Wilson Betemit

[brewtank34]

Per MLBTR...

 

Brewers, Royals Have Discussed Wilson Betemit #mlb

 

[PrinceEatMeat]

Yes, please. I hope Doug gets this done soon. He'd be a great option at 3rd base. Switch-hitter too having a pretty good year.

[brewtank34]

I'd rather have him at SS and keep McGehee at 3B. He's played SS in the past and per her fielding stats, plays it well.

[PrinceEatMeat]

Well, if he plays both that's fine too. If Doug can't get any else, at least he could flip between both positions to replace Yuni and McGehee.

[brewtank34]

We could most likely get him on the cheap since he's losing PT to Moose. Not a bad option. I'm just happy that DM is still in talks.

[And That]

Betemit is a pretty brutal defender at third. I'm doubting he's better at SS, where he's never played as many as 100 innings in a year, and not at all since 2008.

 

He'd probably outhit McGehee the rest of the way, but with Green in AAA backing up third and no one backing up SS, I don't think it would be the wisest use of the Brewers' very limited trading chips to trade for Betemit right now. Get a SS first.

 

Unless they got Betemit for free/almost free. Then, why not?

[craigharmann]

DM-- "Hey, and that, we took the wrong B player in Betancourt, and that. Can we have a do-over, and that? Betemit for Betancourt, and that. You can see how it was pretty easy to mix up, and that".

 

Seriously, though...someone other than Yuni needs to be at short. McGehee, take him or leave him, I think Green would be better, but I trust Doug!!

[TooLiveBrew]

Taylor Green is a better option at 3B. What Melvin has against him, I'm not sure I'll ever figure out.

[JoeHova]

I like Betemit more as a replacement for Wilson and as a bench bat than I do as a starter. Still, he would be an upgrade over McGehee at this point. It would depend on what KC wants back.

[DuWayne Steurer]

At this point, if any of the positions of need can be upgraded easily/cheaply, it should be done. In this case, if they can upgrade 3B without giving up any major chips, they should do it, regardless of need at other positions.

Needing a SS should not preclude getting this deal done if it's on the table. A SS, I'm sure, is still something Melvin knows is a priority. But this deal is here and now, and lets do it.

Casey isn't 'slumping', he isn't hitting loud, hard outs, and just getting unlucky. Any Tom Dick or Harry can watch McGehee's at bats and see he just is flailing right now. I don't think it's a good bet that Betemit would out hit McGehee the rest of the year, I'd say it's almost a virtual lock, the way McGehee looks at the plate right now, and honestly, it's not like he could be much worse defensively.

[Invader3K]

Assuming Melvin still refuses to call up Green until September, I guess this is about as good a 3B upgrade as you can hope for. I assume it wouldn't take a ton to get him. His career .336 OBP would be a nice upgrade over McGehee right now.

[miggs721]

Everyone is saying that Green is the answer right now at third. While that may be, look how much more highly touted prospects have fared when called up this year...Jerry Sands, Brandon Belt, Anthony Rizzo....Green will get his shot, but patience is key

 

Doug will do whats necessary

[PrinceEatMeat]

Everyone is saying that Green is the answer right now at third. While that may be, look how much more highly touted prospects have fared when called up this year...Jerry Sands, Brandon Belt, Anthony Rizzo....Green will get his shot, but patience is key

 

Doug will do whats necessary

I agree with this. I think you gotta go with the proven commodity when in a pennant race, rather than throw Green into the fire. He's a great option for next year, but I just don't see him getting the call as everyday 3B this year.

[endaround]

In what sense is Betemit a proven commodity? I mean he's proven to be a poor fielder, but the guy has been a utility player for a decade. Sure he ahd a nice year last year, but he was god awful in 2009 in MLB and AAA.

[logan82]

Good last year, good this year, nothing special in the minors, not much of a defender. We already have that guy except he was good in 2009 and 2010.

[PrinceEatMeat]

Except that McGehee isn't good this year, and Betemit is. We need someone who is good right now. He'd be an upgrade offensively, so I'd take it. It's not like he's a long-term solution, or that he'd cost much to get.

[logan82]

There is not much reason to expect Betemit to continue hitting well this year.

[DuWayne Steurer]

There is not much reason to expect Betemit to continue hitting well this year.

You don't expect a guy with a career .779 OPS in his age 29 season to put up a .760 OPS for the final 65 games? Why?

[PrinceEatMeat]

Yeah, I don't see a reason why he won't continue to hit well this year. He'd definitely be better than McGehee, that's for sure.

[logan82]

So would Green. Was Betemit hurt during the 2007-2008 seasons? His defense doesn't look like anything special. Not much of an improvement over Kotsay. His 2010 and 2011 could very easily be BABIP driven.

[davemakovec]

Betemit is just another heap of junk with a different brand. If you're going to get somebody who's an average-to-below-average hitter, get a great defender. Jack Wilson (OK, well-below-average hitter) at short can't cost that much.

[JohnBriggs12]

I've had my eye on Betemit for a long time, since back in his Brave days. He was once as high as the 8th best prospect in baseball in 2002.

 

Here's what I know:

 

A. He is a good hitter. From 2005 to 2007, his average OPS was .792. Last year it was .889. It's fallen off this year a bit to .750, which is still a lot better than McGehee.

 

B. Never a great defender, he got way too big to play SS. He's adequate at 3B. He's no more a SS now than Almonte was.

 

C. His career low point came with the White Sox in 2009. He's rebounded very well since then. I've only seen him a few times, but he's in a little better shape now.

 

Frankly the Brewers can't risk putting a raw rookie like Green in an everyday role in the middle of a race. If they were out of it, sure, but the jump from AAA is a huge one. Green's time will come probably in 2012. I had suggested Betemit and Greg Dobbs as guys that make perfect sense right now. They are solid, veteran players. Betemit has postseason experience too.

[pingman]

+1 JB12! .....you hit the key points

 

D) the more Betemit plays the better he produces ....he's not the type of hitter that can be productive with only a couple of starts per week

 

E) he strikes out too much so don't expect him to be the "cure-all" for the #5-hole blues

[PrinceEatMeat]

I've had my eye on Betemit for a long time, since back in his Brave days. He was once as high as the 8th best prospect in baseball in 2002.

 

Here's what I know:

 

A. He is a good hitter. From 2005 to 2007, his average OPS was .792. Last year it was .889. It's fallen off this year a bit to .750, which is still a lot better than McGehee.

 

B. Never a great defender, he got way too big to play SS. He's adequate at 3B. He's no more a SS now than Almonte was.

 

C. His career low point came with the White Sox in 2009. He's rebounded very well since then. I've only seen him a few times, but he's in a little better shape now.

 

Frankly the Brewers can't risk putting a raw rookie like Green in an everyday role in the middle of a race. If they were out of it, sure, but the jump from AAA is a huge one. Green's time will come probably in 2012. I had suggested Betemit and Greg Dobbs as guys that make perfect sense right now. They are solid, veteran players. Betemit has postseason experience too.

Completely agree with everything you just said. I know everyone is infatuated with Green, but I just don't think it's a good idea to throw him into the fire in a pennant race. He might be the answer next year, but not now. I would love to pick up Betemit or Dobbs for the rest of this year.

[rluzinski]

He certainly fits Melvin's mold. Averagish hitter, very bad defender (at least according to UZR and Tango's fan scouting report). Yipee.