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JohnBriggs12

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Everything posted by JohnBriggs12

  1. JohnBriggs12
    Chris Spurling was released by the Newark Bears of the Atlantic League.
  2. JohnBriggs12
    Chris Spurling was released by the Newark Bears of the Atlantic League.
  3. JohnBriggs12
    Wow, just 48 years old. That is very sobering.
  4. JohnBriggs12
    I think Hawkins would qualify as a "semi-big" name as he's modeled enough uniforms to be pretty well known. I'll take a wild stab and say Ricky Nolasco.
  5. JohnBriggs12
    Because we follow the Brewers, we are all aware of the moves that turn out well. But virtually every team makes moves each year that turn out well. So to point out that Melvin is special in this regard requires a little more research and comparison. For instance, I think the Cardinals signing Ryan Ludwick in December of 2006 for virtually minimum salary trumps a lot of moves Melvin made. There's also plenty of moves that didn't work out. The 2 best moves he's made in this regard were Podsednik and McGehee, but those were 6 years apart so might fall into the "blind squirrel finding acorns" category. Picking up Turnbow was a good move, but it has to be balanced out with the fact that because Melvin gave him a multi-year deal, it took longer to pull the plug on the guy who was awful from the midway point of 2006 until he was released early in 2008. Giving Hall a multi-year deal was also a major blunder.
  6. JohnBriggs12
    Braddock should be up as soon as either Parra or Narveson get promoted to starting or an attempt is made to pass them through waivers or trade them. If Estrada, Lofgren and Rivas continue to perform well as starters at the upper levels, it will lessen the need for preserving starter depth by having two guys occupying roles they are not suited for. Braddock could also benefit if Vargas continued struggling as Vargas' contract is not so big that he can't be moved or released. When this will be is anyone's guess but I'm thinking Braddock's a Brewer by the All Star break and earlier in case of injuries.
  7. JohnBriggs12
    Two things will happen with Zaun. He'll either play well enough that they will be able to trade him (much like the O's did to Tampa Bay last year) or he'll play poorly enough that by mid August, he'll be released. Either way, I'll be shocked if he's still on the team for 162 games. There's absolutely no reason that if Lucroy continues on a pace to be a strong contender for Southern League MVP that he won't be in Milwaukee by around the same date Escobar arrived last year.
  8. JohnBriggs12
    Remember this. Very few GM's get a 3rd managerial hire. If Macha doesn't last through the season, then Melvin's a lame duck also. You can't blame the manager when the 3 relievers that were FA last off season all carry ERA's in double digits after 2 weeks as does one of the two FA starters.. Macha at least has quickly recognized how well Villanueva is throwing the ball better than anyone and has elevated him to a key role. Sooner or later though, he's got to elevate Escobar into the 2 spot in the order. He's tried everyone else there instead of the obvious.
  9. JohnBriggs12
    Appears to be incredibly patient, but in 555 PA last year, he drove in just 57 runs and hit .252. 1B has to be a run producing spot. This guy may be patient to a fault. Since he was drafted back in 2002, my guess he's close to being out of options so why give up anything for him now?
  10. JohnBriggs12
    He'd have to be bad into June to get DFA'd and I mean 7+ ERA bad. He could end up in the bullpen to get "straightened out" before that but I think he gets at least 4-5 more starts before even that move is made. Rotation depth though which was this year's spring training theme isn't proving to be the issue that rotation quality is. With Estrada and Lofgren dealing in AAA, they may have plenty of decent options as 4-5 starter depth if they were to lose a guy on waivers. The problem in the current rotation isn't performing up to even modest expectations with the exception of Bush.
  11. JohnBriggs12
    I have to believe the Gregg Zaun era won't last a full season. In fact, I think we'll see Lucroy in a Brewer uniform the first game back from the All Star break.
  12. JohnBriggs12
    Considering the conditions, 4 ER in 5 IP actually is acceptable for any starting pitcher. For a 5th starter coming off a shaky spring it's better than can generally be expected. Given Parra's propensity for walking guys, I seriously doubt he'd have gotten better results. That being said, it just kicks the can down the road. Suppan is not likely to turn back the clock to 2006 and at some point is likely going to need to be replaced. The question becomes, who do you replace him with? The seldom used Parra who had a worse season than Suppan in 09 and wasn't all that imposing in the spring either? Narveson who seemingly has settled into a middle relief role, or Marco Estrada or some other guy in minors who's starting and having success.
  13. JohnBriggs12
    Milo Hamilton and Vin Scully are both 82 years old if you believe their bios. Personally I think both may have shaved a couple years along the road. Ueck is 75. Santo is 70. While it's nice that guys with so much history can stay around the game so long, expecting them to be what they were 30 years ago is too much. Scully's worked a reduced schedule for years. I'm not sure about Hamilton. Santo doesn't make the long road trips. I think we're at the time where Ueck needs to cut back either on his innings, or skip a road trip here and there, so he can stay fresh. Travel is the toughest part of that job. They also need to start thinking about grooming a replacement. He won't go on forever.
  14. JohnBriggs12
    That's my thinking too joe. You have to hope that like today, Parra is well rested for each of Suppan's starts so that Macha can get him out of there quickly if he needs to. You can also hope that Suppan doesn't compound things by walking people. Because then it turns 3-4 runs over 4-5 innings into 8 or 9. I'm also thinking that if it takes to June to release Suppan, there's a real possibility they'll have more than Narveson and Parra to choose from to replace him as several guys are off to good starts in Nashville and Huntsville.
  15. JohnBriggs12
    They showed him in sitting in the dugout with a bat in his hands, but that could have just been a fake out by Piniella. I did hear Drew Olson speculate that he was available and may have been taking swings in the underground batting cage, though.Lee is supposed to be in the lineup today. I have no doubt whatsoever that Piniella would have used him in that spot no matter what the trainer said. Again though Hawkins did not make a bad pitch to Fukudome. If I were to question anything, it was the positioning of the infielders. Weeks was shaded up the middle and Fukudome hit a routine grounder within reach of the standard 2nd base position.
  16. JohnBriggs12
    I'm hoping they can find takers for Zaun and either Hawkins or Hoffman come July which is why Zaun needs to pick it up and Hawkins and Hoffman can't be tossing away games. Not only would unloading 2 of those guys relieve salary, it would open up jobs for the deserving Jon Lucroy, and any one of several relievers throwing lights out at Nashville now.
  17. JohnBriggs12
    How about Casey? Isn't .304/.363/.509 as a Brewer with 18 HR and 71 RBI in 124 games worthy of All Star consideration?
  18. JohnBriggs12
    Having been at today's game I hadn't heard Macha's explanation for not bringing in Stetter, but I have my own. First to dispel any false info, Stetter was there and in fact was up at one point though not in the 9th. This is the choice Macha had: Hawkins vs. Fukodome or Stetter vs. Lee. Macha had no way of knowing if Lee were available but there was a good chance he was. Now Fukudome didn't hit that ball all that hard. Weeks was shaded up the middle. If he's 2 steps to his left, that's an out. But the move that wasn't made that should have, was to bring in Hoffman to face Theriot the batter before. If I'm paying a closer what they are paying Hoffman, that guy needs to be able to once and a while get 4 outs instead of 3. As for Villanuava vs. Stetter I think it was the right choice. Both belong on the roster. Villanueva's fanned 6 of the 10 hitters he's faced though and for now he's ahead of Vargas as the 6th inning guy. I'm sure Stetter will be back by the time the Brewers are facing the more lefty swinging lineups.
  19. JohnBriggs12
    I'd bat Zaun leadoff and at least eliminate one chance for him to GIDP per game. Sarcasm.
  20. JohnBriggs12
    Anybody remember former Brewer closer Tom Murphy? For the uninitiated youngsters out there, Murphy burst onto the scene in 1974, when he appeared in 70 games in relief, finishing a league high 66 games, logging a whopping 123 innings and 20 saves and a 1.90 ERA. Erstwhile Brewer organist Frank Charles one day that year, got the idea to play the "Irish Jig" every time Murphy trotted in from the bullpen. It was cute and got the fans into a festive mood as "here comes the guy that will lock down this game". Everybody loved it. Unfortunately, Murphy's 1974 success didn't exactly carry over into 1975 as he proceeded to cough up game after game, finishing that year 1-9 with a 4.60 ERA. But good old Frank kept on playing that Irish jig, to the point I never wanted to hear it again. Fast forward to 2010. How soon will fans learn to dread "Hells Bells"?
  21. JohnBriggs12
    Nothing more should be made of Hart's start than was made of the fact that Bill Hall started 2009 with a 9 game hitting streak. It's a hopeful sign, but he's still likely to be dogged by some prolonged slumps. Can he outproduce those other guys. Sure. Is that saying a whole lot? Not really. Is say a .265/.320/.430 line acceptable? They can get by with that assuming production in other areas.
  22. JohnBriggs12
    As one of the few non-doubters I will refrain from the obvious "I told you so" as its still very early. But I think some get caught up in minor league/amateur pedigree of guys as the sole predictor of major league success. Numbers don't tell the whole story on players. Intangibles such as attitude and work ethic figure prominently in ultimate success at the highest level. McGehee is showing no signs of forgetting what got him here. He's a perfect fit for this team and this city. I've been critical of Melvin at times, but he deserves a lot of credit for claiming McGehee. I'm a big fan of Casey.
  23. JohnBriggs12
    Am I overstating things when I say assuming as expected Villanueva joins them that Nashville will have a major league quality bullpen virtually from top to bottom?
  24. JohnBriggs12
    If Gomez were to play his way down to Nashville, I'd think you'd see either Stern (assuming he's healthy) or Norris Hopper (he of the .316 career major league BA) before you'd see Katin because in part both of those guys can play CF. Katin's never shown enough power to overcome his lack of contact and discipline skills over a full season. One week is one week.
  25. JohnBriggs12
    It's going to have to get real ugly real quick for Narveson to get put in the rotation before he's no longer stretched out. Remember this is the same organization that didn't want to pull the plug on Turnbow until a he couldn't finish a game in 2008 against the Cubs after he allowed the last 6 runs on 4 hits and 4 walks in a 19-5 loss. It was obvious he was done before that outing but they made him suffer through that mess before they mercifully DFA'd him the next day. With the wind expected to be howling out at Wrigley on Thursday, we could see a line from Suppan of similar epic futility considering he was roughed up by guys in their first week above rookie ball in his last start. It was telling that Parra wasn't used today. I think they fully expect him to be needed by 3rd inning Thursday. The whole Suppan being the named the number 5 starter thing is ridiculous.
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