I can't get over how awful our bench is

[gregmag]

Counsell is versatile and is a wily old veteran. May not seem like much, but remember that AB in STL a month ago? That's the kind of toughness he brings. Plus, he gets the occasional hit and works the count a lot, which I like off the bench.

This is true, and well said. The problem is that you're only looking at his positives. Every player has positives. But getting "the occasional hit" and "working the count" doesn't make a player useful as a hitter. All the versatility and toughness in the world doesn't make a bad player worth a roster spot. Counsell is a .200 hitter with no power and declining range in the field, which isn't surprising, because he's almost as old as I am. Counsell, in his Brewers career, has exceeded my most optimistic hopes for what he could do. I love the guy, and I have tremendous respect for him. But he can't play anymore. Now, is he worse than Betancourt and Wilson? That's a depressingly difficult question to answer.

 

 

[RockCoCougars]

"Just was curious . . . our bench of Rob Picciolo, Ned Yost, Ed Romero, Roy Howell, Marshall Edwards, Bob Skube, Mark Brouhard, and Don Money in '82 wasn't all that impressive either."

 

Take it back..... Brouhard was clutch. Howell and Money were both brutal though in a DH platoon (which the team was forced to go with due to another year of false Larry Hisle comeback hopes). I mentioned on another post how Josh Wilson is Picciolo to Counsell's Romero.

I'm no Josh Wilson apologist, but a comparison to Picciolo in '82 seems quite a swipe. Picciolo was like Enrique Cruz the 2nd half of his year in MIL or the 3rd quarterback who practically never suits up: the Brewers got Picciolo from Oakland in mid-May. From then 'til the end of the season, he played in 22 games and got 21 ABs with 7 hits & 1 RBI. Wilson is 5-18 so far (.278) but has 2 HRs & 3 RBIs. . . . Total production is similar, but it's taken Wilson a couple weeks to do this so far compared to 4.5 months for Picciolo, the most invisible & anonymous member of the '82 Brewers.

I made my first comparison before the two jacks. Picciolo was actually at least decently regarded when the Brewers got him. I had thought that he made an all-star game with Oakland, but that was just another case of my memory slipping. He was pretty much buried behind Yount, Molitor, Gantner and even Romero when he got to Milwaukee. Useless trivia: One of the minor leaguers the Brewers traded for Picciolo threw a no hitter with only 9 career wins....anyone remember his name?

[MNBrew]

Useless trivia: One of the minor leaguers the Brewers traded for Picciolo threw a no hitter with only 9 career wins....anyone remember his name?

Mike Warren, who for years I kept wanting to think was part of the Moose Haas trade for some reason.

[MNBrew]

....Every player has positives. But getting "the occasional hit" and "working the count" doesn't make a player useful as a hitter. All the versatility and toughness in the world doesn't make a bad player worth a roster spot. Counsell is a .200 hitter with no power and declining range in the field, which isn't surprising, because he's almost as old as I am. Counsell, in his Brewers career, has exceeded my most optimistic hopes for what he could do. I love the guy, and I have tremendous respect for him. But he can't play anymore. Now, is he worse than Betancourt and Wilson? That's a depressingly difficult question to answer.

Counsell's not the hitter he was 2 years ago, when his change in stance made a huge difference in his BA. Overall his hitting seems to be showing his age (tonight's 3-for-3 notwithstanding). However, unlike Betancourt & Gomez, who don't do much of anything if they don't get a hit, Counsell's backing his .220-.230s BA with .345 OBP. Granted, it's in fewer than 100 PAs, but it's still right in line with where his OBP has been over 2008-2010, which would indicate a solid success rate for getting on base, especially for an old bench guy.

 

I'm not a huge Counsell backer. But he still makes some decent contributions compared to other very easy "targets" of this thread (Nieves, especially).

 

I'll still agree with some of the root point of the thread, that our bench isn't terribly strong. I'd always like to see a 4th OF and a 5th IF on the roster with whom we'd almost surely get nearly a regular starter's contribution if they became a regular for a 2-3 month stretch. The Brewers' current bench doesn't really have guys who would routinely be pushing a starting OF or IF for playing time. Instead, the Brewers just have a batch of role players who aren't anything more than clear-cut backups.

[RockCoCougars]

Useless trivia: One of the minor leaguers the Brewers traded for Picciolo threw a no hitter with only 9 career wins....anyone remember his name?

Mike Warren, who for years I kept wanting to think was part of the Moose Haas trade for some reason.

That's him... I thought 9 career wins may be the fewest for a guy throwing a no-hitter, but I just checked and Bobo Holloman had only 3. The no-no came in his first start- talk about peaking early!

[1992casey]

Please continue any discussion in this topic:

 

Come on Brewers, this bench is awful -- how about some changes?