Bench Upgrade

[Jose Cardenal1]

Looking ahead to what hopes to be a pennant race and playoff baseball, the Brewers bench as currently constructed is very weak. My guess at this point is that R.Weeks never does get his bat going and the Brewers end up cutting him loose mid-season. So with that said I have started to look for some veteran guys who could play an important role for a contending team. I didn't have to look much farther than the team in town right now to take on the Brewers.

 

The Cubs are going nowhere and will be willing to part with players who they are not building around by early June. Emilio Bonifacio is off to a very hot start which won't hold up. He will revert back to his more normal slash lines of .265/.325/.345 but with speed, switch-hitting and more importantly the ability to play 2b, 3b, SS and OF.

 

He is a FA in the offseason and thus only a couple month rental so the price should not be to high. Maybe a Fiers, Burgos or Gindl would do.

 

Thoughts on Bonifaciao?

Other bench upgrades that wont cost more than a Fiers type prospect?

[TURBO]

Bonifacio would be great, more than great with his versatility... I would trade Fiers or Burgos for him in a heartbeat!

 

I'd like to pick up a player that also has 1B experience, who can play other positions as well.

 

As it is now, as much as I liked Weeks, he just plain needs to go. He offers us nothing, absolutely nothing, nada, zilch.

[Fear The Chorizo]

I think a team like the Marlins has some veterans that would be improvements to the Brewer bench or help with platoon situations.

 

Garrett Jones wouldn't be a bad replacement for Overbay as a 1b/pinch hit option that hits from the left side.

 

Raffy Furcal wouldn't be a bad vet to add to the bench if he comes back healthy, just because he could play both SS and 2nd defensively, and he's a switch hitter. It's more of a statement on how useless Weeks is to the roster right now when I'm thinking of replacing him with a 36-yr old middle infielder who hasn't seen MLB action since 2012.

 

Other than the handful of teams nobody expects to contend (Cubs, 'Stros, Marlins), right now it's too early to tell who's going to be buying and selling at the trade deadline. Most all of MLB is within a few games of 0.500 right now.

[JohnBriggs12]

Well Corey Hart might be available come July and he could be an upgrade in LF or 1B. Seattle appears to be going nowhere and he's only signed for this year.

[Roderick]

Well Corey Hart might be available come July and he could be an upgrade in LF or 1B. Seattle appears to be going nowhere and he's only signed for this year.

 

I don't think Hart is even playing defense for Seattle yet, nonetheless an OF position. If he only DHs for Seattle, I don't know how comfortable I would be to picking him up for 1B, and I definitely wouldn't pick him up to play OF.

[HiAndTight]

Well Corey Hart might be available come July and he could be an upgrade in LF or 1B. Seattle appears to be going nowhere and he's only signed for this year.

 

I don't think Hart is even playing defense for Seattle yet, nonetheless an OF position. If he only DHs for Seattle, I don't know how comfortable I would be to picking him up for 1B, and I definitely wouldn't pick him up to play OF.

 

 

Hart's played a little bit in the OF and at 1st in Seattle, but they have Smoak at 1st, so there's no much reason to play him there. They have Ackley...who while he's been a disappointment is certainly a better defensive option and still has upside to him. Almonte is a good defender in CF and Hart would never play CF anyway. And RF, the only OF position Hart is used to is manned by Saunders.

 

I wouldn't have any problem with Hart taking back over at 1st base. He showed enough when he last played there that I have confidence in him. That huge wing span and his ability to dig balls out...I think that rust would come off pretty quickly.

[Bnowell4evr]

With Davis struggling and Gindl scuffling in AAA I think a LH OF bat to possibly platoon with Davis is our number 1 need. I think you can replace Bianchi with Herrera who can play SS/3B/CF which allows you to swap out Schafer for a better bat.

[HiAndTight]

With Davis struggling and Gindl scuffling in AAA I think a LH OF bat to possibly platoon with Davis is our number 1 need. I think you can replace Bianchi with Herrera who can play SS/3B/CF which allows you to swap out Schafer for a better bat.

 

 

I want absolutely no part of getting rid of not only Bianchi from our bench, but also Schafer. I love having Schafer on the bench. He's almost the ideal 4th OF'er. He's can play all 3 OF positions very, very well, is a left handed bat and can hit for a high average.

 

I think these moves would only weaken our bench. I'd rather see Weeks and Overbay as the guys who are sent packing in order to upgrade our bench.

[Bombers]

With Davis struggling and Gindl scuffling in AAA I think a LH OF bat to possibly platoon with Davis is our number 1 need. I think you can replace Bianchi with Herrera who can play SS/3B/CF which allows you to swap out Schafer for a better bat.

 

 

I want absolutely no part of getting rid of not only Bianchi from our bench, but also Schafer. I love having Schafer on the bench. He's almost the ideal 4th OF'er. He's can play all 3 OF positions very, very well, is a left handed bat and can hit for a high average.

 

I think these moves would only weaken our bench. I'd rather see Weeks and Overbay as the guys who are sent packing in order to upgrade our bench.

Amen. Count me as a fan of the defense we see from Bianchi and Schaefer. They both can play all spots from their area. (Infield / Outfield) Their offense is a plus. Either could fill in quite nice if needed to for a month. Weeks and Overbay provide little value as I wouldn't want to see either get extended playing time.

[Bnowell4evr]

With Davis struggling and Gindl scuffling in AAA I think a LH OF bat to possibly platoon with Davis is our number 1 need. I think you can replace Bianchi with Herrera who can play SS/3B/CF which allows you to swap out Schafer for a better bat.

 

 

I want absolutely no part of getting rid of not only Bianchi from our bench, but also Schafer. I love having Schafer on the bench. He's almost the ideal 4th OF'er. He's can play all 3 OF positions very, very well, is a left handed bat and can hit for a high average.

 

I think these moves would only weaken our bench. I'd rather see Weeks and Overbay as the guys who are sent packing in order to upgrade our bench.

 

Schafer can hit for a high average? You realize he's not playing in the minors and his career average in 400 ABs is .219 right? Yes he plays good defense but do you want to have your entire bench being a bunch of all defense no hit guys? Because that's what you pretty much got going with Maldonado/Bianchi and Schafer. At least with Herrera he replaces two of those all defense no stick guys so you can swap one out with a hitter. I like Schafer but I don't consider him anything more than a 5th OF who plays good defense and can pinch run. Not exactly the type of guy I need to have on the roster when I would play Gomez every day that he is capable of playing. With Braun aching and Davis looking like a platoon guy with massive splits I think its obvious what kind of bat needs to be brought up.

 

And whats up with the hate from Overbay in this thread? I hope by sending Overbay packing you mean its from signing Morales because Overbay is not the problem. He's raking against RHP and that's all we need from him.

 

I'm with you guys on Weeks and how he needs to get going though. I still think he's gonna pick up the slack against LHP since he's only had 29 AB's and the majority of them were against elite lefties. He'll face more pitchers like Travis Wood and his numbers will start to look a lot more respectable. Just don't stick him in there against a tough righty because we all know what will happen then...

[monty57]

ou realize he's not playing in the minors and his career average in 400 ABs is .219 right?

 

It's actually 352 ABs spread out over four seasons. Most came last year, when he hit .211/.279/.322/.601 in 298 ABs. So I guess the question is whether you trust a partial season in the majors over his .294/.354/.430/.784 line in 1,567 minor league ABs.

 

I think he's a good option as a backup OF. The problem is that I'd like to have another OF on the roster who is a better hitter, but since we're hamstrung on the roster by holding two guys who only play 2B and two guys who only play 1B, we couldn't hold a 5th OF. In that scenario, we needed to keep someone who could play CF, so Schafer got the nod over Gindl.

 

It's a good thing to have capable defensive players on the bench. The question is if/when we will decide to name an everyday 1B and/or 2B and open up a bench spot or two for more versatile players. I do like Herrera's versatility (realizing that over a much bigger MLB career than Schafer, he's been a .648 OPS guy), and I think that once Schafer's back and Gomez has served his suspension, there is a chance that the Brewers decide to keep him and send Weeks walking. However, his .154/.154/.154/.308 line so far (in only 13 ABs) isn't screaming for more PT.

 

All that said, I think that if we had "a hitter" in the system, he would probably be on the MLB roster right now. This is (and has been) my biggest concern for this season. If we have any significant injuries, we're sunk because we have no depth anywhere except SP, and one of those two SP is in the MLB bullpen right now. If Ramirez goes down, he's replaced by Bianchi/Herrera (that's about a .200-.300 point drop in OPS). If Gomez or Braun goes down, he's replaced by Schafer (another .200-.300 point drop in OPS). If Lucroy goes down, he's replaced by Maldonado without another catcher on the 40-man. We couldn't survive any significant injuries to any of these guys for long.

[SoupTown]

I have been quietly watching Hermida at AAA. He was once a golden child of the outfield. At 30 years of age - just maybe - he can have a final golden year and be there if we need him. He sure seems like a Mr Ike Davis. He put up a 900ish ops at age 23 in the majors, then nothing since. How odd is that!

 

But, yes-sir-ee. Any non pitching injury, ANYWHERE, will truly hurt.

[Warning Track Power]

I want absolutely no part of getting rid of not only Bianchi from our bench, but also Schafer. I love having Schafer on the bench. He's almost the ideal 4th OF'er. He's can play all 3 OF positions very, very well, is a left handed bat and can hit for a high average.

I agree wholeheartedly. The only issue with Bianchi, Schafer and Maldonado on our bench is that they are all D first players and offer very limited offensive value right now. I imagine them all hitting somewhere between .210-.230, with a collective OBP somewhere south of .300. While this is ok when the team is fully healthy, as Bianchi backs up an all-star at both 3B & SS, Schafer backs up an all-start at CF & RF and Maldonado backs up a should be all-star at C, when the injury bug bites it bites especially hard. For example, look at today's starting lineup versus the Cardinals:

 

7. Bianchi SS

8. Herrera RF (in for the hurt Braun and Schafer)

 

Plus you have to figure Maldonado will catch tomorrow or Wednesday for a potential of:

 

6. Maldonado

7. Bianchi

8. Herrera

9. Pitcher

 

That puts an enormous strain on Gomez, Lucroy and Ramirez, especially considering Gennett and Davis are still rookies.

 

I will be happy with 1 of 3 against the Cardinals a split with Cincinnati and a 3-4 road trip given the state of our injuries.

[Bombers]

With Davis struggling and Gindl scuffling in AAA I think a LH OF bat to possibly platoon with Davis is our number 1 need. I think you can replace Bianchi with Herrera who can play SS/3B/CF which allows you to swap out Schafer for a better bat.

 

 

I want absolutely no part of getting rid of not only Bianchi from our bench, but also Schafer. I love having Schafer on the bench. He's almost the ideal 4th OF'er. He's can play all 3 OF positions very, very well, is a left handed bat and can hit for a high average.

 

I think these moves would only weaken our bench. I'd rather see Weeks and Overbay as the guys who are sent packing in order to upgrade our bench.

 

Schafer can hit for a high average? You realize he's not playing in the minors and his career average in 400 ABs is .219 right? Yes he plays good defense but do you want to have your entire bench being a bunch of all defense no hit guys? Because that's what you pretty much got going with Maldonado/Bianchi and Schafer. At least with Herrera he replaces two of those all defense no stick guys so you can swap one out with a hitter. I like Schafer but I don't consider him anything more than a 5th OF who plays good defense and can pinch run. Not exactly the type of guy I need to have on the roster when I would play Gomez every day that he is capable of playing. With Braun aching and Davis looking like a platoon guy with massive splits I think its obvious what kind of bat needs to be brought up.

 

And whats up with the hate from Overbay in this thread? I hope by sending Overbay packing you mean its from signing Morales because Overbay is not the problem. He's raking against RHP and that's all we need from him.

 

I'm with you guys on Weeks and how he needs to get going though. I still think he's gonna pick up the slack against LHP since he's only had 29 AB's and the majority of them were against elite lefties. He'll face more pitchers like Travis Wood and his numbers will start to look a lot more respectable. Just don't stick him in there against a tough righty because we all know what will happen then...

 

That's a fair point. I un-necessarily threw him under the bus. He is hitting fine and plays good D. I was more making the point getting rid of Schaefer or Bianchi would be a bad idea. Overbay has been playing well. I hope he can continue it.

[logan82]

I would just like to have a bench instead of a suspended player and 3-4 non DL players.

[Warning Track Power]

I'd be very ok with a very D heavy bench, provided we have a designated power guy like Dunn. As I see it, the Brewers could roll with:

 

C Maldonado

SS/3B Bianchi

OF Schafer

1B/Emergency OF Dunn

2B Weeks

 

Dunn/Reynolds can split 1B as they are very similar players at this stage of their career. While I have zero desire to see Dunn ever play the OF in Milwaukee, if there were injuries in a game that necessitated it, the Brewers wouldn't be totally lost. Weeks really has become quite unnecessary for this roster.

[pacopete4]

Lyle Overbay is doing his job and doing it well. His job is to hit RHP and get on base. So far, he's doing just that. I have no desire to make a move for a guy like Dunn when we have a cheap version that is doing his job.

 

 

Overbay is hitting .294, OBP of .415 with an OPS of .856. He's had 3 extra base hits and added 5 RBI's with 7 walks in his short stint so far. If he continues doing his job, why are we complaining? So far, he's doing his job just as well or better than Reynolds and a heck of a lot better than ANYONE we put at 1B last season.

[JohnBriggs12]

Lyle Overbay is doing his job and doing it well. His job is to hit RHP and get on base. So far, he's doing just that. I have no desire to make a move for a guy like Dunn when we have a cheap version that is doing his job.

 

 

Overbay is hitting .294, OBP of .415 with an OPS of .856. He's had 3 extra base hits and added 5 RBI's with 7 walks in his short stint so far. If he continues doing his job, why are we complaining? So far, he's doing his job just as well or better than Reynolds and a heck of a lot better than ANYONE we put at 1B last season.

 

 

Overbay has been fine so far. I wouldn't trust him to produce if he had to play everyday but he's done the job he's been asked no question.

[HiAndTight]

Schafer can hit for a high average? You realize he's not playing in the minors and his career average in 400 ABs is .219 right? Yes he plays good defense but do you want to have your entire bench being a bunch of all defense no hit guys? Because that's what you pretty much got going with Maldonado/Bianchi and Schafer.

 

No, I had no idea that he was now playing in the majors and that we were not in fact watching the Nashville Sounds. A thousand pardons......

 

No kidding it's not the minors anymore. However I think it's rather asinine to take what amounts to one season or partial playing time in which he had a .252 BABIP. I think that's a bit more reasonable than jumping to the conclusion that he can't hit. And again, we're talking about a plus defensive player on your bench. Not sure about you, but I temper my expectations based upon these things. I don't expect Schafer to give you a .950 OPS. I do expect him to hit ~.270/.330 over the course of an average season when his BABIP returns to the norm.

 

You do also realize that Lucroy's 1st year in the big leagues when he got ~300 PA's, he had an very poor year at the plate. He had an OPS of .630 and his .253 and that was with a .287 BABIP.

 

Guess we'd have chalked him up as a bust, huh?

 

I like Schafer but I don't consider him anything more than a 5th OF who plays good defense and can pinch run. Not exactly the type of guy I need to have on the roster when I would play Gomez every day that he is capable of playing.

 

What about the type of roster in which you have one OF'er in Braun who has one serious injury that could at some point end his season if it gets worse(his thumb) or at least limit his time...oh, and by the way, that same player is out due to another injury right now.

And of course in this scenario there is no chance that Gomez could ever get injured, right?

 

There has to be some logic and the ability to anticipate. If we went your route and Gomez did get hurt, now you're starting Herrera in CF and your backup is who? Gindl?

 

With Braun aching and Davis looking like a platoon guy with massive splits I think its obvious what kind of bat needs to be brought up.

 

Ok, so now not only have you labeled Schafer, a guy who's hit at every level save for the major leagues in very limited playing time in which he had an unusually low BABIP, you're also anointing Davis a platoon player? So we're going to go with his limited PT this year as opposed to his limited PT last year when he had hit .297/.369/.549/.918 vs right handers in 103 PA's. Now this year his first 72 PA's make him a platoon player?

 

 

And whats up with the hate from Overbay in this thread? I hope by sending Overbay packing you mean its from signing Morales because Overbay is not the problem. He's raking against RHP and that's all we need from him.

 

He's raking against them? Sure, in 25 at bats, he's "raking." You're arguing against a young, talented player like Schafer who CAN hit, is an outstanding defensive CF'er and defensive OF'er in general. But a guy who has fewer at bats than games played and is limited to 1st base is someone we can't do without?

 

 

There are three things that you absolutely MUST have on the bench.

 

1-A good defensive backup catcher. Check.

2-A 4th OF'er who can play CF. Check.

3-A backup SS who ideally can play multiple IF positions. Check.

 

 

So if you want to bring up a bat...you neglect to mention which player you think is worthy of being promoted, but setting that aside, lets assume we do have this guy down in AAA who'd be an upgrade over Davis or whoever. You still have to cover all the spots on the field and your ONLY options for both CF and SS shouldn't be the same person, nor should they be a guy who is a poor hitter and fielder(Herrera).

 

 

But given just how quickly you give up on players or make these definitive statements(Schafer can't hit, all he can do is play D and pinch run, Davis needs to platoon, etc..) do you ever consider sample sizes at all?

 

 

This team is winning with GREAT pitching. You want to start to totally screw with the defensive side of that and just throw anyone out there at key positions like SS or CF in the hopes that you MIGHT get a better bat, good luck. I don't think it's going to turn out very well.

[HiAndTight]

I have been quietly watching Hermida at AAA. He was once a golden child of the outfield. At 30 years of age - just maybe - he can have a final golden year and be there if we need him. He sure seems like a Mr Ike Davis. He put up a 900ish ops at age 23 in the majors, then nothing since. How odd is that!

 

But, yes-sir-ee. Any non pitching injury, ANYWHERE, will truly hurt.

 

 

Big left handed bat....he hasn't been that bad when he's been up in the big leagues either. I certainly wouldn't mind giving him a chance right now.

 

 

I would really like to see Braun sent to the DL right now though. If they think this is a 5 day injury, that's a best case scenario. You're playing a man short for 5 days and then you're rushing him back into the lineup. Just give him the 10 additional days off, get him healthy and give your bench some depth in the meantime.

 

My guess is that it'd be Gindl who'd be brought up. He's a slow starter, but he should be shaking that off and ready to get hot!

 

 

All I know is if you can win a game in which Ramirez, Braun and Segura are all hurt, you're down 3-0 in the 7th vs the Cards and you just had your best players(available) leave the bases loaded and you come away with a 5-3 extra innings win...well, you're living the good life and just maybe Jeremy Hermida can finally become the guy that everyone thought he was when he was a top 5 prospect!

[Bnowell4evr]

Schafer can hit for a high average? You realize he's not playing in the minors and his career average in 400 ABs is .219 right? Yes he plays good defense but do you want to have your entire bench being a bunch of all defense no hit guys? Because that's what you pretty much got going with Maldonado/Bianchi and Schafer.

 

No, I had no idea that he was now playing in the majors and that we were not in fact watching the Nashville Sounds. A thousand pardons......

 

No kidding it's not the minors anymore. However I think it's rather asinine to take what amounts to one season or partial playing time in which he had a .252 BABIP. I think that's a bit more reasonable than jumping to the conclusion that he can't hit. And again, we're talking about a plus defensive player on your bench. Not sure about you, but I temper my expectations based upon these things. I don't expect Schafer to give you a .950 OPS. I do expect him to hit ~.270/.330 over the course of an average season when his BABIP returns to the norm.

 

You do also realize that Lucroy's 1st year in the big leagues when he got ~300 PA's, he had an very poor year at the plate. He had an OPS of .630 and his .253 and that was with a .287 BABIP.

 

Guess we'd have chalked him up as a bust, huh?

 

I like Schafer but I don't consider him anything more than a 5th OF who plays good defense and can pinch run. Not exactly the type of guy I need to have on the roster when I would play Gomez every day that he is capable of playing.

 

What about the type of roster in which you have one OF'er in Braun who has one serious injury that could at some point end his season if it gets worse(his thumb) or at least limit his time...oh, and by the way, that same player is out due to another injury right now.

And of course in this scenario there is no chance that Gomez could ever get injured, right?

 

There has to be some logic and the ability to anticipate. If we went your route and Gomez did get hurt, now you're starting Herrera in CF and your backup is who? Gindl?

 

With Braun aching and Davis looking like a platoon guy with massive splits I think its obvious what kind of bat needs to be brought up.

 

Ok, so now not only have you labeled Schafer, a guy who's hit at every level save for the major leagues in very limited playing time in which he had an unusually low BABIP, you're also anointing Davis a platoon player? So we're going to go with his limited PT this year as opposed to his limited PT last year when he had hit .297/.369/.549/.918 vs right handers in 103 PA's. Now this year his first 72 PA's make him a platoon player?

 

 

And whats up with the hate from Overbay in this thread? I hope by sending Overbay packing you mean its from signing Morales because Overbay is not the problem. He's raking against RHP and that's all we need from him.

 

He's raking against them? Sure, in 25 at bats, he's "raking." You're arguing against a young, talented player like Schafer who CAN hit, is an outstanding defensive CF'er and defensive OF'er in general. But a guy who has fewer at bats than games played and is limited to 1st base is someone we can't do without?

 

 

There are three things that you absolutely MUST have on the bench.

 

1-A good defensive backup catcher. Check.

2-A 4th OF'er who can play CF. Check.

3-A backup SS who ideally can play multiple IF positions. Check.

 

 

So if you want to bring up a bat...you neglect to mention which player you think is worthy of being promoted, but setting that aside, lets assume we do have this guy down in AAA who'd be an upgrade over Davis or whoever. You still have to cover all the spots on the field and your ONLY options for both CF and SS shouldn't be the same person, nor should they be a guy who is a poor hitter and fielder(Herrera).

 

 

But given just how quickly you give up on players or make these definitive statements(Schafer can't hit, all he can do is play D and pinch run, Davis needs to platoon, etc..) do you ever consider sample sizes at all?

 

 

This team is winning with GREAT pitching. You want to start to totally screw with the defensive side of that and just throw anyone out there at key positions like SS or CF in the hopes that you MIGHT get a better bat, good luck. I don't think it's going to turn out very well.

 

LOL Holy captain overreaction

 

Couple points

1. Lucroy jumped from AA to the pros. That comparison is so ridiculous I don't even know what to say.

2. If Schafer could hit .270/.330 I wouldn't have a single problem with him. Every respectable publication has him slated for a .240/290 line tho.

3. My idea was to replace Bianchi with Gindl because we already have Herrera to backup at SS/CF. Herrera is already on the roster and would just stay here when Schafer was eligible to return off the DL.

4. Maldonado and Herrera take out all 3 of your bench needs allowing you to carry 3 possible platoons (1B/2B/LF).

5. Khris Davis has a K-BB ratio of 31-1 and lines of .203/.236/.377/.613 vs RHP and .375/.375/.583/.958 vs LHP. That is the definition of a platoon player. Sure he could turn it around but he's looked overmatched at the plate striking out 7 out of his last 10 times. Why continue to hurt a guys confidence when he's obviously pressing?

6. Caleb Gindl is hitting .322/.394/.525/.919 vs RHP in AAA and the next 5 starters are all right handed.

7. Braun is hurt.

 

So in the meantime while were beaten up with injuries would you rather start Bianchi and Herrera at SS and RF or Herrera and Gindl at SS and RF? Thats what my point is about. Going forward if Khris Davis proves he can hit RHP at a non Yuni level then you can swap Gindl back out with Schafer.

[logan82]

Lucroy didn't jump from AA to the majors. He played more games in AAA than in AA that year. He played a full season in AA the year before and would have been in AAA but we needed to put Salome there. Granted it was a pretty quick call up. I doubt they would have normally called him up that quickly but he wasn't called up from AA.

[Bnowell4evr]

Lucroy didn't jump from AA to the majors. He played more games in AAA than in AA that year. He played a full season in AA the year before and would have been in AAA but we needed to put Salome there. Granted it was a pretty quick call up. I doubt they would have normally called him up that quickly but he wasn't called up from AA.

 

Thanks for correcting me there. I remember Lucroy starting that year in AA and getting the call to the majors shortly there after.

[AZBrewCrew]

Gomez!!!

[SoupTown]

5. Khris Davis has a K-BB ratio of 31-1 and lines of .203/.236/.377/.613 vs RHP and .375/.375/.583/.958 vs LHP. That is the definition of a platoon player. Sure he could turn it around but he's looked overmatched at the plate striking out 7 out of his last 10 times. Why continue to hurt a guys confidence when he's obviously pressing?

6. Caleb Gindl is hitting .322/.394/.525/.919 vs RHP in AAA and the next 5 starters are all right handed.

 

 

thanks for that. Very interesting and telling.