Thoughts on the 2012 roster

[MNBrew]

From today's JSOnline article:

 

"In the first half, people were saying we should get rid of Casey," said rightfielder Corey Hart. "They were saying, 'Bring up (Class AAA Nashville third baseman) Taylor Green. There's a big difference between Triple-A and here. A big difference."

 

Green's surely shown ample reason to be in the bigs. But Hart points out there's still an adjustment to be made that doesn't ensure any success is automatic....

 

McGehee's MLB prospects were much less solid than Green's, but McGehee has made, overall, a pretty darn good adjustment to the bigs that his minor league numbers didn't foreshadow.

 

If Green outplays McGehee and earns the starting spot, that's great. But I don't see any way they just name him the starter without him having to go out & earn it. Melvin & Co. know that a major-league track record for success carries decent weight.

 

Bernman23, I separated the months of this year because it's not a completed season yet AND because his nasty slump happened when it did -- and that slump can be justly viewed as why his numbers for the season overall likely will look lousy, & all the more so if his improved play doesn't continue over the last month. To say McGehee's had .83 of a bad season this year is how you want to interpret the numbers, but I look at as poor math just as you view my breaking down this season as cherry picking. Neither of us are wrong based on how we're viewing it. We're just viewing the situation differently.

[monty57]

If Green outplays McGehee and earns the starting spot, that's great. But I don't see any way they just name him the starter without him having to go out & earn it.

 

I'm not trying to be a jerk when I say this, but how exactly is Taylor Green supposed to "go out and earn it" if he's been a Minor League Player of the Year and is currently posting All-Star caliber AAA numbers but cannot take a start away from McGehee at the MLB level even though McGehee is having a terrible year? By the logic that only MLB numbers matter, then Green cannot "outplay McGehee" unless he gets starts at the MLB level, which again using this logic, he can't do because he hasn't earned them.

 

I would say that Green has earned some MLB playing time, and McGehee has earned some bench time. I've never been a proponent of dumping McGehee, but a soft platoon started a few months ago would probably have made us a better team, and starting one now would probably make us a better team going forward. I'm glad he finally got the call up, and hope Roenicke doesn't sit him as the last player on the bench because he "hasn't earned anything.'

[Raw Biz]

I don't think many (or even any) people are saying they want McGehee cut and Green just handed the starting role. We just want to see Green up (wish finally granted) and get a few starts to see what he's got. Then next spring training have an open competition and if Green doesn't completely flop, have them platoon. Like I said, I was a big McGehee fan the past couple of years but looking at his minor league numbers/body-type/etc., he was bound to come back to earth.

[Never Outhustled]

Keep it simple for next year. This team is good. Even losing Prince won't change that. So don't make too many changes.

 

Gamel for prince

Resign Hairston, saito, Hawkins

Cut yuni, add a guy like Barmes, or a young SS with a good glove

Green competes w/ McGehee. (or McGehee can platoon with Gamel or Green)

Keep rotation intact, add an arm in the pen (peralta, scarpetta, whomever)

Gindl for Kotsay

 

Improve the defense, run out the same rotation, give some young players a chance. We can finance this. We'd be able to make a move if someone fails.

 

 

Why are we massively slashing payroll? They're doing awesome at the gate and are a contender. They won't settle for Gamel when Berkman is available. Berkman is better in the majors than Gamel is in AAA. After Berkman, Melvin will add veteran relievers. He always does.

[PilprinBuddha]

I would like to see Micheal Cuddyer from MIN brought in to play 1st. 3 years at 30-33 mil would do it. He is a great locker room guy and productive.

I like Kubel from MN too, but he is strictly a corner OF player.

[MNBrew]

If Green outplays McGehee and earns the starting spot, that's great. But I don't see any way they just name him the starter without him having to go out & earn it.

 

I'm not trying to be a jerk when I say this, but how exactly is Taylor Green supposed to "go out and earn it" if he's been a Minor League Player of the Year and is currently posting All-Star caliber AAA numbers but cannot take a start away from McGehee at the MLB level even though McGehee is having a terrible year? By the logic that only MLB numbers matter, then Green cannot "outplay McGehee" unless he gets starts at the MLB level, which again using this logic, he can't do because he hasn't earned them.

My comment re: outplaying McGehee was geared at spring training, not September, when he'd have plenty of chances to earn a starting job. And I think the biggest thing would be that Green would need to be the anti-Gamel in terms of staying healthy in order to take advantage of a spot that's basically his to lose.

 

Citing Green's Minor League Player of the Year is an odd way to justify Green earning PT over McGehee. That was 4 years ago in A ball, and he's undergone a bad wrist injury that lowered his production for all of '09 & '10. Granted, he's come back mashing. Do you remember the player who was a 2-straight-year MVP of his league when the Brewers traded for him? However, that never got him a chance on a silver platter.

 

Without a doubt, Green's killing the ball in AAA & I hope he does that in MIL, too. But his AAA numbers & hot streak aren't unlike where Gamel's been at multiple times prior to recalls, but Gamel's never capitalized very well on his chances up here. Every guy's different. But we've had every reason to expect Gamel to light it up in the bigs just as Braun did. But Gamel did far more of a Braggs/Meyer/Robideaux than a Braun. . . . . What I'm saying is that in 30+ years of being a die-hard Brewers fan, I've learned to temper my expectations (but not my excitement) a little on prospects arriving in the bigs 'til they actually start producing.

[Never Outhustled]

Without a doubt, Green's killing the ball in AAA & I hope he does that in MIL, too. But his AAA numbers & hot streak aren't unlike where Gamel's been at multiple times prior to recalls, but Gamel's never capitalized very well on his chances up here.

To be fair, Green's AAA OPS is 157 points higher than Gamel posted at the same age.

[EauClaireNWL]

I'm definitely in the "Let Fielder walk, use the money to re-sign Greinke/Marcum" camp. We've seen what a quality rotation can do with this current squad that does have a couple of holes on the IF. San Francisco proved you don't need an elite line-up to win a championship if you have the pitching. Fielder has been a great member of this team and it would be great to re-sign him, but not at the cost of hindering the team's long term payroll flexibility that will be needed in order to stay competitive. The division is very mediocre this year with the higher payroll teams like the Cardinals and Cubs going through a bit of reshuffling the deck so to speak in the next couple of years. If you can keep the current rotation and do a decent job of upgrading your IF a bit while replacing Feilder with Gamel, the team would still definitely have a shot at winning 90 games next year which was good enough to win the division last year (and this year) and would definitely put you in a position to win it again next year imo.

[monty57]

Citing Green's Minor League Player of the Year is an odd way to justify Green earning PT over McGehee. That was 4 years ago in A ball, and he's undergone a bad wrist injury that lowered his production for all of '09 & '10. Granted, he's come back mashing. Do you remember the player who was a 2-straight-year MVP of his league when the Brewers traded for him? However, that never got him a chance on a silver platter.

 

The reason I mentioned the MLPotY is that he's not the out-of-nowhere flash in the pan some may think he is. Green was a highly regarded prospect who sustained a wrist injury. He's now fully healthy and once again playing like a highly regarded prospect. I don't think he should get anything handed to him on a silver platter. For months now, I've been a proponent of bringing Green up to get some starts at 3B/2B and be a good bat off the bench. Some sort of soft platoon would probably have helped our team the last few months, and would probably help our team going forward.

[Roderick]

I don't see any Barmes types that are going to be available as free agents from scanning the baseball prospectus lists.

Isn't Barmes himself available?

I guess I didn't even look at his bio and assumed that he was signed multiyear since the Astros didn't move him. Duh! Should have known better with Ed Wade.