Brewers sign LHP Wade LeBlanc; 1B Logan Forsythe to minor league contracts

[Eye Black]

From Brewers:

 

LHP Wade LeBlanc, 1B Logan Forsythe, C Christian Kelley signed to minor league contracts and assigned to Nashville.

[DuWayne Steurer]

Ok, this is the absolute epitome of "dumpster diving". If Logan Forsythe ever sees a minute on the MLB roster, we're in big trouble. He hasn't been even a hint of decent for 5 years.

 

Here's hoping these moves are nothing more than to fill out the minor league roster for the season.

[Hopper]

Once again, not having a legit 1B rears it's ugly head in WW pick-ups.

Gets old.

Tyrone Taylor better be getting reps at 1B in AAA.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

Ok, this is the absolute epitome of "dumpster diving". If Logan Forsythe ever sees a minute on the MLB roster, we're in big trouble. He hasn't been even a hint of decent for 5 years.

 

Here's hoping these moves are nothing more than to fill out the minor league roster for the season.

 

Nail ... head. Seems like they have a few of these older vets who are playing out the string at AAA every season.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

Once again, not having a legit 1B rears it's ugly head in WW pick-ups.

Gets old.

Tyrone Taylor better be getting reps at 1B in AAA.

 

Zach Green, Chad Spanberger and Weston Wilson will all likely be sharing reps at 1B in Nashville. All 3 have some potential as possible future major league contributors.

[adambr2]

Just options at Nashville to have if we need an emergency guy somewhere later this season or someone to eat up innings in a tough stretch like Lindblom/Bettinger/Zimmerman have done recently. Nothing more to see here.

[Jopal78]

Wade LeBlanc is a .500 pitcher with a career era 4.59 and whip of 1.35. An experienced major league pitcher with career numbers that are average. Once he’s out of the protocol he very well could be up as the long man out of the pen.

 

To navigate their prized arms through this season after the truncated 2020, there will likely be more of these type moves for long time veterans with average results with the hope they’re no worse than their Career numbers and maybe even have a little juice left.

[pacopete4]

LeBlanc hasn't been of any value since 2018. I'm not saying it's a bad take-a-chance signing but put it in perspective a bit.

[CheeseheadInQC]

These types of signings also keep some of the younger prospects from being forced up for roster reasons whether they are ready or not. I think a couple of these signings likely wouldn’t have happened without all of the injuries.

[DuWayne Steurer]

LeBlanc hasn't been of any value since 2018. I'm not saying it's a bad take-a-chance signing but put it in perspective a bit.

 

 

Yeah, I don't mind stashing the guy in AAA just to use for minor league depth, but I hope and pray we don't end up using him in Milwaukee for anything other than an emergency dude for like 2 innings of a 2nd game of a double header the day after we play a 12 inning extras. He's been brutally bad for 3 years now and he probably ain't pulling a Wade Miley magic act for us.

[Jopal78]

LeBlanc hasn't been of any value since 2018. I'm not saying it's a bad take-a-chance signing but put it in perspective a bit.

 

Well, he throws with his left hand for starters. Secondly, even with the arbitrary date of opening day 2019 he's thrown 150 innings, given up 183 hits and 41 walks; that's approximately a 1.46 WHIP. He also had a strike out to walk ratio of almost 3:1 with 111 strike outs against 41 walks in those 150 innings. A world beater for when the game is on the line, of course, no. A pitcher who might give you a couple of clean innings once or twice a week, absolutely.

 

While you want to be generally dismissive, the reality is the Brewers are not going to have Woodruff, Burnes, Peralta and Houser all throw 180+ innings this year, so they need arms to pick up the slack. Frankly, getting a pitcher with 900 career innings who "hasn't been of any value" since 2018 despite putting up a WHIP of 1.46 and a K:BB ratio of 2.7:1, on a minor league deal is a pretty good find.

[pacopete4]

While you want to be generally dismissive

 

I don't think putting perspective around this signing is being dismissive at all. Heck, I said it wasn't a bad take-a-chance signing even. If LeBlanc can come in and contribute, great! But the likelihood of it happening is not that high. Again, he hasn't been a good pitcher in quite a while, is older, and needs to do a lot to get himself in a position to contribute.

[trwi7]

Well, he throws with his left hand for starters. Secondly, even with the arbitrary date of opening day 2019 he's thrown 150 innings, given up 183 hits and 41 walks; that's approximately a 1.46 WHIP.

 

I also throw with my left hand. Perhaps I shouldn't stray too far from my phone in case the Brewers call? And sorry, those stats are horrible. 11 H/9, 2 HR/9 a 6.23 ERA. Like, what are you even talking about?

[djoctagone]

Ok, this is the absolute epitome of "dumpster diving". If Logan Forsythe ever sees a minute on the MLB roster, we're in big trouble. He hasn't been even a hint of decent for 5 years.

 

Here's hoping these moves are nothing more than to fill out the minor league roster for the season.

yet, it was posted in the major league forum. the best way to ensure that none of these guys ever see a minute on the mlb roster is to post it in the minor league forum.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

Ok, this is the absolute epitome of "dumpster diving". If Logan Forsythe ever sees a minute on the MLB roster, we're in big trouble. He hasn't been even a hint of decent for 5 years.

 

Here's hoping these moves are nothing more than to fill out the minor league roster for the season.

yet, it was posted in the major league forum. the best way to ensure that none of these guys ever see a minute on the mlb roster is to post it in the minor league forum.

 

It was also posted in the minor league forum, with an explanation as to why this thread also exists. I don't see any issue with that.

[Jopal78]

While you want to be generally dismissive

 

I don't think putting perspective around this signing is being dismissive at all. Heck, I said it wasn't a bad take-a-chance signing even. If LeBlanc can come in and contribute, great! But the likelihood of it happening is not that high. Again, he hasn't been a good pitcher in quite a while, is older, and needs to do a lot to get himself in a position to contribute.

 

I guess you do not see how high the bar has been set for the bottom arms on the pitching staff. Let's take a closer look at the numbers.

 

Lindblom, Yardley, Bickford, Zimmermann, and Godley have combined to throw 28.2 innings (approximately 11% of the total innings so far this season). In that span they've combined to give up 35 hits, 25 earned runs, 8 homeruns, 20 walks and 18 strike outs. That comes out to a WHIP of 1.91 and ERA of 7.84, HR/9 of 2.5, with a K:BB ratio of 0.9. It's not going to take much from LeBlanc to contribute given what's come before him.

 

Frankly given the truncated 2020 season and their expressed desire to protect their premium arms in the rotation and bullpen, that 11% pitched by the bottom members of the staff is only going to grow larger as the season goes on. Therefore, it's not so much a question of being "good" or "valuable" because nobody in the Brewers organization is going to ask a pitcher like LeBlanc to be a front line starter or set up man for them.

 

Rather, it is a question of pitching innings and competing to alleviate the necessity of over taxing the arms of the pitchers in the rotation and pen who are good and valuable.

[DHonks]

Let's not forget that LeBlanc always had good stuff. He had moments of success. Perhaps the Brewers have something they like with him that the pitching lab can help with....like Chacin's slider or Miley's cutter

[True Blue Brew Crew]

Let's also not forget that these signings almost assuredly don't happen if not for being ravaged by injuries both at the major and minor league level.

[trwi7]

Let's not forget that LeBlanc always had good stuff.

 

What? No, you have to be thinking of someone else. LeBlanc is the epitome of a junkballer.

[owbc]

Sorry to say, but they wouldn't have signed LeBlanc if there wasn't an expectation that he'll be pitching at the major league level at some point this year.

 

I remember there were people on this forum advocating for signing LeBlanc after 2018 :)

 

Speaking of former Mariners, it's a real shame that Felix Hernandez has nothing left in the tank, he's younger than LeBlanc but the reality is that Wade is more likely to get guys out at the major league level right now. And yes, LeBlanc is a junkballer.

[folly412]

Wouldn't doubt if LeBlanc has an opt out around June 15. We (and most teams) pick up a couple of these every year in hopes of landing the next Wade Miley.

[SRB]

If Logan Forsythe ever sees a minute on the MLB roster, we're in big trouble.

 

Seems a bit hyperbolic considering we currently have Pablo Reyes on the roster as our utility guy.

[ClosetBrewerFan]

Isn't Jed Gyorko still a free agent? Why wouldn't we sign him over Logan? Still find it odd he never signed on to a team. Maybe he refused to accept a minor league contract.

[trwi7]

Isn't Jed Gyorko still a free agent? Why wouldn't we sign him over Logan? Still find it odd he never signed on to a team. Maybe he refused to accept a minor league contract.

 

He's going to be managing a team in West Virginia.