2014-2015 Brewers Off-Season Optimism Thread

[torts]

HEY EVERYONE! DONT BE GLUM! TURN THAT FROWN UPSIDE DOWN! Yeah, we just went through an epic collapse, but with the bad comes the good! We can all enjoy the fall weather! Pumpkins, candy, pie, beer, its all still good to go! I believe that Mark and Doug will do what they need to address 1B this winter, just as they have addressed the rotation the past couple! I STILL BREWLIEVE 2015 WILL BE OUR YEAR! As Coach Taylor once said "CLEAR EYES, FULL HEARTS...

[fondybrewfan]

For as bad as the end of the year was; it still sucks when the calendar turns to the first page of the offseason. I am not sure if that is optimism; more love of the game I guess.

[Thurston Fluff]

Braun is going to get his thumb fixed so we can get him back to something close to his old self. The starting pitching was good and all coming back and we have options for the back end of the bullpen on the roster already. Davis and Gennett both went through their first full season in the majors and should learn from that on how to handle it better. Segura started to come around at the end. I think he will be better offensively next year. With Weeks and Overbay gone we can get some more versatility on the bench.

This should be an interesting off season. The Brewers could choose to trade a lot of guys on the last year of their contract and rebuild rather quickly or acquire a few players and go with a fairly veteran group and see if they can pick up the extra five or so wins they need to get in the playoffs. I'm honestly ok with either route though I would prefer to go the rebuild route.

[logan82]

Losing Weeks at 2B could hurt us quite a bit. At least offensively.I don't think we can expect to get much better production at 2B than we did this year.

[Thurston Fluff]

Losing Weeks means we can get someone who plays more than one position. I just don't think the bench was versatile enough and Weeks was a huge reason why.

[JohnBriggs12]

Losing Weeks at 2B could hurt us quite a bit. At least offensively.I don't think we can expect to get much better production at 2B than we did this year.

 

I think Gennett facing some lefties will make him a better overall hitter, not worse. Finding a RH infield bat that can fill in on occasion is not all that difficult.

[joepepsi]

Despite the horrible collapse, they finished with 8 more wins than last year. I'll never understand why Braun had to play out the last weeks of September while their best power hittier (Davis) sat out almost every game, but that's on our manager. A winning season, barely, and improvement over the previous year. Not as much as hoped for going into September, but about on par with projections at the start of the season.

[IndyCrew]

I'm optimistic about our farm. I haven't been able to say that in the past 3-4 years.

[fondybrewfan]

There should be an ample amount of payroll flexibility this offseason. The Crew also has some pretty good trade candidates should they decide to improve that way. I really hope Henderson and Thornburg coming back next year solidifies the bullpen without having to spend a ton of money there; but I am guessing DM spends some cash there.

[Baldkin]

Despite the horrible collapse, they finished with 8 more wins than last year. I'll never understand why Braun had to play out the last weeks of September while their best power hittier (Davis) sat out almost every game, but that's on our manager. A winning season, barely, and improvement over the previous year. Not as much as hoped for going into September, but about on par with projections at the start of the season.

 

Davis was dealing with a forearm injury that made it very difficult for him to even swing a bat during the last couple weeks.

[pitchleague]

"CLEAR EYES, FULL HEARTS...

 

 

"CAN'T LOSE!"

[craigharmann]

I'm optimistic that RR will be gone and someone not as bad will replace him! Along with that, trades and maybe a FA acquisition or two wouldn't be bad.

[Thurston Fluff]

Ned Yost managed a team who hadn't been to the playoffs in decades this season. He was fired here because he was supposedly the problem our team couldn't take this team to the post season. So we brought in a totally different style of a manager who had already brought a team to the postseason. We fired him because it was supposedly all his fault we didn't get there again. So we hire a totally different type of manager and he actually brought us our first NL central crown. Now we are saying we didn't make it to the playoffs because it was his fault we didn't make it to the playoffs.

 

To me the common thread is: A) they all managed teams to the post season and B) None of them were really the problem.

[miggs721]

So if, and i hope its true that RR is canned, as of now what would our top 3 candidates be??? Sveum, Gardenhire, and Washington??? Who are the up and comers, not too familiar with other coaches...One things for certain for me, if its not next year, sooner or later Dale will be the guy to lead us back to the WS

[vegasbrewcrew1993]

there are a lot of problems with this team and it starts with coaching. i'll be optimistic if better hitting coaches are brought in. need to get rid of the over aggressive free swinging approach. some of the worst offenders on this team need to be exchanged for patient hitters. this dependency on hitting 6,000 HR's does not work. look at the lards approach the past few years. how many times have they beat the brewers will little bloop singles? lame but it works. hate to say it, but the brewers need to be more like them. poach jose oquendo from them. thought it was a huge disgrace they gave an idiot like matheny the job instead of a well experienced guy like oquendo who has been with the organization for years.

[vegasbrewcrew1993]

So if, and i hope its true that RR is canned, as of now what would our top 3 candidates be??? Sveum, Gardenhire, and Washington??? Who are the up and comers, not too familiar with other coaches...One things for certain for me, if its not next year, sooner or later Dale will be the guy to lead us back to the WS

i'd be interested in washington or gardenhire. i think baseball is the one sport where you can get away with hiring a retread. the nature of football and basketball dictates the need for innovative coaches. how innovative can a baseball manager really get? i think this team an experienced and aggressive leader.

[3and2Fastball]

how innovative can a baseball manager really get? .

 

Suicide squeezes like they are going out of style.

 

Putting an older 1B in CF in a playoff game

 

Putting one of the worst fielding SS's at 1B

 

that kinda thing?

[miggs721]

how innovative can a baseball manager really get? .

 

Suicide squeezes like they are going out of style.

 

Putting an older 1B in CF in a playoff game

 

Putting one of the worst fielding SS's at 1B

 

that kinda thing?

 

 

it wasnt me that said that but thanks for the inclusion!!!

[SRB]

Dear Postseason:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGes7FDmHAM

[igor67]

Pick a manage who lines up well with the current team skill set. Not sure who that would be at this point, but I'm not sure going hardcore take and rake will make the team better. Most of those guys have had success and its hard to change big philosophical things in your approach without having a big chance of screwing up everything. Gomez for example I wouldn't change anything given how long it took him to get it figured out.

[vegasbrewcrew1993]

how innovative can a baseball manager really get? .

 

Suicide squeezes like they are going out of style.

 

Putting an older 1B in CF in a playoff game

 

Putting one of the worst fielding SS's at 1B

 

that kinda thing?

lol fair enough. brewers have had enough of that kind of innovation

[torts]

Imma just say it, keep it positive here! If you want to rag on a player, coach, manager, owner, please post in any other thread on the forum!

 

I for one like RRR, made some odd choices, but the team is built to make a run in the next year or two, IF they make a change they need to get someone with solid experience and a track record of success.

[Thurston Fluff]

Imma just say it, keep it positive here! If you want to rag on a player, coach, manager, owner, please post in any other thread on the forum!

 

I for one like RRR, made some odd choices, but the team is built to make a run in the next year or two, IF they make a change they need to get someone with solid experience and a track record of success.

 

Didn't they try that when they hired Macha? I just don't see how people can still be blaming the manager when we had three very different managers, who all had successfully brought teams to the post season, and got the same results. It seems stupid to keep removing the same piece and expecting different results.

Overall I am optimistic about next season because there are ways to go that would fix what happened without having to go on a total Cubs style rebuild. We could either move some players on their last year of a contract for ones who might suit what we need better or just add one of two in free agency and see if we can't pick up the extra five or so wins we need to get there. All in all we are really only a handful of wins away from where we want to be. Finding a couple players who work the count and getting Braun's thumb fixed would go along way towards those extra five or so wins.

[TURBO]

Finding a couple players who work the count and getting Braun's thumb fixed would go along way towards those extra five or so wins.

 

...and firing RRR could also go a long way towards those 5 extra wins if we hire a competent manager to replace him.

 

[Thurston Fluff]

Can you just please stop with that already? It's old, worn out and boring. There is more to say about this team than hating the manager. Especially in a thread meant to be optimistic.