Mench DFA'd

[Robideaux]

I'm glad he's gone, but not because he doesn't have value if used correctly, but because I have absolutely no faith that Yost would pinch hit for Mench in a key situation versus a RHP (a la chicago)

[theavrock]

Mench did his job in the platoon last year, best of luck to him in the future. He is a right handed Jenkins, only difference he didn't get to hang around and steam money from the franchise for ten years.

I agree, Mench was pretty effective versus LH pitching, yet still gets hated on this site. He was more effective vs. LH pitching than the for some reason loved Gabe Gross was able to pull off versus RH pitching.

 

Mench vs. LH put up .314/.343/.558 yet is called ineffective and worthless

Gross vs. RH put up .244/.328/.459 yet somehow gets all sorts of love.

 

1. Gabe has taken everything including a demotion to AAA in stride. A lot of the hate has to do with the fuss Mench putting up stating he should not be a platoon player when everything pointed to the fact that he should. He is a whiner. Gabe is quiet and unassuming, a quality well liked in Milwaukee. 2. Those numbers you posted were well out of line with Gabe's norms in both the minors and majors vs RHP. 3. Kevin Mench looks like Shrek, Gross does not.

[sgtcluels]

Mench probably got a worse wrap around here because of how Yost used him. He's not as bad as we think, it's just that he's used horribly and gets almost as many AB vs. RHP then LHP which he's here for. And he whined a ton, and looked like he smoked 4 packs of cigs a day after hitting a double.

[Ennder]

Mench did his job in the platoon last year, best of luck to him in the future. He is a right handed Jenkins, only difference he didn't get to hang around and steam money from the franchise for ten years.

I agree, Mench was pretty effective versus LH pitching, yet still gets hated on this site. He was more effective vs. LH pitching than the for some reason loved Gabe Gross was able to pull off versus RH pitching.

 

Mench vs. LH put up .314/.343/.558 yet is called ineffective and worthless

Gross vs. RH put up .244/.328/.459 yet somehow gets all sorts of love.

 

Well the difference is almost $4M a year. If Gross was due a paycheck like that people wouldn't be giving him as much love.

[TwinsBrewersWorldSeries]

All I have to say is YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

This is the best news I've heard in what has been a very very crappy day. Mench is a battler, but I absolutely can not stand batters that don't ever draw a walk. Nothing kills a rally like hacking on 2-0.

 

I wonder if Chuckie Carr is a free agent. We could move Braun to LF, Hall to 3B, and sign Chuckie to play CF http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/laugh.gif

 

 

[sbrylski]

The difference between Mench and a mailman?

 

A mailman delivers.

http://www.seinfeld-fan.net/pictures/cards/card_newman_f.gif

Newman: Too many people got their mail! Close to 80%. Nobody's ever cracked the 50% barrier.

Jerry: I tried my best!

Newman: *Exactly*. You're a disgrace to the uniform.

[Newman rips USPS patch off of coat[/i]]

Jerry: You know, this is your coat.

Newman: [looks at torn patch[/i]] Damn.

 

EDIT: Another...

http://www.hickoksports.com/images/malone_karl.jpg

 

Game 1, 1997 NBA finals.

"The mailman doesn't deliver on Sundays." - Scottie Pippen, to Jazz power forward Karl Malone before he took two free throws near the end of the first game. Karl Malone would later go on to miss the two key free throws with under a minute left in the fourth quarter, allowing the Bulls to keep the game tied with Jordan's heroic last shot winning the game.

[ELCABALLO45]

My fav moment was the first of three against the Cubs when the Cubs were catching us and it was in Chicago. Mench hit a 3 run opposite field home run in the first off of Rich Hill to go up 5-0. We ended up blowing that game and the snowball effect coninued.

[joepepsi]

I agree, Mench was pretty effective versus LH pitching, yet still gets hated on this site. He was more effective vs. LH pitching than the for some reason loved Gabe Gross was able to pull off versus RH pitching.

 

Mench vs. LH put up .314/.343/.558 yet is called ineffective and worthless

Gross vs. RH put up .244/.328/.459 yet somehow gets all sorts of love.

I agree Mench did a fine job against lefties. But being a lefty masher isn't as valuable as being able to hit righties, for the simple reasons there are way more right handed pitchers to face, and there are way more right handed batters who as a group tend to hit lefties better than righties.

 

Jenkins had 393 plate appearances versus right handed pitchers; Mench 166 versus lefties. That's not an unusual ratio in a straight platoon situation, and makes the left handed player more than twice as valuable as the other. It's true Jenkins wasn't worth $8 million, but Mench also wasn't worth the $3-4 million he received. And he won't be worth the increase he'd get through arbitration. He'll probably end up signing for $1.5-2 million deal with another team, and that won't be such a bad deal.

 

By the way, Gross had more plate appearances against righties than Mench did against lefties. It's not that hard to find a right handed hitter for a platoon.

[sbrylski]

Opens the door for Bobby Keilty...excellent defense and a career line of .296 / .379 / .503 / .882 verse LHP. He also is backup catcher verse RHers, of course. Just an option.

[brettac1]

Yeah I love Bobby Kielty. But I thought he was kind of considered a lock to go back to Boston. I'd certainly feel much better about someone like him platooning with Gross than Dillon.

[hp2444]

I am a little sad to see Mench leave for personal reasons. Who is going to inherit the nickname BUM? I remember not knowing much about Mench when we got him except for that weird wrong shoe size deal. I watched him take one at-bat and instantly knew he was a bum and always will be a bum.

[sbrylski]

My favorite memory of Kevin Mench, inspired by hp's comment above, would have to be from 2005. Picked him up in fantasy just before he switched shoe sizes and hit 7 straight games with a HR. Yes, my favorite memory is from when he was in Texas.

[logan82]

Mench probably got a worse wrap around here because of how Yost used him.

Mench has been disliked since, "we got who for Carlos Lee?" Regardless of how Yost used him he never really got a chance since hoe got here and now he is gone.

[MJLiverock]

Mench did his job in the platoon last year, best of luck to him in the future. He is a right handed Jenkins, only difference he didn't get to hang around and steam money from the franchise for ten years.

I agree, Mench was pretty effective versus LH pitching, yet still gets hated on this site. He was more effective vs. LH pitching than the for some reason loved Gabe Gross was able to pull off versus RH pitching.

 

Mench vs. LH put up .314/.343/.558 yet is called ineffective and worthless

Gross vs. RH put up .244/.328/.459 yet somehow gets all sorts of love.

1. Gabe has taken everything including a demotion to AAA in stride. A lot of the hate has to do with the fuss Mench putting up stating he should not be a platoon player when everything pointed to the fact that he should. He is a whiner. Gabe is quiet and unassuming, a quality well liked in Milwaukee. 2. Those numbers you posted were well out of line with Gabe's norms in both the minors and majors vs RHP. 3. Kevin Mench looks like Shrek, Gross does not.

I am not saying the Brewers shouldn't have let him go. He is a platoon player who was going to get a raise. But he was very effective versus LH pitchers despite the hatred by this board. I was pointing that he is actually better at his role as a platoon player than the beloved Gabe Gross, who I will freely admit is my least favorite Brewer. Gross wasn't that far off his career numbers last years vs. RH pitchers.

Career wise:

Mench vs. LH .305/.361/.563 for an OPS of .924. I think those are some pretty good splits and worthy of being called a lefty masher.

Gross vs. RH .260/.350/.434 for an OPS of .784. Notice is OBP is actually lower than Mench. I think these numbers aren't that impressive for a so called righty masher.

 

I guess it boils down to I can understand the dislike for some players but I just don't get the Gross love. The main reason he is my least favorite player is because I think he is vastly overrated because he will take a walk. He has a great arm but can't judge a flyball. I pray he remains a platoon only guy and hopefully just a LH bat off the bench if an everyday player can be had.

[BREWCREW5]

So we in essence traded carlos lee and nelson cruz for the draft picks we are getting from the reds. Not one player in that trade is on the brewers now. Or is Julian Cordero still in our system.

 

Not at all. We traded a half of season of Lee (not a very good one I might add) for a season and a half of Cordero. Cordero was an all star closer and one of the better closers in the league during his tenure.

[don1481]

What's your favorite Mench moment?

 

Probably today.

 

You know... when I first found out about this at work, I thought "FtJ must be thrilled." Looks like I was righthttp://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif