Matt Breen

I didn't realize we had split squad games during the regular season.

His OPS is .14 points below league average from 2013. I don't think knee jerk reactions are made 1 or 2 months in. They are committed to Khris for the year in my opinion. Now, if it is July and his average dips closer to .200, they may look for a platoon mate. (But it will be hard to look past using Schaefer who albeit isn't a clear offensive upgrade - but is an option.) Khris OPS vs lefties is .958 in a whopping 24 plate apperances I don't think 200 ABs is a knee jerk reaction. It's pretty significant chunk of playing time. We used roughly 150 ABs from last season to determine Davis was our left fielder for 2014. We roll around to June and Khris has got a .700 OPS, and the team is still in contention, you have to consider making a move. His 1% walk rate is just really weird - and disturbing. Especially considering Davis walked a lot in the minors (he was usually around 10-12%). A contending team can only let a bad performing player stay in the lineup for so long. Of course, you have to have a replacement for the guy. But that's a different story.

Gallardo and Estrada have as many walks as Davis. 1 BB in 95 ABs. Wow. I can't imagine they club will live with a .271 OBP for more than another month. At that point, you have to consider someone else.

Cardinals have sent down Kolten Wong. http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/10852100/st-louis-cardinals-ship-kolten-wong-minors He was hitting .225. Mark Ellis is now the 2B. My initial reaction is that it's a pretty quick hook on Wong. But I haven't seen the guy play lately, so maybe the team just feels he's not clicking. Ellis is a solid guy - nothing special, but solid. They also sent down reserve OF Shane Robinson - who's only had 20 ABs.

Eye Black, I know you said that each person will have up to a day to make their pick. Will we stick to a one pick - and only one pick - per day schedule (first pick is on May 1, second pick on May 2, third pick on My 3, etc.)? Or can we have multiple picks in a day if people are ready and make their submissions (such as first pick is submitted at 9:00 am on May 1. 2nd pick submits their selection an hour later. Pick three is done a few hours - still on May 1. So now pick #4 needs to be submitted by May 2.)? Just curious. If the latter, I just want to make sure I'm checking on how fast things happening so I can be ready.

I read that in the minors they are testing a 'if you come off the bench you're suspended (or punished or whatever)' rule. Not sure how extensive it is. It would certainly eliminate a lot of the brawls. It would also eliminate a lot of batters charging the mound since they'd know that most of their teammates wouldn't be able to help them out.

I think RRR gets the most points on simply managing the people and personalities on the club. Everyone seems to enjoy working for the guy, and (in general), they seem to respect him. My problems start with his obsession with bunting. We wastes so many outs it kills me. Bunting has its place, but I think we over do it. Second, he has tried to instill an aggressiveness in the team that I think hurts us more than not. We make too many stupid plays on the base paths and give away too many outs. This might be more my perception than reality. It's not something I can sit down and quantify. It's just my impression. Third, I'm not thrilled with his bullpen management at times - early on he seemed obsessed with 'roles' (remember Kameron Loe being our '8th inning guy' - that worked well). I think he's gotten better - being a little more flexible over time. Having better players certainly has helped. Next, I'm not always happy with the way he acts towards younger players. He'll say things like, "I didn't want to use XYZ relief pitcher because he's a young guy and I don't want to put him in a tough situation." Honestly, I appreciate the idea of putting guys in a position to succeed. But it seems like he over does it. These aren't babies. They're professionals - even if they are rookies. I'm sure those guys are drooling at the chance to have meaningful playing time - it's not like they are peeing their pants at the thought of getting to pinch hit or throw an inning of relief during a close game. Finally, the obsession with trotting out veterans who are playing badly drives me nuts. How long did it take for Casey McGehee to get benched back in 2011? Last September, why was Yuni starting at 1B while Halton was on the bench? I'm not saying Halton was any great shakes, but what's the point? Did anyone see a future for Yuni in Milwaukee? I should point out that while I have issues with RRR, all these don't make him a horrible manager. Every manager seems to have his frustrating tendencies. But it doesn't make him anything special either. I think his ability to create a strong clubhouse environment is a plus for a team like Milwaukee. The players like to play for him, and respect him - all nice traits.

Cole was a nimrod, but he didn't do anything that approaches a suspension. As for Snider only getting 2 games and Carlos 3 games - perhaps Gomez being a 2nd Offender comes into play. I don't know. Just a thought. Plus, Snider got the big shiner that he has to wear around for the next week. That humiliation is worth one less game.

The only reason you go after Headley is if A-Ram is hurt. And even then, he's going to cost a lot. Headley was awesome in 2012, but that's the outlier. He an above average player, but not a superstar. I guess it all comes down to the cost, but I suspect it will be too much. Also, remember that if we traded for him, we couldn't give him a qualifying offer. So if we didn't re-sign him, we wouldn't get a draft pick.

Morosi at Fox Sports basically saying it's ridiculous that baseball has this unwritten 'code' of how to play the game. A code that punishes guys for breaking the 'code'. A code who's main element seems to be supressing all your emotions. http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/carlos-gomez-gerrit-cole-altercation-shows-how-baseball-must-evolve-042014

*bolded for humor I actually like Schoenfield. His Sweetspot blog is the best thing over there.

Here's an exercise. I'm curious to see people's opinions. Let's say that Lohse, Gallardo and Estrada all pitch to similar numbers this year - let's say 180-200 innings, an ERA around 3.60-3.80, and so forth. You get to sign one to an extension in the off season (let's say 4 years for Gallardo, 3 years for Estrada or 2 years for Lohse). Which one do you sign? What if you could sign each of the players to an extension that was a year less (Gallardo for 3 years, Estrada for 2 years and Lohse for 1 year.)? Then, you have to trade one (allowing Thornburg or Nelson to move into the rotation). Which one is dealt? The third player will stay with the team in 2015, with the realization that he will be a free agent at the end of the year and allowed to leave as a FA (and replaced by Nelson or Thornburg).

I hadn't seen this, but Josh Johnson might be looking at TJ surgery as well. http://www.mlbdailydish.com/2014/4/16/5619442/josh-johnson-may-require-tommy-john-surgery-padres

Personally, I don't care what teams or players do (pistols, beast mode, admiring HRs, etc.). However, Carlos screwed up a couple of times yesterday. First, you have plenty of time to admire your hit once it clears the fence. If I'm the team, I'm pissed at him because he may have cost us a run. Had he taken off right away, he has a chance at an inside the park HR. We burned five extra innings of relievers yesterday - had we won the game in regulation, we wouldn't have had to do that. Second, don't be a baby. Someone says something to you don't like? Someone calls you a name? So you freak out? Get real. Just ignore them. Move on. Be satisfied that you're getting under their skin. Your inability to control your emotions in those situations hurts your team. Gomez will get suspended - thanks a lot. That hurts the team. Maldonado will likely be suspended. Again, that hurts the team. And what if someone had got hurt? What if Maldonado had broken his hand? It's just plain stupid to let something like that escalate. Again, I don't really care if Gomez or Pujols or anyone likes to admire their HRs or pump their fists after a good play. But when their actions - and inability to control their temper - hurts the team - that's just stupid. I'm certainly not defending the Pirates in this situation. They were idiots too. But Carlos could have defused the situation just by ignoring it. Now it's going to cost the team.

Awesome

I think the bigger issue is that we haven't had any decent pitchers to trade because we've had no one to replace them with. He's been willing to trade established starters when he's had replacements available (Aoki, Overbay, Hardy). But as we've discussed in other threads, our track record for producing starting pitchers has been awful. Will he trade one next year? I don't know. But it might be the first time since he's been here that he's been able to actually deal a starter because he has a player or two ready to step into the rotation.

Wondering what people think is a good point to make some moves with regard to some of our position players. We hit the 1/10 mark of the season yesterday. Things can still change pretty quick, so I'm not advocating making moves now. But when do we hit the magic point where we realize a change is needed. The Brewer offense has been carried by Lucroy, A-Ram and Gomez. Braun has been okay, but I expect more. Same with Scooter. 1B, SS, LF and 2B (at least Rickie) have been unproductive. That's too many black holes if the team wants to contend. Questions: 1B - This is brutal (again) this year. Reynolds was doing okay, but a cold streak has sent him into the sub-.200 BA levels. Overbay has been awful. Even with 5 walks he's got an OBP of .280. The key becomes 'what do you do?' It's not like we have a guy tearing up AAA. Morris and Halton have been mediocre (at best). Green is playing well at AAA, but I don't think anyone sees him as an everyday 1B option. He could easily be brought up as a backup corner. A trade is probably the most likely option. The crazy idea might be moving Braun there. I know some people think he'll just be the worst fielder ever, but I don't think so. Either way, it might help him stay healthier if he doesn't have to throw the ball like from the OF. This might be an idea for the offseason. 2B - How long to you keep Rickie if he continues to struggle? I just hate to admit Weeks isn't looking good. I always thought he was a good player. Scooter's doing about what I expected - good BA, but little else. If you dump Rickie, do you need a platoon partner for Scooter? LF - Davis has five doubles (a good sign), but no HRs. He's hitting .250. Not exactly what we needed. His lack of BB is concerning. He's always had a decent walk rate in the minors, so it's frustrating to see him swinging at everything. We could bring up Gindl (who started slowly at AAA but seems to be doing better), but are you better off just waiting out Davis and hope he comes around? Schafer doesn't look like a full time guy, although I think he brings a lot to the table with his speed and defense. SS - I mention SS because Segura is playing poorly. Since the all-star break last year he's been under a .600 OPS. He's turned into a groundball hitter. This year, his fly ball rate is really, really low. Was the first 1/2 of last year a fluke? The options at SS aren't pretty, however. So we're likely going with Segura no matter what happens. My thought is to play about 1/3 of the season before making any dramatic moves. Thus, you see where players (and the team record) are at at the end of May, then start making moves (if necessary).

Trying to project out pitching is so hard because injuries are so common. "Excess pitching" is rarely a term you hear in the big leagues - and often that goes away pretty quickly (look at the Rays this year). Still, I wouldn't have a problem dealing a starting pitcher in the offseason (assuming our rotation stays healthy and effective this year). But who gets traded, and when, really has to play out in the real world. If this club tanks horribly, it makes no sense to hang onto a 36 year old Lohse. And if the club doesn't think Nelson and/or Thornburg is primed for the rotation next year, it makes no sense to deal any of our starters. And I wouldn't be surprised if the Brewers tried to extend Gallardo if he has a good 2014. So the decision to make a deal really has to wait and see how things transpire. But I think you're right - if the opportunity is right, dealing Estrada (or another starter) should be considered. How much Estrada could fetch in a deal is debatable. I doubt you're getting a prospect of Lawrie's caliber. Doug Fister, a younger and more accomplished pitcher than Estrada, brought a disappointing return this off season (but a lot of people think that was Detroit's blunder). But it's stupid not to see what can happen. Cycling in younger players is critical to Milwaukee competing.

I don't think the Brewers would have a problem getting a draft pick if Yo pitches well the next two years. From 2009-2012, Gallardo was incredibly consistent. ERA, WHIP, strikeouts, innings pitched - all really similar. Averages: 3.70ish ERA, 1.30 Whip, 200 IP, 200K, 15 wins. If he can pitch that way in 2014, the Brewers will pick up his option. If he does that again in 2015, he'll be in a great situation as a free agent. The Crew would easily give him the qualifying offer. In 2016, he'll only be 31. If he pitches solid in 2014-15 and stays healthy, people are going to look at his mediocre 2013 as an aberration. Even if the Crew offered the QA, I don't think he'd have problems finding a team that would sign him. No, he wouldn't have the upside that some FAs offer. But he'll offer consistency. No one will sign him thinking he's a #1 type - but he'd be a great #3 guy - something easily worth $12-15 million (if not more). Sure, Yo will have a lot of miles on his arm. People will worry about that. But he'll be relatively young and have a track record of being durable. That's worth a lot. And remember, it only takes one team to make something happen. Of course, this is all reliant on Yo being a good pitcher the next two years. I certainly hope so.

I think this can't be understated. This year, the Crew is spending around $10 million in salary on relief pitchers ($6.2 million for Gorzelanny and K-Rod). If we can keep this up (and we have a lot of decent arms coming up that project as relievers), having a cheap pen allows us to funnel money into areas of real need. The key is that you have to be willing to trade or let walk relievers when they get too expensive. It's easy for management to overpay a reliever you know and trust rather than gamble on the players you're developing.

I don't know about the 1st selection, but I pick for the Cubs at #4. Because I love the Cubs so much, I'm eying up Antone Williamson in that slot. If only I picked for the Cardinals as well. I could get them Ken Felder.

Some more information on the rise of TJ. The argument (again) is that high school kids are trained to throw harder (specialized coaches, training, etc.), throw more often (in addition to their HS, traveling all star teams, showcases, etc.) and at a younger age. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/mlb/news/20140415/tommy-john-surgery-high-school-pitchers-jameson-taillon/ The article doesn't go into the abuse put on arms in college - just focuses on high school students.

A brewery can only own and operate four or five (I think that's the number) restaurants/bars in the state. It was created long ago to prevent big breweries from setting up chains all over the state and hurting smaller beer makers (who wouldn't be able to find bars and reastaurants to serve their beer). Unfortunately, it's hindering micro brewers because they can't expand their presence. The Great Dane in Madison is an example. They have several locations in Madison, and one in another city (I think Wausau). They want to set up more places, but can't because of the restrictions. Again, it was made to prevent the big beer makers from creating a monopoly. My details on the law probably aren't all right, but I think I got the gist of it.

Hellweg's inability to command his pitches makes him a longshot to be a successful starting pitcher. I'm beginning to think we should move him to the bullpen and see if the shorter stints will allow him to focus better. Let him use his fastball more, concentrate on mastering two pitches instead of the three or four required to be a starting pitcher. I just wish the team would make the move now, and let him focus on becoming a good reliever so he can potentially help us next year.

I think Roenicke just wanted to see how many heads would explode on message boards.