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Playing Catch

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Everything posted by Playing Catch

  1. Playing Catch
    Missed location, I think. On a two-strike count, that breaking ball gotta be away.
  2. Playing Catch
    I despise O'Dowd's, "aircraft carrier" moniker, but in my opinion, Tucker is an aircraft carrier for some mid-tier team --- similar to what a then-injured Yelich represented following 2019. If the biggest spenders pass on him, he's still a good signing for any number of teams looking for a sure-fire middle-of-order bat. The Angels and Rockies certainly apply. I think that's why he'll end up signing with one of the big boys for a really big deal, because there will be plenty of lesser deals for him to pick from.
  3. Playing Catch
    And would quickly become a popular whipping boy in the IGTs.
  4. Playing Catch
    Tucker may be a tier below the Ohtanis, Judges, and Sotos, but there aren't many in that 2nd tier, either. I think he is worthy of a market-rate deal. Even though he had Suzuki hitting behind him, his BB% really jumped and I'm guessing teams sapped him of his power by pitching around it. The side-by-side free agent comparison with Bellinger will be interesting, with their different ways of stacking WAR. It's probably not fair to Tucker, but I think this season in the national spotlight (as a high-profile player that went from one large market to another and is in a walk-year) has, perhaps, thrust him into that Alonso/Bregman/Correa-tier of free agent, where he's "too good*" to sign with a middling organization on a reasonable long-term deal, but not "good enough**" to sign the long-term megadeal with a top-5 spender. He'll end up with one of those phony long-term deals that have so many options that it ends up being a 2-year, $90M deal. *although he isn't a Boras client, and **he lacks marketability (smile/nickname/star power).
  5. Playing Catch
    Milwaukee Brewers vs Los Angeles Dodgers Box Score: July 18, 2025 | Baseball-Reference.com
  6. Playing Catch
    My belief going into the playoffs were that the Cubs were the toughest potential matchup for a Brewers team that wants to put the ball in play, due to their defenders, and that the Dodgers were more likely to give up small-ball runs. I hope that rings true. But the Dodger pitching staff seems to be coming around. But do they have the pitching DEPTH the Brewers have, particularly in the bullpen? Probably. The Dodgers have better players, individually. But the Brewers were able to grind them down in the regular season. I suspect they will put Roberts in some binds in terms of making pitching changes. One or two fortunate walks/HBPs/errors in the middle innings may thin out the bullpen depth as the series goes on.
  7. Playing Catch
    The whole game, if one ignores the context, was pretty drama-free.
  8. Playing Catch
    He's simply drawing media attention away from a young team. It's silly, but effective.
  9. Playing Catch
    How about those rookies? Chad Patrick, the least-heralded, leading MLB in pitcher-fWAR for rookies. Misiorowski does his Bob Feller-thing. Uribe, still rookie-eligible according to fangraphs, has one of the best seasons for a Brewer reliever, which is saying something. Collins and Durbin who at different points in the season, were leading contenders for rookie-of-the-year. And this is coming off of a 2024, where Chourio and Ortiz both had rookie seasons of 3+ fWAR, (and 2023, where Turang, Frelick, Perkins, and Monasterio were rookies). This new core of Milwaukee Brewers Baseball is young and successful. The vets do their vet-things, but the meat and potatoes of this team were raised on the farm (or plucked from other farms). fWAR leaderboard for rookie pitchers in 2025 fWAR leaderboard for rookie hitters in 2025
  10. Playing Catch
    Yelich led off yesterday, thus allowing him to be at the plate with 2 down in the 9th of a one-run game. Don't tell me you want more power, but that you don't want him leading off.
  11. Playing Catch
    I wasn't watching, but could it be their "162-game pace"?
  12. Playing Catch
    Are you sure Plesac isn't playing for the Cubs? Makes me think of what the all-time Brewer/Cub roster may look like. I think we know who would manage, and Chris Bosio may qualify as a player-coach. Aramis Ramirez, Henry Blanco. Pat Hughes on the call.
  13. Playing Catch
    Indeed. The Brewers are coming to the park each day with a lineup loaded with very real, top-of-the-scale talent in guys like Chourio, Yelich, and Contreras, plus all-star level talent with the other names you mentioned. The pitching-staff, meanwhile, boasts a depth of nastiness that the baseball world is now seeing. Chad Patrick was throwing 97 mph the other day, and that was, I believe, the slowest best-fastball they threw all day. Abner Uribe has been one of the most dominant relivers in baseball in 2025, and he's been filling in for an all-star closer, who when right (and he's been right), has been outstanding. I've been hearing it and reading it from opposing fans all week that have been watching. The Brewers. Are. Just. Better.
  14. Playing Catch
    It seems to me that the Brewers have demonstrated a belief in being flexible with their pitching. In-game decisions, I think, are pretty scripted, but I think they are pretty flexible day-to-day, and rely heavily on their coaches and trainers to be really keyed-in to knowing when guys can extend themselves, or when they need to back off. Not just in terms of arm-health, but in terms of effectiveness.
  15. Playing Catch
    Welcome! Speaking only for myself, I love being a fan of a small-market team. It makes nearly every game mean a little bit more when your team wins. I don't expect any Cubs fans to jump on the Brewers bandwagon if the Brewers are so blessed as to win the decisive game and move on, but I think baseball fans around the country will indulge in watching the plucky Brewers beat the Cubs, Dodgers, and Yankees to win their one and only World Series title. It will make a great story --- if they are so blessed. I agree. I think for many of us that watch religiously, we saw that their winning games wasn't fluky at all. They are a very young team, and many of them significantly improved as the season went on. It may prove to be a one-off season (I doubt it), but THIS team is every bit the best team in baseball based on my eye test, which is admittedly blindingly biased. In addition, after that 5-game series with the Cubs, the Brewers started shutting guys down, and planning for the postseason. Other than the significant loss of Woodruff, the Brewers have gotten their guys some rest, pitchers and position players alike.
  16. Playing Catch
    Just to tangent... I've been considering some of the second-guessing about manager decisions across baseball, and I also think that what is sometimes lost with the current zeitgeist obsessed with winning every playoff game, is that the game isn't as important as winning the series, or for that matter the World Series. I think the Ashby-Miz combo the other day, giving Priester (and by extension the bullpen), with more rest is an example of this. There are also oodles of examples of exhausted starters pitching poorly on short, or even normal rest, and I think the Brewers really want their "true" starters to get as much rest as possible between starts at this stage of the season. I guess my overarching point is that I think that managers and front offices believe that they will need to have moments of good fortune along their journey, and want to minimize opportunities for BAD luck happening. Therefore, they believe they will need to make some risky, and perhaps unconventional, decisions, in order to win the World Series.
  17. Playing Catch
    Why? Can one not only enjoy the meal, but the process in making it as well?
  18. Playing Catch
    I'm no scout, but my eye-test tells me that if pitchers execute, they are able to neutralize much of PCA's strengths, whereas Chourio's natural hitting ability allows him to beat pitchers with more regularity, even when they make good pitches. Basically, it looks to me like Chourio can beat a pitcher's pitch, and PCA can't. They both need to improve their discipline, but I think PCA MUST be disciplined, or he'll suffer greatly. With Chourio, if he improves his discipline, he's going to the moon.
  19. Playing Catch
    And we all know how that ended.
  20. Playing Catch
    These days, all of these guys are used to coming out of the pen. They've all pitched in the minors with openers, rehabbers, and as piggy-backers. Starting with a clean inning, I think, is the only concern. And as Matthew Boyd and the Cubs proved the other day, there's no guarantee that a pitch-to-contact starting pitcher, like Priester can make it out of the first without giving up a crooked number, either. I would like the Ashby-opener plan a lot better had Zastryzny been on the roster instead of Grant Anderson. I don't like the idea of needing another leverage lefty to face Busch or Tucker in the 10th inning, only to be staring at the glorified-rookie-coming-off-of-injury, Robert Gasser.
  21. Playing Catch
    I know this isn't the Transaction Rumors forum, but I've been thinking this quantity-for-quality type of trade could be a consideration as well. There just aren't a ton of roster spots available to promote guys --- which is pretty unusual, if not unprecedented, in my Brewer fandom. Which obviously speaks to the sheer depth of this system from top to bottom.
  22. Playing Catch
    Haha, yes, that was my first thought as well! But I am happy that the system will be so "accurate". I've felt all season that Judge, and other tall players, like James Wood, can be both beneficiaries or victims to, large variances in the top of the zone. Every time I watch Judge, I think pitchers are getting screwed on the high strike. I think, too, that the Brewers have tried to take advantage of this by stocking up on short guys. I also may as well muse here about the possibility this new world boosts Tyler Black's future MLB outcomes.
  23. Playing Catch
    I hope the Padres can AT LEAST extend the series, if they can't just win it. I think the Cubs are the Brewers' biggest threat to making, nay, winning the World Series. I think they are a bad matchup for the Crew because of their elite defense. The Brewers thrive against poor defense. It's why I'm not as concerned about the Dodgers, or even the Phillies (although those teams terrify me, too, but for other reasons). With that said, I still would favor the Brewers to represent the National League in the World Series, and I would favor them above any American League participant. For the better part of the season, the Brewers have proven their ability to score runs and make life difficult on the best pitchers in baseball. PREDICTION: I think that the MULTIPLE meltdowns by elite closers in last season's playoffs has taught us that relief pitcher pitch counts matter a lot. The Brewers' ability to get into, and stay into deep counts, will prove a reliable, repeatable skill. And it will make this one of the greatest postseasons in Major League history, with fast-paced, dramatic at-bats, with runners on base, late in games, in which the Brewers come back to win. Multiple Game 7s... stock up on your BP meds.
  24. Playing Catch
    Do we know how MLB will digitally determine the top of the zone for hitters? The current rule states that it is determined by "...the midpoint between a batter's shoulders and the top of the uniform pants -- when the batter is in his stance and prepared to swing at a pitched ball." But this seems stupid for me, unless the ABS system can account for a player changing their stance from one at-bat to the next (or one month to the next). I feel like they will need to be a bit more specific if they are going to use a system that is designed to be that specific. (LOL)
  25. Playing Catch
    As Yankees go, I really, really like and respect Aaron Judge. I think what he's been doing in this part of his career puts him in-line with not just other Yankees, but other all-time great hitters. So as everyone has said, he certainly deserves to win it. With that said, my baseball-romantic side absolutely would vote for Raleigh. He's the "dirtbag" pick, and I love him for it. If he were Piazza-level defensively, I wouldn't give his season anywhere near as much credit. But he's got it ALL. Platinum glove. He catches "everyday," he's an effective switch-hitter. His team is flying toward a pennant. All-time season for a catcher or a switch-hitter. Even if Raleigh never has another great season, years from now when people look back and wonder why Judge finished 2nd in the MVP in 2025, they'll see why. I want Raleigh's season to be remembered.
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