Bianchi in 2013

[torts]

i know it's hard with aramis ramirez still being eased back in as a regular player, but i'd really love to see rickie weeks benched and jeff bianchi given the shot to see what he can do with some regular playing time.

 

bianchi's hit in the minors . . . let's see what he can do when given the opportunity.

 

YES! THIS! THANK YOU! Give the guy a shot!

[AZBrewCrew]

From a biased standpoint, Bianchi is a friend of a coworker of mine, so I'd like to see him get some playing time.

[djoctagone]

keep starting bianchi!

[RightFieldCoder]

Why? All he does is get hits. He doesn't work hard before the game or take walks. [/blue]

[djoctagone]

would love to see bianchi have great at-bats against zack greinke tonight.

[Warning Track Power]

How will RR give Bianchi a nickname? Bianchi-y?

[monty57]

would love to see bianchi have great at-bats against zach greinke tonight.

 

It'd be better karma if Segura had a huge game against the guy we traded for him.

 

keep starting bianchi!

 

You have to wonder how this will play out. Weeks looks so bad that virtually anyone would seem to be a better option right now, but we owe Weeks a lot of money, and the only way we get any return from that money is by playing him. The Brewers are in a "darned if you do, darned if you don't" situation.

 

I guess the ideal situation would be that Weeks would get so hot over the next two months that someone would trade for him and take his contract off our hands. Of course, if Weeks got really hot the board would be loaded with people saying "we can't trade a hot Weeks when we're on a playoff run," and Melvin would likely agree with them.

 

Bianchi is a good guy to have on the team. He plays a lot of positions, isn't overmatched at the plate, and is still in his cheap years. Bianchi could see some playing time this year if Weeks continues his bad play, or if Ramirez's knee continues to give him problems or if he were to be traded at the deadline. The Brewers may not want to bring Gennett up yet, and we don't have a lot of options at 3B. I'd rather give Bianchi a chance to shine than see us trotting Yuni and Gonzalez out there all year.

[PrinceEatMeat]

It's pretty obvious how things will play out for right now. Bianchi will start vs RHP, and Weeks will start vs LHP. Bianchi is a career .077 hitter vs. LHP. Yes, that is only in 26 at-bats, but we've all seen that RRR loves playing matchups even if it's on a small sample size.

[TooLiveBrew]

How will RR give Bianchi a nickname? Bianchi-y?

My money is on him just starting to call him "Yanky"

[Point Beer Is Best]

How will RR give Bianchi a nickname? Bianchi-y?

My money is on him just starting to call him "Yanky"

 

We watch most of our tv shows with closed captioning on since we have small children and would rather not blast the sound. The CC text already translates "Bianchi" to "The Yankee".

[rluzinski]

You have to wonder how this will play out. Weeks looks so bad that virtually anyone would seem to be a better option right now, but we owe Weeks a lot of money, and the only way we get any return from that money is by playing him.

 

The reason Weeks has not been permanently benched has as much to do with WHY he is being paid as much money as he his. There are too many baseball fans who think that all a replacement for Weeks has to do is match his (poor this year) defense and hit better than .168/.283/.268 to justify the move. Unsurprisingly, those are the same fans that are going to constantly demand established players be benched for utility players (an epidemic among MLB fans).

 

Weeks' updated ZiPS projection is .237/.333/.413/.746. We can certainly debate about how "right" that is but everyone should recognize that just like last year, we shouldn't expect Weeks to continue hitting terribly. Now if someone think Bianchi's projected offense and defense projects better than a reasonable projection for Weeks, so be it. I would strongly disagree but at least the question is being framed correctly.

[brewcrewdue80]

You have to wonder how this will play out. Weeks looks so bad that virtually anyone would seem to be a better option right now, but we owe Weeks a lot of money, and the only way we get any return from that money is by playing him.

 

The reason Weeks has not been permanently benched has as much to do with WHY he is being paid as much money as he his. There are too many baseball fans who think that all a replacement for Weeks has to do is match his (poor this year) defense and hit better than .168/.283/.268 to justify the move. Unsurprisingly, those are the same fans that are going to constantly demand established players be benched for utility players (an epidemic among MLB fans).

 

Weeks' updated ZiPS projection is .237/.333/.413/.746. We can certainly debate about how "right" that is but everyone should recognize that just like last year, we shouldn't expect Weeks to continue hitting terribly. Now if someone think Bianchi's projected offense and defense projects better than a reasonable projection for Weeks, so be it. I would strongly disagree but at least the question is being framed correctly.

 

The ZiPS projection...

 

I haven't found the post some maybe 3weeks ago when the Heat originally was on Weeks. But I seem to recall somewhere along the lines of .244/XXX/.765 ish projections. Believe in ZiPS all you want. What's Segura's the remainder of the season? What was it to start the season? Gomez's?

ZiPS can disappear at any time if you ask me. How remotely accurate is ZiPS? My guess is in two weeks the updated ZiPS will have Weeks at .228/.331/.404/.735 But this is after Rickie batted .155/.266/.300/.566 in those 2 weeks.

What number does the ZiPS have to get to before you jump off the bandwagon defending Weeks? My guess is when the OPS reaches under .700 right? ZiPS is slowly catching up to Weeks' downward hitting curve.

 

Anway, just something that bugs me in arguing for a Weeks Resurgence to finish up the year. We're all hoping that happens. It's just meanwhile all those empty at bats leading up to that eventual turnaround are costing this opportunities to win.

 

Bianchi starting tonight is showing that the team is addressing Weeks and that's all I ask for. He can't put up worse number than Weeks has thus far can he? And if given the chance and he does well at least it shows Weeks is the best option to play 2b. Given Rickie time off to get whatever bugs out of his system while not affecting the team is a win-win situation. When he shows signs of turning it around then give him the everyday starts again. That's at least a plan. The everyday starting saying Rickie is in a funk, he's working out pregames in the cage and he'll come around eventually wasn't.

[The stache]

Jeff has put three two hit games up in a row. If anything, he should continue to get more playing time. Ride the hot hand, and hope that when he's ready to take the field again, Rickie starts to break out of his slump.

 

If anything, Bianchi gives us a nice option off the bench. When Corey comes back, we can dump Gonzalez.

[TheCrew07]

but everyone should recognize that just like last year, we shouldn't expect Weeks to continue hitting terribly.

 

Outside of a sabermetric projection argument, why? How many years in a row can a player tank for half a season and keep his job? In terms of "division" projections, Weeks is clearly a second division 2B at this time, meaning no one competing for a divisional title or greater would want him starting on their team.

 

He's being played simply because of his contract, but every part of his game has slipped. I've watched like 6 or 7 Brewer games all season and I'd agree with those talking about his physical decline, it's that obvious. I still think he has plenty enough bat speed to be an effective hitter but if he's not putting the bat on the ball his power potential is pretty useless.

 

My brother said it best in mid April at his bar when we were watching a game prior to Duck Dynasty... "Every year I find myself thinking this is the year Rickie finally breaks out, then I realized he's been in the league 8-9 years already. That my friends was a depressing realization."

 

I'd agree that Brewers are basically forced to trotting keep Weeks out there, but realistically it has nothing to do with his Zips projection. It's truthfully all about his contract. Projections don't peg break out years for players anymore than they do a precipitous decline and we've gone well beyond a typical slump with Rickie the past 2 years. Finally, just because he recovered last year doesn't mean he will do the same this year. He just looks awful. I'm willing to take that leap with players in their prime, but Weeks is clearly on the downside of his career. He's not dead, but every successive week this goes on only will make the cries louder and unfortunately for Rickie he's always been the whipping boy of the fans and TH from the JSO.

 

Jemile hasn't hit much better, it's a tough year to be in the Weeks family thus far.

[The stache]

There's no guarantee that Rickie will improve. I hope to God he does, as I don't like seeing him like this. But we might just have to accept that maybe his physical skills have diminished a little, causing him to become a less effective offensive player. I'd like nothing better than to see him break out of it and show he can still be a solid contributor to the team.

[djoctagone]

Jeff has put three two hit games up in a row. If anything, he should continue to get more playing time. Ride the hot hand, and hope that when he's ready to take the field again, Rickie starts to break out of his slump.

 

If anything, Bianchi gives us a nice option off the bench. When Corey comes back, we can dump Gonzalez.

i'd love to see the brewers treat bianchi like they treated mark loretta early in his career . . . find a position for him to play and watch him hit, hit, hit.

 

weeks is slumping. aramis ramirez isn't 100%. we need help at first base, especially with blake lalli gone and both catchers struggling (albeit bianchi is unproven at first). just like there was with mark loretta in the late '90s, there are opportunities for jeff bianchi to start games.

[Outlander]

The reason Weeks has not been permanently benched has as much to do with WHY he is being paid as much money as he his. There are too many baseball fans who think that all a replacement for Weeks has to do is match his (poor this year) defense and hit better than .168/.283/.268 to justify the move. Unsurprisingly, those are the same fans that are going to constantly demand established players be benched for utility players (an epidemic among MLB fans).

I agree with the first sentence as he isn't being benched because of his past success and is getting paid because of his past success. However, that doesn't change the current state of him being a bad player. I think a replacement should be better than Weeks, it would be nice if his in season replacement would play at replacement level because Weeks is not anywhere near that. In the future I think they should try to achieve better than replacement level at 2B but I am not expecting anymore than that this year. If they play Bianchi consistently the remainder of the year they can get a pretty good idea if he can start in future years or is just the utility guy.

[Funketown]

I'm not sure what else needs to be seen out of Bianchi. He's going on 27 years old and he doesn't hit with almost any power and doesn't walk. Weeks may be done, but Bianchi is not a viable option at 2B going forward.

[JohnBriggs12]

I'm not sure what else needs to be seen out of Bianchi. He's going on 27 years old and he doesn't hit with almost any power and doesn't walk. Weeks may be done, but Bianchi is not a viable option at 2B going forward.

 

 

Bianchi has slugged .411 in his minor league career. That's certainly a respectable number for a middle infielder. When was it mandatory that every hitter in a lineup be capable of 25 HR? He'll hit a few. He hit 3 last year in under 100 AB. His walk rate in the minors wasn't all that bad. Where he'll hit in this order, a high walk rate isn't that valuable anyway.

 

He won't be 27 till October. He missed all of 2010 with Tommy John surgery. Prior to that he was KC's SS of the future.

 

Mark Loretta's a great comparison. Bianchi fits that mold. Whether he'd be as successful remains to be seen, but those guys have value.

[BrewersAA]

^^^ This

 

The Brewers got their 3rd win in their last 13 games, all three wins have featured Weeks on the bench and all 10 losses have seen him starting at second base. I know its a small sample size, but its a trend and the Brewers cannot afford to keep throwing games away if they want to have the tiniest chance of being in competition for the second wild card. Not saying they will even get to that point, but they need a .500 season. Something interesting I read (think is was FSW.com) was that if the Brewers attendance continues to drop the way it is right now they are projected to lose $25-$30 million in revenue. Now a good business man, as i think attanasio is, should realize that its better to eat the $10 million (rickie) by benching him than lose thirty by playing him.

[fondybrewfan]

Bianchi would probably be lucky to OPS 700 over the course of a full MLB season. That isn't to say he isn't a viable replacement for Weeks though since I am sure his defense is superior. Bianchi could be a stop gap for a year or two but he isn't a guy you pencil in at 2nd for the next 5 years. Frankly I don't see a big difference between Bianchi and Scooter. Both have no power whatsoever but have decent OBP skills and are at least adequate at 2nd. If I had to choose I would go with Gennet because I personally think he has a bit more upside.

[Funketown]

Loretta struck out about half as often in the majors as Bianchi did in the minors. They may have similar power, but it's going to be really tough for Bianchi to hit anywhere near .300 over the course of the season like Loretta often did if he does not curb the strikeouts or develop some power. Loretta also posted a career 8.5 BB%, and I don't think Bianchi has that type of patience.

 

I just don't think we'd even be looking at him as ever having the potential to start at 2B over the course of a full MLB season if Weeks weren't struggling.

[Warning Track Power]

I forgot about how much I liked Loretta as a player. Looking back over his numbers in Milwaukee in the late 90s, this guy was one of the most underrated Brewers of all time. Solid player.

 

Also, how weird is it to see the #8 now without the name Braun across the top?

http://houstonist.com/attachments/houston_alex/loretta.jpg

[gregmag]

The ZiPS projection...

 

I haven't found the post some maybe 3weeks ago when the Heat originally was on Weeks. But I seem to recall somewhere along the lines of .244/XXX/.765 ish projections. Believe in ZiPS all you want. What's Segura's the remainder of the season? What was it to start the season? Gomez's?

ZiPS can disappear at any time if you ask me. How remotely accurate is ZiPS? My guess is in two weeks the updated ZiPS will have Weeks at .228/.331/.404/.735 But this is after Rickie batted .155/.266/.300/.566 in those 2 weeks.

What number does the ZiPS have to get to before you jump off the bandwagon defending Weeks? My guess is when the OPS reaches under .700 right? ZiPS is slowly catching up to Weeks' downward hitting curve.

This argument treats the ZIPS projection like it's some kind of voodoo, which I don't think helps move the discussion in a useful way. The projection is based on a very simple assumption: that a player's past performance, adjusted for a normal rise and decline with age, accurately projects his future performance. That's a very robust assumption, based on a whole lot of data. You seem to be arguing that the methodology is faulty because players sometimes deviate from the projection, which seems to me to misconceive how projections work. Of course players deviate from their projections; nobody has a crystal ball. But a projection based on this core assumption (of course we can argue about details within a given system's methodology) is still our best hope for a sober, reasoned assessment of how a player will do going forward.

 

There's a big hitch that no projection system can account for, and this is where I think some of the concerns about Weeks may -- may -- have merit. Different players have different decline rates. Some players just fall off the table at 30, or 32; some hold their value into their mid-30s. We have some ability to generalize about how types of players will age -- I'm not sure whether ZIPS incorporates this level of nuance -- but those generalizations can be difficult. Weeks seems to me like a fairly unusual player, a low-average, high-strikeout, high-walk, high-power, high-speed (originally) middle infielder. He may be (I really don't know) a sort of player for whom projection systems run into more problems.

 

What I just put in statistical terms comes back to what some people are saying about Weeks: his bat has slowed down; his pitch recognition is gone. Those things may be true; that's what happens when a player declines. The tough part is that we don't really know what's going on. It's not like he's walking around in a cast or something. I for sure don't know enough about hitting mechanics to distinguish a messed-up good hitter from a steeply declining hitter. I don't even know how hard or easy it is to make the distinction. I hope it's easy, and I hope the Brewers know what they're doing. But for us? We can make as much noise as we want about how a slump equals doom, but we really don't know much -- which is why projection systems, for all their hazards, still provide our best information.

 

What makes this discussion even more tricky is Jeff Bianchi. I think Bianchi is a tough guy to project, because he got hurt as a young hitter, and he hasn't had a lot of time since the injury, plus he's still at an age when players improve. I can see the argument for giving him a shot, especially if the team has evidence that something is wrong with Weeks that time and sunshine won't just fix. In any event, I'm much more willing to believe that Jeff Bianchi can help the team than that Scooter Gennett can help the team. Gennett has a better chance to improve than Bianchi, because he's younger; but so far his severe limitations have been very consistent.

[CheezWizHed]

would love to see bianchi have great at-bats against zach greinke tonight.

 

It'd be better karma if Segura had a huge game against the guy we traded for him.

 

 

And even better: Both happened.