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JohnBriggs12

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Everything posted by JohnBriggs12

  1. JohnBriggs12
    Suppan signed for the going rate for a very durable .500 pitcher. The Brewers are getting from him just that. The problem of course in committing that much to a .500 pitcher is that you lock up a rotation spot for 4 seasons that could go to a guy capable of better. The other problem with the Suppan contract is that it is ridiculously back loaded basically making a trade impossible. I don't think Seth McClung is anything more than a .500 pitcher at best so that he's in the pen doesn't faze me too much. I think sooner or later though they need to find out what they have in Villanueva over something longer than a 8 or 9 start stint. But with still $27 million owed Suppan after this season, barring injury, it's not going to be at the expense of Suppan.
  2. JohnBriggs12
    Nothing about this team has been more overblown than the so-called weakness of the bullpen. Much more troubling has been the inconsistency of the offense. On balance, this has been a pretty solid bullpen with a nice veteran presence. Some minor injuries have cropped up from time to time and there have been a few blowups here and there but nothing to the point where we're fearing the worst on a daily basis. Once September rolls along and they can recall Stetter to be that 2nd lefty, I think they'll even be stronger. The other positive is that the Brewer pen has not been overworked and should be strong down the stretch.
  3. JohnBriggs12
    Not really endaround. Garland works with a 90-92 mph two seamer, compared to Suppan's fastball which tops out at 87 or 88. He's like Suppan in that he pitches to contact and does give up a lot of hits and he's posted ERA's similar to Suppan's but that's been in the AL and his career ERA of 4.40 is still better than Suppan's 4.61 split between the NL and AL. He also has shown the ability to pitch deeper in games than Suppan. Like Suppan, he's been very, very durable. Not saying he's a 1 or 2 starter, but he's a solid, reliable number 3 whereas Suppan is more of a 4 at best. If you project the Brewer ace to be Gallardo and Parra to be a number 2, you could do a lot worse than Garland inserted in there somewhere.
  4. JohnBriggs12
    Counsell playing is one thing. Hitting 6th is another. The guy has all of 9 RBI in 159 AB and you bat him in an RBI spot? I personally would't play him at 3B but if both he and Durham are in the lineup, I'd rather have Durham in the RBI spot than Counsell. By the way, what did Hall do to get back on the bench? Wasn't he winning games a short while ago with HR off of righthanded pitchers?
  5. JohnBriggs12
    I like what Catalanotto brings offensively more so than Branyan or Gibbons as he's well suited to bat 2nd and unlike Branyan, he shouldn't need regular AB's to stay sharp. The problem is that he's nearing his mid 30's and defensively he's been limited to LF and 1B in recent years and I don't think the Brewers will want to move around either Braun or Fielder. If he could still play RF occasionally, he'd have much more value. As a LH PH specialist, he'd be a great fit, but $4 million is a lot to pay for that role. Maybe something could be done in the offseason like Bush to Texas for Laird and Catalanotto which would even out the dollars, but I don't think we'll see him this year.
  6. JohnBriggs12
    Since July 7th, Kendall is 11 for 86 (.128). During that time, he's played 23 of 25 games. He's had one multi hit game, 3 RBI, and 14 hitless games. The Brewers have gotten more offensive production out of the starting pitchers than they have out of Kendall.
  7. JohnBriggs12
    That is definitely one scenario, but I'm going to disagree with you that it is the only one unless you know something I don't about how to solve our pitching situation in 2009. So if you think Gamel will remain at 3B, do you think Prince will still be a Brewer next year? And if so, how do you see our starting rotation stacking up in 2009? The pitching situation should not be solved by trading Fielder, the only reliable lefthanded bat in the lineup. They can resolve the pitching situation this way: 1. Sign a free agent like Derek Lowe. Better yet, steal Ryan Dempster away from Cubs. 2. Move Carlos Villanueva back into the rotation and this time show some patience. You think he doesn't have the stuff? Does Jorge Campillo? 3. Get Gallardo healthy. 4. Move at deadline next year for additional arm if needed.
  8. JohnBriggs12
    If the Brewers didn't move Gamel after a season where he made 53 errors and recorded an .826 fielding percentage, they sure aren't going to move him after he's improved to 25 errors and a .919 fielding percentage through roughly the same number of games. Obviously they agree with Buckhunts that he has the physical ability to play 3B and they hope with maturity he'll overcome the concentration (better word than mental) issues that have plagued him defensively in the past. They can't help but be encouraged by his improvement, especially recently.
  9. JohnBriggs12
    I must have missed it. What year did Sheets win the Cy Young? And just how many of those 7.66K/9 innings of Sheets included the opposing pitcher? I'm sure a lot more than CC's. You can't compare raw numbers of pitchers compiled in different leagues. Still, over the last 3 seasons which are more relevant to next contracts, Sabathia is 42-26 with a 3.21 ERA, 16 CG, 6 shutouts in 608 innings while Sheets is 28-17 with a 3.57 ERA, 5 CG, 1 shutout in 393 2/3 innings. I'm not denegrating Sheets. He's going to get $15-16 million per year over 4-5 years. But Sabathia is going to get $20-21 million over 6 years minimum. Not to be overlooked besides the issue of durability is the fact that Sabathia is 2 years younger than Sheets.
  10. JohnBriggs12
    I don't think what Kendall says he needs or doesn't need should mean anything. He's not Johnny Bench is his prime and Bench is the only catcher I've seen in my lifetime that I'd play as much as Kendall is this season. Heck, he's not even Jason Kendall in his prime. He's barely Damian Miller of 07.
  11. JohnBriggs12
    There are 16 catchers in the NL with 200 or more plate appearences. Kendall ranks 12th in OPS, 11th in RBI, 14th in slugging and last in HR. Yet only All Stars Russell Martin and Geovany Soto, both with OPS over .800, have more plate appearences than Kendall. What's wrong with this picture? Is Rivera any worse than the likes of Corky Miller, Raul Casanova, Mike Rabelo?? Of course not, but those guys have more plate appearences than does Rivera.
  12. JohnBriggs12
    Look, he's had one season where he posted an ERA under 3 and even that year had some tough outings as his innings piled up. He's not Bob Gibson or Tom Seaver. I don' think he's hurt but he's adjusting to a full season of work which he hasn't had in 4 years. His overall numbers are still good, but he's no CC Sabathia and when the contracts are handed out, he will get 1-2 fewer years and about $5 million per year less than CC.
  13. JohnBriggs12
    I was out all day today and missed the game. On the Wtmj postgame they were complaining about Yost playing 4 backups. I assumed Rivera played but apparently not. Playing Kendall back to back in hot and humid Atlanta day games is ludicrous.
  14. JohnBriggs12
    It's no different in any sport. It has to be clear in the locker room who is running the team. When Jason Kendall plays every day because he wants to and the manager lets him regardless of his performance or the rational idea that a catcher nearing his mid 30's needs more rest than he's getting, then who is running the team, Kendall or Yost? With a guy like Piniella, that's never been an issue.
  15. JohnBriggs12
    I don't believe there is any chance that either Cameron is back or that Gwynn is the CF next season I expect CF next season to be manned either by Corey Hart or Bill Hall. Hall and Cameron are virtually identical as offensive players. You can carry one guy with those attributes but not both. Gamel could figure in either at 3B or RF or they will sign or deal for a LH bat who plays OF or 3B.
  16. JohnBriggs12
    Geno, Your comments are very insightful. Sure the Cub pitching was good. But the Brewer hitters got pitches to hit and didn't. They also swung at pitches in the dirt, over their heads, etc. And the Brewers at time looked like a Rookie league team (Weeks throwing balls away, Kendall not blocking balls etc.) Sadly, the tone for this series was set Sunday as Yost sat idly by waiting for Suppan to get that 3rd out against the Astros. Meanwhile the Cubs were breaking out of their offensive slumber by pounding on the Marlins. It was almost as if Yost was satisfied with the week and really didn't mind losing that game. You hit the nail on the head calling Yost an enabler. That's exactly what he is. Oh he talks accountability and he benches guys (but not some guys), and takes guys out of the rotation (but not some guys). Yet until I see him put his foot down and sit Kendall for a series or pull Suppan from a start, or actually sit Weeks for 5 straight games, or he orders Corey Hart to stop trying to bunt with 2 outs and a runner on first, I don't see him as tough enough. Eventually players see that (if they haven't already) and they just ignore him. Yost could take a lesson from Mike McCarthy who is willing to stand up to a legend of the game who doesn't know when to quit.
  17. JohnBriggs12
    Not sure that's a fair criticism of Melvin. The Brewers have guys who had been decent or better OBP guys (Weeks, Counsell, Cameron, Kendall), but they all are either in a season long slump (Weeks), over the hill (Cameron, Counsell), or a combination of over the hill and overused (Kendall). I'm sure Melvin would have liked to sign Fukudome (instead of Cameron) who's the only real OBP guy the Cubs added. The other guys improved their OBP this year. It also doesn't explain the Brewer futility hitting with RISP.
  18. JohnBriggs12
    Of course the players deserve most of the blame for this series, but Yost set the tone in the final game of the Houston series when in a close game he left Suppan in at least 3 batters too long. That game was a pretty big downer headed into such a big series. Things like that go unnoticed but it made me feel very uneasy. Of course there is no defense for Yost trotting Kendall out there day in and day out no matter how bad he is slumping. One things for sure, Yost's fate for 2009 is squarely resting on him righting the ship and making the playoffs. Whether he can handle that pressure is another thing.
  19. JohnBriggs12
    I pointed out in the vent thread, that back in 1979, the Brewers started a huge homestand by sweeping the Yankees in 3 emotionally charged games, then had the two teams in front of them coming in, Baltimore and Boston for 8 games. With all that momentum and huge crowds every game, they lost 7 of 8, including 4 of 5 to Boston where they were outscored 47-19 (Reggie Cleveland in particular got lit up about as bad as any Brewer pitcher ever did). Once they got back on the road, they righted themselves quickly but essentially that week ruined any chance they had for playoffs that year despite a 95 win season.
  20. JohnBriggs12
    Looking back at the vastness of Brewer history I can remember just one stretch that matches this one and that was in 1979. Back then, ironically the same week of the season, the Brewers, flush from sweeping the Yankees at County Stadium, dropped 6 of the next 7 to the front running Orioles and second place Red Sox, culminating in a 19-5 debacle of a loss to the Red Sox in the 2nd game of a doubleheader. I remember feeling at the time much as I do now. That the Brewers were just not emotionally mature enough to handle the pressure with the stakes raised. That team rebounded as soon as they got back on the road and won like 15 of the next 19, but the damage was done and the division hopes dashed.
  21. JohnBriggs12
    What can they get for Sheets and Sabathia in the next 45 minutes?
  22. JohnBriggs12
    At least you guys don't have to listen to Cub fans whooping it up in your office.
  23. JohnBriggs12
    Kendall's been a bust offensively. With him in the lineup, it's like having 2 pitchers batting. I'd be all for any move that results in Kendall being benched. Laird is a much better offensive player than Kendall at this stage of Kendall's career. Personally, I'd be all over the Pirates for Ryan Doumit.
  24. JohnBriggs12
    No Brian they are not suddenly going to get hot I'm afraid. We're 4 months into the season and the list of Brewer offensive underachievers is a long one: Weeks, Cameron, Hall, Kendall. Two of those four were Melvin's key FA signees last offseason. I just don't think Cameron or Kendall have anything left in their tank. Cameron's old (35 in the post PED era is once again old) and Kendall's been abused by Yost. Both were bad signings and if you can correct them now, they should.
  25. JohnBriggs12
    Great suggestion. He's a far more complete hitter than Branyan and he's been only slightly below average at 3B (.945 lifetime FP) despite the reputation that he can't field. The guy I'd really like though is Ryan Doumit from the Pirates. Maybe a Weeks for Doumit deal could get done. Heck I'd send Kendall back to Pittsburgh too.
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