Playing Catch

I haven't looked at any data, but it seems like Sanchez is often the one that uses the last challenge of the game, when it's late, and there's one available. But even if that's not the case, the challenge success rate only tells part of the story. Another part of the story is that Sanchez was hot early with challenges, and perhaps Murph and others give him the green light, when others (Vaughn??) don't yet have that option, lest they be optioned/DFA'd (Greg Jones). Sanchez is also brought up as a pinch-hitter in key spots, where using a challenge is leveraged. The system, and the unknown strategies that lie therein, I think, will remain mysterious until maybe the All-Star break, when teams have had enough experience and data to formulate some kind of conventional thought towards the system. There's no doubt in my mind that the variance between players will be distinct, and real enough that some players/teams will use it differently based on the players skill-level. But then again, I thought torpedo bats were gunna be a thing for a minute there.

It would be great if all of these relatively short-term injuries were all a ruse to spread the innings as the season goes, (not that TOS fits in with "inflammation/dead-arm," and "leg cramps"). Maybe come October, we're all feeling really confident with Woody, Priester, and Misiorowski because they are all fresh!

Does anyone else feel like yesterday was the real start to the season?

It certainly bucks conventional wisdom. I don't agree with it, but there's probably a world where a really good, speedy bunter not only moves the runner to third, but scores the runner on an error at first(?) I mean, I'm not sure I wouldn't think that's a more likely outcome than a liner to the RF corner.

Yep. As Torts said. I don't like this development at all. They were lashing opposite-field singles last night, and I believe that's the new-wave of offense to counter all of the elite pitches hitters see these days. Take what the pitcher gives you.

Are we sure Ortiz hasn't already been relegated to short-side platoon? Hamilton is getting lots of shortstop-time lately. Speaking only for myself. I don't like it. Perhaps it's because I've been spoiled watching Ortiz's silky, superlative D for long enough, now, that I want to tear my eyes out at every nuance of struggle from Hamilton there, but I think it's Pratt or no one for me. And that's only if Pratt can rival Ortiz's D.

It's really not. Yeah. I think that some fans (not necessarily jay), see the lack of FA spending/payroll as a lack of having winning intentions, and presume that these trades reflect an eye on profit/avarice. But the Brewers have obviously eschewed spending on "stars," and have instead put an onus on real-world, on-field player-value. And not just generically valuing WAR-above-all, but valuing very specific skillsets that fill out an entire team's roster in order to win games. The front office simply doesn't behave like a team that is primarily focused on merely providing a summer's worth of entertainment.

This player is really intriguing to me. Nineteen year-old American third basemen/outfielder/pitchers don't typically sign as a free agent catchers. Based on the little internet-ing I've dug through, he is reported (perhaps by himself/agent) to be "uber-athletic," and has posted elite pop times. I guess I can see a situation where an undersized gamer doesn't have the juice to get paid in college OR the draft as a hitter/pitcher, but loves the game enough to commit to catching for an organization that will value him despite his size(?)

They got 3 lefties on the 60-day IL, and another lefty on the IL in AAA. It's still weird they don't have more than one, though. I guess this is what the Brewers were trying to avoid when building their own roster.

Granted, I've liked Burke since he was drafted, but I think he's got the goods to play first base by June '27, probably in a platoon with Adams. I think Black's best hope is that he performs well enough to get traded for, and has a career like Jake Bauers, where he fills a specific roster-role.

If we really want to get nutz... Are we sure an out-of-contention Astros team would turn down Pena for Ortiz straight up? Ortiz would represent a cheap, defensive dynamo for the organization that traded for Correa. Say what one will about Ortiz, but he has value in a bench role, and has always been available.

We've seen the ceilings and floors for all of the guys in the bullpen (and those that get occasional starts, like Drohan). Each of those guys, when they've been on, have flashed excellence. It's possible that the pitching is just slowly ramping up for a long season, tweaking, fixing, strengthening their arsenals, and that they'll get back to being a top-5 run prevention team (they are right around 5th-10th in MLB in most pitching categories right now). It's also possible that Chourio and Vaughn can juice the lineup as we hope, and the Brewers will have a comfortable 3 game lead by June 1. This is NOT the optimism thread, but there are plenty of optimistic scenarios one could forecast. Many of those possible forecasts could merely include across-the-board improvement/consistency from the guys on the field. They don't necessarily need a magic-bullet from outside the org to be really good. Maybe they just need the guys on the field to play a little better. This really shouldn't be that big of an ask for a young roster.

The fWAR leaderboard for 3rd-base (primary position), 2024-present Spoiler - Ortiz ranks 14th. If you filter for only when playing 3rd base, he drops down to 21st. This isn't meant to make a claim of any kind, but it is one more indicator of the dearth of left-sided infielders in the game. Someone else could perhaps filter information more effectively than me, but when I counted down the WAR leaders in that span that are either a SS OR 3B (but not 2nd base), Joey was about 30th on the list. I just can't shake the feeling that the Brewers don't have an Ortiz-problem, but that MLB has an infielder-problem. Heck, a right fielder led shortstops in DRS last season.

No, they didn't. Nor will they pay full-freight on any other deadline deal, and yet, you think an Arby-2 guy that could be flipped in the offseason with one year of player control remaining, like Pena, is out-of-the-question🙃 Look, I think that most of us agree that the Brewers operate with dollars, sense, and an eye toward the future. And correctly predicting any hypothetical trade 3 months hence would come with lucrative odds, but I think correctly predicting a trade doesn't happen? That may pay out in pennies. I don't think the Brewers will acquire Pena either, and as many have said, it very well could come at an exorbitant prospect-cost. But I'm not as willing to accept the premise that this front office only does things one way. In addition, the Brewers have never had this much pending prospect capital, ever. We don't know if that makes Arnold's trade trigger-finger itchy. I doubt it. But hypothetically? In the Trade Rumors forum? I think we can entertain the possibilities.

Seventeen!? I can't remember such a resounding start to the MILB season. Is this typical across baseball this season?