Rotation Battle 2.0 -- Latest: Suppan Named 5th Starter

[sheethead]

Oh thank God, I was worried there for a moment. We have tickets to the 4/24 Cubs game and I thought it would be Suppan's start. If TH is correct, and Suppan goes on the 14th, then he would be in line to pitch the 25th! Oh happy day, we dodged a bullet.

[trwi7]

Macha noted that many of Suppan's statistics were similar last year to Braden Looper, who won 14 games despite a 5.22 ERA. Suppan was 7-12 with a 5.29 ERA.

"There are a couple of things you can look at," said Macha. "Suppan was our lead guy out last year. Now, he's not in a situation where he's No. 1 against the other team's No. 1.

Ugh. I really don't like Macha.

[crewcrazy]

Kind of seems like the whole "rotation battle" was a sham to begin with if Suppan is declared the winner. Some of Macha's reasons for picking Suppan are pretty ridiculous, including the one about him not being matched up against the other team's #1 starter. Yeah, because that was his problem last year.

 

Hopefully this is only a short-term thing, and they can skip the 5th spot as much as possible.

[And That]

So, the logic here is:

 

Sign big $$ contract ---> start some games ---> be mediocre enough to warrant being replaced ---> have replacements with higher upsides available ---> get injured ---> ??? ---> 5th starter!

 

Flawless.

[TuesdaysWithRillo]

So, the logic here is:

 

Sign big $$ contract ---> start some games ---> be mediocre enough to warrant being replaced ---> have replacements with higher upsides available ---> get injured ---> ??? ---> 5th starter!

 

Flawless.

I'm sensing sarcasm. The Suppan contract only will haunt us for one more year. That is the silver lining to this dark cloud of news.

[tyguy20204]

This is ridiculous. Talk about not understanding what a sunk cost is. Macha reveals himself to be more ignorant with each passing day, of course Melvin shares the blame here.

[pretendastronaut]

The justifications for this move would be humorous if they weren't so aggravating.

 

But this isn't a surprising move. I felt that interview with Melvin on WSSP was pre-setting up justifications for the decision, and they mostly expanded on those same justifications, and made some more laughable ones.

 

I just don't understand some of the logic though because there have been comments that last season they put to much stock into spring training and it failed, so this year they don't want to do that. Yet Hart, McGehee and Edmonds are all reflections of ignoring that train of thought, but they're applying it to this rotation situation.

[endaround]

Except Suppan being out of the rotation has nothing to do with spring training and everything as to how he's pitched for the past 2 seasons.

[FVBrewerFan]

I don't put much stock into how Macha explains the decision. I have learned over the years to ignore anything a GM or coach says in any sport. (See Ted Thompson.) Bottom line, Suppan is getting paid a ton so you as well see if he has anything left in the tank. Now, no Manager (outside of Ozzie) would pu it that bluntly.

 

I like the decision. Nobody is saying he'll be the #5 all year, regardless of how he pitches. Throw him out there, and if he can be serviceable in the #5 role, sobeit. If he can't, then Parra or Narveson will get their chance. I don't see the problem. Plus, if Suppan actually does pitch ok, or even good, now he has some trade value. That's a pretty easy risk/reward decision.

[sheethead]

Now that Suppan has been named the #5, the new question is how long of a leash does Melvin/Macha give him? Five starts? Ten starts?

[derflotr]

I don't have a problem with Suppan starting now necessarily, because I do believe Manny Parra will work his way into the rotation within the next couple months...I just think Parra is a guy that can really make the Brewers a legitimate contender should he figure things out. Suppan isn't that guy. Parveson's just got so much more upside, bleh.

[tigerbrew]

Kind of seems like the whole "rotation battle" was a sham to begin with if Suppan is declared the winner. Some of Macha's reasons for picking Suppan are pretty ridiculous, including the one about him not being matched up against the other team's #1 starter. Yeah, because that was his problem last year.

Totally agree, well said.

 

[logan82]

I guess the lesson to be learned here is to never give managers sharp objects to play with. I would expect more from an engineer.(I am assuming engineers know a lot about numbers maybe that was not the case in Macha's day) It is also disappointing considering Milwaukee has a front office that employs people to look at numbers.

[trwi7]

Kind of seems like the whole "rotation battle" was a sham to begin with if Suppan is declared the winner.

 

This is probably what aggravates me most about this. Don't come out in the media and say it's an open competition for the 4th and 5th spots and then give the guy who pitched the worst the 5th spot.

 

Some of Macha's reasons for picking Suppan are pretty ridiculous, including the one about him not being matched up against the other team's #1 starter.

 

Agreed. We're not idiots, we can go to Suppan's player card on ESPN, go to his game log and look at who he faced last year. In fact, a guy on RealGM did and it took him about 15-20 minutes. Here's the list.

 

Tim Lincecum

Ryan Dempster
Nelson Figueroa
Mike Hampton
Max Scherzer
Ian Snell
Sean Marshall

Adam Wainwright

Roy Oswalt

Adam Wainwright
Andrew Miller
Javier Vazquez
Clayton Richard
David Huff
Francisco Liriano
Ryan Sadowski

Carlos Zambrano
Todd Wellemeyer
Bronson Arroyo
Paul Maholm
Craig Stammen
Bronson Arroyo
Ross Ohlendorf
Barry Zito

Adam Wainwright
Ryan Dempster
Brian Moehler
JA Happ
Jason Hammel
Joel Pineiro

 

He certainly wasn't facing aces everytime out last year.

 

Bottom line, Suppan is getting paid a ton so you as well see if he has anything left in the tank.

 

That is horrible reasoning. Just from watching him last year and then him getting another year away from his prime they should know he has nothing left in the tank.

[Teatoe993]

As a Timber Rattler fan I am livid. I'd rather watch a pitcher like Efrain Nieves with some upside. Suppan's gonna get lit up like last year by Kane County and he'll still get called up to make the start against the Cubs. Can't they just have him throw a simulated game in Arizona or something? Who loses their roster spot next week? If it's Parra or Narveson I won't be taking in a game at Miller Park this year. My guess is that Villy will be the one sent down.

[endaround]

I don't get why you build a team to do your best to win 90 games and then make a decision that can only hurt you. If the Brewers are planning on 75 wins, sure let him pitch hope he revives somehow and brings you at least salary relief in July.But then you don't spend $30m on veteran pitchers in the offseason.

[Funketown]

As a Timber Rattler fan I am livid. I'd rather watch a pitcher like Efrain Nieves with some upside. Suppan's gonna get lit up like last year by Kane County and he'll still get called up to make the start against the Cubs. Can't they just have him throw a simulated game in Arizona or something? Who loses their roster spot next week? If it's Parra or Narveson I won't be taking in a game at Miller Park this year. My guess is that Villy will be the one sent down.

Maybe they meant fifth starter on the T-Rats.

[JohnBriggs12]

I don't get why you build a team to do your best to win 90 games and then make a decision that can only hurt you. If the Brewers are planning on 75 wins, sure let him pitch hope he revives somehow and brings you at least salary relief in July.But then you don't spend $30m on veteran pitchers in the offseason.

Well put. Only explanation I can think of is that they want to show future potential FA that they will give them all benefit of doubt regarding roster decisions. Doesn't make sense to me either, but oh well.

 

How long is his leash? Probably long enough that the alternatives will no longer be stretched out making it even more difficult to dislodge him.

[FVBrewerFan]

Bottom line, Suppan is getting paid a ton so you as well see if he has anything left in the tank.

 

That is horrible reasoning. Just from watching him last year and then him getting another year away from his prime they should know he has nothing left in the tank.

You don't know that for a fact. Even if you don't agree with the decision, you have to at least acknowledge the upside. If he can go out and throw reasonably well for 3 or 4 starts he has trade value. If he doesn't have that opportunity he has NO trade value. I just don't buy what End said, it's NOT a decision that can only hurt you. You people act like it's impossible for Suppan to pitch 6 innings and give up 3 runs. It's not. and if he can have a couple outings like that, they're in abetter position to move him and free up money for a player that can help in the stretch run. Parra will start, probably sooner rather than later. But c'mon, it's not like they're making Sandy Koufax sit on the pines. (Man, I can't believe I've somehow become a Macha/Suppan defender.)

 

 

[RockCoCougars]

You don't know that for a fact. Even if you don't agree with the decision, you have to at least acknowledge the upside. If he can go out and throw reasonably well for 3 or 4 starts he has trade value. If he doesn't have that opportunity he has NO trade value. I just don't buy what End said, it's NOT a decision that can only hurt you. You people act like it's impossible for Suppan to pitch 6 innings and give up 3 runs. It's not. and if he can have a couple outings like that, they're in abetter position to move him and free up money for a player that can help in the stretch run. Parra will start, probably sooner rather than later. But c'mon, it's not like they're making Sandy Koufax sit on the pines. (Man, I can't believe I've somehow become a Macha/Suppan defender.)

 

First of all, the odds of Suppan throwing reasonably well for 4 to 5 consecutive starts are slim to none. If people are smoking the ball right at guys, he may be able to get through one or two starts, pitching 'well' with smoke and mirrors, but not 4 to 5 starts. Secondly, even assuming that were to amazingly happen, I don't think that Suppan would have any trade value unless the Brewers were willing to absorb at least 90% of his salary. Nobody's going to commit more than a million or so to a guy when there are scores of pitchers with better stuff around AAA, or even out on the street. I guess if the Brewers want to risk sabatoging the season in an attempt to save a million dollars, this is the strategy they should take. If they want to actually have the best chance of winning, Soup would have been pink slipped after his brutal performance down in Arizona. Instead, they chose to protect him once again.... now his neck is the excuse.

 

The only positive spin that I can put on this is that I may have to load my sportsbook account so I can make some money by betting against the Brewers (for the first time in my life) when Suppan starts- seems like easy money. I'll probably parlay the opponents with the over as well.

[bacon06]

I had a sinking feeling the rotation battle was more to appease the fans than to really determine who would be named the fifth starter. My brain told me Suppan had the inside track based on his large contract, despite the organization's comments. My heart wanted to believe it was a real open competition. But then again, my heart wants to believe athletes don't sign contracts for the money either.

[thumperden]

April Fool's........please?!

[BrewCrewForever]

Well I am all for Suppan going out there and being a productive starting pitcher I hope it happens. But I know it is not going to. He stinks, he takes the mound with nothing. All he has is smoke and mirrors and he gets lucky when the hitters get themselves out. He better have a short leash. The sooner they end this experiment and give the 5th spot to Narveson or Parra the better. Heck, it would not surprise me if Suppan is out of baseball next season.

[BREWERPRIDE]

Wow im done with this site, after reading some of these comments, some of you guys are the dumbest "Brewers fans" I have ever seen. Seriously, be a FAN.

 

Ridiculous.

[TooLiveBrew]

What on earth are you talking about? Honestly, if that's your two cents, good riddance.