anyone else seeing big changes ahead? Latest: Mark A says Melvin is going to be here a long time, Macha will not be fired Monday

[logan82]

I would give Melvin 2 more years personally. He has already changed the focus in the minors to pitching. If he can trade Fielder for a reasonably good pitcher and at least one or two of the current pitchers in the minors actually pan out we will have some decent pitching without spending much on FA pitching. I absolutely think Melvin built the Brewers the right way. He got us in a position to be around 80 wins every year unless things really go bad. Drafting hitting is safer than drafting pitching. While focusing on pitching is the better idea for peaking much higher, we could be the Pirates right now. 17 straight losing seasons. Sure it was the safe way to build the franchise. Now we have a good talent base and need to take the next step. I see Melvin making moves in the right direction so far. If he signs Fielder or doesn't trade him for a decent pitcher, I will change my mind. It is way to early to look at this season and call it a complete failure. I thought we were around 84 and 5 either way wouldn't be surprising. Right now we are on the low end with many players being a huge disappointment so far.

[TooLiveBrew]

I would give Melvin 2 more years personally. He has already changed the focus in the minors to pitching. If he can trade Fielder for a reasonably good pitcher and at least one or two of the current pitchers in the minors actually pan out we will have some decent pitching without spending much on FA pitching.

I know some are concerned with the notion of letting DM be the one to determine what (pitching) return the Brewers would get on Prince. I think I'm starting to feel that way, but if he is the one to deal Prince, I hope he proves that concern wrong.

[pebadger]

I think we can agree that this team is better than a .375 club.

For the most part, yes, but I think opinions would diverge rather quickly when you put an upper limit on just exactly what this team is. Right now this team is probably no better than .400. They certainly have the potential to be better, but I see nothing that indicates that this team will be better. They are a punching bag right now, and it almost seems like other clubs smell the blood in the water when they face the Brewers. There seems to be little or no synergy between between any of the moving parts with this collection of players. In 2008 I would have used word 'team'. Not this season.

[logan82]

For the most part, yes, but I think opinions would diverge rather quickly when you put an upper limit on just exactly what this team is. Right now this team is probably no better than .400.

That would only be 16 wins. I find that very hard to believe. If we had a decent closer we would be at almost .500 right now. At least 18-22. The only really bad thing this year is that Hoffman fell off a cliff so far and since he is a Hall of Famer we really can't pull him.

[SoCal Brew Crew Fan]

logan3825]I would give Melvin 2 more years personally. He has already changed the focus in the minors to pitching. If he can trade Fielder for a reasonably good pitcher and at least one or two of the current pitchers in the minors actually pan out we will have some decent pitching without spending much on FA pitching. I absolutely think Melvin built the Brewers the right way. He got us in a position to be around 80 wins every year unless things really go bad. Drafting hitting is safer than drafting pitching. While focusing on pitching is the better idea for peaking much higher, we could be the Pirates right now. 17 straight losing seasons. Sure it was the safe way to build the franchise. Now we have a good talent base and need to take the next step. I see Melvin making moves in the right direction so far. If he signs Fielder or doesn't trade him for a decent pitcher, I will change my mind. It is way to early to look at this season and call it a complete failure. I thought we were around 84 and 5 either way wouldn't be surprising. Right now we are on the low end with many players being a huge disappointment so far.

I completely agree logan. Focusing on hitting early in his tenure gave them a higher chance of success and a foundation from which to build. I think it was the right thing to do as well. They did draft a few pitchers high as well, but outside of Gallardo they've whiffed. It's tough...as you mention, young pitchers have a much higher risk/reward.

 

A couple years from now that picture could change. They are close on some bullpen arms and the starters could come behind them. If things work out, Melvin will get a shot to augment the pitching with some bats instead of augmenting the bats with the aging FA arms.

 

The pitching in the system isn't enough however...you are right. They will need to trade Prince and hopefully he handles that situation well. The market isn't necessarily in his favor with a surplus of 1B and teams highly valuing those young power arms. The only other piece they would likely get value for might be Hart, but that's a question mark. They have little else of value that they would get a return for to make up for what they'd lose, unless they could move some salary. Despite a bunch of payroll coming off next year, attendance will be down as well.

 

As far as Macha is concerned...who cares. I'd rather not spend the money on a replacement, unless they replace him with Bonnie Brewer or someone who would sell tickets.

[craigharmann]

unless they replace him with Bonnie Brewer or someone who would sell tickets.

Hey, Bonnie could be better at managing a bullpen and firing up the team!

[Teatoe993]

It's a total pipe dream for me but are the Brewers even allowed to talk to Kremblas now that he's managing in Indy? I always thought he should have been the one managing this club since 2007. Excess booze and strip clubs be damned. He was the right guy for the job in my opinion.

[endaround]

People forget how good the ptiching was in 2006. That's only 4 seasons ago-Bush and Capuano were both mid 20s guys who one could expect to still be pitching at a similar level in 2010.

[RockCoCougars]

It's a total pipe dream for me but are the Brewers even allowed to talk to Kremblas now that he's managing in Indy? I always thought he should have been the one managing this club since 2007. Excess booze and strip clubs be damned. He was the right guy for the job in my opinion.

Is that really what caused his abrupt dismissal? Any details? In hindsight, I think he would have been a good option.

[LouisEly]

Firing the manager usually means cashing in on the season. I'm not ready to do that, though I admit time is running out.

I can think of a great example to counter that argument.

 

16-22 is eerily similar to 15-25.

[pebadger]

It's really not all that hard to see this team going 50-70 the rest of the way. That would put them at right around .400 on the season. Even with some of the talent on this club, it's just hard to see where the wins are going to come from. Maybe that will change, but until it does, I just have a hard time seeing it. Barring a very surprising weekend in the Cities, if they can't turn it around at home against Houston and the Mets things look bleak month of June.

[TheCrew07]

No one forgot anything, neither of those of those guys were/are top of the rotation arms.

 

Dave Bush through the minors projected to be 4/5, his K and BB rates were very average and he just doesn't have the power stuff to be a great pitcher, but he gets a ton of mileage out of his intangibles. I realize that Gross, Jackson, and Bush were all high draft picks, but that doesn't mean they had high ceilings as players, they were "get to the majors quick" kind of players. I'm fine with having those guys sprinkled through the draft to give some balance to the prospects in the system, but I'd be livid if the Brewers were drafting that kind of talent early in drafts.

 

Cappy had better breaking stuff, similar FB to Bush, but being a LHP he projected somewhere in that #3 range. Cappy excels with the mental part of the game, he's always seemed to be ahead of the hitters, he wasn't blowing people away as he is the typical finesse lefty. He always had a nice K rate but a high BB rate, and I'm down with any pitcher who has a K rate over 7. However good he was in 2006 certainly didn't excuse what happened to him in 2007. If you look at Capuano's career peripherals, 2006 is certainly the outlier, he just didn't walk anyone that season for whatever reason. Maybe it's just as simple as he was peaking at 27 years old.

 

In 2006 the rotation was Sheets and a bunch of pitchability guys, in 2010 the rotation is Gallardo and a bunch of pitchability guys, I don't see the difference at all. Outside of acquiring Sabathia after Yo went down in 2008 the starting rotation has been essentially the same setup since 2004, with varying degrees of success from the pitchability guys.

 

If Melvin trades Fielder for a couple more pitchability guys I'm driving down to MP, beating my way through security in a blind range, and punching him square in the eye. That is all.

[TheCrew07]

It's a total pipe dream for me but are the Brewers even allowed to talk to Kremblas now that he's managing in Indy? I always thought he should have been the one managing this club since 2007. Excess booze and strip clubs be damned. He was the right guy for the job in my opinion.

Is that really what caused his abrupt dismissal? Any details? In hindsight, I think he would have been a good option.

There was an article written by a female reporter that painted him to be a playa looking to pick up chicks even at the ballpark, I have no idea how true it all was, but I always liked how coached the game. He moved people around and forced them to learn the game and learn other positions. I was always pretty high on Kremblas.

[logan82]

In 2006 the rotation was Sheets and a bunch of pitchability guys, in 2010 the rotation is Gallardo and a bunch of pitchability guys, I don't see the difference at all.

 

Sheets was head and shoulders better than Gallardo. He was a stopper in the rotation, Gallardo is just a good pitcher.

 

This pitching staff is not as bad as they have shown so far. I think everybody is being way to negative about it. Understandable to some extent, but we are not going 65-97 on the season baring multiple injuries.

[rluzinski]

I would LOVE to bet against the team finishing anywhere near as bad as 30 games under.

 

In terms of overall talent, this team looks pretty similar to the one that was projected to be about a .500 team. With the bullpen stinking and Davis's poor start and health issues, we'll probably have to expect them to play a little below that going forward. Pegging them as maybe a true .475 WP team, that gives them about 58 more wins and 73 total wins. 14 games under? 16? Do Casinos offer such a bet?

[Fatter than Joey]

Probably an O/U on the wins going forward

[chickinbrickin]

I said this over on BCB this morning. Everyone stop wishing people are going to retire. They are not. They have a guaranteed contract of millions of dollars, that kind of money easily out weighs any shame players get for being washed up. The front office has to force the changes, every player wants to play, every player thinks they are better then they actually are.

 

Hoff isn't going to retire this year or next. He needs to not retire to collect another $500,000 from our organization. He'll simply wait a year.

 

No more talk of players retiring, this is a business, and they are here to make as much money as they can.

Yes it is a business, but what does $500,000 K mean to a guy like Hoffman who has been collecting checks in the big leagues forever. Most of the greats know when they have nothing left to offer, and quit before they make fools of themselves. Anyone who can call themselves one of the greats should have enough respect for their team and the game to call it quits.

 

[sheethead]

Most of the greats know when they have nothing left to offer, and quit before they make fools of themselves.

 

Honestly I think its the other way around. For Hoffman its almost too late. How nice would it be to see Axford stick as the "9th inning guy?"

 

With that 'stache and heat coming out of the bullpen... the Ax-Man! Or something like that. I honestly do not want to hear Hells Bells again. I could never stand that song in the first place. Bon Scott has always been like nails on a chalkboard to me. How about those two changes ahead?

[trwi7]

Most of the greats know when they have nothing left to offer, and quit before they make fools of themselves.

 

Tell that to Ken Griffey Jr. who's making a fool of himself in Seattle.

[TooLiveBrew]

Hey, he wasn't asleep! He was just resting his HoF eyes so he could see the ball better in the weeks to come.

[trwi7]

Hey, he wasn't asleep! He was just resting his HoF eyes so he could see the ball better in the weeks to come.

I wasn't even talking about Sleep Gate. He just looks brutal at the plate.

 

[Roderick]

Most of the greats know when they have nothing left to offer, and quit before they make fools of themselves.

Not my perception. I think most of greats have a pretty big ego (well earned), and feel they can turn it around the very next pitch. I think you usually see retirement "forced" upon them by teams not being interested in their services (at least in their expected price range) anymore.

[RockCoCougars]

Hey, he wasn't asleep! He was just resting his HoF eyes so he could see the ball better in the weeks to come.

I wasn't even talking about Sleep Gate. He just looks brutal at the plate.

You guys have awakened him. Walk off pinch hit today.

[LouisEly]

Wasn't this kind of what many people were advocating - send down the higher ceiling guys with options and keep the guys with no options, and if the guys with no options fail or get hurt they have a backup plan.

 

Well, it's time for the backup plan.

[Flood Pants]

An interesting paragraph popped up on BP's "On the Beat"

 

He also has a couple of figurative headaches in his second season as the

Brewers' manager. The Brewers are 16-25 and, though Macha has the

support of general manager Doug Melvin, owner Mark Attanasio reportedly

wants to change managers and give the job to bench coach and former Mets manager Willie

Randolph.

 

http://www.baseballprospe...icle.php?articleid=10932

 

I think this is the first "report" we've seen of a desire for a managing change. I wonder if this is a true report or just speculation.