Scooter1027

Excellent breakdown. I think that really shows a key for the remainder of the offseason -- we don't necessarily have to bring in a top-flight type starter, but we definitely (in my opinion) need to bring in some quality depth that will be superior to that 200 IP of replacement level pitching (5.50 ERA). I think those projections are very fair. I'd like to think Parra could do a tick better than that in his 2nd full season, but the projections for Gallardo, Bush, and Suppan all are right at/around what I would expect. I think we need at least one more guy so that we can go into the season with McClung as the 6th starter, the fallback option. A signing like Randy Johnson, heck even like Paul Byrd should allow us to have a FA/Suppan/McClung 4-5-6 group of starting pitchers that should be able to keep us above replacement level.

Yeah, that "when we needed him most" stuff is junk, I agree. You know when I think we "needed him most"? Before we had Sabathia, after we lost Gallardo. He came through huge, so huge that he was the NL starting pitcher in the All-Star game. Are people forgetting about that already? Without the season he gave us, we wouldn't have even been in position to make a deal for Sabathia, we would have been trade deadline sellers, not buyers. Yes, it was a bummer we were without him come playoff time, but he was a huge reason we were there in the first place. I think people are going to regret being so happy to see him go....this rotation does not look nearly as good without him.

A few projections that interest me: Ray Durham's .235/.326/.357 line. Kind of ugly. I thought he was pretty solid for us, posted a .280/.369/.477 line in 107 Milwaukee ABs in '08. That projection suggests a pretty steep decline, but I guess he will be 37 years old, and his defense is already awful. Is this a guy we should bring back? Maybe just for depth and to face tough righties (assuming Weeks is back)? Alcides Escobar's .268/.292/.342 line. Yeesh, sub-.300 OBP, just about the last thing this lineup needs. I see a number of people want him rushed into Milwaukee and want Hardy moved (either traded or shifted to another position)...I want no part of that yet. Let's give him a year (or two) to improve his bat at AAA. Chris Capuano's 4.53 ERA in 24 G (22 GS), 115 K in 137 IP. I would be very pleased to get this kind of contribution out of Capuano this year. I'm very skeptical he can pull that off, but that would sure be a nice pitching boost. Mark DiFelice's ranking as the team's 4th best reliever, being Shouse/Stetter/Torres, and projected to be better than Riske, Mota, Villanueva (in a swingman role), Coffey, Gagne, and McClung. I really like DiFelice and hope he gets a crack at the 25 man next year.

Goes to show you how foolish it can be to judge a reliever by ERA, especially within a single season. One scoring change and his ERA drops half a point.

I worried about the same thing. I mean, the built-in excuses were there -- DiFelice and Dillard have options, Tavarez doesn't, you can never have enough pitching depth, etc, etc. Ultimately though, you have to be able to get hitters out. We're in a playoff chase, our bullpen is unreliable as it is, we need the best group of arms we can piece together, regardless of options at this point. To me, DiFelice and Dillard bring much more to the table than Julian, so they should stay. If Tavarez was even just equal to those two, I would have been okay with sending one down. But from what I've seen, he's clearly worse.

I would say he's better than Suppan too. 102 K / 29 BB ratio last year, 42 K / 9 BB this year to go with a solid 3.71 ERA. On paper I did not like this McClung/Baker matchup at all, in fact I thought it would be the only one we lost this series. What do I know, I guess. Could McClung actually be a decent SP? I'm having trouble getting on board with this, but I certainly can't deny that he's been good so far.

The park levels the playing field, power-wise. In some ways it devalues the great power hitters by allowing the Jason Kendalls of the world to hit one out over that porch. Prince hits a towering shot, 410-415 feet to dead center and it gets caught with ease on the warning track in front of the hill. Richie Sexson hits it at least 440-450 feet off that darn lightpole and doesn't homer. Brandon Backe tomahawks a Manny Parra curveball and it lands in the 2nd row of the Crawford Boxes, 310 feet away. You're much better off just pulling/rolling over the baseball (like Corey Hart's 2nd HR), then actually driving it to the gaps (like his first HR).

Are you thinking of Dameon Mason, out of Illinois, who ended up transferring to LSU? There was also Odartey Blankson, from Illinois, who went to UNLV, although I can't remember if he was a Crean recruit or not. Anyway, hopefully for MU's sake the kid works out, but from what I've read, I'm glad UW didn't go after him. He seems like a transfer waiting to happen when he doesn't get "enough" playing time. May not be worth the hassle.

I don't know if "solve the problem" is the right terminology, but it certainly would be an upgrade at this point, so why not? As Russ outlined, Branyan's 3 year split against RHP yields an .848 OPS, and a nice .352 OBP. For a team with OBP issues (with Hall's .229 OBP vs. RHP at the forefront), Branyan's ability to get on base would look nice. I know strikeouts are a contentious issue on this site, but Hall has struck out in ~29% (40 of 141) of his PA against RHP anyway, so how would playing Branyan there be different, strikeout-wise? At least Russ would bring some OBP to the table. (pared back quote --1992)

I thought PECOTA gave him a very generous projection. Their weighted mean projection for him was 4.15/1.25 as a long reliever/spot starter (they guessed 8 starts). Does anyone think he's actually capable of that? I'm curious as well, what does he throw? Could we use him in a pinch? Would he be better than Jeff Weaver (please)?

Yeah, that was a great opportunity to pour it on. There's no way St. Louis doesn't add more before this is over, so we have to stay on the attack as well.

Big K. Now what do we do with Parra? He's at 86 pitches and due up this inning. I assume he hits for himself because of our lack of pinch hitters, but do we really throw him back out there to face Pujols, Ludwick, and Glaus next inning?

I know this has been discussed ad nauseum, but Prince will continue to walk 4 times a game if the guy hitting directly behind him is Mr. 0-4, 2 DP, 2 K. I really wish Hart would get moved back up to 5.

As a pharmacist, I can give you what I typically recommend based on your average symptoms: Stuffy nose/congestions -- pseudoephedrine (e.g. Sudafed). Really nothing better out there for congestion, provided you don't have high blood pressure, prostate problems, or glaucoma. It is behind the pharmacy counter now, you just have to ask for it, and have a driver's license with you. Runny nose/itchy eyes/allergy type symptoms -- diphenhydramine (e.g. Benadryl) or loratidine (Claritin). Diphenhydramine works better, but does have a drowsiness effect. Cough -- dextromethorphan (Robitussin, Delsym) Chest Congestions -- guaifenesin (Mucinex) Sore Throat -- not much, unfortunately. Tylenol might help a little, otherwise lozenges, sprays. Really not much that helps. I think the key is to zero in on the symptoms you're experiencing, and then find a combination product (such as a Tylenol Cold, or other such products) that matches what you're looking for. A pharmacist at your local Walgreens or wherever can help you out.

Maybe this means that the team really liked what they saw out of Chris Narveson this spring. I remember watching him while I was down at spring training and thinking that he couldn't be any worse than Vargas. It's possible they view Narveson as a low-cost equivalent (or at least near-equivalent) to Vargas.

I can respond to thsi one. I watched the 5-2 split squad win over Oakland yesterday. I'll be seeing the Cubs today, and I'm going on tuesday and thursday as well. I can give a couple observations. Luis Pena -- Looked great in this game, I was impressed. His height conveys an intimidating presence on the mound, and his fastballs really pop the mitt. He made one hitter in particular look very foolish on a slider (can't remember who). He looked like a big-leaguer to me. Mitch Stetter -- Also really impressed me. I don't know what his big league chances are out of camp, but I'd be surprised if he doesn't get a call up or two this year. Struck out a pair in an inning's work and looked sharp. Cole Gillespie -- This was the 3rd guy that really stood out to me. Hit a towering foul fly ball one pitch, then blasted a no doubter right after. Looks like a guy who has a clear idea at the plate. Other notables -- Rottino caught most of the game and looked good. Threw a strike to 2nd on an SB attempt, unfortunately didn't catch him because McClung was slow to the plate. Perfect throw though. Chris Narveson looked legitmately good. Threw strikes, had a nice looking changeup and was locating well. I hope (assume?) that he'll be in the AAA rotation. I think I'd rather use him in a pinch than Zach Jackson anyway. Abraham Nunez and some cat named Edgar Trejo looked completely overmatched all game long. Looked pathetic. Bill Hall was smooth at third. Jason Kendall made one play on a swinging bunt that had my buddies and I simultaneously saying that Estrada never would have made that play. Scampered out very quickly and threw a stike to Fielder. It was good to see.

I didn't see nor listen to the game, but I have a feeling that he didn't uncork too many curveballs in his first live action of the year. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm betting he threw largely fastballs.

Because the Brewers need to sell tickets for the next 10 years. Not just this year. The Brewers need to be relevant every year to maintain a fan base. Their is significant danger is loading up for one year while mortgaging your future. I don't want to go back to a losing club. I would rather watch meaningful baseball every year than one championship run every 20 years. Bingo, I don't want the Brewers to be the Florida Marlins. Don't get me wrong, a championship would be awesome, it's what you play for, it's the reason we're fans. But the key is getting to the playoffs. Anything can happen once you're in. Sustained success can give you multiple opportunities to win a World Series. If you sell the farm for one shot, you could well be dooming yourself to another long stretch of meaningless baseball, and it's far from a guarantee that one more guy (a la Bedard) would put you over the top. Too much can go wrong over the course of one season.

Agreed, his play time is clearly out of whack. However, I think the point still stands -- whether it's 250 or 450 PA, an .877 OPS is a pretty serious projection. That's starter production, and then some. That would be fantastic bench production, along with the .833 projected from Gross. Heck, they even project a .251/.331/.435 for Eric Munson in 306 PA. I would gladly take a .766 OPS from our backup catcher (for a comparison, they project .717 for Rivera, a .716 for Rottino, and a .683 for Palmisano).

A couple other projections I found noteworthy: Gabe Gross -- 239 PA, .267/.366/.467 (.833), 8 HR Joe Dillon -- 467 PA, .286/.376/.501 (.877), 18 HR I think they're overestimating Dillon's playing time a bit with 467 PA (I think Gross' is about right). But man, if we could get that kind of lefty/righty production out of our bench that would be huge. An .877 OPS with 18 HR...that would be bigtime stuff.

I'll be really interested to watch the Huntsville lineup, and the Nashville bullpen. I think the Huntsville part goes without saying -- what an exciting mix there with LaPorta, Gamel, Brantley, Cain, and Gillespie, along with the intriguing Mike Bell. I'll also be curious to see how that Nashville pen does -- with Dillard, Cassidy, Bray, Stetter, and Pena, I feel there a bunch of guys who could step up and force their way into our bullpen if injuries or underperformance at the big league level strikes.

Jason Bay 2006 -- .286/.396/.532 (.928), 35 HR, 102 BB/156 K Jason Bay 2007 -- .247/.327/.418 (.745), 21 HR, 59 BB/141 K I understand Bay's frustration, no one likes to lose. But he can look in the mirror (and at Adam LaRoche) to determine in many ways why this team did nothing last year. They were relying on those two hitters to be the centerpiece of a lineup that got decent seasons out of a few supporting guys (Freddy Sanchez, Xavier Nady, Jack Wilson, Ryan Doumit, and Nate McLouth all had respectable-to-good seasons). They didn't get it done. I don't think it would have been financially responsible for Pittsburgh to have thrown a bunch of money at this class of free agents just to say they did something. There wasn't enough talent out there to turn Pittsburgh around. They need to start from the ground up and build their minor league system, just like the Brewers had to.

With Cirillo, I agree with you. But when Koskie was here (and healthy), he was better than "middling". He posted a pretty sharp .343/.490 in 2006 (career .367/.458), and on this team, his left-handed bat and very good defense sure would be nice to have. He was one of my favorite Brewers when we had him, I think he brings a lot of things to the table that this team could use. Unfortunately, it's more than likely a moot point, as I really doubt he's going to be able to play again.

Bingo. Braun might not be a good left fielder either (although I think he has the speed and arm strength to be at least average), but playing a poor left field is much less consequential than a poor third base. If we can upgrade the infield defense with a respectable third baseman (I'm not necessarily sold that Blalock is that guy, though -- those road numbers do scare me), then I think you take your chances on Braun in LF. Even if he is poor out there, it'll hurt less than the hack-fest that was his 2007 at 3B.

Yeah, and I agree with him. Law's argument is that Lidge was one of their better, if not their best, available trading chips. They get a slap and run CF in return, a prospect that Law calls something along the lines of a hacker that can only hit fastballs and hanging breaking balls (and can't play his position), and a 12th man type bullpen guy. For the most part, I agree. I feel they could have done better for Lidge. He also comments that this makes Luke Scott very available, and that somebody will now be in line to acquire a very solid strong half of an OF platoon, something I also agree with. I think Doug should be on the phone with Ed Wade ASAP, I would like to have Scott.