Tuesday’s Frosty Mug
December 29, 2009
Some things to read while spelling the important words right.
This week is off to a slow start in regards to Brewer news, so it's a good time to take a moment to look back. It's already been months since the Brewers re-signed Trevor Hoffman for 2010 and, after watching the market for free agent closers fail to develop, Jorge Says No! has declared Hoffman an offseason winner.
Meanwhile, MLB Trade Rumors has a list of the best and worst offseason signings so far, and lists the Gregg Zaun deal as one of the winners.
Alcides Escobar's winter league season is likely over, but it was a highly successful one: for our bilingual readers, here's a story on Escobar winning the VWL batting title. Hopefully he can parlay some of that momentum into a hot start in 2010. Meanwhile, Hernan Iribarren has switched teams and joined Carlos Gomez and Angel Salome as Brewers active in the Caribbean postseason. You can read more about that in today's Winter League Update.
Dave Pinto of Baseball Musings continues to work through baseball from A to Z, and had this scouting report on Mike Burns yesterday. With the rotation and bullpen more or less full and Chris Capuano, John Halama, Kameron Loe and perhaps Mark Mulder already lined up to start in Nashville, Burns is probably an unlikely candidate to appear as a Brewer in 2010.
In the minors:
- Brett Christopherson of the Appleton Post-Crescent has a year-in-review column for the Timber Rattlers. There's not a lot of surprising stuff in there, but make sure you get all the way to the end for his thoughts on Jeff Suppan's brief appearance in Appleton.
- I had seen this before, but thanks to Rattler Radio for reminding me to mention it: The Brevard County Manatees are giving away free tickets to their home opener on April 8th.
The polls are still open and two votes may come down to the wire in the balloting for our BCB All Decade Team. As of this writing, Derrick Turnbow and Dan Kolb are in a dead heat for the setup man spot, and Chris Capuano and Doug Davis are also tied in the running for a #4 starter. Voting for the former will close at 4 pm today, and the latter at 4 pm tomorrow.
Elsewhere in decade-ending notes, The Biz of Baseball has a list of the top ten stories of the decade. Story #5 is the opening of eleven new ballparks, including Miller Park.
Around baseball:
Giants: Signed Mark DeRosa to a two year deal worth $12 million.
Mariners: Signed catcher Josh Bard and reliever Chad Cordero to minor league deals.
Nationals: Signed first baseman Josh Whitesell and infielder Eric Bruntlett to minor league deals.
The Brewers don't have many roster spots that aren't already spoken for, but the few that remain (backup catcher, final bullpen spot, fifth outfielder) will likely be decided in spring training. R.J. Anderson of FanGraphs wonders if awarding roster spots based on spring performance is really a good idea. For the Brewers, spring training 2009 is a clear example of both sides of the argument: Casey McGehee played his way onto the team and went on to be a key contributor. Chris Duffy and Brad Nelson also played their way in and then quickly played their way back out.
Looking for a little heavy math to get your brain going this morning? Project Prospect has a look at BABIP, and other batted-ball stats that do or don't correlate with it.
On the lighter end of the statistical spectrum, Plunk Everyone wants to rename defensive indifference, calling it "a shrug." I like it.
Sometimes we spend so long looking at an impossible solution that the sudden appearance of an easier one is borderline shocking. Payroll disparity and gnashing of teeth about haves and have nots in baseball frequently lead to discussion of a salary cap, which will most likely never happen. However, many of the same revenue-disparity issues could be addressed by adding a third team in New York, as Craig Calcaterra suggests.
As someone who is occasionally called out for being too positive or negative about the Brewers (sometimes on the same day), I found this post from Dejan Kovacevic on the polarization of sports fans interesting. I do my best to be fair in my coverage here, but the difference between "fair" and "neutral" is pretty significant.
Happy birthday today to:
- Richie Sexson, 2000-2003 Brewer and member of the BCB All Decade Team, who turns 35.
- 2001 Brewer Devon White, who turns 47.
Drink up.
Winter League Update for 12/29/2009
December 29, 2009In Venezuela: Hernan Iribarren, who had been spending the winter with Lara, debuted in center field and batting leadoff for Caracas in their first playoff game. He went 0-for-4 with a walk in Caracas' 6-2 win over La Guaira.
In the Dominican Republic: Carlos Gomez went 1-for-4 with a walk and a home run for Escogido, scoring three times in their 7-0 victory over Cibao. Erick Almonte went 1-for-4.
In the other game, Angel Salome entered as a pinch hitter and went 0-for-1 in Este's 8-1 loss to Licey.
In Mexico: Luis Cruz went 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored for Culiacan. The Mexican regular season ends on Wednesday, and Cruz's Culiacan team is in second place with an 18-12 record in the second half.
Making Your ‘00 Face: #4 Starter
December 28, 2009It's time to select another player for the BCB All Decade Team. Here are the players we've selected so far:
First Base: Prince Fielder
Second Base: Rickie Weeks
Shortstop: J.J. Hardy
Third Base: Bill Hall
Corner Outfield: Ryan Braun
Center Field: Mike Cameron
Corner Outfield: Geoff Jenkins
Catcher: Damian Miller
Bench IF: Craig Counsell
Bench C: Mike Rivera
Bench COF: Carlos Lee
Bench OF: Scott Podsednik
Bench 1B: Richie Sexson
#1 SP: Ben Sheets
#2 SP: CC Sabathia
#3 SP: Yovani Gallardo
Closer: Francisco Cordero
LOOGY: Brian Shouse
Voting for our setup man opened yesterday and will close at 4 pm tomorrow. Today we'll select the fourth member of our rotation. Follow the jump for the nominees' stats, then vote in the poll below.
Seasons as a Brewer: 4, 2006-2009
Traditional numbers: 153 GS, 38-40, 4.86 ERA, 695.2 IP, 498 K, 167 BB
Advanced numbers: 4.38 FIP, 1.26 WHIP, 6.4 K/9, 2.2 BB/9
WAR as a Brewer: 3.2
Seasons as a Brewer: 4, 2004-2007
Traditional numbers: 116 GS, 40-44, 4.39 ERA, 678.2 IP, 562 K, 229 BB
Advanced numbers: 4.62 FIP, 1.37 WHIP, 7.5 K/9, 3.0 BB/9
WAR as a Brewer: 7.4
Seasons as a Brewer: 4, 2003-2006
Traditional numbers: 111 GS, 37-36, 3.92 ERA, 685.2 IP, 568 K, 295 BB
Advanced numbers: 4.10 FIP, 1.37 WHIP, 7.5 K/9, 3.9 BB/9
WAR as a Brewer: 11.3
Seasons as a Brewer: 3, 2007-2009
Traditional numbers: 95 GS, 29-34, 4.93 ERA, 546 IP, 284 K, 209 BB
Advanced numbers: 5.05 FIP, 1.573 WHIP, 4.7 K/9, 3.4 BB/9
WAR as a Brewer: 0
Seasons as a Brewer: 3, 2000-2002
Traditional numbers: 77 GS, 23-34, 4.73 ERA, 473.2 IP, 294 K, 249 BB
Advanced numbers: 4.99 FIP, 1.52 WHIP, 5.6 K/9, 4.7 BB/9
WAR as a Brewer: 2
Seasons as a Brewer: 2, 2000-2001
Traditional numbers: 62 GS, 20-30, 5.10 ERA, 372 IP, 200 K, 178 BB
Advanced numbers: 4.99 FIP, 1.58 WHIP, 4.8 K/9, 4.3 BB/9
WAR as a Brewer: 0.5
Seasons as a Brewer: 3, 2007-2009
Traditional numbers: 58 GS, 21-20, 5.17 ERA, 332.1 IP, 289 K, 164 BB
Advanced numbers: 4.40 FIP, 1.65 WHIP, 7.8 K/9, 4.4 BB/9
WAR as a Brewer: -2.1
Seasons as a Brewer: 2, 2002-2003
Traditional numbers: 53 GS, 11-28, 5.34 ERA, 334 IP, 233 K, 121 BB
Advanced numbers: 4.49 FIP, 1.554 WHIP, 6.3 K/9, 3.3 BB/9
WAR as a Brewer: -0.8
Seasons as a Brewer: 2, 2004-2005
Traditional numbers: 52 GS, 15-25, 4.78 ERA, 295.2 IP, 204 K, 117 BB
Advanced numbers: 4.68 FIP, 1.49 WHIP, 6.2 K/9, 3.6 BB/9
WAR as a Brewer: 0.3
Monday’s Frosty Mug
December 28, 2009
Some things to read while setting the record straight.
With the roster probably nearly set for 2010, I guess it's time to start looking at lineups. Brewers Daily has a look at one issue the Brewers might face: Is Casey McGehee (or for that matter, virtually anyone the 2009 Brewers could hit in the #5 slot) enough of a threat to force teams to pitch to Prince Fielder? Fielder became the first Brewer ever to draw 100 walks last season. Expect that total to go up in 2010.
With three years of reliable Pitch F/x data now available, Dan Turkenkopf of Beyond the Box Score is taking a shot at projecting catcher block percentage for 2010. He ranks Gregg Zaun fifth among projected catchers at 3.93 runs above average per 120 games. Perhaps more interestingly, George Kottoras is the worst catcher projected, at 6.51 runs below average, nearly two runs worse than the second worst catcher. Kottoras was Tim Wakefield's personal catcher in Boston for much of last season, so it's possible his numbers are artificially low due to excessive knuckleball-chasing. Jason Kendall and Mike Rivera both project to be worth about two runs.
Maybe I'll be wrong, but I think Twitter is past the "fad" stage and has anchored itself as part of the mainstream sports conversation (follow BCB here). Gripped by the spirit of 140-character-or-less sports conversation, In-Between Hops has "tweets" on 32 Brewer topics.
In the minors:
- John Manuel of Baseball America released his Personal Top 20 Prospects List over the weekend, and ranked Alcides Escobar #17.
- When we discuss pitching prospects in the minors, I think we occasionally forget about Nick Bucci, but we probably shouldn't. The Sarnia Observer has a look at his 2009 season, which included an impressive run in Helena and an even more impressive stretch for Team Canada in the Baseball World Cup.
Work continues on the BCB All Decade Team. You have until 4 pm today to select a #3 starter, and until the same time tomorrow to select a setup man. The latter is the closest vote we've had to date: As of this writing, Dan Kolb leads Derrick Turnbow by two votes, with six others within 30 votes.
Meanwhile, Right Field Bleachers has gone decidedly less democratic and selected their All Decade Team for you.
Just one transaction to report today:
D-Backs: Signed Bob Howry to a one year deal worth between $2 and 3 million, with a team option for 2011.
If you missed them, there were a few other transactions reported in Noah's Weekend Shot. The holiday weekend was a tough one for Brewer news, but it's still worth a read if you missed it.
Who would you rather have for 2010: LaTroy Hawkins or Justin Duchscherer? Duchscherer is actually guaranteed much less money in 2010 ($2 million, with $3.5 more in available incentives), as it turns out, and the A's didn't have to guarantee a second year.
Speaking of pitching what-ifs, Lookout Landing wonders what might have been if the Mariners had drafted Tim Lincecum instead of Brandon Morrow, who they recently traded away. It could always be worse for Mariner fans: the Brewers drafted Jeremy Jeffress six picks after Lincecum.
As Hall of Fame votes continue to trickle into the light of day, Baseball Think Factory is collecting them and has an early leaderboard, with Roberto Alomar, Andre Dawson and Bert Blyleven the only candidates above 75%. Meanwhile, Craig Calcaterra (and lots of others) aren't happy with Jon Heyman's decisions.
A couple of sabermetric notes today:
- Beyond the Box Score has the starting point for a conversation on fielding metrics, dividing defense into four components.
- If you've ever looked at rate stats like a hitter's walk, strikeout or line drive percentage and wondered "What's good?" Adam Foster of Project Prospect has used data from 2007-2009 to compile league averages.
Happy birthday today to Bill Hall, who turns 30. If you're looking for a gift for him, a week's supply of chewing tobacco might be a nice touch.
That's all I have for today, unless you're still looking for gift ideas.
Drink up.
Winter League Update for 12/28/2009
December 28, 2009In Venezuela: In Saturday's regular season finale, Alcides Escobar went 3-for-4 with a run scored and three stolen bases for Lara. He finished the season hitting .393/.440/.491 with 16 stolen bases in 19 attempts.
In the Dominican Republic: The round-robin portion of the playoffs opened on Saturday.
- On Saturday, Erick Almonte went 0-for-4 with a strikeout as Cibao was shut out by Licey, 4-0.
- Carlos Gomez went 2-for-4 and scored a run for Escogido in their 3-2 walkoff win over Este.
- Almonte went 2-for-4 and walked twice, and Carlos Gomez went 0-for-4 with a walk as Cibao walked off with a 4-3 victory in 12 innings Sunday.
In Puerto Rico:
- Martin Maldonado went 1-for-3 with a home run on Saturday, his first PWL extra base hit. He's now hitting .156/.240/.222 in 48 PAs.
- Hiram Burgos started yesterday and pitched six innings, allowing one earned run on three hits and a walk while striking out four. He has a 2.33 ERA in 38.2 PWL innings, and has allowed just two earned runs in his last 15 innings.
The All-Decade Team
December 27, 2009Happy Holidays everyone! Since we are on the cusp of a new decade, I decided to put out the Milwaukee Brewers All-Decade team! This was quite an up and down decade for the Crew. We saw the end of our beloved Milwaukee County Stadium, but enjoyed the beauty that is Miller Park. We saw the worst of the worst (3 straight years of finishing last in the NL Central including a 100 loss season) and something we hadn’t seen in over 20 years: Playoffs. We saw managers change (Lopes, Royster, Yost, Sveum, and Macha). We saw fan favorites come and go. We saw the rise of baseball in HD and a rise in Brewers payroll. Yes, it was quite a roller coaster being a Brewer fan in the 00’s. To look back on the decade that was, Here’s my 25-man All-Decade Roster.
Starters
C - The list of Brewers’ catchers from this decade reads like a sick joke: Bennett, Estrada, Bako, Moeller. It was hard to pick, but Damian Miller is my catcher of the decade. In ‘05 and ‘06, he was a solid catcher both offensively and defensively and had a lackluster ‘07 because of the amazingly underwhelming Johnny Estrada.
1B - Prince Fielder - It’s only been since ‘06 that the Brewers have had Fielder as their starting first baseman, but he’s only gotten better over time. He’s even had 2 seasons with over 40 HR’s. He’s been the leader of this team and has shown maturity beyond his years. He even improved his defense!
2B - Ron Belliard - We started off the decade with Belliard at second. He hit alright, but was great at the double play. He was part of turning 129 double plays in 2000.
3B -Ryan Braun - I don’t care how bad his defense was. I don’t care that he’s an outfielder more than a third baseman. He was the best third baseman the Brewers have and I’m putting him here dammit. What else can you say about Ryan Braun? He’s a stud. He does it all. He hits for power and average. He’s the Hebrew Hammer. He likes really ugly MMA shirts. He’s cocky, but says the right things almost all the time. The best thing you can say about him: He’ll be a Brewer far into this next decade!
SS - JJ Hardy - This JJ brought all the ladies to the yard, but behind his female appeal was a great defensive shortstop with a lot of pop in his bat. He made the All-Star team in 2007. His fire continued in 2008 with over 20 home runs again (which is great for a shortstop).
OF - Carlos Lee - We put up with his lazy outfield because you could count on 100 RBI’s. Before Prince was ready for Prime Time, there was Carlos Lee. Even though the Crew only had him for 1 3/4 years, he delivered over 60 home runs and almost 200 RBI’s.
OF - Geoff Jenkins - Roaming the outfield until 2007, Geoff hit 182 home runs and 71 Outfield Assists for the Brewers this decade. Jenks was also voted into the All-Star game in 2004 by the Brewers fans! He ended up having a stellar year that year hitting .296 with 28 HR’s.
OF - Scott Podsednik - Milwaukee’s ROY runner up was the beginning of the resurgence of interest in the Brewers. While he really only had one good year with the Brewers (and only two overall), he set a Brewers record for most SB’s in a year.
Bench
1B - Richie Sexson - While I have never been the biggest fan of Sexson because he would choke under pressure, his numbers as a Brewer don’t lie. He hit 133 home runs in a Brewer, including two seasons with 45 (2001 and 2003). He was a two time All-Star and was involved in an amazing trade for the Brewers.
1B - Lyle Overbay - OK, so I have three first basemen. The Big O was a doubles machine after coming over in the Sexson trade and bridged the gap perfectly between Sexson and Fielder.
OF - Brady Clark - Most people laugh about Brady, but he was a solid member of the Brewers outfield for 4 years this decade. He hit an average of .283 and was a big part of 2005’s .500 year (which people forget was a big deal at the time)
INF - Mark Loretta - Mark had a really strong run in Milwaukee to start his career. And while most of his career was played in the previous decade, he still played for 2 3/4 of this one. Always one you could count on to get on base, Mark never had more than 60 strikeouts in a season.
OF - Corey Hart - Hart made his debut in 2004, but didn’t recieve the role of everyday starter until 2007. His speed and his bat make him a dynamic player even though his head has gotten in the way.
C - I guess you need two catchers on a 25 man roster so I pick Jason Kendall. I know there are a lot of fans who hate Kendall (such a strong feeling), but many of those fans don’t remember most of the catchers from this past decade. We didn’t have a Surhoff or a Nilsson. And I wouldn’t mind having a Jason Kendall who busts his ass every day on my team….problem is if this was real, he wouldn’t let me put him on the bench.
Pitchers
SP - Ben Sheets - Ben’s entire MLB career started in 2001 even though it seems like he’s been around for longer. In 2004, he was a finalist for the Cy Young and threw over 1200 K’s this decade. I won’t ever forget the day Jared and I saw Sheeter the night after he threw 18 K’s at a Bucks game (Jenkins had front row and Sheeter was sitting 8 rows back by us). He’s Milwaukee’s first legit ace since Higuera and I’d like to see him back in Brewer Blue.
SP - Doug Davis -Doug Davis isn’t flashy. He isn’t dominant. He isn’t fan friendly. He’s just there. And for 3+ years, he was the team’s dependable workhorse. Doug is the reason most Brewer fans check quality starts because 70% of his 2004 starts were quality, although he just won half.
SP - Chris Capuano - Yet another part of the Richie Sexson trade, Cappie was an All-Star in 2005. What people remember most about Capuano was his insane pick-off move which prompted umpires re-check their rule books about balks. He’s the final part of the MM3 (See Kolb)
SP - Yovani Gallardo - This young star in the making was better than expected in ‘09. He also was helpful down the playoff stretch in ‘08 (even though a freak accident derailed almost all of that season). I’m excited to see how Yo matures in this next decade.
SP - C.C. Sabathia - Sure he grabbed the cash and left, but before he did, he gave Milwaukee a hero they have not seen in a long time. C.C. delivered the team the playoffs and for that, he will never be forgotten. We were able to see what C.C. would have been like in the playoffs had he not been used up, but most people would agree that the Brewers would have never gotten to the playoffs had he been used more sparingly.
RP - Dan Kolb - There are a group of pitchers I like to call the Mike Maddux Three. These pitchers had their highest levels of success under his tutelage and most came out of nowhere to become All-Stars, then fizzle away. The first of those three is Dan Kolb. Dan was all sorts of mediocre until in 2003 when he had an ERA of 1.99 and saved 21 games. The next year he saved 39 and became an All-Star. The following year, he was traded for Jose Capellan which was a move that benefited NO ONE.
RP -Derrick Turnbow - Turnbow is another member of the MM3. A fireballer picked off of waivers, Turnbow was known as the “Wild Thing”. He had wild hair and a wild streak, but his fastball could touch three digits. This streak caught up with him, but not before he was named to the All-Star game. Sadly, his bobblehead ended his career.
RP - Francisco Cordero - Another in the streak of Brewers All-Star Relievers, Cordero was a name on the Carlos Lee trade that quickly became so valuable, people forgot how bad Kevin Mench was. CoCo came in to Click, Click, Boom and saved 44 games with a 2.98 ERA. He was lost to Cincinatti because they offered him a couple extra million the following year.
RP - Brian Shouse - Lefty specialists are in high demand nowadays and the Brewers had a great one in Brian Shouse. When he was picked up, most people said “Who?”, but this lefty had 2+ strong years in Milwaukee and had a cult following.
RP - Trevor Hoffman - OK, so he only had one year in Milwaukee, but you would agree it was a great one, right? He exceeded expectations and was a highlight in a disappointing ‘09 effort. Plus he was the capper on a decade that saw 6 Brewers pitchers become All-Stars.
RP - I have one more reliever spot and it’s hard to give it to just one person because there were so many players that were similar. They weren’t great, but they were who the Brewers had so my last reliever is Matts DeSkanick. That’s right. A hybrid of Matt Wise, Mike DeJean, Curtis Leskanic, and Brooks Kieschnick. They were all middle of the road relievers, but were necessary or had a small following of fans at the time. (If Jared or Tyler could make a photoshop of this, that would be awesome)
Manager - Ned Yost - Love him or hate him, he’s the man that took the Brewers from awful to competitive.
There you have it! Feel free to post your own! I know we’re all looking forward to another up and down decade of Brewer baseball. I hoped to do a Brewer of the Decade Vote in lieu of a fan favorite vote, but we’ll see if the site is around long enough for that.
Making Your ‘00 Face: Setup Man
December 27, 2009It's time to select another player for the BCB All Decade Team. Here are the players we've selected so far:
First Base: Prince Fielder
Second Base: Rickie Weeks
Shortstop: J.J. Hardy
Third Base: Bill Hall
Corner Outfield: Ryan Braun
Center Field: Mike Cameron
Corner Outfield: Geoff Jenkins
Catcher: Damian Miller
Bench IF: Craig Counsell
Bench C: Mike Rivera
Bench COF: Carlos Lee
Bench OF: Scott Podsednik
Bench 1B: Richie Sexson
#1 SP: Ben Sheets
#2 SP: CC Sabathia
Closer: Francisco Cordero
LOOGY: Brian Shouse
Voting for our #3 starter opened yesterday and will close at 4 pm tomorrow. Today we'll select the third member of our bullpen. I've limited the nominees to pitchers who either pitched in at least 100 games or pitched at least 100 innings as a Brewer, while appearing as a reliever in at least 80% of their games. A few relatively popular Brewers didn't make enough appearances to make the cut. If you feel they belong in the running, give them a write in vote in the comments, and any pitcher receiving at least five write in votes will appear on future ballots.
Follow the jump for the nominees' stats, then vote in the poll below.
Seasons as a Brewer: 3, 2002-2004
Traditional numbers: 224 G, 13-10, 6 saves, 4.22 ERA, 215.1 IP, 79 BB, 203 K
Advanced numbers: 4.47 FIP, 1.20 WHIP, 8.5 K/9, 3.3 BB/9
WAR as a Brewer: 1.3
Seasons as a Brewer: 4, 2005-2008
Traditional numbers: 218 G, 15-16, 4.84 ERA, 65 saves, 198 IP, 222 K, 122 BB
Advanced numbers: 3.99 FIP, 1.429 WHIP, 10.1 K/9, 5.5 BB/9
WAR as a Brewer: 0.1
Seasons as a Brewer: 4, 2000-2002, 2007
Traditional numbers: 206 G, 6-8, 1 save, 3.03 ERA, 154.2 IP, 125 K, 62 BB
Advanced numbers: 3.79 FIP, 1.27 WHIP, 7.27 K/9, 3.61 BB/9
WAR as a Brewer: 2.6
Seasons as a Brewer: 3, 2001-2003
Traditional numbers: 201 G, 9-14, 3.50 ERA, 47 saves, 224 IP, 191 K, 105 BB
Advanced numbers: 4.24 FIP, 1.41 WHIP, 7.7 K/9, 4.2 BB/9
WAR as a Brewer: 2.6
Seasons as a Brewer: 4, 2006-2009
Traditional numbers: 180 G, 18-24, 5 saves, 4.30 ERA, 372.1 IP, 129 BB, 314 K
Advanced numbers: 4.47 FIP, 1.31 WHIP, 7.6 K/9, 3.1 BB/9
WAR as a Brewer: 2.5
Seasons as a Brewer: 4, 2004-2007
Traditional numbers: 175 G, 13-14, 2 saves, 3.93 ERA, 215 IP, 71 BB, 162 K
Advanced numbers: 3.89 FIP, 1.23 WHIP, 6.8 K/9, 3.0 BB/9
WAR as a Brewer: 1.6
Seasons as a Brewer: 3, 2000-2001, 2003
Traditional numbers: 169 G, 15-9, 29 saves, 3.01 ERA, 173.1 IP, 100 BB, 167 K
Advanced numbers: 4.43 FIP, 1.40 WHIP, 8.7 K/9, 5.2 BB/9
WAR as a Brewer: 3.9
Valerio de los Santos
Seasons as a Brewer: 4, 2000-2003*
Traditional numbers: 163 G, 7-9, 1 save, 4.24 ERA, 180.1 IP, 144 K, 82 BB
Advanced numbers: 4.91 FIP, 1.30 WHIP, 7.19 K/9, 4.10 BB/9
WAR as a Brewer: 1.1
* - de los Santos was also a Brewer in 1998 and 1999.
Seasons as a Brewer: 3, 2003-2004, 2006
Traditional numbers: 154 G, 3-8, 3.31 ERA, 61 saves, 147 IP, 86 K, 54 BB
Advanced numbers: 3.93 FIP, 1.30 WHIP, 5.3 K/9, 3.3 BB/9
WAR as a Brewer: 3.5
Seasons as a Brewer: 3, 2000-2001, 2009*
Traditional numbers: 146 G, 7-12, 5 saves, 2.96 ERA, 158 IP, 68 BB, 106 K
Advanced numbers: 4.22 FIP, 1.29 WHIP, 6.0 K/9, 3.9 BB/9
WAR as a Brewer: 3.1
* - Weathers was also a Brewer in 1998 and 1999.
Seth McClung
Seasons as a Brewer: 3, 2007-2009
Traditional numbers: 92 G, 9-10, 4.32 ERA, 179.1 IP, 99 BB, 138 K
Advanced numbers: 4.84 FIP, 1.48 WHIP, 6.9 K/9, 5.0 BB/9
WAR as a Brewer: 0.8
The Weekend Shot
December 27, 2009
Barely anything to read after being extra-good this year.
So, apparently the first couple days after Christmas are pretty slow in terms of baseball news and, especially, Brewers news. For example, when I have the honor of writing the Weekend Mug, I usually take at least a couple hours sorting through the RSS feed for stories to put in the mug. Generally, there are probably somewhere between 600-800 stories to go through over the weekend, give or take. Today, I had about 100 stories to go through and it took me about twenty minutes. So, instead of a mug we are having a weekend shot.
The Official Site does have a list of highlights of the Brewers 2009 season. Included are the triple play, sprinting into the clubhouse after beating the Cardinals, Prince Fielder's first career Grand Slam; his winning the Home Run Derby; and his Princesplosion celebration. Not included, for some reason, is July 30 when Ace Jeff Suppan was placed on the DL.
Also not included on that highlight list is the longest home run ever hit in Miller Park, because that occurred in 2004. It was hit by Russell Branyan, who I am EXTREMELY disappointed to say did not win the final bench spot on the BCB Brewers All-Decade team. Voting for the #3 starting pitcher opened Saturday, so be sure to cast your vote!
Biz of Baseball has a chart showing how much money each team has spent on payroll between 1999-2009. The Brewers come in at the 23rd most money spent over those years, up a spot from the rankings through last year. They were in the top half of payroll in just 2009, though (Not to beat a dead horse, but next time Doug Melvin complains about the strains of being a small market team, someone should tell him that 15 other teams have to work with less money). Of course, after next 2010, the Yankees will have spent more than $2 Billion dollars on payroll since 1999.
In tangentially related Brewers news, Kelvim Escobar signed with the Mets for $1.25M (with a bonus for actually making the roster). I had hoped that the Brewers would sign him as he is an extremely high upside pitcher who signed for a relatively low amount of money, and reports had been saying that Milwaukee did have interest in him. Of course, he would have helped the Brewers more if he were to try to start again, however he has gone on record as wanting to pitch out of the bullpen in the hopes of avoiding injury.
In other transaction news:
Nationals: Signed RP Eddie Guardado to a minor league contract.
Diamondbacks: Signed RP Bob Howry to a one year deal with an option for 2011.
Astros: Apparently allowed newly signed Ryan Sadowski out of his contract so he could sign with the Korean Lotte Giants.
That's all I have for you, though I was thinking earlier today and am curious to know everyone else's thoughts on a question. Considering the current Milwaukee Brewers roster, and not worrying about payroll constraints, which player would you rather have on the team right now: Joe Mauer or Tim Lincecum? Obviously the Brewers need pitching, but adding Joe Mauer would give Milwaukee perhaps one of the most feared 3-4-5 hitters in the history of the MLB. So who would you rather have?
Making Your ‘00 Face: #3 Starter
December 26, 2009It's time to select another player for the BCB All Decade Team. Here are the players we've selected so far:
First Base: Prince Fielder
Second Base: Rickie Weeks
Shortstop: J.J. Hardy
Third Base: Bill Hall
Corner Outfield: Ryan Braun
Center Field: Mike Cameron
Corner Outfield: Geoff Jenkins
Catcher: Damian Miller
Bench IF: Craig Counsell
Bench C: Mike Rivera
Bench COF: Carlos Lee
Bench OF: Scott Podsednik
Bench 1B: Richie Sexson
#1 SP: Ben Sheets
#2 SP: CC Sabathia
Closer: Francisco Cordero
Voting for our lefty specialist opened Wednesday and will close at 4 pm tomorrow. Today we'll select the third member of our starting rotation. Follow the jump for the nominees' stats, then vote in the poll below.
Seasons as a Brewer: 4, 2006-2009
Traditional numbers: 153 GS, 38-40, 4.86 ERA, 695.2 IP, 498 K, 167 BB
Advanced numbers: 4.38 FIP, 1.26 WHIP, 6.4 K/9, 2.2 BB/9
WAR as a Brewer: 3.2
Seasons as a Brewer: 4, 2004-2007
Traditional numbers: 116 GS, 40-44, 4.39 ERA, 678.2 IP, 562 K, 229 BB
Advanced numbers: 4.62 FIP, 1.37 WHIP, 7.5 K/9, 3.0 BB/9
WAR as a Brewer: 7.4
Seasons as a Brewer: 4, 2003-2006
Traditional numbers: 111 GS, 37-36, 3.92 ERA, 685.2 IP, 568 K, 295 BB
Advanced numbers: 4.10 FIP, 1.37 WHIP, 7.5 K/9, 3.9 BB/9
WAR as a Brewer: 11.3
Seasons as a Brewer: 3, 2007-2009
Traditional numbers: 95 GS, 29-34, 4.93 ERA, 546 IP, 284 K, 209 BB
Advanced numbers: 5.05 FIP, 1.573 WHIP, 4.7 K/9, 3.4 BB/9
WAR as a Brewer: 0
Seasons as a Brewer: 3, 2000-2002
Traditional numbers: 77 GS, 23-34, 4.73 ERA, 473.2 IP, 294 K, 249 BB
Advanced numbers: 4.99 FIP, 1.52 WHIP, 5.6 K/9, 4.7 BB/9
WAR as a Brewer: 2
Seasons as a Brewer: 2, 2000-2001
Traditional numbers: 62 GS, 20-30, 5.10 ERA, 372 IP, 200 K, 178 BB
Advanced numbers: 4.99 FIP, 1.58 WHIP, 4.8 K/9, 4.3 BB/9
WAR as a Brewer: 0.5
Seasons as a Brewer: 3, 2007-2009
Traditional numbers: 58 GS, 21-20, 5.17 ERA, 332.1 IP, 289 K, 164 BB
Advanced numbers: 4.40 FIP, 1.65 WHIP, 7.8 K/9, 4.4 BB/9
WAR as a Brewer: -2.1
Seasons as a Brewer: 2, 2002-2003
Traditional numbers: 53 GS, 11-28, 5.34 ERA, 334 IP, 233 K, 121 BB
Advanced numbers: 4.49 FIP, 1.554 WHIP, 6.3 K/9, 3.3 BB/9
WAR as a Brewer: -0.8
Seasons as a Brewer: 2, 2004-2005
Traditional numbers: 52 GS, 15-25, 4.78 ERA, 295.2 IP, 204 K, 117 BB
Advanced numbers: 4.68 FIP, 1.49 WHIP, 6.2 K/9, 3.6 BB/9
WAR as a Brewer: 0.3
Seasons as a Brewer: 3, 2007-2009
Traditional numbers: 51 GS, 22-17, 3.57 ERA, 320 IP, 325 K, 139 BB
Advanced numbers: 3.77 FIP, 1.29 WHIP, 9.1 K/9, 3.9 BB/9
WAR as a Brewer: 5.7
Holiday Q&A with LaTroy Hawkins
December 26, 2009Holiday Q&A with LaTroy Hawkins
He discusses his new contract, holiday traditions, and a gift for Randy Wolf.