewer team with the most wins in its history. That year he led the NL in sacrifice flies (10), hit .270 and slugged .429 in the 2nd half, and was 3rd on the team in RBI with 68. He also hit .310/.326/.500 in the postseason. Had a few of his teammates performed that well, they might have gotten a little further. I for one would have no problem with him as a utility guy, if for the sole reason to drive those with irrational dislike for him nuts.
  15. JohnBriggs12
    I wouldn't mind trading Hart, but not as a salary dump. The lineup, as powerful as it is could use a little balance. I don't think I'd trust Gamel at the point but Adam LaRoche would look very nice in that lineup and he's still out there.
  16. JohnBriggs12
    This team scored more runs than any team in the NL in 2012. They didn't lose any significant position player. They can reasonably expect improvement at SS, and 2B, that should offset regression elsewhere. There seems to be some concern that Gomez was a fluke. I think when a player with the immense talent he has starts producing, it's not likely he'll stop. Aoki can be one of the top leadoff hitters in all of baseball. He could contend for a batting title not having to spend time adjusting to a new country. Their pitching staff led the NL in strikeouts last year, and got better after trading Greinke. The bullpen cannot be worse than it was last year. They have payroll flexibility to go out and get a guy at midseason and better yet they have more young arms to use as bait. Personally, I'm far more confident in this team than I was a year ago. I expect this team to contend from day one.
  17. JohnBriggs12
    As a non-roster invitee on a minor league deal, they could sure do worse. Give him one of those opt out deals where if he doesn't make the team out of Arizona, he'll agree to pitch in AAA through say May 15 or some other date and if he's not called up by then, he has the option of becoming a FA.
  18. JohnBriggs12
    If the Brewers were going to sign a FA, Liriano was at or near the top of my list. When he's right, he can be very, very good and I would have taken that gamble that he'd do it enough to justify a fairly modest deal by starting pitcher standards. The other guy I liked was McCarthy, and he's taken now too.
  19. JohnBriggs12
    Perhaps. A lot depends on whether they sell off a bunch of guys in July. If they add Bourn and keep the team in tact, a .500 record isn't out of reach.
  20. JohnBriggs12
    They've added a bunch of much needed arms. There's no Cy Young candidate in the group but they will put a major league guy out there every day now. Offensively they still have some holes at 3B, and in the OF, but they've been rumored to be after Bourn. Under the radar they picked up Dioneer Navarro to catch. It's not murderers row, but with a full year of Rizzo, Soriano and Castro, they have some pop in there.
  21. JohnBriggs12
    That's about right. He's a good fit. Joey Votto is 3 for 20 lifetime off him. Brian McCann is 0 for 15. Ryan Howard is 2 for 13. He was solid for the Nats last year. I would suspect the Brewers are seeking one more RH reliever in the same price range. Melvin's putting together a bullpen that may not have a great upside, but by the same token seems less likely to implode again either.
  22. JohnBriggs12
    Gorzellany already successfully made the transition to reliever last year. I don't think the Brewers signed him to start. Narveson on the other hand, has shown he's better as a starter, so my guess is he's going to get that opportunity. He may well end up in the pen, but my guess is he's going to get a shot at the 5th starter job. Gorzellany isn't overpowering but he's not your classic lefty soft tosser either. He has an average major league fastball and knows how to pitch. It's a good addition.
  23. JohnBriggs12
    As we all know these under the radar guys have worked for Melvin in the past. Pretty good stats in Japan. It won't get noticed but he does provide additional starter depth. Looks to be a groundball pitcher.
  24. JohnBriggs12
    I could be wrong but I think Melvin's thinking is he'll look to deal for a pitcher in season if he needs to. Granted he'll be surrendering the compensation for a guy in his final year, but I don't think that's his main concern.
  25. JohnBriggs12
    Green is no lock to make the team. Bianchi had a better year than Green did at AAA, and can play all 3 infield positions. They already have 2 LH hitting bench players in Gamel and Schafer. Obviously you don't start Gamel at 3B when Narveson is starting, and he wouldn't be a guy you'd want out there over an extended period but they can get by playing him there occasionally to rest Ramirez and get Gamel's bat in the lineup.
×
×
  • Create New...