DH / Interleague Play -- Latest: Brewers will "likely" call up hitter, Gamel leading option

[CWorley]

Will the Brewers bring anybody up to DH when our interleague schedule starts?

 

We currently don't have anybody on our bench that make sense in that role to me.

 

Gamel seems like he would be the first choice, but I'm not sure if he has any options left.

 

Otherwise, what about any of these guys:

 

Brendan Katin,

Taylor Green,

Caleb Gindl,

Brandon Boggs,

Sean Halton,

or Erik Komatsu

 

Give me something beyond Kotsay, Counsell, Gomez, or Wilson...please!

[1992casey]

Gamel has already used his 2011 option. It's good for the year. He can go up and down as much as necessary.

[PrinceEatMeat]

Gamel has options left, or he'd be on the major league roster right now. We needed to option him to AAA to begin with. You only use one option a year. He would be the only one considered, but at this point it doesn't seem like it'll happen. I can see Roenicke wanting to play Kotsay and everyone else to get them AB's during interleague play. It's a stupid idea, but Roenicke will wanna do it I'm sure. I'd just call up Gamel to DH.

[bcf5575]

i am all for gamel coming up to dh. maybe it will light a fire under mcgehee...

[jjfanec]

Isnt Katin hurt?

[ReverendBrewmeister]

Bring up Gamel to DH / play 1B and have Fielder DH.

 

I'd like to see Gamel up in time to face the Red Sox in Boston (June 17-19). But if management wants to wait a couple more weeks and promote Gamel for the rest of the season as a bat off the bench, then it should be in time to face the Twins beginning on June 24. That would allow him to see their pitching before facing them again during the road series (July 1-3).

[PrinceEatMeat]

Bring up Gamel to DH / play 1B and have Fielder DH.

 

I'd like to see Gamel up in time to face the Red Sox in Boston (June 17-19). But if management wants to wait a couple more weeks and promote Gamel for the rest of the season as a bat off the bench, then it should be in time to face the Twins beginning on June 24. That would allow him to see their pitching before facing them again during the road series (July 1-3).

I don't see why they wouldn't just bring him up on June 17 then. Why wait a week and waste three games he could've pinch-hit in?

[Funketown]

Gamel seems like a pretty obvious choice to bring up, although perhaps they could play him at 1st and move Fielder to DH to give Fielder just a bit of a break from the field.

 

I had no idea the extent to which Katin has murdered the ball over the past 130 games, with 37 HR's. Is he healthy right now? If so, I wonder how much consideration the club will give to bringing him up as a source of serious bench power. His numbers are excellent, so perhaps there's some reason to believe he won't succeed in the majors?

[1992casey]

Last year was an exception, but in general, Katin's OBP history isn't really solid. That takes the shine off of other more impressive numbers.

[adambr2]

Gamel is my first choice. Heck, I'd prefer Kottaras over just trotting Kotsay out there every day.

 

If we are going to go with who we have currently on the roster, I'd get Gomez out there in CF, bat him 9th, and get Braun and Fielder some field days off. You could DH Braun and put Morgan in LF and have a real outstanding outfield. Or you could start Hart at 1st, Morgan in RF, and DH Prince.

[TooLiveBrew]

Don't forget Roenicke is the manager. Kotsay will just DH. He's a Professional Hitter™!

[Oxy]

Last year was an exception, but in general, Katin's OBP history isn't really solid. That takes the shine off of other more impressive numbers.

Prodigious AAA power with a poor eye and poor BA kind of screams ineptitude at the MLB level. To me, that basically means he can only hit mistake pitches by AAA pitchers. If a pitcher doesn't make a mistake, he gets out, and that is by guys who don't have MLB stuff. Sure, that is the case with most hitters in general, but he seems to be an extreme case.

[jeffy]

Gamel seems like a pretty obvious choice to bring up, although perhaps they could play him at 1st and move Fielder to DH to give Fielder just a bit of a break from the field.

 

Playing Gamel at first and Fielder at DH would improve the defense, I assume. This would also give Gamel an opportunity to get a little MLB experience at 1B.

 

Whether they bring anybody up or not, they should use the DH games to rest one or more of their worst defensive players: Fielder, Braun, McGehee, Betancourt.

[joepepsi]

Who do they send down if they bring up Gamel? There are only 12 pitchers so they will all stay.

 

Wilson will have to pass through waivers,right? Can't send Kotsay down. Won't fall back to just one catcher. That leaves who, Gomez?

[adambr2]

Wilson would have to clear waivers. Have to think there's a good chance that he would though, heck, Kottaras cleared.

[brwrsfan]

We'll be in the AL, we should be able to get by with 11 pitchers. Most AL teams only have 11 because they aren't forced to take pitchers out when they come up in the lineup. I would guess if they want Gamel up, it'll be a pitcher who goes back down for a few games. Not sure who that would be at this point though. Loe is performing by far the worst but it wont' be him. Estrada has an option I think? He could go down, he's been hit hard lately as well. That is assuming nobody gets hurt.

 

They'll also have to make room for Saito shortly too.

[adambr2]

Yeah, Estrada wouldn't be a bad candidate to go down right now. Maybe could move into Nashville's rotation as a backup 6th starter.

[Funketown]

Last year was an exception, but in general, Katin's OBP history isn't really solid. That takes the shine off of other more impressive numbers.

Yeah, I wasn't thinking of Katin as a potential starter, but more of a power threat off the bench.

[ReverendBrewmeister]

I'd like to see Gamel up in time to face the Red Sox in Boston (June 17-19). But if management wants to wait a couple more weeks and promote Gamel for the rest of the season as a bat off the bench, then it should be in time to face the Twins beginning on June 24.......

I don't see why they wouldn't just bring him up on June 17 then. Why wait a week and waste three games he could've pinch-hit in?

It doesn't make sense to wait. But then again, there are things management does that don't always make sense.

I'd like to have Gamel promoted to start the road trip on June 13 and drop Craig Counsell, but I doubt that will happen.

[Never Outhustled]

I don't see why Gamel is the only option to come up and DH. Does everyone realize he's has just the 4th highest OPS on his Nashville team? Also, he been bad defensively. Sadly, he's not even much different than Fielder at 1B defensively.

 

I say call up Brandon Boggs. He has great AAA numbers this year, and was very good there last year too. He was unlucky in the majors this year, but still had a mid-700 OPS. He should be the top player on the Brewers bench, and some full-time duty would help him earn that.

 

Boggs could play LF, with Braun DH'ing, which improves the defense.

 

To make room for him, simply release Kotsay. We have numerous AAA OFs as good as Kotsay.

[logan82]

I don't see why Gamel is the only option to come up and DH. Does everyone realize he's has just the 4th highest OPS on his Nashville team? Also, he been bad defensively. Sadly, he's not even much different than Fielder at 1B defensively.

8th actually. Almonte, Wheeler, Kottaras, Buller, Boggs, Katin, Green then Gamel. There is no way I would expect any of those guys to actually outhit Gamel in the majors.

[monty57]

Sending down Estrada makes sense. He could get stretched back out as a starter, which was my worry when he was moved to the pen. Right now, an injury in the rotation probably means Sam Narron is a Brewers starter. I wouldn't mind Gamel or Boggs brought up, as both make sense. Whoever is brought up could be replaced by Saito when he is healthy, which should be around when the interleague games are over.

 

Or, we could keep Boggs up and dump Kotsay. A guy can dream, right?

[endaround]

I don't see why Gamel is the only option to come up and DH. Does everyone realize he's has just the 4th highest OPS on his Nashville team? Also, he been bad defensively. Sadly, he's not even much different than Fielder at 1B defensively.

8th actually. Almonte, Wheeler, Kottaras, Buller, Boggs, Katin, Green then Gamel. There is no way I would expect any of those guys to actually outhit Gamel in the majors.

Of course Almonte and Wheeler have less than 50 ABs combined and Buller has like 10.

[bucksman4]

Apparently, Mat Gamel is the likely DH when the Red Sox series begins...

 

http://brewersbeat.mlblog...uld-join-club-this-week/

[PrinceEatMeat]

I would love to see Gamel called up, but if they give Braun and Weeks days off he only would play one game. If they call him up he should play all 3, whether it's at 1B or DH. Also, swapping him for Saito after the series won't work, because we'd need him again for the Yankees series and that would be less than 10 days later. Saito got hurt again anyway, so I doubt that happens.