First impressions of Mat Gamel?

[twobrewers]

I'm just curious to hear what everyone's first impressions are of Mat Gamel so far as a MLB player.

 

After today's game, Mat's batting average has dropped to .174. However, his BABIP is hovering around .230. So you can argue he has had some tough luck as well.

 

He made one great play at 3B - and followed that up with an error later in the game. I also like him working with Willie Randolph on defense. (no disrespect to Don Money) His swing looks very pure. He is well balanced and takes the ball to all fields.

 

But best of all....have you seen him running out the ground balls!?!

 

In one of his first games he was on 1B for a grounder when the shortstop went to second for the force out. They should have gotten Gamel by 3 steps. He was running so hard I thought he beat the tag. (I still think he might have - the ump just called him out because he was surprised)

 

If you haven't noticed yet - at least enjoy that aspect of his game. It is in stark contrast to Bill Hall watching everyone of his balls for 3 second before leaving the batters box.

[GormanHarvey]

Not that this is much of a response, but when he bounced to 2nd base last night to end the game he was absolutely screaming down the line. They got him by less than a step on a play where you would expect an average runner to be out by 3 or 4.

[TooLiveBrew]

Yeah, I actually was startled to see how hard Mat was running out that grounder against the Cards last night. The thought of Gamel having *ahem* regular playing time this season, coupled with another offseason/ST to work on his defense with Money and/or Randolph, really is promising.

[Never Outhustled]

Gamel has not just Randolph but also Ken Macha working with him on his defense. They've already identified a flaw, he comes too upright after fielding the ball, which gives him poor balance on his throws. Both of these men are terrific teaching fundamentals. I'm sure Money is good too, but a minor league manager has a ton of other responsibilities, so he spread a little thin.

[kramnoj]

At the game today I watched Gamel as Pujols was being IBBed. He was in a defensive position, ready to move in case a ball somehow was put into play. The other Brewers were either just standing and some were stretching. Sure, it wasn't necessary for Gamel to do what he did, but I think it was his way of showing that he hasn't done enough to take it easy.

 

He also came in hard today to break up a DP. I don't know that it would have been a DP anyway, but he's obviously playing hard, doing everything he can to stay up.

[crewcrazy]

I think Mat's obviously shown a ton of intensity in the small amount of time in the field he's had, and it's great to hear that they're already "fixing" his defense. I have to wonder how much of it has to do with him hearing the complaints about him being lazy/unprofessional/arrogant in spring training as far showing up on time and not telling the club about injuries. Even if he is just trying to redeem himself, it's good that he at least realizes that he made a poor first impression and is working to change it.

 

On the field, I've liked what I've seen so far, but it's still an incredibly small sample. As others mentioned, the average is low but he's hit some absolute screamers right at defenders. That will even out eventually, and he seems to be pretty calm at the plate compared to some of the other young guys the team has brought up in the past few years...the only one who looked even more calm and looked like he knew he belonged was Braun, and that turned out very well. I don't expect him to hit like Braun, but it's nice to see another guy come in and be able to hit the ball hard almost every time he makes contact.

[PrinceEatMeat]

Overall, I have been very impressed with Mat Gamel. His entire approach to the game so far has been remarkable. Especially due to the fact that he is so young and considered a top prospect. You would expect some of those guys to come out and be arrogant, and think they are too good to play hard. Gamel comes out and plays hard in all facets of the game, and he plays for the team to win. I know that he is only hitting .174, but his approach at the plate is very impressive. Other then a few swings at balls in the dirt, Gamel has shown patience at the plate, and has shown the ability to hit balls hard to all fields. He has gotten some bad luck with outfielders making nice plays, and hitting balls right at guys. I have really enjoyed watching him play. I think his offense will pick up once he starts to become more comfortable defensively. I think it's remarkable that he is putting out all the effort he needs to, so he can become an above-average third baseman. I didn't see that same effort with Ryan Braun for instance. I hope Mat Gamel stays here all year, because it is a joy to watch someone like him play the game.

[thablingster]

Gamel's average really doesn't tell the tale of how hard or well he has been hitting the ball. He has been doing the little things people like to see such as running out ground balls, going in hard to break up double plays, trying to get to every ball he can, etc.

 

I do like what I've seen from him so far and am probably not as afraid of his defense as Macha and company seem to be. I think if given a fair enough chance with Weeks out and Hall struggling Gamel may be able to provide some good offensive numbers with just good enough defense to not hurt the team. In some ways I wonder how Macha sees Gamel versus how Melvin sees Gamel because Melvin made it clear that at this point we're not trading for someone to replace Weeks so Gamel is most likely a part of that solution, yet Macha has made it clear by his actions he doesn't trust Gamel's defense, so we'll see how that plays out.

[kramnoj]

yet Macha has made it clear by his actions he doesn't trust Gamel's defense, so we'll see how that plays out.

 

I think this is too strong. Macha had the chance to take out Gamel while facing a LHP today and didn't do so. Gamel got on base and didn't get removed from the game for a defensive replacement.

[Invader3K]

I think they're just easing him in. He'll get more chances soon enough.

[JJHardy7]

After today's game, Mat's batting average has dropped to .174. However, his BABIP is hovering around .230. So you can argue he has had some tough luck as well.

 

I'd put zero weight into his batting numbers since he's pretty much riding the pine. He's doing well in his limited role.

 

Gamel has not just Randolph but also Ken Macha working with him on his defense. They've already identified a flaw, he comes too upright after fielding the ball, which gives him poor balance on his throws. Both of these men are terrific teaching fundamentals. I'm sure Money is good too, but a minor league manager has a ton of other responsibilities, so he spread a little thin.

 

Those flaws were pointed out last year. Mat made a comment in a Nashville paper earlier this year that his biggest problem was 'not being ready' and in part that led to him in strange positions when he got to the ball. I'm not saying Randolph and Macha suck, but Gamel's issues have been identified in the past. He just needs more work.

[thablingster]

Obviously Macha's opinion can change, I am just going off of the things that have been said that we have access to so far. A couple of the reasons I made that statement are as follows:

 

1) From the article about Gamel being called up, "He may get a start -- we'll see," said Brewers manager Ken Macha, who paused when asked if he felt comfortable with playing Gamel at third base. "He's had some errors down there, [eight] errors. I thought in Spring Training he wasn't really terrible out there."

2) From TH's blog about lineups on May 26 "Bill Hall is back at third base, in large part because Jeff Suppan is pitching and a lot of balls get put in play, and Hall is more accomplished than rookie Mat Gamel defensively." (these may be TH's words, not Macha, but still interesting)

 

I also thought there was something about Gamel after spring training let out with them saying his defense wasn't completely ready yet, but I could be wrong. Those statements from Macha at least say to me that he isn't really brimming with confidence about playing Gamel in the field, which is why I said it would be interesting to see how things work out. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

[BrewCrewForever]

I like what I see so far, doesn't have big stats or anything but he plays the game hard and you can see he has a great swing. The more he plays the better he will get. I hope he at least starts all games vs RHP.

[southpaw121505]

I'd be all for him playing everyday.

[rluzinski]

Melvin has put little emphasis on defense during his stint with Milwaukee and I get the impression that Gamel is no exception. Good stick, no defense. It's almost inevitable that he'll end up in RF.

[trwi7]

Melvin has put little emphasis on defense during his stint with Milwaukee and I get the impression that Gamel is no exception. Good stick, no defense. It's almost inevitable that he'll end up in RF.

 

Not sure how you can say that when he moved Braun from 3rd to left, moved Hall from center to 3rd and signed Cameron to specifically improve the defense.

[patrickgpe]

he reminds me of rickie weeks in 2005. I think he will be a good major league hitter but isn't there yet. He is a decent defender but over thinks the easy plays.

[kramnoj]

Good stick, no defense. It's almost inevitable that he'll end up in RF.

 

I can see him taking over 1B whenever it is that Prince leaves, as we don't really seem to have someone to replace him. I don't see the need to put him at RF when there are a decent number of OF prospects that should be ready to replace Hart when the time comes.

[ILuvDaBush]

First impressions of Mat Gamel? Appreciate that he's on our team. I can't wait for him to go on a crazy streak. He's healthy which is a plus. He's aware of his role and never takes any AB's for granted (Counsell-ian). And you can't ignore his numbers. Over/under...Wade Boggs.

[JJHardy7]

Melvin has put little emphasis on defense during his stint with Milwaukee and I get the impression that Gamel is no exception. Good stick, no defense. It's almost inevitable that he'll end up in RF.

 

No truth to this at all. Your 'impression' turns into 'inevitable'? Interesting. He's made strides at 3B. I'd be shocked if he's moved. He's better than Braun ever was at 3B -- not that is saying all that much. He has a huge and I do mean huge arm. Comments like these are why I think some should check in on the minor league teams and such before being posted. There's no question that Gamel can play 3B in a tools aspect. It's just a matter of when it's the right time to call him up. He has all the tools to play 3B.

 

I do admit he may not stick at 3B, but please can we stop the 'move Gamel' type posts and it's inevitable. Nobody is working harder on defense than Mat. The Brewers have to figure out what the heck they're doing here. You either play him or send him to AAA. He's been the worst used top prospect in the Melvin era IMO. A guy that needs work and at-bats doesn't need to be sitting on the bench. He's the third best hitter on this team today IMO. Play him or send him down. It's really that simple. He has nothing to gain by sitting on the bench or having a PH. To me, it just seems that the Brewers don't know what to do with him because they are afraid to hurt Hall's feelings.

[DougJones43]

I think he looks like Paul O'Neill when he's up to bat.

[Gobias Industries]

he reminds me of rickie weeks in 2005. I think he will be a good major league hitter but isn't there yet. He is a decent defender but over thinks the easy plays.

I was thinking the same thing with the Gamel and Weeks comparison as well, patrickgpe. Both weren't/aren't major league ready on D, but had major league ready bats. Both play the game "the right way".

 

It's always kind of overlooked, but Weeks was one of, if not the best hitter on that team in 2005 until he injured his thumb (and in a remarkably stupid decision, the team had him play through it.) Of course, this 2009 team is light years better than that 05 one, but I still would expect Mat to probably be our 4th best hitter (behind Braun, Fielder, Hardy) going forward.

[cwolf2012]

In terms of raw hitting stats, Gamel should outperform Hardy in my opinion. Hardy is a .280/.340/.470 kind of hitter, and I expect Mat to at least match that. Now, if we factor in a comparison to his peers at his position, then Hardy is significantly better.

[Never Outhustled]

Those flaws were pointed out last year. Mat made a comment in a Nashville paper earlier this year that his biggest problem was 'not being ready' and in part that led to him in strange positions when he got to the ball. I'm not saying Randolph and Macha suck, but Gamel's issues have been identified in the past.

Money did say on a pre-game interview that Mat's issue early this season had to do with his pre-pitch stance, which lead to a number of fielding errors. I donj't think it was addressed last year at all, you should re-check your timeline, then re-read my post. The issue Macha and Randolph are addressing is after he fields the ball he comes up too upright when setting to throw. This has nothing to do with his pre-pitch stance.

 

I'd put zero weight into his batting numbers since he's pretty much riding the pine.

You need to fact checker. Gamel has started 5 of the last 6, there was only 2 games he didn't appear in.

[BrewCrewForever]

I have heard people compare Gamel to Wade Boggs but with more power. It might take him a few years to get to that point but that would be great. I hope he can stick at 3B but if not 1B will be open in a few years for him.