TheCrew07

If this is our best opportunity we're in serious trouble as a franchise. How could we have realistic playoff aspirations with Bush, Suppan, Looper as the only established pitchers, needing Parra to take a big step forward, and hoping Yo would last the season after not pitching last year? That's way too many dominoes that need to fall just right... could it happen? Yes, was it a realistic assumption? I don't believe it was, and I'm a huge fan of both Yo and Parra. When the pitchers start pitching better the team will be competitive again, but it's certainly not overflowing with talent. "Hope and pray" is a stretch, Escobar and whomever don't need to be as good as Hardy and Fielder for the offensive output to remain similar. The difference can be made up via significant upgrades at other positions. For example, a serious offensive upgrade at C would more than make up for Fielder's absence. I like the prospects coming, you may not, that's a personal choice, but there's no dooms day on the horizon, not unless we dump everything trying to win now in the next 2 years. This team would really need to make 2 moves for pitching as it stands, and that's just not reasonable nor is it realistic.

Huh? Bush 2008 > Bush 2009, Parra 2008 > Parra 2009, Looper 2008 > Looper 2009. If Suppan pitching better is our one big upgrade, I don't see how we're better. This team needed Parra to step up and likely 1 more top of the rotation pitcher to be a serious contender. That hasn't happened yet, and we're probably a couple of months away from Parra coming back with some measure of effectiveness. We won't make up for losing Hardy and Fielder in direct moves, player for player, but collectively getting more production out of 3B, C, and 2B we could break even offensively. The farm system is loading with quality pitching from A+ on down, there are better days ahead. I still believe the teams in '11, '12, and '13 will be better than the teams of '07, '08, '09. The pitching could be lights out, the line up has the potential to be more balanced, and the defense as a team should be similar. I wasn't trying to bag on Z, Rogers may make the show yet, little Ben got his shot and couldn't cut it, Eveland has pitched in the majors for 3 different teams now, Jones got hurt, and Sarfate ended being a relief pitcher. I don't think this is a throw away season, but I do stand by my original opinion that the month long hot streak skewed perceptions of this team. This is a wait and see team, not a 1 player away from the World Series type team. At some point the pitchers will start pitching better, it's unlikely they serve up meatballs all season, but even if they do turn it around as a group this team isn't suddenly a playoff team... it's been a weird 2 months that's for sure. If you're Melvin I think you have to sit tight and see how things develop over the next month. I wouldn't mind giving up some midling prospects for Bedard, but I wouldn't give up any of the high ceiling players for him, he's not even a sure bet to stay healthy for the entire season. Nor am I thrilled about the prospect of riding Gallardo hard when his arm is one that should be protected this season given his lack of innings last season.

No, the Brewer window isn't now, and we don't need Fielder and Hardy to get the playoffs. The system did not produce enough pitching to go with the hitting talent, and it produced to many of the same type of hitters. Many people are chasing something that isn't there in my opinion.

It sure doesn't sound like they've been impressed with Salome's work behind the dish, if he has to repeat AAA what does that mean for Lucroy? There won't be enough games for both players at AAA... I would hate to see Lucroy's development held back by Salome. Would they skip Lucroy past to AAA and drop Salome down a level? I understand the importance of pitch calling but again if he hasn't gotten it by now what guarantee is there that he will get it?

If the pitchers in WI can progress as much as the hitters have over the last month, WI could win the second half and sneak into the playoffs as well. Right now the only hole in that rotation is Adams, hopefully he can get it going and justify his 2nd round status. :awrie catching fire again would really help that team out as well. Taylor Green pushes his average back over .300... good for him. Hopefully a day of DHing settles him down in the field, 3 errors in 2 days was out of character for him.

Escobar with his 18th double on the season, Gillespie and Salome with 2 hits a piece so far, and both also have a 2B on the day. Que Clany with another "I told you so" post... Wright with one of his better lines of the season, he doesn't strike out or walk many and he been doing a decent job limiting the damage. The score is tied 1-1 going to the 9th. Tennessee up 6-2 going to the Carolina 5th.

Well Peralta throws pretty darn hard, he tops out in the mid 90s and he's young enough he could add 1-2 more MPH yet. Bowman busted out of the group first, but I'd guess that Peralta is the next WI pitcher promoted. The day Rogers quits walking people he becomes a super prospect like Yo was and Braddock is turning into. He's in a very similar place as Jeffress... will either pitcher reign themselves in? No idea, but I'm going to hope for the best. We'll know more about Odorizzi after the summer is over... I'm hoping for the best there. I'm glad X mentioned he's a little disappointed with Scarpetta, because I am as well. He's walking way too many batters to be considered elite at this point in time, he gets himself in trouble the same as Frederickson tends to, except as X and I have both noted in the last couple of weeks, hitters don't hit Frederickson hard at all. I'll be interested to see Evan pitch again after the break. Scarpetta will serve up the occasion meatball that tends to hurt him after he's put people on base. I also like Rivas and Bowman, though I think I'm one of the few who likes both pitchers, Periard has always had sub par results compared to his stuff, he's another break out candidate if he stays healthy.

Adams walks the bases load in the 2nd and gives up a Grand Slam. This after he narrowly escaped runs in the 1st with 2 KC base runners being gunned out at a home during the inning.

Frederickson with 3 BBs and a WP early... http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/frown.gif

WI wins game 1, nice games from all of the pitchers. Marseco (3), Kemp (2), Vass (2), Duran (2) all with multi hit games. Sanchez with another 2B. WI looks to be down early in game 2, box score isn't updating after a bunt single to start the frame against Frederickson. Just tuned into the game, WI down 2-0 going to the bottom of the 2nd. Nashville scoreless and hitless in the 3rd. Huntsville up 1-0 in the 4th, both Lucroy and Green have hits.

Get those clowns to come out and realign your Dish. I deal with it for years not knowing any better, now I don't even lose my HD picture in weather.

Nashville with a nice 1st, all of the big names participate including a Heether HR and a Salome 3B (scores on a 2 out Balk of all things) for a 5 run frame.

A Green error proves costly, pushing Huntsville into extra innings. Baron isn't giving me a warm and fuzzy, he's throwing more balls than strikes and as I type this he gives up the game winning run. Ouch...

Hmm, maybe there is something to the DH vs playing in the field theory, I'm interested to see how this shakes out. I dismissed it initially, but there might be something to it.

I've always liked Galarraga for some reason, so he can continue to struggle today, but I hope he finds his game after the Brewers leave town.

Welch doin it up early, Stars lead 2-0 in game 1. 1, 2, 3 go back to back to back hits score 2 runs in the first for Huntsville.

A UZR based on 29 games and even less total chances (13) means absolutely nothing, it's not predictive, and in this case not even descriptive. Endaround you know better than that... his sample size doesn't suggest anything except that he has the potential to be a good defensive 3B if given enough time, his range and his arm are fantastic, the way he'll air mail a throw, not so much. The raw tools are pretty obvious to anyone with an open mind who's watched him play in the field. Maybe he never solves the throwing issue and become a 1B or OF, but to say he's made no improvement is disingenious at best when you have no frame of reference.

Wow am I the only who had totally forgotten about Robinson? I wonder if I'll be looking at the roster next year and think, "ohh yea, Romanski.."

How do you adequately gauge production vs talent... short term, long term? The concept is way too fuzzy to make definitive statements about who's the best option, especially given Gamel's production is some what of an unknown going forward. Heether and Iribarren are options I'm sure, but there's no guarantee they will produce better than Gamel, nor do we know if McGehee will continue to produce... situations like this require patience. Yes a 1 game lead is tenous at best, but if they can ride out the storm in the short term, their patience may be rewarded in the second half. Gamel is an impact bat at this level, in that I have no doubt, there's just no way to project when we'll see some consistency out of him. It could be tomorrow, it could be 2010. BCB has a post talking about DeRosa and Bedard, wins etc.. today... Gamel has the potential to be a more meaningful acquisition than any other position player the Brewers could acquire via trade. I'd rather bet on Gamel and get aggressive going after some pitching, but again that's where my focus lies.

I'm greedy, I want all picks in the top 20 rounds signed but of the remaining late picks I'd rather get Howell. Hall just became a lot more exciting as well.

Ohh, and Heether walked 3 times today, he just keeps building value. Interested to see if he maintains his numbers as his sample size grows.

I wish Salome's game calling wasn't constantly questioned by Money, because if that's something he hasn't gotten by now, I worry that he'll never be good at it. I'd rather not have the coaching staff calling pitches from the dugout, but if that's what it takes to get Angel's bat in the lineup, I'll deal. Escobar hitless again, he was due to cool off. Gillespie triples, with 50 points of average his OPS becomes respectable. Dillard... yikes, I still don't like him as a rotation option. Speaking of OPS, Green is at .755, after today's game will have 12 BB and 11Ks at AA, and his power numbers are climbing. I like him so much as a hitter, he does everything well, nothing great, but he'll be above average and a solid contributor for whomever he plays MLB for. Lucroy 0 fer.. hopefully he starts putting up power numbers like he did last season because everything else about his line is pretty fantastic, BA aside, especially 6 more BB than Ks on the season, his OPS was also .755 coming into the game. I'm not sure he'll reach 28 2B again, but he has a chance, 20 HR at this point doesn't seem very realistic. Watten with an odd line, but a decent result. Smalley from Kane County is probably tired of the T-Rats, they just ballooned his ERA to 2.26 and he may get his 2nd loss in as many games. Sanchez with 3 hits... I've grown to really like him as a player, he's done something good in every game I've watched and he's versatile defensively. He needs to strike out less and walk more though, and put some weight on... 167 lbs... sheesh.

Glad it's an injury, and not something else. One comment on HIPPA... I get trying to protect privacy, but how dumb is a law that doesn't allow the trainers to tell the coaches what is wrong with their players without a signed waiver... a waiver that has to be signed every year. As all parents don't care equally about what's happening with their children, this has had some unfortunate consequences at my level in the past. I'm curious why other amateur (college FB, BB, etc) and professional sports (NBA, NFL, NHL, MLB) can disclose injuries and severity, but MiLB isn't able to?

I've long suspected Jenkins, all of a sudden everything he hit hard started dying at the warning track when you could tell he thought he got enough to get it out. Oddly Hall is doing the same thing, any ball that carries a little bit he stands and watches like he thinks it's going to leave the park. I think in Hall's case it's more likely he's lost his explosiveness due to his swing mechanics, he's losing a ton of power through his core, but I'll always be suspicious of Jenks.

Once again people are assuming that "ready"=production, when in fact it doesn't. As long as he's getting the defensive coaching (isolating techniques) he needs with the big club then Milwaukee is probably the best place for him because they have more coaches available to work with him. I'm not sure Money and his staff can devote the same time to Mat as the coaches in Milwaukee can. Given enough time, his bat will come around, there's a learning curve here and some players move through it faster than others. Escobar will likely the be the same way when he finally comes up, he'll start slow and build into it because that's what he's done at every level since A+. If Cam, Hart, and Hardy continue their recent trends then it's quite a bit easier to let Gamel develop at the bottom of the lineup everyday, if not then they need to scratch out production where ever they can. Hall isn't the answer at 3B, so the production issue irrelevant unless the team is willing to move McGehee over and bring Iribarren up to play second, but he may not hit either... there are no gaurantees in player development, just time and patience. Braun came up into a playoff push in 2007, I really don't think there's any difference, the player at AAA was ready to fill a hole on the MLB roster. In this case Gamel started out fast and taperred off just as quickly while Braun kept hitting and making errors at a pretty constant pace basically breaking even on the season. Each player will take a different path but the end result may favor Gamel's rookie season in the end in terms of total value. Gamel's bat will come around at some point, and his production could be absolutely critical to the stretch run, it will just require some patience. He doesn't have anything left to proove against AAA pitching so the question at least in my opinion is where can he get the most amount of defensive work in? Getting 3 to 5 chances a game in the IF isn't going to make him a better fielder, the practice repetitions are going to make or break him, so where ever he can get the most defensive practice is the place he should be (assuming regular ABs). The flip side of course is that he may not hit at all, and as unlikely as I think that possibility is, it still needs to be acknowledged, because we really don't know what he's going to do. That's why I say wait until the all-star break, if it's not working out then it may be time to consider sliding McGehee over and going with Iribarren but the end result production wise might not be any better than what they would have had with Gamel. With McGehee dinged up, all of this moot, hopefully these injuries are minor and won't nag him all season. He's made the most of his opportunity so far.