Gamel to the outfield?

[rickh150]

Could Gamel to the outfield be a possibility if Hart is traded soon or this offseason/? Also, Cameron is probably out after this year as well. In my opinion, do this for the following reasons: 1. He is a liability at 3B, ala Braun. 2. If Hart/Cameron is gone soon/next year, we have no suitable replacements in our system. 3. This move would free up the infield for McGehee, Hardy, Escobar, and Weeks/Counsell.

 

My take is that the Brewers are going to send Gamel down at the All-Star break, unless Hart is traded. Either way, Gamel should try the outfield. If it fits him half as much as Braun, I'll take my chances.

[jjfanec]

One of Gamel and McGehee would make sense to take move to the OF if Hart is moved. Weeks would slide back to second. You have Escobar as well. I am just not sold McGehee is going to continue at this pace and Gamel's value is much higher at 3B than RF in my mind so I would not be quick to move him.

[rickh150]

Heether up, and Gamel down to play the outfield might be the best idea now, giving Gamel daily ABs.

[lcbj68c]

Bats play in my opinion. You want to get his bat in there, you move him to RF. If I ran this team, I'd throw this out there for 2009 and 2010.

 

Escobar SS

Weeks 2B (McGehee in 2009)

Braun LF

Fielder 1B

Gamel RF

Cameron CF

Hardy 3B (he'll do what he's told and can leave in FA if he so feels inclined)

Kendall C (Lucroy/Salome in 2010) Victor Martinez would be ideal, in the 5 hole, and I move Gamel and Co down.

Gallardo P

[jjfanec]

Heether up, and Gamel down to play the outfield might be the best idea now, giving Gamel daily ABs.

Do you really think you can put someone in the OF who has never played it before? If you want to move Gamel to the OF you do it next year not during the season.

[Raw Biz]

If Gamel were to play the outfield, he would definitely need some practice first. You can't just throw him out there in the middle of the season after never having played there. But I don't think the Brewers envision him there. He will either stay at third (where he hasn't been all that bad) or start working at first when Prince is traded in the offseason.

[rickh150]

Gamel playing OF at AAA after All-Star Break= Why not? Do those games count against the Brewers?

Gamel playing OF in Milwaukee after All-Star Break= His defense at 3B isn't great either, remember. I'll agree that it would be a dramatic and unneeded change in the middle of a playoff push since McGehee probably would be the better option out there. Still, someone should tell him to buy an OF glove.

[TooLiveBrew]

Comparing Gamel to Braun at 3B is a disservice to both players. Gamel actually has the skills to turn himself into a plus defender at 3B.

 

But I don't want to just dismiss the Gamel-->OF notion. If the best way for the Brewers to compete is with Gamel at LF or RF, then I hope they go with that plan. Imho however the best plan is to not move Gamel's bat off 3B. Rickie Weeks is a perfect example of how waiting for tools to come together can pay off.

[paul253]

This would be a perfect time to move Rickie Weeks to center field. We are loaded with infielders next season (McGehee, Hall, Hardy, Escobar, Fielder, Gamel, Heether, possibly Counsell). I wouldn't mind seeing Weeks in center, Gamel in right, and Hart traded, although it may be a very long year defensively. That would allow either Hardy, McGehee and Escobar to play at some combination of third, short, and second, with Bill Hall, Adam Heether, and Craig Counsell fighting to be the two backups.

[GB12]

This would be a perfect time to move Rickie Weeks to center field.

 

Yeah, remember how we tried that with Bill Hall?

[markedman5]

Gamel to the outfield is a possibility next year but you can forget about him replacing Hart this season.

[The Truth]

Weeks in CF? I don't think Weeks should be counted on for much, given his injury history. Anything you get out of Weeks is pure bonus (granted he's exceptionally talented, and one of my favorite Brewers because of his work ethic and hustle)

[TooLiveBrew]

Weeks played CF in college.

[dadofandrew]

Weeks was rated as the best defensive 2B in the NL by some metrics before he got hurt, per Doug. He's not moving anywhere.

[PeaveyFury]

Weeks was rated as the best defensive 2B in the NL by some metrics before he got hurt

 

In a whopping 35 game sample, for the record.

[Oldcity]

Sure, but metrics had him as elite. It's not like he was "pretty good, probably above average" for those 35 games where it would make sense to take with a grain of salt. Not to mention, it was easy to see how much better he was there this year.

[logan82]

Weeks looked really good at the start of 2008 as well. Weeks was slightly below average last year and thinking of him as a slightly above average defensive player is probably the best bet. When looking at defense we need to look at more than just one year. Defense fluxuates a bit year to year. Hardy for example was a worse defender last year then in 2007 according to UZR/150 and better this year than last.(16.7, 8.5, 13.9)

[BrewCrewForever]

If McGehee continues to hit this year and prove he could play everyday at 3B then yes I would move Gamel to a corner OF spot. He may go to LF and they might move Braun to RF. Then you trade Hart and then you also trade Hardy to make room for Escobar. And here would be my 2010 Brewers lineup:

 

1. Escobar- SS

2. Weeks- 2B

3. Braun- LF

4. Fielder- 1B

5. McGehee- 3B

6. Gamel- RF

7. Cameron- CF

8. Kendall- C

9. Pitcher

[Never Outhustled]

McGehee was a college OF. If he continues to hit, he could start next season in LF. Then, if injury induced a need at 2B or 3B, he could move in, and we'd only need to fing a replacement LF to fill the hole. If Gamel moved to the OF, that would be permanent, and we'd lose versatility.

[JohnBriggs12]

This would be a perfect time to move Rickie Weeks to center field.

 

Yeah, remember how we tried that with Bill Hall?

Hall was okay out there after a couple rough months. They moved him to 3rd because they had a hole there, and they figured his offensive decline from 06 to 07 was due in large part to his concentrating on the position change.

 

What makes you think moving Gamel or McGehee to RF is any easier than moving Weeks to CF? Weeks' speed would seem much better suited to the OF than either Gamel or McGehee. Cameron is a FA. He'd have to take a substantial pay cut for the Brewers to bring him back.

[BrooCroo]

I tend to spend most of my time on the MLB Brewers board, but I like to read posts on both boards. I think Gamel to the OF is missing the boat entirely. No offense to everyone, but Fielder is not staying longer than 1 or 2 years past this year and I have always seen Mat Gamel as his future replacement and I don't see them moving this guy around like the did Bill Hall year after year. I really thought they set up Fielder's contract to trade him after this year. He's a lot more tradeable if a team knows just how much they have to spend on him one out of the two remaining years before he's a free agent. He has however been playing so good to the point he's making himself untradeable this offseason. Either way, getting rid of Hart just doesn't make sense because we don't have a replacement, especially if Cameron walks after this year. This is how I see next year shaping up:

 

Jason Kendall C

Fielder 1B

Weeks 2B

McGehee 3B

Hardy SS

Braun LF

Hart CF

Some new RF

 

Other possibilities if they really want to play Gamel is

 

 

Jason Kendall C

Fielder 1B

McGehee 2B

Gamel 3B

Hardy SS

Braun LF

Hart CF

Weeks RF

 

I just don't see this team changing that much from this year to next PS that's just by position it's not a batting order. and you might get Escobar in there if they get rid of Hardy or McGehee, but I think McGehee is around to stay unless he really drops off cause he unlike Gamel and Escobar has hit at the major league level.

[pete]

I would think that both Weeks and Gamel would have to fail at their positions before they are abandoned. Imagine Gamel putting in all that extra practice time, the tutoring of Money and Randolph, seeing results that were asked for, and then the idea being abandoned while the next coaches go to work at learning a new position.

 

Weeks has worked for years at playing 2nd. I think just about everyone would expect him to be between averageish to really good. Now move him to CF? If that was the plan, let it be another team.

[Invader3K]

I think the idea of moving Rickie to CF is a completely fan generated one. I don't think it's even on the Brewers' radar as a legitimate idea.