TheCrew07

I like the idea, but without access to the players, how are we going to get any more information than is currently available in the link reports? I love the first hand accounts that people drop in the reports and would hope that doesn't go away. Also, how would we decide who gets what prospect in a manner that doesn't ruffle someone's feathers? Look at how many times "dibs" has been called already. I'm intrigued by the idea, but I don't think I would participate, because I don't have the opportunity to watch the games. Without being able to see the games or have access to the players you're basically limited to digging up stats and links for your guy. The link reports and "Your 2007 blah blah" already contain all this information, so it seems like it would be duplication. It's a very cool idea, I'm just unsure how it would be even as remotely valuable as the link report?

I had to double take Iman's line tonight... 5 BBs? But hey, if he walks 1 or 2 more batters per game and keep throwing 0s up there, it's all good. I'm still waiting for a hit there kiddo, a first hit HR would be nice. edit. Cody has a real nice K:BB ratio, it's so nice to have so many control pitchers floating around the minors. He's finding a few too many bats, but there's potential there. Thank you Latin Cappy. Heether's OPS was south of .800 before the game, not sure where it will end up fter as I'm too lazy to do the math. His glove will play, but will his bat? I'm much more inclined to ride out a bat than I am a glove. If Lou could eliminate the 3-4 straight 0fers he seems to have every couple of weeks his batting average would still be over .300. I was hoping both Lou and Salome would move up, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen. Does Katin really excite anyone? I'm not sure exactly why, but he's always been the other guy from Miami to me, and never on my radar. I only seem to notice his lines like tonight when he Ks 4 times. He has a nice OPS and has hit quite a few HRs... I don't know, he just never caught my fancy. Even after an Ofer tonight Haydel is up over .270... his OPS is under 700, but 5 of his 22 hits have been for extra bases. Having HR power from a CF is fine in a guy like Hall, but I'm intrigued by Haydel, if he can become a doubles machine that would be fine by me.

What's sad is those of us that continually talk down to others because what metric use or choose to believe isn't correct. We aren't talking about evaluating someone's career or season, we're discussing half a season, and more specifically a player's last 2 months. Wins and Losses arguably is the worst way to judge a pitcher, but in the playoffs does it matter if the starting pitcher gives up 8 runs but the team still wins? Does it matter next Tuesday if the starter gives up 7 runs and the Brewers win 12 to 11? Utlimately winning and losing is what matters, so in a small sample what's wrong with someone pointing out he's winless in his last * appearances, or his ERA is * over his last *? Because you don't like the use of the stat is somehow makes it less true? Somehow a fact becomes fiction? What you're really saying is that you don't like the stat so it's not applicable at any time, and I don't believe that to be true. Even when discussing Sheets it's unnacceptable point out that he continues to hurt himself by not even being able to get a bunt down because sabemetrically a sacrifice has little value so it doesn't mattter. I knew where this would go, so I went right to his secondary numbers, which are trending negatively... It doesn't matter which stat you use, Cappy hasn't been pitching well. Why wouldn't someone look at his history of a worse second half than the first and be concerned, regardless of what excuse there was for his performance? People didn't cherry pick stats to prove their point, the numbers are what they are.

Pretty much yea we suck... Erin Andrews, Allison Stokke, they'll be plenty more.

Good for him, another feel good story.

seems like Mercedes is finding his game here wow. I had written him off after last year and his start to this season.

We'll see.

He's interesting, and a great story to be sure. I'm not sure he has a future, he's awful old to get a rotation slot ahead of the younger arms, but it's hard to argue with his numbers this year. So many veteran older players have big seasons at AAA that I find it very difficult to warm up to them. His small sample MLB experience wasn't awe inspiring either. Basically, I thought he was roster filler when he was signed, he's proven to be better than that, but I'm not sure what that means in the grand scheme.

Well, Thatcher regularly would pitch a full inning or 2 before AAA, so I hope you're not basing your opinion on what he's done in Nashville which is loaded with backend bullpen arms. In my mind Wise would have to take the ball 2 days in a row and pitch well to be excellent. It's certainly possible I'm way off base, it's just early on he never pitched well back to back days, and without looking it up I'm unable to recall the last time he actually did pitch 2 days in a row. I find his lack of durability (for lack of a better term) to be very limiting during a 162 game season. Ironically I think he's perfect for the post season roster with the off days in the playoffs. Of the 3 on the roster, I definately agree with you that Wise should go last, if he goes at all. He's been fairly successful, but he's been handled very favorably by the coaching staff in my opinion. He's never going to take the ball 3 days in a row. In regards to the minor league arms, I'm not sure Parra fits the reliever mold, and from the sounds of it neither does the organization. Apparently it takes him quite a bit of time to warm up. Though it would probably help Yost's bullpen management to have to think ahead more. Let's just say I'm all for Balfour, and intrigued by Parra and Thatcher at this point.

That's not entirely true, he was becoming a pretty valuable pticher before the injury onslaught. I did my research on him back in May when I first started pimping for him on the minor league forum. While his numbers weren't earth shattering there was quite a bit of positive press about him. I would think that after all he's gone through, he's learned to be a better pitcher, to pitch smarter. The guy has incredible fortitude to come back from 2 separate and career threatening injuries. I'm not willing to write him off based on 65 innings in 2003 and 2004. Obviously I'm biased. Maybe I just love a comeback story.

I think that's a problem the entire staff other than Tbow and Coco have. Sheets and Yo stand out to me as guys that get a lot of 0-2 and 1-2 counts only to have them end up full. Consider me firmly in the camp that Balfour, Thatcher, and Parra could be very beneficial down the stretch or in the future. Without going into the detail I have in the past I'd take: Balfour over Wise Parra over Spurling (if it works out, he takes a long time to warm up) Thatcher over Shouse

Good stuff fellas. As usual I don't have any strong feelings about players I'd have ranked elsewhere.

I completely agree with your point of view. However I feel the answer to your question is only going to cause more trouble. It's hard to even discuss it without ragging on specifics, which can be viewed as attacking someone...

Of the free agents available when the Brewers picked him up, he's the best choice. Has been worth his contract? That's open to debate in my opinion. The last 2 years he's been much better in the second half, I hope that trend continues. If he is, then he's worth every penny. The problem becomes '08 and '09 because the pitchers coming behind him in Yo, Villy, maybe Parra, maybe Inman could very well all turn out to be better than Jeff. What do you do with him then, doesn't he have a no trade clause? I can't see them putting him in the bullpen at that price tag. Even if Sheets isn't resigned for '09, there's still a very real possibility that he'd be the 7th best starter on the staff if the young kids pan out.

There is no stat that tells you the catcher set up low and in and the pitcher missed high and over the plate... you need to watch the games to see those sorts of things happening. Cappy is a control pitcher, and he's been very up and down At any rate, I would qualify Cappy this year as below average, and I was expecting much better. Obviously I'm disappointed in both him and Suppan. Historically he's not a very good 2nd half pitcher. In 2006 he went from a 3.21 to a 5.17, 2005 3.63 to 4.42 (4.42 is okay though), in 2004 3.69 to 7.04. www.baseball-reference.co...&year=2007 There's good reason to be worried about Cappy, he's going to have to buck his career trend and have a better 2nd half than first to regress to his mean. He had a very nice April, but ever since then he's been sliding. His best start in my opinion was the Marlin game, and that was the first game Capellan blew, but he still gave up 2 runs. Actually after looking at the game logs, May 2nd was probably his best start against the Nationals, which I had forgotten about. He gave up the 2 hits in the 9th, and Coco came in for the save. The point is, why does it matter what stat someone uses, ERA, Wins, whatever when discussing a small smaple? Ultimately, any way you slice it a win is vastly better than a loss. When you look at his secondary numbers, they've gotten progressively worse... look at his OPS against by month... Every number you look at is trending negatively, except May where his bb:k ratio was 3:1. He's deserved a better fate in some of his games for sure, but he's not been sharp in a while, and again, historically he's worse in the 2nd half.

I doubt Manny will pitch into September, regardless where he is, his arm has never seen more than 138 innings and that was in 2003. They may cut him loose in the rotation next year and see how his arm holds up, but I don't see them pushing him this year if they don't have to. The trade thing would have been interesting, if he was to be included in the deal. I would have been a little unhappy letting him go as I still think he's pretty valuable, but at least it would have been to an american league team.

Lefave and Caufield supporters will go crazy... http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/tongue.gif

It's gotta be tough to find decent child actors that fit the mold of the show. The mother was definately not what I expected.

Sample size and all that really doesn't matter when you're saying a pitcher has been terrible lately. What does it matter what his secondary stats are if the team is losing and he's pitching poorly? There's no reason to make excuses for Cappy, would he make excuses for himself? Yost could have pulled him sooner today, but the Brewers still lose regardless. They didn't score another run after the 6th. I'm sure someone would post well if they would have limited the damage the Brewers would have come back. I don't get into these woulda, coulda, shouldas... nor do I care about a small sample, or what metric you use to gauge a pitcher over his last 5 starts. Lets not make excuses for our guys when they don't play or pitch well. Call a spade a spade. I hope Cappy rebounds, but he's been very up and down going to back to the second half of last year's season.

Is it just me or does my man crush Brewer either get a hit or strikeout at the plate? He's on pace for some rather loftty strike out totals by year's end here.

I would love a deal for a top backend pitcher for a position player with no future here in Milwaukee. Please please please make this deal Dougie.

I view AA like this... With 2 levels of rookie ball, and 2 levels of A ball, everyone gets funnelled to AA. From there on out the progression is linear, think of it like a pyramid. Each team only has one AA team and one AAA team. If you think about each year's draftees, you only have the potential for 1/4 of your roster of drafteesto make AA. For the most part if someone succeeds at AA, they'll succeed at AAA, as it's basically the same crop of kids moving up from that point on. After you mix in your minor league vets and rehabbing MLB players the competition gets pretty stiff to face. To me, AA is the first true test, succeed there, and chances are one day you'll be a major leaguer, even if just briefly. I

I did a wonderful job jinxing. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/frown.gif

Just like MTV made videos and doesn't run a video, or VH1 who held out longer and now doesn't run videos for stupid reality TV. Just because you were once great, doesn't mean I'm going to be loyal when you suck. TV programming is not like my sports teams who I follow thick and thin. When ESPN isn't about highlights and quality analysis, it's worthless to me. I'll watch my college football and bball, some baseball if Colby turns me onto a game to watch in his draft previews, and that's about it. SC is a waste of time, the once great BBTN is horrible, I feel bent over and abused by ESPN, so I no longer utilize the website or watch the channel. That Onion article was awesome.

On paper this could be a pretty good night pittching wise, the only decision to make is which game to listen to.