What is going on with Jean Segura?

[adambr2]

Down to a .597 OPS. The "winter ball" excuse is long gone.

[chadomac]

I don't have the link, but he is aware that he's swinging too much out of the zone. Recognizing you have a problem is the first step towards recovery.

[pacopete4]

Maybe we make a move for a shortstop, trade Rickie and platoon Segura & Scooter together.

[adambr2]

I don't have the link, but he is aware that he's swinging too much out of the zone. Recognizing you have a problem is the first step towards recovery.

 

I would think (hope) that any player with an OBP within about 30 points of their batting average at mid-season is aware that they are swinging too much out of the zone.

[chadomac]

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20140701&content_id=82521684&notebook_id=82527116&vkey=notebook_mil&c_id=mil

 

"I think it's not much different," Segura said. "I swing at pitches I'm not supposed to swing at. [Opposing pitchers] are not stupid; when they see that, they see where to attack the hitter. I swing at their pitch, and it's not going to work like that."

 

No Jean... it's definitely not working.

[young guns]

What I want to be wrong with jean is that hes pressing too much. The optimist/brewers fan in me hopes that last year he did get tired and thats why he had a poor second half, and then with turning down the offer from the brewers, he tried to go out and prove he was worth more and has been pressing because of it. Being aware of it is a good thing, but now he has to go out and actually change his approach and hopefully be first half jean from last year again. At this point, I wont hold my breath though.

[Funketown]

.239/.271/.326/.597

 

I wonder how long this continues before the Brewers' front office starts to seriously question Segura's value over the next few years. Over the last calendar year, Segura is dead last in MLB with a wRC+ of 65 and a wOBA of .269 (500+ PA's needed to qualify).

 

Just looked up Orlando Arcia and he's started to hit a bit; now boasting a .278/.333/.405 slash line in A+ (wRC+ = 114). Probably still looking at 2016 at the earliest though...

[SRB]

Jean Segura stinks, pretty much.

 

But oh well, when we traded for him we were basically just hoping for an upgrade over Yuniesky. I'm fine with hiding Segura at the bottom of the order and letting him be a below average SS for the next couple years. Those aren't easy to find.

[trwi7]

.239/.271/.326/.597

 

I wonder how long this continues before the Brewers' front office starts to seriously question Segura's value over the next few years. Over the last calendar year, Segura is dead last in MLB with a wRC+ of 65 and a wOBA of .269 (500+ PA's needed to qualify).

 

Just looked up Orlando Arcia and he's started to hit a bit; now boasting a .278/.333/.405 slash line in A+ (wRC+ = 114). Probably still looking at 2016 at the earliest though...

 

Pretty damn awesome line for a guy known for his defense, only 19 years old and playing in an awful hitters park, especially for right handed hitters.

[The stache]

I don't know what's wrong with him right now. Yes, he's been awful. But I think at some point he'll get back on track. I refuse to believe that a full half season in the Majors playing at an All Star level was just a fluke. Will he be that good again? Maybe not. But I think he's capable of .280-.290 with a bunch of stolen bases and some halfway decent power. He doesn't need to hit his ceiling to be successful for us. But he needs to get off the floor, which he's been on for a while. It all comes down to plate discipline, which he is absolutely lacking right now.

 

I wouldn't be against his being sent down to work on his hitting for a while, and letting Bianchi take over short for the time being. Bianchi offers next to nothing, but Segura's been giving us next to nothing anyway, so no loss there. And his approach at the plate needs looking at. Sometimes, just a tweak to a hitter's approach at the plate is all it takes. Look at this Mookie Betts guy Boston has. UL Washington (the old Royals shortstop) tweaked his batting stance and swing just a little, and he's been hitting lights out since then. It's the lead story in this month's Baseball America.

 

Do the Brewers know any former shortstops that were great hitters? Hmm. Who could we possibly being in as a consult to work with Jean Segura?

[jerichoholicninja]

I refuse to believe that a full half season in the Majors playing at an All Star level was just a fluke.

 

Bill Hall disagrees with you.

[SRB]

Do the Brewers know any former shortstops that were great hitters? Hmm. Who could we possibly being in as a consult to work with Jean Segura?

 

[sarcasm]I know who you're thinking, but I'm pretty sure Betancourt is still under contract in Japan.[/sarcasm]

[fondybrewfan]

We are getting closer and closer to having Arcia the SS of the future rather than Segura. Arcia could be ready perhaps late next year so Segura better figure it out pretty quick or he might not be the guy starting in 2016.

 

He might be regretting turning down a long term contract right about now. I really hope he turns it around; we don't need him to be all star Segura but we also don't want him to be a younger version of Jeff Bianchi either.

[Funketown]

Does Segura have an option remaining? At this point I just wonder if sending him down for 10 days to work on his approach is a reasonable option. He's struggling so much that at this point Bianchi isn't even a major offensive downgrade.

[adambr2]

Normally I'm all about sending a guy down to work on stuff, but in this case, what's the point? Segura at his worst is still better than Bianchi at his best. Would be a different story if we still had a Jerry Hairston, but lacking that, we may as well let him work it out here rather than Nashville just for lack of a better option.

[TooLiveBrew]

I was never sold that Segura was the hitting talent he flashed in the first half of 2013, but I also don't believe he's as talent-less at the plate as the rest of his MLB career so far has indicated.

 

I think he'll be roughly a .700-.750 OPS bat going forward, with a career year or two where he's north of .800. Combine that with the very strong defense he'll continue to provide through the years in which he's controlled by the Brewers, and that will be a plenty valuable player.

 

I'm expecting that Jean will get hotter & have at least a decent overall 2nd half of the season. I just don't believe he's this awful undisciplined hitter. I think he's in a funk &/or sophomore slump, & will eventually come out of it. This guy was a legit SS bat at every level in his trip up through the minors, & imo his talent will come to the fore.

 

As others have noted, the Brewers might well have a very nice problem on their hands in another year or two if Arcia can continue to develop & wind up breathing down Segura's neck at the big-league level.

[3and2Fastball]

He's a free swinger. MLB pitchers have adjusted to him, he needs to adjust back. Why throw him many strikes when he's just going to hack away? I think he'll adjust and improve quite a bit

[logan82]

At worst he can be a platoon player at 2B with Scooter and backup SS.

[davego]

So he plays short the rest of this year and next. If the offense doesn't improve, Arcia will beat him out and be cheaper.

[The stache]

Do the Brewers know any former shortstops that were great hitters? Hmm. Who could we possibly being in as a consult to work with Jean Segura?

 

[sarcasm]I know who you're thinking, but I'm pretty sure Betancourt is still under contract in Japan.[/sarcasm]

 

Touché, SRB.

[ewitkows]

looks like we dodged a bullet with him turning down that contract.

[brewcrewdue80]

looks like we dodged a bullet with him turning down that contract.

 

Exactly. If it was just a team friendly 6year deal then I suppose we really didn't dodge a bullet. But if the contract had 2FA years with serious money involved, wow thanks!

 

Segura is a ML level SS, just not one you're able to feel is AS consideration worthy every year he plays for the next 4-6 years. I feel he's better than his numbers posted thus far, but as mentioned, he's free swinging far too much. And that may tie in to having Gomez on the team. How do you convince someone to not free-swing when Gomez's success is a result of being aggressive? If it works for him, why cant it work for Segura?

At some point there has to be a lightbulb that goes off in Segura's head that he has to adjust his approach. It's sad he's regressed so much.

[SoupTown]

I think agents and the players' association care NOTHING about guys like Segura. Jean could have locked himself into LIFETIME financial security. No one knows what the end outcome would have been, but it would have been multi multi million. Now Jean is a torn hammy or bout of back spasms or another 200 ground balls away from losing his job and having to make do with the pension.

 

Maybe the heat from a 19 years old whiz in high A ball (who did not even play as an 18 year old because of a broken ankle) is getting to Jean. Who knows. But for whatever reason (likely bad agent advice) he left his life on the table and walked away. Will it still be on the table again one day. Who knows. I hope so for him and the Brewers sakes.

[logan82]

I seriously doubt Segura is feeling pressure from a guy in A+ ball.

[igor67]

The point stands that the right kind of serious injury would dramatically change his career prospects right now. With a lengthy rehab time, he'd be almost completely through the super cheap years and with having been a very mediocre hitter for a calendar year now teams would give him a lot fewer chances to get back into it.