Our Newest Utility Player - Scooter Gennett

[Greenleaf1]

http://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/mlb/brewers/2017/01/26/gennett-ready-battle-job-brewers-camp/97012124/

 

Very interesting article. Scooter could certainly enhance his value to us or another team in a trade if he shows any sort of ability at shortstop or in the outfield.

 

If Arcia struggles though, Villar would more likely get ABs against righties and Scooter would play 2B anyways, so I'm not really sure what value he provides at SS (would rather have Perez there on off days for Arcia too).

[TURBO]

Scooter Gennett expects to receive reps at shortstop and perhaps the outfield in spring training.

 

Gennett was drafted as a shortstop and started 12 games at the position in A-ball, but he's been a second baseman exclusively since then. However, with Jonthan Villar now entrenched at the keystone, Gennett will attempt to add to his versatility. The 26-year-old slugged a career-high 14 homers in 2016, but he hit an underwhelming .263/.317/.412 overall.

 

Source: Milwaukee Journal SentinelJan 27 - 9:06 AM

[3and2Fastball]

One of the reasons that Scooter is a favorite player of mine is that he seems like the type who has maximized his talent and worked to get everything out of the innate talent he has.... I have no doubt he can play a corner Outfield spot, just not sure he can hit well enough to justify playing him there a lot. He'll need to improve his arm to play much Shortstop

 

Him being versatile will help with depth, double switches and lineup adjustment

[pacopete4]

I respect the heck out of a guy like Scooter but he's just not that good at second base and now we are going to possibly get him reps at shortstop? Ish. Even in the outfield, his bat is just not good enough to play out there unless it is an emergency type situation.

[reillymcshane]

They aren't going to say, 'Scooter is out of a job and there's no room for him on the roster because he lacks versatility. So what will you give me for him in trade?'

 

That'll net you next to nothing.

 

They could just be giving lip service to how the team believes he is worth something - even without a regular job - just to force someone to actually give us something of value in a trade.

 

Or maybe not. Maybe the club honestly feels he can contribute.

 

I could see him getting 20-30 starts at 2B (for Villar needs a rest, and when Arcia needs a rest, Villar could move to SS). Then maybe a handful of starts in LF. Plus some pinch hitting. Maybe 200 ABs - tops (assuming no major injuries).

 

Of course, all that playing time is then taken away from someone else - likely Perez. He gets regulated to the RH batter in a 3B platoon - plus maybe some starts at 1B and the OF. Total of maybe 40 starts at 3B, another 25 elsewhere? Just a guess. With pinch hitting, DHing, he maybe gets 300 ABs with that.

[jerichoholicninja]

'Bout time. SS isn't going to happen, he's at best the fourth best SS on the roster. I'm sure he'll be serviceable defensively in a corner OF spot. Braun's going to need days off plus the inevitable random week he's going to miss because he tweaked something, Santana has plenty of potential but is still really a question mark, same with Broxton. Perez will still get his AB's. I wouldn't be concerned about that.

[CheezWizHed]

They aren't going to say, 'Scooter is out of a job and there's no room for him on the roster because he lacks versatility. So what will you give me for him in trade?'

 

+1. There is no real benefit to this Brewers team in doing this except for dire emergencies. He is quite a ways down the backup lists at 1B, SS, 3B and OF.

 

But there is no harm in it either for ST. And at least is shows you are trying something with a player.

[JohnBriggs12]

I'm a big Scooter fan. He's more than adequate defensively at 2B. Heck 2 of his errors last year was when he was a split second pulling his foot off the bag on double play turns. Unlike his predecessor, Gennett relays are generally accurate as is his range. We think Villar will be good there, but he's barely played 2B as a professional and the reason Villar's been moved there was because he made a lot of misplays at SS and 3B. That's hardly a ringing endorsement of his defensive abilities.

 

Shaw is far from a sure thing too. He's a career .251 hitter who strikes out a lot and he hit just .194 in the 2nd half last year. Haven't we seen other 3B come up with Boston and look good for a few hundred AB's then flame out? Heck Stearns seem obsessed with getting those guys. Last year it was Middlebrooks and Cecchini, and now it's Shaw. Wake me up when one of those guys pans out.

 

With Gennett relegated to bench duty for the most part, that makes the bench stronger and Counsell is certainly not going to hesitate hitting for Arcia if he's not going well or double switching out anyone in the infield. If Gennett proves to be adequate in the corner OF spots, that could mean Nieuwenhuis is expendable. Nieuwenhuis on paper is the only CF backup, but Perez looked fine out there last year and can give Broxton a day off here and there, and if need be, Brinson's a day away.

[bork]

Being a lefty actually hurts him this year, since you already have a lefty at 1B and 3B and a switch hitter at 2B. But he could potentially get some time in the OF if Nieuwenhuis is the only lefty out there.

[Boomer5]

If Scooter can become a super sub that would be great. He isnt much of a player though as a starting 2B if we were trying to contend. He is a 92 OPS+ guy who somehow struck out 114 times last year. We have heard forever that he could only play 2B though, so where is this new found capability coming from?

 

IF, and its a big IF, Villar can handle 2B on D, he is a significantly better player overall.

 

I dont think either guy is an option for 3B though, so I guess thats why Stearns picked up Shaw, though he isnt much either.

[djoctagone]

if he shows any sort of ability at shortstop

when i first saw that, i read liability instead of ability, and it made sense.

[adambr2]

I'm a big Scooter fan. He's more than adequate defensively at 2B. Heck 2 of his errors last year was when he was a split second pulling his foot off the bag on double play turns.

 

Pretty sure those were not counted as errors, but they did arguably cost us 2 games.

[reillymcshane]

I'm a big Scooter fan. He's more than adequate defensively at 2B. Heck 2 of his errors last year was when he was a split second pulling his foot off the bag on double play turns.

 

Pretty sure those were not counted as errors, but they did arguably cost us 2 games.

It should be his job to turn a double play properly.

 

I think one of the areas of a game that gets ignored too often is the little things - things that might not count as an error - but hurt a team. That means taking proper routes, being in the right place to begin with, being in the right position as a cut off man (and hitting the cut off man), and turning double plays properly, etc., etc.

 

I'm not going to fault a guy for being slow or having a weak arm - the team knows that weakness up front. It's all these little things that can add up to a lot in the long run.

 

To me, it may be a market place inefficiency that the organization can (and should) exploit. It means good coaching and a consistent organizational philosophy that coaches and management and players buy into.

[adambr2]

Doesn't really have the arm to play 3rd or RF. Probably can stick him at SS or LF and get away with it, but it won't be pretty.

 

I don't know how this is more than a posturing technique. Arcia and Villar are locked in up the middle. He's not going to play over Shaw and he's not even a better lefty OF option than Nieuwenhuis. Even in the event of an injury Perez is a much more realistic fill in.

[Invader3K]

Fun fact I read the other day: Scooter Gennett is now our second most tenured Brewers player, behind only Ryan Braun.

 

As far as him being our go-to utility guy, I guess I don't know what else they can do with him. I'm surprised there isn't more of a market for him in a trade, as even decent starting 2Bs are somewhat hard to come by in MLB right now.

[Ennder]

I don't think anyone is trading for Gennett as their full time 2B while Utley is sitting out there a FA. Once he signs maybe the market opens up some.

[Oldcity]

His position on the depth chart:

 

2B: 2/3

SS: 4?

1B: Please no

LF: 3/4

RF: Please no

 

He should have been non-tendered.

[FVBrewerFan]

Nah, he's still cheap and still has value. Nothing to lose by playing this out. Insurance for now if Villar is injured. I can't see him staying on the 25 all year as a backup 2B, but there's no reason not to have him on the 40 for now.

 

But I agree, I just don't believe he can play any other position even marginally well. Maybe LF, but I don't see any point in that.

[Greenleaf1]

I'm not really sure who he's blocking for a spot on the 25-man to start the year, as we don't have a lot of bench-type guys on the 40-man, so I don't think it's much of a problem to pay him a couple million to be Villar's backup and a veteran bat off the bench. If he has some positional flexibility that could help for pinch hitting situations late in games. If he could play LF or SS in a pinch, that does provide some value (although probably not that much when we've already got Perez/Villar who can play all over if needed).

 

He'll either show something in limited time and get traded for almost nothing or when we need his spot we'll option him and non-tender him after the season. His year will almost certainly be unspectacular, but we don't really lose anything by having him around because he doesn't make enough to be that big of a deal.

 

I believe we tendered him before the Thornburg/Shaw deal happened, and if that had happened first he probably wouldn't have been tendered, but just call it a $2.5M mistake for the Brewers and move on, I guess?

[MadThinker88]

Yes, Scooter was tendered BEFORE the deal for Shaw/ others..

 

Absent that move, it made some sense to tender Scooter (& I am not a fan of Scooter).

Now, it might come down to who has options at the end of spring training and health of Brewer players..

[Jimbo]

Fun fact I read the other day: Scooter Gennett is now our second most tenured Brewers player, behind only Ryan Braun.

 

As far as him being our go-to utility guy, I guess I don't know what else they can do with him. I'm surprised there isn't more of a market for him in a trade, as even decent starting 2Bs are somewhat hard to come by in MLB right now.

 

Yes, and Peralta is #3. Only three players remain from the 2013 Opening Day 40-man roster.

[monty57]

I'm not really sure who he's blocking for a spot on the 25-man to start the year, as we don't have a lot of bench-type guys on the 40-man, so I don't think it's much of a problem to pay him a couple million to be Villar's backup and a veteran bat off the bench. If he has some positional flexibility that could help for pinch hitting situations late in games. If he could play LF or SS in a pinch, that does provide some value (although probably not that much when we've already got Perez/Villar who can play all over if needed).

 

He'll either show something in limited time and get traded for almost nothing or when we need his spot we'll option him and non-tender him after the season. His year will almost certainly be unspectacular, but we don't really lose anything by having him around because he doesn't make enough to be that big of a deal.

 

I believe we tendered him before the Thornburg/Shaw deal happened, and if that had happened first he probably wouldn't have been tendered, but just call it a $2.5M mistake for the Brewers and move on, I guess?

 

This pretty well sums things up.

 

If Gennett is traded, we'll probably see something like Perez as the "hit first" utility guy, with Rivera as the "defense first" utility guy. He's not blocking one of our top prospects... he's blocking another utility guy. I'd rather see the less expensive, more versatile guy up, but it is what it is.

 

As things stand, Gennett is a square peg in a round hole, so if he can show some ability to play another position or two, he can at least add a little more value to the team this year. Hopefully they can find someone who can better use his services before opening day.

[Greenleaf1]

Scooter gets two outs in the 1st inning today in left field, then came up and hit a double.

 

[sarcasm]New opening day left fielder? Who could possibly take his spot with the way he's been playing.[/sarcasm]

[pacopete4]

I hate the fact that we are even putting time into him in left field. Just move on already.

[Dmiles23]

I will say this... he was taking reps in left during BP last Saturday, and he looked absolutely brutal. A guy standing next to me said "You can tell that guy doesn't play outfield!" Maybe it was just the day, or the wet field, but after watching him for 10 minutes I wouldn't feel comfortable putting him out there.

 

On a side note, he almost did something pretty cool that I've never seen before. A ball was hit right at him. He came in a few steps before realizing the ball was way over his head. So he threw his glove at it... and the ball stuck in its webbing. The ball did fall out before the glove hit the ground, but I thought that was pretty cool.