2013 Brewers Whipping Boy...

[razzzorsharp]

Who is it and why do you already hate them?

 

Let those preconceived notions fly...

[logan82]

Bobby Crosby is my bet.

[jerichoholicninja]

Whatever undeserving vet makes the roster. I could very well see it being Crosby but Murphy is a dark horse.

[PrinceEatMeat]

Can't say I hate anyone yet. I have a feeling it's going to be Mike Fiers pissing everyone off though. Just seems like a one-year wonder candidate to me. Kind of like Josh Collmenter of the D'Backs. Was good in 2011, and came out and got rocked as a starter in 2012, but ended up being decent in the pen. I hope I'm wrong though. Would be nice to not have a whipping boy on the pitching staff this year. Would also be nice to not have any crappy vets on the bench, but that still remains a possibility.

[DHonks]

I have a feeling I'm going to be unhappy with Taylor Green on the roster. As much as I loved him as a minor leaguer and stuck by him despite his injuries, I've been very unimpressed with him in the majors (maybe I just hate his stance??) and feel he's better served in AAA where he can try to put together more success. He's had about 1.5 good years in the minors, and I'd like to have him playing every day.

[TURBO]

Our manager. There is something about the guy that absolutely rubs me the wrong way. His demeanor, the way he handles the game, his post game press conferences, you name it.

 

It's no secret I can't stand the guy, so I will try and refrain from comments during the season stating that fact.

[Bikeage77]

If he stays healthy and gets off to a good start I don't think it will be an issue, but Rickie Weeks could be the guy that most media and casual fans will get tired of.

[owbc]

I'll never understand why there has to be a whipping boy. For some reason Yuni B will always be despised here, even though all accounts were that he worked hard and never complained about being universally hated. Even his two big hits in the playoffs didn't make a difference. It seems like the speedy guys like Carlos Gomez are generally immune for whatever reason.

 

That being said, the shortstop usually gets blamed because he is the weakest link offensively, so I'll go with Alex Gonzalez this year, especially if he ends up playing 1B or getting too many starts ahead of Segura.

[Ennder]

Mark Rogers if he gets more than a few starts. I have no faith in him being anything.

 

I don't get how RR bugs you so much turborickey. I mean he is far from an amazing manager but he is so vanilla I can't see anything to hate. I got it with Yost, I got it with Macha, Roenicke I don't get it.

[SoCal Brew Crew Fan]

I actually like Alex Gonzalez so I'm not in this camp, but when he becomes the opening day starter at first base it will be a brewerfan meltdown.

[docduany]

Narvy. If he's in the rotation over Peralta past early June, he'll receive some wrath.

 

*Others receiving votes* Alex Gonzalez has a chance if he's at 1st for too long, or takes too many starts away from Segura. I'll throw Axford on the wood pile as well.

[chickinbrickin]

I think the whipping boy this year will be Rogers as well. I would love to see him do well, but I don't see happening. When he starts walking guys like it is his job people will be calling for his head.

[pogokat]

kyle lohse

[DHonks]

pogo, I hope you're kidding! I really hope we aren't seriously linked to him

[Ennder]

Narveson really does make a lot of sense now that he was mentioned. A guy people don't want starting in the first place replacing a younger guy who might be kept down to keep him cheap and then maybe forced into duty because of other injuries.

[pitchleague]

Ryan Braun.

 

Reason? Why not? Every else picks on players as "whipping boys" for their own reasons. I might as well just name a player and say he's my "whipping boy" as well.

[hawing]

When I look over the current roster, no one jumps out as the obvious whipping boy - the guy whose mere acquisition makes a fan cringe. I'm going to guess that That Guy hasn't been signed/acquired yet. I know that late spring throwaway-looking signings sometimes work out (2011 Nyjer), but if Kyle Lohse makes it to the cream city, he'd get my vote almost instantaneously.

Note that I have no inside information on Lohse.

[azcheesehead]

He's quickly becoming a favorite of mine, but many love to hate Gomez at times. I'll go with him.

[derflotr]

I will reserve judgement, as the whipping boy is generally a bench player (Kotsay, Izturis, Nieves, Gerut, Mench). Definitely Crosby if he somehow makes the roster. I'm guessing it will most likely be a player yet to be acquired, with Alex Gonzalez having an outside shot - simply because he's being forced into duty at 1B.

[Ennder]

I'll never understand why there has to be a whipping boy. For some reason Yuni B will always be despised here, even though all accounts were that he worked hard and never complained about being universally hated. Even his two big hits in the playoffs didn't make a difference. It seems like the speedy guys like Carlos Gomez are generally immune for whatever reason.

 

Yuni B is despised because he is one of the 5 worst starting players in the past 5 years of baseball, he was just awful. Speed guys usually get plenty of flack, just not elite defensive players who usually bring back at least neutral value even if they have awful plate approaches like Gomez. It takes a guy like Yuni who is absolutely beyond belief horrible offensively and defensively to really bug people. Now the fact he played SS really saved him but had he been say a RF he could have been the worst regular player in the history of the game.

[splitterpfj]

I'll go with Mark Rogers having respectable numbers, but torching the bullpen with his 5 1/3 IP starts.

[jjkoestler]

Our true enemy has not yet shown his face.

[pebadger]

Our true enemy has not yet shown his face.

 

Agreed. We shall have no whipping boy before his time.

 

It is funny how the whipping of the whipping boy becomes an unintentional near parody of itself. It starts with largley justified general griping, and then somebody who really dislikes a guy kicks it up a notch. Then the whipping boy has a couple of damaging mistakes in a short period of time and we're off to the races. Then somebody weighs in saying the griping is overblown, which spurs "Is not! Is so!" arguments.

 

God, I love this board.

[logan82]

I could see the manager if Gonzalez spends any amount of time at all at 1B.

[thablingster]

I'm going to go with Gallardo under the "he's not a true ace!" argument that has already reared its ugly head in the past.

 

Now that he's the universally recognized number one starter if he "underperforms" I could see "Gallardo is not a true ace!" posts, and maybe even a Capuano like "____ is the true ace of this team!" type post.