Jake McKibbin

This thread, as we know, will be utilized for any minor league news Wednesday, lineup updates, etc.Organizational Scoreboard including starting pitcher info, game times, MiLB TV links, and box scores

Keller has a rough period pre all star break but has looked better since, and has been exceptional at limiting hard contact That being said this series is there for the taking with Priester coming up soon, probably a spot start to fill in for Rich Hill and the pirates having sold a fair bit. Stamp some authority on it now that the Brewers are home. Maybe Brian Anderson is good to go and start off like he started the season

It also depends on how much impact you expect a few of these players to have next year. If you had two plus bats added to this roster in Chourio and Black (assuming they do perform to the level they can do, particularly Chourio) then this lineup takes on a whole different look, with 4/5 players who can hurt you at the top of the order, along with a fit and firing rotation If not... then it makes sense to sell off

Having not watched a ton of games, where does Wes Clarke swing and miss a lot? has he got any hit tool that's developing or is it always going to hold him back? Looks like the potential of a slugging 1B in there with even an average hit tool, massive power

To add to that, Brian Anderson is a projected 86 WRC+ from steamer with 0.2 WAR, Andruw Monasterio with 85 WRC+ and 0.1 WAR Jimer Candelario is 106 WRC+ and 0.9 WAR Mark Canha is projected for 111 WRC+ with 0.5 WAR Tommy Pham is projected for 108 WRC+ on Steamer, though that surprised me given his underlying metrics being so strong, he's really pounding the ball this year. ZiPS has him at 101 WRC+ Obviously it depends more if these guys get hot or not, Canha was unlucky last night(as were the Brewer sin first two innings) with a ton of line drive outs. But the Candelario upgrade for even 1 win at this time of the year could be crucial

Adames is looking slightly better, and a fit Tellez I think can be a serious difference maker in this lineup What I tried to do was highlight different trades that actually didn't cost all that much, unlike the Rangers trading Luisangel Acuna for Max Scherzer for instance. The ones that interested me most were Pham, who was almost next to nothing, a lottery ticket, and Candelario, who's hit tool has been very good of late, including going 7/8 I think to start his Cubs career off, while also providing quality third base. He's more solid than Anderson has been, and better defensively than Monasterio who is due for regression. A signing like Candelario would have been toeing the line with the premium on the organisations pitching prospects (may even have required a Logan Henderson type + Robert Moore for instance), but he would have given you valuable production and consistency at the hot corner the Brewers haven't had all year, as well as moving that needle just slightly further around. I wouldn't have wanted Pham unless he's kept in solitary confinement in the clubhouse, but that bat is money

It's maybe a promotion in the meantime til Queros fit again

Phams potentially underpriced because of the toxic nature he can bring but he's probably the best performer on the list, and quite comfortably I think Frelick is sitting Vs lefties less because he struggles against them, and more to get him some days off here and there in his first stint with the big leagues, but that's just a hunch

Didn't see that coming... I like how the transaction log refers to Miller as a shortstop

Absolutely, and that last paragraph is crucial. However I'm trying to avoid that feeling of forgetting a players downside and enhacing his upside simply because they've been out of the game for a while, and might actually prefer Colin Rea's recent performances over Lauer. I think Rea was very unlucky last time out, but he struck out a ton of Braves, with home runs at the most inopportune moments. 8 strikeouts in 5 innings is great stuff, with 5 hits and 2 walks. It's just unfortunate the timing of the homers, but that's the Braves offense for you. Lauer with confidence is better, there's no doubt, but I'm definitely coming round to the idea of Rea as a fifth starter next year, eating innings and mostly keeping the team in games

Now that the trade deadline has passed, we can assess if the Brewers could have done more to upgrade their team. Spoiler: they could have. But would the cost have been worth it? Now that the trade deadline has passed, we can assess if the Brewers could have done more to upgrade their team. Spoiler: they could have. But would the cost have been worth it? The roster is now set, but while some fans consider the likes of Mark Canha, Carlos Santana and Andrew Chafin smart, sensible upgrades, others are lamenting some bigger ones that might have been. Without further ado, let’s see what else they could have obtained; Jeimer Candelario – 3B Traded to: Chicago Cubs Cost: SS Kevin Made, LHP DJ Herz DJ Herz was an 8th-round pick in 2019, with a career 3.80 ERA in 66 starts in the minor leagues, with 360 strikeouts over 246 innings. He has a unique delivery, and has held right-handed hitters to a .197 batting average this year in Double A. He’s a talented pitcher whose funk and deception could make him a successful future starter at the back end of a rotation, although his walk rate of 15.1% does carry with it some reliever risk, mostly due to losing his release point, and he may never reach the big leagues unless his actions become more repeatable. Kevin Made is a defense-first shortstop, with a 65-grade arm and 60-grade glove, even as he’s added weight and lost a little mobility and range. He puts bat to ball at above-average rates, and has good discipline and a solid walk rate, giving him a high floor and a ceiling of being a league-average shortstop (though that’s a best-case scenario). Candelario has just gone 4-5 in his Cubs debut against the Reds. He's slashing .265/.348/.488 on the season, with 16 home runs, as well as being in the 93rd percentile for outs above average at third base, with great range and a slightly weaker arm for the hot corner. His underlying metrics of a .242 expected batting average and .413 expected slugging do show some regression may be incoming, but he has been one of the best third basemen in baseball and was a hot commodity as a result. He does have some weaknesses, particularly struggling against breaking balls this season, but on the whole, he has a chance to be a needle-mover at third. Could the Brewers have reasonably topped that? While having a lower ceiling, Justin Jarvis may have been a good trade chip here, along with a defense-first shortstop with a quality hit tool like Daniel Guilarte. Jarvis, of course, was dealt to New York just before this trade happened, so maybe the Nationals had interest in him, but the Brewers felt it better to use him in a 1-for-1 swap for a lower-upside lineup addition in Mark Canha. With Brian Anderson’s defense at third base, and Andrew Monasterio’s strong recent performance, the Brewers may have considered third base less of a need than their right field spot, where they’ve had limited production, and Anderson not covering ground particularly well in the outfield compared to how he defends the hot corner. Would this be a transaction you would have considered over acquiring Canha? CJ Cron and Randal Grichuk – 1B and OF Traded to: Los Angeles Angels Cost: RHP Jake Madden, LHP Mason Albright As always, the Rockies are looking for starting pitchers that can survive the high altitude and broad outfield expanse of Coors Field, with many free agents reluctant to play there due to the effect it will have on their future values. Both pitchers were at in A ball. Madden is a 6’6" fourth-round pick in 2022 with a 5.46 ERA and 66 strikeouts to 39 walks in 64 1/3 innings as a starter. He has wipeout stuff, but does carry some reliever risk, due to sketchy command of his fastball and subpar movement on the pitch despite its high velocity. Albright was a late-round pick in 2021 with a $1,250,000 signing bonus, with a 3.62 ERA in 14 starts that went fairly deep, allowing him to rack up 86 strikeouts and just 20 walks in 79 2/3 innings. He shows advanced command of his pitch mix and projects as a starter, with the potential upside of becoming a mid-rotation arm. Cron and Grichuk would have been exactly the kind of players the Brewers wanted, as evidenced by their pickups of Santana and Canha. However, there can be a fallout from players leaving Coors Field, including taking a little time to adjust. Cron has shown he can hit well away from Coors this year, but Grichuk’s production has dwindled a little, with a .946 OPS at home compared to a .782 OPS away from home this year. Both had the potential to be impact bats, but could have been more volatile than the steady production you’ll get from Santana and Canha--whose veteran presences are also valuable in a postseason run. Given both these pitchers were pitching below Double A, a comparable Brewers trade might have been headlined by someone like Logan Henderson, who flashes big potential with a 2.84 ERA this season and 67 strikeouts across 50 2/3 innings. He arguably has a higher ceiling than Albright, and an added lottery ticket arm to go with him may have sealed the deal. The Brewers likely have high hopes for Henderson, a valuable arm in what is a slightly pitching-deprived system, making this trade less attractive on the whole for the organization. Instead, by giving up a lottery ticket shortstop and Jarvis, they’ve probably paid less for similar, more consistent production. However, while being a liability in the field, Grichuk has an OPS of .869, and Cron appears to have been unfortunate, with an xSLG of .513 compared to his actual mark of .468, while still maintaining a .740 OPS on the road. Would this have been a better, more adventurous trade for the Brewers? Tommy Pham – Outfield Traded to: Arizona Diamondbacks Cost: Jeremy Rodriguez (Mets Included Cash consideration to increase prospect haul) Rodriguez was the 47th-ranked prospect in the international free-agent pool this year, and has appeared in just 37 games for the Diamondbacks DSL team, with six doubles, two triples and two home runs to go with 12 stolen bases. He's run a .348 OBP and .478 slugging percentage. The ability to hit for extra bases does stand out in the DSL, and he signed for $1.25 million while being one of the youngest players in the league. He’s a projectable shortstop, with advanced strike zone discipline and a nice left-handed swing, but it’s expected he has a lot of physical development left before there can be more concrete projections on him. He has potential, but is the very definition of a lottery ticket. Pham, on the other hand, is a proven contributor, with an xBA of .297 and xSlg of .524 this season; an average exit velocity of 92.9 mph and 47% hard hit rate; and a 21% strikeout rate. He’s a quality operator at the plate, with considerably more power than Canha has, while also having 11 stolen bases so far this year. A huge bat to add into the lineup, and an adequate defender in the outfield due to a strong throwing arm, albeit he doesn’t always get the best jumps on the ball (-1 OAA so far on the year). The one issue he faces is his personality, which could cause issues in the clubhouse, something the Brewers surr take more seriously after the Hader debacle last year. From infamous T-shirts to promises to fight fans who heckle him during games, as well as poor form during fantasy football leagues, Pham finds controversy everywhere he turns. There’s a myriad of reasons he may not fit the Brewers ethos, despite the unbridled quality in his bat, and it’s a big reason why his price wasn’t considerably higher. In terms of a comparable trade by the Brewers, potentially someone like Filippo di Turi or Demetrio Nadal could have beaten out the offer from the Diamondbacks. They're each players with potential and strong tools for their age, but are tough to project long-term because of that age and the numerous obstacles that will come as they move through the minor league system. Would Pham’s bat have outweighed his potentially toxic qualities? Should the Brewers have made an effort to steal him away from the Diamondbacks? Let me know in the comments below, or if you have any other trades you think the Brewers could have made before the deadline. All of these trades seem eminently possible for the Brewers front office to have made, without using any top-10 talent in what is now a system burgeoning with it. The reality is, anyone can get hot for two months, or cold for two months, and only time will tell if the decisions made were the right ones. View full article

Thankfully, the Brewers have been doing much better against lefties recently, the only team to really knock about Andrew Abbott at all Contreras 182 WRC+ Monasterio 172 WRC+ Wiemer 145 WRC+ Mark Canha 111 WRC+ Carlos Santana 100 WRC+ Willy Adames 99 WRC+ Likely to see Turang benched as he's struggled vs lefties, maybe Toro at second or third unless they prioritise defense from Turang over Toro's bat, or even Owen Miller at second base MacKenzie Gore has been getting a lot of swing and miss (40%+) on his curveball and slider, but also regularly enough hanging them. Both have below average profiles movement wise, so hoping he can be got to early and ride out a nice easy win... that's how the crew do it right? Last nights win was probably the most comfortable in a long time, and it was by two runs for goodness sake

With a really tough stretch of games against top tier teams in July, the Brewers offense took a step forward, with a number of quality contributions. One player, however, stood out from the chasing pack, and was truly lights out. With a really tough stretch of games against top tier teams in July, the Brewers offense took a step forward, with a number of quality contributions. One player, however, stood out from the chasing pack, and was truly lights out. The Brewers pitching in July was good, as expected. But it was also fun to see that several hitters had really strong months as well. A rookie came up earlier in the month and earned more playing time. Then later in the month, another youngster debuted and provided a great spark late in the month. However, it was a veteran who has seemingly found a fountain of youth and is putting up numbers like he did five or more seasons ago. Before we discuss this month's Brewers Hitter of the Month, here are a few more Crew hitters who warrant recognition and discussion. Feel free to discuss the choices in the Comments section. Honorable Mentions William Contreras He’s incredibly unlucky not to be winning this month, having hit .365 and sporting a .955 OPS in July. He slugged .563 with three home runs and 13 extra base hits. Contreras has straight up mashed the baseball. He’s developed markedly from the streaky hitter the Braves traded, combining much improved defensive framing and pop times with a drastically reduced strikeout rate, leading to an .800 OPS bat from such a premium position, he’s been everything the Brewers dreamed of and more. While he is swinging and missing more against breaking pitches, he’s hitting them hard 57.9% of the time in July, a big jump from the 28% mark in June, as well as doubling the hard hit percentage on off speed pitches too. He’s not just a fastball hitter any more, and it’s provided some big wins for the Brewers when they needed it most. He could do with elevating the ball more often still, particularly against changeups, which average -20 degrees in July, but he has shown a steady improvement against breaking balls and fastballs in this category over the course of the season. Andruw Monasterio Since getting more regular playing time at third base with the injury to Brian Anderson, he can see himself in the lineup even when Anderson returns, potentially taking reps at second base as well due to his outstanding performance with the bat in July, sporting a .329/.390/.414 slash line with a 19% strikeout rate, and raking in particular against southpaws, he’s been a breath of fresh air, if over performing his expected numbers somewhat. The bat can play in this team however, and scoring 11 runs this month was the second highest on the team (along with Contreras), an aptitude to steal the occasional base, and good defense at the hot corner, he’s been a really pleasant surprise for this Brewers team, just a well rounded, smart baseball player that’s taken his opportunity with both hands Sal Frelick Never in contention to win this award due to a lack of big-league playing time with the late callup, but he deserves a nod for his elite bat to ball skills, with eight walks to five strikeouts (the majority of which were looking, he has barely any in zone swing and miss) and has a .269/.417/.423 slash line that has injected serious energy and excitement into the lineup, with both awe inspiring defense and stingy plate appearances, he’s brought at least a couple of wins that it’s unlikely Raimel Tapia would have influenced in the same way. Hitter of the Month – Christian Yelich For the second month in a row, Yelich was awe inspiring in July. He hit seven home runs across 23 games, with 22 RBI and a 1.015 OPS. He’s hitting the ball in the air more with a launch angle of six degrees compared to three degrees in June, which is a massive deal for Yelich, recording nine walks to just 12 strikeouts and has actually underperformed his expected metrics (he was expected to have a .340 batting average for July). His walk rate has dipped because he’s crushing pitches earlier in the count, and that’s a huge sign for him, given one trend that seems to follow his performance is how often he swings at the first pitch. In 2018 and 2019 these figures were at 28.9% and 30.3% respectively. In 2021 & 2022, they were at 22.8% and 21.7%. This season, it’s risen to 25.3%, not quite MVP caliber numbers but it’s rising as the year goes on. This is close to the kind of form Yelich produced to dominate in the second half of 2018, and it’s been consistent for several months now, almost since the start of May. He truly is back, and if he stays healthy, he’ll be key to the Brewers hopes both in the remainder of the season and in the playoffs. One interesting area he can still improve is his swing happiness around the edges of the strike zone. It’s resulting in less swing and miss than he had in 2019, but he’s also doing less damage when his swing realistically has almost no weaknesses save the down and in slider from right handers. That being said, the current approach has been so effective, and you’d be loath to change it when he had an ISO of .293 in July and his stats weren’t being propped up by extraordinary BABIP’s. His swing-% on fastballs when he gets ahead in the count has gone from 41.4% in April up to 60% in July, a huge increase and very important given how well he hits these pitches (xBA of .347, xSlg of .550 in July), while he’s taking more breaking pitches at the same time, just subtly tweaking his approach depending on what pitchers are attacking him with. In tandem with this, he’s reduced his ground ball rate against fastballs from 68% in June to 50% in July when he gets ahead in the count (still large, but for his exit velocities, again a massive difference maker). Overall he’s decreased his ground ball rate against both breaking pitches and fastball noticeably this last month, and it’s paying dividends. Yelich appears to be on a continuing upwards trajectory, and we could, excitingly, see yet more unlocked from him in terms of production. Can he sustain this torrid pace? View full article

Also, the Brewers xBA last night was .263, the night before .309. Both times comfortably ahead of Washington (xBA of .166 yesterday). That Peralta inning with three runs was ridiculously unlucky on his part with the contact made

I think I've seen it most when a team is trailing but they have games against teams above them with not many games left, in other words "they're behind, but they control their own destiny" Love a great discussion on vernacular

I'd imagine so, you can already see certain teams really wanting that starting pitching. unsure about Rangers system, they may even try and extend him given DeGrom's injuries, definitely fits Dodgers needs, heck even Red Sox may try. ots of big market teams that will want high calibre pitching, and a bidding war would be awesome

Hopefully get some excitement brewing at high A Wisconsin, especially with EBJ's injury and Misiorowskis promotion

He was also there earlier in the year, so maybe from a familiarity standpoint with the coaches, clubmates etc

Looks like the same fate may have befallen the Brewers Dos now, who were hoping to get a double header squeezed in

Yophery Rodriguez's game with Brewers Uno has been postponed due to rain, so down to eight games today

Chourio is facing Perez again this year having taken him deep the third time through the order in their first encounter... can he dominate a recent major league stud? In the DSL, Brewers Dos are currently 4-1 up on the Red Sox affiliates, Demetrio Nadal with yet another extra base hit, as well as stealing third base and hit by pitch. His OPS is currently at 1.128

Thread will be utilized for any minor league news Tuesday, lineup updates, etc.Organizational Scoreboard including starting pitcher info, game times, MiLB TV links, and box scores

I remember reading he had power, it's just the pounding i into the ground type... if he elevates with his strike zone discipline, that's a big big bat And yep to Wilken, if he was worked with a lot and started at Wisconsin next season, I wouldn't be averse to that. Though it'd be nice to see both of these guys in action at some point