2013 Brewers Whipping Boy...

[Funketown]

It obviously depends on who makes the roster, but Crosby is definitely my pick if he can make the roster.

[umphrey]

At least 1 reliever, I'm thinking maybe Badenhop or Henderson

[RightFieldCoder]

That $15M is simply from not having Marcum and K-Rod on the roster this year. I think resigning them for that money would have made this team any worse.

[markedman5]

It's always the closer/setup guy as soon as he blows more then one save in ugly fashion isn't it?

 

Turnbow......Gagne......Wickman......Krod.......Loe

[TURBO]

I do think Axford will be on a short leash this year with the fans...

 

Last year was just so awful, any signs of a repeat performance will send a lot of us straight to the closet for the torches and pitchforks.

[Funketown]

It's definitely not a reliever. Every fan base can pick some reliever to rail on after a few bad outings. What makes brewerfan so special is our general disdain for some replacement level veteran who annoyingly gets about 100 more plate appearances than he should. No, Yuniesky was not a true brewerfan whipping boy.

 

2012: Cesar Izturis

2011: Mark Kotsay

 

Okay, that's really just been the last two seasons, but let's get Crosby on the roster so we can keep the tradition alive!

[Ennder]

You're using the term "good team" quite liberally. 4 of these 8 seasons were .500 or worse, and only 2 of the 8 resulted in a postseason appearance. From '78-'82, the Brewers were consistently one of the best in the AL. This "run" has hardly outdone that... nor has it actually been a run, since it hasn't been consistent.

 

4 of 8 years at .500 or better and one of the other 4 at 80 wins. 5 of 6 years placing 3rd or higher. This is not a storied franchise, that is one of the best runs they have ever had.

 

78-83 was probably the best 8 year run though it had one totally lousy year in there.

87-92 is in the running as well but that had two 4th place finishes and a 7th and no playoff appearances. Obviously deeper divisions but only by 1 team.

 

For all the guff the team gets they are 17 games over .500 in the past 8 years for an average record of about 84-76 and the 2nd most wins in the division over that stretch (yes more than the Reds). That is not a bad run at all.

[JimH5]

You're using the term "good team" quite liberally. 4 of these 8 seasons were .500 or worse, and only 2 of the 8 resulted in a postseason appearance. From '78-'82, the Brewers were consistently one of the best in the AL. This "run" has hardly outdone that... nor has it actually been a run, since it hasn't been consistent.

 

4 of 8 years at .500 or better and one of the other 4 at 80 wins. 5 of 6 years placing 3rd or higher. This is not a storied franchise, that is one of the best runs they have ever had.

 

78-83 was probably the best 8 year run though it had one totally lousy year in there.

87-92 is in the running as well but that had two 4th place finishes and a 7th and no playoff appearances. Obviously deeper divisions but only by 1 team.

 

For all the guff the team gets they are 17 games over .500 in the past 8 years for an average record of about 84-76 and the 2nd most wins in the division over that stretch (yes more than the Reds). That is not a bad run at all.

 

How can they average 8 games over .500 for 8 years and have that net out to +17 games for that stretch? Wouldn't that put them around +64?

 

I'm not denying this has been a fine run in the history of a club with few fine runs. But earlier you called it the best run, which is something that I disagreed with.

 

My biggest beef with this current group is it doesn't seem like they are contending, and it doesn't seem like they are rebuilding. It's probably an unfair criticism at 0-0, but we'll see how the first half goes and what happens at the trading deadline.

[RightFieldCoder]

How can they average 8 games over .500 for 8 years and have that net out to +17 games for that stretch? Wouldn't that put them around +64?

 

They are actually 34 games over .500. They would have 648 wins if they were a .500 team. They actually had 665, or 17 more wins than if they were .500.

 

Their average over the last 8 years is 83.125-78.875 or 4.25 games above .500.

[GenoSeligPrieb]

"I apologize, but this is probably one of the worst takes I've seen in this forum for quite some time. Uninspiring baseball? "

 

One of the worst? Dearlord, you haven't been reading posts here, have you?

 

You're entitled to that opinion, Brewtank, but losing 9 out of 10 in late July, to fall so far behind, was definitely uninspiring. Getting swept at St. Louis in early August, seeing Gallardo crap the bed against them every time...Axford, K-Rod and that godawful bullpen blowing save after save...Weeks falling off the cliff, Fiers too...trading away Greinke to cut payroll...climbing back to 79-73 (that WAS inspiring!), but getting torched 12-2 by the Nationals, and then going 4-6 the rest of the way to fall back out of contention, losing to the likes of the Astros and Padres, ferchrissakes (Nice outing against Houston, in another key game, Yovanni), that was the very definition of "uninspiring".

 

"You know what raising the payroll this year would get us, a named bullpen guy signed to a 3 year deal or a marginal FA pitcher signed to a 3 year deal. The team just didn't have any other holes to fill."

 

You say that, Ennder, because that's how you view "outsiders" we bring in, to, godforbid, raise payroll in an effort to win. We raised payroll and traded away such luminaries as Matt LaPorta, Zach Jackson, Rob Bryson, Lorenzo Cain, Jeremy Jeffress...to get star pitchers who sealed the deal like Sabathia and Greinke. I'll freely admit that Escobar is doing pretty well in KC, but if we read again today that Doug traded a pile of...."talent" like that for a Cy Young winner, Brewer Nation would be thrilled.

 

Raising the payroll could have netted us a Brandon McCarthy or a Paul Maholm, Ennder. They weren't prohibitively expensive, and could definitely have been an upgrade over the likes of Fiers, Narveson or Rogers. I know it takes 2 to sign a contract, and for all I know, they may not have been interested. But I hope that Doug was out there, trying to upgrade the rotation instead of settling for the convenient, and of course cheaper,"we're going with the young guys" option.

[Ennder]

How can they average 8 games over .500 for 8 years and have that net out to +17 games for that stretch? Wouldn't that put them around +64?

 

Because 84-78 is 3 games over .500 not 6 games like some people like to say~. They have 6 more wins than losses but that is only 3 games over .500.

[sheetskout]

I do think Axford will be on a short leash this year with the fans...

 

Last year was just so awful, any signs of a repeat performance will send a lot of us straight to the closet for the torches and pitchforks.

 

Agreed. Jean Segura could go downhill really quickly if he starts making errors at SS too. The bat would have to be really good to offset that resentment.

[monty57]

I don't know that I'd use the term "whipping boy," but the player I'm most worried about is Axford. I know it's early in meaningles spring games, but coming off his lackluster 2012, he's gotten shelled in his first couple appearances this spring. He needs to right his ship, as he's a big determining factor as to whether the Brewers have any shot at the playoffs or if this is going to be a really ugly season for the Brewers.

 

I also worry that Gonzalez is going to end up being our regular first baseman while Hart's out. He shouldn't be the "whipping boy" if that happens, Roenicke and Melvin should.

[owbc]

Agreed that Axford's success is crucial to the 2013 Milwaukee Brewers. I think he will have a short leash in the closer's role if he struggles early. RR has to pull the plug fast enough to avoid a Turnbow or Gagne repeat.

[xisxisxis]

I think he will have a short leash in the closer's role if he struggles early. RR has to pull the plug fast enough to avoid a Turnbow or Gagne repeat.

 

And our backup plan is who? Henderson? He can't find the plate often as well and is the next Axford and Turnbow in waiting. Gonzalez? He's years away from being a regular closer. Who exactly is the fallback plan? Last year it was KRod and he imploded and we saw how bad it was. This year we don't even have a clear backup plan.

 

I also worry that Gonzalez is going to end up being our regular first baseman while Hart's out. He shouldn't be the "whipping boy" if that happens, Roenicke and Melvin should.

 

IMO, we don't have a clear candidate this year as no player is penciled into a significant role who is either a) one of the worst players in the majors (hi YunE6); or b) has poor career numbers and isn't suited for the role. I will guess that if Rickie has a slow start and so does the team that he'll get some crowd noise as well as when Axford blows opening day he will be on a short leash from fans and hear it when he struggles. Other than those two, if the team really doesn't perform well this year the fans will either check out early or they will be indiscriminate in their abuse.

 

Bottom Line is that Melvin and Roenicke should bear the brunt of fans unhappiness with their poor roster composition and poor utilization of the talent. Personally, I give younger guys more slack and rehashed vets a lot of grief and at this point we don't have many gritty vets to worry about right now. At some point DM and RR will be held accountable for their performances, but we may be outside our window of competitiveness before that happens...

[owbc]

Yes, I was thinking Henderson for the closer's role if Axford struggles. In my opinion, closing isn't necessarily that difficult unless the closer is struggling, in which case it becomes very hard to get out of a slump. If Axford has 3-4 bad outings in April, better to go to Henderson and see if he can do any better. Henderson looked pretty good last year.

[Bombers]

If Axford fails and isn't successfully converting saves - why name anyone as a closer? I am not of the mindset that thinks teams need to set roles when they don't have an established player at the position. So if Ax (our only established MLB closer) fails, I hope they go with the hot hand and not who they think would fit the bill. And that means one night it could be Hendo, another Olmsted, Gonzo, Hellwig, kintzler, etc ...

[Nottso]

[sarcasm]Well, I'm convinced; this entire team is terrible, from the owner right down to guys who may never even be on this team, but if they do end up on this team, they will surely be terrible. The sky isn't falling, it has fallen. We're all doomed.[/sarcasm]

[razzzorsharp]

[sarcasm]Well, I'm convinced; this entire team is terrible, from the owner right down to guys who may never even be on this team, but if they do end up on this team, they will surely be terrible. The sky isn't falling, it has fallen. We're all doomed.[/sarcasm]

 

Hooray for exaggerations on top of over-exaggerations!

[logan82]

has poor career numbers and isn't suited for the role

I fear Gonzalez may be penciled in at 1B. I would rather bet on Green's upside instead of Gonzalez' crappy hitting numbers.

[RightFieldCoder]

I also worry that Gonzalez is going to end up being our regular first baseman while Hart's out. He shouldn't be the "whipping boy" if that happens, Roenicke and Melvin should.

We had 2 1B go down with injuries. One will be coming back after ~45 games. Why should Melvin go out and get someone to cover those few at bats? Who would want to come to play for only that short of time?

[jjkoestler]

I'd like to change my prediction of "our true enemy has yet to show his face" to Ryan Braun. It's going to get ugly if he is suspended.

[TURBO]

I also worry that Gonzalez is going to end up being our regular first baseman while Hart's out. He shouldn't be the "whipping boy" if that happens, Roenicke and Melvin should.

We had 2 1B go down with injuries. One will be coming back after ~45 games. Why should Melvin go out and get someone to cover those few at bats? Who would want to come to play for only that short of time?

 

Someone with no current job perhaps?

 

45 games? Has that been said someplace? I think there is a good chance we don't see Hart in the line-up before June.

[Ennder]

I also worry that Gonzalez is going to end up being our regular first baseman while Hart's out. He shouldn't be the "whipping boy" if that happens, Roenicke and Melvin should.

We had 2 1B go down with injuries. One will be coming back after ~45 games. Why should Melvin go out and get someone to cover those few at bats? Who would want to come to play for only that short of time?

 

Someone with no current job perhaps?

 

45 games? Has that been said someplace? I think there is a good chance we don't see Hart in the line-up before June.

 

I think there is a good chance we see him by May. He has been through this same rehab before, I tend to trust someone who has done it before.

[monty57]

I also worry that Gonzalez is going to end up being our regular first baseman while Hart's out. He shouldn't be the "whipping boy" if that happens, Roenicke and Melvin should.

We had 2 1B go down with injuries. One will be coming back after ~45 games. Why should Melvin go out and get someone to cover those few at bats? Who would want to come to play for only that short of time?

 

 

Gonzalez will probably be around an upper .600's to lower .700's OPS hitter. He's fine as a SS, but should in no way be considered as a 1B. If we can't find anyone in our system who would be a better short-term replacement than that, then the GM has to be at fault.

 

I believe Morris and Green should be head-and-shoulders above Gonzalez in the race for 1B, and I'd even be willing to throw a 1B glove on Davis or Gindl before I'd put Gonzalez there (and I hate playing players out of position).

 

Simply put, there is no reason Gonzalez should be considered as an option to be an everyday first baseman at the MLB level.