Morse to Marlins

[pete]

Maldonado is like virtually all MLB players with the exceptions almost always being long time veterans: he's not going to produce the same with rare and infrequent at bats. If you want valid numbers, compare how well he hits as a regular player rather than mixing in a PH after 5 days eating sunflower seeds.

 

When Lucroy was injured and he started all the time, I'm guessing his OPS was in the mid-700s. Add in being in the conversation of among the best defenders at the position and that is a highly desirable player.

 

The problem is that Roenicke likes to have his starters play as much as possible or maybe its that he defers to the players. Lucroy idolizes Kendall, Gomez and Braun want to play when they're injured. Its interesting that Roenicke was on the A's with Maddon and Joe likes to mix up the lineup every game and in game as well.

[igor67]

Both scouting and production wise there was nothing about Maldanado's profile prior to MLB that ever indicated he could hit more than a respectable back-up catcher can. He has a full season's worth of ABs that add up to a .651 OPS. The fact that 2 of his 3 seasons of ABs produced respectable (but not really anything you'd want at first base) numbers while the 3rd was horrible is exactly what one would expect for a bench guy with a weak bat. Given his prospect status and his production so far it is very hard to make a case that he'll post better numbers with more playing time. Quite the contrary Maldanado seems like an excellent bench candidate because he seems to have figured out how to handle the sparse ABs and produce as well as expected.

[pete]

... it is very hard to make a case that he'll post better numbers with more playing time.

 

Except that that is what happened and well, virtually every player hits better when it isn't odd and irregular at bats.

[superfly]

 

Meanwhile, we'll sit here watch the Bullpen blow games in the 6th/7th/8th innings due to the Avg Pitching staff we possess, and wonder why we didn't address putting money to purchase this guy or this guy? Or trade for this guy? We gave up so and so for Allen Craig?

 

 

Maybe we watched different games last season but I wouldn't call the entire staff "average." Collectively IMO they performed very well last season, and were not the cause of why we watched the playoffs from home. Roenicke needs to let his starters go deeper into the game, i'm tired of 6IP day in and day out...it seems like we rarely get 7-8IP from a guy.

 

Kintzler on the other hand...he is below average and i'm a little angry we're trying him again. If we beat Will Smith into the ground again like last year we might as well just cut him right now too, he cost us several games.

[igor67]

Actually Maldonado had fewer ABs this season (by 40%) than his terrible year, so even if one placed a higher value on the affect of playing time than every other way of evaluating players, that theory does not explain his performance.

[pete]

The distinction between the 2 categories isn't necessarily lesser or more. Additionally you can have variability with similar conditions and there are no doubt other factors, typically health.

 

You're still left with a season where he had regular playing time and was pretty good offensively and the remaining seasons where he had lesser productivity with irregular playing time. That's expected with what's known about all players.

 

You could also look at his minor league numbers and see whether he was a backup there.

[brewcrewdue80]

 

Meanwhile, we'll sit here watch the Bullpen blow games in the 6th/7th/8th innings due to the Avg Pitching staff we possess, and wonder why we didn't address putting money to purchase this guy or this guy? Or trade for this guy? We gave up so and so for Allen Craig?

 

 

Maybe we watched different games last season but I wouldn't call the entire staff "average." Collectively IMO they performed very well last season, and were not the cause of why we watched the playoffs from home. Roenicke needs to let his starters go deeper into the game, i'm tired of 6IP day in and day out...it seems like we rarely get 7-8IP from a guy.

 

Kintzler on the other hand...he is below average and i'm a little angry we're trying him again. If we beat Will Smith into the ground again like last year we might as well just cut him right now too, he cost us several games.

 

I am referring to I believe the Stat someone somewhere posted Milw's SPs had like a 3.7ERA? Or 3.68 or 3.72 and ML avg for Starters was approximately 3.68/3.7 something like that. Maybe they ranked 17th in SP ERA? I don't know, pulling this off the top of my head w/o looking up for the exact answer.

 

The intended mean is that a team filled with #3s SPs is essentially, Average. If one were to go about guessing the range of ERAs for the Brewers starting 5. Not one I'd imagine would crack ie below a 3ERA. I'm not sure one would crack a 3.25ERA at that. And fwiw, all but Garza had a lower ERA than Fip. Fiers did beat 3 in Fip, but in 14Games/10Starts of stats. This is a team filled with 3.4ERA good years-4.2ERA bad year SPs.

 

StL has 3 SPs with a Fip that is 3.35 or lower and I'll believe that Carlos Martinez has the makes to be at least Brewers avg quality or 3.5.

Pitts has a Blossoming Ace in Gerrit Cole who has below 3.35 if not below 3ERA ability. The rest not any more special than Milw.

 

The Brewers haven't acquired or developed these types of SPs. Numbers-wise Milw's staff looks very solid only this is a Pitcher's Era and what Milw's staff put up is just avg.

Washington's entire staff is essentially #2s or better far better than average.

LADodgers also have 3 SPs with better pitching ability(the best in baseball too)

 

That's 3SPs or more by last year's division winners who's staff is easily better than Milw's Average staff.

And I get it some team has to be best in Pitching, some has to be around avg. and others like Minnesota or Colorado's will continue being the worst. It's just that w/o Fiers' 10 games of #1 Ace production as a SP, the Brewers staff doesn't flash anything better than average. They also don't flash anything of ugly on the positive side for them.

 

You sorta make my point for me with the 6IP starts. Avg stuff. Where's the 7IP SP? And that is my point in that previous post. The Starters aren't the types you know are going 7IP with 8IP ability leaving your Bullpen with 3-6outs to have to get to complete games. They are going to be asked for 5-9outs quite often. That means more opportunities for guys like Kinztler to pitch and blow those better than avg starts that are 6innings only in length from the staff.

[bill hAll Star]

I'm assuming Maldonado started almost every day in the minors when he posted a career .650 OPS down there. He's not to be counted on. He's a nice, cheap platoon guy against lefties and a backup there. I'll take that.

[pete]

He was a high school kid out of Puerto Rico who wasn't a starter early in his career. His last full season in the minors he slashed a little over .800. He always had a decent walk rate as well.