First Base 2014

[Warning Track Power]

I still won't be surprised to Ike in Milwaukee. Looking at that list of FAs post-2014, it becomes increasingly apparent that the Brewers will have to deal for a legitimate 1B and while its debatable that Ike is a LEGIT 1B, he represents one of the only options that remain out there and is available.

[DR28]

I still won't be surprised to Ike in Milwaukee. Looking at that list of FAs post-2014, it becomes increasingly apparent that the Brewers will have to deal for a legitimate 1B and while its debatable that Ike is a LEGIT 1B, he represents one of the only options that remain out there and is available.

 

I agree... I believe Ike will be playing 1B sometime in the 2014 season.

[jerichoholicninja]

If Reynolds is on pace to hit 30 HR and .230, he's an adequate player for 1B. There's no need for Morales or anyone else.

 

Exactly, so far so good.

 

He's slumped badly in the past week...lets wait and see. Morales is looking better by the day though that could change overnight.

 

Wait and see on Reynolds but dump Wang. Got it.

[SRB]

Here's a crazy idea that will never happen: reports are that Manny Ramirez is looking for an MLB comeback. Would you sign him as a replacement for Overbay?

 

His last prolonged stint in the majors (2010) he still hit .298/.409/.460, and though he has never played 1B before I'm sure he could be passable. You could let Reynolds start against LHP and favorable RHP-match-ups, and use Manny as a semi-regular platoon partner and bench bat. Plus it would instantly take the media and opposing-fan spotlight off of Braun.

 

I think it would be awesome. (Yes I am aware that he is 42. But hey, David Ortiz is still hitting well. We're talking about one of the greatest hitters of all time here.)

[brewcrewdue80]

What about Michael Cuddyer of the Rockies? He should be playing 1b and not the OF. In the last year of his contract with the Rockies making $10.5M this season. I think it'd be safe to say he would hit at least .275/.350/.450 after coming off a .331/.389/.530 with a wRC+ of 140 season with the Rockies last year and a hot start this season. What do you think the Crew would have to give up for him?

Gomez / Segura / Braun / Ramirez / Cuddyer / Lucroy / Davis / Scooter is a pretty deep lineup although very right handed

 

Cuddyer in Coors park add like 70pts to his BA. And Colorado won't trade him if they are in the playoff hunt. You never know with that offensive punch they have of Cargonzo/Tulo/Rosario/Cuddyer. Arenado is coming along. Their pitching still is terrible but not as terrible as last year.

Home/Road AVG

 

2012: .268/.250

2013: .356/.311

 

I stand corrected. Guess he doesn't know how to take advantage of the hitting confines in Coors.

Guess what I really was guessing at was that his BA at another ballpark called home i.e. Miller Park he'd see his Avg drop there around 70pts...but it appears more like 30pts instead.

 

The guy I wanted Milw to sign was Justin Morneau who so happens to play for Colorado too(forgot about that) and is off to a .346/.386/.538 start with 4-2bs 2HRs in 18hits. And 3 bbs to 7Ks in 57PAs. (somehow we couldn't put a 2/12.5+ offer on the table?

[TURBO]

^ Sign Manny Ramirez? Shame on you for having such a thought.

 

I have never said this about my Brewers before, but if we signed Manny Ramirez, I would boycott this team until he left, but more than likely, I would boycott this team forever.

 

It would physically make me ill to see that idiot sporting a Brewer uniform. I'm not talking about ill in the sense that it would disappoint me as a Brewers fan, I am talking about becoming physically ill, throwing up and migraine headaches. Mentally, I could never come back from seeing him and his hair as a Brewer. I would probably become a Yankees fan, and disappear from these boards, never to be heard from again.

 

Sounds like a joke, but it isn't...

[SRB]

^ Sign Manny Ramirez? Shame on you for having such a thought.

 

I have never said this about my Brewers before, but if we signed Manny Ramirez, I would boycott this team until he left, but more than likely, I would boycott this team forever.

 

It would physically make me ill to see that idiot sporting a Brewer uniform. I'm not talking about ill in the sense that it would disappoint me as a Brewers fan, I am talking about becoming physically ill, throwing up and migraine headaches. Mentally, I could never come back from seeing him and his hair as a Brewer. I would probably become a Yankees fan, and disappear from these boards, never to be heard from again.

 

Sounds like a joke, but it isn't...

 

Exactly! You and opposing fans would forget Braun was even on the team, taking some pressure off and letting him play at his best again.

[TooLiveBrew]

Cuddyer in Coors park add like 70pts to his BA. And Colorado won't trade him if they are in the playoff hunt. You never know with that offensive punch they have of Cargonzo/Tulo/Rosario/Cuddyer. Arenado is coming along. Their pitching still is terrible but not as terrible as last year.

Home/Road AVG

 

2012: .268/.250

2013: .356/.311

 

I stand corrected. Guess he doesn't know how to take advantage of the hitting confines in Coors.

Guess what I really was guessing at was that his BA at another ballpark called home i.e. Miller Park he'd see his Avg drop there around 70pts...but it appears more like 30pts instead.

 

The guy I wanted Milw to sign was Justin Morneau who so happens to play for Colorado too(forgot about that) and is off to a .346/.386/.538 start with 4-2bs 2HRs in 18hits. And 3 bbs to 7Ks in 57PAs. (somehow we couldn't put a 2/12.5+ offer on the table?

What players have a +70-ish point split on their AVG at home at Coors v. playing on the road?

[brewcrewdue80]

 

I stand corrected. Guess he doesn't know how to take advantage of the hitting confines in Coors.

Guess what I really was guessing at was that his BA at another ballpark called home i.e. Miller Park he'd see his Avg drop there around 70pts...but it appears more like 30pts instead.

 

The guy I wanted Milw to sign was Justin Morneau who so happens to play for Colorado too(forgot about that) and is off to a .346/.386/.538 start with 4-2bs 2HRs in 18hits. And 3 bbs to 7Ks in 57PAs. (somehow we couldn't put a 2/12.5+ offer on the table?

What players have a +70-ish point split on their AVG at home at Coors v. playing on the road?

Carlos Gonzalez for 1. Tulowitzki sits at 52pts. That park really adds a ton to BA.

[TooLiveBrew]

What players have a +70-ish point split on their AVG at home at Coors v. playing on the road?

Carlos Gonzalez for 1. Tulowitzki sits at 52pts. That park really adds a ton to BA.

Tulo's actually at a 42 point split, but wow -- yeah, Gonzalez at ~60 points. I know Coors is about the most AVG-affecting park in recent memory, but I had no idea Gonzalez's splits were that extreme.

[nate82]

What players have a +70-ish point split on their AVG at home at Coors v. playing on the road?

Carlos Gonzalez for 1. Tulowitzki sits at 52pts. That park really adds a ton to BA.

Tulo's actually at a 42 point split, but wow -- yeah, Gonzalez at ~60 points. I know Coors is about the most AVG-affecting park in recent memory, but I had no idea Gonzalez's splits were that extreme.

 

David Ortiz has an average of about a 60 point split in his home versus away in the last 3-years with last year being the most recent year where his away batting average was higher than his home average.

 

Does Coors help yes of course it does but nearly every single park does

this. For example Petco makes fly ball pitchers look really good and Wrigley makes the Ecksteins of the world in summer look like Babe Ruth.

[ewitkows]

[sarcasm]First baseman Travis Ishikawa has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A Indianapolis by the Pirates, reports MLB Daily Dish’s Chris Cotillo (Twitter link). Because Ishikawa has been previously outrighted, he has the option of rejecting the assignment in favor of free agency, which he is likely to do.

 

Ishikawa, 30, hit .206/.263/.382 with a homer, a triple and a double in 38 plate appearances for the Bucs this season. He was initially part of a platoon with lefty masher Gaby Sanchez until the Pirates, in search of an upgrade, swung a deal for Ike Davis (Pittsburgh sent Zack Thornton and a PTBNL to the Mets).

 

Ishikawa is a lifetime .257/.321/.397 hitter, and his splits are indicative that he is best suited to be part of a first-base platoon (as he was in Pittsburgh). Both Defensive Runs Saved and Ultimate Zone Rating feel that Ishikawa’s glove at first base is above average — an attribute that he and agent Jim McDowell can use as a selling point should he ultimately elect to become a free agent.[/sarcasm]

[DR28]

Ishikawa back to Brewers? He's better then Overbay.

[jerichoholicninja]

Ishikawa back to Brewers? He's better then Overbay.

 

Getting kicked in the shin hurts less than getting kicked in the balls. But I'd rather not be kicked at all.

[Crash2303]

Ishikawa back to Brewers? He's better then Overbay.

 

Getting kicked in the shin hurts less than getting kicked in the balls. But I'd rather not be kicked at all.

 

lol. true. but, I've always like Ishikawa wish we had kept him with us. and yes, he would be better than overbay.

[Warning Track Power]

Dare I say this and not get destroyed....

 

Could Overbay be a great "clubhouse" guy? Give that veteran leadership? Is that what is keeping him around?

[logan82]

Ishikawa back to Brewers? He's better then Overbay.

 

Getting kicked in the shin hurts less than getting kicked in the balls. But I'd rather not be kicked at all.

 

lol. true. but, I've always like Ishikawa wish we had kept him with us. and yes, he would be better than overbay.

In hindsight, yes, keeping Ishikawa would have been the right move. When he signed after the 2012 season we still had Hart and Gamel for the 2013 season. Obviously that didn't work out but at the time it was the right non-move. I don't think he was available this offseason either. I would have preferred him over Overbay.

[JohnBriggs12]

Morneau would have been a great fit. Yeah Coors has helped him but considering what the Brewers were prepared to pay Loney, Morneau was just as attractive if not more. The guy's been a great hitter and overcome a lot. His numbers have been down since the concussion issue, but the guy still knows how to hit so a rebound when further removed from dizzy spells was predictable at some point. Can't believe the Canadian connection didn't come into play.

[ewitkows]

Looks like Seattle is still crap . Wonder if they'd trade us Hart?

[fondybrewfan]

If we would have paid Morneau, not signed Garza, and put Thornburg in the rotation we are probably a better team than what we are now. That being said Morneau still would have been a risk and still needs to demonstrate he can stay healthy. But so far so good for him in Colorado. Of course who knows how Thornburg would be pitching if he were a starter and not a reliever. No guaranty he wouldn't be struggling.

[adambr2]

I'm happy we're not paying this guy $24M for the next 7 years to be our first baseman:

 

30 years old in 2 weeks, .200 BA, 2 HR, .671 OPS

[And That]

If the Brewers are able to maintain momentum into the second half of the year, and especially if the Orioles (and Mariners) fall off the pace, I have to think the odds are pretty decent that they'll sign Morales after the draft. They may even land him despite the records of those other teams.

[Warning Track Power]

If the Brewers are able to maintain momentum into the second half of the year, and especially if the Orioles (and Mariners) fall off the pace, I have to think the odds are pretty decent that they'll sign Morales after the draft. They may even land him despite the records of those other teams.

I think I might rather stick with Reynolds than a guy who won't have seen live MLB pitching in 8 months.*

 

*(I reserve the right to change my mind if Reynolds is hitting .190 come the first week of June)

[endaround]

There could be a decent amount of 1B available:

 

Corey Hart:

The Mariners are falling apart quickly and likely should sell in July if not earlier. Hart's number so far this year are spookilly close to his 2012 numbers:

2012: .270/.334/.507

2014: .270/.333/.508

 

Hart's contract has $4.65m in bonuses for PAs that teh Mariners probably would like to avoid paying.

 

Adam Dunn:

The only visiting player cool enough to visit Bob Uecker during a game has started the season on fire:

.250/.395/.483

He's in his final year. The White Sox might hang around on contention for a while however and Dunn might revert to the Dunn of the past few years.

 

Ryan Howard:

OK, only really available for the Yankees and maybe the Angels, he too has started the season like it was 2010:

.273/.360/.519

He's owed $60 million for the next two seasons. The Phillies would ahve to pick up a ton to get anyone to take him and RAJ might refuse to do that, but this might be teh Phillies only chance. Howard is really a DH at this point.

 

Billy Butler:

Unlike players having a great season, Butler has been brutal.

.205/.277/.233

He has an $12.5m option for next year but the Royals might just be ready to move on

 

Micheal Cuddyear

The Rockies might hang around .500 so they might not sell but Cuddyear is in the last year of his deal and they should look to get Dickerson playing time. Cuddyear is 35 so hard to say if the Rockies would offer him a QO whihc affects how much they would be looking for in return.

.317/.373/.533

 

Justin Morneau

Again depends upon what the Rockies are thinking about now and the future.

.346/.369/.615

[adambr2]

I think if we're looking to buy, the lack of top 100 prospect talent is definitely going to hurt.

 

Trading an existing starter is an option, but it carries great risk, and most sellers probably prefer farm upside to MLB-ready talent.

 

Pretty much any other buyer is going to be able to trump a prospect offer from us, which will leave mid-tier guys that might not be much of an upgrade from Reynolds anyway.