JohnBriggs12
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Everything posted by JohnBriggs12
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Who plays SS for the Brewers in 2012?
JohnBriggs12 replied to RyDogg66's topic in Milwaukee Brewers Talk
But if you signed Reyes, you'd be adding a premier player and could get by with a minimum wage Gamel at first and a relatively cheap Gomez in CF. I say go after Reyes. He's the best guy out there. -
Cruz refusing his assignment is no big deal I haven't seen all the cuts this spring, but noted that the Mariners released Josh Wilson. Guys like Cruz aren't that hard to find.
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You don't have to worry about tall grass in Arizona. I wouldn't stick my hand in a bush in the desert though either. Almost ran over a snake on a cart path in Mesa about 10 days ago. Wasn't a rattler though. They do warn you to bring a club with when you go looking for a ball in the desert.
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Some Scouts Think Brewers Could Be "Awful"
JohnBriggs12 replied to HOF4canrake's topic in Milwaukee Brewers Talk
Anyone that has listened to Chicago talk radio much is likely familiar with a caller that goes by "Stan from Bellwood". This guy may be the most informed baseball caller I've ever heard on talk radio. Baseball is his sport 24/7, 12 months a year. Yesterday he was on and picked the Brewers to win the Central by a relatively comfortable margin with only the Reds as serious competitors. He pointed out that all the Brewer injuries were relatively minor and he wasn't buying into some of the doomsday people that were focusing on these minor injuries. I may point out, he's not a Brewers fan. He's a White Sox fan, but he follows the game closely and knows his stuff. -
They definitely have some roster issues on the pitching staff. Kintzler, Braddock, and Stetter all have options and appear to be the only logical candidates to be sent down. I would assume Kintzler will be sent down to make room for Estrada to make a couple starts. Then who knows what happens with Estrada. Hawkins and Parra might be kept on DL on rehab assignments as long as possible waiting for spots to open up. It may depend on how Braddock and Stetter perform. If each does well, where do you put Parra? There's obviously potential for another deal too.
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The point about Counsell isn't that he's a bad fielder. It's that he's the only backup middle infielder we have. This means that we won't be able to use him to pinch-hit as much because we have no one else to play middle infield, or to come in on double switches or as a defensive replacement. Once he pinch-hits, that's it, he's out of the game and we have no one else. The worry is that if Betancourt struggles, or McGehee and Weeks need some days off, that Counsell won't be able to hold up with extended playing time. At best Counsell is the #4 pinch hit option. He's the 3rd lefty option, behind initially Morgan and Reed, and eventually Kotsay and Morgan. The odds of ever needing a 2nd backup middle infielder in a game are pretty small. Almonte's righty bench bat will get a lot of opportunities and you could stick him at 2nd or SS in an emergency situation. You couls stick McGehee at 2B too. They would be a bit hamstrung if say Weeks or Betancourt went down but not long enough to be put on DL. In that case they may have to option out the 12th pitcher and bring up a Farris who's already on the roster.
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Doesn't sound like a guy who will accept an assignment. The last few days of spring are always fluid and interesting for guys at the bottom of the roster. But it's a long season and plenty of guys come and go.
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Technically, they can't recall Cruz because he's no longer on the 40 man roster. They'll have to purchase his contract and have space on the roster. Don't forget Edwin Maysonet. He may be ahead of Cruz too. But he's not on the roster either. On the other hand Eric Farris is on the 40 man so he can be recalled without affecting the 40 man, and he did play a handful of innings at SS this spring. Jeremy Reed had the most interesting day. He makes the team but since Morgan was acquired, he'll probably only last until Corey Hart returns.
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Morgan's arm may preclude him from playing much RF. Would be a rather speedy OF though.
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You'd run a huge risk of benching Gomez after his fine spring. Don't forget Morgan put up a lousy .633 OPS last year (compared to Gomez' .655) and he lacks the power Gomez has. Despite his speed, Morgan gets thrown out a lot trying to steal. Gomez is the better base stealer. I'm not so sure Morgan is the better player.
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Tough blow for Jeremy Reed who appeared to have the team made. He'll likely now be toiling for Nashville. Boggs too will undoubtedly be sent packing once Hart returns. I have mixed feelings about this one. It certainly is a boost to the talent level but it can't do all that much for Gomez' confidence. Maybe there is another deal in the works? They didn't give up much though. Will be interesting to see how Roenicke uses these guys. Would he dare pinch run for Fielder late in a tie game? How about pinch running for a catcher? We know the previous two Brewer managers would never get down to their last catcher.
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Unearned runs allowed this spring: Brewers 12 Reds 14 Cardinals 18 Cubs 20 Not a be all end all stat of course, but interesting nonetheless. I think nothing has been more overblown than the idea of Brewer defensive deficencies. Nobody talks about the Cub defense which is awful at 3B, SS, and LF.
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I think all the negativity really means is this Brewer team is really, really, good and the so-called experts are looking to punch holes in them for something to talk about. How bad are they? I heard on a national talk show yesterday, a host (who albeit is a football guy), mention Greinke's injury in connection with innings pitched. His guest, a so-called baseball expert didn't bother to correct him and say Greinke's arm his fine, he got hurt playing basketball. Any one listening to the show who didn't know, got the impression that Greinke had arm trouble. People out there also believe Marcum is out indefinitely. Never mind that he had a minor stiffness issue midway through camp and he's fine now. If the Brewers weren't feared as a team, that would have been a complete non story. None of these early injuries will have significant impact. If anything, those guys should be less likely to wear down late in the year. It's not as if they can't win games with the guys that are healthy. Heck, they are 17-9 this spring. Bottom line is, it's much ado about nothing.
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What the roster "bubble" looks like
JohnBriggs12 replied to TexasAggieBrewer's topic in Milwaukee Brewers Talk
I'm lazy, so I edited this to how I see it happening.You have Kotsay listed twice. I believe you need to insert Reed in the backup listing since Kotsay will start in RF in Hart's absence. I firmly believe Almonte makes it over Cruz. This is why. A reliable RH pinch hitter is more valuable now than a 2nd backup middle infielder. Especially when you consider that they'll have a 2nd backup middle infielder as good as Cruz playing SS everyday in Nashville (Maysonet), so if they lose Cruz, it's not a huge deal. The risk is that when you bring in Counsell for defense or as a double switch at SS, you are short a guy in case of an injury. But McGehee can play 2nd in a pinch and so can Almonte who could also be stuck at SS for an inning if need be. Also keep in mind, your primary LH pinch hitter figures to be starting the season in the lineup. If someone were to claim Almonte or he chose to sign elsewhere after clearing waivers, there is no bat to assume his spot. It's unclear which one, but one of Boggs or Reed will have to be let go too when Hart comes off the DL. By keeping Almonte, they'd have the option of keeping Reed with more CF experience over Boggs. -
Nyjer Morgan a Possibility?
JohnBriggs12 replied to Jim Goulart's topic in Transaction Rumors & Proposals
May I point out that Gomez has a 1.094 OPS this spring compared to the .690 that he posted last year in ST. While it's generally best to ignore spring stats, it's possible this could signal that he's made strides as a hitter and if so, what's the need for Morgan? I don't suspect both Boggs and Reed will be around once Hart is healthy. For anyone wondering why they picked up Carroll the other day, now we know. -
What's awful about a 3.33 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP and holding opposing hitters to a .223 BA? That's what he did last year in the AL East. Seriously Dickerson was in serious danger of being optioned as soon as Hart returned from DL. Dickerson is not an established major league player. He's borderline at best. Lo Cain passed him up on the depth chart with no problem last year. No way would he have been considered the #4 outfielder. Kotsay was going to start in place of Hart on opening day before this deal was made. Dickerson was insurance in case of complete failure by Gomez, who's had a terrific spring. Mitre wasn't horrible the year he started regularly for the Marlins.
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I'd give them Luis Cruz.
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Dickerson would have been optioned once Hart returned. Dickerson was vastly overrated by many on this board. Gomez' sterling spring also made Dickerson more expendable. Reed simply beat him out. It's not that complicated. We'll see how it works out but they needed a swing man like Mitre. Mitre is a good pickup. Especially with Parra shut down.
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Thanks. Wonder if Brewers will pay if I send them a bill for consulting?
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Carlos Gomez is raking this spring. Sure it's Arizona and numbers are inflated, but I don't remember him hitting like this last year in Arizona. Nobody's ever questioned his ability. Maybe he takes a big step forward. Rickie Weeks has only fanned 6 times all spring. He could be poised for an even bigger year this year. Kottaras took a serious threat to his job and went out and earned a spot. That's encouraging. Braun had his annual inter-costal muscle strain in spring training and not the regular season. Ken Macha is not around. Jeff Suppan in not around.
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Nieves will surrender his spot when Lucroy is activated. I figure they'll set it up for Lucroy to return the day Estrada makes a start. That way Estrada will take Nieves' spot on the 40 man. If Boggs is removed, he'll likely be replaced by Reed. If Cruz is removed, he'll be replaced by Almonte. I figure the return of Hart will result in Dickerson being optioned.
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Some Scouts Think Brewers Could Be "Awful"
JohnBriggs12 replied to HOF4canrake's topic in Milwaukee Brewers Talk
I did see the game where Axford got shelled and he was topping out at 91, so I assume that's what scouts are referring to. But since then, his results have been fine so I just assume he had some mid spring issues. Scouts are watching a team this spring being led by Almonte, Reed and Boggs in at bats. That won't be the case when the season opens. Braun and Fielder both figure to improve on their 2010 numbers. Weeks appears poised for an even bigger year. He's only struck out 6 times in 39 spring AB's. If he can reduce his K's down to 140 or 150, he can add 20 points to his BA. Betancourt (and sorry, he won't be replaced a month into the season), should produce more offensively than Escobar did last year. -
Fukudome is not a $13.5 million dollar player and that's what he'll make this year. Cubs will play him enough that if and when they are out of it, they might be able to interest a team in renting him. But they'll also play Colvin enough both in RF and LF to get him 400 AB's. It's not a platoon. Both are left handed hitters.
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For those that don't like Kotsay, I'm sorry to point out that not only is he going to make the team, he's probably going to be in RF on opening day in Cincinnati. Kotsay was as assured of a roster spot as Counsell the day he was signed to a major league deal. If Counsell's secure despite hitting .186 this spring (and he is), then Kotsay certainly is hitting .324. You can toss out all the negative WAR stats you want, but Kotsay is the guy they wanted and he's on the team. As for Almonte, he's not as secure as Kotsay who has 1,654 major league hits to Almonte's 28, but he's got an inside track as the primary RH bench bat. Hitting .414/.433/.672 will get attention, even in Arizona where hitting stats are inflated. He's not going to be counted on to play the field much, but he'll be able to spell McGehee if needed. I would suspect Katin will be the primary DH in Nashville in 2011. The Nashville OF will include Brandon Jones, the newly acquired Carroll, Caleb Gindl, and either Dickerson, who has an option, or Reed depending on which of those two makes the Brewer roster. Gamel will play 1st. Farris will play 2nd. Maysonet will play SS. Wheeler will play 3B. Rivera and Maldonado will split the catching duties there.
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What the roster "bubble" looks like
JohnBriggs12 replied to TexasAggieBrewer's topic in Milwaukee Brewers Talk
Here's my opening day roster as of now: Pitchers: Gallardo, Wolf, Marcum, Narveson, Loe, Braddock, Saito, Axford, Green, Kintzler, McClendon, Stetter. Position players: Lucroy, Kottaras, Fielder, Almonte, Weeks, Counsell, Betancourt, McGehee, Kotsay, Reed, Gomez, Dickerson, Braun. DL: Greinke, Parra, Hawkins, Hart Whoever takes the start on April 7, will replace Kintzler or McClendon on roster. Reed takes Boggs' 40 man spot. Almonte takes Cruz' 40 man spot. Nieves' spot will be used later. Hart will replace Dickerson who has an option.