DonMoney4Mgr

My original point was not so much what options Melvin had, or what his thought processes were, because personally, I don't care. The bottom line, however, is that here we are in a pennant race and we have a bullpen that is below average and one I have very little confidence in. If the game is on the line (1 or 2 run lead, 7th inning on) can we trust Gagne, Riske, Mota, Shouse (other than situationally), or Torres. I don't think so. And I don't think Nedley does either.

Gagne 10M, Riske 4M, Mota 3.2M, Torres 3.2M, Shouse 2M = 22.4M Florida Marlins = 21.8M And their bullpen is on the same level as ours. I understand the successes of Torres and Shouse, but neither would be considered dominant. And as we go down the stretch run, especially on the road against Phi & Chi, we are going to need a bullpen that we don't have. IMO, Melvin puts way too much value on experienced bullpen arms and gives up on younger pitchers too early, and unfortunately too often. Adams, Balfour, Eveland, Inman, Garrison, and my guess is they will give up on Dillard for the rest of this year. I'm not implying all these examples should be the makeup of our bullpen. However, to be competitive in the upcoming years, Melvin will have to change philosophically.

Maybe his girth is slowing down his bat speed, or affecting his mechanics somewhat. I'm amazed when atheletes have so much at stake and they still can't get there butts in shape.

1) Roberts 2B 2) Hardy 3B 3) Braun LF 4) Overbay 1B 5) Hart CF 6) Salome C 7) Escobar SS 8) Brantley RF Trade Fielder, Weeks, Hall, Bush, and Soup. Acquire; Halladay, Overbay, Roberts and Cain Rotation; Halladay, Cain, Gallardo, Parra, Jeffries Bench; Kapler, Brad Nelson Pen; Dillard, Riske, Torrez, Stetter, and Bateman

Although the Cubs have been firing on all cylinders most of the season, at some point several hitters will slump simultaneously. This will occur during the playoffs IMO. Most likely, they will have to face Arizona. It would be nice if AZ lined up with Webb, Haren, and Johnson (ERA under 2 since ASB) Further, Zambrano has not been lights out lately, he's hittable. Webb vs. Zambrano, I like Webb. And if AZ can split in Chicago, I think they can pull it off in a short series with that 3 headed monster.

I don't think the Brewers organization under Melvin has made good decisions in regards to relievers. He seems to lean on veterans and "power arms". He's given up on some young arms before ever giving them adequate chances. Balfour, Adams, Dillard, even Thatcher (who's not so good this year) had a better year last year than Linebrink. They have done so in favor of the likes of Mota, Riske, Shouse, Gagne, and Torrez. This is going to be our big weakness down the stretch. How much confidence do you have in any of those guys?

Craig Counsel has 12 R'sBI in 202 AB. That's the lowest ratio on the team including starting pitchers (yes, Sheets too). And he's playing a "power position". At least it should be a run producing position.

Bill Hall - the law of diminishing returns since '06 Rickie Weeks - will never live up to potential Craig Counsel - the batting stance (even the new one), overpaid at 3M per, and all the accolades he recieves from commentators and coaches. For what? Sheffield Zambrano the rest of the Cubs Nomar LaRoche - all of them

I think the one thing lacking is his OBP. It shows a couple things. The low number of IBB indicates that teams still are not afraid to pitch to him, and it shows a lack of plate discipline at times. He just isn't in the same catagory as an Albert Pujols yet.

I would of wrote my own post, but this is exactly what I would of said. I agree 100%.

I don't want to see either of them. Durham's too old and Weeks just isn't good enough. Move Hardy over, Escobar at SS, Gamel at third.

Craig Counsel - his batting stance, overpaid at 3M per, hitting w/RISP, and all the compliments he gets for zero production.

How about 28 yr. old Joe Bateman? Check out his stats; 2.23 ERA/8.96 K/9/3.32 K/BB/.575 OPS/.216 BA/1.08 WHIP. Not bad. I have no idea who it is or what his history is but he's got some of the best overall numbers at Nashville for relievers.

Braun to right, hart to third, Bonds in left. 1) Durham 2) Hardy 3) Braun 4) Bonds 5) Fielder 6) Hart 7) Cameron 8) Kendall I'd do it

Back to sub-500 with this rotation.

I like Cameron, but I think 10M is too much too pay when we're going to need every penny for SP. Further, part of the reason this is only an average offensive team, is the lack of R/L and Power/OBP balance. I would rather see them go with one of our young guys in CF. Brantley .331/.409, 25 steals, LH bat, and only 22 strikeouts in 390 AB. Cain is an option too. Cain might be farther along defensively since he is the one playing CF at Huntsville.

Let's face it, as much as I like having CC and Sheets as a 1,2 punch, signing either of the two is highly unlikely and very risky for a market such as Milwaukee. Why not work out some trades that would bring Roy Halladay and Matt Cain to Milwaukee. Halladay is signed for two more years with Toronto at about 15 per. Cain is signed through 11' for about 5 or 6 per. Consider these facts in relation to the big picture. Prince Fielder has considerable value right now, LH power bat, MVP potential, under the teams control for a few more years. However, he has Boras as an agent and reportedly turned down 5yr/60 M., and he is a liability on defense. Trading him in the off season could be our best option. With some of our young studs in Huntsville, several position players could be used as trade bait as well; Hardy, Weeks, Hall and Kendall if anyone is interested. Pitchers on the list could include; Bush, Suppan, or McClung. (I know, not much there) In the end, the philosophy would be to go young and spend less on the position players, and have a formidable starting rotation. Toronto may accept Fielder, Hall, Bush/or McClung, and a prospect (one of the catchers) for Halladay and Overbay. The Giants, on the other hand, have no offense. Hardy and Weeks might be enough to pry Cain away. Rotation could look like this for the next two years; Halladay, Cain, Parra, Gallardo, Suppan/Jeffress Lineup; Brantley CF, Gamel 3B, Braun RF, Overbay 1B, Hart LF, Escobar SS, Salome C, FA 2B Right now we are an average offensive team statistically somewhere in the middle of the league. We have a lot of power, but lack balance and consistency. At least with a reduced payroll the team could add bats at mid season to fill in holes, and wouldn't have to give up as much as they would to get starting pitching. Most likely, not all the prospects will pan out. But I think that approach would be closer to the Minnesota, Oakland model of "success for less". Edit: Fixed title. - Toby

It depends on your definition of bad. Nix is horrible. .131 BA in his last 86 major league at bats with no walks. That's Ben Sheets territory. I would rather have bonds with all the baggage, or what about Brad Nelson? He's versatile, and has an OBP of 390 at Nashville. LF is not a defensive position anyway. (Kaplers' last week of defense notwithstanding)

Why is this guy in the major leagues getting at bats for a pennant contender? Is Melvin still in love with him from his texas days?

Boy, I hate it when I'm right

If Brantley is part of the Sabbathia deal, I am done with Doug Melvin. He is exactly the type of player this team needs to balance it out. .331 avg./.409 OB (.412 against lefties, .408 against righties) 45 BB/22 SO, 31 steals, bats lefthanded. Also, voted to have the "best idea of the strikezone" in the southern league. Forget about LaPorta, guys like Brantley don't come around that often. He would sure look good in a brewer uniform next year batting leadoff.

In his last 84 major league at bats Nix is hitting an anemic .131 BA. with NO WALKS. I can't believe this is our best option during a pennant race. He flat out stinks. I am now convinced we won't see any of our prospects from Huntsville this year to try and help this team. In 02' the Marlins added a guy from their AA club in mid season named Miguel Cabrera. I think you might of heard of him. Going down the stretch with the Counsel at third, Weeks at second, and guys like Nix getting any playing time really hurt our chances offensively. IMO, Melvin should take a chance with a Gamel or Brantley (.331 BA, .409 OB) or even Escobar. Edit: Corrected spelling in title. - Toby

Any injury for the brewers of a key player is always more serious than initially thought. Or it's just a serious injury to a key player when we think things are going pretty good. Larry Hisle, Rollie Fingers, Paul Molitor, Teddy Higuera, Cal Eldred, Yo, and now Braun. Don't be surprised (I am no Doctor) if he misses most of the rest of the regular season, or re-injures it trying to come back too soon, or his swing mechanics get screwed up and he slumps when he returns. This is the Brewers. It's not if something bad is going to happen its when.

Pitching: Dillard, Stetter, and possibly Choate Bench: Nelson, Gamel, and Escobar ( I wouldn't mind seeing Brantley either, but that won't happen) Guys like Gwynn, Rottino, Iribarran, or Nix have no stick and I wouldn't want to see them at the plate when anything is on the line. They all stunk in the limited opportunities they've had. Try some of our young studs.

This is insane. And this is why I am not that high on Melvin as a GM. The 93M dollar team that they are fielding is an average to below average hitting team. The nucleus, or core contributers, are; Hardy, Braun, Fielder, and Hart. All products of our minor leagues. All Melvin had to do was add some balance. Lefty/righty balance, and OBP/free swinging balance. Instead, his concern seemed balancing veterans with youth. Unfortunately, it has cost a ton of money for veterans that don't produce a lot. Coudn't Hardy and fielder be considered veteran leaders right now, or do we need someone like Cameron and Counsel to "show them how the game should be played." I don't buy it. If Gamel can hit 300/380 OB in the majors, then that's where he should be IMO. The same could be said for players such as; Brantley and Salome as well. He wasted a considerable amount on the bullpen as well. Mota vs. Dillard, Why? Why wasn't Balfour ever even given an opportunity with his stuff. Melvin overpays for veterans and doesn't utilize the farm system like he should. (See St. Louis Cardinals). I know, I'm all over the place because I'm sick of losing, and I'm sick of bad GM decisions.