Summer Camp (aka Spring Training 2.0)

[Jenkins5]

Is anyone in the best shape of their life yet?

 

I read this morning that J.P. Feyereisen dropped 30 pounds during the lockdown period. That seems pretty crazy.

 

That cannot be healthy

 

Typically healthy weight loss should be about 2-3 pounds a week. It’s been about 16 weeks so 30 pounds sounds about where he should be if caloric deficit is around 600-800 calories. I don’t really know what his size was before but in order to loss that much, he must have had a good amount of extra weight to him.

 

Sidenote, has anyone seen CC Sabathia currently? He is looking fantastic! Has cut off all the fat & looking pretty muscular. Similar to Joe Thomas post retirement transformation.

[brewerfan82]

Looks like the streamed scrimmages this week are going to get a little more interesting to watch: https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/mlb/brewers/2020/07/13/brewers-live-stream-broadcasters-crowd-noise-mlb-broadcast-scrimmage-brian-anderson-intrasquad/5428266002/?utm_campaign=snd-autopilot

 

- 7-game "Blue and Gold World Series", beginning tomorrow night at 6:40 p.m. CT

- Omar Narvaez and Avisail Garcia will be picking teams tonight

- Broadcasters will be joining the streams starting tomorrow (Brian Anderson, Bill Schroeder, and Sophia Minnaert Tuesday and Wednesday, Matt LePay, Bill Schroeder, and Sophia Minnaert Thursday, Jeff Levering and Lane Grindle Friday)

- Public address announcer will be providing introductions

- Walk-up music has been nixed for now because of licensing issues, but will return for the regular season

- Crowd sounds through the PA system will start Wednesday

[pacopete4]

About time they got a bit creative and marketed this stuff. Give the fans as much access as you can. It will only do you good.

[TURBO]

Where can these games be seen? Facebook?

[MrTPlush]

Where can these games be seen? Facebook?

 

Brewers website.

[owbc]

There are games that count in 11 days. Is there any way they are going to be remotely ready for this? These are still glorified scrimmages.

[A Swing and A Drive]

I think the players will take these scrimmages in the next week seriously.

 

Cool idea and kudos to the Brewers for putting some fun back in baseball. Much needed in 2020

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

There are games that count in 11 days. Is there any way they are going to be remotely ready for this? These are still glorified scrimmages.

 

These are guys that make a living playing baseball. Most of them were probably ready after about 3-4 days to get their timing down. Spring Training, and preseason in other sports, are somewhat antiquated in today's professional sports atmosphere where the majority of these guys train and follow a strict health regimine year-round. This isn't the 60s where guys had to spend the month of March trying to quit Marlboro Reds and Johnnie Walker while picking up a baseball for the first time since September.

[MrTPlush]

There are games that count in 11 days. Is there any way they are going to be remotely ready for this? These are still glorified scrimmages.

 

What do you call normal Spring Training?

 

I’d argue these intra squad scrimmages are more competitive and more like the real deal than ST. It’s basically the active roster playing each other...no scrubs to be seen. They are also preparing for a 60 games season that is going to feel like a spring versus the marathon a regular season is. I think players will actually end up more focused and more prepared at the start of this season than they would in a 162 game season. ..they don’t have much choice. Usually guys can’t go 110% at the start of the season or else they would be laying on the ground before August ever hits. These guys have extra rest and starting pitchers will only need to throw a fraction of the innings they normally would.

[monty57]

I think Counsell's biggest strength is how he is able to keep the clubhouse "loose" and the guys all seem to get along. This "Blue-Gold World Series" is a perfect example of this. Everyone is probably pretty stressed out over everything going on in the world, and this adds a little fun and team-building to what could be a boring and/or stressful time. Note that the two captains are guys who are in their first year with the team who are expected to make big contributions. That wasn't on accident.

 

Also cool to see that the teammates are helping each other. The article on the Brewers site quoted players saying that pitchers were telling hitters what they were seeing (how to get them out) and vice versa.

[Zad Fnark]

I see Hader's working on a changeup. He'll be wicked if this can get going.

 

https://www.brewcrewball.com/2020/7/14/21323140/milwaukee-brewers-josh-hader-changeup-summer-camp

[CheezWizHed]

Seems like FB/Slider to lefties and FB/Change to righties could be pretty devastating if he can throw it for strikes. Last year, it seemed like RHB could identify and lay off the slider pretty easily (as it often wasn't a strike).

[KeithStone53151]

Seems like FB/Slider to lefties and FB/Change to righties could be pretty devastating if he can throw it for strikes. Last year, it seemed like RHB could identify and lay off the slider pretty easily (as it often wasn't a strike).

 

I don't know that I agree with the second part of this, his slider was very effective against RHB. A changeup will be better if it's a good offering though.

 

When a guy faces Hader, he spends so much time trying to figure out if a fastball is high out of the zone or barely at the top of the zone...because his pitches play best when he flirts with the very top of the zone. Now all of a sudden you have to wonder if what looks like a hittable "fastball" is actually a changeup that will drop out of the zone. If he can throw 10-12% changeups, it would be massive. And it would probably on paper look like a savage pitch...because nobody is going to go to the plate against Hader looking changeup. They'll all sit fastball because you darn well better against Hader, and they'll swing helplessly at his good changeups.

[pacopete4]

Ryan Braun selected #1 in the draft by García. Yelich #2 by Narvaez.

 

#RyanBraunForever

[KeithStone53151]

Ryan Braun selected #1 in the draft by García. Yelich #2 by Narvaez.

 

#RyanBraunForever

 

Well now we know who's really the better player...

[CheezWizHed]

Seems like FB/Slider to lefties and FB/Change to righties could be pretty devastating if he can throw it for strikes. Last year, it seemed like RHB could identify and lay off the slider pretty easily (as it often wasn't a strike).

 

I don't know that I agree with the second part of this, his slider was very effective against RHB. A changeup will be better if it's a good offering though.

 

When a guy faces Hader, he spends so much time trying to figure out if a fastball is high out of the zone or barely at the top of the zone...because his pitches play best when he flirts with the very top of the zone. Now all of a sudden you have to wonder if what looks like a hittable "fastball" is actually a changeup that will drop out of the zone. If he can throw 10-12% changeups, it would be massive. And it would probably on paper look like a savage pitch...because nobody is going to go to the plate against Hader looking changeup. They'll all sit fastball because you darn well better against Hader, and they'll swing helplessly at his good changeups.

 

I'll qualify my statement by saying "relatively". Hader had a good year and all of his "stuff" was excellent, but when he was "off", people recognized his slider and let it go. Then waiting on the FB and pounded it. You could almost tell when he was going to have a bad outing because he couldn't locate his slider.

 

Out of curiosity, I looked up his numbers for slider against RHB. He got a strike 70% of the time with it. 55% of his strikes were in-zone and 45% out of the zone (i.e. swinging or bad call). That is actually a very good ratio; like I said, overall his numbers were very good. Too bad I can't separate the data for the ABs where he gave up HRs or the outings where he gave up runs. I'm guessing, but the games I've seen him pitch, his slider strike percentage will go down sharply in those games.

[CheezWizHed]

Ryan Braun selected #1 in the draft by García. Yelich #2 by Narvaez.

 

#RyanBraunForever

 

Well now we know who's really the better player...

 

I wonder if they can do trades "mid-series"?

[MrTPlush]

I will pass on the Hader change up hype. As the article states everyone and their brother works on a change up during spring training. The odds it becomes a meaningful part of his pitch mix is pretty close to zero. Part of the problem is the fact he is so dang good and productive as is it is really hard to justify the risk of throwing a pitch he doesn’t completely trust.

[pacopete4]

Ryan Braun selected #1 in the draft by García. Yelich #2 by Narvaez.

 

#RyanBraunForever

 

Well now we know who's really the better player...

 

I wonder if they can do trades "mid-series"?

 

Braun and Arcia traded for Sogard and Yelich.

[brewtank34]

I really liked what I saw out of David Phelps the other day. He could be a big part of a World Series BP!

[Eye Black]

For those interested I started an In-Game Thread for the Blue-Gold World Series.

[Jimbo]

It was nice driving by MP last evening and seeing lights and a functioning scoreboard.