Reliever depth at AAA - next callup

[LouisEly]

Lots of spaghetti to toss up against the wall if they need a reliever. Bray and Zumwalt looking good... but the one I think might just get the next shot at the MIL bullpen is Luther Hackman. He's been there before, has experience, and looked pretty good last year in Huntsville and so far almost untouchable this year in Nashville. Wouldn't surprise me to see Hackman up and Spurling down in the next month, if not the next two weeks.

[JoeHova]

Unless I missed him getting traded, injured, or called up, I definitely hope Capellan is the next guy up. He deserves it, having been the Brewers best and most used reliever last year. The fact that they kept Aquino over him should have made him mad, so I don't see why everybody is so up in arms about that.

[DHonks]

He deserves it, having been the Brewers best and most used reliever last year.

 

I do not get comments like this, but you're not the only one making them Joe. Capellan was rather awful for a late inning reliever last year. His statistics were not very impressive. He really wasn't among our top 3 or 4 relievers, which says something.

[Brian the Automator]

[ The fact that they kept Aquino over him should have made him mad, so I don't see why everybody is so up in arms about that. ]

 

He went AWOL. If you give players the idea that it's OK to hang your teammates out to dry, it's not good for the organization.

 

I don't mind that he was upset that he got sent down.

[Never Outhustled]

Unless I missed him getting traded, injured, or called up, I definitely hope Capellan is the next guy up. He deserves it, having been the Brewers best and most used reliever last year. The fact that they kept Aquino over him should have made him mad, so I don't see why everybody is so up in arms about that.

 

Capellans ERA was just .07 better than Aquinos, and Aquino pitched in Arizona, the 3rd toughest to pitch in park in baseball. Aquino also had a better K rate, and didn't show up to spring training fat like Capellan did.

 

Aquino deserved a spot over Capellan, and will be back with the Brewers when he gets healthy.

[pogokat]

I'm ready to try someone who might actually stick with the big club for more than a week or two...DFA spurling and bring up Bray...they sent him to fall ball, so they must like him...

 

if not bray, then thatcher....i'm tired of has been's soaking up space...let's give someone who could help for years a chance...

 

jsoe capellan is dead to me...well, not really...but he isnt good enough to go terrell on us...

[bork]

Bray has looked good, except he is giving up almost a walk an inning.

 

Sarfate was looking better until he blew the game yesterday.

 

I would guess that Aquino gets sent on a rehab assignment for a few weeks and then they decide if he gets the call or someone else.

 

I wouldn't mind giving Thatcher a shot. He's been lights out and it would be nice to have another lefty.

[JoeHova]

Well, Capellan was the Brewers' best reliever according to Baseball Prospectus's reliever stats, which include leverage and stuff.

 

And he didn't show up for 2 AAA games. Yes, that was bad of him, but in the big scheme of things, why is that such a big deal that he will never be able to redeem himself? We don't know what he was going through at that time, maybe he was too depressed to get out of bed. I'm not saying he was, but players aren't robots, things are going to affect them in different ways.

[TheEndless7]

Quote:

---

why is that such a big deal that he will never be able to redeem himself?

---

 

It's not.

 

It's a matter of. You didn't show up, you whined, you complained, and you were largely a pain in the butt, so now you're not the number one reliever we're going to call up. We understand you're angry about being sent down, that's nice, make your concerns noted privately, not publically, and learn to just shut up and do you job.

[foamboy1]

Just the fact that we can debate which reliever in AAA deserves the next shot is a testament to the health of the organization.

[JohnBriggs12]

LouisEly is on to something.

 

If they believe Capellan has learned his lesson, I'm fine with bringing him up. But if not Capellan, Hackman should get the call.

 

Very early in the year, Nashville was on the Directv sports package in a game vs. New Orleans. Hackman was throwing hard and dominating the NO hitters.

[DHonks]

I still think the next relievers recalled will be Sarfate, Thatcher, Balfour, or a starter like Dillard or Jackson. I'd love to see Dillard's sinker and "pound-the-zone" mentality out there

[SoCalBrewfan]

I'd really like to see some long-term thinking on the part of the team with respect to the pen. Getting a look at Spurling is reasonable, I guess, but there's not a lot of evidence to indicate that he's part of the answer and I can't imagine he'll be around much longer. Dessens is well on his way to the Elmer's factory. So who can hold down roles in the 'pen long-term? That's particularly critical given that Cordero's free agency is imminent, with Turnbow signed through '08 and eligible for FA after '09. Capellan at one point looked like a future closer, or at least successor to Turnbow assuming DT moved into Cordero's role. If he is truly on the way out, what does that mean for the future of the 'pen?

 

And what about Sarfate? Have they given up on him? Bray has a prettier ERA, but even more walks per nine. Spurling's numbers were actually not impressive either aside from his ERA. Their numbers have the Brewers about a game and a half better than expected,

[Brian the Automator]

[ And he didn't show up for 2 AAA games. Yes, that was bad of him, but in the big scheme of things, why is that such a big deal that he will never be able to redeem himself? We don't know what he was going through at that time, maybe he was too depressed to get out of bed. I'm not saying he was, but players aren't robots, things are going to affect them in different ways. ]

 

I'm not saying he should be taken out back and shot, but I wouldn't call him up without making him sweat a bit.

[dadofandrew]

Capellan and Sarfate (and Aquino, when he gets healthy), are all on the 40 man. That alone would seemingly put them well ahead in any contest for the next callup.

 

Maybe if Luther had a 0.50 ERA and the others had a 4, but right now, they are all pitching nicely.

[DHonks]

remember, good MLB relievers don't always happen from the start. David Weathers was a poor starter until the Brewers asked him to relieve, and he's had a great career. That's just one example, but it shows that sometimes guys can improve. Spurling has very good stuff, he just needs to work on location. He's our only real sinkerballer out there, and he throws it hard.

[Hate those Rodents]

Is there any chance Stetter could be someone we look at as another lefty in the pen, or only if Shouse is (knock on wood) injured.

[dadofandrew]

Stetter is very likely nothing but injury backup. His AAA career screams roster filler.

[moundvisit]

I saw the remark until sarfate blew the save the other day. No one seemed to mention a guy scored from 2nd on a sac fly. Next got out. Thats not his fault. I think I saw Callix Crabe in center. That dont happen in the big leagues. I think the brewers might have given up on him, but he could be in the big leagues with 29 other teams right now

[dadofandrew]

Mound is correct, Sarfate, Cappy, and Aquino (when healthy) are 3 major league relief guys stuck in AAA for the Crew due to the embarassment of riches (and Jose going AWOL) we have on our big league staff.

 

I guarantee you Doug gets a call on one of those AAA guys several times a week, and has no reason to move any of them.

[1992casey]

---

No one seemed to mention a guy scored from 2nd on a sac fly. ... That dont happen in the big leagues

---

It happened to Gorman Thomas in the 1982 World Series. But I digress. Back to relief pitching.

[colbyjack]

The bullpen depth is extremely encouraging, as you know the talent is going to come in handy across the course of the season. And as others have noted, not just at Nashville, as that talent stretches all the way down. When one AAA arm is bumped up, guys like Robert Hinton and Kevin Roberts could be bumped up from one level to the next to fill each other's spots.

 

While not bullpen related, and I didn't want to start a new thread on this, Manny Parra is approaching 160 innings pitched at the AA level, going back to the 2004 season. I know his career has been slowed by shoulder problems, but whether it be due to injury, promotions or ineffectiveness, I think he's more than ready, and deserving, to handle the jump to AAA.