JohnBriggs12
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Everything posted by JohnBriggs12
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Everyone who saw Na struggle to record a 16 in a PGA tournament I'm sure got a chuckle. In reality what Na did was expose an obvious rule flaw. The area his ball ended up in and similar areas on other courses, should in reality in the name of speeding up the game, be marked as lateral hazards. After he exercised his option to return to the tee the first time he hit his ball there, he decided against that approach the next time which led to the huge score. Many golf rules were originally written when competitive golf was played almost exclusively at private country clubs, where there were limited amounts of people on the course and it didn't inconvenience anyone to go back and forth to the teebox. It's about time the ruling bodies of the sport wise up and designate areas where advancing a ball is impossible to be hazards.
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Someone in 1982 could have easily said this: "there is no rational, objective measure by which Charlie Moore is a good major league baseball player other than the fact that apparently he was good enough to start for a team that won 95 games, and came within one game of a World Championship" My point is you can discuss all you want on just what level Betancourt is on, but the fact is this team is capable even with him at shortstop of getting to the postseason. So what sense does it make to constantly criticize the guy? He's not the highest paid player on the team. He's not a convicted felon. He hasn't failed a drug test. He is what he is. We can debate all we want how good or bad that is, but he's not going anywhere. The team has won 7 of its last 8. He's made some contribution in that time. He hasn't made a costly error. Live with it.
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These same scouts said the Brewers looked bad in spring didn't they? I put very little stock in what scouts say. Scouts are generally ex minor league or fringe ballplayers who aren't capable of getting a real job, and they scout because they have contacts in the game and they love life on the road. While I'm often critical of Melvin, I trust his judgment far more than the usual anonymous know-it-all scouts. Mariner's fans? Fans of bad teams like to find whipping boys to blame. In 2008, the Mariners lost 101 games. The fans were fed up with everyone on their roster except Ichiro that year. While fielding stats don't tell the whole story, if Betancourt was playing as bad as he's portrayed by his haters, how is the Brewer pitching staff sitting with a team ERA right now of 3.07? Wouldn't all these phantom 12 hoppers that are supposedly getting through the infield with regularity (apparently when I'm at the fridge) be costing them runs?
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Even if that is the case that Doug is trying to trade one of the two catchers, neither guy is close to being good enough to fetch much of anything useful in a trade. I put myself in the shoes of another GM and Melvin calls offering Kottaras or Nieves. So even if i might have a very slight bit of interest, if Doug asks for anything of value, i tell him thanks for calling, but i have a pizza to order and have to get going. All you need is to do is convince one team that another would claim him first. Sure you won't get much. Backup catchers never do. But even a little cash over and above the waiver price can always be put to use.
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All the reasons expressed here for keeping Kottaras are actually why he won't be. They are all things that also make him attractive enough to other teams to give something up to get him in a deal. I'm convinced the decision was put off because they want to trade instead of just releasing one of the two. The Twins just put Mauer on the DL for "leg weakness". That doesn't sound good for a catcher. They replaced him on the roster with a 31 year old career minor leaguer. I wouldn't be surprised if Kottaras is a Twin fairly soon.
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A team wins 6 of 7, that includes 3 shutouts, and someone starts a thread that focuses on a few (mostly complementary) guys that aren't yet up to their career norms after 11 games. Had the internet existed in 1982, imagine the trashing of poor Roy Howell and Marshall Edwards that would have taken place. Or how about Charlie Moore? A starting corner OF with a .659 OPS and an OBP under .300? Charlie would have been run out of town with this crowd by those pining for the return of Sixto Lezcano or the promotion of Kevin Bass. The reality is 30 years from now, when people will be reminiscing about the great 2011 Brewers, nobody will remember that Mark Kotsay was even on the team, or that they survived with a journeyman shortstop (what was his name?), or that they rotated CFers. It's the stars that carry the great teams and if the Brewers achieve it will be behind Braun, Fielder and Weeks with help from Hart, McGehee, Lucroy. Don't get me wrong. I'm not above booing players when the team is under-performing. But when a team is going good, I'd never think to boo the few guys that may be struggling at the time. For better or worse, they are our guys for now, whether or not you wish they had someone else in there or not.
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It's 11 games. Geesh. Albert Pujols is hitting .229/.296/.313. What an out machine he his! Carlos Gonzalez is terrible too. He's hitting .268/.311/.317. Dan Uggla is pathetic too, hitting just .152/.188/.304. I know all you Gomez and Betancourt haters want nothing more than to have some stats to back up your irrational over the top hatred for them as players, but even you need to get a larger sample than 11 games. Casey McGehee is not going to hit .211. Carlos Gomez may not hit .300 but he's not going to hit .194 nor is Betancourt going to hit .216. But guess what, Nyjer Morgan isn't going to hit .450 and Fielder isn't going to hit .385 either. The fact is the Brewers have won 6 of 7. They and the Reds look like the class of the division, warts and all. Get used to it.
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Does every thread have to include shot at Betancourt? In case you are unaware, Brewers have committed 4 errors (3 by Weeks) all season, the lowest total in the NL with Betancourt as the SS.
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He hasn't had a full, healthy, productive season since 2008. He made some strides in AAA last year cutting down his K's and posting good if not eye popping numbers. Let him have a full year at Nashville, with maybe a brief call up to DH in AL parks, let him post a plus .900 OPS, then recall him in September, all while he learns to play 1B.
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Trade Gomez for SS upgrade
JohnBriggs12 replied to adambr2's topic in Transaction Rumors & Proposals
My problem isn't so much with YuBet's bat. Betancourt has the potential to put up exactly the kind of numbers JJ did during his prime years. The only thing Betancourt can't do on offense that JJ could, is draw walks. The bigger issue I have is with his lackadaisical defense. JJ was a consistent defender at SS and that is where he separates himself from Betancourt in my opinion. Please cite one example of what you consider to be lackadaisical defense that Betancourt has displayed in the first 9 games. I haven't seen any. If you don't dive for a ball you have no chance to get to is that lackadaisical? This is so reminiscent of the stuff said about Belliard when he was a Brewer. Heck a major criticism of the great Hank Aaron when he first came up was that he was lackadaisical on defense because he had such and effortless stride. I'll grant you he has below average range, but he has made the routine play look routine, he's handled a few tricky hops easily and taken some shaky throws from Weeks to record force outs. On balance his defense has been acceptable. -
Since Reed came to camp expecting to play in Nashville, it's not a surprise that he'd accept the assignment there less than two weeks into the season rather than shop his services elsewhere.
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Starting depth is a bit overrated. What determines where you finish is generally dependent on how your top guys perform and no team no matter how deep can adequately replace a 1 through 3. The two guys that went down, Wells and Cashner, were their #4 and #5 guys. Coleman is an adequate replacement #5. They wouldn't have to be scrambling so much for a 2nd replacement if Braden Looper hadn't chosen retirement over a couple months in AAA with an out clause. Fear the Chorizo explained their bullpen problems well. That's where they really lack depth. If any of their top 3 there goes down, look out.
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If he had come up through the Brewers' system, he would have a huge following. The fact that he was a waiver acquisition and not a heralded prospect diminishes his perceived upside for many around here. Really, as a complete player (obviously Braun was awesome offensively, but terrible manning the hot corner), McGehee is a much better 3B than we've had in years.Agree completely. At some point major league production trumps numbers a prospect put up at age 21 in low A ball. McGehee long ago passed that threshold. Because I live outside Wisconsin, I get the opportunity to hear telecasts from the opposition. McGehee is highly respected around the league and especially within the division as one of the top 3B in the league and a hitter the opponent doesn't want to see up there with the game on the line.
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You are right about Gorzelany. That move stumped me at the time. He pitched well for them last year. Now they have no left handed starter, a talented but rather thin bullpen, and they are picking up Brewer castoffs right and left. I hope Davis makes it to their rotation. Living in Chicago, I'll have no need for sleep aid on the nights he pitches.
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Red Sox need starting pitching badly but Scutaro at 35 could be a big risk. He's off to a bad start. Do Estrada, Mitre, and the young guys give the Brewers enough depth to think about dangling Wolf at the Sox? Is Scutaro worth the risk? I don't seem them dealing Lowrie.
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Saito to the DL; Kintzler recalled
JohnBriggs12 replied to battlekow's topic in Milwaukee Brewers Talk
That indeed is a long list especially if you include veterans traded for in season like Linebrink and Weathers. He keeps trying to find the next Saloman Torres. -
Saito to the DL; Kintzler recalled
JohnBriggs12 replied to battlekow's topic in Milwaukee Brewers Talk
I'm a little puzzled that Kintzler gets the call over McClendon. True, Kintzler had a better spring, but he was shaky in his one appearance after posting so-so results last year. McClendon pitched better last year and logged some innings in close games. Of course that was under the prior regime. -
Farris was a shortstop at Loyola Marymount so it's not like he'd be foreign to the position. My guess is the Brewers moved him to second because at the time he was drafted they already had Hardy, Escobar and Brent Brewer, who was still rated very highly in their system. Defensively, he's been very good at 2B. Perhaps his arm may be a bit weak. It's hard to imagine a guy with his base stealing ability lacks range. For whatever reason they seem reluctant to move him to SS, though he played a few innings there in spring. It could be they already are confident that he'd be adequate there in a utility role and they want other teams to see him as a potential everyday 2B in case of a deal. I could see them moving him after the trade deadline.
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They've busted loose in the top of the ninth. Caufield with an RBI double. De la Rosa with a pinch hit 2 run triple. Miranda, Halton and Caufield now with 2 hits apiece.
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Travis Ishikawa
JohnBriggs12 replied to Warning Track Power's topic in Transaction Rumors & Proposals
Good point. That's why given Melvin's recent history, I fully expect to see Troy Glaus in a Brewer uniform next season. Glaus reportedly "isn't necessarily retiring" but according to his agent he weighed offers and decided he wanted to spend more time with his wife and family (translation: he wasn't offered enough money). We all know a year off spending time with your wife and family generally re-ignites the desire to play more baseball and get away from home. The opportunity to play half your games in a park where you've just raked (.341/.517/.659) plus a couple million should be enough to entice a comeback. -
I wouldn't stop running with anything less than a 7 run lead with one inning left. I personally witnessed the Brewers losing a 6 run lead to the Orioles in the 9th back in the day and I recall that happening one or two other times. Five runs is nothing.
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They are short outfielders at Nashville. Reed getting DFA'd upon Hart's return was a given. I assume he'll clear and take the assignment to Nashville. With a 3rd catcher around, Kottaras can be used as PH, when he's not starting. I do think when they signed Nieves though it was to replace Kottaras as backup. In other words, they wanted Nieves to win the job. But Kottaras messed up their plans with a great spring combined with Lucroy going down. My guess is they are shopping Nieves and Kottaras and to try to get some value back. If somebody offers even a little value, they'll deal. Reed: 0 for 7, .000/.000/.000 Counsell: 0 for 7. .000/.125/.000 In either case, it's a miniscule sample size, but they aren't getting much help from the bench.
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Trade Gomez for SS upgrade
JohnBriggs12 replied to adambr2's topic in Transaction Rumors & Proposals
I don't know what you guys are watching but Betancourt has been solid defensively. He's made all the routine plays, has turned 7 DP and looked every bit like a major league shortstop. There was one ball hit to his left in the Brave series that perhaps Escobar and a few others get to but other than that his below average range hasn't really cost the team. As for his offense, lets wait. 35 PA are hardly a valid sample. He's only fanned 3 times, so he's making contact. Escobar currently has a .488 OPS. Hardy is hurt (again) and on the DL. -
Who do Parra and Hawkins replace?
JohnBriggs12 replied to endaround's topic in Milwaukee Brewers Talk
Barring someone being hurt enough to put on the DL, that's the likely scenario. Stetter and Estrada each have an option left so they're no brainers. Green should pass through but even if he doesn't they have equal talent available in McClendon, DiFelice, James and Kintzler so his loss to the organization would not be a big deal. -
Let's not get too carried away by Kottaras' offense. He hit just .203/.305/.396 last year. I'd give the edge offensively to Kottaras but it's not like he's a premier bat. Either guy is ok as long as Lucroy plays 75 % of the time and produces.