Cool Hand Lucroy

I still think the main point here is that Rickie is a known quantity. Scooter is not. Perhaps one can infer that SG will regress or that he's a strong platoon candidate. I don't think that's an unreasonable position. For me, though, it's about the idea that Scooter still might get better. He's 23. I think it's more likely that he improves his left-handed splits enough to be decent than that Rickie starts to hit LHP like he did in 2010 (1.025 OPS). Like Soup above, I don't expect Gennett to be an all-star. I do think he can be more consistent than Weeks, which means I'm in favor of sacrificing some short term positional value in favor of his long term development.

You might be right, Danzig. It could be that, even with a full season split, Scooter's numbers vs. LHP are close to his minor league numbers. Those aren't good, and even a 2B can't be a centerpiece if he hits lefties like that. Where we disagree, I think, is in terms of the impact it would have this season. I don't think it's "punting on the season" to say Scooter's going to get the opportunity to start every day, even (at least some and probably most of the time) against lefties. I'm with brewcrew above. The difference between Scooter hitting 8th vs. lefties and Ricky hitting, what? 6? 7? 8 also? Anyway, it's not a huge difference 2-3 times per game, and its negative impact is mitigated somewhat defensively. Also, I'm not as convinced as jericho that Scooter's ceiling means he's just not going to get better vs. LHP. The 2011 numbers for SG vs LHP? .282/.325/.342. Not world beating, but pretty darn good in 150 ABs. I think, even with the old splits, it's good enough to leave some room for optimism. In '10, he was .330/.395/.455 vs. LHP in only 112 AB's. I'm not suggesting he'll put up numbers like that at this level. Only that I don't think there's enough evidence to suggest that he's always going to be terrible against lefties. Again, reasonable minds can differ. But I think with a guy who's 23 the risk/reward is really advantageous in this position. I see nothing wrong with going with Scooter out of the gate, and pulling back later if he struggles. I think that gives the team a better shot at evaluating what his true skill level is and how he fits in this year and beyond. Maybe he gets better vs. LHP and really grows into the role of every day 2B. It wouldn't be the first time. If he doesn't, what did the Brewers really lose? Especially when it's likely the team will play the percentages anyway if there's a late, pressure AB.

Perhaps I'm misreading the article, but I didn't see it as claiming "Gennett can't be as bad against lefties as he was last year, so a platoon is out of the question." It seemed more like the idea was that EVERY LEFTY is bad against lefties, and, given Gennett's age and the other options, the team has a long term interest in seeing what the whole package looks like. A platoon doesn't allow that to happen. Reasonable minds can differ, but I agree. I would like to see what Gennett looks like as a long term option at 2B. Him only hitting against righties doesn't accomplish that. In other words, I think the author is right to start the argument with Scooter. The decision should be based on what the organization sees in him. If they see him as the 2B down the road, then they commit to him this year. Maybe Weeks still makes the roster. Maybe he doesn't. But I think the article presents some good reasons in favor of viewing Scooter as the every day 2B in Spring. I suppose that wouldn't preclude a "light platoon" but it would mean conceding that SG needs at least some AB's against LHP.

On the possibility of getting beat up inside in the Big Ten: I think the Florida game actually provides reason to be optimistic. Yes, Florida was short two really important players. But they had Patric Young, who I believe is as big and tough as they come. His line: 8 pts, 6 rebounds, 2-6 from the floor. I think the Badgers do a good job of defending post entries and crashing the glass with their guards. I think Michigan State is scary with Payne, but I'm not all that afraid of McGary for some reason. Maybe the combo of him and Horford could cause problems, but I worry more about MSU from a matchup perspective. Actually, Minnesota and Iowa might be the teams that scare me most in terms of taking a surprise home loss. Both run, and the Gophers will press UW a lot, which has historically been an issue. We'll see. Can't wait for Big Ten play to start.

Just wanted to weigh in briefly, having read through most of the thread. I honestly think this is the best Badgers team I've seen in a long time. They are so balanced offensively. Bo doesn't run much swing anymore, but all of his guards can post up and rebound. Brust is really impressive on the glass, and for team without a lot of bangers, that's a huge help. I don't think they're as good defensively YET, but I think Gasser can man up anyone in the Big Ten. Even with the new emphasis on freedom of movement, the whole team has been playing good, no foul D. If Dekker can make the defensive improvements a lot of guys make under Bo, this team can be scary good. Watch Kaminsky play post D. He doesn't look tough, and certainly isn't all that assertive in the paint offensively, but he moves his feet really well. Whether he can handle a guy like Adrian Payne is seriously debatable, but there aren't a lot other big men in the Big Ten that I see eating UW's lunch. In short, I think they're a little underrated defensively. Ken Pom has them 11th in AdjD, which is against a pretty tough schedule. Not saying they'll win the Big Ten, but I'd be pretty surprised if they weren't one of two or three teams with a shot coming down the stretch. Could be a fun year in Madison.

After reading through most of the posts, I only have a few thoughts. Mainly, I'm with most of you. Not an attention-grabbing trade from a fan's perspective, but also not an unreasoned one. On giving up Aoki: I loved watching Nori and will miss him. BUT, as others have said, he's also exactly the guy you trade away. The offense just got younger, and, if Davis succeeds, Nori might not be missed from a number's perspective. A gamble, sure, but I think a worthwhile one. On getting Smith: Did the team get enough? I'm optimistic about one thing. This team needs pitching, and I think Smith can solidify it either as a reliever OR a back-end starter. With the offense I think this team can be capable of, getting better at 4/5 is nothing to sneeze at. Is he better than Thornburg/Nelson? Maybe not. But he might be, and that's a good thing. If this offense has five guys who can pitch 6 giving up 3, that can be effective. We'll see. I understand it. I think it could work out well. I don't think it will ever be labeled a disaster so let's see where it goes.

Well, hey, Fiers only threw 6 pitches, so he should be set to go again as soon as Thursday. Good news.

Haha. I guess everyone is having the same thought...

So, Henderson throws 11 pitches and can't go another inning? I don't understand.

11 pitches for Henderson. Should be able to go another one. After that, it's all Fiers most likely, so the runs should come now.

Willie Stargell, I'd say. Also, why not let Figaro hit? He's had an RBI every time up this year, right?

Proud of Wily for pushing through six. He seems to have had issues putting big hits behind him, so it was nice to see him settle down after the monster home run. I give him credit. Not like the offense has done anything to help out today.

Yeah, the pitching has not been good, especially with Gallardo struggling. I'm trying to stay at least a little bit positive. The Brewers cannot be as bad as they've played over the last week and a half. Way too much talent here for that. Plus, four and a half months of baseball left and blah, blah, blah. Still, for my own sanity it would be nice to win a game or two in the near future. Or maybe it's time for an earlier-than-usual Brewer vacation.

This has been one ugly stretch of baseball.

The only time I miss Bill Hall is when the Brewers play the Reds. Hopefully he gave someone one of his pink bats.

This. It isn't that Gennett is going to set the world on fire, it's that no one with the Brewers brass seems to think there is any option other than just running Rickie out there day after day. I'm just not convinced that Rickie is the best option at this point, in either the short term or long term projections for the Crew.

Hoping Wily has good stuff today. This team could use a win, if only for the morale boost.

I agree with a lot of this. There doesn't seem to be much the team can do about Weeks at this point. Here's my question: How far away is he from a Bill Hall type move? In other words, how bad would it have to get before the team sat him or cut him? I ask because Rickie hurts this team on both sides of the ball and not only is he struggling offensively, but he looks like he has zero confidence at the plate. Frankly, I'm tired of the entire Rickie Weeks experience and have been for a long time. So, my question for those who watch the minors more closely than I do is this: Can Gennett come in and play better defense than Rickie today? What do our scouts say he needs to work on most in Triple A, and would calling him up delay his development in those key areas? I think, if the answer to that first question is yes, then he's worth a look, especially since I don't see Rickie being a part of this team's long-term future. See if he can work it out in limited PT and avoid that '15 option vesting. If the team is going to hit him 8th and consider anything a bonus, then I'd much rather have a younger option who plays better defense. Watching Rickie play every day has long since stopped being fun.

I'm not sure where to put this, but just because its relevant to today's broader MLB games: The St. Louis Cardinals pitchers retired 40 hitters in a row over the last two days. Helton just walked to end the streak. I hate the Cardinals, but man that's impressive. Go Brewers! Edit: Mark Buehrle has the individual record with 45 hitters in a row retired. I can't find the team record.

Yeah, I get it. I think you're right, there are a lot of "ifs," which is part of what it makes it hard to get to excited about a team with .500 talent. It's so prone to the whims of the long season, and maybe that's why the overall feeling about this team, even more so than in other years, will really depend on the results of the last ten games or so. I think what makes me more excited than not at this point is that there is still time to figure one of those big question marks out. I think you're right, I'm not excited so much as hoping the next few weeks will give me a reason to get excited. I'm on record as saying I think this current road trip will say a lot about the 2013 Brewers. I know this team isn't as good as the Cardinals, but I think they're better than the Pirates and not all that far behind the Reds. Time will tell I guess. Anyway, I agree with everything you said. I think I'm more optimistic than excited because I think there are enough good things going on to make me believe there's still the potential to get rolling. It might burn me in the long run, though. In the meantime, you're totally about just enjoying Braun, Segura, Go-Go, etc. and trying to temper the (mostly bullpen-related) frustration.

Every year I tell myself I will not get so emotionally invested in game-by-game early season results, and every year I fail to uphold that promise. The reality of the Brewers the past two seasons has been a slow start followed by great post-All-Star-Break baseball. After 33 games in 2011, the Crew was 14-19. After 37, they were 16-21. I don't really remember them hitting their stride for real until Prince had a huge game to beat Colorado in 14 and bring them to 22-23. From there, they owned. Is this team as good as 2011? Probably not. The offense, however, seems just as good, and maybe better. The starting rotation is one piece away, as I think Lohse is very capable of putting up numbers at or above Marcum's. Obviously, there's no Greinke. The big difference is probably the bullpen, where the bridge seems to be in really bad shape again this year (although I'm pretty confident in Henderson). What does that mean about this team's long-term prospects? I don't know. I will say that I actually like what I've seen from Figaro so far, and Gorzelanny has been good as well. If one other capable reliever can emerge and the starting pitching can start getting a little deeper into games (especially Gallardo), I don't see why this team can't get hot. Most of my frustration so far just comes from the streakiness. So far, the Crew started April 2-8. They are now 1-7 in May. Bad ways to start months for sure. But when things click, look out. This team will get hot again, and if they are .500 around the All-Star, the playoffs don't seem like such a pipe dream. I don't see why they can't play +3 baseball from now until mid-July.

Wow. Gonzalez=not good. 3-6 home stand. 1-6 in May. Hope these guys get it together on the division road trip. Be nice to be at .500 going into another long home stand, but that'll require 6-4. We'll see. I thought these first three weeks of May would give a nice early barometer for gauging this team. So far, not so good. Still time to turn it around, though.

Oh, man. Take a hack at that wild pitch! I'll take it any way possible.

Okay, Carlos. I mean, it's nice to get to 2nd, but is that really worth the risk? Still, the guy is on fire.

Nice DP to end it there. Infield positioning works out well. Let's make it interesting at least.