HiAndTight

Way behind on this thread and I agreed with you 100 pct at the time. But Estrada's just proving to be one of those rare commodities that's simply better as a starter than a reliever. Tough Colorado lineup, his velocity is up from his Washington time touching 92-93(though sitting at a respectable 90-91 with the key component, command, and mixes it up well). Count me as a big Estrada doubter coming into the year. Count me now as a big Estrada believer(in the sense that winning teams must have pitchers like him. Guys to step in when a guy goes down and not give the farm away.

Well they are "hoping," to get 70-75 pitches out of Estrada, so he's obviously not as stretched out.

Wow...jumping from the 15 day DL and possibly missing a couple starts to TWO full seasons is a bit of a leap, wouldn't you say? A "tear," in the rotator cuff isn't the same in every situation. A strained rotator cuff is a small tear in the muscle, it's just a very minor one that doesn't warrant surgery. My guess is the Brewers will explore this, look further into it and see if this is a short term injury, ie, a month or so of him being out of the big league rotation, or if this is a long term injury, ie, surgery. Which is still not often a 24 month recovery time. In fact, if he were to have surgery now, he'd likely be ready around ST'ing. But again, each one is so different you just don't know.

Of course Peralta is more stretched out at this point. He's been starting in AAA and IIRC threw 98 pitches in his last at start. Edit-Didn't mean to be short with you there, just that yes, Peralta, having started all season long and throwing near 100 pitches a game is more stretched out than Estrada who I would doubt has gone much over 40 pitches all year long. I think you could reasonable expect 100 pitches out of Peralta and 75 out of Estrada at this point.

At the expense of being ridiculed for posting this for like the 800th time... http://brewers.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=4620435&c_id=mlb Bottom line, can or could Prince Fielder ever make that play? Obviously not. I don't even think he'd have moved other than to get into relay position. Gamel has athletic ability unlike just about any other 1st basemen around the game. That play was just...incredible and shows the type of ability he has. It's sorta like how you don't judge a hitter off a small sample size, but you can judge his tools, ie, Aoki. When a guy comes up vs a tough reliever, fouls offf pitch after pitch, several times in a short period of time, the results aren't the important part, it's the tools that you take away from that. He has exceptional range for a 1st basemen, something he's shown this year, a cannon for an arm, though that was his downfall on the routine plays obviously, but still could come in handy in a relay situation, and he's taller and able to get to more errant balls than Prince was. I really believe he could be a GG 1st basemen. I still think that if we were a 70 win team, he, like Weeks, could have developed into a passable if not slightly above average defender at 3rd. But obviously the situation the team is in plays a huge role in that, and we couldn't afford 50 errors at 3rd base when were trying to compete. Either way, I think in the end, things will turn out for the best. You get your 1st basemen of the future, and I think after another 12 months, he'll have proven enough to get a contract that buys out a couple years of free agency at a cheap price taking him into his early 30's where you're not likely to want to re-sign him anyway. The whole cost certainty certainly plays into that line of thinking. If you know what your core is going to cost for, it hurts in signing players like Greinke. If you know what Lucroy, Hart, Braun, Weeks, Gamel, Gallardo, Axford and others will cost, it helps make a more informed decision obviously. Not just for Greinke, but future players. Hopefully we run into the same situations with Thornburg, Bradley, Peralta and Jungman in the near future.

It's just impossible for me to throw Paige into the equation. Same with all the negro league players. And I think Halladay, in the steroid era, what he's accomplished, and then pitching in a sandbox like Philly, his Perfect game, playoff no-hitter....I think he's clearly a top 20 all time starting pitcher. I also think Clemens is. It's a shame that all time greats like Bonds and Clemens ruined the end of their career by cheating as they were both on all time great trajectories.

I'd rather see Hart play a game or two at 1st base a week(though I'm a big a Gamel supporter as the there is) and then play Gomez and Aoki together. And for the record, Aoki's arm is not that weak. It's much more accurate and stronger than Morgan's.

As do I, but I'm so confident that Gomez has some of that pressure off of him, plus the fact that he's so valuable in CF, and that his at bats have looked entirely different this year than they have in the past, and I still hold old hope for the former top prospect who's still just 25 years old. In many systems he'd still be working his way up through the minors, or be just a year or two in. Plus, he brings so many intangibles that I'm torn. Love Aoki. I'd love to see him be our starting, but I think Gomez can be just as valuable. Morgan, while some think he played over his head, did have a 5.1 WAR two years ago, so I wouldn't write him off just yet. But with thsoe two, plus the protection of Gindl, Schafer and possibly even Green, I'd just rather see them getting the at bats.

I think all these velocity reports are a little skewed. You're programmed to expect a 97 MPH fastball and you get a couple readings and then all the sudden that's what everyone cites. Greinke when he was coming up was touted as being a 97-98 MPH fastball guy. I question if he ever really was. Guns get juiced and then when reality comes they drop a couple MPH. The bottom line is 93-94 is plenty to get guys out...heck, 91-93 is plenty for a power pitcher if he has a couple plus secondary pitches. Thornburg has two of them. That's basically Gallardo if he continues to improve. I just think readings are often so inflated we get disappointed when the reality actually comes out.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought this guy hit for the cycle in minor league camp recently? I may have heard that wrong and it may have been back in college, but after watching his incredible-ace like stuff, his incredible defense in CF and his incredible results, I really think this guy is a scout for the Mariners or some other equally pathetic team.

I know. And a lifetime ago that many of us were hoping he could become our #1 or #2. It's just amazing how we viewed some of those players as opposed to the players we have now. Which is why the thought of losing Greinke terrifies me. I'm loving the top two in our rotation and am 100 pct confident they're both going to have dominant seasons for us. By the way, what's worse about Wright...5 outs, 5 K's.

Ok, fine, you didn't take an argument in semantics. You took something that was obviously hyperbole and made it literal. Obviously the bashing of the Brewers FO isn't "non-stop," ie, every single post, every single day. But it is extremely regular and often times without merit. Look at the minor league forums, the transaction forum and the major league forums, and it's all about how the Brewers are incompetent drafting, ie, people unhappy with last years draft because we apparently went with guys who have low ceilings but high floors(not how I'd describe our two first rounders) and our general inability to develop pitching despite the fact we've got more pitching in our system than we've had in a long-long time. How we handle injuries, every move RR makes, etc..etc.. Now it "just makes too much sense," to move Carlos Gomez to SS so the Brewers FO won't do it. Really? It's SO obvious a move it makes TOO much sense? Second, I never called anyone a video game nerd. That's just fantasy. I said that it wasn't a video game and you can't just move a CF'er who's never played SS professionally to SS. I mean, is that really just soooo incredibly obvious that it makes the Brewers FO stupid for not doing it? Nevermind, we don't know if they've tried or not. It's very possible, they have tried and just haven't had ANY level of success..which you'd expect for a kid who hasn't played SS since he was about 15 years old and has been an elite defensive Cf'er since then. FINALLY, the comment about how long have you been watching the Brewers has to do with the opinion of the FO and nothing more. How someone could have sat through the last 30 years of the Brewers puzzling front office moves and sit back and bicker and complain about every little move, even the most inconsequential ones or the most illogical ones is beyond me. And it's daily on every forum. Nobody's saying that they're flawless. I thought the Lawrie trade was just beyond terrible at the time and you can only imagine my opinion of it right now. But there always has been this group mentality that if you don't just go along with the line of thinking of the majority, you kinda get swarmed from every different angle. Which is why I generally don't say anything. But I mean, c'mon, bashing the Brewers for not playing Gomez at SS? That to me is kinda taking it over the top.

I would argue that Gennett isn't "on fire". He's got a major league bat and he's hitting off AA pitchers. And you would make that argument for what plausible reason? I mean, there is arguing semantics and then there's arguing semantics. When Ryan Braun was hitting .350 in AAA, he was on fire, regardless of if he had a major league bat, or if he was hitting off AAA pitching. That's like saying Matt Kemp isn't on fire, he's simply a HOF talent hitting off regular major league pitching.....

I was always unsure on this. The New Rules kick in for this upcoming season? When is the target date for the for the universal draft that Selig had indicated was absolutely going to happen? I was under the impression that neither were a sure thing for a couple of years.

No, it's not constant bashing. And furthermore, if anyone wants to complain about Melvin & Co. lacking creativity, I won't begrudge him/her. That, to me, is Melvin's biggest weakness as a GM. Of course people give the front office & ownership credit, to say anything else is just ignoring plenty of posts here. Honestly? That's what you took from that? A argument in semantics? It's daily. It's pretty damn often for a FO that's done what ours has done. And in this case it's because...AGAIN, saying Carlos Gomez to SS "just makes too much sense," sounds like someone just plays too many video games.

Seriously? Good god I get sick of the bashing of the Brewers front office. Does this come from people who are about 17 and don't remember the last 30 years of Brewers baseball? Moving Gomez to SS is interesting...at 6'4, 220, he's obviously pretty big. And the fact that he hasn't played short professionally suggests to me that maybe there is a reason he's not playing there, coupled with the fact that he may be the elite defensive CF'er in MLB. We've taken our payroll from 27 million to 102 million WITH payroll flexibility(according to Melvin recently). We won 96 games last year and won the division. We've made two of the biggest trade in the past 5 years beating out many of the larger market teams. 2 playoff appearances and we're in good shape for a 3rd. And yet it's just CONSTANTLY bashing the Brewers front office. And this one is for NOT moving Gomez to SS because it "makes too much sense." Twins must have a terrible FO as well... If your argument was only we should TRY him there, then I'd be fine with it. Of course, it's possible they have tried him there. We don't know. Anyway, sorry for the rant, but can we give Mark A, Melvin, Sied, and the rest of our guys some credit for giving us a competitive team year in and year.

Absolutely. Maldonado makes a lot more sense on this team than Ishikawa. Of course when Kottaras comes crashing down to Earth and hits like he always has our bench is going to look even worse, so Conrad and then Green are the better options, but as long as Georgie can keep doing this, what the hell. Plus, we could have an outstanding defense late in games with him behind the plate, Morgan/Gomez/Aoki in CF and RF and Izturis at 3rd. Not that I love that last option, but...he's here to stay and certainly gives you more range than Aram.

I don't get that. Any of the three. Kotsay was a good pinch hitter off the bench last year. He just lacked power. .270/.330 isn't a bad line for a guy off the bench. It was his use in CF...which wasn't his fault, and that was pretty damn rare anyway. Gomez is playing like a stud, a guy that I, and probably I alone in Southeast Wisconsin and still holding out hope for, there's just too much damn talent in that 6'4 220 body and he's still young...plus, even if you get what you got last year, he's got a lot of value, especially come playoff time. He's sent two teams on in deciding playoff games with his speed. Nothing wrong with having a guy like that platoon with Morgan or Schafer, or better yet grabbing the starting job himself and running with it which is what I think will FINALLY happen this year. He is still just 25 years old after all. Izturis is a backup SS. How much of a whipping boy can a good defensive backup SS get? Not his fault they didn't go with obvious choice A-Conrad or obvious choice B-Green(whom I think will end up being that guy come June FWIW). Ishikawa is the whipping boy. No use for him whatsoever. Useless on this team. Luckily he hasn't started a game at 1st yet but if he does, it means he'll be starting over some combination of Gamel, Aoki, Hart. Which is asinine.

I'll disagree in about 4 weeks. I'd like him to start the season with regular playing time, but he's not Ryan Braun, Weeks, etc..etc... He's a guy who could and I think should be a very solid big league player. A 4-5 year peak where he can be a 3 or so WAR guy potentially. And then a long career as a utility guy. I've always thought Mark Loretta with less BA and more power. But if he's hitting in AAA at the end of May, bring him up, give him a couple starts a week, and make him the 1st PH'er off the bench(this Kottaras thing won't last).

Are you kidding me? That ball was a laser that bounced perfectly off a brick fence right to the defender. I don't know how anyone who's watched the Brewers play could question that Gamel's got good speed, especially for a 1st basemen. Comparing him to Carlos Lee is just....I don't get the point. Have you questioned Gamel for a long time and are trying to justify that? Also, his swing is infinitely better than LaRoche's. He's got a picture-esque swing for a left handed hitter.

That's where I've always had him pegged, but not because of his speed. I doubt he'll end the year with 10 SB's. It's because he gives you great AB's, I think he works the count, and he breaks up Rickie and Braun. Or hit him 5th. It's nice to see him meet my expectations the first 10-ish games of the season, but I think it goes a long way to giving him confidence and RR confidence in him. Which....I think leads to him getting 145 games this year and give him the numbers we all expect.

That's pretty much what I've always thought of him. In fact, I would say I expect a .380 OBP and about 10 points higher BA. In a career year I could easily see a .310/.390 .950 OPS with 30 HR's and GG caliber defense. But on average, we're pretty close. I think the only part we differ on is his defense. People just need to remember back to some of the plays he made at 3rd base when he was with the Brewers. I remember one play he was playing well behind the bag and a ball was smoked and was slicing away from him. He dove well into foul territory and sprung to his feet and made the play. Now picture Prince making a play like that? I noticed some nuances in his game that need refining, but it's only been about 120 or so games he's played at 1st. I believe he's got extraordinary range, and a strong arm for a 1B. In fact, I think he could have turned into a passable defender at 3rd with the obvious throwing errors, but would have had great range. Well, flip him over to 3rd and that takes away his only defensive issue. Brewcrew and Bruce are the other two I can recall being as high on Gamel(there are I'm sure lots of others, I've just talked with them more). I see a guy who'll average 4.0 WAR over the next 7-10 years and top out around 6.0. He's the type of guy I'd like to see signed to a 6 year 25 million dollar deal with two club options for 12 million or so. The Brewers will obviously need more time to make such a commitment, but I'd feel comfortable with it right now.

I really despise these paper injuries. Especially when it's someone of consequence. You never know when someone gets placed on the 7 day DL if he's actually injured or if it's just because they want to give him a week off, they need roster space, or just store a guy until you figure it out. Most Brewers fans don't know who Santo Manzanillio is, must less the fact that he has the potential to be John Axford 2.0(though there are dozens obviously who remain anonymous. So I don't expect any more info coming out, still....I'd like to be clued in a little closer to the maladies of our minor leaguers who aren't the elite guys. Of course probably about 1 in 1000 Brewers fans care and most post here, so we won't get it other than the little bit we do get here it's a pointless complaint, but still it's annoying.

Why would you want Ross moved to the pen this early in his career? McClung and even Miller I can get on board with, but Ross was dominant last year, right there with Thornburg until he scuffled a bit later in the year. So far this year he's looked good. I wouldn't move a start out of the rotation until he shows he simply can't compete in the rotation.

Just reading through this, I've seen him referred to as a "low ceilling," pitcher about a dozen times. Says who? Most reports I've seen have his ceilling as a #2 which is about what Yo is right now. He throws in the low 90's consistently and can run it up to the mid to upper 90's, throws a lot of strikes, had a career ERA under 2.00 at Texas, misses plenty of bats. What's not to like about that? And all it takes, using his legs more, some minor tweak that perhaps adds 2-3 MPH of velocity and the Brewers all the sudden have a potential ace. I don't think the Brewers had any intention of drafting the type of pitchers or players you're describing, and I don't think they did.