Deep Down, what are your thoughts about Gamel?

[splitterpfj]

Gamel reminds me of Overbay...skilled, just not MVP level.

 

I think Mat will be a .280s hitter, with 20-25 HR, I'll give him better than average speed for his position, with average defense.

 

Mat certainly looks like the type of player you can win with, he's just not the absolute monster you build a team around. I'll take it.

[TooLiveBrew]

Yeah, Gamel's not exactly fast, but he does look to be a very good baserunner. He's got, at worst, average overall speed -- and at 1B that makes him one of the fastest at the position.

[JohnBriggs12]

He hit one off the wall in Wrigley but didn't get to 2nd base. I was there that day and I think at 59 I could have gotten there. So he's not very fast but I'm impressed that he's stolen a few bases. Carlos Lee did that too and he couldn't run either. Teams ignore him at their own risk.

 

As for his hitting, I see Adam LaRoche type swing and production. That's middle of the pack for the position, and a value at his salary. Its also considerably better than Overbay.

[pretendastronaut]

He hit one off the wall in Wrigley but didn't get to 2nd base. I was there that day and I think at 59 I could have gotten there. So he's not very fast but I'm impressed that he's stolen a few bases. Carlos Lee did that too and he couldn't run either. Teams ignore him at their own risk.

 

That's not a fair example, he smoked that ball, it got there in a hurry. He also hit one to the right field wall in Chicago and got a triple.

[yoshii8]

I love what I've seen from him so far. He's made a few mistakes at first, but I think he's going to be one of our better players for the next few years.

[logan82]

I didn't expect him to steal as many bases as he has. I knew he was athletic and had some speed.

 

Move him up the lineup. 2 hole.

[xisxisxis]

He also hit one to the right field wall in Chicago and got a triple.

 

Briggs wasn't at that game so it never happened...

[HiAndTight]

Gamel reminds me of Overbay...skilled, just not MVP level.

 

I think Mat will be a .280s hitter, with 20-25 HR, I'll give him better than average speed for his position, with average defense.

 

Mat certainly looks like the type of player you can win with, he's just not the absolute monster you build a team around. I'll take it.

 

 

That's pretty much what I've always thought of him. In fact, I would say I expect a .380 OBP and about 10 points higher BA. In a career year I could easily see a .310/.390 .950 OPS with 30 HR's and GG caliber defense.

 

But on average, we're pretty close. I think the only part we differ on is his defense. People just need to remember back to some of the plays he made at 3rd base when he was with the Brewers. I remember one play he was playing well behind the bag and a ball was smoked and was slicing away from him. He dove well into foul territory and sprung to his feet and made the play.

 

Now picture Prince making a play like that? I noticed some nuances in his game that need refining, but it's only been about 120 or so games he's played at 1st. I believe he's got extraordinary range, and a strong arm for a 1B. In fact, I think he could have turned into a passable defender at 3rd with the obvious throwing errors, but would have had great range. Well, flip him over to 3rd and that takes away his only defensive issue.

 

Brewcrew and Bruce are the other two I can recall being as high on Gamel(there are I'm sure lots of others, I've just talked with them more). I see a guy who'll average 4.0 WAR over the next 7-10 years and top out around 6.0. He's the type of guy I'd like to see signed to a 6 year 25 million dollar deal with two club options for 12 million or so.

 

The Brewers will obviously need more time to make such a commitment, but I'd feel comfortable with it right now.

[HiAndTight]

I didn't expect him to steal as many bases as he has. I knew he was athletic and had some speed.

 

Move him up the lineup. 2 hole.

 

 

 

That's where I've always had him pegged, but not because of his speed. I doubt he'll end the year with 10 SB's. It's because he gives you great AB's, I think he works the count, and he breaks up Rickie and Braun. Or hit him 5th.

 

It's nice to see him meet my expectations the first 10-ish games of the season, but I think it goes a long way to giving him confidence and RR confidence in him. Which....I think leads to him getting 145 games this year and give him the numbers we all expect.

[HiAndTight]

He hit one off the wall in Wrigley but didn't get to 2nd base. I was there that day and I think at 59 I could have gotten there. So he's not very fast but I'm impressed that he's stolen a few bases. Carlos Lee did that too and he couldn't run either. Teams ignore him at their own risk.

 

As for his hitting, I see Adam LaRoche type swing and production. That's middle of the pack for the position, and a value at his salary. Its also considerably better than Overbay.

 

 

 

Are you kidding me? That ball was a laser that bounced perfectly off a brick fence right to the defender.

 

I don't know how anyone who's watched the Brewers play could question that Gamel's got good speed, especially for a 1st basemen. Comparing him to Carlos Lee is just....I don't get the point. Have you questioned Gamel for a long time and are trying to justify that?

 

Also, his swing is infinitely better than LaRoche's. He's got a picture-esque swing for a left handed hitter.

[monty57]

That's where I've always had him pegged, but not because of his speed. I doubt he'll end the year with 10 SB's. It's because he gives you great AB's, I think he works the count, and he breaks up Rickie and Braun. Or hit him 5th.

 

While I think his approach would allow for him to be a good #2 hitter, in Roenicke's system (#2 hitter is there to bunt the leadoff guy over), I think Gamel will make a very good #5 hitter. I'm just glad Gamel had a good enough spring that Roenicke moved Gamel ahead of Gonzalez in the order. I think the original plan was to have Gamel bat #7.

 

It's nice to see him meet my expectations the first 10-ish games of the season, but I think it goes a long way to giving him confidence and RR confidence in him. Which....I think leads to him getting 145 games this year and give him the numbers we all expect.

 

I think this is huge. As I just mentioned, I think the plan was not only to have Gamel bat #7, but also to have Hart play 1B on a semi-regular basis. Like all players, Gamel will have his ups-and-downs, but with a good spring and relatively strong start to the season, I think Roenicke now has faith in him, so he'll stick with him through some down times. If Gamel had started out slowly, I think Roenicke would've lost faith in him quickly.

 

I don't know how anyone who's watched the Brewers play could question that Gamel's got good speed, especially for a 1st basemen. Comparing him to Carlos Lee is just....I don't get the point.

 

I know it's early, but Gamel seems to have good baserunning instincts. I remember Carlos Lee (in his time with the Brewers) as someone who would "sneak into" double digit stolen base totals. He'd steal third a lot, and generally got most of his SB by being smart. Gamel probably has more speed now than Lee had during his time with the Brewers, but I can understand the Lee comparison. I don't think it was meant to be a slam on Gamel, I think it means he's a smart baserunner.

 

He's the type of guy I'd like to see signed to a 6 year 25 million dollar deal with two club options for 12 million or so. The Brewers will obviously need more time to make such a commitment, but I'd feel comfortable with it right now.

 

I mentioned this elsewhere, and the thing is, I think that if the Brewers act while Gamel is still pre-arby, they could probably get him much cheaper than 6/$25MM. I'm thinking the Lucroy deal would be a good starting point. Teams can get really good deals when they sign players who are still in pre-arby, and I don't think there's a lot of risk in making the offer to Gamel because at worst he should at least be a good bench bat, and those cost a couple million a year these days. At Gamel's age, I would think he'd be happy to get a "guaranteed set for life" offer, and I've read several times that Braun tells his teammates that they should jump at the first guaranteed deal, so we've got that going for us.

[TooLiveBrew]

I remember one play he was playing well behind the bag and a ball was smoked and was slicing away from him. He dove well into foul territory and sprung to his feet and made the play.

At the expense of being ridiculed for posting this for like the 800th time...

 

http://brewers.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=4620435&c_id=mlb

[AZBrewCrew]

I believe Gamel attended the "Prince Fielder School of Interviews". Was listening to his interview with Block before the game yesterday and literally every other word was "you know". That being said, I like his range better than Prince and he seems like less of a defensive liability as well.

[TheCrew07]

I have a ton of confidence in Mat's natural athletic ability, what I don't like is the way the Brewers have wasted his service time, nor do I like the way this is setting up.

 

If Mat is given a chance to settle in he will hit (I like the 300 ABs number thrown out earlier), in that I have no doubt. I think his natural fielding ability and range will surprise people, I'm curious how well he'll do digging balls and around the bag. Someone in a different thread pegged his WAR for this season at something like 1.5, (maybe it was .5?), whatever it was I think Mat could have been an average MLB 1B in 2008, if he plays to his potential there's no reason he couldn't be a 3 WAR or better player this season. He's always walked, hit for average, and hit for power, other than his body language in 2009 and the rigged competition that saw McGehee take the 3B job, there aren't many flaws to complain about other than an improving K rate and the fact that he's not going to hit HRs like Fielder did.

 

I believe he's got the talent to be a legit .850-.900 OPS hitter in the majors and I've never personally wanted a prospect to succeed as much as I do Gamel. Please Mat, please play well.

 

I keep feeling like i should back Mat up but I really don't have anything more to add than my original post in this thread, so I'll just quote myself in support of him.

[ttsather]

At the expense of being ridiculed for posting this for like the 800th time...

 

http://brewers.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=4620435&c_id=mlb

 

 

It occurs to me that you can see a lot of core strength there. Being able to bring both legs through after his dive and land in a stable way is what let him get that runner. Probably part of why he can generate a lot of power from an easy stroke.

[MNBrew]

Since I can't add really anything serious that anyone else hasn't already said, I'll put it in these simple terms:

 

I like what we're seeing so far, and especially that he's not looking at all overwhelmed in any way.

 

And I'm sure glad we didn't go waste money on a Carlos Pena type, esp. after at least temporarily choking off Taylor Green's chance at 3B by signing Ramirez to that 3-year deal.

[HiAndTight]

I remember one play he was playing well behind the bag and a ball was smoked and was slicing away from him. He dove well into foul territory and sprung to his feet and made the play.

At the expense of being ridiculed for posting this for like the 800th time...

 

http://brewers.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=4620435&c_id=mlb

 

 

Bottom line, can or could Prince Fielder ever make that play? Obviously not. I don't even think he'd have moved other than to get into relay position.

 

Gamel has athletic ability unlike just about any other 1st basemen around the game. That play was just...incredible and shows the type of ability he has.

It's sorta like how you don't judge a hitter off a small sample size, but you can judge his tools, ie, Aoki. When a guy comes up vs a tough reliever, fouls offf pitch after pitch, several times in a short period of time, the results aren't the important part, it's the tools that you take away from that.

 

He has exceptional range for a 1st basemen, something he's shown this year, a cannon for an arm, though that was his downfall on the routine plays obviously, but still could come in handy in a relay situation, and he's taller and able to get to more errant balls than Prince was.

 

I really believe he could be a GG 1st basemen. I still think that if we were a 70 win team, he, like Weeks, could have developed into a passable if not slightly above average defender at 3rd. But obviously the situation the team is in plays a huge role in that, and we couldn't afford 50 errors at 3rd base when were trying to compete.

 

Either way, I think in the end, things will turn out for the best. You get your 1st basemen of the future, and I think after another 12 months, he'll have proven enough to get a contract that buys out a couple years of free agency at a cheap price taking him into his early 30's where you're not likely to want to re-sign him anyway. The whole cost certainty certainly plays into that line of thinking. If you know what your core is going to cost for, it hurts in signing players like Greinke. If you know what Lucroy, Hart, Braun, Weeks, Gamel, Gallardo, Axford and others will cost, it helps make a more informed decision obviously. Not just for Greinke, but future players. Hopefully we run into the same situations with Thornburg, Bradley, Peralta and Jungman in the near future.

[Hammer]

I'm impressed as hell with Gamel as he has done everything that he has been asked to do. I also really appreciate the fact that he keeps his head down and runs hard on every ground-out...something that I don't think he would have done a couple of years ago. Basically, it seems like he "gets it" these days.

 

Also - he is one of the players on this team that I will stop what I'm doing just to watch his AB...

[brewers19]

I wouldn't be surprised to see Gamel go on the DL at some point this season for mouth cancer.

[GormanHarvey]

I'm really digging Gamel's attitude and intensity. He seems really focussed. Like he's a man on a mission. Bringing a spark to the team. Hope his shoulder is ok after that big collision.

[RobDeer 45]

Ya he's becoming very exciting to watch and I really have a lot of respect for the effort he's giving. Keep it up man!

[jerichoholicninja]

Anyone else hear Mat's interview last Wednesday where he said he'd never run over a catcher and probably never would. Liar!

[JohnBriggs12]

He also hit one to the right field wall in Chicago and got a triple.

 

Briggs wasn't at that game so it never happened...

 

HA, HA, HA. That's so funny. Maybe you should be doing comedy.

 

I'm entitled to an opinion. If you disagree, then say so. I don't attack you personally because you make a point I might not agree with.

 

The ball off the wall was hit hard no question and was fielded well. It wasn't a laser though. I followed the ball and once it hit off the wall, I was surprised Gamel was pulling up. I've seen a lot of games, and I though it was a sure double. I didn't have the benefit of replay. He may have not gotten out of the box that well.

[reillymcshane]

I have been a proponent of letting Gamel (and Green) get their chances. I'm happy Mat has been playing solid ball. His hitting has been about what you'd expect. With time, I hope to see a little more power. I've liked his hustle in the field. As the season has gone on, I feel like he's getting more and more comfortable, both at the plate and in the field. No doubt he's nervous as hell. Can't be easy replacing Prince.

 

I still wish we'd had gone with Green at 3B and resigned Hairston as a backup / potential platoon partner. But I guess going with two (near) rookies wasn't something the team wanted to do. I just don't like the cost of the long term commitment to Ramirez.

[jhart05]

Coming out of semi-retirement from the board to post this about Mat.

 

I am really warming up to Gamel. I thought he was stubborn and was going to be one of those AAAA players. He's changed my mind.

 

Not even looking at his stats, I like the way he handles himself on the field. Runs the bases very well and has gotten some big hits.

 

Read that article on him in the little game day program they give out at the park. A few things stood out to me. Went something like, he never thought much about the weight room, but now he see's the benefits. I think he also mentioned how he always did things his way, but he's changed now and he sees this as his big opportunity. Or something to that effect.

 

It's too bad for him that he didn't realize that stuff sooner. He might have been in the show the last few years playing 3B for the Crew.

 

 

P.S. Anyone here play OOTP13? I'm making this trade. Ramirez to Detroit to get Prince back, then moving Gamel to 3B.