The 2017 Brewers... What is Your View?

[Crash2303]

Starting pitching is going to be a battle- actually there's more like 11 guys having a legit shot at starting at some point next season. definitely going to be some moves made in the offseason.

 

Jimmy Nelson

Zach Davies

Junior Guerra

Wily Peralta

Chase Anderson

Matt Garza

Taylor Jungmann

 

Aaron Wilkerson

Jorge Lopez

Josh Hader

Brent Suter

[And That]

Fixing the defense would go a long way towards improving the team's record next year. Even getting to a respectable defensive level could mean a 5-6 win improvement. Now how you do that with many of the same deficient players returning next year is a great question.

[MrTPlush]

Fixing the defense would go a long way towards improving the team's record next year. Even getting to a respectable defensive level could mean a 5-6 win improvement. Now how you do that with many of the same deficient players returning next year is a great question.

 

I don't think the defense is all that bad moving forward. At some point next year we could have something like this:

 

C Maldonado

1B Carter

2B Villar

SS Arcia

3B Perez

LF Braun

CF Brinson

RF Santana/Broxton

 

Honestly outside of Carter I think all of these guys grade out as average at least. I know Villar racks up some errors, but a move to 2B could help and he provides a ton of range getting to balls many wouldn't get to. It's not like we are trotting out a bunch of Yuni B defenders that we can replace.

[And That]

Carter is awful. Villar has not shown himself to be not awful at either SS or 3B. No reason to think he'd be average at 2B all of a sudden. Calling Braun average would be a stretch. Santana is awful. Gennett is not good.

 

Using your lineup and assuming Santana is in RF, I count three huge defensive liabilities (Carter, Villar, Santana), two average-ish guys (Maldonado, Perez), a below average and not getting any younger LF (Braun), and two potentially above average players (Arcia, Brinson). That's still not good.

 

Edit: You're also putting in Brinson to replace what might be the Brewers' best defensive position this year, CF. Nieuwenhuis and Broxton have both been pretty good there. Not sure exactly what the upgrade from Broxtenhuis to Brinson is worth.

[reillymcshane]

Fixing the defense would go a long way towards improving the team's record next year. Even getting to a respectable defensive level could mean a 5-6 win improvement. Now how you do that with many of the same deficient players returning next year is a great question.

Don't play the defensive deficient players as much.

 

We can easily target the players in question: Scooter, Carter, Santana, Braun.

 

Villar is a question mark at 3B/2B, but his SS play wasn't good. But you have to give him a pass at any new position (for now) and see how he adjusts.

 

Here's an option to consider:

 

C - Maldonado and Susac/Pina

1B - Santana. He seems like a terrible OF. Sure he has a good arm, but he doesn't show any sort of natural ability in the OF. Let's see if 1B works for him.

2B - Villar

3B - Perez (he's graded out positive at the position in his career - seems to be his best position)

SS - Arcia

LF - Braun - his bat still makes him a big positive

CF - Broxton

RF - this is a question mark. Rymer Liriano, Michael Reed, Kirk N. I don't know. Brinson and/or Phillips could eventually end up here at some point next year (or in CF and Broxton shifting to RF).

 

Improve 2B (hopefully Villar grades better at 2B than Scooter), SS (Arcia a big upgrade over Villar), 3B (full time Perez is better than Hill/Perez/Middlebrooks/Villar hybrid), CF (full year of Broxton over Kirk N./Broxton/Flores), RF (hopefully whoever is here is better than Flores/Santana/Perez). Hope 1B is at least a wash. Catcher is probably a downgrade losing Lucroy, but otherwise, you potentially upgrade five positions - at least defensively.

 

This means Scooter and Carter are traded/non-tendered. While it might not be the best thing short term, neither are probably longterm options for the club.

[MrTPlush]

I'm not sure why so many think 2B is the same difficulty as 3B/SS. Go out to your nearest ball field and have someone hit you some balls and make throws to 1B. You will find out real quick how much easier 2B is. The throw is shorter, the balls are hit out you softer, starting double plays is easier, and you don't have to deal with soft hit dribblers. There is a reason why a lot of guys play 2B only. It is either due to a weak arm or they can't make the throws consistently.

 

There is no guarantee he is better at 2B, but there are a lot of reasons why he could improve at 2B and fare better than he has on the left side of the infield.

[MenchHead]

This team had Weeks slotted at second base for years and was deficient defensively. I would project Villar to be better than Weeks ever was at second.

[MrTPlush]

This team had Weeks slotted at second base for years and was deficient defensively. I would project Villar to be better than Weeks ever was at second.

 

Actually Villar would probably be pretty similar. Strong arms, but make a handful of errors. Only difference would be Villar being a bit more agile than an early career Weeks.

[And That]

I'm not sure why so many think 2B is the same difficulty as 3B/SS.

I'm not sure I've seen anyone say that? I think everyone pretty much everyone acknowledges that 2B is the easier position.

 

My reason for questioning Villar's ability to transition is because he has the physical ability to play SS and 3B, he has the arm, and his mechanics aren't even that bad. He's a bad defender in large part due to mental lapses. The same mental lapses that cause him to make jarringly poor base running choices from time to time. The thing about mental lapses is that they can happen at any position, second base included. He might cause less damage there than on the left side of the infield, but that's about all I'm convinced about.

 

If Villar is the only bad defender the Brewers had, that would probably be fine, but when you have poor defenders scattered around the field, Villar only makes the problem worse.

[MenchHead]

This team had Weeks slotted at second base for years and was deficient defensively. I would project Villar to be better than Weeks ever was at second.

 

Actually Villar would probably be pretty similar. Strong arms, but make a handful of errors. Only difference would be Villar being a bit more agile than an early career Weeks.

 

Villar's range is a plus over Weeks. Gloves might be a wash but Rickie would let so many balls trickle under or past his glove. Villar seems to at least be able to get in the way. I'm not necessarily saying its a huge upgrade but we got along just fine with a poor defensive second baseman for years. Weeks' offensive potential was higher but even if Villar regresses a little (hopefully not a lot), I think we'd still be sitting in an OK position.

[LouisEly]

I'm really curious as to why people think that Carter is terrible defensively, or what stats/evidence point to it. According to B-R, the Brewers as a team are in the middle of the pack at 1B in terms of Total Zone Total Fielding Runs Above Average; they are at -1, so one fielding run below average, ranking 17th, and Carter is rated at 0 so exactly average (Lucroy is -2 which offsets Perez's 1 and Carter's 0). There are 31 players with at least 500 innings at 1B or roughly one per team; Carter ranks 15th. Qualitatively I haven't watched a lot of games, but from what I have seen he hasn't looked bad at all.

 

Back to 2017... again, we're dealing with a lot of ifs. The biggest is starting pitching; is Guerra a 3.00 ERA, is he a mirage, or will his elbow give out? Which Peralta/Garza/Anderson/Jungmann do we get - the first half of 2016 or the 2nd half (Peralta 3.35 ERA, Garza 3.85, Anderson 3.32, Jungmann 2.51 ERA at Biloxi)? The Brewers 2nd half team ERA is 3.72, which would rank 5th on the season in MLB. Is Nelson a 1st half pitcher (3.62), 2nd half (5.94), or pitching hurt? If you take their best halves you have Guerra (2.85), Peralta (3.35), Nelson (3.62), Garza (3.85) plus Davies (4.00)... that's a pretty darned good staff, and doesn't include Jungmann, Anderson, or Hader. If Guerra is healthy and pitching well I think he's gone by July 31st.

 

Second is Braun - will he get traded? I think there is a good chance he becomes a Dodger, if the Dodgers can find a way to clear a little payroll. Don't be surprised if Howie Kendrick is a Brewer in 2017. Or if Puig is. Or if Ethier is the LF... or the 1B.

 

I'm not concerned about the bullpen. The Brewers kept their top 3 relievers in terms of K/9. The "if" there is if they can find a LHRP option, and if Suter is more than a LOOGY. I think the Brewers have one of the best bullpen pitching coaches in the game, and besides the obvious guys (Thorny, Knebel, Torres) the rest have quietly had very good seasons (Marinez, Cravy, Barnes). Add a lefty, and then you don't have to worry if Blazek doesn't return to form because you still have Magnifico and one or two of the seven starters mentioned above.

 

We've seen the "if" movie before, but the way the Brewers have been pitching in the 2nd half they have every reason to have a shot at the Wild Card.

[MNBrew]

I'm going to detour into a related but minor point that's one of my pet peeves:

 

I definitely agree with the Brewers' need for significant defensive improvement, but Braun's a respectable LF and I just don't get the constant assertions that he's this lousy defender. I've been watching a lot of baseball very attentively and reading about it for over 35 years and I've watched Braun in LF quite a lot. I'm not a "stats crowd" guy which I'm sure frustrates some of you occasionally about my posts, but I'm also neither blind nor clueless. Braun's not Willie Mays, but over his career he also has made a zillion fewer boneheaded plays than defensively adored Gold Glover Carlos Gomez and he's far closer to Gomez defensively than anywhere near the Izzy Alcantara/Yuni B end of the defensive spectrum. . . .

 

Even if Braun were to grade out as a little below average by some statistical measures -- keeping in mind that defensive metrics are still somewhat subjective and a lot less reliable than offensive ones -- it's not like he costs the Brewers much of anything negative with his defense -- not in terms of "deep stats" measurables, but the obvious outcomes like W-L, runs against, etc. Some like to nitpick routes to the ball or other minor things like they're more crucial than they are and like they're perfect indicators of eventual outcomes, but they're just not. What ultimately matters most is whether or not a guy makes the plays he needs to make. "Pretty" and "effective" are neither synonymous nor a required pairing in terms of indicating successful outcomes (though a good pairing of those two things surely beats the alternative). Braun makes a few errors, but so does everyone else including the best defensive players. In all, Braun makes the plays he needs to make.

 

Is Braun a lesser defensive player than an offensive player? Of course - no argument there, if for no other reason than that his offensive game is still pretty elite. Is there room for defensive improvement? Like every other player, of course.

 

I figure a rant like this presents quite a target and sets off fireworks in some folks' heads. All right, have at it... and keep in mind that I still agree overall with the assertion that Brewers' league-worst defense must improve significantly next year.

[MNBrew]

Different angle than the above:

 

While after tonight's win against the Cubs, the Brewers are now "only" 15 games under .500 (62-77), it's also worth noting that both the Cubs & especially St. Louis are kind of in their heads -- a combined 8-21 against those 2 teams. Add into that 1-5 vs. SF, 2-5 vs. both the Mets & Dodgers and it's not too hard to see that the Brewers' biggest struggles have been against most of the NL's top teams this year, but otherwise they've held their own with dignity.

 

What that says to me is that we're not that bad of a team overall and it may not be too long before the improving MLB product and large waves of talented young players from the now-good farm system make for a Brewers team that could be in position to contend both sooner than expected and for a good while.

 

I get that the Cubs & Cardinals are generally loaded. The Brewers can neither control them nor worry much about what those teams do, just about doing what they need to do themselves and let their play start to force the issue with the other teams. . . . Anyway, two things encourage me about their current record in context with their record vs. the Cubs & Cardinals:

 

1. For a rebuild, this could sure be a whole lot more painful than it is -- witness the Twins and their horribly underperforming SPs and mostly AAA-type bullpen that are totally killing them.

 

2. To be where the Brewers are considering how lost & lousy most of the rotation was for the first part of the year also gives me reason for hope.

 

The 2nd half pitching's been better, and it's hard to imagine that a little improvement on D, a few fewer Ks, and a bit better RISP wouldn't make a nice cumulative difference... ditto with less Walsh, Flores, Nieuwenhuis, & 1st-half Broxton .... all this with lots more talent on the way.

[clancyphile]

You look at this roster, and there's absolutely no reason they can't be in the wild card mix in 2017 with improvement from the starting pitching and better balance in the lineup.

 

So if they have better pitching and hitting, they'll be a better team? Hard to argue against that!

 

Look, I can't say you're wrong, and you have a right to your optimism. I just don't agree. Remember, with Jeffress and Smith gone, it will be difficult (at best) for the bullpen to be as good as it was this season. Rotation can certainly be better, but not good enough to compete for WC even if everything goes right.

 

Finally, as proven in another thread having a LH power bat would be nice, but it's not as important as you think it is. For example, having a productive Santana and Brinson in the OF would make a world of difference compared to the Flores, Kirk, and half a horrible season of Broxton in the OF. See, they are all RH, but much better results.

 

Even with Lucroy gone, I can see them putting up more runs in 2017. Mostly because of the pathetic output from the OF for most of this season, and the game of musical chairs at 3B for half a season.

 

I have to agree. The Brewers will have a decent offense in 2017, one that can get better when Brinson comes up, and which adds Ryan Cordell on the bench as another supersub.

 

The real task for 2017 is to evaluate the in-house options at starting pitchers, whether they are on the 40-man, or at AA/AAA this year.

 

My assumption is that Garza and Guerra are sell-high options. Maybe they get more lottery tickets (in terms of low-A players who may or may not work out). Peralta may be someone to deal at the deadline (or over the off-season if the market is there).

 

Nelson, Anderson, and Davies are 3/4/5 starters. It's time to throw Jungmann, Suter, Hader, Wang, Burgos, and Lopez into the mix and see what they have got. I figure we'll also see Ortiz and Woodruff around this time next year.

 

Some will start, others may be in the bullpen, but 2017 is the year to see who does what.

[adambr2]

I agree there's going to be a lot of trialing going on in 2017, and I don't see it as a contending year. Who is coming up next year that is going to make a significant difference? Hader and Brinson, if we promote them aggressively. It's also probably too much to expect them to succeed at this level from the start - most likely they'll have some growing pains like Arcia.

 

Even if Hader surpasses early expectations, you're still going to need some other things falling into place --- Peralta pitching as he is now, not as he was earlier this year -- a big rebound year from Nelson -- Jungmann surprising and becoming relevant again. Several of these things are going to have to fall into place just to cobble together a half decent rotation. Also keep in mind that our record this year includes all but the last month of Lucroy, Smith, and Jeffress, who we won't benefit from next year.

 

The meat of our top 10 -- guys like Ortiz, Bickford, Diaz, Clark, and Ray are mostly guys still 2-3 years away. Anything can happen and teams can surprise, and so much can happen in a few years, but as of right now with the pieces we have at this moment I'd project 2019 to be our most realistic target for when we can expect to field a contending team.

 

We're doing this right. It sucks to have to wait, but patience is key to this process.

[MrTPlush]

Saying our defense is the worst in baseball by(I assume) errors committed doesn't really seem like an accurate way to rate them. A lot of defensive stats actually like the majority of our players. No one consistently is rated horribly except Santana and Carter to an extent.

 

The Dodgers have committed the least amount of errors and I have heard their defense actually might be up there with the worst of them. Chase Utley has only 4 errors, but is hated by fielding stats.

[clancyphile]

I agree there's going to be a lot of trialing going on in 2017, and I don't see it as a contending year. Who is coming up next year that is going to make a significant difference? Hader and Brinson, if we promote them aggressively. It's also probably too much to expect them to succeed at this level from the start - most likely they'll have some growing pains like Arcia.

 

Even if Hader surpasses early expectations, you're still going to need some other things falling into place --- Peralta pitching as he is now, not as he was earlier this year -- a big rebound year from Nelson -- Jungmann surprising and becoming relevant again. Several of these things are going to have to fall into place just to cobble together a half decent rotation. Also keep in mind that our record this year includes all but the last month of Lucroy, Smith, and Jeffress, who we won't benefit from next year.

 

The meat of our top 10 -- guys like Ortiz, Bickford, Diaz, Clark, and Ray are mostly guys still 2-3 years away. Anything can happen and teams can surprise, and so much can happen in a few years, but as of right now with the pieces we have at this moment I'd project 2019 to be our most realistic target for when we can expect to field a contending team.

 

We're doing this right. It sucks to have to wait, but patience is key to this process.

 

The Crew is one or two surprises away from the timetable speeding up.

 

On the pitching side, Wang (Acquired via Rule V draft prior to 2014), Suter (31st round, 2012) and Woodruff (11th round, 2014) came out of almost nowhere to become likely contributors to the Brewers and emerged as forces in the last two years. To say nothing of Guerra, who's numbers are that of a #2 starter.

 

As for position players, who would have guessed six months ago that Hernan Perez would be a valuable contributor offensively? Or that Jonathan Villar would be third on the team in OPS while stealing 52 bases? Keon Broxton has also emerged as a good player.

 

If I were Stearns, I'd be looking to flip Guerra, Garza, and Anderson to clear some space to see which of the "young guns" could stick. I'd also flip Scooter Gennett and Chris Carter as well.

[adambr2]

The thing about Suter and Woodruff, even with as nice of surprises as they've been, is that even if they do break into our rotation, they still have back of the rotation ceilings. We have no shortage of these types. They're nice to have, and keep you from having to fill out the bottom of the rotation in free agency, but they're not guys that are really going to move that needle from rebuilding to contention. Those potential front end of the rotation arms is something we still lack, for the most part, though we've gotten better there and guys like Hader and Ortiz give us hope. Wang might offer something there, but he's still a big wild card.

 

I've been pleased with the direction we are headed, but I think some perspective is necessary. Not much has gone wrong for us in terms of what we really could have expected this year. Lucroy rebounded in a big way to recover his trade value. Braun's rebound has gone as good as we could have hoped. Davies and Guerra have outpitched expectations, and Villar, Perez, and to some extent Broxton have enjoyed breakout years. Thornburg has greatly surpassed expectations. You could say Jungmann and Peralta have disappointed, but in line with what we could have expected this year, the good has definitely outweighed the bad.

 

And even with all that, we're on pace to be a 72-90 team. That's totally fine for the 2016 Brewers, but it's a long ways from contention, and we may not be as fortunate in finding breakout performers next season.

[Greenleaf1]

I think if 2 out of Hader/Woodruff/Ortiz/Bickford can break through and live up to their potential as #1/#2 guys, we have a chance for lasting success year to year. If only 1 of them lives up to potential, then we're going to need to go out and spend some real money or real prospects on a top of the rotation starter (Price? Keuchel?), and that might give us a window but it also might limit our ability to compete long term.

 

I also think that most successful rebuilds of the last 5 years or so have included at least one true impact player. Nats have Harper, Astros have Altuve (and Bregman looks like a stud), Cubs have Bryant......I'm curious who could be that guy for us. Arcia doesn't really fit that mold. With his stellar 2015 and very strong finish this year, I think it's possible Brinson might be that guy, but other than him I don't see anybody quite like that (maybe Diaz but too soon to tell). Braun has been that guy for us for a decade now, but I wonder if he can keep it up another 3 or 4 years, or maybe he won't even be on the team anymore.

[clancyphile]

The thing about Suter and Woodruff, even with as nice of surprises as they've been, is that even if they do break into our rotation, they still have back of the rotation ceilings. We have no shortage of these types. They're nice to have, and keep you from having to fill out the bottom of the rotation in free agency, but they're not guys that are really going to move that needle from rebuilding to contention. Those potential front end of the rotation arms is something we still lack, for the most part, though we've gotten better there and guys like Hader and Ortiz give us hope. Wang might offer something there, but he's still a big wild card.

 

I've been pleased with the direction we are headed, but I think some perspective is necessary. Not much has gone wrong for us in terms of what we really could have expected this year. Lucroy rebounded in a big way to recover his trade value. Braun's rebound has gone as good as we could have hoped. Davies and Guerra have outpitched expectations, and Villar, Perez, and to some extent Broxton have enjoyed breakout years. Thornburg has greatly surpassed expectations. You could say Jungmann and Peralta have disappointed, but in line with what we could have expected this year, the good has definitely outweighed the bad.

 

And even with all that, we're on pace to be a 72-90 team. That's totally fine for the 2016 Brewers, but it's a long ways from contention, and we may not be as fortunate in finding breakout performers next season.

 

I think a top-of-the rotation starter is defined by the numbers. It doesn't matter if they blow away hitters and rack up a ton of strikeouts, or if they use guile and get a lot of weak groundouts. If they post a 2.50 ERA, they're probably a top-of-the-rotation guy.

 

It should not matter if that is Suter, Woodruff, Hader, Ortiz, or Lopez.

 

That's why the Brewers need to clear the decks in the offseason and move Anderson, Garza, Guerra, and maybe even Peralta. We need to see which of the "young guns" are top-of the-rotation starters, which are mid-to-back guys, which need to go to the bullpen, and who is AAAA.

[Outlander]

The thing about Suter and Woodruff, even with as nice of surprises as they've been, is that even if they do break into our rotation, they still have back of the rotation ceilings.

I guess it depends on your point of view, you think Woodruff has back end of the rotation ceiling and I think he has top of the rotation ceiling.

[reillymcshane]

I'm going to detour into a related but minor point that's one of my pet peeves:

 

I definitely agree with the Brewers' need for significant defensive improvement, but Braun's a respectable LF and I just don't get the constant assertions that he's this lousy defender. I've been watching a lot of baseball very attentively and reading about it for over 35 years and I've watched Braun in LF quite a lot. I'm not a "stats crowd" guy which I'm sure frustrates some of you occasionally about my posts, but I'm also neither blind nor clueless. Braun's not Willie Mays, but over his career he also has made a zillion fewer boneheaded plays than defensively adored Gold Glover Carlos Gomez and he's far closer to Gomez defensively than anywhere near the Izzy Alcantara/Yuni B end of the defensive spectrum. . . .

 

Even if Braun were to grade out as a little below average by some statistical measures -- keeping in mind that defensive metrics are still somewhat subjective and a lot less reliable than offensive ones -- it's not like he costs the Brewers much of anything negative with his defense -- not in terms of "deep stats" measurables, but the obvious outcomes like W-L, runs against, etc. Some like to nitpick routes to the ball or other minor things like they're more crucial than they are and like they're perfect indicators of eventual outcomes, but they're just not. What ultimately matters most is whether or not a guy makes the plays he needs to make. "Pretty" and "effective" are neither synonymous nor a required pairing in terms of indicating successful outcomes (though a good pairing of those two things surely beats the alternative). Braun makes a few errors, but so does everyone else including the best defensive players. In all, Braun makes the plays he needs to make.

 

Is Braun a lesser defensive player than an offensive player? Of course - no argument there, if for no other reason than that his offensive game is still pretty elite. Is there room for defensive improvement? Like every other player, of course.

 

I figure a rant like this presents quite a target and sets off fireworks in some folks' heads. All right, have at it... and keep in mind that I still agree overall with the assertion that Brewers' league-worst defense must improve significantly next year.

I think Braun is just very mediocre in the field. He's not terrible, but he's not very good. He moves decent on balls hit in front of him, and he's not afraid to go after those kind of hits. It seems like he moves okay going to his right, but he seems tentative going left. He also has a strong arm, but he's not particularly accurate on his throws. His reactions to balls is often slow, he takes time to get a good read on the ball, his routes aren't efficient and he doesn't play balls off the wall very well. This limits his range, although he does have pretty good speed - and as noted - isn't afraid to go after the ball. He generally gets the balls that he reaches.

 

Overall, Braun lacks a naturalness that some players have. I agree that he's not a lousy outfielder, but he's not good. He just doesn't do anything well in the field.

 

I also think analyzing a player's routes is not a 'minor' thing - and not nitpicking. It's a critical part of what an outfielder does. A good jump and a good read and a good route all make for a player that gets to a lot more balls than other guys.

 

As a note, stats are mixed on Braun. UZR generally thinks pretty poorly of him, but Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) has been positive (not great, but positive).

[Crash2303]

I feel the thing that no one has mentioned thus far, is the difference that positions are valued defensively. yes, those mentioned previously ie Carter, Braun, Santana are all mediocre on defense. However, they do not play "up the middle" premium defensive positions. Broxton/Brinson in CF is tight, Arcia at SS is a highlight reel, and Maldonado/Pina/Susac at C are solid. Add in when Villar or Perez take over at 2B and that is strength up the middle. This is encouraging to me and makes me feel confident that we'll have a strong defensive core for years to come that will help mitigate any shortcomings elsewhere, including next season. which should be less of an issue anyway, when some of the younger guys come up, filling out those other positions.

[monty57]

The Crew is one or two surprises away from the timetable speeding up.

 

This is where the questions come in. Surprises can go both ways. Brinson could come up next year and play like an All Star, or he could sit all year in AAA. Villar can prove that he's a legitimate .850 OPS guy, or he can prove that this year was a fluke and hit something like .230/.290/.380. Peralta could have "found it" in the minors and continue to go eight strong innings every outing, or he could regress back to the pitcher that got sent to the minors in the first place.

 

From what we see now, it looks like Villar should be a good leadoff guy, Braun is a strong #3 and Carter should be fine at #5. Hopefully Santana can stay healthy and make better contact, which would push his OPS over .800. Gennett looked like a better all around (not specifically platoon) hitter, and Perez at least should be a solid utility player. We don't know what we have in Broxton, but the talent is certainly there, and although Arcia is not an "offense first" player, he should improve his offensive stats from where they are this year. Meanwhile, we hopefully won't give so many PAs to guys like Flores, Walsh, Elmore, etc that were really, really bad this year.

 

Our starting rotation is just one big question mark. The guys who seemed to be fairly predictable (Nelson, Anderson, Peralta) were all over the map. Our solid guys (Guerra, Davies) are still unproven, and everyone keeps wanting to get rid of Garza, but he's pitching okay now, and may even be around next year. They could come in next year and look like a competent staff, or they could all have ERA's over 5.

 

They're at least competitive now. Adding 10 wins is a lot, but it is easier to jump from 70 to 80 than it is from 80 to 90. They have the talent to be a .500 team next year, but there are questions. First, will they hold on to guys like Braun, Thornberg, Carter, and all of their starting pitchers. Then, which guys will surprise to the upside, and which will crash and burn. At least we're headed in the right direction and they're still fun to watch unlike most teams in the first year of their rebuilds.

[Boomer5]

They have played way better than I thought they would but this team is not a 2017 wildcard candidate especially in our division.

 

The rotation would need to go nuclear and the defense would need some serious upgrades.