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Playing Catch

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Everything posted by Playing Catch

  1. Playing Catch
    I think EMJ can produce consistent exit velocities and swing decisions. But his style of hitting isn't really that of a slugger. His style is more of that of a well-rounded hitter. Because of this, I'm more optimistic of his skills translating to MLB than I would a hitter like Wilken, who is more of a 3TO kind of guy. As my previous posts suggest, I feel like the league has largely learned to combat those kinds of hitters. As far as the Brewers offense goes, the proof is in the pudding. If Ortiz was batting .230, and our platoon/bench players were simply below average, rather than abysmal, I think most of us would feel more comfortable. I'm not arguing that the current state of the team is playoff-worthy. It isn't, and it hasn't been acceptable. With that said, it's early. The Cubs losing Steele and Shota to injury have opened a door to them cooling off. In another month, perhaps the Brewers' pitching stabilizes and the infielders warm up, along with Yelich. Lots of season left before decisions need to be made, IMO, but if the current team continues to scuffle, everything is on the table.
  2. Playing Catch
    Please disregard. The wrong thread for such observations!
  3. Playing Catch
    Three weeks without a post from @torts in this thread. Never a good sign.
  4. Playing Catch
    Firstly, @UsainJolt's post was well thought out, and well written. Thanks for the contribution to the conversation. I'm not interested in the social debate surrounding the morality of gambling -- at least not from the point of view of MLB. MLB isn't going to single-handedly deny the riches associated with cozying up to the gambling industry. Doing so, I think, would come off as moralistic and a bit self-righteous. I AM really interested, however, on the integrity of the game. I don't look at the game's integrity as a new-school/old-fashioned debate. I feel like with the proliferation of gambling and prop bets, this integrity of the game has never been more at risk -- in all sports. Or at least not since the days of Mountain Landis. There is evidence of this as recently as this week with Lance McCullors Jr. I don't think MLB has taken a moralistic stance on this at all. I believe that MLB, correctly, has drawn a thick, dark line in the sand in order to prevent gambling corruption.
  5. Playing Catch
    Brewers could also gain some payroll space after the season and offer Peralta an extension. My opinion on such an extension, of course, would depend on the numbers, but I sense that Attanasio values leadership in various roles throughout an organization, and I can imagine an organizational desire to invest in a clubhouse leader on the pitching staff like Peralta. I also feel like Freddy's next contract will age well. He seems like a real pro that takes care of himself and can be a marketable star for this organization.
  6. Playing Catch
    First and foremost, I want Hoskins to be a productive hitter, regardless of HRs. Right now, he is producing significantly better this season, including defensively, and on the basepaths.
  7. Playing Catch
    Obviously, it is WAAYY too early to say this, but it would be really good for baseball if there was an example of a veteran 3TO slugger, like Hoskins, modify his approach to improve his batting average. I find opposite field singles that score runs sooo satisfying.
  8. Playing Catch
    One thing that is true is that the Brewers signed Smith as a minor league free agent. Say what one will about the 40-man decision, but this isn't a thread at all if Smith merely ends up a minor league journeyman. Credit needs to be given to the player procurement side of things, too, and of course to the player for his improvement. Those two factors put the Brewers in a position to make a mistake in the first place.
  9. Playing Catch
    I, too, think that the Front Office has a lot of irons in the fire right now. I envision trades that WILL improve the 2026 roster and beyond. Moves that will improve the 2025 roster? Outlook unclear.
  10. Playing Catch
    One of your best, IMO.
  11. Playing Catch
    Right. Here's the payroll breakdown for total AAV. Even if Attanasio told the rest of the Brewers ownership group to pound sand (hehe), and he added $70M to the payroll, that would put the Brewers exactly in the middle, 15th, among MLB spenders. If we all pretend that the Brewers were only competing against the bottom 15 teams in baseball, Attanasio and Arnold's performance would be incredible.
  12. Playing Catch
    It's the highest baseball league in the world. Arnold can be criticized from day 1, and penthouse to outhouse can happen quickly. With that said, if the question is, "When should Arnold be on the hotseat?" I think we're a ways off yet, as others have stated. Per everyone's hangup about 3rd base, here's some context. You can sort by 2025 salaries, to show what $10M can get you. There wasn't much available in a trade, in terms of guys that are CLEARLY destined to outperform what the Brewers already had. Last season, Jazz Chisholm cost the Yankees a strong return. And as I always mention, it takes two to tango in any FA or trade acquisition, so "blaming" anyone on the Brewers side of things only goes so far, unless people are willing to overpay either in dollars, or prospects. The Devin Williams trade? I feel like it was simply shifting 2025 pitching value from the backend of games to the front end, and "hey look! A free MLB-ready infielder!"
  13. Playing Catch
    To those that already want PCA over Chourio... Chourio is two full years younger than PCA, and had a 20/20 season in his 20-aged season. When PCA was 20 he was in A-ball. If you still prefer PCA, that's great, but I think Chourio has a preternatural ability to hit a baseball that comes around very rarely. I think Chourio will be better than Braun, which is a high bar; that's basically a HOF-bar. But again, to each their own.
  14. Playing Catch
    Including an Adamczewski sighting in a Top 100 list. No idea who this guy is... is he a poster here?
  15. Playing Catch
    Anyone watch Wisconsin last night? I'm curious how Areinamo has looked at shortstop this season. I would guess that he plays well enough there to have a Capra-like role of bench SS, but that he doesn't have the range/arm to be a regular there?
  16. Playing Catch
    Jacob MisiorowskiJesus MadeBraylon PayneJeferson QueroCooper PrattCraig YohoRobert GasserLogan HendersonLuis PenaEric BitontiJosh AdamczewskiMike BoeveBrock WilkenCaleb DurbinJadher AreinamoErnesto MartinezTyler BlackCarlos F RodriguezLuis LaraBishop Letson
  17. Playing Catch
    Right. That's what makes the O's and Brewers poor trade partners. They kind of need the same things (MLB talent) as playoff hopefuls. If either team is trading prospects, they'll need to find the MLB parts somewhere else.
  18. Playing Catch
    18-10,,, That's a terrible prediction, but it feels good to post it.
  19. Playing Catch
    Yeah, it's probable that the Brewers would have to give up MLB assets, which they wouldn't want to do. You are right that if it's prospects for prospects, Misiorowski for Basallo would be the template to add/subtract to. I think the O's will find a way to keep Rutschman. But I think he'll slowly morph into a 1st baseman over the course of the next 4 or 5 seasons. At that point, you've got Basallo and Rutschman sharing two positions. That's the dream for them.
  20. Playing Catch
    Probably should merge it with the game thread.
  21. Playing Catch
    I may be mistaken, but I believe wOBA presumes all hitters have the same baserunning value?
  22. Playing Catch
    The Brewers use a lot of situational hitting -- bunting, contact plays, etc. Based on my flawed anecdotal observations, even Contreras and Hoskins have been looking for RBI by going the other way, even if it means softer contact. The elevation doesn't bother me as much as their collective passivity (5th lowest Zone Swing %, 3rd lowest Swing%), which routinely puts them in two-strike counts. They are 5th in the league in OBA in 2-strike counts, which mitigates the passivity slightly, but being so selective, they are struggling to do damage on good pitches, ranking dead-last in barrel rate, and 3rd lowest in average exit velocity. With that said, 2-strike counts are often deep counts, increasing the likelihood of a walk. Also, their lineup is littered with guys whose games are built on making contact and running. Perhaps the organization and the dugout staff are simply coaching players to play to their individual strengths rather than trying to elevate. If that is accurate, the low launch-angles could be a criticism better aimed at roster construction. To be fair, though, I'm a launch-angle denier. I'm a big believer in hitting the ball hard, regardless of launch angle. Some players' swings/strengths/weaknesses are better served by learning to hit a variety of pitches in a variety of locations and counts, rather than gearing their swings for launch angle.
  23. Playing Catch
    I was just going to add to the Coby Mayo thread, but I thought, what the heck... Blocked by Rutschman at catcher. Fangraphs seems to think he's a big-league catcher come 2026/2027, where he's a good thrower and athletic receiver, but that he needs more reps, especially with blocking. As a left-handed hitting first baseman, he's close to being ready right now. Obviously, he would require a big return, but perhaps the two teams would consider trading from areas of respective strength... Baltimore's depth of middle-of-the-order hitters, and the Brewers depth of run prevention. Brewers get Basallo Orioles get Quero AND Orioles get combination of Civale and Carlos Rodriguez, or Perkins and Mears, or Luis Lara/young pitcher. Basallo's ceiling may make him untouchable from Baltimore's perspective, and unlike Quero, isn't yet on the 40-man. He may be too good to be able to acquire without hurting the Brewers' 26-man too much. I was fascinated by Tyler Soderstrom a couple of years ago, and Basallo reminds me a lot of Soderstrom.
  24. Playing Catch
    Haha, yes. This is a good reminder! It's still fun to speculate, though, as to how this season's race will shape up. In recent seasons, I've felt pretty confident in the Brewers having winning, playoff-level baseball. That hasn't changed. I think the Brewers are good. My concern is that we see a National League that is just so tough at the top, that we see an outlier for most wins for a non-playoff team. I looked back over the last handful of seasons, and unless I missed something, the best record for a non-playoff team was the 2019 Cleveland team at 93 wins. Could a 95-win team miss the playoffs? My point is, the only avenue I see to the playoffs this season is a division title, because very few of us think the Brewers could get to 95.
  25. Playing Catch
    Yesterday's game really shows the gulf between Misiorowski's floor and ceiling, which makes him such a tricky player to project, because when he's on, and with that changeup, he's Jacob DeGrom. In my recollection, when Burnes/Woody/Peralta started their big-league careers as relievers, it was later in the season, and was after they had really established their chops as starters in AAA. In addition, ALL of those three needed to learn to trust their stuff in the zone. Misiorowski just needs a ton of reps on his full repertoire to rein in his mechanics and control. Patience, patience, patience.
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