HiAndTight

Oh, alright, that's great. Just minor adjustments and they'll be on fire. But if they need to make adjustments so that Davis doesn't carry a .271 OBP and doesn't draw more than 1 walk in 101 PA's, then wouldn't that suggest there IS in fact something wrong with him right now? Which is pretty close to what Segura's doing right now. Nobody ever said that they won't improve or figure it out. All they said was that right now, there is a problem in their approaches at the plate and they're lacking plate discipline. No matter what shade of Brewer blue your glasses are, you can't argue with that.

I would guess if he got through this season he'd be somewhere in A ball next year learning his craft. Well then after your many "guesses," thus far on this thread, I'm going to say he's going to be anywhere BUT A ball next year. Seriously, I would assume he'd either get the start at Huntsville or he'd move very quickly there. Every coach and all of his performances in ST'ing suggested he was a pitcher who was ahead of the curve. He was only pitching in rookie ball because he was coming back from TJ. But there is so much more that can happen in the meantime. Hell, he might end up being a nice piece in the pen by the end of the year.

How many of those players had just one year of minor league experience before they played a full season in the majors? The answer is none. Wang simply is not ready to play MLB baseball right now. If the Brewers are going to have him on the roster they at least need to play him. And see what happens. My guess is that he gets shelled mercilessly. Edit - I don't have time to research it but I'd bet most of those guys above spent considerable time on their respective team's DL during the Rule 5 year. If Wang could hit the DL for most of the year I'd be fine with it. I don't mind him taking a spot on the 40 man roster, I just don't want him on the 25 man roster. Just.....stop. You keep making these asinine statements of fact and you keep getting proven wrong, so you try to qualify your answer more and more...though at least not instead of making ignorant statements(such as guaranteeing that the Twins wouldn't have kept Santana on the active roster if they "planned," on being competitive) you're just guessing or assuming you're right despite being proven wrong. And as far as him getting shelled mercilessly, do you watch the games? Because he looked pretty good his last time out hitting 96 on the gun with a nasty change. So as to your questions that you don't know the answer to(and I'm not sure why you'd try to make an argument by saying, "I don't know the answer to this, but I'm convinced I'm right, I'm just not going to bother to look it up) I don't know how much experience those players had. IT'S NOT RELEVANT as Wang's situation is unique. As for how much time those players spent on the DL, again, I have no idea. Look it up. The point that you've been trying to make over and over again is that A-The Brewers are stupid to keep him on the 25 man regardless of how good he may eventually become because they're trying to compete this year(you highlighted such an absurd thought when you suggested that the Twins, even with the benefit of hindsight wouldn't have kept Santana had they been better) and B-That he has to be a GOOD major leaguer this year in order to stay on the team. He does not. All he has to do is show that he has upside and there is absolutely no question about that at this point in time.

I'd definitely want Peralta then in the hopes that he could either strike everyone out or get as many ground balls as possible so as to limit the potential for Kotsay to blow a game for us in CF.

We're talking about how they're NOT fine. Davis' approach is nothing like what it's been coming up through the minors. He's not drawing walks and is swinging at bad pitches. The same is/was true for Segura. I know you like to be the optimist, and that's great. I hate people who consistently find ways to be pessimistic, but there is a difference between believing a player WILL be fine, and just flat out ignoring how they're performing at the moment and denying there is a problem when it's painfully obvious there is one. We have won DESPITE the production we've got from Davis and Segura thus far. Hopefully they get it turned around soon. This problem that you are talking about wont last, so you wont see me talking about it for either player. So then I would assume you wouldn't be talking about the Brewer hot start and their 19-7 record since that likely wont last either, right? Just saying you don't believe something will last doesn't mean that you can stick your head in the sand and pretend that it's not happening. Davis' approach at the plate right now is very bad. Segura's approach at the plate isn't as bad, but he is also swinging at very poor pitches. I don't pretend to have a crystal ball to try and decipher what will and what will not last(though I can reasonably conclude the Brewers won't win 120 games this year) Is Weeks also fine?

Fixed He's really not. Herrera is not a better major league baseball player than Rickie Weeks.

Yeah, but it's such an inexact science that if he says he has a headache and was dazed the Doctor certainly would have said he had a possible concussion, thereby making him eligible for the 7 day DL. That one seemed to be an obvious one to me. I can't fathom why they didn't do that. And since he didn't have a concussion according to the team, if he did need to pass some test to come off of it(and I don't believe they do like they need to in football) he obviously would have passed it. That seems like bad roster management. Ryan Braun has to go to the 15 day DL. I can't understand why they'd want to start to screw around with this. He's got an issue with his thumb that feels better the more time off he's got, and now with the dreaded oblique injury, the same type of injury that Chris Davis just went on the 15 day DL for, I fear they're going to rush him back and he's going to have to end up taking off games here and there for it. Gindl or Hermedia take the place of Braun and Velez in place of Segura. Certainly not optimal, but at least it's something.

And he looks even better this year posting a line of .265/.393/.529/.922 this year. And he hit 75 HR's the past two years. I realize he's got severe defensive limitations, but the guy walks, hits for a ton of power, would cost much in the way of prospects and given the fact that we're a RH'ed heavy lineup, he'd give us another big power threat in the 6th/7th hole. Being a 3TO guy really starts to be liability when you can barely hit .200. When Dunn was at the top of his game he used to be a consistent .380-.400 wOBA hitter, now he's closer to an average-ish .330 wOBA hitter. That's probably an upgrade over Overbay, but it's severely tempered by the fact that Dunn may be the worst defender in baseball, and we do not have a DH slot. Even though his power has rebounded since 2011, his overall offensive game is merely average and his defense is atrocious, making him an overall borderline-replacement-level player. We already have a version of Dunn in Mark Reynolds. I would be excited to replace Overbay and see what a Dunn/Reynolds platoon could do, but not if it costs anything of value to get Dunn and his fairly substantial contract. Well I think it would go without saying that taking Dunn back would only happen provided the White Sox take on the burden fiscally. At least a Weeks for Dunn trade. I think you only add him in a Jason Giambi type role. And guys like Dunn, sometimes they just get hot and have a big year. He certainly looks like he's off to one. His BABIP is way up this year leading to a .274/.393/.521 line, but Miller Park is a great fit for him. The only three teams he's hit better against have been the Pirates and then the hitters havens in Texas and Cincy.

Big left handed bat....he hasn't been that bad when he's been up in the big leagues either. I certainly wouldn't mind giving him a chance right now. I would really like to see Braun sent to the DL right now though. If they think this is a 5 day injury, that's a best case scenario. You're playing a man short for 5 days and then you're rushing him back into the lineup. Just give him the 10 additional days off, get him healthy and give your bench some depth in the meantime. My guess is that it'd be Gindl who'd be brought up. He's a slow starter, but he should be shaking that off and ready to get hot! All I know is if you can win a game in which Ramirez, Braun and Segura are all hurt, you're down 3-0 in the 7th vs the Cards and you just had your best players(available) leave the bases loaded and you come away with a 5-3 extra innings win...well, you're living the good life and just maybe Jeremy Hermida can finally become the guy that everyone thought he was when he was a top 5 prospect!

No, I had no idea that he was now playing in the majors and that we were not in fact watching the Nashville Sounds. A thousand pardons...... No kidding it's not the minors anymore. However I think it's rather asinine to take what amounts to one season or partial playing time in which he had a .252 BABIP. I think that's a bit more reasonable than jumping to the conclusion that he can't hit. And again, we're talking about a plus defensive player on your bench. Not sure about you, but I temper my expectations based upon these things. I don't expect Schafer to give you a .950 OPS. I do expect him to hit ~.270/.330 over the course of an average season when his BABIP returns to the norm. You do also realize that Lucroy's 1st year in the big leagues when he got ~300 PA's, he had an very poor year at the plate. He had an OPS of .630 and his .253 and that was with a .287 BABIP. Guess we'd have chalked him up as a bust, huh? What about the type of roster in which you have one OF'er in Braun who has one serious injury that could at some point end his season if it gets worse(his thumb) or at least limit his time...oh, and by the way, that same player is out due to another injury right now. And of course in this scenario there is no chance that Gomez could ever get injured, right? There has to be some logic and the ability to anticipate. If we went your route and Gomez did get hurt, now you're starting Herrera in CF and your backup is who? Gindl? Ok, so now not only have you labeled Schafer, a guy who's hit at every level save for the major leagues in very limited playing time in which he had an unusually low BABIP, you're also anointing Davis a platoon player? So we're going to go with his limited PT this year as opposed to his limited PT last year when he had hit .297/.369/.549/.918 vs right handers in 103 PA's. Now this year his first 72 PA's make him a platoon player? He's raking against them? Sure, in 25 at bats, he's "raking." You're arguing against a young, talented player like Schafer who CAN hit, is an outstanding defensive CF'er and defensive OF'er in general. But a guy who has fewer at bats than games played and is limited to 1st base is someone we can't do without? There are three things that you absolutely MUST have on the bench. 1-A good defensive backup catcher. Check. 2-A 4th OF'er who can play CF. Check. 3-A backup SS who ideally can play multiple IF positions. Check. So if you want to bring up a bat...you neglect to mention which player you think is worthy of being promoted, but setting that aside, lets assume we do have this guy down in AAA who'd be an upgrade over Davis or whoever. You still have to cover all the spots on the field and your ONLY options for both CF and SS shouldn't be the same person, nor should they be a guy who is a poor hitter and fielder(Herrera). But given just how quickly you give up on players or make these definitive statements(Schafer can't hit, all he can do is play D and pinch run, Davis needs to platoon, etc..) do you ever consider sample sizes at all? This team is winning with GREAT pitching. You want to start to totally screw with the defensive side of that and just throw anyone out there at key positions like SS or CF in the hopes that you MIGHT get a better bat, good luck. I don't think it's going to turn out very well.

Do you know how long that could satisfy me as a Brewers fan? It's not like the Packers where they win a Super Bowl and I'm instantly looking at the next year and thinking if they can build a dynasty like I did in 2010. I think 1 WS might be enough for me to be happy for the rest of my life!

Not as dumb as it sounds. Marcum comes out. Can't go. We go to the BP right away. Thornburg throws 4 shutout innings. Smith comes in and throws 3. Kintzler, Henderson to K-Rod. BOOM...no hitter.

I wouldn't even concern yourself with WAR for a pitcher 4-5 starts into the year. But for the record I think Garza's actually had the 2nd best stuff and pitched the second best, but has gotten absolutely brutal defense behind him. But I think you and I are pretty much thinking the same thing. Whoever we'd pick right now, if we really want a chance to win a playoff series(or 2 or 4) we're going to need Peralta to become a legit top of the rotation type starter. But hey, the way seasons go, Thornburg might end up being the guy who gets the start like Wacha was for the Cards last year.

Not that I care as Puig and Cespedes aren't the same player as Abreu and I'm not going to just group all Cuban players together, but how has Puig come down to Earth? He had a 5.0 WAR in 104 games last year and had a .9 WAR in 20 games so far this year. So he's on pace for like 6-7 WAR year. He's been the same incredible talent. His BABIP is down significantly this year. That's about it. And he's not just having a great first month, he's having a historically great 1st month. I'm sure he does come back down to Earth a little bit...in some area's. I doubt he hits 60 HR's this year. But I also don't think there are many holes in his swing. He's very much like Braun in that he can cover the entire plate and goes to RF better than just about any other power hitter. I think he could very well be a .930-ish OPS type guy and hit .285.

Umm... what? Why would they release a young, talented arm that they have control over and is cheap? Who knows. Some vehemently want Wang gone already.

The bullpen is absolutely nowhere near fried.

In defense of Schafer, he's yet to have a chance of any consistent playing time in the majors. I'm personally pretty confident in Schafer myself. I expect the type of line that WTP suggested, .278/.332/.438 and spectacular defense in LF or RF and very good D in CF.

We're talking about how they're NOT fine. Davis' approach is nothing like what it's been coming up through the minors. He's not drawing walks and is swinging at bad pitches. The same is/was true for Segura. I know you like to be the optimist, and that's great. I hate people who consistently find ways to be pessimistic, but there is a difference between believing a player WILL be fine, and just flat out ignoring how they're performing at the moment and denying there is a problem when it's painfully obvious there is one. We have won DESPITE the production we've got from Davis and Segura thus far. Hopefully they get it turned around soon.

4 @ CIN (2-2) 3 vs ARI (2-1) 3 vs NYY (1-2) 3 vs PIT (1-2) 3 @ CHC (2-1) 4 @ ATL (1-3) 3 @ MIA (1-2) 3 vs BAL (1-2) 2 vs CHC (2-0) 13-15 I think the Brewers come back down to earth a bit in May. Knowing what I know now I'd probably flip some of this around a little bit and have them start the month slower as Braun should be on the 15 day, Seggy might take a little while to get back, and Aram's a bit of a question mark, but ultimately I think they end up slightly below .500. Plus teams like the Marlins are funny. I don't know what pitchers we'll face, but they've got some really good ones.

It really depends on who we're facing. If we're facing the Dodgers, I actually might throw Peralta out there as he's the guy one most likely to completely shut down the other team and obviously you're not scoring much off Kershaw. Key word might. I doubt I'd have the guts to. Lohse...and then I really can't pick. There's not much of a difference between Gallardo, Garza, Peralta and even Estrada assuming all are healthy. You could almost pick a name out of a hat and be just as likely to get 7 shutout innings from one guy and 5 IP and 4 ER from another.

It looks like it's been a really good 1st month for our entire organization. There are still players we have high hopes for struggling, but it seems that there are more guys who are exceeding expectations early on, who've shown big time improvements early in the season than in years past. Having a big league roster that hopefully can stay healthy and not force guys to be brought up early can only help those guys develop.

There's no room for him in AA right now: Jungmann Gagnon Hall Suter Cravy They could bump Cravy back to relief to make room but he's pitching very well, I don't remember who the original 5th starter was. If the reports on Bradley's velocity are accurate and he's throwing in the low to mid 90's, they can find a spot for him. They have a lot invested in him. So assuming you need to test Bradley given he was a 1st round pick and you have a lot invested into him, who do you move? What do you do? Jungman to AAA? Obviously there is a logjam of legit arms ahead of him, but I'd like to see him actually pushed instead of spending 3 straight years at the same pitcher friendly level. All the reports on him are good, he supposedly looked bigger, stronger, etc...but we still need to see him do it. He's finally looking like the guy who some thought could go in the top 5 in the draft and was rated in the top 10 by most outlets, but lets see him do it at a level where we can actually believe he's a future starter for the Brewers.

Not sure where I ever intimated or even suggested that the Red Sox were "in love with him." I simply asked how enthusiastic they would be to part with Carp in particular, but also Nava as they're very good platoon players, and they're relying on Grady Sizemore to stay healthy all year long. In fact SI.com literally just had an article today about how long Sizemore's leash was going to be as he's struggled badly as of late, and they write about the possibility of cutting ties with Sizemore in favor of Nava and Carp. The Red Sox are going to have to figure out their OF solution and sending Nava down only made sense as he was the only one with an option remaining. That may very well make him available, but I think it's just as likely he is back on the 25 man if Sizemore, who cannot play CF any longer, continues to struggle.

It sounds like they were comfortable spending about what everyone else was comfortable spending. These guys are pushed towards teams a lot of times. It's possible the Brewers offered the exact same as the White Sox and he did choose Milwaukee over Chicago. I'm sure the Brewers at this point would have gladly tacked on an additional 10 million and given him 10 years 78 million, but you're right, we can't wring our hands over every free agent signing the Brewers missed out on. But it's an interesting topic, and it's one move that could have legitimately put the Brewers in a group with the NL's elite the way they're playing. Gomez Gennett Braun Abreu Ramirez Lucroy Davis Segura That's as good of a lineup as any in the NL right now IMO. But we're 18-7 without him. Hopefully this will make it more likely the White Sox will look to just dump Adam Dunn and we can pick him up for scraps and for very little salary to platoon with Reynolds and as a big LH'ed bat off the bench.

Well I never said you wouldn't. That was literally the only position I said that it would make to move him to. I asked why you'd move Coulter from behind the plate at his age as his bat hasn't forced the issue enough(he's off to a good start, but it's 17 games). I specifically said 3rd base would be the only position it'd make sense to move him to AND that it wouldn't make much sense to move him to the OF. But it's a lot to ask a guy to make the transition from catcher to 3rd base for a guy who's played exclusively at catcher his entire life when the logic behind it is that his bat is just too good to not advance.