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JohnBriggs12

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Everything posted by JohnBriggs12

  1. JohnBriggs12
    The bullpen is short but the bench is shorter. McGehee stayed home in Milwaukee for the birth of his child. The solution of course is to DL Edmonds, cut Suppan (freeing up a 40 man spot) and bringing up both a reliever that can be trusted in a close game and an extra position player. It would be interesting to see what position player it would be. Cain is the only guy on 40 man who's an OF, but he's on the DL himself. So is Stern. By process of elimination, it would probably be Heether who despite his .205 BA, does have 5 HR. They could add a guy not currently on the 40 man by cutting Suppan. Hopper, Farris, Gindl are possibilities if they went that route. Hopper's got ML experience and can play all 3 OF spots. Farris would have value as a 25th man if just to pinch run. Gindl's off to a nice start and a couple weeks exposure to the big leagues might be good for his development.
  2. JohnBriggs12
    It may be best in the long term to take a couple years and transform him back into a starter. But the reality is Doug Melvin doesn't have the job security he had a couple years ago and Fielder's not likely to be around in 2012 either.. It's not 2005 when he could get away with convincing fans to lower their expectations to the point when a .500 season was something to celebrate. Braddock is being prepared to help this year's team and that means as a reliever.
  3. JohnBriggs12
    While I agree that at some point pitchers are just done, as in they can't quite hit spots with precision or get enough movement on pitches, the few change-ups he's using could point to a problem with his hand and specifically, his fingers. The change is all in the grip. Perhaps he's got some inflammation in his hand or fingers and can't get his grip right. Of course he's not going to go public with this and tip off opponents, but it could be some arthritis is setting in.
  4. JohnBriggs12
    CV's fastball is up 2 mph over last year. He's sitting at 90 consistently and has touched 92. That's what he was hitting when he first came up. Last year he was sitting at 88 and only rarely touching 90. That's helped set up his change and his underrated slider which he's commanding better this year too.
  5. JohnBriggs12
    Davey did color on Cub broadcasts for a year or so back before Santo started doing them in the early 90's. I thought back then he did a pretty decent job. I think he's better suited for radio color guy than he is on pre and post game TV.
  6. JohnBriggs12
    Another 3 hit game including 2 doubles for Farris too.
  7. JohnBriggs12
    Braddock hasn't started above A ball. and only made 30 starts as a professional. To project him as a number 1 starter material based on his dominance as a reliever and limited starting experience is quite a leap. Given the need for starters to provide innings, it might take 2 years to get him ready to start in the majors. He's on a much faster track as a reliever.
  8. JohnBriggs12
    I wouldn't trade Braun or Escobar for him either. Even if Heyward is great, the Braves or any team that would acquire him only control him through age 25. The Brewers control Braun through age 31 and Escobar through age 28 and while it's likely he'll be a very good if not great player, he's showing signs he's not there yet.
  9. JohnBriggs12
    Assuming he's healthy and puts up solid numbers all year, Rivas is a virtual lock to be a September call up. He's already on the 40 man and they'll have rotation openings next year. He figures to be in the mix.
  10. JohnBriggs12
    Can anyone remember more hype for a rookie than what this guy has received? He's now down to .234 with one hit in his last 6 games. He's been striking out at a Russell Branyan pace of once every 2.67 ABs. He's had one extra base hit in his last 10 games. No question he's a very talented 20 year old but when all is said and done, I still like Escobar's ROY chances.
  11. JohnBriggs12
    What makes anyone think that the Brewers would get anything approaching Fielder's worth as a player back in a trade? It's not going to happen and never was going to happen. The biggest net gain for trading Fielder is salary flexibility in the future. Of course they could get that by keeping him through his current deal, letting him walk and taking the draft picks. Any team you would trade Fielder to, it would logically make sense that you'd get that teams 1B back as part of the deal. In that respect, they could do a lot worse than Loney who's a cut above guys like Overbay.
  12. JohnBriggs12
    Why does there have to be no baseball? In 1987, the NFL put together rosters and played games after the players walked out and guess what, the players came back in mass because they had something to come back to and there's been no labor stoppage for 23 years. With all the professional baseball leagues (affiliated or otherwise), there's an extremely large pool of players that would play for minimum major league salaries, if even for a few weeks. Heck baseball had readied for that in 1995, but chickened out and caved. Nonetheless a few guys recruited to be replacements parlayed that exposure they received that spring into major league careers of varying lengths. The Brewers kept Ron Rightnower from that spring "scab" squad and of course we all remember Damien Miller. Now granted the baseball would be inferior, but if it's competitive and priced right, some fans will show up. Fans showed up to watch replacement NFL teams of guys virtually off the street because a) the games counted and b) people love football. It's logistically a lot easier to put together a baseball team.
  13. JohnBriggs12
    Why keep Suppan at all? He's got negative value starting or relieving. Shouldn't the question be what move makes the Brewers a better team? Aren't they a better team with Stetter and/or Braddock or virtually every arm currently in Nashville in the pen instead of Suppan? What the next time Bush gets shelled bringing in Suppan to throw gasoline on the fire is some solution? Subjecting your fans to that is going to sell tickets?
  14. JohnBriggs12
    Prince Fielder has been hit 6 times. Weeks has been hit 5 times. That projects to 54 and 45 times for each over the course of a full season. Albert Pujols has not been hit by a pitch all season. Coincidence? Or does LaRussa's reputation for retaliation keep pitchers from messing with Albert? Overall, Brewer hitters have been hit 14 times. Conversely, Brewer pitchers have hit opponents just 4 times. Rarely, if ever do Brewer pitchers come inside off the plate. No wonder a guy like Theriot can just stand in there and easily cover the outside half of the plate. He never gets backed off of it. I think the pitchers the Brewers have who are most willing to back a hitter off are Villanueva, Gallardo, and Parra and whether it's coincidence or not, those have been the guys with the most success..
  15. JohnBriggs12
    Nice to see Farris with 3 more hits. It looks like after a bit of a slow start not unlike his first couple months at Brevard in 09, he's adjusting to the 2 level jump.
  16. JohnBriggs12
    This past winter the pitching strapped Washington Nationals non-tendered 25 year old Scott Olsen following an injury plagued 2009 where he posted a 6.03 ERA, then went out an re-signed him for around $1 million plus incentives. Also this past winter, the pitching strapped Brewers tendered and ultimately gave a raise to $4.215 million to 30 year old Dave Bush following an injury plagued year where he posted a 6.38 ERA. Both pitched today. Olsen vs. hot hitting Dodgers: 7 IP, 6 hits, 0 runs, 8 K's. Bush vs. Cubs: 3 2/3 IP, 10 hits, 9 Runs, 7 ER, 4HR, 2 BB. 2 K. Now of course one game doesn't prove that Olsen is measurably better than Bush. Olsen had struggled in a couple of his earlier starts and Bush had a good one against a AAA level Pirate lineup. But I do believe the Nats showed a much shrewder grasp of how to manage payroll in this instance than Melvin did with Bush. Even if the Brewers were convinced Bush's troubles last year were entirely injury related, they still could have likely parlayed his poor 09 numbers into a much lower contract than he eventually signed and thus if he were to run into continued problems this year, it would be much easier to jettison him. Partially because the Nats saved money on Olsen, they could afford to overpay (according to most experts) to sign a 38 year old future hall of fame catcher while the Brewers overpaid for a 39 year old catcher who's never been more than a journeyman. Did I mention that as I post this, Pudge is hitting .411 to Zaun's .157?
  17. JohnBriggs12
    The Dodgers signed Mike Rivera to a minor league contract.
  18. JohnBriggs12
    The Dodgers signed Mike Rivera to a minor league contract.
  19. JohnBriggs12
    At some point self preservation has to kick in for Macha and even Melvin. Hopefully Parra's 2 solid innings contrasted with the junk Suppan threw up there in the same game, that at least they're to the point where it's just another game or two.
  20. JohnBriggs12
    Loathed in the 1950's? The Packers were generally bad in the 1950's and pretty much ignored. Besides prior to the 1960's, pro football was far behind baseball and college football in popularity. Lombardi arriving in 1959 coincided with the NFL becoming a TV staple. Before that, the NFL wasn't that big a deal in many parts of the country. Once they became repeat champs, sure they became targets from other teams fans but that didn't happen right away.. But the Packers appealed to many from smaller towns around the country for the very reason that Green Bay was such a small city.
  21. JohnBriggs12
    Despite drafting high year after year, the Pirates have whiffed on a lot of guys. McCutchen (05 no. 1) looks like a solid player and their 2008 pick, 3B Pedro Alvarez could be a player, as could their 09 pick, Tony Sanchez, a catcher. But most of the pitchers they selected high in the last decade were complete busts.
  22. JohnBriggs12
    On opening weekend of 1978, the Brewers swept the Orioles by scores of 11-3, 16-3, and 13-5. What made that offensive explosion remarkable is that those games were played in 40 degree weather. Having been at 2 of those 3 games I never thought I'd see a more thorough dominating series. I guess I was wrong. Still considering that the Brewers hammered 3 pretty good O's pitchers, Flanagan, Martinez, and McGregor, and a lineup that featured Eddie Murray, Doug DeCinces, and Lee May on a team that went on to win 90 games, I'm still inclined to favor that 78 series. There is one connection between the 78 Oriole team and the 2010 Pirates and that's Joe Kerrigan. Yes, that Joe Kerrigan, the current Pirate pitching coach, was an Oriole pitcher and in the 16-3 game, and he allowed 8 runs in 3 2/3 innings and gave up 2 Gorman Thomas HR. Nobody has had more a more close up view of Brewer bats exploding than Joe Kerrigan. No wonder he has his Pirate pitching staff throwing at Brewer hitters. He's having flashbacks to Thomas, Molitor, Cooper, Lezano, Money, etc.
  23. JohnBriggs12
    No, he doesn't. Edmonds and Hart are fine and probably much better hitters than Escobar. That is before actually looking at the stats and realizing both are out hitting Escobar so far. Escobar is only getting on base at a .308 clip. He also pounds the ball into the ground and would make many of Weeks singles and walks into double plays leaving the bases empty for Braun. Escobar really hasn't done much to show he deserves to be #2 and he isn't projected to. Edmonds and Hart platooned are probably the best #2 option. Escobar is getting on at a .354 clip batting in front of the pitcher. And where are you getting this double play stuff or that he doesn't take pitches? He's been up 8 times with a runner on first and less than 2 outs and he's hit into 0 double plays. I repeat, that's zero. Furthermore Escobar has yet to hit into a double play in 186 major league plate appearances. He's hit 41 balls in play this year, 21 of which were to the OF. That he can put the ball in play makes him an excellent hit and run guy with Weeks on first too. As for him not taking pitches, he's gotten to 3 balls in 10 of his 48 plate appearances. He's only put the first pitch in play 5 times.
  24. JohnBriggs12
    Concerns over Davis are in addition to continuing concerns over Suppan so I don't think either of those two is out of the picture if they were to bring in Washburn. Frankly I would have preferred Washburn to Davis in the offseason. It would be surprising given their level of payroll if they added Washburn, but it would indicate they think this is a playoff caliber team.
  25. JohnBriggs12
    Could result in some PT for Bill Hall. Hope he makes the best of it.
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