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Playing Catch

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Everything posted by Playing Catch

  1. Playing Catch
    Without considering any other factors but "who is the best option for the roster right now," I think Naquin is gunna keep Frelick on the farm for the foreseeable future. Naquin has enough of a track record to be expected to outperform Frelick this season as a platoon option. This disappoints me only because I am excited to see Frelick.
  2. Playing Catch
    Good defense, good wheels, lefty stick, ostensibly strong "makeup". He'll play for a long time in MLB. I just don't see him ever being league average. *ducks*
  3. Playing Catch
    I'm a little surprised that no one is ranking Esteury Ruiz. I figured some outlet would have him ranked considering the return the Brewers received for him (and that he came back in the Hader deal). Was he on a list, and I just missed it? Does he have too much MLB time to qualify for such lists?
  4. Playing Catch
    While we're off topic, something tells me you are familiar with that part of the country, or perhaps just East of there... Baton Rouge?
  5. Playing Catch
    I have to think that signing four Nicaraguans is all about trying to establish relationships there, in order to have a leg-up in the future.
  6. Playing Catch
    I was encouraged, too, by the comment that he "hit balls hard in every quadrant of the zone". He also has good walk rates. But yeah, the strikeout rates are frightening.
  7. Playing Catch
    I thought the Steamer 600 projections for the Brewers were really, really interesting. IF the Brewers have similar projections, and IF they view him as an "every day" player (as much as they view anyone as an every day player), I believe he'll start on opening day, because they would feel that he is their best option. In my opinion, we tend to over-emphasize service-time manipulation. It absolutely happens, and the Brewers have certainly done it, but they've also clearly made decisions based on winning, as well.
  8. Playing Catch
    I rarely listen to podcasts and I don't live in the MKE area. But my impression over the years is that there must be one or two local talking heads that have been really critical of ownership in recent seasons, and that a lot of casual fans are influenced by them. Is that accurate? It's an easy ploy to get the radio version of "clicks," to be critical of ownership. It's easy for folks to hate rich people.
  9. Playing Catch
    Burnes strikes me as a guy that's always looking for extra motivation. I could imagine him making his own bulletin board material just so that he can prove everyone wrong.
  10. Playing Catch
    Plus or minus about a dozen spots. They should tier systems, too. ranking is silly when the differences are often subjective or arbitrary. Predicting prospect outcomes for baseball writers is like writing the Farmers Almanac, not like advanced meteorology. Don't get me wrong... I love every list, and indulge in every scouting morsel.
  11. Playing Catch
    Love the tiers. I think it would be fun to simply assign future value predictions to each player on the 20-80 scale, average them out, and voila!
  12. Playing Catch
    I mentioned this possibility in the other thread, but it's possible Burnes wasn't willing to sign for his arby number, either. That way, the union can badmouth the system/MLB/owners and drum up sympathy for the players. All he said was that the Brewers offer was poor.
  13. Playing Catch
    What I was positing, is that it's possible that agents/players WANT to go to arbitration. Either so that they get their number, or so that they can go to the media the next day to complain about the system, and make vague references badmouthing the system/ownership/MLB. I'm not claiming this IS what happened, just that I think this is a method by which the union creates sympathy with fans over their plight. It is especially effective when you are all but guaranteed to hit a record-breaking jackpot in free agency, as it very likely gets some national attention.
  14. Playing Catch
    As I mentioned in another thread, it makes one appreciate the NBA's CBA/Global Marketing, which allows for smaller markets to compete with the big markets. Regarding Burnes, we're only going to get his side of the story. While I think it's unlikely, it's possible Burnes wasn't willing to sign for either arbitration number. It's possible that was simply what he and his agent thought they could win in the case. Perhaps they wanted a big deal and the Brewers countered with a deal commensurate with what arbitration figures would be. But we won't find out the details.
  15. Playing Catch
    Glad to be looking forward to spring! 1- I forgot about the balanced schedule. That will hopefully make the boring 3TO baseball a little less so, with some fresher opponents, but also make it more difficult for the Central divisions to earn wild cards. 2- Success is finishing ahead of the Cards and the Cubs.
  16. Playing Catch
    I don't have any idea how running a website works, so I really appreciate Brock, the writers, and everyone else that's working to keep Breweran(atic) alive and well. It's quite possible that there are very real website concerns about 10+ day old threads, or "legacy" threads. But my opinion is that I like some of those threads. I miss seeing some of those threads. I think compromise is great. My opinion is the sheer volume of Article Threads is part of the issue for me, as it pushes down topics or threads that may not have much traffic at first (especially in the depths of the offseason), but sometimes new information arises that changes the conversation a little bit. Thanks again, everyone.
  17. Playing Catch
    Again, I think the Brewers DO look at the on-field value/contributions players make and want to be competitive for a playoff spot. The Hader trade doesn't happen without getting Rogers back in the deal (not arguing that it was a good idea or that it worked, we've done that 1000 times). Like endaround said, it's just not that big of a deal to let guys walk at the end of the season unless the player IS a qualifying offer kind of player, which the good version of Hader represents. So, I guess what I'm saying is that if Winker is performing at a level where some other team wants him, and the Brewers are in the race, and the Brewers dealt him, MLB assets would be coming back in the deal. I think the only way the Brewers offer him a QO after the season is if he is an absolute monster on the field and angel in the clubhouse, which I'm not predicting.
  18. Playing Catch
    I agree with endaround... 1 - I don't think draft pick compensation works the same way (I don't think the signing team gives one away -- but I think there is draft pick compensation depending on the value of the FA deal(?)). 2 - The Brewers have demonstrated a willingness to sign less-expensive, short-term deals for players they think can help. Trading Wong for 1 season of Winker is kind of like that. They traded for him at his current salary. Kind of like they had simply signed him for a 1-year deal at that salary. So I think they'll keep him and let him walk, unless they stink and he's tradeable, or they DFA him because he's awful, hurt, negative lockerroom presence, or a combination of those factors and they think one of the kids, or some waiver-wire guy would be a better guy to roster.
  19. Playing Catch
    I love the idea of Houser to the pen. I don't understand advanced pitching metrics well enough to know, but it seems that a ground ball pitcher that can also strike guys out is a real benefit. He can come in with the bases jammed and nobody out, and you can still hope to prevent any runs. In addition, his 2019 season (18 starts, 35 appearances, 111 IP) resulted in very good K-rates, and his lowest walk-rates. He's a great guy to be the swingman. Also a great candidate to piggy-back with Ashby being that they are RH/LH and both look better in shorter stints. I guess all pitchers do.
  20. Playing Catch
    This doesn't really bother me at all. There's probably an argument that could be made that skill development at that age trumps the development that comes from playing games. Spending a couple hours a day in the cage or doing infield practice may be more valuable than playing a game where you get 3 ABs and a couple of chances in the field.
  21. Playing Catch
    The blackout rules for MLB are insane. I have to think that the rules were built for the East coast metroplex with no consideration whatsoever for flyover country. As if smaller markets need any other disadvantages.
  22. Playing Catch
    Burnes in on pace to sign the largest contract for a pitcher in the history of the game (simply because salaries keep rising, not because he's some kind of unicorn). I don't see him signing an extension. I think if the Brewers want to keep him long term, they should build up a lot of good will in the next couple of years, and then offer him that megadeal in free agency. Few of us here believe this will happen, or believe that it should happen. For a team that is ostensibly trying to compete every year, I don't see the Brewers getting fair value back in a trade next off-season (because 1 season of Cy Young is extremely valuable to a team trying to win). I also don't believe they will trade him at the deadline (barring having an uncompetitive record, or injury issues). So I guess I'm in the camp that says the Brewers will have benefited from having one of the best starters in baseball during his prime, and for that I am thankful. It's important to note that very good, big market teams also lose out on signing stars to extensions or out-bidding teams in free agency sometimes.
  23. Playing Catch
    Burnes in on pace to sign the largest contract for a pitcher in the history of the game (simply because salaries keep rising, not because he's some kind of unicorn). I don't see him signing an extension. I think if the Brewers want to keep him long term, they should build up a lot of good will in the next couple of years, and then offer him that megadeal in free agency. Few of us here believe this will happen, or believe that it should happen. For a team that is ostensibly trying to compete every year, I don't see the Brewers getting fair value back in a trade next off-season (because 1 season of Cy Young is extremely valuable to a team trying to win). I also don't believe they will trade him at the deadline (barring having an uncompetitive record, or injury issues). So I guess I'm in the camp that says the Brewers will have benefited from having one of the best starters in baseball during his prime, and for that I am thankful. It's important to note that very good, big market teams also lose out on signing stars to extensions or out-bidding teams in free agency sometimes.
  24. Playing Catch
    One thing that doesn't get discussed very often in these types of threads is the power that the other actors wield in the overall financial landscape of the sport. Fans like ourselves like to point at owners like Attanasio and say, "Why didn't he decide to make the team better by signing so-and-so?" As if this type of decision happens in a vacuum. The owner isn't the ONLY one making the decision. Owners, GMs, Players, agents, union, the league all have a say in how FAs arrive at signing on the dotted line. Some players truly care about winning. Others truly care about playing near home, Others truly value playing in a big city. Others need to have as much money as possible. When ALL of the factors and ALL of the actors come together, you get a decision like the Yelich extension, or the Grandal and Moose signings. But sometimes Milwaukee just isn't the situation that ends up with a big-time free agent. Considering all of the challenges that the Milwaukee market presents in this manner, this team is exceedingly well run. I think that sometimes our fandom results in our losing sight of this. For those that would retort with analogies to the Packers and Bucks, those leagues (and unions) have created CBAs and league-wide marketing that flattens the competitive landscape. MLB is much more akin to European soccer than the NFL or NBA.
  25. Playing Catch
    I really hope they both play a lot. Even if they just end up being replacement level players. If they are able to improve just a smidge in a couple areas, they will become 50-grade players. It's been a long time since the Brewers have developed a 50-grade player. Trent Grisham maybe? I'm not sure he's better than a 45. In addition, I really want to see those left-handed speedsters wreaking havoc on the pitchers/IFers. Bunts, Butcher-boys, fielding errors, balks, stolen bases, hustle doubles, triples... That's fun.
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