RollieTime

We need major league experience. We need Tuffy Gosewich! Nottingham has a 1.400 OPS this year for the Brewers. Have you seen him play?!? I’m sold on him. The Brewers should bring him up and lock him up for the next 8 years. If Stearns doesn’t, he should be fired immediately for someone with the stones to actually try to win a World Series. Can we give that same 8 year deal to good ‘ole Tuffy too?

Only way I’d be ok with this is Braun playing 1B to free up Grisham playing 150+ games in LF. Priority, imo, is Grisham playing every day. The priority has to be playing Braun as much as possible. He’s their best hitter this season outside of Yelich. The man has always been able to hit and still continues to do so. If we are hoping to compete next season, which we obviously are, Braun’s health and productivity is a big part in our success.

I think it could have to do with the Badgers getting Mertz as well. Wouldn’t surprise me if the Badgers start passing a little more than they have in the past since they actually have a couple guys capable of doing so. Plus, Wisconsin is a fantastic college town. There are guys out there that grow up dreaming to play college ball for Madison. He could be one of those guys.

Not sure why people are so worked up about the Trent Grisham ranking so much. Even on OUR OWN poll on here before the season, we had him ranked 18th. If he’s that far down in our own system, I don’t see why people are so frustrated with the mid-season ranking for him and saying these different people that put out rankings of prospects are so far off base when we ourselves started putting him as an afterthought in a way. One good half season doesn’t vault a guy into the top 50 prospects in baseball when he was a below average to average outfielder with very little pop for 3 years. Yes he developed some more power this season, but he was still only hitting .254 in AA through 63 games. The mid-season poll probably came out only a couple weeks into his AAA stint, where they had to look at how he performed in AA, which really wasn’t that otherworldly. He really picked it up in AAA for about 6 weeks and that’s where he really started making a name for himself. But there’s no way he’s going to go from a guy in the 250-500 prospect range and become highly touted in a couple months. At least not by anyone else other than people within the organization or fans of that team.

It is the definition of pessimism, but I guess we'll have to agree to disagree. So you say the team doesn't have the talent to hang with the big boys, then say they can't take unnecessary risks? That's contradictory. If a team cannot hang with the big boys, wouldn't they HAVE to take risks, such as the one they did in 2018 when they decided to pay Wade Miley $2.5 million? The <$5 million Nelson is going to make in arbitration is not a large commitment at all in the whole scheme of things. The Jimmy Nelson of 2017 doesn't exist anymore. To assume its only a matter of time until a 30 year old pitcher coming of a catastrophic arm injury morphs back into his 28 year old pre-injury self ignores all the relevant facts. Based on his small sample of 14 innings with the Brewers this year, Nelson isn't a major league caliber pitcher. So far in AAA against lesser talent than the major leagues, he's walking on average 5+ batters per 9 innings. Moreover, post injury he doesn't throw particularly hard. As any Brewer fan knows (because they've had a lot of them over the years) pitchers who do not throw hard and have iffy command don't do very well at the major league level. Which brings me back to the original point, due to significant injury and ineffectiveness post injury, he's not likely in the team's plans going forward and most likely will be non-tendered after the season. Because he is not on the 40 man roster now I don't see him coming back up. I think Jimmy’s time with the Brewers is limited as well. I don’t think it’s worth bringing him back for around $5 million when he really hasn’t done much in 2+ years since the surgery to show that he’s anything resembling what he was before the surgery. That money could be spent better elsewhere whether it’s a nice bullpen piece, a SS, or put it toward a starting pitcher. Our window is now, we can’t continue throwing money at a project hoping that he figures it out again.

For what it’s worth, Keston Hiura and Prince Fielder are the same height (5’11 or 6’ depending on the website). I don’t think it would be that big of a deal to move him there. I think that Hiura still has a lot of room for improvement at second since he hasn’t played much in the field the last few years. I’m interested to see if by post all-star break in 2020 if there is significant improvement for him. Lack of reps and increase in shifting at the MLB level is causing him to throw from odd angles and different distances that he may not be totally comfortable doing yet.

Do you really think the Brewers have the money to get Rendon? He'll get $22-25M and a 4-5 year deal easily. I think he's way to expensive for the Crew. Moustakas is a better option at around $11M per for 3 years, and spend the rest they would have spent on Rendon for pitching or a SS. I'm still not sold on Grisham. He hasn't done much in a short span in the big leagues to be overly enthusiastic about him(.228/.303). Yeah I think they can fit him in. They would have to give out the largest contract in team history by quite a bit, but he’s a young enough player that I think that it would turn out alright. I don’t think he would prevent the Brewers from making other moves as there could be a ton of money off the books this offseason if Stearns decides to go that route.

I get this argument, but at the same time, Braun is as hot as he's been in probably a couple years, so if he can play, he should be out there. I think they are trying to get Cain going, to, and that won't happen if he sits. Braun is hitting .390 in August, his highest batting average in a month since August of 2010. Braun has been arguably their second best hitter this season and needs to be out there every day down the stretch that he physically can. If Braun is healthy, we need him playing.

Khris Davis would be proud!

I try not to discuss offseason plans much mid-season, but I don’t see any way that Arcia is our opening day shortstop in 2020. I think he will be used off the bench as a backup to short and 2nd, or traded. I don’t think he will be DFA’d because he still has some untapped potential in my opinion and he’s still cheap, but the Brewers can’t continue to trot him out there almost everyday in 2020 waiting to see if he will ever find it. Shortstop will be addressed in some way this offseason.

Every player can be had, but trading a 22 year old that we control for 6 years that is on pace for 40+ doubles, 30+ homers, and can hit over .300 if stretched out over a full season doesn’t seem like a wise move for a team looking to compete. The guy is just beginning and he can already rake. I don’t understand how some posters (including the OP) were totally against trading Hader because we are trying to contend now and in the near future, but are very open to trading this guy. Hader is going to get expensive very quickly and is controlled for 2 less seasons than Hiura. Relievers are also extremely volatile. It’s quite a drop off from Hiura to Shaw, Saladino, and Perez, but that’s what we would be trotting out there to replace him. There aren’t too many good second baseman out there, but even on the free agent market, who out there would we sign to replace him without spending $10+ million to do it who would put up anything close to Hiura? Isn’t removing Hiura from this lineup going to greatly hurt this offense and our future? Even Yelich, who I’m totally against trading, people want to keep because of how cheap he is for the production he gives. I don’t see why Hiura couldn’t be a perennial all-star just like Yelich. If he is a .300 hitter and puts up 30+ homers, he would have a real shot at being a top 5 MVP candidate, who we would be paying the league minimum to. Especially when his defense gets a little better, he could be truly special. He’s young and hasn’t played much defense the last few years. Wasn’t there a minor league coach that coached Griffey Jr. among others and said Hiura is a talent similar to that? He’s a cornerstone that we build around, not trade away. Add a guy like Rendon in free agency to pair with Yelich, Hiura, Grisham, Cain, and Braun, we could really have a special offense. Especially if Moose returns and plays some first to allow Rendon to play third, we would have a roster with a very good balance of righties and lefties with some good pop up and down the lineup from both sides. We would feature a lineup that has 3 guys that could realistically finish in the top 10 in MVP voting in Yelich, Rendon, and Hiura.

Shocked that he would retire so young. Crazy that such a talented player would retire so early. He has had a lot of injuries in his career, but I never thought they would lead him into retirement. Colts fans should not of booed him off the field once they found out he was going to retire. The man worked his tail off every day for that organization and was a class act from day one. Best of luck to him in the future!

Quite an interesting move. Has Spangenberg played any shortstop in the minors this season? Looks like he played a couple innings there last season, but that’s it for his entire career at the MLB level. I don’t see him taking any at bats away from Hiura or Moose.

Quite an interesting move. Has Spangenberg played any shortstop in the minors this season? Looks like he played a couple innings there last season, but that’s it for his entire career at the MLB level. I don’t see him taking any at bats away from Hiura or Moose.

Quite an interesting move. Has Spangenberg played any shortstop in the minors this season? Looks like he played a couple innings there last season, but that’s it for his entire career at the MLB level. I don’t see him taking any at bats away from Hiura or Moose.

Not sure I would want to get more left handed in the everyday lineup by adding Sogard to the mix.

That roughing the passer on Boyle was uhh... soft? The guy didn’t pick him up, didn’t hit him in the head, and made contact very quickly after the throw.

Congrats to both of them! We have a lot of intriguing young talent in the lower minors. I wouldn’t be surprised to see both of them start next season in AA.

Ahh, I see what you did there!

Love to see the bats coming out hot to start the game! Now POUR IT ON!!

You need to be more specific on what you are saying man. So he should stick with Shaw and get him consistent at bats? Aguilar? Cain? Should he play Cain over Grisham right now? Should he give Perez consistent at bats over Arcia or vice versa? If he plays guys that are struggling he gets yelled at. If he sits them he is now getting yelled at. Some of it is when guys are playing well, keep the hot bat in the lineup instead of benching them. If a guy goes 3-4, keep him in the lineup the next game. The other part about constantly changing the lineup. I think guys play better when they get consistent at bats. Look at the lineup from the last three games: Grisham Grisham Cain Thames Grandal Grandal Yelich Yelich Yelich Hiura Moose Hiura Moose Hiura Braun Pina Thames Thames Gamel Gamel Perez Arcia Arcia Arcia P P P I just think it’s quite a bit of change for facing 3 righties in a row. Moose has been hot, had an 0-4 game, and gets benched yesterday. While facing a righty. In favor of Perez. Also, prior to Yelich moving to the 3 hole, how many times was our 3-6 hitters constantly in flux? I highly doubt that other playoff contending teams are constantly changing/platooning their leadoff guy and 3-6 hitters like the Brewers tend to do and have done this season (Thames/Aguilar, Shaw/Perez, Gamel/Braun, Grisham/Braun, Gamel/Cain). I think a couple platoons are fine if you don’t need to completely change your lineup, like how they did from the last two games shown above. I know guys need days off during the year, but it just gets ridiculous at times. It looks like I’m one of the few that thinks platoons and constantly changing lineups can be counter-productive. I guess we can agree to disagree that inconsistent playing time affects the results on the field.

Why? Who's better? He manages very satistically and puts his players in the best position to succeed. 1 player in 4 years has complained about the organization and how they've handled them (Tyler Cravy) Clearly he's doing something right. Throwing a tantrum like a 12 year old while trying to show up the umpire is not how you win them over. So, you think there's something there even though there isn't any evidence of it. You say players can't play well if they get yanked around, right after complaining that he isn't using the bullpen properly (which by your own words) would include yanking guys around. You know who he didn't yank around all season? Cain, Arcia and Shaw. They all have been terrible. He didn't yank around Burnes or Peralta going into the season, and they both completely bombed. In Craig I trust. I think there’s plenty of merit to hitters playing better when playing consistently compared to sporadic playing time. In regards to the bullpen, no, bullpen guys aren’t being yanked around just because you use them in certain situations? I don’t even understand what you’re trying to say. If Guerra is struggling, he shouldn’t continue to be pitching in games where we have a small lead. Albers has been one of the more consistent guys this season and should be in for those later game situations. Things like that. It’s not yanking bullpen guys around at all by using them in situations that suit what they do best. Whether it’s Hader for getting strikeouts with the bases loaded or Albers coming in for a ground ball double play to maintain a one run lead. Again, even before last season, I didn’t really like Counsell as manager. We almost went to the World Series that year. I’ll admit it. This isn’t just because we have been struggling recently. This is how I’ve felt for a while. But was it Counsell that led to Jeffress having a career year, Knebel becoming unhittable down the stretch, Hader striking everybody out, and having guys like Soria and Burnes in the pen at his disposal? I think most guys could handle that bullpen pretty easily. He was gifted a super pen and couldn’t really push a wrong button. What about Yelich having an MVP season, Aguilar being an All-Star, and Shaw having another great season last year? Counsell didn’t yank them around and they did well. I think where you can really tell how well a manager manages is in how they handle their lineups/frequent lineup changes, and bullpen management. I personally don’t think he does either one particularly well. I know people have questioned a lot of the lineups this season, why certain guys are benched after playing well or why the lineup continues to flip day in and day out. Again, I think there’s a lot of merit in guys playing better when playing almost every day instead of trying to keep everybody “involved” and throwing multiple different players into the lineup almost daily, shuffling the batting order, and guys not knowing when they will be starting or not. You can’t measure the mindset of players, but the mindset of knowing you’re in the lineup whether you’re playing well or in a 2-18 stretch is big for players. I think it’s possible that some of the guys on the roster might think they don’t have the confidence of the manager, which could lead to poor results and some type of disconnect. Doesn’t mean the players aren’t trying though.

Hindsight is also 20/20. Ray was seen as a good solid pick by pretty much every draft expert at the time. You are right, it is a crapshoot. The fact that the Brewers have two former 1st round rookies up and performing well right now probably defies the odds. Well, I remember that several posters here felt Puk and Gromme were better choices. I was hoping the Brewers would take Puk and was blown away when they passed on him when he somehow fell to us when there was almost a 0% chance of him being there for the Brewers to take. I wasn’t posting on here at the time, but Puk was my number 1 target in that draft and was disappointed we didn’t draft him.

I think it is time to have a discussion on Counsell and if he is the right guy for the Brewers. I was never a fan of the hiring of Counsell to become the manager from day 1, but I was open to seeing what he does in his first shot at managing. I made my decision a couple years ago that I didn’t think he is the right guy for the job. I don’t like the way he handles the bullpen. Too many times where it is obvious to everybody (except Counsell) who should be brought in, but he will go with somebody that is struggling instead. His in game managing is questionable at best. I personally do not like how he very rarely stands up for his players during games. Brewers pitchers will get squeezed and the hitters will get rung up on terrible calls, and Counsell will shake his head in the dugout and that’s it. It could just be my opinion, but when I played and when I watch games, I have much more respect for a coach that will stick up for his guys and let the umpire know he screwed up. I don’t see this at all from Counsell. He is a fairly reserved manager, lacks outward passion for the game, and always seems bored and uninterested. And finally, the lineup tinkering game to game. I made a thread last year and was mostly met with criticism, but it’s something I still stand behind. Guys will NOT perform as well if they are constantly being yanked around. Start for one game, ride the bench for a game, pinch hit the next game, and then start the next. A lot of players find it difficult to be on the top of their game when they are given inconsistent playing time or getting a pinch hit opportunity during the game. There are a few times this year where a guy gets 3 homeruns in a 3 day span and gets benched, or someone like Braun, who recently hit two homeruns in a game, and is benched the next day. I know there are other examples of odd lineup decisions when guys are playing well and getting benched or being trotted out there even when they are struggling mightily. I’ve seen people mention it in the past as keeping everybody involved and not getting rusty. I view it a different way as having your guys get rusty by taking them out of their groove and getting them out of their “flow” when they are playing well or getting hot. I really don’t think Counsell is the guy to lead us to our first World Series win. I haven’t been able to watch many games recently, but if the guys are flat and uninterested like I’ve read in some recent in game threads, when they are in the middle of a playoff race, then something else could be going on. Even if there was something going on in the clubhouse, you will rarely if ever hear players bash a manager while he is still with the team. I know we haven’t heard anything negative about Counsell since he’s been there, but at some point down the road when he isn’t the manager, I wonder if any players will say anything. I don’t think the lack of players talking publicly in a negative way right now means there isn’t something going on. Looking forward to seeing what other people see and feel in regards to Counsell, his decision making, and what he brings or doesn’t bring to the table.

To be fair, Chase has given up 2 ER or fewer in 19 of his 25 starts and only given up 4 ER or more in 3 of those 25 starts, including today. He’s been pretty dang consistent for us all season. He keeps us in the game pretty much every time he steps on the mound.