Bratwithspecialsauce

Love Chourio, but he's a raw talent. He is neither a good center fielder nor a lead off hitter..yet. Perhaps in time, he will be. But for now he's a good 5 hole hitter and decent corner outfielder. During the streak we were having a lot of good fortune, but that's evening out as we have been on the other side of home run robberies and end of bat dying quail base hits. This team wins when they play tight defense and Chourio still has a lot to learn in that regard..

I echo Outlanders outlook. Monasterio is pretty solid at 2nd and 3rd, and that certainly was an outstanding play last night at short, even though he's had a few miscues there as well . Oddly enough, his bat has woken up at the right time also. But that's this Brewers team. They believe in themselves all the way up and down the roster. At the center is fundamentals of defense.. It's won them so many games this year.

Megill struggles when he can't throw his breaking ball for strikes. When it's on, he's extremely effective. He's still throwing 100 with his fastball, but you'll get lit up if that's the only pitch you can throw for strikes in the majors. He's a solid closer.

This offense is different than most. All 9 need to be able to advance runners for it to work. No one has a problem with Joey in the field, but he wasn't contributing with the bat. It wasn't a matter of batting average or On Base Percentage. It was all the empty outs. Popups and strikeouts.. it eventually got him benched for a couple days. Murphy let him know what was expected and he's been more productive ever since. The reason for the offensive success is all about situational hitting. Advancing runners with or without hits. Wise base running, running hard and taking extra bases when the opportunity arises. To Ortiz credit, he responded to his short benching and became much more of a contributor. We need him back.

Some good thoughts throughout this thread. I think Vaughn needs to play every day until the deadline. I liked him with the White Sox, he plays good defense and there's a good chance he just needed a change of scenery. I think 1st base is covered. Third base is the land of opportunity for the Crew. I'm not as sure about Suarez as most. At his age, a second half tailing off isn't hard to imagine. More importantly, his defense is bare minimum on a team that relies on solid defense to maintain its great pitching. Not saying no to him, but not my first choice. Bregman is a stellar fielder but has been injured with a quad pull, so he is iffy. He just got activated, and he's seeking a big contract ala Willy in '24. Boston is less than enamored with what they've seen in the time they've had him and are considering offers. He's absolutely a short term rental. Boros is his agent so you know we'd be a stepping stone at best. But, he does have the best combination of pop and defense available and could likely be had for a reasonable price. Risky but has playoff experience and success. Lastly, McMahon of the Rockies is the biggest offensive risk. Like Suarez, he's a 200 strikeout type of guy with power, although his is from the left side, where we have] a need. His upside is that he is a gold glover and we're a team that puts high value on defense. Comes down to the best deal for us. I'd be happy with any of those three with a leaning towards Bregman and McMahon, for their defense. That would allow Tur ang to move to short and Durbin to 2nd (he's earned it). All three have warts, but all three possess power ..

Some good thought went into these predictions.. It depends on team health, but all of these points are achievable. I think Ortiz being of more value on the field is the most likely. Adames was on a contract year mission and pretty confident his numbers will drop across the board in SF. He stole some empty, late inning bases to pad his stats, but his clutch hitting and willingness to talke walks were the best of his career. His defense suffered, as both he and Contreras tried to play every game too deep into the season and tired down the stretch. Hopefully Ortiz is healthy again, because I think we will at least match last years team HR totals overall.. Starting pitching health will determine our success.. If Woody can rebound adequately and isn't overused, I'm pretty sure we'll battle and may win the Central again.

McMahon is the missing piece that we desperately need for the '25 offense (and defense). He's a gold glover. He hits 20 + HR a year with a .320+ OBP.. Those that point out that he's in Colorado and he's a .240 hitter overlook that he's coming off two 100 loss years in a row. Put him on a contender with a good lineup like ours, He's well worth 12M for the year..and go from there..He's well worth a Black/Uribe trade..

Low on base percentage guys rarely help, Durbin will get a shot and I wonder if Frelick will take teps at 3rd in spring training.. The Cubs are improved and still seeking help..Being stagnant is not a Brewers option.. they need a power bat at 3rd, but a .320 OBP has to be part of the equation.

Great insight I haven't seen anywhere. Hernandez has always been an enigma. He's been solid for the Dodgers as a utility guy for years, often coming through in the clutch.. After reading this, it sounds legit. Still, he's 33. But with the only other desirable 3b that might give the Brewers what they desperately need (power and defense) , Yoan Moncada hardly gives me confidence. He has talent but after showing potential 5 years ago, he's been injured and an apathetic member of the White Sox dumpster fire. Not convinced he'd be a good Brewers fit. Between the two, Hernandez would be affordable and has a tempting upside for a year or two.

Freddie is a nice #3 starter and is being paid appropriately. He's worth making a reasonable offer for. He ended up being a #1 out of necessity last season, which is commendable, but if Woodruff is healed (a fairly big ""if") Freddy should return to #3 behind Myers.

Why Mitchell isn't leading off is a mystery. I love Brice Turang, but his value is in his ability to advance runners and make things happen on the basepaths. Mitchell has superior extra base power, runs well (although not as good a base stealer) and in a lineup followed by Turang, Chourio, Contreras and Willy you've got a fast, powerful top five, which has been sorely lacking in the second half.

As usual, Brewer Fanatic makes a couple valid points. Turang (my favorite Brewer) is worn out.. His defense is still Gold Glove so he still needs to be on the field, although Monasterio should get more starts against lefties until the playoffs. Bring Brice in for the late innings on those days. Turang looks like he did when he slumped last year. The bat has slowed, his aggressive stance has turned defensive, resulting in pop flys and poor pitch recognition..Definitely should either be 9 in the order or 2, if he is willing to switch to a lighter bat. Ortiz is solid, although he's not a great base runner yet. He has very good speed but not a great base stealer and doesn't have Turang's instincts on the basepaths. I think the biggest missed opportunity lineup wise is Chourio..whose nickname should be Cheerio, his ever present joy in playing the game is a natural and genuine. He's evolving into a high contact, power and speed guy. A great #3 choice. He has the talent to go opposite field, go deep and just advances runners well. With Contreras at #4 and Willy #5, Hoskins at #6, it gives us a great middle of the order. The highest I'd like to see Ortiz is #6 and maybe push Hoskins to 7.. I'd really like to see Mitchell lead off, despite his recent slump and Turang at 2, where his small ball skills get utilized better and makes the L/R matchups at the top less important. Perkins or Frelick at 8 and Sanchez or Haase at 9 . Batting orders are crucial, based on specific abilities, not raw numbers.. Sal is a great example. He would seem to be a logical leadoff candidate, but given the chance he has changed his approach and not succeeded at leadoff (yet, maybe next year). Mitchell came back from injury and was getting on base and making good contact. With Turang slumping, Mitchell should have taken over leadoff.. I think his slump coincided with not getting the shot he worked for since spring training. It may be more mental than physical. He was always smiling and had an electric presence. Since being passed over for leadoff, he seems almost sullen (although his defense is right there with Frelick and Perkins). This team COULD give a solid run at the world series, Murphy has been great and is a strong candidate for manager of the year, so my second guessing lineups are just an opinion and logical from our knowledge as fans, but admittedly without the day to day knowledge of the clubhouse..

Tyler Black has what? 45 ABs, scattered about with no opportunity to relax and get some ABs. Those writing him off are very premature.. He's a solid hitter with a good eye, great speed and is a multi positional player.. If trading him can help bring a solid everyday 3B with power then he's expendable. But I'm more inclined to have him platoon with Hoskins next year and can rest 2nd and 3rd if needed.

Peguero is an easy choice when the time comes to send someone down. But it shouldn't be for Hall, who showed nothing before his injury. Wait until Hudson is ready to make a move. Peguero has looked good on occasion but has come in and been very hittable with poor location on too many occasions. Good article, spelling out all the options. Hall hasn't shown enough to warrant coming back up unless there is an injury. When Hudson is ready, Peguero should go. Ross would be the second guy to go, although he seems to be effective for 2 to 3 inning stints, middle relief might be the best place for him..

Not what we'd hoped for, I agree. But this was the best article on Brewer Fanatics in awhile (the Mitchell bashing when he's quickly becoming one of our better hitters again frosts me). Really good graphics on Montas pitch selection from his success days to where he's at now is instructive. We'll see