Spring Training thread

[adambr2]

I was amazed that Drake survived every cut last year much less got another shot to make the team this year.

 

Fun Drake fact: right handed batters OPSed 1.043 against Drake last year. Another way to put that is, every righty batter in baseball is Mike Trout against Oliver Drake.

 

I like Craig Counsell, I think he's a great manager, but I will always look at his decision in extras to let Drake face Kris Bryant in extra innings in the last Cub series of the year where every game was critical, as a mind-numbingly awful decision.

[nate82]

It has only been a few games but Dubon is looking really good. If he continues to play like he has will he be the starting 2B this year?

[brewerfan82]

It has only been a few games but Dubon is looking really good. If he continues to play like he has will he be the starting 2B this year?

This is based off him being 1 for 8 with a couple strikeouts?

[nate82]

It has only been a few games but Dubon is looking really good. If he continues to play like he has will he be the starting 2B this year?

This is based off him being 1 for 8 with a couple strikeouts?

 

Just his play in general his at bats that I have seen have been encouraging results are not there yet. Defensively he can play any where in the infield.

[brewerfan82]

Gotcha, thought there must have been more than just my box score lookup

[wallus]

Any reason Williams shouldn't make our bullpen to start the season?

[adambr2]

Any reason Williams shouldn't make our bullpen to start the season?

 

Nope, none at all. He's already on the 40. If he loses the "options" game I'll be very upset. We lost too many games from relief pitching last year to be screwing around with playing that game with the pen.

[wallus]

Any reason Williams shouldn't make our bullpen to start the season?

 

Nope, none at all. He's already on the 40. If he loses the "options" game I'll be very upset. We lost too many games from relief pitching last year to be screwing around with playing that game with the pen.

 

I just hope they don't keep someone like Miley or Gallardo on the roster instead of him. Put him in low leverage situations and see how he does.

[Mudville9]

Hiura hasn't had a ton of good results yet, but he looks very good at the plate. Pleeeeeeeease let him stick at 2b. He has Sheffield like bat speed.

[wallus]

Burnes pitched a scoreless inning but every ball was hit very hard.

[ecjimg]

Rock annoys me on the broadcasts. He actually said Broxton can make the team as the 4th outfielder.... and play when Braun plays first. He also apparently thinks that 25 plus 5 equals 35. (When talking about Anderson getting more pitches in to reach 35)

[nate82]

Gotcha, thought there must have been more than just my box score lookup

 

It maybe too soon to say he should be the starting 2B but I really like what I have seen so far from Dubon. I think he can be an average offensive player with elite like defense. Pairing Dubon with Arcia would be rather fun to watch defensively. I am not sure there would be many hits that would get through Dubon and Arcia. Having two elite defenders up the middle in Dubon and Arcia would be crazy and would help the whole infield defense especially at the corners where you wouldn't need someone with all that much range which means you could focus on more of a bat first 1B and 3B with Arcia and Dubon at SS and 2B.

[BillMilton]

No, so far he is Yadiel Rivera.

[ClosetBrewerFan]

It maybe too soon to say he should be the starting 2B but I really like what I have seen so far from Dubon. I think he can be an average offensive player with elite like defense. Pairing Dubon with Arcia would be rather fun to watch defensively. I am not sure there would be many hits that would get through Dubon and Arcia. Having two elite defenders up the middle in Dubon and Arcia would be crazy and would help the whole infield defense especially at the corners where you wouldn't need someone with all that much range which means you could focus on more of a bat first 1B and 3B with Arcia and Dubon at SS and 2B.

 

How can you tell he has elite like defense based on the few games he has played in. I've watched and he may be but that kind of evaluation takes at least a half season or longer to evaluate IMO.

[jerichoholicninja]

Hiura hasn't had a ton of good results yet, but he looks very good at the plate. Pleeeeeeeease let him stick at 2b. He has Sheffield like bat speed.

 

I've seen a couple others say he's looked good. I haven't seen his every AB but of the 4 or 5 I have seen he hasn't even fouled a pitch off yet. Just looks super overmatched with no approach other than "swing at every pitch and hope I hit it."

[Greenleaf1]

Williams looked pretty stellar today. Burnes not so much, but it's his 2nd inning of the Spring so I'm not super concerned and apparently his last outing was pretty impressive.

 

Don't have a link but maybe a few weeks ago Stearns or Counsell said something about how Williams would probably start the season in the minors. That said, if he keeps going like that the next month, it'll be tough to send him down (unless they plan to stretch him out as a starter).

[nate82]

 

How can you tell he has elite like defense based on the few games he has played in. I've watched and he may be but that kind of evaluation takes at least a half season or longer to evaluate IMO.

 

Because of scouting reports and watching him play. You can see the tools are there for elite like defense.

[JohnBriggs12]

Gotcha, thought there must have been more than just my box score lookup

 

It maybe too soon to say he should be the starting 2B but I really like what I have seen so far from Dubon. I think he can be an average offensive player with elite like defense. Pairing Dubon with Arcia would be rather fun to watch defensively. I am not sure there would be many hits that would get through Dubon and Arcia. Having two elite defenders up the middle in Dubon and Arcia would be crazy and would help the whole infield defense especially at the corners where you wouldn't need someone with all that much range which means you could focus on more of a bat first 1B and 3B with Arcia and Dubon at SS and 2B.

 

Dubon isn't a good enough hitter to be a regular at this stage. He might not even be the first call up should a middle infielder go down.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

Dubon isn't a good enough hitter to be a regular at this stage. He might not even be the first call up should a middle infielder go down.

 

Well, he's the only other middle infielder on the 40-man, so it would stand to reason he'd be called up. If they had to add a guy, I imagine it would probably be Orf. Nick Franklin is kicking around again too.

[rwa12]

I watched Dubon strike out the other night, while the end result was bad, the at bat wasn't. I don't dislike his swing, and he appears to be fairly confident at the plate. I'm hopeful he becomes something for us.

[zagski6]

Hiura hasn't had a ton of good results yet, but he looks very good at the plate. Pleeeeeeeease let him stick at 2b. He has Sheffield like bat speed.

 

I've seen a couple others say he's looked good. I haven't seen his every AB but of the 4 or 5 I have seen he hasn't even fouled a pitch off yet. Just looks super overmatched with no approach other than "swing at every pitch and hope I hit it."

 

Even though the results this spring have been less than stellar, watching him last year with the T-Rats I have no doubt his ability at the plate is the real deal.

[pacopete4]

Braun will make his 1B debut today.

[Warning Track Power]

Vogt out 2-3 weeks with a strained throwing shoulder injury

 

 

I would say a backup C is needed. Vogt may be done given how poorly he threw already.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

Vogt out 2-3 weeks with a shoulder injury per Haudricourt

 

By God, is that Jett Bandy's music?

 

In all seriousness, I imagine Bandy's chance of making the team just went from about 15% to roughly 90%. There is really not much left on the free agent market for catchers (sans Lucroy), and with Bethancourt and Nottingham likely slated for AAA duty, he doesn't have a ton of competition.

[wallus]

Any reports on how Braun did at first?