Turning2

BA said today in the 2nd inning that the Brewers turnaround is pegged to about May 18. Entirely subjective where one wants to peg that. I put it about the time Frelick moved to lead off a few days after my original post. This isn’t meant to be a toot my own horn thing, because who cares what some armchair manager thinks? But give credit to Murphy for recognizing it and making the switch. The offense has clicked on ever since, and it’s hard to argue the switch didn’t have something to do with it.

Ironic isn’t it.

I don't speak the new stat/metric language, so I prefer the K.I.S.S (keep it simple stupid) metrics LOL. If presented as a "True / false" - Bohm will hit more homeruns and for better average than Durbin this year? Based off Bohm's proven track record, it is a fairly safe bet that the answer is true. Obviously, that doesn't factor in defense. I think this is where WAR enters the conversation, and that's a metric I discount for what I've read its supposed to be a measure of. Bohm certainly isn't the classic big power bat at 3B. But the Brewers can never afford a guy like that unless they develop them in house (who was the last 30+HR 3B the Brewers drafted / developed?). Instead, Bohm is that happy medium that occasionally lands within the price range of a small market team during certain windows of opportunity. Last year seemed like a rare aligning of those conditions. Didn't happen. So be it.

He would have cost about $8 mill / year for a couple years. Philly needed a closer, MIL had one they were intent on shopping. It was largely a match made in trading heaven. It wouldn't have been a 1 for 1, would have needed some sweetener from MIL, but I think it would have been worth it depending on the prospect cost. Bohm's defense gets bagged on, but I'd take lesser defense at third for more power and production from the corner infield. Who has won a WS lately where top defense at 3B was viewed as a larger part of the success than the offense that the position and / or team generated? Defense is great, but reality is the thump wins championships in modern MLB.

I see him as an adequate band aid / placeholder destined to be a solid value bench / utility player once the thumper prospects arrive. There is no good reason to pursue McMahon unless you want to burn a couple prospects and spend a boatload of payroll for a minimal upgrade. If McMahon had a reliable history of hitting 15-20 HRs, with a career batting average around .275+ and was affordable for a couple years, I'd pull the trigger. He's not. That guy was Alec Bohm - who was briefly rumored as being on the trade block last offseason (maybe true, maybe not). After a slow start, Bohm is currently hitting .280 and 7 HRs at the midway point. That would look a helluva lot better at 3B than either Durbin or McMahon. But as it is, I'm content with Durb. This year is for developing experience and setting the table for the wave of prospects set to arrive in a couple years in my opinion.

Pleasantly surprised - same here. He's not going to go wide to his right, way past the line and come up with a rocket to throw a guy out, but he's made pretty much the bulk of what else you expect/need.

We relocated back to my cheeseland roots a few years back, but my in laws still live in the TC metro. My son was born there, so that's his team. Wife has divided loyalties, and I keep tabs on both by default. Went to a Saints game or two at the old stadium. Never made it to the new one. Pretty cool for MN fans to have the AAA team right there. Wish the Sounds or Shuckers could find a home in WI.

It could be worse for sure. Maybe we could see him up by mid 2026, but I'm thinking more like 2027. My guess is that the Brewers 2026 are going to look a lot like 2025, mostly the same cast of characters with prospects not yet ready.

Cool. Will give a look. Was going to ask about parking recommendations too

Thinking of going sometime this year. Wondering what something better than the watery domestics (Miller Lite) would set me back. I'm fine with those, but would probably opt for something a little beefier, like the Barrelman Ale. For comparison, I recently treated my son and wife (Twins fans) to a game in Mpls. A large Summit EPA was $16 for crying out loud. They have some outrageous taxes specific to the downtown area that are part of that cost.

True, you don't have to hit dingers to be valuable. The reality of today's ball though is you need a good amount of dinger hitters to compete for a championship. There may be an outlier, but I can't recall a team built largely upon young, light hitting, small, fast, solid defense winning a WS.

Shoot, I didn't see this thread before I posted my evaluation thread. My thoughts on him are contained there. I'll add here - even though Durbin does not bring the classic power production you really should have from 3B, he's been good enough to satisfy Mark's "summer of entertainment" criteria. As such, I doubt they seek to trade for a big enough upgrade to make a huge difference. The prospect cost would be too high. Had Durbin continued to flounder at the plate, maybe they would have tried to find a small upgrade. Either way, whoever ended this year at 3B is probably viewed by MIL as a placeholder until one of the multiple prospects gets a shot.

Sure. He's not on my radar, but he is on the Brewers' obviously. From this long far removed fan's view, he may be a guy you trade and regret it later, but he is also one of "2 in the bush" when the article is proposing ways to get "a bird in hand".

Rosiak reporting on X - Wilken with a non surgical recovery time of 8-10 weeks... gahhh, such a stupid, fluke injury

I was expecting a little more bat but less glove skills. He's getting there offensively though,

If we're going to deal in superstition, I'd suggest telling the guy to get a mojo hand (any blues fans here?) and ship it to Garrett Mitchell to get him over the injury bug. That guy should be a 20+HR bat in the lineup if it wasn't for all these stupid, flukey setbacks.

Sounds like his fracture would take about 2-3 weeks to heal properly. If true, they should shut him down. Then his bat wouldn't need any hocus pocus, signed baseball card juju.

I'd say Tobias is in that "sell high" window. He's a good candidate at a position of surplus that might entice a team to give up some decent value, maybe packaged with Black. An MLB ready starting pitcher and corner infielder who needs an opportunity for everyday play should be worth something. I'm not a huge fan of Ryan McMahon, but if the Rockies would eat a lot of his salary and take a package deal like that, might not be the worst thing.

The only guys I'd consider moving is Black, Quintana and Rodriguez. Black is somewhat a victim of circumstance. Few MLB at bat sample size, sporadic playing time, injuries, no clear position that isn't blocked or not a good fit. I was hoping he could be an Alex Bohm type fit at 3B this year - average glove, good contact / batting average, 15+ HRs. At the least, I thought dumping Bauers last offseason was with the intent of giving him the backup 1B job as an audition for post Rhys. Just didn't happen. Not enough power for everyday 1B or DH. Blocked by a premium defender at 2B, Tons of other prospects coming up. The hourglass sand has just about run out for him in Milwaukee's plans. I hope he hits the crap out of the ball in Nash and raises his trade value. Quintana is simply not on my radar. I don't get too invested in ACL level players. If another team is excited on him, good - take'em to the cleaners. Rodriguez is simply a matter of higher value trade bait at a position of current surplus. The Brewers also have a surplus of thumpers on the farm. For a franchise so woefully deficient in HR power at the IF and OF corners, I would be super hesitant to deal any of the infield prospects mentioned. Not all of them will pan out into big league HR hitters. They are the proverbial "multiple bites at the apple". MIL is not going to get what it needs (or can afford long term) for today's team by dealing these prospects. Let playing time and performance sift them out a little bit more. Then trade high if you need to.

The short of it for me is that he has been much better than expected defensively. Of course, we all want better offense from 3B. The recent uptick is very welcome. The Brewers needed a band aid to bridge the position until one of the several prospects are ready in a year, probably two. I think that's the role they intended Durbin to play, and he is doing so with enough success. By band aid, I mean at least average defense, and not a complete liability on offense. The latter aspect is coming around. In reality, the defense has been better than average to my eyes. I was concerned about his arm strength, but it hasn't negatively affected his play to the point of costing them games. There have been a couple plays where his height prevented him from reaching a ball when laying out, but that's to be expected.

Yes, probably so. This is my first year of regularly following the farm clubs, so I'm not familiar with when guys typically get elevated or sent down a level. Hoping he sticks until late July,

Hope this doesn't domino into Burke getting moved up to AA just yet. Had plans to catch a Rattler game in a few weeks as part of a driving vacation.

Amen to that. The over celebration in modern baseball is out of control. Every routine hit, the guy has to look into the dugout for affirmation and recognition to stroke his fragile ego. HR's have guys getting costumed in the dugout or parading around with some silly prop. The walk off celebrations are totally over the top. Don't recall seeing such excessive exuberance in the 80's. Like you said... "act like you been here before". Much more professional. This is the negative side effects of our social media culture which is fueled by narcissism. As far as Wilken goes, I've not seen any details as to how it happened. It might have been as simple as slipping on a puddle of champagne while wearing cleats, and I can't blame a guy for that.

Hopefully, we're not just biased fans, but I share your enthusiasm for the young crop coming up. The best way for the Brewers to get back to the WS is if they have a nucleus of home grown (cheap) talent all maturing at the same time. Really need some infield corner thumpers, and this group is promising. Would like to see better batting averages though. Sounds like they're part of the trend towards boom or bust hitters.

Usually, I prefer proven MLB quality players over prospects. But I’ve grown pretty fond of this crop. I’ll be especially disappointed if they traded Wilken. The Brewers need more power and less of the fast, low power, defense first players. Maybe Boeve could be packaged with some pitching for a modest, short term upgrade at 3B. Maybe a guy like Jose Miranda / Twins. He’s currently recovering from a strange hand injury.