JJHardy7

The p-b-p guy isn't too great either, but he's made to look better simply by not being Jeff Brantley. I guess I like the p-b-p guy. Brantley just doesn't seem too 'attached' to the team. I really don't like a 100% homer type, but I would at least want a guy that cares about the team. I don't get that from Brantley. I also found it interesting how badly Reds fans want Nix to play. I've seen Nix play a ton and I hope everything works out for him with the Reds. He's been mashing in a limited role so far this year.

Two words: Dusty Baker. True. I know the game wasn't really in doubt when he made the move, but I thought it was a bit early. I watched the game with the Reds TV guys and I heard in pre-game was how great the Reds pitchers have been...bla bla bla. Didn't really work that way at least that game.

He was hitting 92 on the gun so it's not like Carlos' first major league hit was off some scrub. I still can't believe they put him in...Janish had tommy john surgery a few years ago. It would be a terrible thing to see a SS have their season end by pumping in 92 mph fastballs in a blowout game.

The value of having a 2nd big lefty bat in the lineup would be negated by making room for Gamel by dealing Fielder. Now eventually Gamel could well end up at 1B after Fielder does leave, but not before he spends a year or two at 3B so they can go with that lineup that includes 2 lefty boppers. The room in the lineup will come from a deal involving a right handed bat or by Cameron's departure through FA. If that happens Hall could return to CF, assuming he's not dealt also. I don't mean to say or imply it's dealing Fielder. If it would happen though, you have to consider the cost savings also and not just the value of having a 2nd big lefty bat. The way Cam is playing I want him back next year. To me, that means Hall is traded.

Should the thread title maybe be changed to reflect which Melvin got fired? It had me going for a second http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

We could always have him work they for a week before interleague play to prepare him for this. A little cross-training might be good for his 3B defense, to get a chance to watch another 3B play from accross the diamond might give him a little different perspective. Remember back in the day when Cirillo was in his prime? He had a kneck injury and couldn't play 3B for awhile because he couldn't turn his head. With no practice, he moved to 1B where he was instantly sensational. I'm not asking Gamel to be sensational at 1B, just better than the limbless stump that plays there now. I get what you're saying X, but there's no way I take Gamel off of 3B to play any other position this year. I really think he's made some pretty big strides with his defense the past two weeks or so. I still think his shoulder injury in spring training kind of slowed him a bit. I don't mind him being a DH, but anything other than 3B can wait until the off-season if they decide he's not ready. I get the feeling that if a trade is made that shakes up the MLB Gamel will be ready to play 3B by end of June/early July. Nothing can really happen now unless you bench Hall.

Again, that article mentions terrible throwing accuracy. I am sure that accuracy was made to look worse throwing to a short and obese 1st baseman with poor footwork and little ability to scoop a ball. And Braun was a converted 3B. How many games did he play there in the pros? There's a good chance that he'll play more OF in the pros than 3B in the pros (counting minor league games) by the end of the year. He made the switch late in college from SS to 3B. I'm not saying Braun wasn't bad. He was. I am saying it was 4/5 of a season at a position and then was moved. Comparing him to Gamel is not the right way to go about it in a lot of detail IMO.

My main point is that if Braun's not the absolute worst 3B to ever carry a glove out there at the MLB level, he's basically just in a multi-player tie for 'worst fielding 3B ever' I still don't think that's a fair statement. Worst defensive 3B for 4/5 of a season or something like that might be more accurate. I would imagine the worst fielding 3B would at least be in the bigs for a few seasons before that statement would be made. Gamel also has played 3B a few more years than Braun did. Braun was a converted 3B.

Hart already turned down a deal, Hardy will turn it around and get a big pay day, and Prince isn't good value for the dollar for a small market team. So all three might command more money than the team wants to pay? It's clear offers have been extended (at least IIRC to Hart and Fielder). I also think Hardy has received an extension. The problem is that these guys wouldn't sign Braun like deals/nor were they/are they the slam dunk Braun was given his play in the bigs and the short time it took him to become a very good player. I think the real point here is that the Brewers get value for guys they wouldn't eventually extend. Now that could be draft picks or it could be trading them. Not every player will sign a Braun like deal. I'm interested in seeing what Hart does. He was terrible at the end of last year...I'm not sold that he's past that.

You've seen Gamel play more than most, would you DH him in interleague play, or would you consider playing him at 1B, and DH Fielder? I would think you could give Gamel a little time there in AAA to prepare for this. A little cross-training might give him a little different perspective and actually help him defensively. I'd bring him up as a DH. I'd prefer not to have him play any position except 3B until a decision has been made that he won't be playing 3B anymore.

The Hurricane seems to have more power this year from what I've seen. I don't think it's a huge jump though. Also, this will sound silly but in spring (and summer I guess) the Sounds stadium is laid out terrible...sun is in the eyes. I've seen some fielding 'adventures'. I do think The Hurricane will/could be a pro. I just think he'll be a utility guy, which isn't a bad thing.

I don't know who "Guster" is, but I daresay that they're not the headliner for that particular night. Isn't the first post just the bands on the Miller Lite stage?

Many players go from AA to the majors, and if he can prove that AA pitching is no longer a challenge to him, we could give him the shot of earning the spot next year. How many is 'many'? MaGehee played LF in college, Hall never played it in his life. I just can't figure out why this organization continues to kick around Bill Hall. Hall gets paid quite a bit of money. I don't feel bad for him at all. Maybe he could 'earn' it this year. X, I do hope the organization is discussing everything with him. I hope it's not 'forced'. At the same time, if Gamel is to come up this year it's at DH or 3B. My 'guess' is that Braun is going on the DL and Gamel is called up. There's no need to put Hall in the OF if it's just a few games.

Gamel IMO is a better athlete than Braun (at least how it applies to fielding). My concern is if his mental problems in the field exist at 3B they may exist in the OF. I still think he'll be fine. I think it's a foot work thing and it can be fixed. The Brewers are in a different spot now than they were even a few years back. They don't need to rush guys up any more. I don't see a huge weakness where Gamel could play right now (Hall, Fielder, Braun and Hart aren't going anywhere right now). I think this is what good teams do. They will let the 'problem' work itself out. At this point, I'm much more concerned with Escobar and Salome than I am with Gamel.

It is stupid because it is not a good reason, it is just a reason. The umpires are part of the game, they have their own strikes zones and it is part of the game of baseball to play while accounting for the umpires, if you dont like this then you dont like baseball because that is how it is. I would rather leave baseball the way it is then totally change it into some video game called by robots just so we can get fix the 1% of calls which are wrong. So getting it right is not a good reason? Strike zones are strike zones. I'm very annoyed by how this changes based on an ump or what type of 'status' a pitcher has. It's a joke.

X, you've already stated that a few posts above. I don't think it's a worry unless Braun is out for awhile.

I would sure hope Gamel would be playing the OF before the Brewers open a spot for him in the big league line-up. Calling him up to the Bigs and switching him to the OF at the same would be terrible planning. I'm talking about the off-season...not during the season. Sorry if I wasn't clear about that. My point is if you move him now Hart's value goes down in any type of trade. If you trade Hart in the off-season and then move Gamel to the OF you might get a bit more for him. IMO there's no way they ever move Gamel during the season to a new position. Again, a lot of Mat's errors are mental. So he's going to go to the OF and not have any errors?

I really dont like the arguement that just because the technology is there it must be used, that is stupid. Why is it 'stupid'? I'd rather get the call right. I'm all for making things better as long as it doesn't delay the game a ton. It's also not just a 'game'. It's a big business. It stopped being a 'game' a long time ago. I don't want the Brewers to lose any games because of a bad call.

Mat Gamel is hitting over .370 and has five homers off left-handed pitchers with Milwaukee's Triple-A Louisville club. What happened to the Nashville team? http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

This thread just highlights the rediculousness of Mat Gamel not having played the OF yet. After 4 years of HS baseball, 2 seasons of JuCo ball, and 4 seasons of pro ball, they think somehow a fifth pro season is going to be a sudden cure all? Gamel's bat is ROTY worthy, and we have a quality 3B signed through next season. Some positional crosstraining can't hurt anymore than everything else they've done with him defensively that hasn't worked. There's not a spot for him now in the OF. My guess is this is his last 'shot' at 3B. We've gone over this many times X. The Brewers wilfl have to make a decision sooner or later with him. His bat is great, but it's early May. If they move him to OF now, that means Hart is gone. In the ideal world, I think this all happens at 'the same time'. Hart is traded and Gamel is moved. I would think signing a guy like Edmonds for the rest of the year would be the answer if Braun is out for a long time.

Luckily as Brewer fans we don't ever have to worry about the team signing a good free agent, so whether someone wants to play here or not is irrelevant, they all have no choice either because they are draftees (Braun, Prince, etc.), guys who were traded for (CC, Lee, CV, etc.), or guys who no one else wanted (Turnbow, Podsednik, Branyan, etc.). Cameron?

So we don't like the playoffs? This isn't a knock on this site, but some Brewers fans I know feel it wasn't it worth it because we didn't win it all. You have to get in it to win it. I'd also like to point out the Brewers have rarely traded a prospect that we regret. I've heard the Brewers feel the same way about this trade...

If its one thing the Brewers have shown under Doug Melvin is the ability to develop power bats with questionable defensive prowess. Fielder, Braun, LaPorta, Gamel, Salome. The Brewers turn them out constantly. Great point. I would be upset if we gave up a slam dunk 'legit' arm in the deal. Again, LaPorta didn't have a place to play in Milwaukee. I guess I don't see how some fail to see that. I still think Brantley might be the one we regret trading...not LaPorta. You can find corner OFs who hit for power on the free agent market. LaPorta IMO will be an average player and that's not a knock on him. He'll have a long career, but he's not going to be a guy we regret trading if you think about what actually happened. We got two picks for him and Brantley, and we also got a playoff appearance. Brantley could be exactly what the Brewers need next year if Cam leaves. I do think it's funny that there are some here that now do not like the trade. The 'playoffs' was a dream for this team. Since we didn't win the world series we suck. That's not a fan base I'd ever want to play for.

If he were traded to an organization where his progress was blocked, it would be a different story, but playing for an AL franchise actually helps him because of the designated hitter. This is a great point. Where would LaPorta play in Milwaukee? He would not be playing this year or next. The Brewers win in this deal. I've seen the trade beaten to death here and I expect that. The fact is he's not starting over Braun, Hart, or Fielder this year or next year. I guess you could move Hart to CF next year, but I'd prefer to keep Cam. IIRC the huge debate internally was LaPorta or Gamel in the deal. The Indians wanted Gamel, but the Brewers wouldn't give him up. Gamel does have some defensive questions, but he would be called up long before LaPorta if he figures it out. I'd take the picks personally. LaPorta didn't have a spot in Milwaukee.

Why wish good luck to this selfish loser? He's the guy who refused to sign a team picture the rest of his team signed for an MS fundraiser. X, I know I usually don't agree with things you say about the minor league players, but with this I agree with you 100%. I usually don't use this site to bash on players from what I know about them from games and such, but LaPorta was/is not a favorite of mine. I seek autographs from a lot of the minor league guys for my own collection. I guess I can understand if I can't get an autograph as an 'adult' from these players. To be honest, I still have somewhat of a problem with it since in Huntsville and Nashville there might be 15 autograph requests (if that) at one home game. I grew up around the Timber Rattlers and there were a ton more kids asking for autographs than anything I've seen down here. LaPorta has said no a few times to me and I guess as I said I respect that. He's the only player to really do that to me. I only asked once at maybe four games so it's not a huge deal.I h My main point here is I went to a game with family and friends last summer and some friends had some young kids/baseball fans (around 5 - 9 years old). We pretty much made the drive to Huntsville just for the game. Nothing against Huntsville, but there's not a ton to do there. I guess it was just a nice day trip. We got to the game early and the kids all had baseballs and were excited to get autographs...the only guy that didn't sign was LaPorta. I told the kids his name and such and he said 'Later'...well 'Later' never came. I think this is a joke. We were the only people asking for his autograph. He comes over and signs 4 baseballs and he's done. The 'main guys' (Gamel, Escobar, and Salome) have always signed when able. Gamel actually is one of the nicest guys I've came across. LaPorta, on the other hand, is a joke. I believe he is/was a very religious person and all that. I don't want to get political, but from X's post and what I've experienced I think this guy is somewhat of a fraud. So you have 4 kids asking for an autograph and you say no? Why? You get paid to play a game. In Huntsville and Nashville you barely get asked for an autograph. At least Gamel, Escobar, and Salome are fan friendly. All three of them are class acts and I wish them the best. Again, I hate to throw the guy under the bust, but it's been known for awhile that LaPorta isn't all that fan friendly.