Brewcrew82

And has Attanasio given any indication whatsoever that he will be putting the team up for sale? All signs have been that he intends to keep the team within the family for the foreseeable future. So, I don't quite understand where you are getting that from, and why you are treating it as a matter of fact. Second, despite the constant relocation threats used in coaxing public financing for professional sports stadiums/arenas, they rarely actually end up coming to fruition. The A's and Ray's sagas have been going on for two decades now (virtually as long as Am Fam Field/Miller Park has been in existence), and yet both teams remain in their trash heap of stadiums (which AmFam field is currently not), with no resolution in immediate sight. The fact of the matter is that sports leagues such as MLB are loathe to relocate their teams, particularly where strong fan support for such team exists. That is clearly the case with the Brewers in Milwaukee. Third, the Brewers are far more of an engrained institution in the city and the state than the Bucks were at the time they secured public funding for Fiserv Forum. Obviously, the Packers will always remain king, but the Brewers are right there after them. When the time arrives for these discussions, there will be strong headwinds in favor of getting a deal done. If you ask me, while I appreciate the effort, this article is way too apocalyptic. The ballpark situation will sort itself out over time, and will almost certainly end with the Brewers staying put with either a renovated or brand new venue.

And has Attanasio given any indication whatsoever that he will be putting the team up for sale? All signs have been that he intends to keep the team within the family for the foreseeable future. So, I don't quite understand where you are getting that from, and why you are treating it as a matter of fact. Second, despite the constant relocation threats used in coaxing public financing for professional sports stadiums/arenas, they rarely actually end up coming to fruition. The A's and Ray's sagas have been going on for two decades now (virtually as long as Am Fam Field/Miller Park has been in existence), and yet both teams remain in their trash heap of stadiums (which AmFam field is currently not), with no resolution in immediate sight. The fact of the matter is that sports leagues such as MLB are loathe to relocate their teams, particularly where strong fan support for such team exists. That is clearly the case with the Brewers in Milwaukee. Third, the Brewers are far more of an engrained institution in the city and the state than the Bucks were at the time they secured public funding for Fiserv Forum. Obviously, the Packers will always remain king, but the Brewers are right there after them. When the time arrives for these discussions, there will be strong headwinds in favor of getting a deal done. If you ask me, while I appreciate the effort, this article is way too apocalyptic. The ballpark situation will sort itself out over time, and will almost certainly end with the Brewers staying put with either a renovated or brand new venue.

Wow, some great defense in that inning. Aside from the catcher's interference on Caratini.

Let me just say that, unlike what the author seems to be hinting at, I don't see the Brewers moving anytime soon (if ever). If the Bucks, who are much less of an attraction in the state, can get a brand new state-of-the-art arena funded in part by taxpayers, I think there will be more than enough of a political and public will to get something done for the Brewers. Of course, I am not a huge fan of the concept of taxpayers subsidizing billion dollar corporations (which is what the Brewers are), but that is just the reality of the professional sports scene in 2022. The Brewers mean way too much to the state and to the city for any serious movement toward relocation to occur. Milwaukee and Wisconsin are nothing like Oakland and California or Tampa and Florida.

Let me just say that, unlike what the author seems to be hinting at, I don't see the Brewers moving anytime soon (if ever). If the Bucks, who are much less of an attraction in the state, can get a brand new state-of-the-art arena funded in part by taxpayers, I think there will be more than enough of a political and public will to get something done for the Brewers. Of course, I am not a huge fan of the concept of taxpayers subsidizing billion dollar corporations (which is what the Brewers are), but that is just the reality of the professional sports scene in 2022. The Brewers mean way too much to the state and to the city for any serious movement toward relocation to occur. Milwaukee and Wisconsin are nothing like Oakland and California or Tampa and Florida.

Feeling pretty confident about another good start from Woody tonight to keep on that upward trajectory. But, CC, why is Hiura in the lineup once again against a lefty?! I love you to death man, but you're really killing me with this one. Besides the statistical evidence, did we not just see Hiura struggle against Fried and then take a righty to the moon for the game winner?

If he can get his OPS to what it’s been the last few years, I’ll take it for sure.

Devin has really settled in nicely except for that one outing against the Reds.

Agreed.

And now a triple play, too.

At the game, anyone know what the Nationals we’re arguing about there?

It’s not just 538. It’s every one of the projection sites. Fangraphs, baseball prospectus, etc. They may pull out 85-90 wins just because they’re the Cards. But that is still clearly a level below the Brewers.

FWIW, Josh Hader is not a father yet, but he and his wife did receive good news after a brief scare on Wednesday. Assuming he will be back and available today.

Why I acknowledged that the Cardinals have us beat on star power in the lineup. However, it is largely canceled out by the terrible production they've gotten from the bottom of their order. Donovan and Yepez may have stabilized things somewhat, but their current production, in addition to being a small sample size, is also not matched by their prospect pedigree. Having Molina and Pujols getting regular playing time really limits their ceiling. If O'Neill and Carlson don't turn it around eventually, they may struggle to stay above .500, as the projection sites (e.g. 538) right now only have them finishing a few games above that threshold. Conversely, the Brewers are projected to safely clear the 90 win mark.

Tonight will also be my first time at AFF this year, and I'm hoping to see Keston Hiura in the lineup, though I'm also fearing he may not be with McCutchen set to return. Maybe give Rowdy a day off? Or could they finally play him in left field like they were planning on doing in the spring? Probably not....

O'Neill's problem has always been the huge hole in his bat. Even during his star turn last season, his strikeout and whiff rates were among the highest in baseball. If he can't offset those tendencies with consistent loud contact and superb defense, which he hasn't been able to thus far, he will be a one-year wonder. I agree that he's probably not this bad, but I also don't think he's ever gonna approach last season's levels on a regular basis.

Relative to the Brewers, the Cardinals are clearly a notch below us. Offensively, yes, they have some serious star power in Arenado and Goldschmidt (and even Edman has been at that level so far this year). However, their main problem is that they are getting virtually no production from the 6-9 spots in their order. O'Neill, expected to be their star left fielder and 3 hole hitter, has been so bad that he had to be moved to the bottom of the order and then benched for a few days, before going on the IL yesterday. Though, as you say, there is a distinct possibility that he turns it around and becomes the player he was last year, he is a guy that has always been hampered by huge swing and miss tendencies. The metrics are even down on his defense thus far, which is why he has been one of the worst position players in baseball by WAR. Meanwhile, Pujols, while not completely sucking with the bat, has been no more than average, and at his age, that is probably all you can expect going forward. He has also been getting more playing time than originally planned because Corey Dickerson, their other main offseason acquisition on offense, has been just as bad as O'Neill. In addition, Molina, the second 40 year old mainstay in their lineup, is increasingly looking like he's finished. Their shortstop production has been absolutely abysmal, which is why they're now moving Edman over and installing Gorman at 2B. That has the potential to backfire on them by taking one of their main producers off his best position. Another major disappointment for them has been Carlson, who also finds himself in the negative WAR territory. He remains very young and has shown better production, but the clock is also ticking on him becoming anything more than a decent player. Yepez and Donovan have been nice surprises, however, their prospect history indicates that they will probably not continue to produce at that level. So, while the Cardinals may have us beat in sheer star power on offense with Arenado and Goldschmidt, it is highly questionable that they are better than the Brewers "top-to-bottom" offensively. They have multiple black holes in their lineup; we have just one in Cain. Whereas the bottom of our order has been holding their own for the most part, the Cardinals' has been continually eating away at the stellar production from the Edman/Goldschmidt/Arenado trio. And this doesn't even take into account the pitching side of things, where we have the Cardinals beat by a substantial degree....

And relying on three 40 year olds to fill key roles on their team...Edman has been a pleasant surprise for them, which is why moving him off 2B is so perplexing to me. I get that they need offense at SS, but he's not really that kind of hitter and he likely won't provide as great a defensive value at that position.

The Cardinals are calling up Nolan Gorman and Matthew Liberatore, their top two prospects. Gorman, who has big-time power but also serious swing and miss issues, is expected to slot in at second, with Edman, a Gold Glove second baseman, sliding over to short. Liberatore, despite being consistently ranked higher on prospect lists than Ethan Small, has not been near as dominant in the minor leagues. He is listed as Saturday's starter and will probably also make a start in our series against them next week. Meanwhile, the slumping Tyler O'Neil goes to the IL. He has been one of the worst position players in baseball in the early going, despite his sensational 2021 and Gold Glove defense. Overall, I strongly doubt any of these moves will be the needle movers Cardinals fans are hoping for. Particularly when you consider that they're taking a mediocre third baseman and moving him to second, while displacing a Gold Glove second baseman in order to add offense to the shortstop position. Goldschmidt and Arenado can only carry a team so far, much like we learned during the Braun and Fielder years.

Alonso hits a walk off shot in the bottom of the 10th after the Cards tied the game with two outs in the bottom of the 9th on a fielding error from Eduardo Escobar. Division lead now at 4 games as we approach Memorial Day.

Good thing the Cardinals have Goldschmidt and Arenado, because playing 40 year olds at first base and catcher (not to mention at the number one slot in their rotation) isn't going to help them win many games this year.

Cardinals currently finishing off their four game series with the Mets in a Thursday matinee. Score is locked in a 2-2 tie. With the Brewers' come-from-behind win yesterday and the Cardinals 11-4 drubbing last night, the division lead momentarily stands at 3.5, and will become either 3 or 4 depending on the outcome of this game. For reference, we were 4 games out of first at this time last year, behind both the Cubs and the Cardinals. So, either way, we are sitting pretty and continue to be heavy favorites for not only a 5th straight postseason appearance, but a second consecutive division championship and third in five years.

This is why, despite many on here who want to be rid of him forever, I still harbor hope that the guy can be a productive MLB hitter for us. At the very least, with his raw hitting tools, you have to keep giving him more opportunities until he either proves himself or falls flat on his face. 2019 wasn't that long ago and his shortened 2020 wasn't all that terrible even. As far as his 2021, goes, yeah, that was rough, but he had a heck of a lot more than baseball to worry about. He may never be the superstar we all hoped for, but the swing adjustments that he showed this spring and to start the year have me intrigued. Considering his non-existent trade value, the Brewers are currently best served by keeping him and playing him, whether in AAA or with the big league club. But he cannot play exclusively against left-handers. That is just setting him for failure. Hopefully his HR yesterday and Adames' injury/McCutchen's slow recovery from COVID lead CC to this realization and we see him in the lineup tomorrow night.

Okay. You're right in that it was a little hyperbole. What Trout has done over the last decade is unrivaled. But, Buxton at his healthy peak is probably as close as it gets. Particularly when you factor in what he provides with the glove. Why, if he was consistently healthy, we would almost certainly have to start the bidding with Burnes. But the Twins aren't going to trade him, so the discussion is moot.