monty57

When you're running a M*A*S*H unit, it's tough to keep a consistent lineup. We really need some guys to get hot to fill the void until everyone's back. I really like the Thames-Braun-Shaw combo. Having lefty killer Braun in between those two worked nicely to start the season.

I just wonder about the innings. If the "gurus" are right, he needs to get to around 150 IP this inning if he wants to stay on track to be a full-time MLB starter in the next year or two. With around 100 games left, we've got about 20 starts left for each starter. At 5-6 innings per start, that's 100-120 additional innings. Hader now has 53 innings on the year. He could probably start the rest of the season without a huge concern of him exceeding his innings limit. Out of the pen, he'll probably end up around 90 IP. Unless they move him to the rotation soon, which I guess is a possibility, he will not be ready for a full MLB season as a starter next year. He'll probably get shut down around 150, and then at around 170 the following year. It just seems like an odd way to treat a guy who is a very highly ranked pitching prospect for a franchise that has only had a handful of those over 40-some years.

So, he has 52 IP this season and will likely get around 40 or so more the rest of the season out of the Brewers' bullpen. He probably needs to get around 150 or so if they want him starting next year. That doesn't really make it seem like they're grooming our best starting pitching prospect since Gallardo or Sheets to be a future starter.

They're going to say the Astros hacked their system, and that's why they're doing so well.

That is worrisome. A couple of factors which I believe have not been mentioned: 1) Due to a rough early schedule with few days off, combined with playing our home games in a dome, we have played a lot of games. A handful of (mostly warm-weather) teams have played over 60 games. Most teams are in the 57-60 range. 2) We have had a lot of extra-inning games. What are we at, 7 or 8? That adds a lot of extra innings to the 'pen. And, of course the big reason is that many of our guys have been unreliable, and when you are winning more than you're losing you want to put out your reliable guys when you're ahead. Some of these guys could turn things around, so I can understand why they've kept them, but I have to believe that we will be seeing some moves before too long. We'll really be in a bad spot if any of our reliable guys start getting "arm fatigue."

Someone posted earlier that limiting his innings now and then gradually stretching him back out will allow for him to be called up to the majors as a starter and not have to get shut down or pulled early in every start. That made sense to me. If they wanted him as a reliever, why is he still starting games and going through the routine starters go through every five days? Why not put him in the 'pen and let him get used to coming in for different situations? I agree that most of the current pitching prospects will not make it to the majors as a starter. However, Hader is our best pitching prospect, and is nearly ready to make the move to the majors. If the team believes that our best pitching prospect is not good enough to start at the MLB level, and he is going to be permanently moved to the 'pen before he ever gets a major league start, then we're screwed. Now, it's possible that they decide not to bring him up as a starter this year, but need him in the 'pen in August/September to help out in a playoff race, fully intending to move him back to a starter's role in the future. If they make that decision and it gets them into the playoffs, it may be worth burning some of his service time. But, if they're already deciding that his future is as a reliever, then our farm system just got a whole lot weaker.

You mean those same Wisconsinites that loved players like "T Plush," and who have loudly cheered on players from countries all over the world (including cheering for Villar last season) as long as that player helps the team win?

I agree with you that I'd like to see Franklin replaced. As to why they did what they did, I'd say probably to give Phillips a taste of the big leagues. He'll be a major league player soon. Giving him this quick call-up and then letting him go back to get full-time play will probably help him out when he is called up for good.

I'm glad Villar had a good night, and hope for continued success. Some of the negativity against him is probably based on two things: 1) He is one of only two of our regular hitters that isn't hitting. It's great that we have so many players hitting well, but it really makes his slow start stand out. 2) We have two guys who play his position (Perez & Sogard) who are hitting a lot better then Villar. Therefore, while people understand that he could potentially break out, they also understand that every time he starts he is taking PAs away from someone who is currently playing much better then he is playing. I think Counsell has treated the situation pretty well. To start the season, naming him the starter and leadoff hitter made sense. After giving him a decent amount of time, he moved him down in the order. Then, with Sogard hitting so well, he started getting some starts. We'll have to see how everyone performs going forward, but I don't have a problem with how everyone's been used.

The problem that will always be present for relievers is that they pitch so few innings, it's hard to judge them. Any player, from superstar to scrub will have good streaks and bad streaks, and with so few innings, a bad streak for a reliever can make their stats look absolutely horrible. I understand the emotional reaction of "get rid of the bums," but if we followed that throughout the team, Nelson and Anderson would have been dumped a long time ago. So, I get why the team is trying to take some of the emotion out of it. Fans are rarely patient, but management needs to exercise some caution and try to make the most rational decision possible in a somewhat chaotic season. There have been some valid points as to why some of the guys might be worth keeping. I'll say: -Hughes has been a ground-ball machine because he has great control at the bottom of the strike zone. This year, the strike zone was raised, and that has really hurt him. In his last outing he was a different pitcher, using a high heater and a low curve to fool hitters. Let's see if that continues. -Drake has been much better against lefties than righties, so as long as we don't have a LHP in the pen, just use him as your "LOOGY" and he should be alright -Torres was a solid pitcher last season, and was pretty good up until his last four outings, three of which have been bad. Maybe there's something wrong, or maybe he's just going through a "bad stretch" but he shouldn't be given up on. I'm not opposed to moving people, and we're probably at a point where we should start looking at bringing some guys up from the farm, but we need to take a deep breath. The moves management has made currently has the Brewers tied for first place when most didn't think that was possible, so I find it hard to say they're throwing away the season. Let's see how things play out... some moves are going to happen.

Yeah, hopefully the Peralta ship has sailed. Let him get some reps in the bullpen until we're ready to let him go, but please don't give him any more starts. Any minor leaguer would be preferable, just because of the "what do you do if Peralta has a good start?" scenario.

Good. That shows he targeted a player who looks to be a long-term solution for a hole in the lineup, knew what it would take to get him, and was able to add a lot more value to the club in terms of prospects. Keep it up David!

Perez's .770 OPS ranks him #124 in all of baseball in terms of OPS (minimum 100 PA). That means on average each team has about four guys who OPS higher than him. Not really something to complain about, especially from a guy who plays decent defense at seven different positions. I get the frustration in having him not take more walks, but it's a heck of a lot better than the frustration in watching a guy with a good eye who can't hit.

I agree about the fans. Overall, I think Wisconsin has intelligent sports fans who follow their teams very closely. Phillips isn't "Hank the Dog," he's a very good baseball player who is getting his first chance, and the fans appreciate that. Even though I'm the one who brought up Arcia's name, I do agree that it is very unlikely he will ever get sent down. I understand he brings value on the defensive end, I just believe he will be a lot more valuable when he's in his prime years, and we're losing some of those years so that he can learn on the job when his bat is not yet MLB ready. That said, the Brewers made their decision to bring him up last season, and I don't believe they will go back on that, even if it might make sense. The versatility of Perez and others on the team leads us to the conclusion that all of us can agree on: Franklin is the guy who should go. He, too brings value only because of his versatility, but we have plenty of guys who have that who are better then him. I think Phillips should stay up at least as long as Braun is out, rotating guys around to try to keep everyone fresh

re the bolded part: It's impossible to know what other moves would have been made, but I doubt that we'd be five games up in the Central if we had Thornburg but didn't have Shaw. This trade looks to be a no-brainer "win" for the Brewers. I hope Thornburg can get healthy and pitch well, but even if he does, I doubt he'll add nearly as much value to the Red Sox as we will have received in return. I hope that if the market for relievers remains as hot as it is presently, that we will not make trades like this. Teams are giving up far too much for relievers. Fortunately I believe that like most things, the market will eventually cool down. Also, I believe that with the number of talented pitchers we have in the system, we will have a fairly stocked bullpen in the future as some of the guys who are currently minor league starters will make it to the majors as relievers. My final note on this trade: this shows how Stearns is treating this "rebuild." He's adding talent wherever possible, whether that's adding an 18-year old for the Rookie leagues, or adding a young MLB third baseman whose value is down. He's trading the "hot commodity" for undervalued pieces in order to garner excess value, and that has made our system much better very quickly.

There are two weak spots in the Brewers' lineup: Arcia: .246/.289/.361/.650 Villar: .207/.281/.315/.595 If they wanted to keep Phillips up when Shaw returns, they could send Arcia down, or they could dump Franklin and give Villar more time on the bench. They could rotate guys around, but any way you slice it if they keep Phillips up and if they want him to get significant playing time, it will cut into some time currently occupied by other guys who are performing well.

Good for Phillips. After seeing the way he interacted with the crowd during a game I watched in Biloxi, he instantly became my favorite prospect. Hopefully he tears it up while he's here.

Not saying your wrong, but if Woodruff and Ortiz are our only decent SP prospects who become starters in the majors, our rotation is in trouble, and we probably shouldn't be looking at being playoff hopefuls anytime soon.

The extra innings thrown generally mean more innings for the bad relievers. If we get more starts like we have recently, then a much higher percentage of the bullpen innings go to the better relievers, which should help the aggregate numbers. Plus, the relievers will be better rested, which can't hurt.

Sounds like something the Diamondbacks would do. I wonder if Braun would like Arizona?

It's a bit of optimistic that a guy in AA..or even AAA could come in right away and reach his potential and out-pitch Guerra--under this assumption he pitches the rest of the year healthy and like he has been-- next season. But certainly he'd be a better bet in years 2-6 you mentioned. All the more reason it'd be great for the Brewers and I can't imagine another team doing it. I was going from the "TOR type" AA / AAA player. Many say that as good as our pitching prospects are, we don't have a "TOR type." Therefore, in this proposal, we'd be looking at getting someone who is already in the upper minors and is better than Hader/Woodruff. I think that there is a decent chance someone like that could outpitch Guerra next year. He turns 33 in January and could be one of those guys who has a couple of good seasons and that's it. That's why there was trade speculation on him before this season, when he had five years of remaining team control. I'm really looking forward to seeing how Guerra pitches this year, and I would be very happy if he puts together another good year and that allows the Brewers to trade him for a group of talented prospects. If one of them is a "TOR type" in the upper minors, I'd be ecstatic.

If we could get a top-of-the-rotation guy who is already in AA/AAA, then it's pretty likely that we wouldn't be hurting our rotation in 2018 in favor of upgrading it 2-3 years down the line. That guy would be in our rotation in 2018, and it is quite possible he'd outpitch Guerra in year one, much less years 2-6. If we could get that guy plus another top 20 prospect, we could be in the World Series in the near future.

Unless it is the Dodgers claiming Braun or the Marlins I don't see Braun waiving that no trade clause and not directed at you but in general yes Braun's no trade clause still matters if Braun is placed through waivers as he could refuse to go to that team and the Brewers would then be stuck with Braun or they would have to release him. That's interesting. If another team claims him and Braun refuses to go, would the Brewers be able to trade him in August (because he was placed on waivers) or not (because another team claimed him)?

Getting the run in with two outs and a man on third means scoring a run vs not scoring a run. How can scoring a run vs not scoring a run not correlate with winning games?

I've always liked him as a #4/5 starter, and that's what you're going to get out of a #4/5 starter. He'll look really good for a while and then look bad for a while. We'll have more talented pitchers coming up shortly who will hopefully fit in the top of the rotation, but guys like Anderson are good to have to fill out the rotation. We have him for three more arby years (he's a 4 year arby guy), so hopefully he'll be a solid contributor for a couple more years, and by then we'll have enough prospects up that we'll be able to trade him for something valuable. While it's wonderful that we're playing well overall, this is still a year to separate the wheat from the chaff. Peralta got his last shot, and is out of the rotation. Nelson and Anderson are showing that they may belong. Guerra lost some time, but is looking pretty good so far, which will make for good discussion as to whether we should trade him or keep him. Davies lived at the bottom of the strike zone. MLB raising the zone probably hurt him, so we'll have to see if he can adapt. At this point, he's probably the guy that could spend some time in the minors when the Brewers are ready to start promoting prospects. Garza is short-term no matter what. Had he pitched poorly, he'd already be gone, but his pitching well can only help the Brewers, whether that's by increasing his trade value or by helping us win more games. Long term, the good thing is that we have prospects who have higher upside then the guys on the MLB team, so hopefully we will be able to start slotting those guys in the top spots in the rotation. If the current guys can continue to prove that they are solid MLB starters, they will help us win for a while and then make for some really nice trade chips over the next couple of years.