JohnBriggs12
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Everything posted by JohnBriggs12
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longball04, I think you're underestimating the value of the 8th inning guy. Loe isn't a bad pitcher but he cost them a number of games in the first half last year. Granted K-Rod hasn't been a lock down guy either, but he appears to be coming around lately and his acquisition was the single biggest reason for the great 2nd half. You can't be serious mentioning Parra there. Estrada either. Veras has the stuff but we haven't see the production either. In many games the 8th inning guy is called upon to face the meat of an order and his job is more difficult than the closer. If a team has serious ideas about contending and going after Youkilis means you are, you'd have to add a proven 8th inning guy to fill the hole you've created.
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Gaining more momentum. Just heard another radio voice on MLB Radio suggest that yesterday. They even briefly mentioned it when talking about Middlebrooks (spelling) last night. I don't think that is a horrible idea, especially if that is all it takes and Boston says ok. Kintzler could come right up and possibly be the set-up guy with no issues. Just a thought. Two problems with that scenario. Youkilis makes $4 million more than K-Rod. Now that's about a $2.5 million difference the rest of the year. Second issue is Kintzler. You are asking a guy with 22 innings of major league experience to take over the 8th inning role? That's really rolling the dice. I know K-Rod has had some struggles this year, but I'd trust him far more than Kintzler. Now you could take on an extra $3 million or so and get a guy like Capps but now you've added $5 million to your payroll with no guarantee of improvement.. Finally, the problem with the team hasn't been first base. Between Hart, Ishikawa, and additional ABs for Aoki when Hart's at 1B, they've gotten decent production in place of Gamel. The offensive struggles have been at second base. They aren't going anywhere unless Weeks starts hitting and I don't mean working his average to .180 in 2 months. He needs to hit in his normal range of .270 with some power starting right now. No marginal upgrade somewhere else would overcome having your number 6 hitter batting in the .150's all year.
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After watching Maldanado for several games, I think the defense he brings would offset the offense lost from Kottaras (who has cooled off anyway). Maldanado looks very impressive behind the plate. If he can hit .220 with a little pop here and there, he's definitely a quality backup catcher.
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If you wanted to see a good example of "pitching to contact" we saw it last night with Fiers. He moved the ball all over but mostly within or close to the zone where if hitters swung at it, they could generally hit it but not center it. He varied speed on all his pitches. Hence he got a lot of quick outs and let batters get themselves out. It was a pleasure to watch and I wasn't dozing off watching the constant nibbling a lot of guys do these days. Dare I say, it was very "old school" pitching.
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Great job by Fiers. I loved his "old school" approach of not trying to strike out every hitter. He put the ball in spots where hitters got themselves out and also changed speeds on all his pitches. You don't see that very often. The last Brewer pitcher I remember who did that well was Vukovich.
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I count easily at least as many as 10 and as many as 18 roster spots that could open up at the end of the year: Dillard, McClendon, Conrad, Maysonet, Ransom, Wolf, Greinke, Ishikawa, Marcum, Izturis, are, barring a signing here and there, likely to be granted FA, released or demoted. Other possibles are Perez, Parra, Morgan, Ferris, Manzanillo, Gonzalez, Scarpetta, and Rogers. Now not all those guys will lose roster spots, but my guess is they'll have plenty of room for the guys they really want.
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How big of an effect would selling have on attendance?
JohnBriggs12 replied to adambr2's topic in Milwaukee Brewers Talk
I think fans would be fine if they put young players on the field and not a bunch of fillers. Fans got excited seeing Fielder in 2005. There's nobody on that level now, but let's see Schafer and Bianchi instead of Ransom, Izturis, and Morgan. Let's see Fiers and Thornburg instead of Parra. If Weeks struggles for another month, stick Green in at 2b a couple times per week. If Weeks gets hot, see if there is a market for him (even if the Brewers have to pick up some salary). -
rluzinski is correct. Weeks has always taken a ton of first pitch fastballs. It's more noticeable this year because he hasn't hit (6 weeks and counting since his last multi-hit game). The problem this season is not only the first pitch but how easy it is for major league pitchers get 2 strikes on him. He rarely puts the ball in play with his first swing in an AB whenever that comes in a count. A typical Weeks AB is first pitch strike (looking) then a foul ball on the 2nd pitch.
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The awful rash of injuries has likely sabotaged any chance this year. But there's still some 110+ games to play. So what do you do now? It's an opportunity if they are willing to sacrifice a shot at being respectable. Greinke's value is considerably higher now than it will be in July. See what you can get for him now instead of waiting. Replace him in the rotation with Thornburg. I'd say the same for K-Rod. I liked the pickup of Ransom, but bring up Bianchi and let him play everyday. There was nothing more depressing than watching guys like David Bell out there at the end of 2006. No knock on Bell, but that didn't do anything for the future. Get rid of Morgan and bring up Schafer too. Morgan's a year to year guy anyway. Fans can accept this not being their year. In a way, Melvin and Roenicke get a free pass. Fans would prefer to see young players over veteran fill-ins.
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With the possible exception of Josh Hamilton, Konerko has been the most astounding bat this year at age 36: .399/.476/.681. I thought it would be a good time to examine his Hall of Fame credentials. He's got 407 (and counting) lifetime HR. He's hit 30 or more 7 times and well on his way to an 8th. He's had 6 seasons of 100 or more RBI. His career line is .284/.361/.504. He's a 5 time All Star, has one WS ring, and 7 postseason HR. He has benefitted from playing in a great hitters park. His home OPS is .932 vs. .801 on the road. Defensively, he doesn't have great range but he possesses a solid .995 FP. He's a model citizen, team leader and has no hint of PEDs. My own guess is he needs two more productive seasons after this one. If that happens he'll surpass 2,500 hits, get close to if not quite reach 500 HR. That should get him in if voters overlook the home/road splits. Editor's Note: "Hall of Fame Trial" is a pending trademark of another website.
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Service time should not be an issue at all. The odds that Thornburg or any one minor league pitcher for that matter, will be an effective and successful enough major league pitcher 6 or 7 years from now that it will matter are fairly slim. If 3-4 years from now it appears he will, then you lock him up.
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A couple more outings like this and the one earlier in Wrigley, and Greinke's price tag will be down to a reasonable level. Nobody can be dominant every time out, but not being able to limit the damage is not good.
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I would disagree in regards to Bianchi. He's still young enough to be considered a prospect. He was drafted out of high school in round 2, so he must have some talent. The Royals were pretty well set at SS once they got Escobar. With all the lackluster alternatives, it would be smart for the Brewers to give him a shot at some point to see what they have. If he turns out adequate, they won't have to pony up for another veteran next year.
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According to TH. Bianchi will be activated today and is ready to play. He was out after being hit by a pitch. While I liked the Ransom pickup, sooner rather than later they need to give Bianchi an extended look in the big leagues. It's not just about this year.
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Yeah, there's several teams that can't wait to claim McLendon if he gets DFA'd
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Outfield logjam: Trade one?
JohnBriggs12 replied to adambr2's topic in Transaction Rumors & Proposals
The Marlins have lost Bonifacio for up to 6 weeks are are reported to be looking outside the organization. The Brewer OF isn't quite as crowded now with Hart playing some 1B, but it might be an opportunity to pick up something of value for Morgan. -
You're satirical post certainly hits the spot. Melvin has strengths for sure, but nobody will ever accuse him of much creativity, especially when it comes to pitching. It strange because he was a pitcher himself in his playing days. Maybe he's slow advancing pitchers because it took him until he was 25 to reach AA, the zenith of his career.
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Jesus saves another (though not without some drama). Thornburg was sick and still goes out and gets into the 7th? That is impressive.
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HiAndTight, What better numbers are you talking about? Estrada's got a career 4.95 ERA. I'm not saying he's a bad pitcher, but expecting him to be anything more than a solid 4-5 starter is wishful thinking. He's certainly a useful guy to have in that he can relieve or start with a modicum of effectiveness. Bush's fastball speed is irrelevant. He's been a better starter over his career than Parra. The Brewers just finished a series where Clay Hensley made them look silly throwing 85 mph. I'm fully aware of his propensity for allowing home runs too. If you read my earlier point I made about Estrada, I made that clear. Ultimately, the spot open is the 5th starter spot. That opens it up to Dave Bush types for consideration.
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You don't "have to believe" he can rebound. It's more like he better rebound or this team will be bad not only this season but 2013 and likely 2014 as well. They are stuck with his contract now. The downside of long term deals isn't just the money, its the lost flexibility. Weeks can't be moved now. Even if he puts up his normal numbers between now and the rest of the season, his overall totals will be noticeably sub par. If he struggles again in 2013, it would behoove them to think about benching him though, because he's got a vesting option for 2015 based on total plate appearances in 2013 and 2014. They'll also have another alternative besides the guys you mentioned and that's Gennett.
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2012 Minor League Transaction Thread -- Pre-Draft
JohnBriggs12 replied to Jim Goulart's topic in Brewers Minor League Talk
Amazing and just one day after he wins American Idol -
Think about this for a second. They have brought back the guy who earlier was sent down to make room for Vinnie Chalk. In reminds me of the 2006 rotation of Joe Winkelsas, Justin Lehr, Chris Demaria, Jared Fernandez, Chris Mabeus, and Chris Spurling. Who am I leaving out?
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It's strange to me how often threads asking about bringing back some mediocre-at-best former Brewer come up. It's fairly regular. I normally wouldn't bring up Bush either. But the thought of Parra getting his 75th major league start next Tuesday after knowing how most of the first 74 ended up, a mediocre Dave Bush just seemed so much more sensible. Of all the guys with a lot of major league experience now toiling in the minors, Bush is probably in as good a form as any. It just happens he's a former Brewer. Seriously, nothing Estrada's done has me convinced that he'd do any better than put up Dave Bush type numbers over the course of a season as a starter. That's not terrible for a 5th starter, so I can live with that. He throws harder than Bush, but he's also prone to the long ball. Estrada seems better suited to middle relief so putting him back there and replacing him in the rotation with Bush would be something worth considering. That is of course if they don't bring up Thornburg which on many levels would be the right move.
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The old definition of insanity: Trying the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. The new definition of insanity: Starting Manny Parra in a major league game.
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FVBrewerfan, Parra hasn't been given a chance to start consistently for a while because in 74 major league starts he sports an ERA of 5.44 and a WHIP of 1.692. As the saying goes, the definition of insanity is trying the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.