What to do about Braun?

[endaround]

I know that obviously Melvin should be fired for giving him a long term contract and not trading him when he was at peak value...

But aside from that, what can be done? Do you send him to get a full work up? Do you sit him? Do you continue to hope and pray his power returns?

[The Truth]

He'll get it together. He needs to listen to what Dale is inevitably telling him: to stop chasing pitches out of the zone and take his walks. It would probably help him to sit for a day or two. I wouldn't sit him in Wrigley though, that stadium is a slump-buster for a hitter like Braun

 

Maybe this will end up being a down year for him, but I think he'll finish strong in these last 2 months

[NYChez]

Stick him in left field 160 games a year and let him continue his hall of fame career. Nearly every hall of famer has down years (Andre Dawson had several 2-year stretches where he hit under .250). He'll probably have a strong last 2 months and then hit 40 dongs with 120 RBI's again next year.

[TooLiveBrew]

I don't think it's a safe assumption that Braun is some HoF lock. FanGraphs ran an interesting look at him recently, pointing out a steady, almost linear, decline in his ISO since he debuted.

[adambr2]

Hope that he rebounds next year? I don't know what else you can really do. You're certainly not going to trade him after a big down year and he's not going anywhere for a long while. I wish there was a obvious "Hey, this is why he's slumping this year" answer, but I don't know that there is.

 

He's probably just not a 1.000 OPS ultra-superstar that we once thought. But he's not this bad. He'll have a better year in '11. I really do think he may have reached a frustrated point of apathy this year, because he's swung at just some ridiculously bad pitches. Hopefully we get off to a better start next year and stay in contention and Braun improves with the team.

[logan82]

Maybe he should get a day off to rest now and then. Just a thought. It isn't like he has been completely healthy over the last couple years between being hit on the elbow this year and his oblique last year.

[cadillacjosh]

I'll point his struggles to Tommy Hanson. Braun was smashing the ball before then and looked to be having a great year. I remember he was hitting somewhere around .330 at the time. Thats quite a collapse to the .280 he's hitting now. I think we're kind of just stuck waiting till next year. Its not like anyone (Macha) wont play Braun. That .285 average is pretty high on the Crew anyway.

[brewtown82]

is this thread serious? Fire Melvin for giving him an extension? Do you watch baseball?

[Invader3K]

I still say he has some sort of nagging injury bothering him. He just hasn't looked "right" in many of his ABs for the past couple months. Macha giving him a day off once in a while probably wouldn't be a horrible idea either.

[Funketown]

is this thread serious? Fire Melvin for giving him an extension? Do you watch baseball?

Woah, I think the sarcasm in that statement was pretty clear.

 

Endaround, I'm torn on Braun right now. I think the best solution is to make sure he is healthy and just give him a bit of a rest.

[ELCABALLO45]

I'll point his struggles to Tommy Hanson. Braun was smashing the ball before then and looked to be having a great year. I remember he was hitting somewhere around .330 at the time. Thats quite a collapse to the .280 he's hitting now. I think we're kind of just stuck waiting till next year. Its not like anyone (Macha) wont play Braun. That .285 average is pretty high on the Crew anyway.

Coming into that game he was hitting

 

.365/.445/.594/1.037

 

Since that day he is hitting

 

.234/273/.397/.669 with a BABIP of .259.

 

I am not saying that is the reason why he is struggling I just thought it was pretty interesting and pretty crazy to see how bad he has been. What really hurts Braun is how aggressive he is at the plate. Last year he did a great job of taking a walk. This year since he has started to struggle its almost like he is swinging at everything hoping to get some hits to fall. Obviously I don't think Braun is THIS bad, however he really really needs to be more patient and stop chasing bad pitches.

[danzig6767]

Braun isn't that far off this year in how he's hit righthanders through his career, it's his baffling .664 OPS vs lefties that is killing his numbers. Keep in mind that Braun has a 1.036 OPS vs lefties over his career so far which makes his numbers so hard to figure out when facing lefties this season, but that does only cover 113 at bats.

[Oldcity]

Nearly every hall of famer has down years (Andre Dawson had several 2-year stretches where he hit under .250).

Andre Dawson never should have made the HOF. If Braun had his career I'd be disappointed.

[Principessa21]

Maybe the injury is still bothering him, but I'd bet he's not hitting well because he got into some bad habits after the injury. A day off never hurts, but I think the focus needs to be on his mechanics.

[Invader3K]

Just one game last night against some bad pitching, but he had five hits last night. Maybe the start of a hot streak for Braun?

[dlk9s]

I don't know, I'd still probably send him down to Nashville and call up Cain. I'd say just call up Cain to start every day, but we'd be wasting Braun's service time having him just sit on the bench. He needs to go to AAA to play every day.

[JohnBriggs12]

I do think Braun maybe needs to think about a lighter bat. Just because you handled a big bat at 23, playing everyday in the majors wears down even guys still just 26. Pitchers are getting balls past him that he used to mash.

[Ennder]

Stick him in left field 160 games a year and let him continue his hall of fame career. Nearly every hall of famer has down years (Andre Dawson had several 2-year stretches where he hit under .250). He'll probably have a strong last 2 months and then hit 40 dongs with 120 RBI's again next year.

When we are talking hall of fame Andre Dawson had like 10 down years.

 

But yeah I wouldn't worry about him long term. Sitting him for a few days wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.

[monty57]

Braun isn't that far off this year in how he's hit righthanders through his career, it's his baffling .664 OPS vs lefties that is killing his numbers. Keep in mind that Braun has a 1.036 OPS vs lefties over his career so far which makes his numbers so hard to figure out when facing lefties this season, but that does only cover 113 at bats.

This season, Macha is also batting Braun cleanup (behind Fielder) against lefties, and third (ahead of Fielder) against righties.

 

However, if I were a betting man, I'd say the fastball to the elbow had a lot to do with Braun's struggles.

 

[afeter]

there are 2 distinct and troubling trends with braun this year.

 

1st his steady decline in monthly production:

 

People may argue this has to do with injury. I almost hope it does.

 

Split	G	GS	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	TB	GDP	HBP	SH	SF	IBB	ROE	BAbip	tOPS+	sOPS+
April/March	23	23	107	93	19	33	6	0	5	20	6	0	12	12	.355	.430	.581	1.011	54	1	1	0	1	0	4	.364	154	173
May	26	26	115	105	20	30	10	1	3	13	5	0	9	15	.286	.348	.486	.834	51	5	1	0	0	1	0	.310	109	126
June	27	27	117	110	10	29	7	0	3	16	0	1	6	22	.264	.299	.409	.708	45	3	0	0	1	0	1	.302	78	92
July	27	26	111	105	12	21	4	0	5	15	2	1	5	26	.200	.234	.381	.615	40	3	0	0	1	0	0	.213	52	65
August	2	2	11	10	3	6	0	0	0	2	0	0	1	0	.600	.636	.600	1.236	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	.600	220	258

And more dramatically, his spilts against left handed pitching.

 

2010

Split	G	GS	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	TB	GDP	HBP	SH	SF	IBB	ROE	BAbip	tOPS+	sOPS+
vs RHP as RHB	99		335	310		92	20	1	14	52	10	2	21	57	.297	.343	.503	.847	156	7	2	0	2	0	4	.324	111	134
vs LHP as RHB	51		126	113		27	7	0	2	14	3	0	12	18	.239	.310	.354	.664	40	5	0	0	1	1	1	.266	69	78

career

 

I	Split	G	GS	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	TB	GDP	HBP	SH	SF	IBB	ROE	BAbip	tOPS+
	vs RHP as RHB	513		1744	1606		469	90	16	85	271	42	11	99	353	.292	.342	.527	.869	846	28	28	0	11	1	19	.326	91
	vs LHP as RHB	238		580	514		173	41	4	34	112	20	6	62	84	.337	.405	.630	1.036	324	16	0	0	4	6	8	.348	127

If he isn't injured, i believe these stats are concerning. I've always thought his swing was long and that he would have to make adjustments with age. Maybe it is time to switch to a lighter bat.

[mletto157]

What do you mean monthly decline... he is raking in August.

[kramnoj]

I'm not a sabermatrician, so I could easily get some of this wrong, but historically, right handed batters typically display a generic split against left handed pitching, I think it is typically 8% or 10% better than their production against right handed pitching. There are very few true lefty killers. Even Big Hurt, with over 2000 PA had a 15% better production against lefties. Braun's 19% split isn't sustainable. That being the case, there was going to have to be some regression to the mean. This regression seems a bit harsh, but it was going to come in one way or another.

 

And now that I've written that, I realize that the 19% Braun has includes this year, so it was even more unsustainable at the number it was at before this year.

[logan82]

Of course there was going to be some regression but he shouldn't be hitting worse against LHP than RHP. Especially not 190 points of OPS worse.

[rickh150]

This is a crazy topic. I am soooooooooooooooo glad that we have Braun through 2015. He could under perform every year and still be one of our best hitters. They should look to extend his contract after the 2012 season!!!!!! For now, give him a day off here and there, three or four over the next two months. He's the best thing the Brewers got going for them.

 

[dlk9s]

By the way, loved him putting down that bunt early in the game. Smart player, that Ryan Braun.