Do we have a back up plan in the OF?

[VegasBrewerFan]

We have some real question marks in RF and CF. What do the Brewers do if Gomez is hitting just above .200 in June. Who plays CF then? What happens is Mr. Hart doesn't hit again. What is our back up plan? Just getting back into baseball season mode just wondering if someone was signed. I know we don't have anyone ready to take over in AAA.

Just hoping someone can catch me up a little.

[razzzorsharp]

Gerut?

[monty57]

As Razzzor said, Gerut is going to be OF #4. I'm more optimistic on him than many, as he has been an .800+ OPS player in the past. I would like to see another corner OF with some pop signed to be a decent RH bat off the bench and injury / ineptitude replacement. We are pretty thin with only four OFs on the roster, three of those with big question marks.

 

The Brewers did recently pick up Norris Hopper, but as it stands, my guess is that Gerut covers most of the days off in the OF, with Heether on the club as a RH bat / emergency 5th OF to start the season. If Cain can stay healthy, there's a chance that he could be MLB ready later in the season if Gomez gets hurt or isn't cutting it at the plate.

[nate82]

You could always throw Gamel out in RF not the best option but he should be athletic enough to make the transition if Hart is not cutting it.

[rluzinski]

There's a reasonable (20%-50%?) chance that Gamel doesn't stick at 3B. I don't know if they'd be willing to move him so soon, though. They seem committed to giving him a chance to develop defensively at 3B.

[TuesdaysWithRillo]

Katin and Heether should see the 25 man roster at some point this season. Heether is more of a corner IF, but I believe he can play the OF, too. Katin has good power if he ever figures out out to take a walk to help his OBP and Heether impressed me last year in Nashville.

[monty57]

I agree, Russ. Gamel may move in the future, but I doubt it happens this year. First, the Brewers do seem committed to keeping him there. Second, they are not going to throw someone who's never played a position to the wolves at the major league level. If he's going to switch, they'll give him PT there in the minors, or do what they did with Bill Hall and Ryan Braun, which is to give them the offseason to prepare.

 

I think it's more likely that Gamel starts in AAA and comes up if either McGehee or Weeks gets hurt. McGehee moving to 2nd if Weeks gets hurt. Of course, Macha is manager, and Counsell would probably be the everyday player if either of the above happens, so we'll have to see. Something has to be done with Gamel soon, but the Brewers must feel that another year in the minors isn't going to hurt his value.

[TooLiveBrew]

Second, they are not going to throw someone who's never played a position to the wolves at the major league level.

 

They did it with Braun, who was an even worse defender at 3B.

[trwi7]

They did it with Braun, who was an even worse defender at 3B.

 

Braun played 3B in college and the minors and was moved to the outfield officially in the offseason so he had a month or two before spring training to work on playing the outfield and all of spring training.

[TooLiveBrew]

Your facts anger & bore me! Whoops.

[CWSOmaha]

Yeah, Braun played 3B in 2005 with the Hurricanes. They lost in the regional that year in Lincoln, NE to the Cornhuskers. The previous 2 years he played SS, in 2003, and 2004. In 2004 he didn't see a ton of time at SS because of an injury and spent at least half the season as DH. They made it to Omaha in 2003 and 2004. They moved him to 3B in part because the normal 3B was kicked off the team. Not because he played terrible at that position. Can't remember the guy who got kicked off the team, first name is Gabby(Sanchez?Martinez?) and he's a top 10 prospect in the Marlins system.

I know no one cares but I was bored so I decided to type.

[nate82]

It is not like you are moving a player from 1B or 3B to catcher here or for a football analogy an offensive lineman to the QB position. It is still the OF there is not that much of a difference and it is not like Gamel hasn't played OF before when he has played baseball. There is not much he can screw up it is not like there are designated plays that he has to run that will hurt his ability to play a different position we are talking about the OF here. I do not see a problem with moving a player from the IF to the OF. There shouldn't be much of a problem it is not like the player can't learn everything about the OF in a couple of weeks.

 

Overly simplifying things here but all you have to do is run catch ball and then throw ball. I don't really see the problem here or the big deal of moving a player from the IF to the OF as everyone else makes it out to be. I believe some are overly exaggerating how hard it would be for someone to go from the IF to the OF with very little time in the OF. I am probably underestimating how hard it could be but I don't think it is as much of a problem as some people think it is.

[monty57]

You have to read the ball, run to the ball and catch the ball. People who have played make it look easy. Those who haven't look really ridiculous and turn a lot of outs into triples and inside the park HRs. Good OFs get a read as soon as the ball is hit. Some start their break on the swing.

 

Some players are better than others at moving to new positions. Some average defenders can play equally well at multiple positions while some good defenders have a hard time moving to a new position. For example, Robin Yount hated LF, and asked to be moved to CF because it felt more comfotable to him. Thankfully, Braun has transitioned fairly well, while Hall, who is arguably more athletic, and definitely a better IF than Braun had all kinds of problems when he moved to CF. He was a great example of someone who could not read a ball off the bat.

 

I don't doubt that Gamel could become at least an adequate corner OF if given time, but it would be a mistake to throw him out there without ever having played there.

[logan82]

I don't think Braun reads the ball well either. He is frequently turning the wrong way even after 2 years in LF. Some guys have good baseball instincts and some don't. I don't believe Braun does. Hall was playing pretty well in CF by the end of his only season out there. I think Gamel has good instincts and would make the transition pretty well. By most accounts his problem is throwing, not actually fielding.

[monty57]

Katin and Heether should see the 25 man roster at some point this season. Heether is more of a corner IF, but I believe he can play the OF, too. Katin has good power if he ever figures out out to take a walk to help his OBP and Heether impressed me last year in Nashville.

 

I really hope Katin learns some plate discipline, as I'd love to see that power bat as a backup OF for the Brewers. I wouldn't mind seeing him as the 5th OF out of ST, but in this day and age no major league team will take a player that won't draw walks... even as a RH power hitter off the bench.

 

Of course, I've never seen him in person, so for all I know he may be swinging at balls in the dirt.

[endaround]

The longer Gabe Gross goes without a job the more likely he comes back to Milwaukee

[JohnBriggs12]

The longer Gabe Gross goes without a job the more likely he comes back to Milwaukee

I don't think so.

 

The Brewers have a stockpile of guys they could use in CF if Gomez fails. It's starts of course with Gerut. Iribarren has played some CF in the minors and was playing there in winter ball. On AAA contracts they have Trent Oeltjen who's minor league numbers (like Iribarren's) suggest he could hit major league pitching, and Norris Hopper who for half a season in 2007 was really a pretty good offensive top of the order guy for the Reds. Behind them are 2 of the Brewers most highly rated prospects, Lorenzo Cain and Logan Schafer, neither of whom for which it's out of the realm of possibility could end up a factor before it's done in 2010.

 

If Hart falls flat in RF, or gets injured, then it's a little trickier. I think they need to give Gamel some time in RF this spring. But unless he shows he's regained his stroke in Nashville, he wouldn't be my first option. Gerut of course can play RF, but if he were to take over it would be at the expense of CF depth and I think they'd want a platoon partner for him and that's the guy that's missing right now on their roster. I've thrown out names like Gomes, Thames and Quinlan (who's probably the cheapest of the 3) that are still out there.

[Funketown]

The longer Gabe Gross goes without a job the more likely he comes back to Milwaukee

The Brewers have a stockpile of guys they could use in CF if Gomez fails. It's starts of course with Gerut. Iribarren has played some CF in the minors and was playing there in winter ball. On AAA contracts they have Trent Oeltjen who's minor league numbers (like Iribarren's) suggest he could hit major league pitching, and Norris Hopper who for half a season in 2007 was really a pretty good offensive top of the order guy for the Reds. Behind them are 2 of the Brewers most highly rated prospects, Lorenzo Cain and Logan Schafer, neither of whom for which it's out of the realm of possibility could end up a factor before it's done in 2010.

Here are last season's MLE's for Oeltjen, Iribarren, Cain, Schafer, and Hopper

 

Oeltjen: .256/.304/.407/.711

Iribarren: .275/.317/.352/.669

Cain: .182/.231/.277/.508 (injury-shortened season)

Schafer: .246/.289/.342/.631

Hopper: .238/.284/.277/.565

 

Given Gross's defense, I'm hard-pressed to believe any of those guys could outperform him next year. Of those five, I agree with the MLE's that Oeltjen would probably be most productive in the big leagues. Schafer could develop into a very good hitter, but he needs to work through the minors, Cain as well. Norris Hopper is very far removed from his mediocre half of a half-decent major league season, while Iribarren doesn't look like much more than a AAA/AAAA guy at this point.

[Tbadder]

Couldn't they find some ex-MLB stud muffin who plays in Japan to take over either of those positions?

[Invader3K]

Couldn't they find some ex-MLB stud muffin who plays in Japan to take over either of those positions?

You mean like Kevin Mench?

[RobDeer 45]

Nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnoooooooooooooooooooooo! Not Mench! hahaha.

 

I think we wait and see what's up with Prince. I think Gamel ends up at 1b. If Prince does resign, put Gamel in RF.

[sveumrules]

Since Gerut can capably man all three outfield spots I was kinda hoping we'd take a flyer on Matt Stairs for the 5th OF spot. Looks like a minor league deal was all it took. I'm a big fan of his approach as a pinch hitter and I'm sure that combined with his everyman appeal would have made him a fan favorite again.

[MNBrew]

I'd love to have Rocco Baldelli in the mix.

 

I want to be optimistic about Gerut & Gomez, but there's enough mitigating info on both to make anyone's hesitation at least somewhat justified. . . . Then again, you could use the same logic to promote positive projections, too.

[RyDogg66]

It is probably an unpopular suggestion, but our backup plan really should be/have been Johnny Damon 1yr/5mil. Supposedly the Yankees are welcoming him back at 1yr/2mil. Defense be darned, he could still fill in at all three spots and get really meaningful playing time.

[sheethead]

Defense be darned, he could still fill in at all three spots and get really meaningful playing time.

 

Not to mention he could go back to being Captain Caveman again without the silly Yankee appearance rules.