Kenny Lofton

[trwi7]

Are you suggesting pulling Hall out of the lineup against lefties?

 

Under the hypothetical scenario Hall would move back to 3B, Braun to LF so it would look like this.

 

vs RHP

 

Hall 3B

Hart RF

Lofton CF

Braun LF

 

vs LHP

 

Hall 3B

Hart CF

Dillon RF

Braun LF

[Brian the Automator]

The newest report out of the J/S says Melvin hasn't talked to Lofton's agent since the winter meetings.

[TooLiveBrew]

That's a good sign. It's not that I don't like Lofton as a RH portion of a platoon, but that Melvin not being in contact with a slightly obvious OF candidate says to me that he's fully focused on bringing in a good 3Bman.

[Brian the Automator]

That's a good sign. It's not that I don't like Lofton as a RH portion of a platoon, but that Melvin not being in contact with a slightly obvious OF candidate says to me that he's fully focused on bringing in a good 3Bman.

I'd like Lofton either way. He'd be a great bench player at worst.

 

[Fear The Chorizo]

Trade Gwynn + Capuano for a solid third baseman - (STL, Chisox, Texas probably would be listening to such an offer if they want to improve their roster)

 

sign Lofton to take Gwynn's role as a utility OF/pinch runner/double-switch de jour

 

You'd have Hall, Braun, Hart, Lofton, Gross, and Dillon/Kapler to man your OF, which provides a lot of flexibility and depth.

[TooLiveBrew]

I'd like Lofton either way. He'd be a great bench player at worst.

 

Very true. And if we're cool committing $10 mil. for one year of Gagne, why not $5-ish mil. for one year of Lofton? FTC makes a good point about OF depth then.

[dpapo]

DeJesus no longer seems likely, but it sounds to me like the Brewers are seriously considering signing Lofton.

 

Melvin did say he spoke recently with Casey Close, who represents free agent outfielder Kenny Lofton. Obviously, Melvin remains intrigued somewhat with Lofton, who is 40 but was still productive in 2008."He can do some things we like," said Melvin. "He's still looking at his options, too."Here's what the Brewers are wrestling with, in regard to Lofton: He is considered a centerfielder, which would mean moving Bill Hall either back to third base or to left field, neither of which the Brewers are keen to do. The remaining option would be to play Lofton out of position in left field. "That's where we're not sure," said Melvin, who said he would discuss the situation with manager Ned Yost and his coaching staff when they come to Milwaukee next week for the team's Winter Warm-Up event.

 

http://blogs.jsonline.com/brewers/archive/2008/01/08/melvin-doesn-t-see-dejesus-headed-his-way.aspx

[berniebrewer4life]

Get it done Dougie! A one year, 3-5 million dollar deal for lofton sounds like music to my ears.

[And That]

I am very dubious about Lofton playing CF, but if it gets Hall to third and Braun to LF, I guess I'm up for it. Seems there are many other less convoluted options available.

[mikerollins]

I don't know thread to stick this in, but since I just saw your new avitar picture....and it made me sick to my stomach...I'll stick it here.

All the Braun at 3B bashing is so nausiating. He was a rookie last year. He'll get better. He got better as the year went on and will continue to get better as he matures and gets older. Every team can find a LF to put up Braun's production, but 3B with that kind of production come along once every decade.

And That should be embarrassed for the constant bashing.

 

[And That]

At risk of turning this into yet one more more Braun defense thread... no... I don't care. People must see the light.

 

He got better as the year went on and will continue to get better as he matures and gets older.

 

Proof? Looked to me like he was apocalyptic the whole way through.

 

Every team can find a LF to put up Braun's production

 

Not true. Even with Braun regressing to the mean, he's still better than all but a half dozen, at most, left fielders.

 

3B with that kind of production come along once every decade.

Actually his defense at third comes around once every 100 years.

[yoshii8]

I would like Lofton against righties, but then would TGJ or Dillon play against lefties? I kind of like the idea of Hall moving back to the infield.

[TerraceReserved]

Yes. Braun was a rookie. He also had one of the worst defensive seasons at 3b in 100 years. He was 30 runs below average with around 300 less innings than other third basemen! I definitely believe he can improve, but he'll still cost us a ton of runs even if he does improve a good amount. The Brewers need to contend next year, and the constant bashing is more of just a cry for DM to move him to left so our team can improve.

[hauser42]

Hall is not a platoon player, he'd start for any of the 30 teams somewhere. Suggesting him as part of a platoon is nonsensical.

Not sure Hall starts for the Yankees, Tigers or Red Sox.

 

I think Lofton would be a good addition even if he is as a 4th OFer.

[DrWood]

last year Hall hit remarkably like a utility player.

I'm sure they can figure something out if they sign Lofton, even if Lofton plays primarily in CF.

thinking about it,

I can't think of a 3b that can play well and be obtainable as Hall, if moving Braun is the objective.

[twobrewers]

Every team can find a LF to put up Braun's production, but 3B with that kind of production come along once every decade.

Braun had a 1.004 OPS.

 

Only 7 players in all of baseball had a higher OPS! Of those seven, only two were outfielders.

 

All the Braun at 3B bashing is so nausiating.

I don't think anyone is techically bashing Braun either. And That and myself simply want him moved to a different position that we feel would be beneficial to the Brewers. He was a horrible 3B. That is just a fact. I love Braun - he is my favorite Brewer. But that doesn't mean he isn't a defensive liability.

 

And I would love Lofton. But I can't honestly imagine we would move players around to accomidate a one year solution such as Lofton.

[colbyjack]

Finding a better defender for 3B and moving Braun to LF would help the Brewers in such a larger scope. As twobrewers noted, no one is bashing Braun by suggesting he should move to the OF.

 

As for Lofton, he is exactly the type of hitter the offense needs. I don't even need to throw out numbers, the guy is just so good at getting on base, hitting for a high average and is still an efficient base-stealer. Can you imagine two high percentage on base guys hitting 1 and 2 for the Brewers ahead of Braun, Fielder and Hart? And it pushes Hardy and Kendall down to the 7 and 8 spots, giving the lineup a tough out at every non-pitcher spot.

 

While I would love to see Lofton added, it sounds as though the Brewers aren't as convinced that he would be a good fit. It really sounds as though they want to do everything in their power to keep Bill Hall in CF, as if they are too stubborn to recognize that they made a mistake (IMO) by moving him to the OF a year ago.

 

Of course, maybe this is Doug Melvin posturing now, trying to convince Bill Hall that he did everything within his power not to end up moving him to another position again. We of course could use the posturing excuse for just about anything, but I'm sticking with it http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif.

[TooLiveBrew]

The complicated element, though, is that it's not very easy to criticize the decision to move Hall to CF. By the end of his first ever season in the OF, Hall was slightly below average in CF. He's a really, really good bet to be average there in 2008, and to hit 25-ish HR. That's an incredibly valuable player.

 

I realize his value at 3B might be greater, but at this point - playing devil's advocate - it looks like DM & Co. feel like the most valuable combo is Hall in CF, Braun in LF, and a good/decent defender at 3B... with whatever offense that can be had greater than 'below-avg.' And to be honest, I can't say I disagree.

[colbyjack]

I'm not questioning Hall's value in CF, I'm questioning moving him to the OF to begin with.

 

This was the topic of conversation last offseason, why the Brewers were moving Hall to the OF to make room for Ryan Braun's eventual placement at 3B. Braun being bad defensively wasn't a big surprise, as there were plenty of scouting reports while he was in the minors that suggested he could eventually handle 3B but likely was going to struggle and would be a better fit in the OF where his defense would be an afterthought. Bill Hall, groomed as an infielder and with some experience at 3B already, wouldn't really have any kind of a learning curve taking over 3B on an everyday basis.

 

IIRC Lofton was available at this time of year last year as well, and yet the Brewers almost signed Dave Roberts. Clearing a path for Braun at 3B was easier since Jenkins was still around, despite being generally thought of as a goner after the 2006 season.

 

The team would be in a better position today if they had made what I felt was the better decision, even at the time (not in hindsight), a year ago.

[TooLiveBrew]

I'm not questioning Hall's value in CF, I'm questioning moving him to the OF to begin with.

 

I get ya, I just think his value plays a large part in justifying the move.

Bill Hall, groomed as an infielder and with some experience at 3B already, wouldn't really have any kind of a learning curve taking over 3B on an everyday basis.

 

Now this, I can't argue... except maybe that it protected the Crew from 'having' to sign Roberts or some other Pierre-clone.

 

The team would be in a better position today if they had made what I felt was the better decision, even at the time (not in hindsight), a year ago.

 

I can't argue this, either. I know you aren't just a johnny-come-lately on this topic. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

[logan82]

I'll admit I was one of the "move Hall to the OF" guys. At the time though I thought they had a better plan for 3B besides Graffy/Counsell or Braun. I guess I was hoping for Koskie to get better. I also thought Jenkins was a goner after the 2006 season.

[danzig6767]

Every team can find a LF to put up Braun's production, but 3B with that kind of production come along once every decade.

Braun had a 1.004 OPS.

 

Only 7 players in all of baseball had a higher OPS! Of those seven, only two were outfielders.

This is the one aspect i think many people are overhyping in regards to moving Braun to LF. It's almost as if many fans are acting like the team would be moving Braun from shortstop to LF instead of from 3rd to LF. Look at the production of leftfielders last year and at the guys playing third, it was fairly close, there are quite a few good bats at third right now. We wouldn't be moving Braun from a mostly light hitting position in baseball to one far more loaded with bigger bats.

[aracko]

Honestly - Id like to see the Brewers bring back Koskie. I dont think that he ever got a fair shot in Milwaukee. He fills the need for a left handed bat and has some pop behind it. He plays great D at 3b and would allow Braun to go to Left.

[twobrewers]

Why the Brewers were moving Hall to the OF to make room for Ryan Braun's eventual placement at 3B.

I think we can say with almost 100% certainty - that moving Hall to CF and putting Braun at 3B was a mistake. (Seeing as how this year we are toying with the idea of putting Braun in LF and Hall back at 3B)

 

Who ultimately made the decision to switch Hall? Was that Ned? Melvin? Both?

[TooLiveBrew]

Id like to see the Brewers bring back Koskie. I dont think that he ever got a fair shot in Milwaukee.

Why do you say that he didn't get a fair shot? He was our everyday 3B until that freak injury. He just has to sit v. LHP like many lefties. If the Koskinator were still healthy, this team would be arguably perfectly constructed heading into 2008. Confound you, fate!