TheCrew07

That's too bad about Wooten, so that's him and Bramhall that are out for sure with Tommy John?

I think the criticisms of Macha were fair here. He always pushes Yo too far, he didn't split up his lefties in the lineup, and he didn't use Hart at all... which would have been much easier to do if he had set a proper lineup in the first place. edit. haha dang, zzzmanwitz beat me by a minute

Boo for Bramhall and Wooten starting on the disabled list, get healthy please!

Sure we can play pretend and disregard that he would instantly become the most talented pitcher in the bullpen if you want. Taking Villy's spot as the mop up? Seriously? He may take a backseat to the guys currently slated for the backend of the bullpen, but he's more talented at this point than any of those 3 pitchers including Hoffman. They are better right now why? Because they have experience? Because they have a track record? How can you claim without a doubt that they'll be better pitchers than Braddock would be this year? Hawkins is a 110 years old, Coffey is coming off of a career year, he's never pitched that well before either. Why do we even need a LOOGY with Narveson and Parra in the pen? What's the infatuation with Stetter? He only gives us 45 IP in an entire season, he pitches less than our closer, if there is a need later in the season for a lefty specialist he can always be recalled from AAA. We're married to Vargas why? His one year contract and the 900K we owe him?' Are you concerned with finding Riske a spot in the bullpen when he returns? I'm certainly not. If the argument is going to be based on some sabermetric principle like MLEs than I'll just say that people should be wary of MLEs, they are siimply automatic reductions based on league averages and are not predictive any actual result. Escobar last season should be an excellent case study for those that want to take a statistical slant... sabermetrics just don't work very well when evaluating prospects because it's impossible to account for relative talent and where a player is at on the learning curve, regardless of hitter or pitcher. The cream will always rise to the top. I'll make the same argument here that I made in regards to our 5th starter, let the most productive pitchers pitch regardless of contract status. Braddock will be called up for the bullpen this year, but I wouldn't do it until the end of June because there's no point letting a bullpen arm reach super 2 status, if he was a starting pitcher I might feel differently. Every year it's the same garbage about holding prospects back for "seasoning". Very few players ever reach MLB as a finished product, those that do are typically your HOF type talents. Expect the some growing pains out of the youngsters but for goodness sake let them play. If they are one of our 25 best players then they belong on the MLB roster, regardless of how ready people think they may be. With starting pitchers we do have to worry about the innings jump, but that won't be the case with a reliever, when was the last time a reliever even got to 100 IP? Right now Lawrie is the closest thing we have to a prospect that was rushed, however I do think he's a special case because he's been hitting wood bats since he was 14 while playing tougher competition than our HS kids in the states do. All the rest of these young men have at least 4 years in the minors/college, they are not 20 year old youngsters being thrown into the fire, let's see what they can do. Maybe you could make an argument for Davis as well but he's a college player who's jumping all the way to A+, he's not an 18 or 19 year old jumping all the way to AA. All I ask is that the prospects don't ride the pine, if they are up then they need to be playing regularly, there is simply no point in burning service time so they can sit on the bench.

First, I don't want the Brewers spending any more money on FA pitchers for years...let the kids play. Second, I would rather not have Braddock limited to 55ish IP per year just because he's the closer. Hell I don't even want Axford to pitch that few innings. I'm all for not signing closers or any relief pitchers for that matter, but I'd rather use our best players as often as is prudent instead of the traditional closer role. If Zach is as good as I think he'll be then I'll have a hard time with him just pitching 70ish innings in a setup type role, I'd much rather get the same ERA or a tad higher ERA spread out over 180 IP in a starting role. There's just not enough value in relief pitchers for me personally to get excited about him pitching in that role. Though at this point anything is better than nothing... as in I'd rather have him helping the Brewers in any capacity than not helping at all.

The more I think about that argument over the years, the more hollow it rings. I'm not an ultra conservative by any stretch, but while there is always a certain percentage of the population that will take what they didn't earn, I think this idea has much more to do with declining morality, integrity, and personal responsibility as a society than it does what is truly right or wrong. There's just so much grey area with a topic like this that I don't think there is a clear cut answer. Personally speaking I wouldn't take 10 million from the Brewers to be a pitcher, and like many on this site my dream was to be a professional athlete, I wouldn't be able to do it in good conscience. I just don't take what I feel I haven't earned, I'm just not wired that way. The only time I stole anything in my entire life was on a bet and my sister tattled on me after the fact so my parents made me return the items to the store and apologize to the owners in person. The whole thing was just dumb... I was standing in the checkout line to buy the stuff when a buddy bet me that I didn't have the guts or smarts to smuggle the items out of the store. Well in typical "you won't tell me what I'm capable of" fashion I did what I did. It doesn't matter when Suppan was signed, he was never going to be good value to the Brewers, he's just not a good enough pitcher. The comparisons to the Reggie White and "we're a player in free agency now!" started with Suppan and continues to this day. Spending money on FA pitchers is just horrible value anyway it's spun, and truthfully the Brewers aren't a player in free agency now and never will be in the current economic setup of baseball. It's ludicrous to compare signing average to above average players in there mid 30s and on the decline to signing the marquee DE of his generation. While Reggie was certainly declining in the counting stats department, he was still able to shut down an entire edge of the offense on his own. Signing Sabathia would have been akin to signing to White, but the Brewers were years and 70 million dollars short. There is no player the Brewers can afford in FA that is of that same caliber, our best hope of signing that type of talent is through Braunesque type deals. Maybe Fielder will take less years to stay in Milwaukee, but I'm not going to hold my breath. I look at a contract like Shields signed 2 years ago with TB or Lind signed this week with Toronto as models for what Melvin should be looking to do with Gallardo immediately, and down the road whichever young pitchers and position players step up should be considered for that type of deal as well.

I really like this type of contract, love the option years on the backend. Toronto has done very well over the last 6 months.

Why not start the inning with a LHP whenever the tough LH batters are likely to bat if you're so concerned with the lefty on lefty matchup? I wasn't looking for Parra or Narveson to become the LOOGY, nor do I want Braddock to be the LOOGY, I was looking to eliminate the position. With multiple LHP in the bullpen we don't need to save one for that exact matchup, they can start an inning when those key matchups come around. I'm not sure how any bullpen pitcher is ever "stretched out" regardless if they pitch 2 innings or pitch to 1 batter.

Wow so many to choose from. I'll stick to just the last decade. Bill Hall. I never liked the guy and would get into arguments with friends, family, and people on this site about him all the time. Remember the "Can Bill Hall Pitch" thread? My goodness how I despised that thread and constantly had to keep myself from posting something hateful in that lovefest. I didn't like anything about his game: I thought his defense was vastly over rated, I hated how he would walk out of the box when he thought he tagged one, I hated that he couldn't run the bases, and it drove me nuts when he went to the outfield and missed the cut off man or threw to the wrong base letting runners advance. After all, how could you be the cut off man all those years then move to the outfield and not know what to do? It boggled my mind.

I guess I should have been more clear. Obviously I know why Braddock was moved to the pen, and by the way he pitched another scoreless inning today, it's just that I really wish starting was an option for him. With Parra struggling, and Bush/Suppan walking after the year I'd feel better about the pitching situation going forward if he was still a starter. Actually, there's no guarantee that Davis will be back next season either now that I think about it. Rogers, Rivas, Butler, and Braddock would make me feel pretty good about '11... Then again all of them could stink or get hurt again and it wouldn't matter regardless. As far as Braddock this season... I would love him for him to replace Stetter but at the very least be up for good by the all-star break. Everyone knows I'm not a fan of the LOOGY concept, I'd prefer players that can go multiple innings who have the ability to get out players that hit from both side of the plate, there's much greater flexibility with that type of reliever. Since Narveson and Parra are already in the pen, I don't see why Stetter is a necessity at this point anyway.

I realize that you are mostly just venting, but I wanted to respond anyway. Personally, I like players for both talent and results. Taylor Green has been one of my guys for a long time, but he's not exactly toolsy. I believe the issue here is with numbers. For example, I don't mind a Dave Bush or 2 in the rotation, but when you get to 3 or 4 players of that caliber then we have an issue. I personally believe the bullpen is going to get awfully crowded with Braddock converting to relief, Axford's emergence, in addition to Fiers, Wooten, and Henderson who I really like as relievers. Not to mention the plethora of starting pitchers on the way, some of those guys are going to end up in the pen as well. I also skipped past guys like Frerichs, Hand, Ramlow, Meadows, and so on down the chain who are legit relief prospects... the point is that there will be very stiff competition for the 7 bullpen slots, and it gets even worse if a guy like Parra ends up in the bullpen for good. Rapoza is good relief pitcher, but where did he fit in this year between AAA and AA for Milwaukee? Who would you have let go to keep him in the fold? Hopefully he latches on someplace else and continues to have success.

Stetter's 13ish ERA has me concerned, and yes I know I'm predisposed to prejudice against LOOGYs. It's a little bit unnerving when McClendon and Luetge can come up from minor league camp and manage to not give up any runs at the backend of a ST game but Stetter continues to get bombed.

So then none of the HRs were legit?

Listen I'm not going to argue results over metrics, I think there is value both sides. Burns wasn't on the 40 man, the other guys are, and I've never ever said anything about keeping all 4 pitchers.

Assuming he's healthy he should be pitching for Helena, so he'll be in EST until their season begins. I doubt he'll start in the AZL

I still wish he was a starter.

I'm not sure what to make of Villy, I really wish he'd consistently do something other than give up runs in bunches. It seems like he's either clean or he gives up a crooked number. Maybe I just root too hard for the guy and always have.

Where was that posted anywhere? I'd settle for even one post of that variety as proof... The actual points that have been made literally 100s of times by multiple posters were: 1) the team already had plenty 5+ ERA depth at AAA and adding more guys of similar quality didn't mean that the team had better depth as evidenced last season 2) the top of the rotation needed upgrading, not the bottom, again see #1 3) going forward our starting pitcher depth should be the true prospects in AA and AAA who are already on the 40 man.

I was in Madison this last weekend, well Middleton mostly, at any rate we drove past a bar advertising a roadkill burrito. We were pressed for time and didn't stop, but next year we're so intrigued we're stopping for lunch.

Yep Salome and Lucroy qualify as no depth.

This is very similar to my issue with how publications are treating Gindl. He's a below average OF according to whom? To Scouts, to Sickels, to Law, to the author of the blog? Where is this opinion coming from? He was coming off of an injury, and he seemed to get quicker as the year went on, at least in my opinion. I remember posting after watching him get down the 1B line right before his second injury that he was faster than I had initially gave him credit for. I believe I commented that he didn't catch a ball I thought he should have as well, but I could have said that about everyone on that WI team and probably did at one point or another. The very small sample and imperfect metric that Total Zone is has him as a basically scratch defender in his short career. His arm didn't blow me away, but he never had to make a throw where I could make a judgment on it either. For what it is worth I thought he took better routes to the ball than Braun does. I have no idea what he ran the 60 in or how good his arm is, all I really know for sure from the 8 or 9 times I saw him play was that I really like his bat.

I would hate to see TPU make the championship game, I don't like my options on that side of the bracket at all.

Bowman gets no love ever!

I honestly have no idea as I believe the season hinges largely on Yo and Parra once again. I'll guess 84-78, slightly above .500 but the team could be significantly better than that if both young pitchers progress. Actually we need continued progression from all our young pitching including Butler and the AA staff.

I don't get the obsession here. He's an above average player who will be 36 this year, but we already have 3 much younger and much cheaper players at 3B in McGehee, Heether, and Gamel (who is a top prospect). If McGehee regressed 50 points of OPS he'd still be as valuable as Lowell offensively, Gamel has the potential to be a .900 OPS guy down the road plus he already struggled his way to a league average OPS last season, and Heether provides very solid depth., where's the upside with this move? Would 3B even be upgraded by this move?