Why not Graffy in LF instead of Mench

[rousieboy]

...is it that insane of a notion to platoon with Jenkins; I mean it would not be that often...and yeah he has not really ever played there, but that didn't stop them with BHall...

 

just trying to get a hot bat some ABs...

 

thoughts?

 

PS...If this is in the wrong topic or is being discussed elsewhere then I am sorry I didn't mean any harm...rouse

[AdvantageSchneider]

Mench did have a nice AB tonight, fighting off a tough 0-2 pitch for a bloop single to left to keep the 6th inning rally going. If you put Graffy in left, you might as well just cut Mench. I don't see Mench as being that big of a problem that we need to put a 38 year old IF in LF for the first time in his career (I'm assuming first time in his career).

 

Mench and Graffy have the same OPS right now, its just that Graffy is hot now and Mench was hot early. It is a pretty big leap to think that sticking graffy in LF would be a big improvement.

[DocLuna7]

How about just playing Jenkins every day and leaving it at that?

[Team Canada]

Because Jenkins sucks against lefties?

[DougJones43]

How about just playing Jenkins every day and leaving it at that?

 

Jenkins is much worse against LHP than Mench and Graffanino...and Dave Bush and Chris Capuano...and pretty much every other person in the universe.

[whynotthebrewers]

So now graffy has gone from "why is he ever playing" to "play him part time in left" guy? This is why I try to keep a level head during the season. Different guys get hot from time to time and fans seem to drift with who they want in the lineup.

 

This is also where I think ned is doing a great job. He may get ripped for his use of people and lineus used but he knows that players go through good and bad periods. If fans had there choice, we would have a different lineup every week. I like the way things are now. Players know their roles and we are doing well with it. Just leave it alone.

[aracko]

I really wish we would stick by Kevin Mench. His defense has been good and he is hitting lefties at .296. The power will come I think. Nobody was complaining about Mench in April when he showed us what he is capable of.

 

If something better comes along then thats great, but he is doing a better job than anyone else we have on this team right now. I would like to see us acquire Reggie Sanders whom I think woudl be a perfect piece for this team when he gets back healthy and would probably be very acquirable from KC.

[rousieboy]

I started this just out of speculation...I feel compelled to add on that I am not one of the "hang Mench" guys so I am not oscillating from one extreme to the other based on OPS.

 

Mench has been pretty decent in LF with the D and does his job on occasion vs LHP.

 

That being said Graff is on fire, the infield is full, and if Mench was packaged for a LF that could get some OBP and/or bat higher in the order then I would not be opposed to that either. (Reggie Sanders is not that person)

 

My head is level during this long season, thanks for asking, but I would like to squeeze the most out of this impressive run while we can...I am just throwing it out there. In hindsight, 38 is a lil old to start a new position...and we do have a ton of OF already...Don't be surprised to see Graffy off the bench or Weeks to get more than the occasional day off after the 3 games in Wrigley.

 

rouse

[Brian the Automator]

Graffy's got 5 career innings in left field. Now, I don't think that he'd be incapable of playing LF, but I think there'd be a little bit of learning on the job which could lead to some awkwardness.

[gregmag]

aracko, isn't it kind of odd to defend Mench as the best RH platoon LF we have on the team right now when he's the only guy who is being given the chance to do that job right now? In fact, he is hitting .298/.302/.440 against lefties this year, which is pretty bad for a platoon guy; he's basically Johnny Estrada against the small population of guys he's supposed to hit. He has hit lefties well historically, but some of that was the Ballpark in Arlington, and he appears to be in decline. So there's absolutely nothing irrational or precipitous about considering other options, and Graffy is an interesting one. Aside from the difficulty of learning a new position, though, we probably want to keep him in his present role because he's valuable in it; the PAs that he has used to redeem himself have come from somewhere.

 

Greg.

[rluzinski]

Graffy hits like a very good backup infielder. He simply doesn't have the stick to justify playing him in LF. His career OPS if .733 says it all. If Melvin decides that Mench needs to taken out of the lineup, he's probably going to have to go outside the organization to get a reasonable replacement. Rottino hit lefties in AAA to the tune of .375/.440/.508/.948 last year but over only 120 AB. He has an .812 OPS this year overall, which probably doesn't translate to anything too special in the majors.

 

I'm not generally one to get worked up about small samples but Mench now has 284 very bad AB with the Brewers over the last 2 years. What's most troubling is that his production drop off has coincided with a much more aggressive approach at the plate. He's never walked much but with the Brewers he has 5 AB! Of course, when you see less than 3 pitches per PA, as he is in 2007, it shouldn't be surprising that he can't walk.

 

Still, I hope Melvin is fishing around for a replacement for Mench. It's not a situation that needs immediate attention but it's certainly an area that could be improved.

[recte44]

I'm ok with Mench as a platoon guy now. And I'm pretty sure I was the most vocal against him. The stats don't lie, he's not a great player. However, it's working. I'm in the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" camp.

[moofnelson]

The Brewers must be disappointed in Mench's home run totals. The guy was on pace to hit 75 in three years with Texas. He has hit 3 in his 1/2 year with the Brewers.

 

3 hr's and 5 BB. Hilarious.

 

That being said, there is no way they put Graffy in LF.

 

moof

[Boy Jeenius]

Fans think about today, the manager makes decisions within the context of a 6 month, marathon of a season, with possibly a month of playoff games following that. Hence this classic example of a fan's discussion thread.

[endaround]

Umm, you haven't been paying attention to how Yost manages have you? Take Corey Hart and his inability to get on the field last year.

[dadofandrew]

I'm certainly not going to think Mench has forgotten how to hit LHP after 100 AB's this year.

 

Graffy has been released a dozen times this year on the boards, so platooning him in the corner OF seems a bit of a stretch.

[Fatter than Joey]

I'm certainly not going to think Mench has forgotten how to hit LHP after 100 AB's this year.

 

I think though Arlington may have jacked up his stats a bit -- He didn't hit LHP very well for the Brewers last year either.

 

I am glad to see Graffy on his tear -- and it is awesome that we have a backup IF that can hit HRs... I am sure if Graffy keeps hitting the ball well he will a ton of PH appearances for Ned. It also gives Ned more opportunities to rest our IF this summer.

 

That said -- Graffy is not a corner OF.

[rluzinski]

I'm certainly not going to think Mench has forgotten how to hit LHP after 100 AB's this year.

 

As I tried to show, he's actually changed his approach at the plate since becoming a Brewer. I think that complicates the small sample explanation.

[moofnelson]

Quote:

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As I tried to show, he's actually changed his approach at the plate since becoming a Brewer.

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Let's blame it on Wynager.

[naivin]

Three weeks ago, Graffanino's meer presence in the line-up would have been grounds for Yost's immediate termination for most around here. Now he needs more AB's? Yost was also routinely BBQ'd for "playing the hot hand" in the preson of Gwynn in particular, and that was the wrong thing to do.

 

I just don't get it.

 

I think almost every guy on the roster has settled into a pretty nice and well defined role, and it is working out pretty well. Graffanino is doing exactly what he was brought in here to do, and I am all for letting sleeping dogs lie.

[igor67]

Given the relative dearth of ABs for Jenkins platoon partner finding a willing lefty killer maybe difficult. For a middle infielder Graffy's can actually hit pretty well. I agree with Rluzinski that Rottino's number don't translate into offensive superstar, but they do strongly suggest an adequate platoon partner for Jenkins and one who won't be offended by small playing time. As a bonus he gives us better IF options too then playing Graffy at first.

[Never Outhustled]

Quote:

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As I tried to show, he's actually changed his approach at the plate since becoming a Brewer. I think that complicates the small sample explanation.

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True Russ, but don't limit Mench's regression to just since he became a Brewer. The numbers show he has been in regression for 4 straight years. His production against LHPs has declined at the same rate as his production against RHPs.

 

Mench is bad, and all indications are he will coontinue to get worse.

[rluzinski]

Lowest Pitches Per PA, min 150 PA:

 [b]PLAYER TEAM TPA P/PA[/b] [b]Johnny Estrada[/b] MIL 255 3.00 [b]Kevin Mench[/b] MIL 161 3.08 Miguel Olivo FLA 261 3.13 Howie Kendrick LAA 177 3.14 Corey Patterson BAL 244 3.20 Kenji Johjima SEA 241 3.20 Vladimir Guerrero LAA 326 3.21 Jay Payton BAL 215 3.21 Mike Sweeney KAN 225 3.27 Aaron Boone FLA 228 3.32

LINK

 

Crazy.

true Russ, but don't limit Mench's regression to just since he became a Brewer.

 

My point was that Al might be wrong in assuming Mench's numbers should approach his career numbers if given enough AB. It seems like Mench has changed his approach in the last couple of years, so there seems to be more going on.

[ClosetBrewerFan]

I'm surprised Estrada has seen that many pitches/PA. The only reason I can think of is that he missed the first two.http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

[vacin8r]

So the general point here is that:

1)Mench is bad

2)We still dont have anyone good enough to replace him

3)If we trade for someone to replace him, we eat the remainder of his deal as wed either have to include him in the deal and still pay his salary, or release him

 

I guess all we can do is hope he can at least improve to average throughout the year against LHP, dont offer him arby, and hope we can find a better platoon partner for next season.

-Don