Playing Catch

Other than UWRF making it close early in the 2nd half, there weren't many surprises. Obviously, one can't glean too much from exhibition games, but I didn't see much different from last season --- which would be good. While Storr is better, Tonje seems to supply a similar game. He likes to score in all facets. That will be important for this team. Blackwell and Klesmit were the other starters at guard, with Blackwell bringing the ball up as the "point" in the Ryan/Gard system. We know what those guys offer. Crowl is the same. Hopefully he's got an extra half-gear this season against primo competition. Winter didn't look much different to me, either. Perhaps a bit more confident. The other returnees also didn't look different. Ilver had his early scoring surge. I suppose he could take a Dukan-like leap this season. Amos looks a little gangly. I think he'll get abused by B1G forwards. Freitag doesn't stand out, but it's early, and the other guards are big, strong, experienced. I actually like Camren Hunter's look, but he won't get to play much if he can't adapt to the disciplined Badger game on both ends. Janicki looks like he wants Gilmore's scholarship (not sure if he's still on schollie or not, I am no longer willing to follow/track that stuff). Was Robison injured? Janicki is clearly the guy for Robison to try and catch up to, and he may never do it. Janicki looks like a nice little energy guy as a 9th/10th player who can put it in the bucket. Overall, they've got a lot of guys that can shoot. I think they will suffer with interior defense and rebounding. It will be PARAMOUNT for the forwards to block out well enough that the guards can clean up missed shots. But this has always been a staple of Ryan/Gard, so I would guess Blackwell, Klesmit, and Tonje get a lot of boards. On first look, they look like they'll be competitive in most of their games, and if they are able to get a few big wins, they just may make the tournament.

I truly believe that Betts should file assault charges. Had they sprained his wrist, would they be coming back for Game 5?? They should get a lifetime ban from Yankee Stadium. This wasn't Steve Bartman, or that kid from 2004 or whatever. This wasn't an innocent mistake. It was a pre-planned, hostile act. Yankee Stadium fans ejected for prying ball from Mookie Betts' glove - ESPN

It's really weird to me. Typically, the players that play for teams I hate, I end up hating (in the sport sense, not as humans). I've hated nearly all of the Cardinals and Cubs over the last 20 years, it seems. I hate most of the players for Manchester City. I hated most of the Cowboys and 49ers during the Favre years. I hate Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis, so I hate the Padres. Anyway, all of this is to say that I like almost all of the players for both the Yankees and the Dodgers (excepting Soto, Kike Hernandez, Gavin Lux, and Aaron Boone). I love Freddie Freeman. I love Mookie Betts. Who doesn't like Ohtani? I really like Aaron Judge. Weirdly, I can't even hate Anthony Rizzo that much anymore. What's wrong with me?

I think the value of coaches is overrated, and there isn't a doubt in my mind that Hook could have been adequately replaced had he left. But this move feels good. It feels like one of those moments that signal that people want to be part of this organization. That makes me happy.

You were sounding the warning bells with his placement in the AFL, believing he might just need a break. I was right there with you, and I think we were correct. I have a hard time believing that the Wilken we were witness to in 2023 wouldn't have held his own in the 2023 AFL. I can't help but feel this is a head-game thing, more than evidence of his not being good enough. With that said, it's probably not fair to speculate on a public forum. We're all rooting for him!

While recent seasons have suggested that defense is really, really important to the organization, I also believe that this isn't some kind of rigid dogma. I believe they've emphasized defense because of the cost-effectiveness of the strategy. Light-hitting, good defenders are cheaper than their inverse, and it makes average pitchers good pitchers. But if a hitter comes along and derives surplus value with his stick, I don't think they would hesitate to put him at a corner. I mean, they started Hoskins and Yelich for much of the season. I think a lot of their supremely gifted defenders just also happen to be the best hitters available to the team (I'm not buying Black as a better hitter than Frelick/Turang/Ortiz at this point, and the same goes for the AAAA guys).

A couple of Brewers mentions in the MLB Trade Rumors Chat... He seems to think a Williams for Bohm trade is feasible, and mutually beneficial... Giddyup 9:05 Devin Williams for Alex Bohm - who says no? Mark P 9:05 With Ortiz taking over as the Brewers' shortstop? I kind of like this one, as Milwaukee could keep Bohm at 3B or move him to 1B as circumstances warrant. He also responds to a tormented Brewers fan with some sagacious, national-perspective wisdom... Brewers 9:01 How will we ever get out of this labyrinth of suffering? Mark P 9:02 This particular year was a real gut-punch for Brewers fans, but take heart....the organization knows what it's doing, and there's still a lot of talent on the roster. Nobody should be surprised if Milwaukee makes the playoffs again, and they're perhaps overdue for some October breaks to finally go their way

Ha! Just as I predicted. Lots of different names on different lists. They can't decide which Brewers to leave out of their top 100.

Probably preferential to losing the Brewers altogether, sadly.

What a group of five that demonstrate all of the Brewers' scouting and development acumen! It was a fun read because I got more and more excited with each entry. It's only a matter of time before the world knows that the Brewers are not simply an organization that plucks guys at the margins and puts them in the pitching lab. The draft well, they sign international FAs well, they develop pitchers, young and "old". They develop speedsters, they develop power hitters, they develop 5-tool players. What a fun team of which to be a fan.

They might say yes, if they felt they'd be selling high on Mayer. Injuries and underlying issues both offensively and defensively may portend a fall down the defensive spectrum with limited offensive upside for Mayer.

Yeah. I believe that if MLB doesn't significantly alter the current revenue sharing model in the next CBA (2026?), that the Brewers, (aging ballpark, small market), as well as other teams such as Kansas City (old ballpark, small market), and perhaps Pittsburgh (limited market, good ballpark), and Colorado (aging ballpark, limited market/thin air), will look at moving/selling the franchises. There are appealing options out there, some of which I don't like, but will list them: Montreal, Vancouver, Nashville, North Carolina, San Francisco metroplex, Utah, Puerto Rico, Monterrey, London, New York metroplex, Los Angeles metroplex. I'm sure there are some I'm missing. The Brewers are a significant outlier in market size. The big money teams would MUCH prefer the Brewers move to Montreal, than to have to subsidize the Brewers through revenue sharing. There's also the looming "need" to expand by two franchises. edit to remove Tampa, as they have a new stadium being built.

If that is the case, than I like him a lot more. I guess I thought he was 2nd-only kinda guy. Thanks.

Not arguing, but they may have had their fill of former NL central shortstops that won't perform to the level of the contract.

Are you not concerned that in over 600 MLB plate appearances, his wRC+ is 72? I just don't see this front office counting on that player to be their 3rd baseman for next season, let alone the next four seasons. Also, why interrupt this thread when there is a Baty thread? Not that I really care that much.

He seems like a good risk to play to the level of his contract (I'm guessing he gets somewhere from $10-15M per season on a 3 to 5 year deal). Similar to 2nd/3rd tier FA starters, although he's younger at 27. He's left-handed. Control artist. I would doubt that he ends up a bad pitcher, but could end up below average. But his control from the left side could also make for a Milner replacement in the pen, albeit an expensive one. If the Brewers want to have a cost-controlled lefty, he seems like a good fit. The hope would be that he's a steady rotation piece with the fallback that he's a bullpen fireman. With that said, this front office is frugal, and loathe to chase production with longer-term, guaranteed dollars, especially with 20% surcharge. I suspect the Brewers would choose a different path.

The Badgers might end up being a top 25 team, but any prognosticator or ranker of teams saw their schedule in July and wrote them off for the rest of the season. The team will need to beat a team they are the underdog to, to get any notice nationally. So how 'bout they go and beat Penn State on national television Saturday night at Camp Randall?

Freitag and Hunter will need to come a long way to be a better option on the floor than a combo of Blackwell, Klesmit and McGee. All three of those guys are good, or better defenders, and vary from competent to excellent on offense. If Freitag and Hunter are playing meaningful minutes in B1G play, that is a good sign. I agree with the idea that Winter may need to fight with Glimore/Amos for starter minutes. In terms of the Badgers depth, or lack thereof, I think the best 5 or 6 players will see big minutes this season. They will need to scrap and claw for every win. If I am wrong, it will be because they will actually be able to space the floor with five shooters for the second time in more than a decade (2019-2020 was first year w/o Happ, and Wahl was a freshman), and they will be elite defensively (often the most important key to a successful Badgers season).

Yeah, the thread has a lot of merit. I would like him on the Brewers. I doubt I'd like what they'd have to give up to get him. But as you said, the Rockies are ridiculous. Maybe the owner likes him so much that he does McMahon a solid and they just release him.

Can you see him playing 3rd? CF? Or is he 2nd base only?

Respectfully disagree. The comparison with the NFL is apples to oranges. The NFL, with its decades-long, quarterback-driven, star-power+salary cap, competitive balance model has football fans tuning into non-market games nearly every day of the week. Casual sports fans in the largest metro areas in the USA, and nearly every bar with a television in the country are tuning in to watch the Jaguars-Chiefs on Thursday night. This is simply not true of your hypothetical Tigers-Brewers series with big baseball stars. The MLB brand is very, very weak. The Yankees brand is global. worldwide, Ruthian. Yankees and Dodgers caps represent the cities --- not baseball. A Packers hat represents NFL football, not Green Bay, Wisconsin.

That highlight reel for Lara's defense is awesome. BA's "top skills" list, or whatever, as voted on by league personnel, had him being the best defensive outfielder, and the best outfield arm in the Southern League. With a decent on-base/switch-hitting-contact profile, he may have one of the highest floors of the Brewers' position players.

Has anyone else decided that the BF top prospect list is the best, most current, and accurate of Brewers prospect lists?

I thought I heard at some point that the Rockies' owner loves McMahon, and is prone to keeping guys he loves regardless of their statistical merits. I would guess that even if they were desperate to offload money, they would demand too much in return.

Coleman Crow, who I believe is pitching in the Arizona Fall League, and flashing some intriguing quality, according to @Joseph Zarr