Brewcrew82

There has most definitely been an appreciable jump this year....

Naylor's clear utility to this roster is that he allows you to play both Contreras and Sanchez and then substitute for them late in games if needed. That matters more than anything Brandon Lockridge could realistically provide.

Is this Tyrone Taylor-lite?

Yeah, this is not going to happen lol

JC has gotten a ton of deserved love after his heroics last night, but did you know that he's now on a 30+ HR pace (and 5+ WAR pace) over a full season of PAs... How differently do we think of his season if he doesn't get dinged on the hand in a WBC tuneup and miss the first 6 weeks....

14 position players. 12 pitchers. Same as last year. No need for additional pitchers in a 5 game series. Position player spots are as straightforward as it gets. Identical 14 as are on the roster currently. Naylor has an overwhelming advantage for the last spot (likely over Lockridge) as his presence allows them to play Contreras and Sanchez together and then pinch run for one or both late in games. In terms of the starting lineup, only real questions are Vaughn starting against RHP and Bauers in the OF vs. Vaughn on the bench against RHP and Frelick/Lara in the OF. Unless Frelick shows tangible signs of life with the bat in the next couple weeks, I would lean towards Vaughn at 1B and Bauers in RF against both sides. Defense is a real concern though with Miz and Hendo both being flyball pitchers. As for the pitching staff, the picture gets slightly more blurry. I also have the same 12 as are on the roster currently (minus Sproat). But a couple of those spots are tenuous. One is obviously Harrison. I still have him starting (or at least opening) game 3 but I desperately need to see increased signs of life from him over the next few weeks. If he continues to bleed runs and long balls, I would very much trend to leaving him off the roster altogether and install Gasser in his place as an opener. I'm curious to see Sproat pitch, because if he looks improved out of the pen like I think he might he could also take Harrison's roster spot. May's rotation spot is also relatively tenuous, but I have more confidence in him as at least an opener given his stuff and experience. In the pen, Senzatela holds a clear lead over Grant Anderson for the last spot because he doesn't completely suck against left handed hitters. Still leaving the door slightly ajar for Wagoner, but he needs to pitch on a major league mound first and time is basically expired.

For NLDS: C: Contreras, Sanchez, Naylor IF: Bauers, Vaughn, Turang, Pratt, Ortiz, Hamilton OF: Chourio, Mitchell, Lara, Frelick DH: Yelich SP: Miz, Hendo, Harrison OR Gasser, May RP: Megill, Uribe, Ashby, Hall, Patrick, Jo Jo, Drohan, Senzatela vs. RHP: 1. Turang 2B 2. Chourio LF 3. Bauers RF 4. Contreras C 5. Yelich DH 6. Vaughn 1B 7. Mitchell CF 8. Ortiz 3B 9. Pratt SS vs. LHP 1. Chourio LF 2. Vaughn 1B 3. Contreras C 4. Bauers RF 5. Sanchez DH 6. Ortiz 3B 7. Turang 2B 8. Lara CF 9. Pratt SS

Kid really deserves a Gold Glove for his efforts this year. Sorry Ian Happ, but it's true.

He's had more than a good year in left. Statistically, he's been the best LFer in the NL and a front runner for a Gold Glove.

Ask and ye shall receive cause that is indeed the lineup except with Sanchez and Contreras switched.

Best LF in the NL (better than Juan Soto). Missed 6 weeks of the season. Won't turn 23 until next March when the Brewers will still have 7 years of team control over him!

Chourio fwiw is the best OFer on the team on a per inning basis. As for the defense as a whole, it really does come down to Bauers, Vaughn, and Hamilton. Those guys combined are at -22 in the OAA department. That unfortunately is substantial enough to cancel out the elite fielding they generally get th/o the rest of the diamond.

Clay Holmes is perhaps the best ground ball generator in the game and he's playing in front of the best defense in MLB bar none. But no way he's a sub 2.30 ERA caliber starting pitcher. Regression is going to come at some point, and no better time that tonight with the wind blowing out at 20 MPH. Going to require some disciplined ABs, which the Brewers are more than capable of. Can't go out hacking and rolling over on that sinker.

Also missed the first month of this season....

Someone said 22 year old Chourio was “disappointing”?

No not all development is linear, but people who are as good as Chourio at his age are pretty much exclusively multitime all stars/MVPs/HOFers, as @Matthew Trueblood highlighted in his article the other day. So, I would bet on him having some elite offensive seasons, potentially even as elite as PCA's this year.

Probably not due to PCA's god like defense, but I certainly wouldn't count out Chourio having a season resembling PCA's this year from an offensive perspective. Considering Chourio has been a far better hitter than PCA was at his age.

Certainly not by me, which is what you seemingly implied by saying I'm dying on this hill.... I would say the onus is on you to provide the evidence to back it up because I can't recall anyone who legitimately said they wouldn't take the NL MVP over Chourio RIGHT NOW. And if they did, they were definitely either alone or part of a very small minority.

Who actually said they'll take Chourio over PCA right now? Just that there is important nuance in the conversation, specifically when it comes to at the plate.

I mean if we're just talking with the stick: Chourio (age 22): .282/.343/.473, 124 wRC+ PCA: (age 22): .237/.286/.384, 87 wRC+

Their defense masks a lot of their pitching issues. It's not that good.

Hot take: Yeli should be back in the leadoff spot against RHP for now with Turang moved down.

And my response is it's a small sample size and a lot of it potentially noise given he's been great with RISP otherwise in his career. You take the bottom line numbers which are most important by far (i.e., 125 wRC+). And this isn't saying he couldn't stand to improve his approach with RISP (or in general). Because he definitely can. Good thing he's only 22!

Hard to think of anything "noisier" than a hitter's numbers with runners in scoring position. Plus Chourio missed 1 month of the season so it's a smaller sample size than normal. Last year? .804 OPS with RISP. The year before that? .845 OPS. If a "rally killer" is someone with a 125 wRC+ and 19 HRs, both of which are second on the team after Bauers, then I'll take it and run with it. In your defense, though, this wasn't even your most egregious take on the subject. It was a few weeks ago when you suggested that 22 year old Chourio is nothing more than Tyrone Taylor 2.0 and a disappointment. It's okay. We all have em from time to time.