Minor Leagues in action tonight
August 31, 2009Minor Leagues in action tonight
You're running out of time to catch a minor league game this season, so follow the link to BF.net's daily Link Report and listen to one of these games tonight:
Mike Jones starts for Nashville at 6.
Mark Holliman and Brandon Kintzler start a doubleheader for Huntsville, with game 1 at 5.
Maverick Lasker starts for Wisconsin at 6:30.
Del Howell starts for Helena at 8.
Hoffman staying put with Brewers
August 31, 2009Brewers closer Trevor Hoffman is staying put, as the window to trade him to the team that claimed him off waivers closed on Monday with the two sides unable to reach an agreement.
Is this worth noting?
August 31, 2009Here's something else to discuss, if you're sick of the J.J. Hardy conversation:
Before August 8, Jason Kendall started 93 of the Brewers' 109 games (85%), and hit .232/.318/.262 (.598 OPS)
Also before August 8, Mike Rivera started 16 of the Brewers' 109 games (15%), and hit .203/.294/.271 (.565 OPS)
Combined before August 8, Brewer catchers hit .228/.317/.280 (.597 OPS)
Since August 8, Jason Kendall has started 14 of 21 games (67%), and is hitting .356/.482/.444 (.927 OPS)
Also since August 8, Mike Rivera has started 7 of 21 games (33%), and is hitting .333/.484/.667 (1.151 OPS)
Combined since August 8, Brewer catchers have hit .348/.483/.522 (1.004 OPS)
Was sending J.J. Hardy down the wrong move?
August 31, 2009
Sometime before tomorrow's game, J.J. Hardy will be recalled from Nashville and added to the Brewers' active roster. At the time of his demotion, he was hitting .229/.300/.367, and the Brewers had a prospect at shortstop, Alcides Escobar, who was big league ready or close, hitting .298/.353/.409 for Nashville with 42 stolen bases.
The move, though, came at a very interesting time. Before the move, it was assumed Hardy would be eligible for free agency following the 2010 season. The demotion to AAA came just in time to allow Hardy to accumulate 20+ days in AAA before September 1, and that loss of service time means he'll be arbitration eligible for two more seasons, and won't become a free agent until the end of 2011. If the Brewers had waited two extra days, Hardy's stay in AAA would not have been long enough to impact his service time.
Did the Brewers make the right decision by sending Hardy to Nashville when they did? Vote in the poll below, and follow the jump for more on the four arguments.
Here are what I see as the four arguments regarding this decision:
It was the right move because it keeps Hardy under team control for one more season. It's no secret that Hardy will likely be available on the trade market this offseason, as the team transitions to the Alcides Escobar era. Now that Hardy will be under team control for an extra year, the Brewers are actually giving up two seasons of control over Hardy, instead of one, which increases his value. Even if the Brewers decide to keep him, they've got a moderately valuable commodity under team control for an extra season.
It was the right move because the team is better off playing Alcides Escobar. Hardy's value this season came almost exclusively from his defense, and offensively he was a detriment to the team, posting an OPS lower than even his 2005 and 2006 seasons. Since coming to the majors, Escobar has outproduced Hardy offensively (his OPS is 27 points higher), he adds a lot of speed to the lineup and his defense has been similarly solid. Furthermore, getting Escobar major league playing time at this point in his career allows him to learn in a lower pressure environment, and gives the team an opportunity to evaluate what they have going into 2010.
It was the wrong move because Hardy gives the team a better chance to win now. Hardy's true talent level is likely significantly higher than his low slash line this season would suggest. Assuming Hardy was able to take a mental break, make adjustments and revert to his 2007-2008 form, he's a roughly .800 OPS hitter, which is better than all but the most optimistic projections for Escobar. If he was able to turn it around, Hardy's upside is much higher than Escobar's in the short term. And, even as bad as he's been offensively, Hardy's defense makes him a league average or better shortstop overall.
It was the wrong move because sending down an established veteran to slow his arbitration clock is a poor ethical decision. Regardless of how you feel about the talent/potential difference between Hardy and Escobar, most people will agree that Hardy is still a major league caliber player. Keeping him in the minor leagues long enough to prevent him from becoming a free agent in 2010 is unfair to him, and while it's technically legal, it's unethical, could impact the organization's relationship with Hardy and his agent, and could impact how the Brewers are seen by players considering coming to Milwaukee.
So, what do you think?
List for an Off Day
August 31, 2009Highest ERA with 10+ Wins in a Season
(since 1876)
- Colby Lewis, 2003 Rangers - 10-9, 7.30 ERA
- Harry Staley, 1894 Beaneaters - 12-10, 6.81 ERA
- LaTroy Hawkins, 1999 Twins - 10-14, 6.66 ERA
- Ryan Drese, 2002 Indians - 10-9, 6.55 ERA
- Adam Eaton, 2007 Phillies - 10-10, 6.29 ERA
- Ray Benge, 1929 Phillies - 11-15, 6.29 ERA
- Wes Ferrell, 1938 Senators/Yankees - 15-10, 6.28 ERA
- Chris Carpenter, 2000 Blue Jays - 10-12, 6.26 ERA
- Mike Morgan, 1999 Rangers - 13-10, 6.24 ERA
- Pedro Astacio, 1998 Rockies - 13-14, 6.23 ERA
Manny Parra is 9-10 with a 6.66 ERA in 2009.
Monday’s Frosty Mug
August 31, 2009Some things to read while waiting for a bartender.
The Brewers have a day off today to prepare for what might be their last opportunity to prove themselves relevant in the NL Central in 2009: A nine game stretch against the Cardinals, Giants and Cardinals again. Ken Macha says the Brewers have to be realistic about their position in the standings (which is why he's passing on the opportunity to skip a spot in the rotation this week), but also acknowledges that things could change if the Brewers can get hot this week and next. The Brewers are 23-24 this season against teams they'll see in September.
With roster expansion on the horizon, J.J. Hardy is expected to rejoin the team tomorrow, and we'll see if the issue with him blows over or boils over. Mike Seal, Hardy's agent, obviously appears to disagree with the decision to demote Hardy, but also called it "a shrewd move" by the Crew to send Hardy down and delay his free agency. J.J. Hardy's Nashville bio picture says a lot about his thoughts on the situation.
As you may have noticed, Hardy is swinging and missing a lot this season. In fact, he's also consistently failing to make weak contact: Plunk Everyone noticed that Hardy has the eighth lowest foul ball percentage in baseball. Jody Gerut, by the way, was tenth.
The Brewers are only expected to call a handful of players up from AAA, and they're expected to stagger the callups over the next few days. With that said, the Brewers also have three players getting ready to return from injury, as Corey Hart is getting ready to go out on a rehab assignment and Seth McClung and Jesus Colome both threw off a mound this weekend. If the Brewers call up six players from the minors and these three all return, they'll have 34 players on the active roster.
The Cardinals have opened up a ten game lead on the Cubs, and it's hard to imagine a scenario where they don't win the NL Central at this point. Murray Chass has a look at what happened to what was one of baseball's closest divisions a few months ago.
This race might be closer: With one month left to play, the Brewers rank 24th in wins in the 2000's. They're four games behind the Reds for 23rd, and 13 games ahead of the 25th place Tigers.
As hopes of contending in 2009 drift away, Doug Melvin is continuing to take a fair amount of heat for not assembling his roster differently, fair or unfair. Melvin responded to critics over the weekend, asking what they would have done differently. He's right, to a point: There weren't really any quick fixes available to the Brewers this offseason that would have dramatically improved this team. With that said, as many commenters have previously noted, Melvin was also responsible for the drafting and developmental strategies that left the Brewers with this hole in the first place.
Felipe Lopez had a rough weekend at the plate (2-for-17) but is continuing to try to play through a sore tendon in his foot. The most recent Elias rankings are out, and they have Lopez as a Type A free agent for the first time. If Lopez continues to struggle and the Brewers aren't careful with him, they could cost themselves a compensation pick next year by allowing him to play his way back down to Type B status.
The Brewers got a pretty good outing out of Jeff Suppan yesterday, as he gave up just one earned run in six innings and lowered his 2009 ERA to 5.20. In a world where we make near daily jokes about Sidney Ponson and Livan Hernandez, mgl wonders if Jeff Suppan is the worst veteran pitcher you never hear about. Meanwhile, Rob Iracane of Walkoff Walk says the Pirates, who couldn't beat Jeff Suppan, Manny Parra or Braden Looper over the weekend, will win the NL Central in 2011.
How much impact will Chris Bosio have on the Brewer pitching staff? Casa de Machado was at Thursday's game and saw Bosio doing some things with pitchers he never saw Billy Castro doing. The results haven't necessarily shown up yet, but that doesn't mean they won't.
Coaches are also working with Manny Parra to develop a cut fastball. As TheJay noted in this Fanshot, that's a bit of a philosophical switch from the past coaching direction.
In the minors:
- Chris Capuano is taking one small step back up the ladder to the major leagues. Now that the season has concluded for the Arizona League Brewers, Capuano is moving up to Helena to get a few more innings in before the minor league season concludes.
- Several Brewer farmhands are getting ready for the Arizona Fall League. Prospects Paradise has an AFL preview, and lists Zach Braddock, Lorenzo Cain and Jonathan Lucroy among the top prospects on the Peoria Javelinas.
On Power Rankings, playoff odds and miscellany:
- Baseball Digest Daily ranked the Brewers #17 in their ASTRO Rankings.
- CoolStandings has the Brewers' playoff chances holding steady at .3%.
- Justin Inaz of Beyond the Box Score ranked Jason Kendall as the 22nd best catcher of all time.
Around Baseball:
Angels: Acquired Scott Kazmir from the Rays for two minor leaguers and a PTBNL that could be Brandon Wood.
Astros: Placed reliever Alberto Arias on the DL with a hamstring strain.
Dodgers: Acquired Ronnie Belliard from the Nationals for a minor league reliever.
Indians: Acquired minor league pitcher Johan Pino as the PTBNL in the trade that sent Carl Pavano to the Twins.
Mariners: Placed Russell Branyan on the DL with a herniated disc.
Pirates: Signed Jorge Julio to a minor league deal.
Rangers: Signed Ryan Freel to a minor league deal.
Red Sox: Acquired Joey Gathright from the Orioles for a PTBNL or cash.
Twins: Claimed Ron Mahay off waivers from the Royals, acquired Jon Rauch from the D-Backs for a PTBNL and designated R.A. Dickey for assignment.
Today, they're reserved for making up rainouts, but at one point doubleheaders were a key part of the baseball schedule. Seamheads has a look back at September 7, 1903, when all 16 major league teams were scheduled to play two.
If you watched the Cubs play over the weekend, you might have seen Ryan Dempster trying on the new helmet MLB is promoting to help decrease head injuries suffered via HBP. Player reviews of the new helmets have been almost universally negative, but baseball is going to require all minor leaguers to wear them next season.
The Brewers had pretty good luck convincing draft picks to sign this season, including one player, fifth rounder D'Vontrey Richardson, who had to be convinced to give up football at Florida State. Jonathan Mayo has a look at the decision two sport athletes face.
Ever wonder what broadcasters do to prepare for games? Alyson Footer has the details and pictures.
Before you go any farther, take a moment today to be happy for what you have and to remember how quickly it can all go away: Jonah Keri has the story of a rollover car accident he somehow survived over the weekend. Keri is due to become the father of twins sometime in the coming weeks.
Apparently it's been a good week for harrowing experiences: Hal McCoy has the story of Aaron Harang and a Reds' equipment manager's drive from Pittsburgh to Cincinnati prior to Harang's appendectomy.
Hall of Very Good recently interviewed Jeff Cirillo, who spent many years as a Brewer position player and one day as an opposing pitcher. It's a good read.
Speaking of Jeffs, if you need a Jeff Sackmann fix, he's got three posts up on his personal blog previewing the US Open, which begins today.
On this day in 1996 the Brewers made a pretty good trade, sending Kevin Seitzer to the Indians for Jeromy Burnitz, who hit 165 home runs over six season as a Brewer. On this day in 2002, though, they made a pretty bad trade, sending Mark Loretta (who would go one to become a two time All Star) to the Astros for Wayne Franklin and Keith Ginter.
Happy birthday today to former Brewers Gabe Kapler (34), Hideo Nomo (41) and Tom Candiotti (52).
Oh, and with summer coming to a close, you're running out of opportunities to use your car as a dehyrdrator.
Drink up.
Brewers: Counsell right at home in win over Pirates
August 30, 2009MILWAUKEE -- No matter the season, the Milwaukee Brewers keep beating the Pittsburgh Pirates at home.
Brewers begin key stretch in St. Louis
August 30, 2009If the Brewers want to shock the world with a late-season run for the ages, it will have to start this week in St. Louis. And the road to the playoff won't get easier from there.
Crew rides rally to sweep of Bucs
August 30, 2009Jeff Suppan pitched six quality innings and took a bases-loaded walk for the go-ahead run in the Brewers' 4-1 win over the Pirates on Sunday at Miller Park.
Counsell And McGehee Lift Brewers Over Bucs
August 30, 2009Casey McGehee went 2-for-3 with a solo homer and scored twice as the Milwaukee Brewers swept Pittsburgh with a 4-1 victory at Miller Park, continuing their dominance at home against the Pirates.