The Brewerblog

Opening Weekend

2006-03-27T12:47:00.000-08:00

We are going April 7th - 9th. It's a shame we won't get to see Ben Sheets pitch, but I will be where my heart is always ... Miller Park. Also, there is discussion of going on the Miller Brewery tour. I went last year for my 22nd Bday when I went to a game ( awesome game vs the Nationals where Carlos tied the game with a moster smash to left and we won on a balk - July 15th).

I just figured we needed to crank up the Brewerblog again. So here is to the Brewers turning up the heat!

Outfield Report Cards

2005-10-11T11:51:00.000-07:00

As we all know the season is over. I know my blogging was sporadic during the season and there is a rhyme behind my reason. I like things to play out over the whole season before I make a fool of myself. Things can change so much over the course of the season. Who was ready to dump Geoff Jenkins for a bag of balls around mid-June? Come on, don't hide, I know you are out there.

Now that the season is over I believe I can go through and evaluate all Brewers that spent time with the club this season regardless of whether they finished with the club. Evaluations may be inflated for some younger guys such as Dana Eveland, who I believe had what was coming to him when he started getting shelled in the bigs, but performed very well in the minors and remained a valuable piece in the future of this club.

Anyway, I'll explain rationale for each player. The stats listed in order are: (AVG/OBP/SLG/OPS). If you want any more just go here.

Batters:

Outfield

Carlos Lee - .265/.327/.487/.814 : Lee was a tale of two halves with a first half OPS of .864 and a second half OPS of .746. His average only dropped six points but his on-base percentage was a pathetic .309 in the second half. This certainly does not overshadow his good first half where he hit 22 home runs. But if Lee is to be worth the $10-12 million price tag that some believe he is worth he would be best served to show a little more plate discipline. I cetainly have no qualms about trading Scott Podsednik and Luis Vizcaino for Lee ( a steal if you ask me) and picking up his option is a lock, but I'd be hesitant to sign him to an extension for much more than he makes now.
Final Grade: B+

Brady Clark - .306/.372/.426/.798: Clark, to most people, was a big surprise this year. Looking back on his career it amazes me that Clark hasn't had an everyday job until he's into his thirties (32). This year is likely what the upper end of Clark's abilities are but I certainly would not expect a major dropoff next year. His defense was solid, if not spectacular, in center. He was caught stealing more than he successfully stole, which is never good, but that could be a function of the hit and run. Brady will never be a stolen base machine but he got on-base at a good clip and had some good pop for a leadoff hitter. At the very worst, Clark's performance means we don't have to get nervous about Dave Krynzel's struggles. I expect Clark back next season and starting in centerfield.

Final Grade: B

Geoff Jenkins - .292/.375/.513/.888: Jenkins had a slow first half with a .773 OPS. Only a strong finish to June made that OPS as high as it was. Regardless, when Jenkins caught fire in late June he never cooled off, posting OPS marks of 1.112, .946, and 1.018 in July, August and September respectively. Jenkins also made a smooth transition to rightfield to make way for Carlos Lee in leftfield. Some were calling for Jenkins' head early in the season and I wasn't sure he would ever get back to the form he showed in 2000 and 2003. Although his offensive output wasn't as impressive as those two years, Jenkins was a solid contributor to the team overall. He may not be worth his price tag, but I'd love for Jenkins to be a part of some successful Brewer teams in the coming years. I'd like to see him get more time off against lefties if righthanded hitting options like Corey Hart or Nelson Cruz can contribute. Looking at the numbers, Jenkins wasn't a complete liability against lefties with an .806 OPS.

Final Grade: B+

Chris Magruder - .203/.265/.312/.577: Magruder was the fourth and only backup outfielder for a good portion of the year. His overall numbers are pretty awful, even for a backup outfielder. He did deliver some key hits throughout the year, but that does not overshadow the fact that he was pretty awful overall. The problem in my mind is that Chris is a switch hitter. Chances are that being a switch hitter is what got Magruder to where he is. The plain facts show that he is ineffective as a left-handed hitter (.558 OPS). If Magruder was strictly used as a right-hander against left-handed pitching, he wouldn't be a poor choice as a fifth outfielder (.626 OPS vs. LHP). The point is moot now as Magruder was outrighted from the 40-man roster and will likely become a free agent. By all means he seems like a great guy that simply doesn't fit into the Brewers' plans.

Final Grade: D

Corey Hart - .193/.270/.368/.638: Those numbers look pretty awful but they were in limited time (57 AB's) for a 23 year old rookie. For a good part of the year, Hart put up excellent (.915 OPS) at AAA Nashville. He showed decent power (17 HR, .537 SLG) to go along with his .378 OBP. Hart can play all three outfield positions and depending on what happens in the Arizona Fall League, could play 3B and 1B. Hart did make some head-scratching errors in rightfield, but as somebody who has played all three outfield positions in organized ball, I'd say rightfield was the toughest. I look for Hart to break spring training with the Brewers next year. Assuming the outfield trio of Lee/Clark/Jenkins remains in tact, I'll pencil Hart in as the 4th outfielder and possible platoon partner for Prince Fielder at first base. Based on his whole year split between AAA and the big leagues, Hart's season was a success.

Final Grade: B

Nelson Cruz - .309/.387/.584/.971 (AA) .269/.361/.490/.852 (AAA): I give his AA numbers and AAA numbers because Cruz only had 8 AB's in the majors as a September call-up. Cruz was acquired in the Keith Ginter trade that also brought Justin Lehr to the Brewers from the Athletics last offseason. I didn't believe Cruz should have started the season in AA as a 24 year old (25 in July) and he proved he didn't belong with his strong performance which earned him a promotion to Nashville. Cruz showed good power in both AA and AAA, posting 27 home runs for the year. Given his age and track record in the minors, Cruz should not be in the minor leagues next season. Do the Brewers carry both Corey Hart and Nelson Cruz? If one of the starters from 2005 is traded, it is certain that both Cruz and Hart will break camp with the Brewers. Another possibility is packaging Cruz along with Lyle Overbay in a trade this offseason. I like Cruz a lot, but I like Corey Hart better.

Final Grade: B

Dave Krynzel - .256/.320/.416/.736 (AAA): Krynzel was another outfielder whose at-bats you can count on two hands with the big league club. After his nice spring training performance, I was hoping for a little more out of Krynzel this season in AAA. He has the tools to be a good ballplayer but he has not put together a solid season in all areas since he has been drafted. On the other hand, Dave is only going to be 24 years old next season and this past season was actually his first full season in AAA. Players with Krynzel's style are sometimes late bloomers and at the very least I expect Dave to be a solid backup outfielder someday. He still needs to show a little more.

Final Grade: C-

Forthcoming On the Postseason Report

2005-10-05T12:24:00.000-07:00

I'm compiling a few things on the Brewerblog that I'll call the Brewers' Postseason Report (callously stolen from Bob and Jim's Postgame Report).

First, I'll be grading all the players since the Journal-Sentinel's postseason grades were mindboggling at some points.

After that we'll see where the wind takes me. Probably some final thoughts on the season and a continuous look ahead at the offseason and beyond throughout the winter as I take my position next to a window and wait for spring to arrive.

On Rick Helling

2005-09-13T15:47:00.000-07:00

Obviously, Helling has done a very nice job filling in the rotation after Sheets' injury and Santos' ineffectiveness. I witnessed him pitch once in his start against Atlanta and wasn't all that impressed as he was pretty lucky he didn't give up more runs.

In his last two starts spanning 12 innings, Helling has not given up a run and picked up the win against Houston.

What kind of future should Helling have with the organization? First off, it's really Rick's call as he is free to leave at the end of the season. But if he is willing to come back I'd be willing to give him a spot on the 40-man roster. If he would be willing to come back in a role similar to what Dave Burba had a few years back in the bullpen acting as a long reliever/mopup man and a mentor to the younger members of the staff.

I obviously don't know Rick personally and don't know whether he'd be a good mentor or not. My guess is that he has good character as he is a favorite of Doug Melvin spanning back to his days in Texas. It may also come down to whom the Brewers want to protect from the Rule V draft. If there is a spot available on the 40 man roster, there are worse ways to use it than Rick Helling.

Just A Hunch...

2005-09-04T10:31:00.000-07:00

It's 12:31 and the Brewers play at 1:05. I'll go out on a limb today and say Doug Davis will get elusive win number 10 today.

An Idea for Ned....

2005-08-29T19:56:00.000-07:00

Last week was a mixed bag for me when it came to Brewer games. I did witness a nice display of errors by the Marlins on Wednesday night only to be dissapointed by the pitching on Saturday night, a game which I decided to attend the day of.

I guess I can't really have too high of expectations when the starting matchup is John Smoltz versus Rick Helling. I guess what burned me was that we did get four runs off Smoltz. Kind of a tease if you ask me because I should've known Helling (although he wasn't dreadful) and Santos (who was dreadful and has been for a while) would have let me down in the end. Alas, it is over and I am once again back to the blogging.

So what is this idea that the title of this entry hints? First, as most of us know, Ben Sheets is likely done for the year. It does hurt to have Ben done for the year, but I am ever so grateful that this is not a torn labrum or a ligament problem in the elbow that requires Tommy John Surgery. The problem arises with filling Ben's spot.

One thing Ned has established is that Rick Helling has a spot secured, which coupled with Sheets' injury essentially makes him the fourth starter. So who fills the fifth spot? My answer is simple:

Johnny Wholestaff

Admittedly, if this were not September this would be a disastrous idea. But with September around the corner in a few days the active roster expands from 25 to 40. Expanded rosters make the Johnny Wholestaff idea feasible.

For those unfamiliar let me fill you in. Johnny Wholestaff is basically not having a starter at all. Sure, somebody starts the game. But that starter wouldn't go more than two or three innings and by default never earn the win. Then you follow with another guy and so on. There really isn't a set pattern and the only real guideline is that a lot of pitchers are used.

So basically, I'd bring up guys like Gary Glover, Wes Obermueller and Tommy Phelps and piggyback them through six innings. Phelps was a reliever in Milwaukee earlier this year but had a fine outing as a starter on Sunday. You could also throw a Jorge de la Rosa in the mix for the Johnny Wholestaff.

There really aren't any long term benefits to its use, but the only options I've heard mentioned to take the fifth spot are guys that never have been able to pitch deep into games on a consistent basis or a guy like de la Rosa that throws so many balls that his pitch count would be astronomical after a four innings anyway.

Just a crazy idea that popped into my head and I'd love to hear any thoughts on this idea.

Only #2? Stupid ESPN...

2005-08-24T01:30:00.000-07:00

The chips fell in my corner tonight as I witnessed the Crew lay out a hell of a welcome mat for the Marlins. As I predicted we sat up in RF but got 2nd row seats, and the weather was nothing short of perfect.

Can't think of anything to say about the game that isn't obvious from the score to Cappy's line. Each Brewers hitter took a good approach at the plate, and Capuano went right after the strike zone from pitch one (I think he had 8 pitches after one and 28 after three). Also, I'd like to send my congrats to Capuano for becoming the first 14 game winner for the Brewers since 1993.

One last thing, I'm very thankful to have been eyewitness to Rickie Weeks and his supernatural play-making ability. On that note, I was listening to Sunday's game and Jim mentioned something like the Brewers get to 80% more balls due to their defensive alignments. That stat sounds a bit bloated now that I put it in writing and actually think about it, but in this game alone there were plays made that wouldn't have been possible with traditional defensive placement.

Here's to the Crew keeping the bats hot and the pitches down in the zone. Also, Happy (early?) Birthday to Jon... I used your ID for a whole summer, you'd think I'd remember what day your birthday is, haha. I'll just say I don't blame the drugs, but maybe I should.

That makes two of us...

2005-08-23T15:21:00.000-07:00

Mike is out-doing me this week and probably this year unless I sneak some games in without him. But either way, I will be attending Wednesday's game against the Marlins and seeing Tomo Ohka face A.J. Burnett. My seats are club seats courtesy of my sister and her boyfriend. And to top it off, I am getting out of waking up at 5:30 a.m. Thursday morning for work by attending this game. This is also a great opportunity for me to use up the $5 off food or drink certificate I received for the bus trip to the Twins game that I got too drunk to use. I'll likely stay sober enough to use them this time.

Friday's matchup is tentatively scheduled to slate Ben Sheets against Horacio Ramirez. Throwback night ought to be interesting.

As for how the Brewers have been playing lately, I must admit, that the last game I really remember was Friday night. Saturday was no TV and I was busy shooting guns drunk in Theresa, WI. Sunday I was hung over and fell asleep as soon as Victor Santos imploded. I regret missing Saturday's game but Sunday's I feel no remorse for wandering off into slumberland.

And Mike, I'm sure I'll be sick of school and sick of River Falls that a trip to Milwaukee will be needed in September.

Miller Park or bust!

2005-08-22T22:36:00.000-07:00

Finally, nearly a month after my last visit (which was a great game - July 15th walk-off balk in the 10th vs. the Nationals) I'll be returning to Miller Park for two games. First, Tuesday's start to the homestand against Florida. Second, Friday's turn-back-the-clock game against the Braves.

Florida comes at the Crew with Beckett (3.15 ERA), and seeing him will put another great pitcher on my list of have-seens. I saw Pedro pitch earlier this season, along with Santana at the dome, Sheets and Hernandez. Hopefully we'll get some good seats but I'm guessing they'll be RF/LF bleachers which is cool cause I'm going with my dad and no sense dropping $70. Most of all, I'd really like to see some emotion from the team tomorrow. That loss to Houston should upset them (though it was mostly Santos' fault). They are realistically (statisticlly speaking) in the hunt for the wild card and should jump on the Marlins early. I miss Brady for that.

As for Friday, I'm going with my buddy Bryan who is a big Braves fan (oh TBS). He hasn't seen Miller Park, which really suprises me cause he is a baseball fan in general. I enjoy taking new people to see Miller Park, showing off one of the many prides of Wisconsin. My girlfriend Sarah came with me to the July 15th game and we sat 7th row down the 3rd base line, poor girl is only use to games at the dome. I would try to figure out who the Braves are sending to the mound, but I'm honestly too lazy. If I remember correctly, the last time that Milwaukee and Atlanta played a turn-back-the-clock game, both teams had Braves written on their uniforms and was kinda confusing to watch. Maybe the Braves can wear those orange unis they got for their home alternative.

I'm giddy to be headed back to Miller Park. Hopefully I can talk Jon into going down in September for at least one more. GO BREWERS!!

Rocky Mountain High

2005-08-18T10:13:00.000-07:00

I admit, I didn't think things looked too good after Sheets got shelled in the first game of the series but the Brewers recovered nicely to edge the Rockies in the next two games and take the series 2-1 and the season series 5-1. Good to see the Brewers taking that many games from a team they should. Now only if they could do the same to the Reds.

Victor Santos has kept his spot in the rotation safe with a nice outing on Tuesday, especially given that it was at Coors Field. Granted the Rockies lineup is pretty awful but we saw what they did to Ben Sheets on Monday night.

Capuano was brilliant last night, giving up zero runs and driving in the only two Brewer runs. I was dissapointed the Crew didn't score more runs and made Jamey Wright look almost unhittable at points. But a win is a win and I'll take it.

One more thing on last night's game, mainly Daron and Bill. Minutes after ragging on Carlos Lee for playing so deep, a ball is hit off the wall and Carlos played it perfectly off the wall and threw a guy out after rounding third on what would likely have been an easy run had Lee not been playing deep. I don't know about anybody else, but I've played outfield for a few years myself and I always wanted to keep the ball in front of me rather than playing up and letting something sail over my head for extra bases. I'm also guessing that Carlos Lee and Davey Nelson (the coach that positions the outfield) know a little bit more about outfield play than Daron Sutton and Bill Schroeder.

Returning from the Dead

2005-08-15T08:07:00.000-07:00

It's been quite some time since I've updated the blog. I am still alive anyway.

Since I wrote last, it's been sort of a roller coaster ride with the Crew. Not only did they flirt with .500 they actually reached it twice with the latest brush with .500 leading into a five game skid. Many people, including myself, got fairly excited as the Brewers were within shouting distance of the Wild Card. As much as I told myself this was not a playoff caliber team, I was swept away by the joy of actually being in a race this late in the season. Of course the losing streak did wonders to halt my excitement and force me to face the reality that this team is not quite there yet.

Although the Brewers are not ready to contend yet this year, 2006 and beyond is looking very bright. First, Corey Hart arrived yesterday to fill in for the injured Brady Clark. Hart had an awful start to the year at AAA but turned things aronud quickly and at the point he was called up carried a .916 OPS. Hart paid early dividends yesterday with his three run homer against the Reds. The question now is whether he can actually play centerfield. Most people who say he can't are likely basing that on one muffed play they saw in exhibition earlier this spring. Hart does have 31 stolen bases in AAA so it's hard to argue that the speed isn't there.

Hart being able to play center would be a nice development because of the dissapointing season Dave Krynzel has been having. Most dissapointing is his on-base percentage of .319. Krynzel could certainly be a major league outfielder but the question remains as to how good of one he could be. He has added value defensively and on the basepaths with his speed. At this point I don't see Krynzel as more than a reserve outfielder. He probably could be in that role right now but is only 23 years old. It's too early to give up on Dave but my expectations are lower than they were this spring.

Prince Fielder has also come on strong lately down in Nashville. Prince will likely get the call back to the big leagues once Nashville is eliminated from postseason competition or wins it all. Fielder currently sports an OPS of .925 down there. Anybody following Prince knows that he has made tremendous progress this year and it certainly wouldn't surprise me to see him being the everday first baseman next season. Lyle Overbay is decent but I firmly believe Fielder is going to be something very special for Brewer fans to watch in the future. And to top it off, whatever we can get for Overbay (and whomever we may package with him) will likely be major league ready talent. I don't see moving from Overbay to Fielder being a short-term downgrade at first base. And in all likelihood, it is a very obvious long-term upgrade.

That is all for now, and I promise I won't dissappear for another month.

My Midseason MVP and Cy Young

2005-07-05T10:26:00.000-07:00

We sit at pretty much the midpoint of the season and I thought I'd take the time to give out some midseason awards as I was vote them:

AL MVP: Brian Roberts - Baltimore

Where this guy came from, I don't know. I've read plenty of analysis and it's not easy to explain this guy's increased production. But it is hard to ignore somebody that is posting the highest OPS in the American League at a traditionally light hitting position (2nd base).

So far this season, Roberts has done it all. His AVG/OBP/SLG/OPS clip is a beautiful .358/.432/.618/1.050. He has 15 home runs and 21 doubles. His RBI totals might be low for some at 49 but that isn't a good tool to judge how he hits with runners in scoring position since his OPS in that situation is 1.126.

It'll be interesting to see whether Roberts can maintain this torrid pace in the second half. His April/May/June OPS numbers are 1.185/1.009/.941. He is trending downward from an amazing start. Although trending downward, I would be more than willing to take a .941 OPS from a second baseman. Based on where we stand now, he is my AL MVP with apologies to Vladimir Guerrero, Alex Rodriguez, and David Ortiz.

NL MVP: Derek Lee - Chicago Cubs

Pretty much a no brainer here. He carries a clip of .378/.451/.720/1.171. Far and away the best hitter in the major leagues this season, Lee has become a force to be reckoned with. At the moment his Cubs stand one game below .500 inspite of Lee's torrid production. As Brewer fans like myself have seen, Lee is a force to be reckoned with and I see no reason for a drastic decline as Lee's three month OPS clip is 1.258/1.070/1.171.

No apologies here, as Lee is far and away the midseason MVP in the National League.

AL Cy Young - Roy Halladay - Toronto

Halladay would be my choice to start the All-Star game for the American League. He stands at 12-4 with a 2.33 ERA and a WHIP of 0.94.

Halladay hasn't been completely dominating but is definitely in the upper echelon of pitchers in the league. He has a nice ratio of strikeouts to walks at 104:18 and for the most part has kept the ball in the ballpark with nine home runs allowed.

Apologies to Mark Buerhle, Bartolo Colon and Jon Garland. I'll make no apologies to Kenny Rogers even though his performance has been great this season.

NL Cy Young - Roger Clemens - Houston

How does he do it? This performance so far this season by Clemens is simply amazing given his age. Even more amazing is his 0.20 ERA on the road and his overall ERA of 1.41. His WHIP stands right now at 0.93.

If it wasn't for some dismal run support at points this season, Clemens would have more than seven wins. I'll ignore that because Clemens even supports his own cause at the plate with a .637 OPS (not good for a regular, great for a pitcher).

Some would give Dontrelle Willis the nod for this award given that he has won 13 games and sports a very nice 1.89 ERA. I have to give this one to Clemens simply because he's been better than Willis with worse support.

Time to Break Our Curse... And Other Thoughts

2005-06-24T06:17:00.000-07:00

Today will hopefully bring the end of the curse that myself and Mike have brought to the Brewers this year in games we have attended. For those unfamiliar with this curse, Mike and I have been to four games together this season in which the Brewers have not won any. Mike also attended a game at the Metrodome in which the Brewers also collapsed behind Turnbow. So today we once again make the venture to Miller Park in hopes for a Brewer victory.

Other Thoughts:

- I'm not sure if I've heard any rumblings but I think it's time that the Bill Hall all-star bandwagon gets the wheels turning. I never saw this coming at the beginning of the year but Hall has improved his game in almost every way you look at it. Improvement is one thing, but how does he stack up against other National League shortstops?

(AVG/OBP/SLG/OPS)

Bill Hall .306/.347/.573/.920 206 AB
Felipe Lopez .290/.340/.534/.874 221 AB
Omar Vizuquel .301/.362/.402/.764 256 AB
Cesar Izturis .292/.339/.359/.698 281 AB
Jimmy Rollins .282/.321/.407/.728 305 AB
Neifi Perez .288/.312/.417/.728 264 AB
David Eckstein .292/.375/.373/.748 271 AB

Hall leads NL shortstops for 2B and OPS and ranks second in home runs. Although not all of his at-bats have come as a shortstop it is shortstop where the majority of his time has come (106 AB). Either way, it is hard to argue against the credentials of a middle infielder with Hall's numbers. Honestly his versatility and ability to play three positions should be another factor that would make Hall's presence on the all-star team an easy decision.

I may be a homer and think that the Brewers deserve three all-stars (Lee, Clark, and Hall), but ignoring what Bill Hall has done this year is doing him a grave injustice. Fans of the Brewers are starting to notice and it's high time that the baseball nation takes notice.

Another Off Day, Another Collection of Thoughts

2005-06-16T16:03:00.000-07:00

It has surely been disappointing for Brewers fans to endure this latest slide, especially considering that the latest series loss came to the lowly Devil Rays. Everybody has their own ideas on how to fix the team and some seem pretty ludicrous. If you'd like to see some far-fetched ideas, just visit JSOnline's Message Boards. Of course there are some intelligent people over there but the loudmouth idiots are numerous. I rarely visit the mlb.com boards because I'm guessing they are even worse. None are comparable to Brewerfan.net. Brian and all the others over there do a great job over there keeping things under control and intelligent for the most part.

Random Thoughts:

- In a recent chat with Rob Neyer on ESPN.com (Insider Only), Mr. Neyer suggested that Lyle Overbay would be locked up to a multi-year extension and that Prince Fielder would be traded. Usually I agree with most everything Rob has to say but in this case I must vehemently disagree. He states that Prince is no more than a DH and should be traded to an American League club. First, I would like to know how many times Mr. Neyer has actually seen Prince play defense. Could it be that he merely sees pictures of Prince and looks at his height and weight to draw this conclusion? I've never seen Prince play first base myself besides the one televised spring training game at Miller Park. Prince may not be a J.T. Snow or Dougie M. (The Mets' first baseman who's name I can't spell and am too lazy to look up) but I don't think we should give up his amazing offensive potential just because he's big boned. I'm sure the American League and DH will be the eventual destination for Prince but there is no reason he couldn't play passable defense at first base into his late 20's. If he's giving us a 1.000+ OPS year in and year out it'd be a heck of a lot easier to ignore.

- Speaking of defense, Rickie Weeks essentially cost the Brewers two runs last night due to his fielding errors. Coming up, it was well known that Weeks wasn't a polished second baseman. I couldn't help but laugh when Weeks went back for that popup Tuesday night only for it to drop in 20 feet away from him. His defense may be a bit of a circus but he certainly looks like he fits the bill of a major league hitter. I'm confident that with a little help from Rich Dauer, Weeks will use his athleticism to turn into a decent defender, whether it be at second base or elsewhere. Bill Hall has certainly improved this year which shows that it doesn't happen overnight. That was simply one bad night in a season where one loss won't make a difference in the grand scheme of things.

- Talk about tough breaks for Victor Santos. After last night's loss he dropped to 2-6 with a 2.88 ERA. Usually a 2.88 ERA doesn't not equal a 2-6 record, until you look at the team he plays for. Santos has been extremely solid, if not dominant. I wouldn't call him dominant as he hasn't been the most efficient with his pitches. I don't expect these numbers to keep up and Victor could certainly be a candidate for Doug Melvin to trade when his value is high.

Off Day Musings

2005-06-09T17:06:00.000-07:00

Since I've got no game to watch tonight I figured I'd update the old Brewerblog tonight, not that anybody besides Mike or me reads it.

- Rumblings have begun that Ned Yost is in line for a contract extension. As much as my friend Jesse thinks him and I could do a stellar job managing the Brewers, I think the extension for Yost would be well deserved. I may disagree with some things he does in regards to in game decisions and bullpen usage. If I ran the world everything would be perfect too, no?

One thing Yost has done well is keeping his pitchers healthy. The starters are not being allowed to go to ridiculously high pitch counts. Yost does a fine job managing the starting pitching and I rarely see him let a pitcher hang out there for too long, whether it be the pitcher getting shelled or a high pitch count.

The coaching staff Yost has put together has been nothing short of superb. If getting rid of Yost means losing the likes of Mike Maddux, Rich Dauer, and Davey Nelson, it is not worth it. Some don't like Butch Wynegar as the hitting coach but he seems to stress the right things (working the count and drawing walks). Besides, Butch can't go out there and swing the bat himself. Rich Donnelly has rarely had me yelling and screaming for getting guys thrown at home and from reading some of Jayson Stark's columns on ESPN, Donnelly seems like a great clubhouse character. Yost has put together a superb coaching staff and that should definitely be a reason he deserves an extension.

Yost has pumped new life into this franchise. More and more people are getting excited about Brewer baseball. A person that five years ago wouldn't give a rat's ass about the Brewers now tunes in whenever they get the opportunity. I know many people that fall in that category.

Lastly, Yost hasn't had a whole lot to work with. He picked up the rubble of a dreadful franchise and wouldn't make any excuses for failure. Granted the record hasn't reflected this the past two seasons but how much can you expect from a team with a $27 million payroll?

If Yost is given this extension as he should be, expectations would certainly rise. A talented group of young players is on the way up soon and hopefully Yost is the manager at the helm to bring this team back to prominence. Besides, he was the only guy that actually wanted this job when it became available.

Yankees Go Home!

2005-06-06T16:43:00.000-07:00

After a rather dismal West Coast Trip for the Brewers (2-5), they welcome the hated New York Yankees to town.

Wes Obermueller has head two rather poor starts his last two times out. I must admit that despite some brilliant outings as a starter, I'm not sold on Wes being in the rotation. I do think he would make a quality middle reliever as so many failed starters with decent stuff have done.

In that case, who goes into the fifth spot? I've basically narrowed it down to two options. One is Jorge de la Rosa. He's been a starter until this year. My concern with de la Rosa is his lack of control (17 BB in 21 IP). In an ideal world, de la Rosa would be getting consistent work as a starter in Nashville but the fact that he has no options left really leaves the Brewers handcuffed.

Moving de la Rosa to the rotation would also mean the end of Gary Glover. I'd designate Glover for assignment and recall Mike Adams from AAA. Adams really shouldn't be in AAA but is as a result of actually having options left. I was high on Glover coming into the season and he pitched fairly well at the start. He has slipped lately and does not have a track record to fall back on. I'm sure there is a team out there that wouldn't mind taking a flyer on him but I think that Glover's time as a Brewer has come and gone.

The other option that I may be higher on is bringing up Ben Hendrickson. Hendrickson had a rough start to the year at AAA but has seemingly worked out his problems lately. He doesn't have blazing stuff and that's why a lot of people are down on him but I believe he could be a decent pitcher given some time and experience.

As of right now, my decision would be to designate Glover for assignment and give Hendrickson a shot at the fifth spot. Mike Adams will have to remain in AAA under this scenario but it is nice having the luxury of a pitcher like Adams in AAA. This stint in AAA for Adams ought to be his last for a while.

Petco blue balls Padres

2005-06-02T01:00:00.000-07:00

Doug Davis got up on the mound tonight with a task: stop a 4 game Brewers skid. He did just that in resounding fashion. His line:

8.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 7 K, 112 pitches

That makes three big wins in a row for the south paw and sends him to a 7-5 record on the year with decisions in every game he's pitched thus far.

I'd also like to mention Clark and Lee leading the league in hits and RBIs respectively. The offense has been waiting for another player to step up and be consistant. If I can go so far as to say, this could be the series Jenks has been waiting for to bust out and get some HRs and RBIs on the board. Also, Hardy drew 3 walks tonight and is looking much, much better at the plate. However, I think the 3 BBs hurt him in his last AB when he should have swung at strike 3 - if anything just to protect the plate with two strikes.

Santana should get on the horn and thank the pitcher who designed PETCO. I won't lie: I had to clean my drawers after that ball left Blum's bat. Any other park and I'd be cut off from everything Brewers; but then again, Jenks would have had a 3 HR in about 30 other parks too. Turbow looked like he just got off the short bus out there; but like B & D said, its probably just under-use (Ned, he had work the other night!).

I do feel for Hall some because we've been tossing him all over the diamond and are expecting him to be perfect. Granted he should have made that play that was hit right at him, but it appeared to either take an odd hop or he tripped over the infield/outfield bump.

Anyway, I like getting on the bus with some cheers rather then jeers. The LADs aren't going to be a cake walk with the likes of Izturis and Saenz swinging some hot bats. Sheets looked strong in his last start in Milwaukee, and I know he wants to get out there and work more then 5 innings. Here's to hoping he Ks 10+. Go Brewers!

Hell Freezes Over... I Agree With Joe Morgan

2005-06-01T14:45:00.000-07:00

Usually when Joe Morgan puts up another article on ESPN.com I read it for comic value. Now Joe was a hell of a player but sometimes his analysis and well known hate for "Moneyball" tactics irks many people including myself.

His latest article (on ESPN Insider) on the other hand talks about the very thing that angered me the other night: closer usage.

Morgan advocates using your best reliever in the tightest situation and not throwing your closer in with a three run lead. He also says that sometimes players and managers are slaves to stats and only think about racking up saves. Makes sense, no?

Of course there were a few things in the article that I disagreed with. Like starters working deep into games no matter what because in the old days pitchers went on three days rest and whatnot. Frankly, back in the old days a lot of hitters stunk and pitchers could go easier on the mediocre hitters. But I suppose they could probably do the same to Chad Moeller.

Either way, just watch the Cubs pitching staff and how Dusty Baker handles them. He cites Jack McKeon and Florida's staff as an example of pitchers pitching deep into the game but fails to mention that the pitchers were very efficient and kept their pitch counts down.

Anyway, I guess if Joe Morgan can actually write about something I agree with he still has to spoil it with some of his usual banter. I'll take what I can get.

I Stayed Up Past Midnight For That.....

2005-05-31T10:20:00.000-07:00

Let me preface this by saying that I've been rather sick the past few days and I have to get up every morning at 5:30 to go to work. As much as I need the sleep I still find it necessary to stay up and watch the games until the end. Last night's game had an awful ending that capped off an awful day for me.

My biggest problem from last night was going with de la Rosa in the 9th. I have no problems with de la Rosa and believe he will be a fine pitcher with time. Personally, I would have gone with Turnbow. Save situation or not, I don't care. A tie game in the bottom of the ninth inning on the road is a time when I believe your best reliever should be in the game. Why save Turnbow for a save situation if you can't even get to that point? If Turnbow is the best reliever in the bullpen he should be put into the most crucial situations. A tie game in the ninth would qualify as such, no? One run and done and the Brewers were done.

Assuming the Brewers would have scored in the top of the 10th (a stretch, I know), somebody else would have had to come in and get that all important save. Too many managers like to save their closer for that particular save situation. With a three run lead it's a given that Turnbow would have been in the game. Could somebody please tell me how a three run lead in a tighter situation than a tie game in the 9th? Yost isn't the only manager to employ such a strategy, so I'm not saying he is a horrible manager but sometimes a manager needs to think about winning games instead of padding his closer's stats. How many saves did Danny Graves have last year?

On another note, let me express my personal apologies to Tommy Phelps. I hoped he wouldn't make the team. I hoped his stay with the team would be short. After a rough April, Phelps has been very effective as a lefty out of the pen. Granted, he has only pitched 14 1/3 innings so far. Those 14 1/3 innings have been mostly effective overall and his track record as a reliever prior to this year has been solid with an ERA in the high 2's if I'm not mistaken. So let me be the first to say that I'm sorry for being blinded by the past failures of another Phelps on the Brewers last season.

The Brewers have a tough task ahead of them tonight in Jake Peavey. Wes Obermueller will have to be on top of his game for the Brewers to win and even that may not be enough the way the Brewers have been able to convert scoring opportunities lately.

Great Guff...

2005-05-31T02:00:00.000-07:00

Well, chalk up another heart-break for the Brew Crew. My young heart can't take much more, but to be honest... I'd rather have them be in it til the end and lose close ones then get blown out. The ball has to start bouncing in our favor at some point.

Lets us look at some high points from tonight's game:

-- Jenkins in RF! Need I say more? He saved us at least 3 runs with streak into the corner, his run/leap at the wall, and that amazing dive. I'll admit, I get pretty frustrated with some of Jenk's ABs; but in the field, that guy gives 110%.

-- The pitching staff. Santos had another roller coaster of a day but managed to hold San Diego to only one run in six innings. He even battled his way through the sixth with a 110+ pitch count to set himself up for a win. If not for two errors by the sure-handed Overby, I would be singing a different song. Santana has also looked lights out as of late. He's inherited something like 10 runners this season and has yet to allow one to score ( 3 of those tonight).

The rolls will come around at some point for us (maybe I can't watch the games now either). Needless to say, we've all stuck around this long. Go Brewers!

Sweep and Back To .500

2005-05-25T16:11:00.000-07:00

The Crew is once again back to .500 with a sweep of the lowly Colorado Rockies. The Rockies only managed 3 runs for the series.

Everything seemed to click in this series but I wouldn't get too excited as it was only the Rockies. On the bright side, this is what the Brewers should do to the Rockies.

J.J. Hardy is finally showing something with the stick. He will be fine and will hopefully get above that Bob Uecker Line (as opposed to the Mendoza Line for a .200 BA). More importantly he's also been patient at the plate drawing some walks here and there after deciding to be "aggressive" for a while. OBP is more important than batting average but we must not forget that batting average is a very large part of OBP.

Chad Moeller has even climbed above the Chad Moeller Line today by finally getting a hit. I sure hope he can do something with the bat. As much as I would've liked to be rid of Chad Moeller after the Twins series, there really isn't much else out there. I was also enlightened that Moeller only had 51 at-bats coming into this game. I will at least get off Chad's case for the time being since he is above .100.

Ben Sheets returns Saturday and the question is, at the expense of whom? My vote is Russell Branyan. No, I don't mean release him or anything. It's obvious he is not healthy as he has not played lately. Put him on the disabled list and get him some rest. Jeff Cirillo is doing a fine job at the moment and making me look like an ass for suggesting he had nothing left in the tank when the Brewers signed him. I will gladly admit I am not perfect.

In the meantime, I'm guessing some reliever will pitch his way to the minors. My best guess would be Tommy Phelps at this point. He definitely is not one of my favorites but hasn't exactly earned a demotion either.

What now?

2005-05-22T22:15:00.000-07:00

Jon, thanks for pointing out my curse. Now if anyone sees me at the park, I'll quickly be run out or heckled to no end. Either way, I am running an 0-5 record and its becoming a bigger heartbreaker everytime.

But in all fairness, I about crap myself when we put up 5 runs with the line up we had going today (especially against Santana and the Twins' bullpen). About the only thing that could have handicapped our offense more would have been putting J.J. Hardy at short. Then again, Chad Moeller must be taking notes from Gary Bennett about how to suck the most in every possible situation. Sitting in the stands, I was completely dumbfounded when Moeller walked up to the plate in the 10th; but now that I know Miller has a sore right bicep, I guess I can't be too upset with Ned cause his hands were tied.

I feel bad for Matt Wise. We did the right thing by walking Stewart to load the bases, but I wasn't sure why we didn't have Hall and Spivey at double play depth. In hind sight, that ground ball hit to Spivey was probably too soft to pull a DP, but I think you have to play for it up the middle.

Santana had me scared when he came out and put his first pitch about 5 ft over Moeller's head then came back with some chin music. But he settled down and worked out of it, but I would have liked to see him go two innings. Turnbow was in there a bit long for my taste (obviously) but there isn't much you can do when he already got the first two outs of the inning - you have to give him the chance to close it up.

All in all, the road trip is one to be forgotten. Colorado is in town so hopefully we'll get to turn the fortunes around. Also, I won't be at the park for this series so there is a weight off the fans' shoulders. However, next time I'm there, I'm voting a million times for Chad Moeller to represent us in Detroit.

The Curse of Mike Sonn

2005-05-22T15:14:00.000-07:00

Mike Sonn, you've jinxed the Brewers again. Your continued presence at Milwaukee Brewer games has been the difference in their current losing record. So my record isn't much better this year (0-4 vs. 0-5) but maybe it's because you have been at all the games I have been at. One out from victory today and your curse kicked in once again and buried the Brewers a few innings later. Maybe I should seriously consider not allowing you to come on the bus trip.

Seriously, a tough loss today. Turnbow blew the save but I won't hold it against him. The one guy that is seriously in my dog house is Chad Moeller. There may be a new line created called the Chad Moeller Line. It would be Moeller's version of the Mendoza Line only 100 points lower. It's not like he's getting some tough breaks either. He looks absolutely horrible at the plate. Sort of a Three Worst Outcomes player to draw a parallel with 3TO King Russell Branyan. Strikeout, double play, or weak infield popup. Those are the Chad Moeller Three Worst Outcomes. Maybe I'll find all of Moeller's at bats and calculate his 3WO percentage. I'll keep all two of my readers posted.

Pet Peeves Of Mine

2005-05-17T15:08:00.000-07:00

I have a few pet peeves about some Brewer fans. I'm not really blaming them, because perhaps they are not enlightened as some are. I'm not saying I'm the all-knowing baseball god either but some things are so painfully obvious to me that I can't help but say something.

PP #1: Trading Scott Podsednik for Carlos Lee was a bad move. We lost so much speed and we need to play fundamental baseball and speed is a big part of that. Look how good Podsednik is doing now!

Response: What good does speed do on the bases? And what exactly is fundamental baseball? Bunting and all that good stuff has its right place and time but giving away outs early in the game is just idiotic. The Brewers lost over ninety games both seasons Podsednik was on the team. I'll take Lee's 30+ HR any day of the week over 70 SB.

PP #2: If Rickie Weeks and Prince Fielder and all those other prospects are so good, why aren't they in the majors now?

Response: Paraphrased from a chat with Tom Haudricourt today, I couldn't help but cry over the ignorance of some. If I was so good in Little League, why couldn't I just step into American Legion ball and do the same thing? I guess some have no concept of player development. Now I don't expect the average fan to follow every single Brewer farm club's box score but I should hope that people would realize that prospects aren't ready overnight. And those that want to bring Weeks up right now may be justified based on performance but need to keep future arbitration in mind. That whole system is pretty difficult for your average Tom or Joe to understand though.

PP #3: Let's trade Jenkins and move Overbay to outfield.

Response: First off, I'm not sure too many teams would want Jenkins' $8 million salary. Personally, I can live with it. I won't discuss that point at the moment. What I will address is moving Overbay to outfield. He did play outfield in college. What in god's name was he moved to first base for? Probably because he's not a very good outfielder. If Carlos Lee and Lyle Overbay are at the corner outfield positions, we had better have Willie Mays in CF.

That's it for now, I could probably go on for days but softball starts tonight.

Sunday Thoughts...

2005-05-15T16:55:00.000-07:00

It is Sunday and I'm pretty well moved home from college for the summer. No more sitting around all day and doing nothing as it is time to get to work and make some money.

The Brewers managed to take the opener from Pittsburgh but really had an uninspiring last few days. No runs last night and 10 or so left on base today in a pair of losses. Right now the Crew stands at 18-18 and still in second place. I guess it was inevitable that the Pirates beat us in a series. They've actually been playing fairly well lately after I thought their season would be a shipwreck early on. Of course many people said the Brewers' season was a shipwreck early too.

The summer softball league is upon us once again and I will be taking to the field for H+K Construction for the fifth year in a row. We've come a long way from the abysmal team we fielded five years ago that was lucky to go 2-14. I thought last year would be my breakout power year after I added some weight to my former wirey frame (not muscle, but hey it's softball). Two early HR had my confidence riding high but losing two fingernails in work related injuries didn't help matters. Nor did my hopping and flailing in the batter's box.

Today we took batting practice and I ditched my Craig Counsell stance that also had me hopping around. So far the results were good. Of course that was just batting practice. We'll see how things turn out on Tuesday.

It's Been a While....

2005-05-12T13:04:00.000-07:00

I haven't chimed in for quite some time you could say. Of course it is finals week. Wait, that can't be much of an excuse for me given my study habits. Well, either way, the Brewers lost a series to the Mets 2-1 and beat the Phillies 2-1 in the next series and stand at 17-16, 4.5 games behind leading St. Louis and 2 games ahead of the 3rd place Cubs and Pirates. Overall, that capped an excellent 9-3 homestand.

Overall I'd say things are going quite well for the Crew considering that Ben Sheets hasn't pitched since April 20th. The sooner Big Ben gets back, however, the better.

Here's some thoughts I had on Gary Glover over at Brewerfan.net:

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Glover has 3 outings where he went exactly six and gave up three earned runs.

His worse outing was his 4 inning 4 ER outing last time out.

Otherwise the other outings were 5 1/3 IP 3 ER and 5 IP 4 ER.

His WHIP is 1.53 which doesn't scare me too much. For a number five starter we could be doing much much worse. If the rest of the rotation does its job, Glover makes a fine fifth starter. With Sheets on the DL that is not the case as Glover moves into the fourth spot. Once Sheets is back and Glover shifts back to number five things will be fine. I have a feeling Glover would outperform Hendrickson or Capellan at this point. No need to start the arbitration clock if we are essentially getting the same thing from a guy like Glover.

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More on Pitching:

Doug Davis has pitched a couple fine outings but throws in some mediocre outings in between. Right now his ERA stands at 4.89. If I remember correctly, Davis had some rocky outings in April and May of last season before really settling down and cruising the rest of the year to a 3.39 ERA. I wouldn't expect an ERA that low this year but he pitching well enough in my opinion to eventually work his way down to a low 4 ERA. His WHIP is at 1.35 which isn't all that horrible. His groundball/flyball ratio has gone from 1.42 to 0.93. If he could get some more balls on the ground these mediocre early numbers will get better.

Another Sweep..

2005-05-05T13:48:00.000-07:00

And the Brewers winning streak is now at seven games. The Brewers are hitting on all cylinders right now and the Mets come to town.

Mike and I have decided to make the trek to Miller Park on Saturday to see Pedro Martinez pitch. It's time for the Brewers to pick up a win while I'm in attendance.

I wonder where the people who wanted Yost canned are now?

- Gary Glover gives us a quality start today. He has given the Brewers solid pitching so far for being a number five starter. I've always maintained Glover could give us some quality pitching and he has not disappointed thus far.

- Turnbow once again shows he is mortal. It doesn't look so bad now that the Brewers won. But realistically, he's going to blow some saves here and there. I'll be happy if this is the outcome of his blown saves.

- Wes Helms had a pinch hit home run today. Helms does not have a lot of fans but I still believe he would be the better option in a platoon with Russel Branyan than Jeff Cirillo.

- Russell Branyan must have a hole in his bat or something. The team is hot and he is cold. We'll have that. The timing couldn't be better for the inevitable Branyan slump.

- Junior Spivey is looking lost at the plate it seems. Hopefully it's just the lingering effects of his sickness but he was striking out at a Branyan'esque rate before he got sick.

Even Helms Goes Home Happy

2005-05-03T20:07:00.000-07:00

Another nice win for the Brewers tonight over the Cubs, 4-1. This puts the winning streak at five straight. The real icing on the cake is the fact that the Crew beat Carlos Zambrano tonight after he only yielded one hit in his last outing against the Brewers.

- Turnbow simply looked electric tonight. The pitch to strike out Derek Lee came in at 99 mph. If that was an accurate reading I'm very impressed. Another Doug Melvin gem in the making? Time will tell, but the early returns are good.

- Chris Capuano had an excellent outing tonight going 7 IP 1 ER 5 H 6 K 0 BB. The key stat in my mind here is the zero walks. He's had some control issues in a few of his outings and they severely limited his ability to go deep in the game. Capuano was efficient with his pitches tonight with only 95 pitches through 7 innings.

- Bill Hall remains hot after a 3-4 performance tonight, including two runs scored, a double, and a triple. Hall has a hot bat and would probably be a better option than J.J. Hardy at this point. Should Hall play over Hardy? I don't know. I'd prefer to give Hardy all of May to find his stroke while giving Hall plenty of at-bats at the same time. Between 2B and SS Hall could get plenty of at-bats. There has to be a way to get Hall a lot of at-bats but Hardy can not rot on the bench. This is a potential difficult situation.

- Even Wes Helms gets to go home happy tonight with his second hit of the season.

Sweep

2005-05-01T14:51:00.000-07:00

Not to gloat or anything, but I guess I was correct in thinking the best thing that could cure the Brewers' ills was a visit from the Cincinatti Reds. That visit from the Reds has now delivered a fourth straight victory dating back to the final game of the Cardinal series.

This series against the Cubs coming up ought to be a good barometer and hopefully will be a series win for the Brewers. The doomsday critics of the Brewers are now silenced to a certain degree. I would expect at least a series victory against the Reds and a sweep is all the better.

Turnbow has done an excellent job in stepping into the closers role. Small sample issues exist of course but he has been effective so far this season. Like I always say, keep the walks down and he'll do a heck of a job.

The Cubbies are coming to town Tuesday and we'll see Carlos Zambrano. I'm expecting a better effort against Zambrano after the one hit effort earlier this season.

Put them Broomsticks Back in the Closet..

2005-04-28T19:18:00.000-07:00

That's right, the Brewers take one from the Cardinals finally. The more the Brewers lose to the Cardinals, the more they have to beat teams like the Reds this weekend to maintain respectability.

Russell Branyan is going to hit a lot of home runs this year. He's going to strikeout too. Of course everybody knows the 3TO Worship taking place and soon to sweep the nation. Provided Russell stays healthy and can get on base, Doug Melvin will once again look smart. What did the Brewers give up for Branyan, a bag of balls?

Derrick Turnbow got his second save today. He'll probably give us a few heart attacks and a few blown saves. Is he our best option? I admit I don't feel comfortable when Turnbow is protecting a small lead. Time will tell, and hopefully Turnbow will blow up his value by accumulating saves. But he best watch his control if he hopes to be successful.

I'm Sick of You, St. Louis

2005-04-27T18:33:00.000-07:00

After yet another loss today, I won't be sad to see St. Louis exit behind us for a little while anyway. It is unfortunate the way they have beat the Brewers day in and day out, but the way the Cardinals have come out of the gate, it's hard to see them not going to the World Series again. Of course they have to stay healthy, as Jason Isringhausen has not. The lineup they have is as deep as any in the National League. If the pitching staff especially stays healthy the Cardinals will likely win close to 100 wins or over.

Some have grabbed their pitchforks and formed a mob ready to go after the coaching staff. I still say it is too early for cleaning house. The Cardinals killed any momentum that was gained from the Giants series.

Is there hope? Perhaps a little hope lies in the visitors to Miller Park this weekend, the Cincinatti Reds. The Reds have the 27th ranked ERA right now at 5.16 and 29th ranked OPS against at .838. Guess who is behind Cincinatti in OPS against? Colorado, of course. I think the perfect cure for the ills of the Milwaukee Brewers is a little dose of Reds pitching this weekend. But, in order for this medicine to work, the pitchers have to fight off the potent Red hitters, a nasty side effect of a Reds visit.

Now, just to get through the Cardinals game tomorrow.

Brewers Take the Series

2005-04-24T17:36:00.000-07:00

The Brewers come out of San Francisco with a much needed series victory after winning 8-5 today. It's nice to get a series victory after a dreadful stretch of seven straight losses. There were a few interesting developments:

-Derrick Turnbow got the save today and Mike Adams appears to not be the closer at the moment. Time will tell what is up Ned's sleeve. Turnbow is a hard thrower but his lack of control concerns me. I would also like to see Matt Wise possibly get some opportunities to close out some games. Wise doesn't have typical closer velocity but gets the job done nonetheless. Adams wasn't on today at all but he ought to rebound at some point to get most of the save opportunities.

-Carlos Lee hit two homers off Jerome Williams. I found no reason to panic when Carlos was hitting below the Mendoza line. He's getting hot now and I look for his performance only to get better. Jenkins is also swinging a hot bat right now with his 2-5 performance today. Carlos and Geoff simply were both cold at the same time and the offense greatly suffered as a result. Hopefully this does not occur again over seven game stretches.

-I was really impressed with Russell Branyan's at-bat. Yost brought him in and moved Cirillo to 2B and the move paid off as Russell had an excellent at-bat (I can't remember how many pitches, around 10 I'm guessing) delivering a single. Branyan will be a key member of this offense if it is to be above average this year.

On to St. Louis. Time for a little payback from what they did at Miller Park.

Attanasio Gives Yost Vote of Confidence

2005-04-24T10:06:00.000-07:00

Article Here

Compare this to the other one-time prospective owner of the Brewers, Dan Gilbert. I'm a fan of a very hands on owner in Jerry Jones but it took him a long time to finally "get it" by hiring a decent coach in Parcells. But in baseball, I like Attanasio's hands-off approach, especially in a smaller market.

I can't think of anything that Mr. Attanasio has said or done in his short tenure that makes me cringe. He's for smart spending and just seems to understand how a market like Milwaukee can succeed. Making brash decisions won't help.

If only some fans could understand this concept.

Sticking My Foot in My Mouth.....

2005-04-22T16:00:00.000-07:00

You may notice that my last post called for more playing time for Wes Helms. Boy, did he make me eat my words last night. Although he did have an RBI (a very weak one), he hit into a double play and made an error that cost the Crew a couple of runs.

So my wish was granted that Helms got his start last night and he was utterly horrible. Where do we go from here? Please let us face some right-handed starters for once so Russell Branyan can get into the lineup. That will not be the case tonight as the Brewers face the Giants' Kirk Reuter, a lefty.

I refuse to get too down on this team. Signs of life were shown last night, especially with Geoff Jenkins and Carlos Lee. Like I said yesterday, these guys will hit better. Lee kind of looked stupid on that play at the wall where he could have possibly made the catch. As a former outfielder, I won't hold it against him because that part of the field in Houston is not easy to play.

Victor 'the Vampire' Santos goes tonight and I don't see any better choice to stop our woes at night than the Vampire. The streak ends here tonight.

Hit the Panic Button? Nah...

2005-04-21T12:00:00.000-07:00

So the Brewers are on a six game skid. Doug Davis tries to put a halt to the skid tonight against the Astros and Andy Pettitte. Instead of focusing on the negative like so many are doing, I'm going to take a positive outlook, Ned Yost style.

-First off, the Brewers have played 14 games and are 5-9. Granted, they have looked pretty awful the last six games, five of which we will likely to see in the playoffs when all is said and done. A split against the Astros should the Crew pull one off tonight would not be all that bad. Three games under .500 and even four games under .500 as we stand now isn't that dire of a situation considering how far into the campaign we are. Carlos Lee is not a .591 OPS hitter, nor will Geoff Jenkins carry a .490 OPS into September. Remember regression to the mean my friends.

-The Brady Clark experiment looks to be paying off. He won't continue to put up the numbers he has now (.947 OPS), but his start to the season is very encouraging. As long as he continues to draw walks and find ways to get on base I'll be happy with him as our leadoff hitter. Now we just need to convince Yost that he's not as proficient a base-stealer as Podsednik was. It sickens me when Brady has a nice at-bat and draws a walk or a hit only to be thrown at second with overzealous strategy.

-Lyle Overbay has already drawn 13 walks. Once Lee and Jenkins start hitting those walks will turn into runs.

-Gary Glover has given us two chances to win ballgames in his two pitching efforts. The offense sputtered the first time and the bullpen blew it the second. I'll take Glover as a fifth starter any day of the week if he pitches like he has. Just remember the likes of Ruben Quevedo, Jimmy Haynes, and Matt Kinney and you can appreciate some decent pitching.

-Wes Helms is not a popular player in Milwaukee but I'm going to take a stand and say that Wes ought to be getting more playing time against lefties. Cirillo was a nice story this spring but has cooled off. I'm not implying that Cirillo should be relegated to 25th man on the roster but Helms should get the nod for a few days until Branyan is ready to go against right-handers. Cirillo just hasn't shown he deserves more playing time over Helms lately considering recent history.

Survival and the Skid

2005-04-19T09:02:00.000-07:00

We made it through the weekend although witnessing three straight losses firsthand was a bit tough to stomach. More on the trip will be forthcoming including the story from my gonzo eyes.

The losses have piled up in the last few days and I think the offense is mostly to blame. Granted, the Brewers are playing some tough teams. The Brewers are 1-6 against teams that I've picked to be better than them. Hopefully they can take one from the Dodgers today. I wouldn't expect the Brewers to have a winning record against these teams but you've got to take a game here and there.

I'm not hitting the panic button yet because of the level of competition the Crew has faced. It makes beating the competition at your level all the more important. I can see the Brewers being a middle of the road team that can look horrible against the good teams while looking like a championship team against inferior competition.

What the Brewers do against a team like the Astros could go a long way in determining whether they will be above or below .500.

Pilgrimage Eve

2005-04-14T15:51:00.000-07:00

Once again it is that time of year for my pilgrimage to Miller Park. Last year's exploits were something else as they were for the home opener. At least we're still making it for the first weekend series this year. Damn that school.

The same crew as last year, of course. This ought to be a hell of a weekend and I look forward to enjoying three ballgames at Miller Park.

As Michael K. Sonn wrote below, the Crew are alone in first. At worst, they move into tomorrow's game tied for for first.

Hopefully Yost stops going crazy being 'aggresive'. I don't mind doing something in some situations, but not every time somebody is on base. It's almost as if Yost feels he has to do something, anything, to score runs. Trust the offense, Mr. Yost. Play for a run when you need to late.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to getting out to the ballpark, and hope you all get the opportunity to do the same. Of course most of our readers here will be in the van travelling to Miller Park.

Alone on top...

2005-04-14T01:33:00.000-07:00

"I really believe in this team," Carlos Lee said. "We've got a really, really good clubhouse. It started from there. Everybody is working for the same thing. Did you see us out there -- bunting guys over? Look at Overbay. Third guy in the lineup, he just hit a home run, and he's putting down the bunt."

I couldn't have put it better myself. This is just a taste of what Milwaukee and the state of Wisconsin has been waiting for - an unselfish team that can get the job done.

Since Houston lost today (wow, the Mets can win games) our MILWAUKEE BREWERS are alone on top of the NL Central.

It's looking like Sheets is gettin the nod on Friday and I couldn't be happier. With us leaving around 10 AM that morning, we should hit Miller Park before the parking lots open. We may have to tailgate prior to tailgating. It's going to be a party for the ages. Word is the weather is going to be splendid - 60's with sunny skies. We might even be blessed with the first open roof game of the young season.

Since we are sitting in the right field bleachers, I plan on asking Jenkins which brand of chew he indulges in. Come Saturday, Guff will be packing the tin I brought for him (there is discussion about getting him a silo for the whole clubhouse).

All I know is that it's Brewer baseball at Miller Park - does it get any better? Maybe we'll find out this October...

GO BREWERS!

From the JSOnline....

2005-04-12T06:30:00.000-07:00

Taken from JSOnline: Fitting right in: Miller, the La Crosse native who doubled in his first home at-bat as a Brewer, was asked about the large contingent of family and friends making the trek from the other side of the state.

"They're all excited," he said. "It gives them a chance to come out here and drink beer. Typical Cheeseheads."

----

What Wisconsinite doesn't like going out to the ballpark and drinking beer? Okay, maybe not ALL like to go out and drink beer. The whole experience of Brewer games just makes me think that once there is a winning club on the field that attendance will skyrocket. People rip on Milwaukee for being small market but I'm confident that Wisconsinites will come out in packs soon...

Even among my group of friends where I was the only one even watching the Crew on TV a few years ago has grown into a rabid following for the Crew. I hope to attend at least 10 games this season myself of which the first three are this weekend.

I will be taking my camera out to the ballpark so I'll have some photos to post here.

Two Tough Losses...

2005-04-10T19:03:00.000-07:00

The last two days have shattered my prediction that the Brewers would go undefeated this season. Looking at the bright side, they are going into the home opener against the Pirates tomorrow at 3-2 and hopefully the success so far this season against the Pirates will continue.

Yesterday's game was tough to stomach offensively. One single hit by Russell Branyan saved the Brewers from the dubious distinction of being no-hit. Some of the balls were hit very hard but right at the defender. Zambrano was brilliant and got the win while Sheets didn't have one of his best days. I guess I can't expect Sheets to go out every outing and put up spectacular numbers. If he could've gotten through the 7th unharmed, I would've been more than satisfied with the outing. Giving up two hits to the pitcher is not acceptable for a pitcher of Sheets caliber, however.

Today's game was probably the hardest to lose. Seemingly cruising along with a 5-2 lead, the Brewers inserted Tommy Phelps to pitch. Personally, I would've gone with Obermueller at that point as Santos only went five innings and I feel situations like that are perfect for Obermueller to come in and pitch a few innings before turning it over to the late inning guys. Maybe I have a sour taste in my mouth from a different pitcher named Phelps last year, but I simply do not trust Tommy Phelps to protect anything less than a five run lead. I realize it was a lefty situation, but when forced to use a reliever to start the sixth, I'd rather pitch Obermueller, who had an excellent spring, over Tommy Phelps who had a poor spring. I'm hoping Phelps isn't a left-handed Ben Ford but he needs to show me more before I believe he is deserving of a roster spot. That being said, I'd rather have Phelps on the roster than Trent Durrington.

Hindsight is 20/20, but the strategy by Yost at the end was a bit on the questionable side. I won't argue against playing the infield in, but why not set up the force at home by walking the bases loaded? Either way it wouldn't have mattered I guess.

On the bright side, the Crew showed some power today from sources other than Lee, Branyan, and Jenkins. Junior Spivey, Lyle Overbay, and Damian Miller each homered. Also, Jorge de la Rosa was superb today striking out five in two innings and pitching out of some pressure situations. He may have a future as a starter, but I will not complain if he ends up being an excellent lefty out of the pen.

Overall, if somebody told me we'd be going into the home opener at 3-2 I would've been satisfied. The two losses sting, especially against the Cubs, but it's a long time between now and October and so far I like what I've seen from the Crew. This week will drag on forever as I wait for Friday to arrive and when my annual April trip to Miller Park will finally be here.

Brewers 6 Cubs 3

2005-04-08T16:46:00.000-07:00

What a game today was. I listened to most of the game down on my trek down I-94 from River Falls. So far my prediction of 162-0 is on pace. Out of the blue the other night I made a far fetched prediction that the Brewers would open up by winning 10 in a row. Wouldn't that be something? That's the fan in me talking.

-Brady Clark just gets on base. To anybody that was dissapointed that we lost Scott Podsednik's speed, I counter with on-base percentage. What good does speed do if you don't get on base to use it? A guy like Clark will find ways to get on base and work the counts. Not to mention he is a better outfielder. It doesn't hurt that we got Carlos Lee for Podsednik.

-Jorge de la Rosa pitched two innings of solid work in extra innings to pick up the win. He looks to be a bit on the wild side but you have to like his stuff. At the very least he ought to be a solid reliever. Time will tell if he might be an option in the rotation someday, similar to Johan Santana's conversion from reliever to starter. I wouldn't expect him to become Santana at all but at least we can hope because the guy definitely has talent.

-Capuano seemed to pitch pretty well today. I was hoping he could get out of the 6th unharmed but that was not to be the case. Optimistically, I think Capuano will settle into being a solid pitcher this year. He looked good this spring and his first outing was encouraging. He struck out 7 in 5 1/3 IP.

And with my parting thought, I'd like to say it's great to spoil the Cubs' home opener. Let's take the next two and roll back to Milwaukee undefeated.

Well on the Way to 162-0: Brewers 10 Pirates 2

2005-04-06T13:54:00.000-07:00

Game two of the Brewers running roughshod through the competition on their way to a 162-0 record is complete with a 10-2 victory over the Pirates at PNC Park.

I guess you can say the bats are pretty hot right now with 19 runs in two games while only giving up 4.

Doug Davis and Ben Sheets have been solid. I'd prefer that Davis not take 106 pitches to get through 6 innings but you can't argue against the results, especially this early in the season.

Heck, if the only thing I'm bitching about at this point is Doug Davis' pitch count through six, I guess things are going pretty good.

Final Predictions

2005-04-05T16:54:00.000-07:00

I only managed to finish two divisions of detailed predictions before the season started. There is a reason why I am only a blogger and not a paid journalist. I can do whatever I want. But don't fear, here is an abbreviated version of my final predictions:

AL East
1. Yankees
2. Red Sox
3. Orioles
4. Devil Rays
5. Blue Jays

AL Central
1. Twins
2. Indians
3. Tigers
4. White Sox
5. Royals

AL West
1. Angels
2. Rangers
3. Athletics
4. Mariners

NL East
1. Braves
2. Marlins
3. Phillies
4. Mets
5. Nationals

NL Central
1. Brewers
2. Cardinals
3. Cubs
4. Astros
5. Reds
6. Pirates

NL Central (Real, until the Brewers actually win it)
1. Cardinals
2. Cubs
3. Brewers
4. Astros
5. Reds
6. Pirates

NL West
1. Dodgers
2. Padres
3. Giants
4. Diamondbacks
5. Rockies

As for award winners, I'll chime in later with them.

Brewers 9 Pirates 2

2005-04-04T22:38:00.000-07:00

Thankfully FSN replayed today's opening day victory over the Pirates later tonight so I could see the action myself. I managed to catch the most important sequences on a car ride. Good to hear Bob and Jim calling baseball that counts, along with Bill and Daron tonight.

-Jeff Cirillo had a tremendous game today, with a double, a home run, two RBI's and two runs scored. I have not had too many kind things to say about Jeff's performance the last three years. Of course nobody really has. Because I don't think highly of Jeff doesn't mean I'm not pulling for him. I'm not ready to say the old Jeff is back but I'm certainly willing to root for him as he seems to have a hot hand. At this point I'm not going to fret about Jeff's performance the last three years and look forward to the future as Jeff has been a superb Brewer in the past and it makes one heck of a story if he comes back and does succeed. I'm still pretty sure that will come as part of mega-platoon at third.

- Ben Sheets pitched seven solid innings. As others have said, 109 pitches may not have been needed this early in the season, especially with such a large lead. I won't be concerned as long as a pattern of 120+ pitch outings doesn't develop.

- J.J. Hardy had a solid first game with a key hit that delivered two runs and extended the lead to 6-2. Here's to hoping that is a frequent occurence in the future.

Although it is only the first game in a grueling 162 game campaign, it is always a great feeling to come out firing. During the winter, my favorite activity is to look out the window and wait for spring. Now that it is here and I can follow the Brewers on a daily basis, I am once again full of cheer.

Go Brewers.

I don't see them losing a game all year!

2005-04-04T21:39:00.001-07:00

Well my friends, the boys of summer are finally back, and I couldn't be happier with the way the Brewers came out today and handed one to the Pirates. Ben Sheets - let's get on that contract extension - pitched a great game. I would agree that Ned possibly kept him in too long, but with alot of rest before his next start, he should be fine.

Another thing that really sticks out is the situation at 3rd base. I thought I was keeping up pretty good the last couple weeks, but the Yoster made a hell of a call by putting Cirillo in against Perez. Talking to Jon, he said he read something last week in the Journal Sentinel about Cirillo and Helms splitting time against left hand pitching. Now before I get all giggly about Cirillo becoming a regular, I have to come back to earth and realize that he has been a very streaky and unreliable plate presence the last several years (though he holds the highest Brewer career batting average). To be honest, I don't really mind having this problem at 3rd just as long as Helms stays on the bench. One more side note, Jeff showed some pop with a homer and a double but also a walk - maybe King 3T.O. could learn some patience from him.

I got a couple letters and a last name for you - J.J. Hardy! The future is now. Its been a long time coming, but the first of many has made his way into a starting spot. One thing that really impressed me is that he had some great at-bats. He did falter slightly early when he went for a pop fly that should have been Lee's, but that will come with some game experience. The clutch drive up past the short stop with the bases loaded for his first hit and first RBIs also more then makes up for it.

Furthermore, Brady Clark came up with some terrific runs in the outfield and took two bases from Santiago. Granted Santiago throws from his knees, but there is a reason he is still playing in the majors. Also, Clark had a hit and a walk which is just what we are looking for from our lead off man - get on base.

Overall, I am nothing but pleased and am excited to take it to the Pirates and PNC park again on Wednesday with Doug Davis. Let us hope that the one-two punch of Sheets and Davis tears it up again this season, but this time with some run support.

God bless the Brewers, and God bless Edgar F. Yost!

Home is Where the Heart Is...

2005-04-01T15:12:00.000-08:00

The Brewers are back at Miller Park tonight for their last exhibition games of the season against the White Sox. So it looks like the roster has pretty well been set. It's not the same as I would have had, but hey, I'm just some blogger in cyberspace.

I certainly don't see any reason for having Trent Durrington on the roster. He has one asset, his speed, and it's not all that big of an asset. Personally, I would've kept Brooks Kieschnick who would've been another bat off the bench and a serviceable relief pitcher all in one. I certainly hope Durrington is not going to be on the roster for too long.

Due to a class project I have to miss opening day on FSN on Monday. Ugh. I could've made some excuse as to why I couldn't help, but I'm trying to graduate here in the next century. If this was some piddly little project I wouldn't hesitate to say I can't do it at that time. But this is too big of a project even for Brewer baseball. Of course I will appease myself tenfold on the weekend of April 15th when my traveling legion of buffoons embark on yet another journey to the Mecca that I know as Miller Park.

Some Interesting Moves...

2005-03-30T13:41:00.000-08:00

The Crew have made a number of moves in the last few days, of which a few I found interesting. RHP/PH Brooks Kieschnick was released in the first move and then today RHPs Justin Lehr and Julio Santana, and OF Dave Krynzel were optioned to AAA.

I was a big fan of Kieschnick's ever since I found out about his story and how he had signed with the Brewers. Kieschnick was undoubtedly my favorite player on the 2003 Brewers. He was mainly helping with his stick in 2003 and last year he developed into a decent reliever. He doesn't throw all that hard but he has a nice sinker that froze a lot of hitters last year. Personally, I loved Kieschnick's versatility and would've found a spot for him on my 25-man roster. Hopefully somebody else values a guy like Kieschnick and picks him up.

I sort of figured Krynzel would start in AAA. I wouldn't expect him to be there for too long if he plays well. If Krynzel does well in AAA he could replace Brady Clark in center by one of two ways. If Clark is struggling, Krynzel will replace him. If Clark is doing well he becomes trade bait. Of course the latter of the two scenarios if preferable.

Lehr was another guy I expected to be on the major league roster when we traded Keith Ginter for him and AAA OF Nelson Cruz. Lehr was unimpressive this spring (11 IP/1 K)and will begin in AAA.

Santana struck out 15 in 9 innings of work while only walking two. Those peripherals look decent but weren't enough for him to make the club.

Some speculate that Trent Durrington will make the team. I would hope that is not the case. Durrington is a 'gritty' player but not all that productive. We'd be just as well having Gary Bennett's bat out there.

Hopefully Doug Melvin has something up his sleeve as a lot of players will be going through waivers soon.

The Perils of Living in WI But In the Minnesota TV Market

2005-03-28T14:05:00.000-08:00

It's been nice to actually be able to watch a few Brewer games here and there. I was able to listen to some of the first few games offered on the webcast until they made it so you had to pay for it. Having to pay to listen to spring training games is fairly ridiculous. I admit I don't know the economics of actually broadcasting these games but I cannot justify spending the $15 for the season package when I have perfect FM reception of Brewers games here in River Falls, WI (considered Twins territory) along with FSN North with Brewers on alternate for free.

As far as I know, DirecTV is the only way for one to see the Brewers here in much of Northwestern Wisconsin. Comcast Cable carries FSN but does not carry any Brewer games. I was glad to hear Mark Attanasio mention that he has heard some concerns from others in this part of the state. Granted, Minneapolis-St. Paul is the nearest big city. But there is a distinct border between Minnesota and Wisconsin and many people like me that possess great pride for Wisconsin find it troubling that we have to jump through hoops to get the sports we want. Although not a Packer fan myself (admittedly strange, but hey, at least I hate the Vikings), I find it sickening that Viking games would be broadcast over Packer games in Wisconsin. And if you wish to watch Packer games that aren't on because the Vikings are on you need to head down to the bar or get DirecTV with NFL Ticket. I get NFL Ticket so I can watch my favorite team that shall remain nameless so I'm not crucified by those that do not know me (It's not the Bears but a heated rival of the Pack in the 90's).

My point of this whole rant is that if you live in Wisconsin you ought to be able to enjoy our teams without having to pay insane amounts of money to do so. And as much as I love DirecTV, those not as fortunate as myself should have access to Brewer baseball in NW Wisconsin if they have FSN North.

I'm not sure the extent of this problem, as I live in River Falls and attend UW-River Falls which is just a hop and a skip away from Minnesota. Either way, my feet are firmly planted in the great state of Wisconsin and it is my birth right as a Wisconsinite to have full access to our teams along with the other embattled Wisconsinites living in pseudo-Minnesota. It is time for Wisconsin to take back what is rightfully ours.

Alright Jon, Thank you very much...

2005-03-25T15:25:00.000-08:00

I'd like to thank Jon for giving me the opportunity to add some insight.

I just commented on an ESPN.com column, and I am open to any discussion.

The Newest Addition to the Brewerblog

2005-03-25T12:45:00.000-08:00

I'd like to give a Brewerblog welcome to Mike Sonn as our newest contributor. Mike will be writing about god knows what. He writes a popular column in the Student Voice of UW-River Falls and is an avid Brewer fan.

And once again, here's Mike Sonn....

National League West Predictions

2005-03-25T11:40:00.000-08:00

Here are my bold predictions for the National League West. Comments follow teams in order of my predicted finishes.

1. Los Angeles Dodgers

General Manager Paul DePodesta took over the reigns of the Dodgers last season and they made managed to take the National League West. DePodesta came over from the Oakland Athletics where he was an assistant under Billy Beane. Some argue that DePodesta was actually the brains of the operation that made the playoffs for four years straight. DePodesta left and the Athletics did not make the playoffs last year. Of course, I'm not putting down Beane, as the A's did manage a 2nd place finish and 91-71 record. But it is true that DePodesta was a big part of the success the A's enjoyed.

So how has DePodesta transformed the Dodgers since he arrived? He inherited some pretty ugly contracts. Darren Dreifort, Kevin Brown, and Shawn Green come to mind. At this point, all of these contracts are off the books after Green was shipped to Arizona for catching prospect Dioner Navarro and three pitching prospects

Last season DePodesta made a rather unpopular move in the Los Angeles by trading fan favorite Paul LoDuca and lights out setup man Guillermo Mota to Florida for starter Brad Penny, first baseman Hee Seop Choi and pitcher Bill Murphy.

LoDuca is a quality catcher but has a tendency to fade over the stretch. His salary was outgrowing his worth through arbitration. Although a suitable replacement for LoDuca hasn't necessarily been found yet, the Dodgers hope that Dioner Navarro can step into the role. The jury remains out on Navarro at this point.

Mota was also an excellent setup guy for the Dodgers and is slated to be Florida's closer. But a GM like Paul DePodesta realizes that good relievers can be found on the cheap and in fact have found a new setup man in Yhency Brazoban. Along with the almost unhittable Eric Gagne, the Dodgers will have a superb one-two punch at the end of games.

Brad Penny and Hee Seop Choi were quality acquistions in this trade although the results weren't evident last year. Penny has been a tremendous starter for the Marlins, pitching on the 2003 World Series Team. He arrived with the Dodgers and went on to have a few nice starts before going down with an injury. His health remains a question, but when healthy he is a top of the line starter. Choi is a first baseman that many regard as a breakout player in the waiting. He shows excellent plate discipline and decent power. Choi is more likely than not going to develop into a quality first baseman at a low price this year.

The main signings of the offseason were Derek Lowe, Jeff Kent, and J.D. Drew. Lowe had one flukish year with the Red Sox and a decent offseason that drove his price up. He will definitely be helped by Dodger Stadium. Kent is aging but remains a good hitter and underrated at 2nd base. Drew is a monster when he is on the field, but that is rare. He did manage to stay fairly healthy with Atlanta last year and put up excellent numbers. If he stays healthy he ought to be worth the contract.

The most notable loss is that of third baseman Adrian Beltre. As a highly touted prospect, Beltre had continually failed to deliver. Last year, in his contract year, things changed and Beltre emerged as a force to be reckoned with at the plate. He signed a big contract with Seattle but must continue his performance to be worth it. Some question whether he will be able to and the Dodgers decided to spend their money on Drew and Lowe along with re-signing Odalis Perez.

That being said, I don't think the Dodgers will fall off their perch on top of the National League West simply because no other team has made the moves to supplant them. The Dodgers aren't significantly better than last year and neither are they worse. But no other team has done enough to overtake the Dodgers and DePodesta has this ship sailing in the direction of several successful seasons in the near future.

2. San Diego Padres

This may not be the pick of most of the experts but I'll go out on a limb here and take San Diego here. They were the sleeper pick to make the playoffs last season but fell short with an 87-75 record finishing 3rd.

The young players on the Padres give me confidence that they will be in the upper half of the division for the next few years. Jake Peavey emerged as a top starter last season with an ERA+ of 177. He should remain a force at the top of the Padres rotation for years to come. Khalil Greene deserved to win rookie of the year. He had an OPS+ of 112 but when considering he played spectacular defense at shortstop, his season was all the more special. He is another cornerstone of this franchise that seemingly looks to be moving in the right direction.

There are a few bad contracts here like Phil Nevin's and Ryan Klesko's. Brian Giles has been somewhat of a dissapointment considering they gave up the actual rookie of the year Jason Bay and breakout pitcher Oliver Perez for him. Petco Park has driven Giles' numbers down but he only has one year left on his contract and at 34, GM Kevin Towers could possibly pawn him at the trade deadline for a prospect or two.

The Padres only have an honorable mention prospect in the Baseball Prospectus top 50. Baseball America has Barfield at 45 in their top 100. No other Padre is in the top 100 although Tim Stauffer may emerge as an intriguing pitching prospect.

The Padres wouldn't have what it takes to win the division this year. If everything comes together (Loretta maintains form, younger guys like Burroughs and Greene improve, Peavey stays healthy) they may be able to fight for the wild card although I think it's a long shot unless they rack up wins in the weakest division in the league.

3. San Francisco Giants

Otherwise known as Team AARP. When you think of the Giants you think of Barry Bonds. There is now a possibility that the Giants will be without the face of their franchise for an extended period due to injury. The Giants loaded up with veterans to make another run behind Bonds, who has no doubt been the best hitter in the league for several years now (ignoring steroid accusations). Along with Bonds, the Giants have had a top of the line starter in Jason Schmidt. Last year the squad, led by Felipe Alou finished 91-71 and in 2nd place in the NL West.

One of the main signings this offseason for the Giants was that of Moises Alou. Alou put up an excellent OPS+ last year of 128. Seemingly a good signing, I tend to doubt whether it was so smart. In 2002 and 2003 at ages 36 and 37 Alou posted OPS+ of 100 and 113. Last year he had an excellent year at age 39 but one must wonder when time will catch up to Alou. It is a nice story that he is reunited with his father as manager, yet $7 million for two years may be a risk for a 40 year old player.

Another addition to the San Francisco Senior Citizens is Omar Vizquel. Vizquel has been known as a defensive wizard throughout his career. 10 years ago this might have been a fine signing but Vizquel's defense is declining as anybody's defense would at age 38. The Giants have him signed through age 40 and Vizquel's slightly below average OPS+ last year also does not look to be climbing any time soon.

Mike Matheny was another signing by the Giants that doesn't make a whole lot of sense. They had A.J. Pierzynski last year and were scared away by his arbitration numbers. So they went out and signed the 34 year old defensive whiz Matheny. Matheny is definitely a good backstop but absolutely brutal with the bat. Last year he posted an OPS+ of 67 and has a career high of 80 in 2003. His career OPS+ is 63. Now he definitely saves runs with his defense but his bat is so dreadful that his signing for $10.5 million over three years after non-tendering Pierzynski makes little sense. Pierzynski posted an OPS+ of 85 last year which was under his career average of 100.

The last major signing for the Giants was Armando Benitez. Benitez was absolutely lights out last year with the Florida Marlins with an eyepopping ERA+ of 317. With a career average of 152, Benitez has always been an excellent option in relief. He may not put up staggering numbers like last year but he will surely be a quality closer. $7 million may seem like a lot of money for a closer, but if a team is willing to spend that much for a closer, I wouldn't argue against spending it on Benitez.

With the injury to Barry Bonds sidelining him for an indefinite amount of time and the slew of signings from the Senior League put this year and the future in limbo. Jason Schmidt will be an excellent number one if healthy but the rest of the staff consists of unremarkable veterans such as Brett Tomko or prospects on the verge of breaking out like Jerome Williams. The question is whether these pitchers will always be on the verge of breaking out without actually doing it. If Bonds can come back earlier than he says he will, the Giants taking second place would not be implausible. Without Bonds, this cast of players will not finish higher than third.

4. Arizona Diamondbacks

The Diamondbacks were absolutely horrible last season finishing with a record of 51-111. Even us Brewer fans haven't had to endure a season that bad (although 2002 came close). Really, nothing positive could be said about the Diamondbacks last season as they were just horrible. The Brewers absolutely robbed them in the Richie Sexson trade as Sexson only logged 90 at-bats for the Diamondbacks before injuring his shoulder and later signing with the Mariners.

So to build on their awful season, the Diamondbacks decided to spend millions of dollars on questionable free agents. They brought in Troy Glaus and Russ Ortiz for ridiculous amounts of money. They may have been justified in signing Glaus to a 4-year $45 million contract but he is injury prone and a big risk for that type of money. I won't be surprised if this signing proves to work out but I wonder if that was the best use of resources at this point in time.

The Russ Ortiz signing is one that perplexes me not quite as much as the Eric Milton signing but close to it. 4 years and $33 million for a pitcher that has been slightly above average over the last few years is ridiculous. There are better pitchers out there that can be had for cheaper. Ortiz has been lucky enough to play on some very good ball clubs in his career and has found a team to cash in on his luck.

And finally I come to two other additions of two former Brewers, Craig Counsell and Royce Clayton. These two look to be the number 1 and 2 in the lineup this season. I don't know if I really need to say anything about that prospect. There will be plenty of outs to be had at the top of the Diamondback order.

Another move by the D-Backs was to trade Randy Johnson to the Yankees for Javier Vazquez, Dioner Navarro, and Brad Halsey. In turn, Navarro was turned around and traded to the Dodgers for Shawn Green. Green is another patch for the many holes on this team. Vazquez could turn things around now that he is out of New York. It was a decent move to get rid of an old pitcher like Johnson, even if he is still dominant. I tend to think they could've gotten more out for Johnson but it was clear he wanted to go to the Yankees and the Yankees don't have a whole lot to offer.

The Diamondbacks won't be as bad as last year but for those that think this is a playoff contender, keep dreaming. This will be a team that ought to win more than 70 games which is a dramatic improvement over the 51 games won in 2004. But anybody with Craig Counsell and Royce Clayton and the top of the lineup better not start printing playoff tickets any time soon.

5. Colorado Rockies

The Rockies finished 68-94 last season under Clint Hurdle. They have not had a winning season since 2000 and have been strapped by some poor free agent signings such as Mike Hampton and Denny Neagle.

Colorado is a different atmosphere to play in, literally. Front office folks in Colorado have been trying to brew up a formula for success in the thin air of Coors Field and have not been successful since the playoff run in 1995. I have a grand idea for them. How about getting some good players?

All hope if not lost with the Rockies. They have one of the best pitching prospects that is major league ready in Jeff Francis. He looks to open up as the number three starter behind Joe Kennedy and Jason Jennings. Joe Kennedy was an excellent pickup for Colorado last season as he posted an ERA+ of 138 and his non-adjusted ERA of 3.66 makes him look like Bob Gibson when you consider he pitches half of his games at Coors Field. Kennedy toiled in Tampa Bay before coming to Colorado where he found the stuff that made him a prospect in Tampa in the first place. It will be interesting to see if he can keep up his performance.

The rest of the team is nothing to write home about. Todd Helton is an excellent 1st baseman, if not overpaid some. The Rockies have some interesting hitting prospects in the minors such as Ian Stewart, but they don't look to be contributors this season.

I pick Colorado for last place this season simply because they haven't spent money on mediocrity. They will take their lumps for the next few years but if they continue down this path of building around younger players they are setting themselves up for future success. Although prospects are never a slam dunk proposition, it's still better than the Diamondbacks approach of throwing money at average players like Russ Ortiz. But when it comes to this year, there is no hope for the Rockies.

Carlos Lee v. Chicago White Sox

2005-03-24T10:19:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Chicago White Sox reliever Damaso Marte beaned Carlos Lee on a first pitch fastball in the eighth inning. Unfortunately I missed this incident as Lee took steps toward the mound only to be restrained.

This whole situation smells fishy. White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen has said nothing good about Carlos Lee since Lee's departure. Basically, Guillen says that Lee does not play hard and especially chastised him for not sliding hard into second on an opposing player after a White Sox player got beaned or something of that nature.

What set Lee off was the fact that Marte stared him down. Guillen claims that Marte was working in on right handed batters and didn't intend to hit Lee. Guillen may not have ordered Marte to hit Lee but may have instructed him to pitch inside and perhaps let one slip.

Either way, my whole point of this is that intentionally beaning players is a ridiculous practice that has been in baseball for years. What happened yesterday was an utter lack of class on the part of Marte and to some degree (without concrete proof) Guillen. Carlos Lee has said nothing ill toward his former teammates even after being criticized by his ex-manager.

The best thing the Brewers can do to retaliate is to pound the living tar out of the Sox when they make their way to Miller Park for the final exhibition. And I'm not talking about in a bench clearing brawl. I'm talking about on the field where scores should be settled instead of childish beaning incidents.

New Look, Added Links

2005-03-22T15:07:00.000-08:00

I've changed the template of the Brewerblog as you probably have noticed. The main reason for the change is my desire to add links to the other Brewer related blogs out there. So I've added some links and I encourage everybody to check them out. If I missed any, let me know and I'll add them.

I'm going to get to work on an NL West Prediction tonight as I've finished studying the teams in my handy Baseball Prospectus 2005. If I would've done it any earlier, I would've needed to change my predictions with the Bonds news today. Of course I still didn't have the Giants winning the division to begin with.

More later tonight.

Hendrickson Pitching Way to Nashville

2005-03-20T16:47:00.000-08:00

In the offseason, everybody penciled Brewers' pitching prospect Ben Hendrickson in for a spot in the bottom half of the rotation. His numbers at AAA Indianapolis last summer were indicative of future success in the majors.

In 21 starts at AAA last season he posted an 11-3 record with an ERA of 2.02 and earned recognition as the International League Pitcher of the Year. He gave up less than one hit per inning (114 in 125 IP) and only walked 26 while fanning 93.

Nothing in those numbers would hint that he would struggle mightily at the major league level, but that is exactly what happened. In 10 games and 9 starts for the Brewers he went 1-8 with a 6.22 ERA in 46 1/3 IP. His control at the major league level suffered. 20 walks were issued, only six short of his total in the minors in approximately 37% of the innings pitched.

Of course Little Ben was a mere rookie and was still considered the front runner for a spot in the rotation this offseason. But so far in Cactus League play, he has not impressed with his ERA of 12.00. Although I don't put much stock in spring statistics, Hendrickson has walked 5 in 9 innings pitched and scattered 18 hits and 12 earned runs. That is one ugly line right there.

One thing about Hendrickson is that he does not have electric stuff. He has a big curveball that should eventually be his bread and butter pitch but his fastball is not anything that will blow hitters away. In order for Hendrickson to become a servicable major league pitcher he needs to have pinpoint control of all his pitches. So far against major league competition he has not shown adequate control.

Hendrickson still remains, in my mind, a strong candidate to be a future 3 or 4 starter for a good team. The problem for some people is that he has shown that he has nothing to prove at AAA. His stats at AAA last year were superb, but his performance thus far against major league competition leaves much to be desired. When the Brewers break camp and head north, I expect Hendrickson to head to Nashville to work out his control problems and in the mean time, Wes Obermueller or Gary Glover should be penciled in the fifth spot.

A Student Voice Gem

2005-03-18T17:22:00.000-08:00

Here is a nice offbeat column written by a good friend of mine, Michael Sonn, for the Student Voice from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.

Yours truly is one of the members of this annual expedition, and you can find my accounts of last year's trip can be found here.

We once again will be making this journey for the St. Louis Cardinals series April 15-17. I anticipate it will be just as interesting this time around and fuel stories for years to come. Hopefully the baseball will be good, as I can guarrantee the beers and brats will be nothing short of tremendous.

Doug Melvin Article

2005-03-15T18:57:00.000-08:00

Here is an excellent article covering the Doug Melvin regime in Milwaukee that is written by an unbiased source. This covers step-by-step the birth of hope for Brewer baseball. I highly encourage reading this.

Once again, the forums at Brewerfan.net with the headsup.

The Way I See Things.....

2005-03-14T16:05:00.000-08:00

Here's one of my posts from over at the discussion boards at Brewerfan.net. This is just the way I see the roster as shaking out so far:

1. Brady Clark - CF
2. Junior Spivey - 2B
3. Lyle Overbay - 1B
4. Carlos Lee - LF
5. Geoff Jenkins - RF
6. Russell Branyan - 3B
7. Damian Miller - C
8. J.J. Hardy - SS
9. Pitcher
Bench:
Bill Hall - Utility
Dave Krynzel - OF
Chris Magruder - OF
Wes Helms - 1B/3B
Chad Moeller - C

Notes: I'd prefer to have Krynzel at AAA and keep 4 outfielders but Magruder doesn't do it for me as a 4th outfielder anyway. Cirillo and Magruder could be interchangeable in my opinion if Krynzel stays. I just like Magruder as a switch hitter at this point and am not convinced Cirillo is anymore than fodder at this point in his career (not to take anything away from what he has done in the past.)

Rotation:
1. Ben Sheets
2. Doug Davis
3. Chris Capuano
4. Victor Santos
5. Ben Hendrickson

Relief:
1. Jorge de la Rosa
2. Brooks Kieschnick
3. Gary Glover
4. Matt Wise
5. Justin Lehr
6. Ricky Bottalico
7. Mike Adams
I've liked Glover since I saw him pitch last year. I'm usually a stats guy and Glover has some pretty ugly stats but I think he could be fairly effective as a middle reliever and if somebody in the rotation struggles and he is pitching well in the pen, then by all means move him into the rotation. I personally think he'll fare better than Santos if slotted in the rotation but I'll give Victor the chance to shoot himself in the foot.

Obermueller goes back to AAA and moves into a middle relief role where I believe he belongs. He's the first one up for middle relief if somebody Lehr struggles. Unless Capellan is lights out in Nashville.

Impressive Pitching

2005-03-11T15:09:00.000-08:00

A pretty good day forBrewer pitcher not named Justin Lehr as the Brewers beat the San Francisco today in Cactus League Action.

Gary Glover started and pitched two scoreless. Glover remains my darkhorse candidate to snag a spot on the opening day roster. So far he has not dissapointed.

Mike Adams followed by striking out the side in the 3rd. He did allow a walk.

Next, Jorge de la Rosa, he who is out of minor league option, pitched three scoreless innings allowing only 1 hit and striking out 1. De la Rosa has impressed in his last two outings after a shaky first outing. Since he is out of options, if he continues pitching this well, the Mexican John Rocker will be a lock to be on the opening day roster. His upside is just too high to try and slip through waivers. It wouldn't hurt to have another lefty anyway.

Matt Wise pitched 1 1/3 innings for the save , striking out one and allowing 1 hit. Wise is another candidate for a bullpen spot.

The pitching staff is one area that I will be watching with interest. Although many consider Victor Santos a lock for the 3rd spot in the rotation, I certainly don't see him lasting the whole year in the 3rd spot and if he continues to struggle through the spring and Glover or and De la Rosa continue to impress, I'd like to see Santos replaced.

The Case for Russell Branyan

2005-03-10T09:13:00.000-08:00

As it stands right now, there is a three-way race for the third base job for the Brewers between Russell Branyan, Wes Helms, and Jeff Cirillo. Through the first few games of the spring, none of these candidates has distinguished themselves from the rest. Helms has gone a putrid 1-14 so far with the other two not exactly putting up numbers to brag about.

Before we go condemning the spring numbers of these players, I took a look at last year's spring statistics and the Brewerblog favorite Gary Bennett hit .538 (14-26) last spring. I think that case alone shows that you can pretty much throw spring stats in the toilet. There are so many journeymen, never-has-beens, and never-will-bes pitching out there. So that can discount good performances like Bennett's while I will say that sample size can destroy any performance.

Historically speaking Jeff Cirillo has contributed the most to a major league team in his career. But as I've written about in an earlier post, Jeff hasn't contributed anything to a major league team in years.

Wes Helms had a decent 2003 hitting .261/.330/.450 with 23 bombs. Helms also remains a favorite of Ned Yost since his days in Atlanta.

Russell Branyan on the other hand is what you would call a three true outcomes hero. The Hardball Times does an excellent article on Branyan here. With Branyan at bat you can pretty much expect one of three things: a walk, strikeout, or home run. This strategy will result in a low batting average and tons of strikeouts. I'm confident that if Russell Branyan starts everyday that he will shatter the strikeout record. And you know what? I don't care.

In the Brewers' lineup the 3rd baseman will be batting 6th based on my best estimates. If Branyan were to occupy the 3, 4 or 5 hole I'd be a little more concerned about the high strikeout totals. Acquiring Carlos Lee means Ned can put Branyan in the 6 hole where his strikeouts might not be as damaging.

The low batting averages you'll see from Branyan is something I don't give a squat about. Anybody with their head in the 21st century knows that batting average is a useless statistic on its own. Of course it is a very large component of the better statistic, on-base percentage. Last year Wes Helms hit .263 compared to Russell Branyan's .234. Now when comparing OBP's, Branyan is much closer to Helms with Branyan getting on-base at a .324 clip compared to Helms' .331.

So what makes Branyan so much better than Helms? Slugging percentage, my friend. Last year Wes slugged a puny .361 compared to Branyan's .525. For comparison's sake, Sammy Sosa slugged .517, albeit in a down year.

As for career averages, Branyan's OBP/SLG split over his career is .319/.479. Helms' split is .315/.420. Once again Russell Branyan takes the cake here.

I really don't of much else that I could possibly say to prove that Russell Branyan is the best Brewers third baseman in camp. I didn't cover defense but I think we can all agree that Helms is no Brooks Robinson. Heck, Helms was absolutely brutal out there last year. The numbers don't lie. I would definitely be able to tolerate Helms playing against left-handed pitching since Branyan is left-handed. But if Wes Helms gets the majority of the at-bats at 3rd base this season there is something wrong.

Season Predictions Part 1 - National League East

2005-03-08T08:49:00.000-08:00

Here's the first of a string of predictions based on my "expert" analysis of the teams. It'll be interesting to see at the end of the year how I stack up against the experts that actually get paid. Everybody pretty well has it figured out at this time of year, myself included. Well here goes the NL East with some comments on each team:

1. Atlanta
The Braves haven't finished below first since 1990 (excluding the strike shortened 1994 season) and until they don't, you won't see me picking anybody else.

The moves they made in the offseason won't make me question this pick either. They've added Tim Hudson to the rotation along with John Smoltz moving back to the rotation after serving a few years as closer. I don't see any problems with Smoltz making the transition and am eager to see what Leo Mazzone can do with Tim Hudson. John Thomson is an underrated asset that Mazzone has turned into a very servicable pitcher after toiling in two severe hitters parks in Colorado and Texas. Mike Hampton will never be the ace of old but he too benefits from Mr. Mazzone's wizardry.

Filling in for Smoltz at closer will be former Brewer Dan Kolb. Kolb is a big man that throws hard but had one of the most anemic strikeout rates in recent memory for a closer, thanks in part for his ability to get grounders. Having Furcal at shortstop helps Kolb's tendencies but Chipper Jones's awful defense at third does not.

Which brings me to the offense. The corner outfielders on this team arethe biggest concern. They've brought in Raul Mondesi and Brian Jordan to man the corners which would've sounded pretty good about 8 years ago. It will be a miracle if Jordan and Mondesi are merely average. Hopefully they will soon realize what baseball prospectus has realized and that Chipper Jones belongs at first base to make room for Andy Marte, the numbers one prospect in all of baseball according to BP.

Weaknesses aside, I still believe the pitching staff will carry them to the division title once again. It's almost a given that Mazzone is going to dig whatever he can up to put together a solid bullpen to go along with their outstanding starting rotation.

2. Florida

This is the popular pick to supplant the Braves as division champion. They will not do this, but should be in contention for a wild card. The 2003 World Series champions took a step back last year but made some key additions and look to make another run this year.

They've added a big bat at first base in Carlos Delgado. Delgado struggled in the first half last year and later recovered to have a good second half by most standards. They've also added veteran Al Leiter to the rotation. The thing going against Leiter is that he's 39 years old who lives on his cut fastball. But he also has the benefit of moving from a moderate pitcher's park to a severe pitcher's park. His numbers may take a slide but his decline could be masked for a few years if he pitches in parks like Florida's.

The returning players (especially the pitchers) need to take a step up this year. We've been waiting for Josh Beckett to break out for a while now. He had the one excellent postseason but blisters have held him back. Dontrelle Willis appeared to take a step back last year but is a very young pitcher and I expect him to get better. The only question is whether it will be this year. AJ Burnett is the one pitcher that could really break out this year in his first full year back from Tommy John surgery provided he can stay healthy.

Overall the Marlins have the overall makeup of a pretty good ballclub. If it weren't for the fact that the Braves simply find ways every year to win this division I'd pick the Marlins. I like the Marlins as a possiblity for the Wild Card and would even put money on them beating the Braves in the playoffs if they met. But we all know that is because Atlanta always loses in the playoffs.

3. New York Mets

I wasn't sure whether to go with the Mets or Phillies here but give the nod to the Mets after very little thought. They've added premier players in Carlos Beltran and Pedro Martinez. I don't necessarily agree with the Martinez signing in the long run but it will be beneficial this year.

Adding Beltran makes the Mets' outfield pretty good. Although Mike Cameron and Cliff Floyd's names has been heard in trade rumors, I'll go with both being in the Mets' outfield. Floyd and Cameron had subpar years but the mere addition of Beltran improves matters drastically. That coupled with the Mets' hope that Kaz Matsui will regain the form that made him a star in Japan and the continued development of David Wright at third, and Jose Reyes at second, the Mets could have a decent offense. Mike Piazza needs to fight off his decline phase too.

The pitching staff is better with Pedro Martinez. Tom Glavine is back for another year, although not as dominant as he was with the Braves. Kris Benson re-signed an absolutely ridiculous contract (up there or worse with Eric Milton's) and will provide the Mets with average pitching. The bullpen is also a concern for this team.

A lot of things need to go right for the Mets to contend for the playoffs this year. I just don't see it all coming together for them this year and believe that the moves they made this winter (minus the Beltran signing) are setting themselves up for long-term failure.

4. Philadelphia

The Phillies best move this winter was getting rid of manager Larry Bowa. The fiery manager was disliked by the team and although it may not be quantifiable, playing for an ass of a manager is not something that is going to help players. I'm not saying Charlie Manuel will be an improvement, I'm not familiar enough with his style.

This is not a horrible team, but not a good team. I'd put the offense at above average with the likes of Jim Thome and Bobby Abreu. I just don't think this team has the pitching right now to contend. They re-signed Cory Lidle to a reasonable contract and Lidle makes a decent bottom of the rotation guy. The problem is that most of the guys above Lidle aren't all that much better.

This team missed it's window of opportunity to be a playoff caliber team. They probably weren't as good as advertised but there was a window of opportunity to wrestle the division away from the Braves when they had some vulnerabilities and they failed to do so. Unless some of they're youngsters like Gavin Floyd, Ryan Howard and Cole Hamels develop into bonafide talent, it's going to be a few years before they contend.

5. Washington Nationals

Baseball is back in Washington and let me tell you, it probably won't be pretty. Without a true owner, the major league owners gave the key to the car to former Cincinatti GM Jim Bowden. Wheover buys this team is going to wish they hadn't. Bowden has gone and signed average players like Cristian Guzman to long term contracts at high prices. Vinny Castilla also signed with the Nationals in probably one of the stupidest moves of the offseason. Castilla was solidly in decline before going back to Colorado to give his numbers a boost.

My favorite move by the Nationals this offseason barely made a whisper outside circles that actually watched the guy they signed play last year. They went out and signed the favorite worst-case scenario hitter here at the Brewerblog, Gary Bennett. I swear every time he came up to bat last year, especially in the first half, the worst possible outcome would be the result. With nobody on base he strikes out, and with runners on base he usually hit into a double play or something that was of absolutely no help. And to top it off, the Nationals gave a raise to one of the worst hitters in the majors.

I feel sorry for whoever has to clean up the mess that the Nationals have already made in the short time they have been in Washington. They'll need some good drafting to rectify this situation, but as long as Jim Bowden is in charge Washington will be drafting toolsy outfielders that never pan out.

Early Cactus League Thoughts

2005-03-06T19:08:00.000-08:00

The Crew is off to a 4-0 start in Cactus League play after defeating the Royals today 9-6. I know Spring Training doesn't mean a whole lot but it sure doesn't hurt anything to win Spring Training Games.

Carlos Lee hit two homers today giving him 3 in 4 games. I look forward to watching Mr. Lee hit many more home runs as a Brewer. I can't emphasize how much this signing improves our offense.

Prince Fielder is currently 5-8 after getting 3 hits and 3 RBIs today. He's definitely not giving the Brewers any reason to send him back to AA. He hit an opposite field home run against Dan Meyer of the Oakland Athletics. Prince is going to be a perennial all-star and much better than his father as a ballplayer and hopefully as a person too.

Look for the rumor mill to start turning regarding Lyle Overbay if Prince continues his outstanding performance. Overbay has plenty of value and I believe Doug Melvin could get some quality major league talent for Overbay. The Carlos Lee trade basically makes converting Overbay to outfield a moot point. I was skeptical of the possibility of moving Overbay to the outfield. There is a reason he plays first base.

I'm not really in a position to pass judgment on the pitchers so far. Ben Hendrickson's line looks pretty awful but caused by one misplayed ball in the outfield. Capuano and Obermueller were solid in their two inning starts, as was Rick Helling. Helling could be an intriguing prospect for a spot in the rotation but the odds aren't in favor of it. He's a flyball pitcher and Miller Park is better suited for groundball pitchers. I certainly will not complain if he does surprise and grab a rotation spot. As long as it isn't the result of poor pitching by Hendrickson.

Spring Training Opener

2005-03-04T11:44:00.000-08:00

The Crew opens the Spring Exhibition Season with a two split squad games against the Mariners and Athletics.

If you aren't already aware, Daron Sutton is doing webcasts on milwaukeebrewers.com and you I know the Ueck and Jim are doing some weekend games on the Brewers Radio Network.

All I can say is that I'm giddy like a little school girl to be able to listen to some Milwaukee Brewers baseball.

Ben Hendrickson will start against Oakland and Chris Capuano will start the home portion of the split squad against the Mariners. Looks like Capellan will follow Capuano so that'll be interesting. Well, it's about game time!

Bill Hall and J.J. Hardy - Comparison

2005-03-03T09:56:00.000-08:00

Going into spring training it appears that the shortstop job is JJ Hardy's to lose. Had Hardy stayed healthy for all of 2004 and continued to put numbers up similar to what he was at the time, this would be a no brainer. As things would shake out, Hardy did not play a full 2004 and was released from the Mexican League this winter after a short, poor performance.

So what other options are there at shortstop? Craig Counsell has gone back to Arizona. It was enjoyable watching Craig for a year in which the Brewers would not contend. The fact of the matter is that Craig Counsell is below average as a hitter. He did surprise with his glove at shortstop but it was for the better that Counsell moves on to Arizona where he will be an excellent outmaker at the top of the Diamondbacks lineup along with former Brewers shortstop Royce Clayton.

That leaves Bill Hall as the other returning option at shortstop. Billy was once considered the shortstop of the future for the Brewers. His offense hasn't progressed like the organization would have liked it to over the past few years. His plate discipline leaves much to be desired as he has never posted an OBP above .300 in the major leagues. Last year he posted an OBP of .276. He struck out 119 times and only walked 20 times over 390 at bats. One thing going for Hall is that he is only 25 years old. There is theoretically room for improvement for Hall.

Moving on to JJ Hardy, he was sidelined most of 2004 with a shoulder injury on his non-throwing side. In limited playing time at AAA Indianapolis, Hardy batted .277 with an OBP of .330 and slugging percentage of .495. He hit 4 home runs and walked 9 times while striking out 8 times over 101 at bats. Obviously this sample size is relatively limited. The real question with Hardy is whether his limited at bats at the AAA level will be detrimental in his apparently imminent ascent to a major league starting role.

With Billy Hall being the only other option at this point, I'll take my chances with the potential of Hardy and keep Hall where he belongs, on the bench.

Sheets Inks 1-year Deal, Johan Santana extends for 4

2005-02-14T16:24:00.000-08:00

Yesterday the heart and soul (not to mention the best pitcher) on the Brewers' staff came to an agreement on a one year $6 million contract. They came together at the halfway point, which I figured was the most logical thing to do when I first heard the numbers.

Then today Johan Santana signed an extension with the Twins for 4 years and $40 million. It looks pretty reasonable to me, considering that Eric Milton got $8 million. Heck that makes Santana look like a bargain. Twins fans should be thankful they didn't use the money Santana is getting on an average pitcher like Milton. As much as I dislike Minnesota I must say I respect what the Twins have done as an organization. How couldn't you?

The positive thing about the Santana signing for the Brewers fans is that hopefully this will set the wheels into motion to get Sheets locked up to a long term deal. I consider Sheets and Santana to be fairly similar with the edge at this point in time obviously going to Santana. Sheets is less than a year older than Santana. Santana was superb in 2003 when the Twins put him into the starting rotation and vaulted himself to stardom last season, winning a Cy Young award. Sheets went from being an average pitcher to being an excellent pitcher last year, hampered only by the dreadful run support of his teammates to a 12-14 record. His ERA+ was 154 while Santana's was 182.

As I said earlier, Santana is more valuable than Sheets at this point in time but I would still expect Ben to receieve an extension similar to Santana's. With the Twins and Santana coming to an agreement coupled with Spring Training starting soon where Sheets will hopefully prove his back to be healthy, the Brewers should begin to work out an extension similar to Santana's with Sheets.

Cirillo Back in Beer Town.... For Now

2005-02-08T08:58:00.000-08:00

One of the Brewers premier players of the 90s is back with the organization with a minor league contract. Jeff Cirillo was an excellent hitter and 3rd baseman for the Brewers from '94-'99.

In '99 he was traded along with Scott Karl (whatever happened to him?) to the Colorado Rockies for Jimmy Haynes (from Oakland), Henry Blanco, and Jamey Wright. Oakland got reliever Justin Miller from Colorado. You can't really chalk anybody up as a winner in this trade, especially the Brewers.

Anyway, people tend to think that Cirillo continued putting up excellent numbers in Colorado. On the surface he did. In 2000 he hit .326 with an OBP of .392 and 11 HR. The next year he hit .312/.364 while hitting 17 HR. But remember these numbers were put up with the thin air of Coors Field and the cavernous outfield. His adjusted OPS+ was ever so slightly below the average of 100. In 2000 his OPS+ was 96 and his OPS+ in 2001 was 98.

After leaving Colorado and sigining with Seattle, Cirillo declined rapidly. In the last three years Cirillo's OPS+ went from 74 to 50 to a Gary Bennett'esque 48. Heck Bennett even put up a 66 this past season.

Some are ready to annoint Cirillo as the starter at third. Don't let sentiment blind you. This is a 35 year old third baseman who has been in rapid decline the last three years. But don't completely write Jeff off. He wants to be here, he practically was begging Doug Melvin for a shot. I'd much rather see a Jeff Cirillo on the roster than a Trent Durrington with his career OPS+ of 34. Jeff could provide some of that unmeasureable stuff called leadership. I wouldn't anticipate a bounceback to the levels of his Brewer days, but if he could provide a bat off the bench and rebound to slightly below average I'd be happy to have him on this team.

But Branyan should absolutely be starting at third.

Today's History Lesson

2005-01-31T14:16:00.000-08:00

I've decided to take a different approach to this post. I know this is supposed to be a Brewer Blog but I'm also a fan of all of Wisconsin, as long as we aren't talking about the Packers. That's a story for a different time and a different place..

One of the things I've noticed about some people from Minnesota is their never ending need to point out who is all from Minnesota. I really don't care where a somebody is from, but if a player or person happens to be from Wisconsin, and it's not too embarrasing to point out that fact (Jeffrey Dahmer comes to mind), I'll gladly point out the person is from Wisconsin for no real reason other than pride.

Now as I was surfing through baseball-reference.com and looking at Ricky Bottalico's stats along with others, I noticed the ability to list players by state. Not only active players but any player who has ever played professional baseball at the major league level. So obviously my first instinct was to click on Wisconsin. First I sorted the players by where they were born. I didn't see anybody from my hometown. That figures, I was fairly certain no resident of Sauk Prairie had ever appeared in a major league game.

Next I went through all the players in Wisconsin and one name stuck out like a sore thumb to me. Addie Joss from Woodland, Wisconsin.

Addie Joss? I'm betting a good portion of my three readers have never even heard of this guy before. Don't feel bad, not all of you possess as much useless knowledge as I do. But, yes, Addie Joss was a name I recognized. His career lasted from 1902 to 1910. I knew that this particular pitcher had a short but brilliant career that was cut off by his untimely death shortly before the 1911 season started from tubercular meningitis. So how brilliant was Mr. Joss? Let's look at some numbers.

The surface numbers include 160 wins and 97 losses in nine years for a winning percentage of .623. As you probably know I put very little stock in those two statistics as the measure of a quality pitcher. But, it may be interesting to add his best win total was in 1907 in which he won 27 games and lost 11. That sounds pretty impressive but you must also factor in how the game has changed since the early 20th century. This was definitely an era that favored pitchers. 3 man rotations were considered normal and starting pitchers more often that not finished the games they started. ERA's were low on a league wide scale. Joss' career ERA was 1.89 with his best ERA being 1.16 compiled in 1908.

Since it's hard to simply look at basic stats across different years of baseball and draw conclusions, I bring one of my favorite measuring tools for comparing pitchers, ERA+. As I've talked about earlier in my nameless pitcher comparison, ERA+ compares the pitcher's ERA against the ballpark adjusted league averages. 100 being average and greater than 100 being above average.

So how does Joss stack up when it comes to ERA+? His ERA+ over his nine year career is 142. His best year saw him post an ERA+ of 205. His worst year was at 114, a year in which he only started 13 games due to injury, a year which also would tragically be his last.

For comparison's sake, I'm going to show some other pitchers and their career average ERA+ along with their best ERA+ in one season.

(Name/Career Avg./Best Year)
Addie Joss 142/205
Christy Mathewson 135/230
Sandy Koufax 131/190
Tom Seaver 127/193
Nolan Ryan 112/194
Randy Johnson 144/198
Pedro Martinez 167/285 (emphasis added)

Overall, for career ERA+, Joss ranks 10th on the all-timelist(baseball-reference.com requirements: Minimum of 1000 IP, 3000 PA and 100 decisions for career and active leaderboards for rate statistics.) Pedro Martinez absolutely blows everyone out of the water for career ERA+ at 167. That in itself is an indictment of how well Pedro has pitched in this offensive era.

So what might have been had Joss not died? Like I said earlier, his last season was cut short by injury and although above average, he wasn't insanely dominant like he had been previously. Nobody will ever know what might have been. Perhaps his career would have taken a downturn and his numbers would have dropped. Perhaps he would've recovered from the injury and went on to dominate once again.

But what we do know is that this guy happens to be one of the all-time greats whose career was tragically cut short. And he happened to have been born here in Wisconsin.

Happy Birthday Bob!

2005-01-26T15:22:00.000-08:00

Today is the 70th birthday of Mr. Baseball, Bob Uecker. His broadcasts are what make Brewers baseball for me. Him and Jim are a great team.

Happy Birthday Bob!

I'm Back...

2005-01-23T10:01:00.000-08:00

I've been in Mexico for a few weeks.

Nameless Pitcher Comparison

2004-12-27T17:56:00.000-08:00

Let's do a little pitcher comparison without naming names. These two pitchers whom we'll refer to as Pitcher A and Pitcher B are both southpaws with Pitcher B being a little more than one month older than Pitcher A (29 years old). Here is a breakdown of the numbers:

Career Win/Loss
Pitcher A: 71-57 over 7 years
Pitcher B: 40-41 over 6 years

ERA (2001-2004)
Pitcher A:
2001: 4.32
2002: 4.84
2003: 2.65 (With only 17 IP, so this is not all that relevant)
2004: 4.75
Career: 4.76

Pitcher B:
2001: 4.45
2002: 4.98
2003: 4.03
2004: 3.39
Career: 4.35

ERA+ (2001-2004)
Sidenote: ERA+ is ERA adjusted for ballpark factors (meaning pitchers in hitter's parks are duly compensated) and league averages. 100 is exactly average and the higher the ERA+ is the better.

Pitcher A:
2001: 105
2002: 91
2003: 175 (Again, small sample size)
2004: 92
Career: 99

Pitcher B:
2001: 101
2002: 99
2003: 113
2004: 122
Career: 104

Overall these two pitchers look to be fairly similar with Pitcher B holding an advantage in the ERA measures and Pitcher A holding an advantage in the Win/Loss record. As I hope most of you know, Win/Loss record doesn't mean squat in the overall picture. Just ask Ben Sheets. Good run support can inflate a pitcher's Win/Loss record while poor run support will deflate it. Again, ask Ben Sheets.

Next, let us take salaries into consideration. Pitcher A made $9 million in 2004 while Pitcher B made $450,000. Hmm, now things get interesting. Why does Pitcher A get paid so much? Well, in 2005 Pitcher B will be making $2.35 million while Pitcher A received a signing bonuns for $4 million and a base salary of $4 million in 2005 essentially meaning he will make $8 million next year. When it comes to the whole life of the contract, Pitcher B at most will make $5.95 million over 2 years while Pitcher A will make $25.5 million over three years.

Now the moment of truth. Who are these mystery pitchers? Pitcher A is Eric Milton, signed by the Reds today. Pitcher B is none other than the Brewers' own Doug Davis. Now I'm not saying Doug Davis blows Milton out of the water, but it is fairly obvious to me. Doug Davis just may be a better pitcher than Eric Milton. And to top it off, Davis comes at a little under 30% of the price of Milton next year. I absolutely will not complain when a division rival like the Reds throw $25.5 million at a mediocre pitcher. Really, all Eric Milton has is a name made by his excellent Win/Loss record. This just shows how some General Managers will grossly overspend for a name. If Davis keeps pitching as well as he has, he will be in line for a nice raise after this contract is up while I'm guessing that the Reds will be begging anybody to take Milton's contract off their hands by 2006.

I Need Some Relief - Part Two

2004-12-24T13:52:00.000-08:00

In the first part of this series we took a look at three relievers that are all but guarranteed spots in the bullpen for the Brewers. Since then the Crew has added Justin Lehr from Oakland who is also pretty much a lock to be in middle relief next season. In part two we'll take a look at some other possibilities the Brewers may be relying on to protect the many leads they will have next season.

1. Justin Lehr - RHP

Lehr is a 27 year old right hander acquired from the Oakland Athletics along with outfielder Nelson Cruz for Keith Ginter. In 2004 he split time between Triple-A Sacramento and the big league club. Here is the breakdown of his numbers:

AAA
4-2 2.67 ERA 1.27 WHIP 37.1 IP 40 K 10 BB
MLB
1-1 5.31 ERA 1.52 WHIP 32.2 IP 16 K 14 BB

As you can see Lehr's numbers at the big league level are nothing to write home about. A factor to consider is that this was Lehr's first year in the show. His AAA numbers were excellent and one aspect I really like is the 4 to 1 strikeout to walk ratio. His 2004 AAA numbers showed improvement on his 2003 numbers which were definitely respectable. The biggest improvement was in his K:BB ratio. In 2003 it was 2.37 compared to 4 in 2004. His numbers before 2003 in the minor leagues would be considered mediocre by my standards.

So what can we expect from Lehr? I expect his big league numbers to be better than they were in 2004 but worse than his AAA numbers. I wouldn't expect him to be a dominant reliever by any means but definitely servicable.

2. Wes Obermueller - RHP
One thing we can all agree on is that Wes Obermueller should not be in the starting rotation. Last year was feast or famine for Obermueller. He had several excellent starts. But for every good outing you could count on Wes following up with a two mediocre to horrible showings. His final numbers broke down as follows:

6-8 5.80 ERA 1.53 WHIP 118 IP 59 K 42 BB

The numbers don't suggest Obermueller can be an effective pitcher in the major leagues. Many people see him as mere AAA fodder they could call up in case of injury. Looking beyond the numbers I will argue that Obermueller could perhaps be an effective reliever. I'm not suggesting automatically handing him a spot. What I am asking for is Wes be given a shot to win a spot in the bullpen during the spring. How many times did Ned Yost trot Ben Ford out to blow a lead last year? Sometimes failed starters make excellent relievers. Case in point is Eric Gagne. Now before you burn me at the stake, I'm not suggesting Wes Obermueller is the second coming of Eric Gagne. With a fastball in the range of 92-94 MPH and a decent slider, I strongly believe Wes could make a decent two pitch reliever. He doesn't have what it takes to be a starter but could possibly mature into a quality reliever. And don't discount his bat. He didn't start pitching until late in his college career. Honestly, I would have rather had Wes Obermueller's bat in the lineup last year than Gary Bennett or Chad Moeller. Wes could be a poor man's Brooks Kieschnick.

3. Gary Glover - RHP

Glover came up at the end of the year and made 3 starts for the Crew while compiling a record of 2-1 and an ERA of 3.50. Not bad numbers by any means. So why not consider Glover for a rotation spot? Sample size. Glover's numbers after bouncing around to three AAA teams were absolutely brutal. At AAA Rochester he had an ERA of 8.44 in 16 innings and in 30.2 innings with Iowa he had an ERA of 8.05. After signing with the Brewers' AAA affiliate Indianapolis he had an ERA of 5.28.

Glover does have a few years of big league action under his belt with Toronto, Chicago White Sox, and Anaheim mainly as a starter. A very mediocre starter at that. Obviously when the Brewers called up Gary from Indianapolis I was none too thrilled that this guy would be starting a few games even though the season was long gone. But I must say I was pleasantly surprised with Glover's three starts. What I was most impressed with was his velocity which was hovering in the 92-94 MPH range. I really can't base my judgment of Glover on three starts. His numbers over his career really make me wonder how this guy is a big league pitcher. But these numbers all came as a starter. We just went over that whole situation above. So, this spring Glover should be given an opportunity to stick as a middle reliever. I'm assuming this is the very reason he's holding a spot on the 40 man roster.

More to come later....

The Big Unit to the Big Apple?

2004-12-21T20:07:00.000-08:00

Apparently the big three way trade between the Dodgers, Yankees, and Diamondbacks involving the Yankees acquiring Randy Johnson has died after the Dodgers left the Yanks and D-Backs at the altar. The deal may be dead now, but I still see Randy Johnson wearing the pinstripes of the Yankees next year.

So is it time for the small market teams like the Brewers to throw in the towel? Not in a million years. As dominating as Randy Johnson was last year and throughout his whole career, we need to remember that we are talking about a 41 year old here. How long could he possibly keep up the domination? Granted, baseball players undertake in very heavy offseason training programs to keep in shape that allow for the Randy Johnson's and the Roger Clemens' of the world to keep pitching at a dominant level. (Apologies to equally ancient David Wells and his offseason regimen of beer and potato chips.) Regardless, if the Yankees mortgage some of their top minor league bargaining chips for a 41 year old pitcher they are making a foolish move. Maybe I'm just blinded by following a small market team that can't afford to make such moves but the very idea of the Brewers trading two of their top 10 prospects for a 41 year old pitcher, even if it was Randy Johnson, is enough to make me gag. One can never reasonably guess how many years they will get out of the Unit but I'm not counting on many more. In fact I predict a small but not insignificant dropoff in Johnson's numbers next year.

But perhaps the Yankees do in fact know what they are doing. They knew what they were doing when they traded for A-Rod weren't they? If there is a Santa Claus, my one Christmas wish is for the Yankees NOT to win the World Series next year. And if Santa is in a generous mood, then he shall deliver a World Series championship to the city that begins with M, ends in E, and the middle is Ilwauke.

Ginter to Oakland

2004-12-15T15:53:00.000-08:00

Keith Ginter has been traded to Oakland for RHP Justin Lehr and OF Nelson Cruz. Ginter was a nice player with some pop. Looks like Spivey will definitely be penciled in at 2nd now. With Weeks possibly being ready by late season this isn't a bad move at all. It fills a much needed hole in the bullpen and this Cruz fella can swing the bat as he showed in the minors last year (albeit at age 24):
Cruz:
(AVG/OBP/OPS)
Single A: .345/.407/.989 in 261 AB with 11 HR and 52 RBI
Double A: .313/.377/.919 in 262 AB with 14 HR and 45 RBI
Triple A: .231/.286/.824 in 13 AB with 1 HR and 2 RBI.

Obviously the sample size is too small and basically irrelevant at Triple-A and it is likely Cruz will start at Triple-A this year.

I'll write more about Lehr in my next post on relievers.

I Need Some Relief......

2004-12-15T15:29:00.000-08:00

After trading Danny Kolb and Luis Vizcaino, the Brewers are now in need of some relief. I'm from the mindset that you shouldn't spend significant amounts on relievers as Vizcaino and Kolb have shown you can find them in the scrap heap or within your own system. Here's a look at some of the incumbents entering spring training:

1. Mike Adams RHP
Adams has emerged as the number one choice to take over the role of closer in 2005 for the Crew. Unless somebody else is signed I do not see any reason for this not to be the case. After coming up from the minors, the tall and lanky Adams pitched 53 innings at the big league level posting a record of 2-3 with a 3.40 ERA. He struck out 39 while walking 14, posting a WHIP of 1.21.

Adams is obviously guarranteed a spot in the bullpen and with a respectable spring should step into the role of closer. He's only 26 years old and has room for improvement coming off his rookie campaign. There may be a few bumps in the road for Adams but I don't see any reason Adams shouldn't develop into a respectable closer based on any of his minor league stats.

2. Jeff Bennett RHP
Bennett was acquired in the Rule V draft in late 2003 and managed to stick around the whole year. He won a job out of spring training after not allowing a run in 8 2/3 innings of work. In 71.1 innings of work at the big league level in 2004 Bennett posted an ERA of 4.79. His WHIP (walks + hits \ innings pitched) was 1.46.

Jeff is a hard thrower, usually around 93 MPH and he walked 26 while striking out 45. 2004 was shaky at best for Jeff but that is to be expected for a guy who logged only 23.1 innings in Triple-A before joining the Brewers' staff.

I would not guarrantee Bennett a spot in the bullpen in spring. He needs to show improvement to earn a spot in the bullpen. The upside is that he is still a young guy at 24 and we're likely to see some improvement in the years to come and hopefully see Jeff become a quality reliever. But he must prove he can be effective and trusted in tight situations in 2005.

3. Brooks Kieschnick

Brooks has been a favorite of mine since he joined the team in 2003. We all know the story behind Kieschnick. Not only can he pitch he is a solid option off the bench as a pinch hitter. Brooks took his pitching to the next level in 2004 with the following stats:

W L IP K BB WHIP ERA
1 1 43 28 13 1.33 3.77

As you can see Brooks put up respectable numbers as a pitcher and his value only increases with the bat he brings to the late innings. Kiesch should be held onto next season and have a spot in middle relief for the Crew. Another idea I've heard that I like is using Kiesch as a long reliever. Think about it, it's almost like having a DH in the lineup. As long as he can maintain this level of pitching Brooks could be a valuable asset to the organization.

The Brewer Hot Stove Report

2004-12-14T14:05:00.000-08:00

The Milwaukee Brewers have had what so far looks to be a very successful offseason. General Manager Doug Melvin has done a brilliant job to overhaul the lineup and acquire a flame throwing potential ace or closer. The Brewers are beginning to show signs of life and a Melvin and new owner Mark Attanasio have began a process of healing with the Milwaukee Brewer faithful that have suffered through years of mediocrity. Here is a breakdown and analysis of some of the major moves Melvin and the front office have orchestrated:

1. Signed Damian Miller to a 3 year worth $8.75 million

The past few years we've had to endure the likes of Eddie Perez, Keith Osik, Gary Bennett and Chad Moeller crouching behind the plate to catch the Brewers pitchers. I won't complain about the catching but their batting left something to be desired. Last year Gary Bennett posted an awful OPS (On-Base Percentage plus Slugging Percentage) of .626 while Chad Moeller had an absolutely dreadful OPS of .560. Damien Miller's career OPS is .747 and he posted an OPS of .740 last year. Even if Miller has a dropoff next year he will be far superior to any catchers we trotted out there last year or the year before.

The question is whether signing a 35 year old catcher to a three year contract is smart. Let's be honest here, Miller's salary won't break the Brewers. Considering there is no catching talent anywhere near the majors this signing makes all the sense in the world. Our current AAA option is 41 year old Pat Borders. Lou Palmisano remains a promising prospect in the low minors but is nowhere near ready to contribute to the big league club. Chalk this signing up as a victory.

2. Traded RHP Dan Kolb to Atlanta for RHP Jose Capellan and RHP Alec Zumwalt

Billy Beane has proven the logic of buying closers low and selling high. It's good to see Doug Melvin emply this philosophy to the Brewers. Dan Kolb was picked up after being released by Texas and promptly moved from AAA Indianapolis to Milwaukee and eventually into the role of closer. In the first half of 2004 Kolb was absolutely lights out and earned an all-star appearance. The second half was a little more shaky for Dan as he posted ERA's of 5.25 and 6.75 in August and September respectively.

With Atlanta failing to lure any starters after losing Jaret Wright to the Yankees and Russ Ortiz for the Braves they looked within their ranks for the answer and decided to move John Smoltz back to the rotation. This made an opening at closer the Brewers were more than willing to fill.

The main player the Crew got in return was fireballing righthander Jose Capellan. Capellan's fastball has been clocked in excess of 100 MPH and he made the climb from High Single-A baseball to the majors last year for Atlanta. As a starter he maintains a velocity usually between 94-97 MPH. In 24 games (23 starts)scattered at Single-A, Double-A, and Triple-A, Capellan posted a 14-4 record with an ERA of 2.32. He had 152 strikeouts in 140 innings and walked 45. For a flamethrower, Capellan shows good control and works around the strike zone.

This move can only yield positive results. We picked Dan Kolb off the scrap heap and turned him into a potential top of the rotation starter. If Capellan fails as a starter I see a very successful career as a reliever and/or closer. He should start the year in AAA to get a little more experience before getting his shot to crack the rotation as a starter for the Crew.

3. Trade CF Scott Podsednik, RHP Luis Vizcaino, and a player to be named to the Chicago White Sox for LF Carlos Lee.

Going into the offseason the Brewers had hoped to lure a big bat to Milwaukee through the free agent market. Doug failed to lure the likes of Troy Glaus, Richard Hidalgo, and Jermaine Dye here and now I'm beginning to count my blessings he didn't after seeing the money these guys got (Hidalgo wasn't so bad). So the trade route is the route Melvin looked to and he found this deal.

Scott Podsednik had become a fan favorite in Milwaukee with his tough play and speed on the basepaths. Scott stole a club record 70 bases in 2004. In 2003 he was a strong candidate for Rookie of the Year and did in fact win that honor from a few publications. Scott posted a stellar OPS of .822 in 2003 but dropped to .677 in 2004. The real Scott Podsednik likely lies somewhere in between but I don't think we'll ever see a repeat of his 2003. The most concerning thing about Podsednik was his OBP in 2004 of .313. This is absolutely unacceptable for a leadoff hitter. Yet he had an insane amount of stolen bases this year and many teams like to overpay for speed. In this case the Chicago White Sox valued Podsednik's speed enough to give us the big bat we need to put in between Overbay and Jenkins in Carlos Lee.

Carlos Lee put up some good numbers for the White Sox last year. He batted .305 with an OBP of .366, hit 31 HR and drove in 99. His OPS in 2004 was .891. The lowest OPS Lee ever posted was in his rookie year at .775. He has consistently been in the .800s for OPS with last year being his best year. At 28 years old he is by no means a senior citizen and look for him to enjoy an excellent year for the Brewers batting in between Lyle Overbay and Geoff Jenkins.

Losing Vizaino after trading Kolb may hurt. But I've always been of the opinion that you can dig up a good relief pitcher. Bring some failed starters, some castaways, and some young guys to camp and see who sticks.

Overall on the surface this trade looks to be a steal for the Brewers. We now have the big bat in the middle of the order to drive in runs that weren't driven in last year. Brady Clark is a more than adequate replacement for Podsednik in center and I'd almost venture to say it is an upgrade. Brady posted an OPS of .782 last year and more importantly an OBP of .385. This is exactly what I'd like to see out of a leadoff hitter. Not to mention his defense in center is also an upgrade to the speedy but erratic Podsednik. Two thumbs up for Melvin on this trade.

These moves have brightened up the winter for a Brewer fan. And Doug may not be done yet. It ought to be interesting who Doug brings in to compete for some relief spots. I'll be looking into some possibilities in my next entry.

April 10, 2004: Milwaukee Brewers vs. Houston Astros

2004-10-26T13:35:00.000-07:00

After shaking the cobwebs from my brain late in the morning on April 10, I realized I had another Brewer game to go to. To top it off, Ben Sheets was pitching. At this point, I saw Ben Sheets as little more than an enigma. I was waiting for him to produce a breakthrough performance. That did not mean pitching one good game, but several in a row. My hopes rested in the fact that this day would be the start of establishing Ben Sheets as an elite pitcher in the National League.

I did not mention that when we came back from the game the night before we realize that somebody had stolen our grill. We looked around and saw nobody else really got their grill stolen and we weren't drunk enough to misplace something as important as a grill. We just assumed it was a Houston Astros fan or some other malcontent because we could not imagine a loyal Brewer fan doing such a thing to another loyal Brewer fan with a large Brewer flag hanging in the window of a van above the grill. We cut our losses and headed to the Cudahy K-Mart and got another grill. We sure as hell were not going to sit around drinking beer before the game without grilling more brats.

We got to the ballpark at a reasonable time. Getting a good start on drinking proved to be a little more difficult than the day before, but any good drunk can get going after the first few refreshing, ice cold, Miller products. This patricular day we were tailgating outside Helfaer Field, the little field outside Miller Park. The atmosphere was more subdued than the home opener, but that could only be expected. The home opener was a party of epic proprotions. Only those with grit, true Brewer fans, were out the next day. And we were chock full of grit on this day.

We cooked ourselves some brats, drank some beers, and had a good time. One fine gentleman found himself with some extra brats that we gladly helped him devour. That is one thing about Miller Park tailgating that makes it such an enjoyable experience. The fellowship among Brewer fans is next to no other. Twelve straight losing seasons will develop a strong bond between the fans that stick together through the tough times. We will gladly accept those that jump on the bandwagon but there will always be a sense of brotherhood with the true fans that have lived through the 106 loss season and still watched the Brewers take the field every day. The home opener was a party that everybody attended. After the party was over, the strong emerged from their hangover to return and watch the team they are so passionate about.

After taking our seats on the field level, first base side, the game began. There was one thing that I can say absolutely stood out from this game. Ben Sheets. His final line had him pitching six innings and striking out ten while yielding zero runs. Those watching the game were treated to something special. Big Ben was routinely throwing in the upper nineties with excellent control. The Astros hitters seemed lost at the plate. I knew Ben Sheets could throw hard as his rookie year all-star appearance showed, but consistently throwing 96 and 97 M.P.H. absolutely floored me. At that point I was convinced that Sheets had finally overcome the label of enigma even though it was only his second appearance of the year. Only injury could stunt his ascent to the top of the National League elite. The whole season proved that Ben Sheets is indeed one of the elite. Only a dreadful Brewers offense kept him out of the national limelight. Perhaps that is a good thing, as Doug Melvin was only bothered a few times by overzealous New York reporters trying to put into motion the trade of Ben Sheets to the Yankees. This pitching performance made me realize that Sheets is to be the poster-boy of this franchise for many years to come. His season's performance only strengthened my assertion.

The one other tidbit from this game I find compelling enough to write about is Jeff Bagwell. I have the utmost respect for Mr. Bagwell as a hall of fame player and terrific guy overall. But as long as he is in Miller Park and my friends and I are sitting on the first base side, he will hear unending chants of "BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGWEELLLLLLLLLLL." We did this with the utmost respect, as I could not imagine ourselves heckling a player such as Orlando Palmeiro. Who wants to heckle a no-name? Heckling a player without going over the edge and hurling personal insults shows opposing fans' respect of that player. We were careful not to hurl personal insults, but merely chant his name in an annoying manner. Twice that day Bagwell got the better of us by getting two hits, one a double. That quieted us down. But his two strikeouts only made our chants more audible than ever.

The Milwaukee Brewers won the game 6-1. Wes Helms hit a long home run to left-center field to drive in three runs. I thought at the time that the home run would be the first of many for Wes but the season proved otherwise as Wes did not homer again until May 11th, and after that until September 3rd. Injury played a role, but the season was dissapointing for Wes nonetheless.

After the game we jubilantly travelled back to Sauk Prairie for another meal of pork chops. And back to Madison we went for another night of partying with some of my friends. Weary the next day, we finally made it back to River Falls late Sunday afternoon and the first weekend of a new tradition was complete.

UP NEXT: Home Series Versus the Minnesota Twins

Home Opener: In Retrospect

2004-10-25T15:57:00.000-07:00

My reflections of the Brewers' 2004 season can be best started with a retrospective analysis of the games I attended this year, the first game I attended being the home opener versus the Houston Astros on April 9th.

The journey started in humble River Falls, Wisconsin. Preparations for this trip were months in the making. Anticipation was high for this trip, and for the Brewers season. You could say this was the beginning of what I hope to be a new tradition with some of my other Brewer fanatic friends that for the purposes of this blog shall be identified as Corey A., Michael S., and Aaron K.

After the preparations were made and the final touches were put on the trip, we loaded up the van. The van will forever hold many memories for me as I will never again ride in her. But that deserves another entry in its own. Anyway, the van was loaded and we were ready to go. We had a Brewers flag hanging in the window to show our support for the greatest team on earth.

Off we went, rolling north on Highway 65 out of River Falls and onto Interstate 94 for the three hour trip for the first destination, my hometown of Sauk Prairie, Wisconsin. The drive down was fairly uneventful besides the usual travelling shenanigans. We were mostly nervous that Mike's van wouldn't even make it for the whole trip. Three hours later we had made it back for a one night layover and were served an excellent supper by my excellent cook of a mother. The night in Sauk was not particularly eventful either. Drinking a lot was a dangerous proposition. The cops in Sauk are not keen on drinking and driving and being hung over was not ideal for the home opener.

The morning could not come soon enough, and when it finally did we were sent off with a good breakfast and to Milwaukee we went. The drinking was not too heavy on the way down because we had plans for a long day of tailgating and the other downfall of booze cruising is the constant need to stop for somebody and urinate. For some reason, booze cruising is against the law too. But we got there in one piece and the tailgating ensued in earnest. As I was sipping on my ice cold Miller High Life I was dissapointed to see a number of Brewers fans in the area drinking Anheuser-Busch products. I took it upon myself to remind these people that we were at Miller Park and they would earn more respect by drinking Miller products. Not to preach or anything, but it is hard to ignore the superior taste of a Miller product along with the fact that we were in a shrine for Miller Beer. After drinking plenty of beer and filling our stomachs with brats, we finally made our way into the park.

The seats weren't the greatest but it was the home opener. I could've sat in a Uecker seat for all I cared. Once inside Miller Park we were forced to pay $5.75 for a plastic bottle of beer. A little pricey for poor college students such as ourselves, but something we gladly paid for.

The game could have gone better. Actually the game stunk. The Brewers lost 13-7. One positive from the game is Gary Bennett's shot heard 'round the world. Actually it wasn't heard 'round the world but should have been. I remember thinking that maybe this dud catcher we signed will be another treasure from Doug Melvin's scrap heap. The first half of the season proved otherwise and only a respectable second half made Gary Bennett a very mediocre catcher as compared to most wondering why this guy even has a job in the major leagues, an argument which one could still lobby for.

I knew the game would be a tough one to win based on the starting pitching. Wes Obermueller showed flashes the previous season but could not be considered a threat to the potent Houston lineup coupled with the Astros starter Wade Miller. Miller struck out seven and if not for a shoddy bullpen performance, the score would have been a lot more lopsided.

My early season's whipping boy put up a performance for the ages that night. That individual being Ben Ford. Ford had pitched opening day and surrendered two runs in two innings. That performance led into his wonderful performance against the Astros. He failed to record an out, he walked two, gave up two hits, and was tagged for five runs. This pretty much solidified my opinion of Ford after only two appearances. From that point forward I could only cringe when Ned Yost called upon Ben Ford to protect a lead. He usually failed. Adrian Hernandez did nothing to impress me that day either by giving up three hits and three walks in two innings. How he only gave up two runs is beyond me as I was pretty drunk by the time Hernandez was in.

It all ended with the Brewers losing 13-7 and us returning to the van to make the short trip to Cudahy where we were staying at my sister's house. We planned a night out in Cudahy. But my night was pretty much over before it started. Having drank a few too many beers I passed out at the first bar we were at and with a little help from my friends, made it back to my sisters where I slept and dreamed of the Brewers coming victory the next day......

UP NEXT: Saturday April 10, 2004

Welcome to the Brewerblog!

2004-10-25T15:38:00.000-07:00

Hi, and welcome to the Brewerblog. I'll mostly be writing about the Milwaukee Brewers except during the offseason (now). During the offseason I will be discussing anything that pops into my head.

Maybe to start things off I'll write up some thoughts on the Brewers season and the course I'd like them to take in the offseason. Also I'll have some comments on the World Series.