Brendan Katin

[Never Outhustled]

Katin isn't even the best offensive player on the team. Adam Heether has an OPS a full 100 points higher.

[jdoz]

Katin isn't even the best offensive player on the team. Adam Heether has an OPS a full 100 points higher.

 

Interesting point, but you neglect one major fact. Katin has had over two times the number of at bats as Heether and has played in almost two times the number of games. Let's see if Heether is still in the same boat in 80+ more at bats.

[trwi7]

Gimme a break, what does this kid have to do to get called up??!

Getting on base better than 33% of the time would help.

[DHonks]

Maybe he needs incentives. How about the next time (or first time?) Katin walks 4 times in a week, he gets a brewerfan.net tshirt?If he could get the OBP to around .350, suddenly you could make the case that his raw power is worth it

[TooLiveBrew]

For reference's sake, Katin's MLEs thus far (184 PA):

 

.249/.277/.474/.751

 

I wish continued success to Brendan, but really don't agree with the pleas for him to get called up right now. Heck, the Brewers just flat-out cut Brad Nelson earlier this year because he was having a hard time at the plate.

[jdoz]

For reference's sake, Katin's MLEs thus far (184 PA):

 

.249/.277/.474/.751e.

 

I wish continued success to Brendan, but really don't agree with the pleas for him to get called up right now. Heck, the Brewers just flat-out cut Brad Nelson earlier this year because he was having a hard time at the plate.

What mle calculator did you use, those #s don't match up at all with the mle calculators I've found.

[LouisEly]

OPS with runners on base in 2009:

 

Corey Hart (majors) - .609

Brendan Katin (AAA) - .958

 

Just sayin...

[jdoz]

LouisEly -

 

Apparently that doesn't matter. Someone will now write back that Katin strikes out a lot and doesn't walk enough. That he only gets on base less than 33% of the time (even though as I mentioned earlier in this thread that's fairly comparable to Hart and Catalanotto). It doesn't matter that he's leading the team in rbi's with clutch hitting and that he has a gun for an arm that is a defensive weapon. Doesn't matter that Hart can't hit the broadside of a barn these days (actually since the second half of last season with one of the worst playoff appearances you can look at - Phillies series anyone?). Nope, there will be a rebuttal. If only Katin could trade his rbi's and home runs for just a few walks, then he'd be a major leaguer.

 

Thankfully the doubters aren't the GM and hopefully the GM has some sense and gives this guy the shot he deserves.

[battlekow]

I thought everyone hated Dave Kingman--we're really campaigning to have 75% of Dave Kingman start for our team?

 

Sure, Hart may not be the answer, but that doesn't mean that the guy playing his position at AAA is the answer.

[TooLiveBrew]

What mle calculator did you use, those #s don't match up at all with the mle calculators I've found.

 

Interesting... Minorleaguesplits.com. Up until your post, I was 100% sure thier MLE calc. was idiot-proof enough even for me.

 

To clarify, I did enter in the league & park from their dropdown menus, so I think that means it's park-adjusted.

[monty57]

Aren't MLE calculators by nature pretty tenuous? Predicting the future is impossible, but it's easier to predict what someone with major league experience will do in future major league games than it is to predict what someone with no major league experience will do. Of course, GMs need to use something to help make their decisions, but it's far from gospel. After all, the Cardinals were idiots for bringing up Pujols, who had no chance to succeed, while players like Dallas McPherson, Corey Patterson, Joey Meyers and thousands of others were sure things. I think Hart is going to get a very long leash due to his past success, and barring a Braun or Hart injury, Katin has little chance of being called up now that Melvin has picked up Gerut and Cat.

 

Getting on base better than 33% of the time would help.

 

You're right, OBP is very important, but it isn't the only skill for a major leaguer. Katin has ability, and would seem to have the ability to help a major league team. It would be wonderful to field a team full of players that get on base at a .400 clip and hit 30+ HRs, but that's hard to do. When that's not an option, I like to have high OBP, low power guys batting 1/2/8 in the order and high power / low OBP guys batting 5/6/7 in the order. I don't know if Katin will ever help the Brewers, but I'd bet he'll play on a major league team.

 

Katin isn't even the best offensive player on the team. Adam Heether has an OPS a full 100 points higher.

 

And Prince, JJ, and Cameron aren't the best offensive players on the Brewers, but I hope they keep them in the lineup. Heether is cursed by being blocked. The Brewers already have Gamel, Hallbatross, McGehee and Counsell who all play 3B. I doubt the Brewers will DFA Hallbatross, as he does have value against LH pitchers and in that he can play all the IF positions, so even though Heether could likely outhit Hall, unless they somehow find a way to trade him, Hall will be on the MLB roster.

 

Katin, on the other hand, is blocked by Hart, who has shown that he has talent, but is in a really long slump. Gerut has also shown talent in the past, but is having a horrible year, and Cat wasn't even on a MLB roster until Nelson went 0-for-21. As I said earlier, I don't think he'll be called up without an injury, but Katin is definitely making it a tough decision for Melvin, which is the most any AAA player can do.

 

Here's an idea: Now that it appears Gamel may finally get the starting nod over Hall, we may need someone who can actually hit to be DH in our next interleague series. It probably won't happen, as they'll probably DH Gamel and play Hall, McGehee or Counsell at 3B, but it's a thought.

[brewjihad]

Interesting... Minorleaguesplits.com. Up until your post, I was 100% sure thier MLE calc. was idiot-proof enough even for me.

 

To clarify, I did enter in the league & park from their dropdown menus, so I think that means it's park-adjusted.

 

Park and league adjusted, yes. If you go to an individual player page and click the tab for MLE, it automatically adjusts for luck as well.

[jjfanec]

LouisEly -

 

Apparently that doesn't matter. Someone will now write back that Katin strikes out a lot and doesn't walk enough. That he only gets on base less than 33% of the time (even though as I mentioned earlier in this thread that's fairly comparable to Hart and Catalanotto). It doesn't matter that he's leading the team in rbi's with clutch hitting and that he has a gun for an arm that is a defensive weapon. Doesn't matter that Hart can't hit the broadside of a barn these days (actually since the second half of last season with one of the worst playoff appearances you can look at - Phillies series anyone?). Nope, there will be a rebuttal. If only Katin could trade his rbi's and home runs for just a few walks, then he'd be a major leaguer.

 

Thankfully the doubters aren't the GM and hopefully the GM has some sense and gives this guy the shot he deserves.

Your condescension toward anyone who disagrees with you is not helping you prove your point. We get that you like Katin and he very well could be a good option out in right field. What other people are trying to point is that although he has great power numbers his lack of plate discipline could be a big reason why he is not called up yet. No one is denying he has very good power and that he has an extremely hot bat right now. You like and want him up right now and others think he would struggle with MLB pitching.

[TooLiveBrew]

No one is bashing Katin, either. Some just don't feel that he's ready, and honestly he just doesn't look ready yet. Yes, raw power is a huge part of becoming a contributor at the big-league level, but if you have no plate discipline, you just become a relatively easy out for MLB pitchers.

[jdoz]

LouisEly -

 

Apparently that doesn't matter. Someone will now write back that Katin strikes out a lot and doesn't walk enough. That he only gets on base less than 33% of the time (even though as I mentioned earlier in this thread that's fairly comparable to Hart and Catalanotto). It doesn't matter that he's leading the team in rbi's with clutch hitting and that he has a gun for an arm that is a defensive weapon. Doesn't matter that Hart can't hit the broadside of a barn these days (actually since the second half of last season with one of the worst playoff appearances you can look at - Phillies series anyone?). Nope, there will be a rebuttal. If only Katin could trade his rbi's and home runs for just a few walks, then he'd be a major leaguer.

 

Thankfully the doubters aren't the GM and hopefully the GM has some sense and gives this guy the shot he deserves.

Your condescension toward anyone who disagrees with you is not helping you prove your point. We get that you like Katin and he very well could be a good option out in right field. What other people are trying to point is that although he has great power numbers his lack of plate discipline could be a big reason why he is not called up yet. No one is denying he has very good power and that he has an extremely hot bat right now. You like and want him up right now and others think he would struggle with MLB pitching.

 

You are correct. I apologize for my tone, just got frustrated and caught up in the moment trying to prove a point I'm passionate about. Not an excuse though, I apologize for the unnecessary negativity.

[attheoldballgame]

I've seen probably twenty Sounds games this year and . . .

 

I'm sure Guerrero has told Katin to take more first pitches but DANG, he swings at almost every first pitch. It immediately gets him in the hole. If he'd just wait on the first pitch he'd be a much better hitter and have a higher OBP.

 

He does have a slow bat-swing too. He positions himself as far back in the box possible. His right foot is sometimes out of the box.

 

When Katin makes contact it's a rocket. He hit a home over the guitar score board earlier (April).

 

Contrast that stance with Jake Fox's stance. (I saw him when Iowa played the Sounds in April).

 

Fox stands one foot in front of the plate. His bat-speed is very good. He doesn't seem like he'd be such a slugger but his bat-speed makes up for other things.

 

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3658/3590120852_a47ee51529.jpg?v=0

 

Here's a link to all the pictures I've taken tagged with 'Katin' this year. Some of them are successive shots too.

[battlekow]

Haudricourt on Katin:

On the radar screen

When prospects in the Brewers' system are discussed, Brendan Katin seldom is mentioned. Yet the power-hitting rightfielder has almost single-handedly carried Nashville with his bat.

Katin, 26, produced his third two-homer game Thursday in a span of six games, giving him home runs in seven of 14 games. Batting .340 over a 21-game stretch, the Sounds' rightfielder was at .281 with 12 home runs and 44 RBI in 46 games, with a .584 slugging percentage.

Katin was selected in the 23rd round of the 2005 draft out of Miami, where he was a teammate of Ryan Braun, the Brewers' first-round pick that year.

"He's got as much power as anybody I've ever seen, at any level," said Braun, who knows a thing or two about slugging. "He's a big, strong guy who hits a ball as far as anybody I've seen."

Katin is in his second year at Nashville, where he batted .271 with 19 home runs and 72 RBI in '08.

The reason Katin seldom is mentioned as a future Brewer is because he is a right-handed hitter and all-or-nothing type, something the club already has in abundance.

Katin had drawn only nine walks in 178 at-bats while striking out 56 times. Melvin compared him to former Brewers slugger Rob Deer, prolific in hitting homers and whiffing.

"That's probably what people say he is," said Melvin. "But this guy keeps hitting. He has hit at each level he has played, and he's got a plus arm.

"He does get overlooked. If he continues to hit, at the end of the year, we've got to take a look at him. He's got power."

Braun expects to see Katin in the majors at some point, if not with the Brewers.

"Consistency has always been his issue," said Braun. "But when he's going good and centering the ball, he hits it as far and hard as anybody I've ever seen. He's actually a really good athlete for a big guy (6 feet 1 inch, 235 pounds).

"Prospect status a lot of times is a direct result of what round you're drafted. It shouldn't be that way but it is. He wasn't a high draft pick. If you look at physical tools, he's about as talented as anyone in our system."

[TooLiveBrew]

"That's probably what people say he is," said Melvin. "But this guy keeps hitting. He has hit at each level he has played, and he's got a plus arm.

 

That has to make the Katin-backers happy. Clearly the organization is well aware of the kinds of weapons his two main tools are.

[Invader3K]

Kind of cool that Ryan Braun had big things to say about him. Obviously you'd expect him to be supportive of a former teammate, but this didn't seem like the usual "nice speak" baseball players usually use.

[Godspeed]

Kind of cool that Ryan Braun had big things to say about him. Obviously you'd expect him to be supportive of a former teammate, but this didn't seem like the usual "nice speak" baseball players usually use.

Really? Braun and Katin have been prior teammates in the minors as well as college. The quote would mean more to me had it been spoken by someone without that sort of extensive rapport with Katin.

[jdoz]

Hart continues to set new lows, time to give him a rest. How much longer for Katin? The Cubs are gaining ground. Give the kid a shot.

[jdoz]

Another HR and 2B tonight. In the top 5 of AAA for HR and RBI. In the top 10 for SLG and in the top 20 for OPS.

 

 

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=l_bat&lid=112

[TooLiveBrew]

But whose roster spot would/should Katin take if he were to get called up?

 

Right now our OF of Braun/Cam/Hart/Cat/Gerut is pretty darn solid. Our positional roster as a whole is really well-constructed. I just don't see Katin having a spot until the September roster expansion, unless there's an injury or trade (& even with a trade I would not want to see him just handed a starting gig).

 

 

Hart continues to set new lows, time to give him a rest. How much longer for Katin? The Cubs are gaining ground. Give the kid a shot.

 

The problem at this point with this statement is that Hart has started hitting again. Seems like the Brewers may have been right to be patient with him.

[trwi7]

The problem at this point with this statement is that Hart has started hitting again. Seems like the Brewers may have been right to be patient with him.

I think using the word patient in a sentence with Hart is funny. Carry on. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

[LouisEly]

Cat doesn't have a lot of years left in the tank, if any, so it could be a chance for Katin next year. Otherwise the best bet is for another team to value his power so he has some trade value. Hopefully Hart is back on track... but he has a big sample size in a year and a half to rebound from before I'm convinced he's back to 2007 form.