Keston Hiura called up, Shaw optioned

[adambr2]

They've been asking.

 

 

Edit: Oops, sorry I saw this was already posted. But yeah, it'll probably get thrown out there once a week or so until Hiura is back, which is probably a moot point because he's going to (hopefully?!) be up within a week.

[OldHeidelberg]

Counsell sounds like a politician, he has been told how to answer that question and just keeps saying it over and over even though he probably doesn't agree with what he is saying. I know that avoiding super 2 is done by most if not all teams but is it usual to call them up the day after they clear it? I brought it up yesterday but the only explanation I can come up with right now is that they don't like the optics, especially considering their struggles against all these lefties without him and the fact that everyone questioned it when he went down. They probably should have went with defense rather than claiming they are waiting for Shaw and Aggy to come around, at least Counsell seems to be setting the stage by saying they need to get going soon.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

Counsell sounds like a politician, he has been told how to answer that question and just keeps saying it over and over even though he probably doesn't agree with what he is saying. I know that avoiding super 2 is done by most if not all teams but is it usual to call them up the day after they clear it? I brought it up yesterday but the only explanation I can come up with right now is that they don't like the optics, especially considering their struggles against all these lefties without him and the fact that everyone questioned it when he went down. They probably should have went with defense rather than claiming they are waiting for Shaw and Aggy to come around, at least Counsell seems to be setting the stage by saying they need to get going soon.

 

That's the problem, though. These guys will never get going if they don't play, and they aren't playing well enough when they are out there to get regular playing time. It turns into a cyclical argument that never has a resolution. The Brewers have to crap or get off the pot, because something has to give here, and quick. Houser certainly wasn't good last night (bummer), but the bullpen guys were stars last night, and an offense as "prolific" as the Brewers should have been able to claw back into that game. But it's gotten to to point that whenever Yelich scuffles, he brings the offense down with him because other than Moose and Grandal, no one else has stepped up. That needs to change.

[JohnBriggs12]

Somebody needs to ask Counsell and Stearns why David Freitas is still in the minors too. Correct me if I'm wrong but did Pina ever post a .971 OPS in the minors?

 

Aguilar has his first multi hit game since April and then sits the following night to be replaced in the order by a guy hitting .149? That's worse than what cost Jett Bandy a job last year.

[OldHeidelberg]

 

That's the problem, though. These guys will never get going if they don't play, and they aren't playing well enough when they are out there to get regular playing time. It turns into a cyclical argument that never has a resolution. The Brewers have to crap or get off the pot, because something has to give here, and quick. Houser certainly wasn't good last night (bummer), but the bullpen guys were starts last night, and an offense as "prolific" as the Brewers should have been able to claw back into that game. But it's gotten to to point that whenever Yelich scuffles, he brings the offense down with him because other than Moose and Grandal, no one else has stepped up. That needs to change.

 

Yeah, my comment was more about why Hiura wasn't brought up on Tuesday. Aggy isn't even playing and they weren't shy about sending Santana down last year and I don't think he was even as bad as Shaw is. I don't think everyone is being chicken littles on this particular issue, it's so obvious that there is no way the Brewers don't see it.

[OldHeidelberg]

Somebody needs to ask Counsell and Stearns why David Freitas is still in the minors too. Correct me if I'm wrong but did Pina ever post a .971 OPS in the minors?

 

Aguilar has his first multi hit game since April and then sits the following night to be replaced in the order by a guy hitting .149? That's worse than what cost Jett Bandy a job last year.

 

No, Pina did put up .877 at AAA CS in 2016 though.

[Lathund]

Somebody needs to ask Counsell and Stearns why David Freitas is still in the minors too. Correct me if I'm wrong but did Pina ever post a .971 OPS in the minors?

 

Aguilar has his first multi hit game since April and then sits the following night to be replaced in the order by a guy hitting .149? That's worse than what cost Jett Bandy a job last year.

 

I want to see Freitas be given a shot too, but the problem is how? Piña doesn't have options remaining, and with it being a real possibility that Grandal is gone after the season I'm not sure you'd want to lose Piña as well. The way to do it would be if Aguilar was sent packing, with Freitas and Grandal seeing time at 1st but they don't seem to want to make that move with Aguilar yet. And if you make that move, Hiura should still be the higher priority. I think Freitas gets a shot in case of injuries, but other than that I think they made the move with next year in mind. Or rather they made the move because they saw a player they presumably liked available for next to nothing and took advantage despite the timing not being ideal.

[Eye Black]

In a completely unrelated note, FanGraphs player pages now list options remaining. Here is a randomly selected example (via Meg Rowley)...

 

[JohnBriggs12]

Somebody needs to ask Counsell and Stearns why David Freitas is still in the minors too. Correct me if I'm wrong but did Pina ever post a .971 OPS in the minors?

 

Aguilar has his first multi hit game since April and then sits the following night to be replaced in the order by a guy hitting .149? That's worse than what cost Jett Bandy a job last year.

 

I want to see Freitas be given a shot too, but the problem is how? Piña doesn't have options remaining, and with it being a real possibility that Grandal is gone after the season I'm not sure you'd want to lose Piña as well. The way to do it would be if Aguilar was sent packing, with Freitas and Grandal seeing time at 1st but they don't seem to want to make that move with Aguilar yet. And if you make that move, Hiura should still be the higher priority. I think Freitas gets a shot in case of injuries, but other than that I think they made the move with next year in mind. Or rather they made the move because they saw a player they presumably liked available for next to nothing and took advantage despite the timing not being ideal.

 

Pina's arby eligible next year. If he ends up hitting sub .175, do you really think they'll tender him or that he's a viable candidate to be a starting catcher again? I'll think they'll try hard to re-sign Grandal and if not, then either trade for an established catcher or sign one of the many aging FA out there. Why not find out what they have in Freitas? This is the second straight year he's posted a AAA OPS over .950.

[Fear The Chorizo]

Can't wait for the retroactive IL stint cain will get in the next few days after having the brewers play shorthanded for a week...no reason that shouldn't have happened 4 days ago already.

[tmwiese55]

Somebody needs to ask Counsell and Stearns why David Freitas is still in the minors too. Correct me if I'm wrong but did Pina ever post a .971 OPS in the minors?

 

Aguilar has his first multi hit game since April and then sits the following night to be replaced in the order by a guy hitting .149? That's worse than what cost Jett Bandy a job last year.

 

I want to see Freitas be given a shot too, but the problem is how? Piña doesn't have options remaining, and with it being a real possibility that Grandal is gone after the season I'm not sure you'd want to lose Piña as well. The way to do it would be if Aguilar was sent packing, with Freitas and Grandal seeing time at 1st but they don't seem to want to make that move with Aguilar yet. And if you make that move, Hiura should still be the higher priority. I think Freitas gets a shot in case of injuries, but other than that I think they made the move with next year in mind. Or rather they made the move because they saw a player they presumably liked available for next to nothing and took advantage despite the timing not being ideal.

 

Pina's arby eligible next year. If he ends up hitting sub .175, do you really think they'll tender him or that he's a viable candidate to be a starting catcher again? I'll think they'll try hard to re-sign Grandal and if not, then either trade for an established catcher or sign one of the many aging FA out there. Why not find out what they have in Freitas? This is the second straight year he's posted a AAA OPS over .950.

 

Organizational depth right now I think for this one. If injuries happen it's good to still have Pina, since you'd lose him if he was sent down. Plus, there is just more PT available for the younger guys in AAA than sitting behind Grandal. The way they're doing it you keep all the guys if needed and of course a 3rd will be called up in September.

[Lathund]

Pina's arby eligible next year. If he ends up hitting sub .175, do you really think they'll tender him or that he's a viable candidate to be a starting catcher again? I'll think they'll try hard to re-sign Grandal and if not, then either trade for an established catcher or sign one of the many aging FA out there. Why not find out what they have in Freitas? This is the second straight year he's posted a AAA OPS over .950.

 

If he still has a 56 wRC+ after a full season, then maybe they don't exercise the option in his contract (He is arby eligible, but he signed a 1 year deal with a team option). If it's a 90 wRC+ they almost certainly will. But we're not there yet; he has a 56 wRC+ in 78 irregular plate appearances. Or in other words nowhere enough to say that's who he'll be going forward. And at this point they don't know if they'll be able to extend Grandal or not. If they can, then not having Piña isn't much of an issue. If they can't, that's a different story. The team has a finite amount of resources (both in terms of money and prospects), and I'd rather they spent them trying to focus on areas with bigger need. Manny has been a league-average catcher with the bat, and an above-average catcher on defense. Or in other words, an average to above average starting catcher. When you already have that, the main focus should be elsewhere. Like SS or the starting rotation, where being league average would be a big improvement.

 

With how much Grandal is playing, a backup catcher won't see much playing time. As I said I'm interested in what Freitas can do, and I'm well aware of his stats, but losing Piña (Who at worst is a very solid backup catcher, at best a solid if unspectacular starter) on waivers to possibly see an improvement on 80-100 plate appearances RoS isn't a smart move, and it can't be undone. Sending down Shaw has very little downside, he's a just phone call and a plane ticket away. If Piña had an option it'd be a different story, but he doesn't.

[homer]

But Pina has an 812 OPS in June!

[Brew crew 92]

Why is it good to have Pina if there’s injury? He’s having a terrible year, ~.150 and his defense, imo, has regressed, even if only slightly.

No way Stearns tenders him next year anyhow, so cut him loose.

 

Call up Freitas, nothing left to prove in AAA anyhow, he WILL hit better than Pina. .360+ come on!

 

Nottingham is organizational depth. McDowell is organizational depth. Can always go outside the organization and find depth. I love that Stearn’s has the patience to outlast any of ours, which 80% of the time is a good thing, but he who hesitates, loses, also.

[Fear The Chorizo]

replacing the backup catcher is probably roster decision priority #10 or #11 at this point. They'd be much better off getting quality offensive 1B production without having to put their starting catcher there when facing a lefty starter. Aguilar not getting the start at 1B last night after a 2 hit game is both confusing and disheartening - what good is prioritizing roster depth/flexibility if your 1b-only righthanded power bat doesn't play in a game against average at best lefthanded pitching?

[KeithStone53151]

In a completely unrelated note, FanGraphs player pages now list options remaining. Here is a randomly selected example (via Meg Rowley)...

 

 

Yeah, random......

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

replacing the backup catcher is probably roster decision priority #10 or #11 at this point. They'd be much better off getting quality offensive 1B production without having to put their starting catcher there when facing a lefty starter. Aguilar not getting the start at 1B last night after a 2 hit game is both confusing and disheartening - what good is prioritizing roster depth/flexibility if your 1b-only righthanded power bat doesn't play in a game against average at best lefthanded pitching?

 

If Pina has a good game last night, no one is talking about that move today. While his bat has been someone hot in June, he didn't, so the criticism is more warranted. It just seems like whatever buttons Counsell is pushing aren't working right now.

 

I agree, though. If you aren't going to use Aguilar coming off a two-hit game against crap lefties, he really serves no purpose on this team.

[tmwiese55]

Why is it good to have Pina if there’s injury? He’s having a terrible year, ~.150 and his defense, imo, has regressed, even if only slightly.

No way Stearns tenders him next year anyhow, so cut him loose.

 

Call up Freitas, nothing left to prove in AAA anyhow, he WILL hit better than Pina. .360+ come on!

 

Nottingham is organizational depth. McDowell is organizational depth. Can always go outside the organization and find depth. I love that Stearn’s has the patience to outlast any of ours, which 80% of the time is a good thing, but he who hesitates, loses, also.

 

Quite simply because he's proven to be an average MLB starter and the other two haven't done anything above AAA. Don't put so much stock in a small amount of ABs on sporadic playing time and don't forget that Pina is really good at D. Plus, the word depth itself should speak for itself. But if needed to lay it out, say you let Pina go and bring up Freitas and Grandal gets hurt. Now, you're playing two guys in MLB in a playoff chase with no experience and have nothing behind if another injury were to happen. The basic premise is to simply hold onto as many guys as you can as long as you can.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

As many Brewers call-ups have proven this season, AAA success does not necessarily equal success in the majors. Frietas is certainly an interesting case, as he's seemingly found something over the last couple years to put him in the upper echelon of AAA hitters. While he stats were pretty solid before 2018, there's also probably a reason he's never really been given much of an opportunity besides his barely 100+ plate appearances with Seattle last year.

 

If the Brewers are going to stay in house at the C position in 2020, and can't afford to re-sign Grandal, you are probably looking at a mix of Pina, Nottingham and perhaps Freitas or another veteran type FA signing. Nottingham just turned 24, so I still think he needs to be viewed as the catcher of the future. His AAA numbers are solid again, and he looked fine in his brief call-up this year. Going with Nottingham/Pina next year is going to be an offensive step down from Grandal, but maybe not as bad as it could be.

[Brew crew 92]

Why is it good to have Pina if there’s injury? He’s having a terrible year, ~.150 and his defense, imo, has regressed, even if only slightly.

No way Stearns tenders him next year anyhow, so cut him loose.

 

Call up Freitas, nothing left to prove in AAA anyhow, he WILL hit better than Pina. .360+ come on!

 

Nottingham is organizational depth. McDowell is organizational depth. Can always go outside the organization and find depth. I love that Stearn’s has the patience to outlast any of ours, which 80% of the time is a good thing, but he who hesitates, loses, also.

 

Quite simply because he's proven to be an average MLB starter and the other two haven't done anything above AAA. Don't put so much stock in a small amount of ABs on sporadic playing time and don't forget that Pina is really good at D. Plus, the word depth itself should speak for itself. But if needed to lay it out, say you let Pina go and bring up Freitas and Grandal gets hurt. Now, you're playing two guys in MLB in a playoff chase with no experience and have nothing behind if another injury were to happen. The basic premise is to simply hold onto as many guys as you can as long as you can.

 

Until it hurts the team. Pina is hurting the team with his play. It would be different if he was his all world defensive self, but he’s not, at least imo.

 

Again, we already have Nottingham, and others, for depth, I mean come on.

 

A good defensive catcher, hitting .360+ just waiting patiently down below to help this team. And what if he continues to hit big league pitching anything close to how he’s been hitting AAA pitching?

[pacopete4]

Pina shouldn’t be going anywhere. He’s a good backup catcher.

 

Poor Dubon can’t catch a break. Was about a week away from being our 2B last season and got hurt. This year he’s put up great numbers and probably won’t be the guy either.

[Lathund]

Piña has what would be about three weeks worth of plate appearances for a full time player. In that stretch he has a .156 BABIP (Career .296). And it's not a result of not making good contact, per Statcast his average exit velocity is higher than in both 2017 and 2018, and same thing goes for Barrel % and Hard hit %.

 

I've disagreed with some front office decisions this year, but not dumping Piña based on 79 sporadic plate appearances is something I'm fully behind.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

Pina shouldn’t be going anywhere. He’s a good backup catcher.

 

Poor Dubon can’t catch a break. Was about a week away from being our 2B last season and got hurt. This year he’s put up great numbers and probably won’t be the guy either.

 

Agreed on Dubon. Everyone is excited by how Hiura is handling AAA pitching, but Dubon has been nearly as impressive, while also finding a power stroke that many didn't realize he had. The future of this team's middle infield is in a really good place right now. Dubon is one Perez or Arcia injury away from being a regular at the MLB level. Fortunately (or perhaps unfortunately in Dubon's case), those guys have been extremely durable so far.

[shanedog19]

Pina shouldn’t be going anywhere. He’s a good backup catcher.

 

Poor Dubon can’t catch a break. Was about a week away from being our 2B last season and got hurt. This year he’s put up great numbers and probably won’t be the guy either.

 

Agreed on Dubon. Everyone is excited by how Hiura is handling AAA pitching, but Dubon has been nearly as impressive, while also finding a power stroke that many didn't realize he had. The future of this team's middle infield is in a really good place right now. Dubon is one Perez or Arcia injury away from being a regular at the MLB level. Fortunately (or perhaps unfortunately in Dubon's case), those guys have been extremely durable so far.

 

I would love to see the team dangle Arcia out there at the trade deadline and see what he might bring back. Turn over the keys to Dubon and Hiura in August and see what they can do.

[tmwiese55]

Jettison Pina, Grandal leaves in FA and all you have for next year is two guys who've never played before. And of course, no one behind them either.