The Old Milwaukees

Brewers ZiPS available at BTF

January 31, 2010

Brewers ZiPS available at BTF

Braun doesn’t expect a Fielder extension

January 31, 2010

Riske blames former coach for arm woes

January 31, 2010

Prince focuses on playing, not contract

January 31, 2010

Prince Fielder isn't sweating his contract situation, unlike so many of the fans who asked for his autograph at Brewers On Deck on Sunday.

Weekend Dad Mug: Brad Woodall Interview. Second Segment

January 31, 2010

Well here we are, back again, for the second installment of my discussion with Brad Woodall, if you missed the first part, shame on you, and click here to read it. Currently, Brad is down in the Carolinas conducting clinics, and will be heading back to Wisconsin to hold both batting and pitching sessions.

Today we will tackle hard-hitting issues such as pitching coaches and the HOF pitchers they were responsible for, and weak-hitting issues like catchers who "call a good game" and Doug Davis (he just can't hit).

And we are off!

During your tenure with the Braves you had the opportunity to pitch under two very respected pitching coaches, Bill Fischer in the minors and Leo Mazzone in Atlanta. How did they impact your career?

Both coaches impacted me greatly in different ways.  Bill was a great mentor for me.  He kept things simple and taught all of us how to keep things in perspective.  Leo was one of the best coaches ever in terms of understanding what makes each individual pitcher successful and keeping them out of big slumps.  He taught us the importance of pitching to our strengths instead of chasing the hitters’ weaknesses.  He knew Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz better than they knew themselves.  He is part of the reason that they are all going to the Hall of Fame.

FtJ note: I always have felt that Bill Fischer (a northern Wisconsin native), has been one of the most successful, yet less heralded pitching coaches of the last 30-years. He has been in baseball longer than Don Zimmer,  but unlike Zim, has successfully avoided getting hip-tossed by Pedro Martinez.

Bill Fischer pitched for 5 MLB teams from 1956-1964. In 1962 Fischer set the MLB record for pitching 84.3 consecutive innings without allowing a BB. After retiring as a player, Fischer worked with the Big Red Machine in Cincy, the Red Sox in the mid-80s, and the Braves farm in the early 90s. When pitchers like Tom Seaver, and Roger Clemens swear by you, you are probably are doing more good than bad.

Here is a story about the no-walk streak, here is a stroy about Fish's 4 rules of pitching.

The Brewers have just hired Rick Peterson. What expectations should the Brewer fans have for 2010 with regard to the new pitching coach?

Rick is a very well respected pitching coach and one that has worked with Ken Macha before so there is going to be a common philosophy throughout the coaching staff.  That is a great thing to have going into the season.  While I did not have the opportunity to be coached by him, I hear that he is a great coach and will work well with the relatively young pitching staff of the Brewers.

  With regards to an established vet (Suppan)?

Jeff is one of those pitchers whose value is more than just on the field statistics.  Behind every great pitcher at the major league level, there is an influential coach and a veteran pitcher that mentored them in their first few years in the big leagues.  If you look back at Tom Glavine’s early career, I know that Charlie Leibrant had a big influence on his success.  Every team with a young pitching staff needs a Jeff Suppan that is a serviceable pitcher and an on the field mentor.  He is on the staff for more than just statistics.

  A budding superstar (Gallardo)?

Gallardo is in a difficult position this year in that he is going to be counted upon to be the "stopper" of the starting 5 for the Brewers.  For the Brewers to be successful this year, Gallardo will have to be a consistent, dominant starter that pitches deep into games.  This is a huge responsibility for a young pitcher and Coach Peterson’s job is to help Gallardo manage the expectations and pressure during the course of the year.

  Young struggling pitchers with potential (Bush/Parra)?

Coach Peterson has an opportunity to have a huge impact for the Brewers by helping Bush and Parra get over that hump that many talented pitchers face in the major leagues.  There are flashes of brilliance and dominance during the course of the season, but for a pitcher to be successful in the big leagues, it is all about consistency.  The great pitchers find a way to win games without their best stuff and to minimize the slumps during the year.  Rick has the task of providing a new teaching perspective for these two pitchers and possibly guiding them over that hump to the next level of success in the big leagues.

  In your experience, does a MLB pitching coach have any say as to how pitchers are developed in the organization?

Usually they do not have too much say in how pitchers are developed in the lower levels of the minor leagues.  However, as a prospect reaches the point where there is a short time horizon to the big leagues, the big league pitching coach can provide some feedback to the pitcher and other coaches on what the pitcher can work on to ease the transition to the big leagues.  This is usually pretty minimal as the pitching coach’s primary focus is on the current big league pitching staff.

 Recently the Brewers signed catcher Gregg Zaun. The first thing that fans hear about Zaun is that he "calls a good game". I have been following baseball for over 30 years, and I have yet to hear about a catcher that doesn't "call a good game".  Is "calls a good game" a meaningless cliche? If not, what does a catcher "calls a good game" mean to you?

As a former pitcher, I think there is great value in the "calls a good game" label.  A good catcher is like a great assistant coach in basketball.  He can think of things that the pitcher may not have thought of, remind the pitcher of the situation and the approach to take against a hitter in a situation, and call pitches along with the pitcher to stay in a rhythm during the game. 

A good catcher can catch 5 consecutive games with 5 pitchers and handle each pitcher differently.  I have worked with catchers that make me feel comfortable, confident, and relaxed during a game.  I have also worked with catchers that are trying to call pitches based solely upon the hitters’ weaknesses with no regard to what I can do well.  If I am constantly shaking a catcher off and out of rhythm, or the catcher calls pitches that I cannot execute with confidence, I will not be a good pitcher that day.

 There is validity and tangible benefit  to a catcher calling a good game. These catchers can make a pitcher better by managing the game effectively with the pitcher.  If a catcher can do that well, the pitching staff improves performance and the team wins more games.

What catchers did you work with that "called a good game" better than their peers.

The best catchers that I have pitched to are Eddie Perez and Mike Matheny.  I came up through the minor leagues with Eddie.  He was amazing at being able to know every pitcher’s ideal pace and rhythm as well as understand the pitch sequences and strategy for that pitcher on that day.  There were games in which he was thinking along with me and I did not shake him off the entire game.  That did not happen with me very often with other catchers.

Mike Matheny was one of the best communicators that I have ever worked with in the game.  He worked hard to make sure that he and the pitcher were on the same page and had a common strategy.  He was also a great coach on the field.  It was not about mechanics but he made sure that the pitchers maintained the right mental approach to each batter in each situation.  He understood his role of being that coach on the field as well as anyone.

How much impact does a pitching coach have on "calling a good game".

While a pitching coach does not call pitches at the major league level, he will play a part in designing a strategy or seeing things in the course of a game that need to be addressed.  Sometimes it is a mechanical adjustment, but other times he may see a need to throw inside more, or to stay out of a pattern during a game.  The pitching coach may see things that the pitcher and catcher do not and relay these messages to the "battery" during the game.  They are generally themes rather than specific pitch sequences or calling individual pitches.

How does a pitcher like Doug Davis, who always seems to allow baserunners, manage to succeed in MLB?

I had the opportunity to watch some of the best ever at this in Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux while I will with the Braves.  Pitchers like these guys and Doug Davis are like professional gamblers in many ways.  They are always making a calculated decision and playing their best odds for getting a hitter out at any given time. 

 It is not necessarily that these pitchers get better in these situations, it is that they are so good at continuing to execute their pitches in pressure situations.  They are likely not throwing harder or getting better break on their curve balls or change ups, but they are masters at staying relaxed and executing their strategy with runners on base. 

With no runners on base, pitchers often throw pitches willing to give up a single in exchange for quick outs.  For example, Greg Maddux often chose to throw 1^st pitch fastballs toward the outer 1/3 of the plate, relying on his movement to increase the odds of a quick ground ball. This may sometimes result in a ground ball in the hole for a base hit, but he knows if he gets a ground ball it is often an out.  With a runner on second base, this strategy changes slightly.  He will purposely be more precise with his pitches at the expense of throwing more pitches per batter and increasing his odds of getting a hitter out.  It is the old "bend but do not break" cliché.  If you take this strategy with every batter, your pitch count rises and a starting pitcher cannot pitch deep into the game.  But if you pick your times to be more precise, you increase your odds of throwing pitches that are more difficult to hit. 

Of course, this strategy works better for pitchers like Maddux and Glavine, Cliff Lee and CC Sabathia as they are able to execute under pressure better than most other pitchers in the game.

Part 3, dealing with teaching hitting and pitching strategies, will be published Monday evening.

Trio of Brewers chats online with fans

January 31, 2010

Following is a transcript of a live online chat with Brewers catcher Gregg Zaun and pitchers Manny Parra and Carlos Villanueva, who took questions from fans on Sunday.

The Brewer Advent Calendar #20: Doug Davis

January 31, 2010

Open door #5, and out jumps Doug Davis. How crazy is that?

After 3 seasons in Arizona, Doug Davis is coming back to Milwaukee, DD signed a 1yr $5.25M guaranteed deal, with a mutual option for 2011. As you may or may not remember, Doug Melvin signed Davis back in 2003, after being cast aside by both the Blue Jays and Rangers.

Since 2004 Doug Davis has been one of the more durable pitchers in MLB. Check out these crazy facts:

• DD has pitched in 1175.3 innings, only 15 more pitchers have pitched in more. He has made 196 starts, only exceeded by 5 MLB pitchers
  
• DD has walked the most batters (536) since 2004, Barry Zito is close at 535, but he uncooly took over 50 more IP to get to his mark. DD has given up 1168 hits, good for 17th place
  
• DD has allowed 1733 baserunners, 4th most in this time period, but 10 pitchers have allowed more runs.
• DD has thrown 19,903 pitches in this timespan, very deliberately.
• DD has given up 118 HRs, 29 pitchers have given up more. Doug Davis gives up .9 HR per 9IP -- 135 pitchers have (min. 50 decisions) given up more frequent jackshots.

What should come as not a huge surprise is that Doug Davis will give up some BBs and hits, but keeps the ball in the park, and he does a fairly good job of stranding runners. In fact, Doug Davis has not given up a Grand Slam since 2004. With RISP Doug Davis allows a .720 OPS, and a .669 OPS with 2 runners on.

Does Doug Davis own the Cubs? -- They have a .640 OPS against him, and he is 9-6 in 16 career starts, that's good enough for me.

This just in: Gregg Zaun has caught for Doug Davis.

One thing that has always amazed me, about DD's career, was his historically futile offensive effort in 2004. DD managed 1 hit and 1 BB in 71 PAs for a .046 OPS.

Using 60 PAs as a minimum, in the history of MLB, only 11 players have managed to get only 1 hit or less. In 1962 Bob Buhl managed to go hitless in 85 PAs, but somehow managed to draw 6 BBs for an OPS of .090. Doug Davis  has the worst OPS at .046 until we go to 54 PAs.

We find a worse OPS than DD's 2004 season, at the 54 PA mark with Ron Herbel's awesome 1964 season, (54 PA, 2 BBs, .041 OPS, somehow he scored both times, Herbie must have had some wheels). At 50 PAs, Ben Sheets from 2005, pops on the list with his 1 H, 1 BB .066 OPS effort.

At 47 PAs, we find Randy Tate's 1975 season, with one 1 BB (and somehow 2 runs?), and a robust .024 OPS

At 42 PAs we have the first .000 OPS accomplished by Nationals pitcher Jay Bergmann.

Doug Davis has been "better" since 2004, but not by a whole lot, that said, it's good to have him back in the fold!

Welcome back Doug!

Weekend Dad Mug: Brad Woodall Interview. Part the First

January 30, 2010

(Editor's note: This is part one of a three part series. To read the rest, click on these links to get to Part Two and Part Three. - KL)

Hey there kids! I am not sure what your regular dad is up to, probably working on his handlebar.... however I do have a surprise for you this weekend - a three part interview with former Brewer pitcher, Brad Woodall.

 A lot of the dreams I had as a child, are unfulfilled at this point in my life. Most of them; given my lack of ambition and the puzzling lack of push behind an Adam and the Ants reformation, it is probably safe to conclude, will remain unfulfilled. That said, two of my dreams have come to fruition, having a wife that makes Chex Mix with bacon, and a son that loves playing baseball as much as I love watching it.

I have thoroughly enjoyed playing catch with my son these last few summers, and also teaching him the force of nature that is the FtJ home run swing. Hitting came very natural and easy for my son, without a lot of coaching he has been able to hit for contact and power quite successfully. Throwing on the other hand, was something my son has really had to struggle with mechanically. Never having been able to throw very well myself, I was at a loss on how to teach my son how to throw. My first and only strategy was to find video of Juan Pierre throwing, and yelling at the boy, "This is how you throw, look at how bad you are, BOOOOO!".

In all seriousness, I knew my son's mechanics were bad, but I also was certain that he had a good arm in him somewhere, and I noticed that his throwing was beginning to affect his approach at the plate. Being very familiar with my limitations, I decided to waddle out of my comfort zone, and try to find someone who could help my son throw, without the humiliation of watching Juan Pierre videos.

A few months ago I crossed paths with Brad Woodall, and I took the opportunity to ask him to help my son both improve his throwing and also help my son's approach to practice and preparation. Brad has done a masterful job in teaching my son not only how to throw better, but how to practice better, hit better, and has really helped the boy get better in all aspects of all his games, not just baseball.

One side benefit to the lessons my son has received, has been talking baseball with Brad. I have found a lot of his views, outlooks and stories very refreshing and not cliche at all. I thought I would share some of our discussions with you this weekend -- touching on topics such as Doug Davis, Rick Peterson, catchers, and certainly Ned Yost.

I realize that not all of us were Brewer fans in 1998, and some of us may not have been lucid in the late 90s, so it is probably a good idea at this point to reintroduce Brad Woodall to the reader.

Brad Woodall is a left-handed pitcher who played his High School baseball for Spring Valley in Columbia South Carolina. After a distinguished HS career, Brad played for the UNC Tarheels, enrolling shortly after the departure of future Brewer stalwart BJ Surhoff. Brad helped the Tarheels win ACC conference and tourney championships, and helped get the 'Heels back to the College World Series in 1989, being a force on the mound, and at the plate.

After going undrafted, Brad signed with the Atlanta Braves, who had a tough nut to crack in a rotation with future HOFers Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz; young studs Steve Avery and Kent Mercker in the wings and Ned Yost in command of the bullpen.  After four seasons bouncing between Richmond and Atlanta, Brad was given a chance to pitch in the Brewers rotation in 1998, the year the Brewers moved to the NL, under the guidance of Phil Garner. Brad then pitched for the Cubs, and coached for the Rays before retiring. Currently Brad is running Woodall Training, located in the Madison area with his wife (former and current kickass swimmer athlete).

Without further ado, let's get to the interview:

What was your role on your HS team?

I played OF, 1B and P on my high school and American Legion team.  Depending on the pitcher that day, I bounced around from OF to 1B.  I was very fortunate to have a coach that took care of my arm.  I only pitched once a week or with ample rest.    I always wanted to be a shortstop, but I was left handed.

Did you have any expectations of playing in MLB at this point in your life?

Of course, it was a far off dream of mine to play baseball in the major leagues.  However, it was not a stated goal.  I was very competitive and because of this my main concern was winning the next game...whether it was little league, high school, or college.  I had a very short term view of what I wanted to accomplish.  While many have a tangible goal of playing in the major leagues, what motivated me to work hard and get better was to win games and compete in the now.  I believe this helped me take the appropriate steps in my development as a baseball player.  I had a great coach once tell us "how can your head be in the big leagues when your ass is in the minor leagues"!!  This is great advice to remind players to compete and be successful where you are instead of where you want to be.

 In 1989 UNC went to the College WS. What was your role on that team? Were you exclusively pitching as a Tarheel? How had your HS expectations changed after college?

My role on the team in 1989 was very similar to that of my high school team.  I played nearly every game as a DH, OF, 1B or as a relief pitcher.  This was my breakout year as a college pitcher.  Our pitching coach taught me the change up and it changed my pitching career.  That year I was 6-0 with a 1.19 ERA by using the simple formula of throwing fastballs away and change ups.  I learned then that executing a simple game plan is more important than a complex strategy that is a struggle to execute.  Coach Halverson was one of the best pitching coaches I ever had, professional baseball included. 

 In your promotional material, you note that you have worked with many different HOFers, and future HOFers. One name stands out to me more so than others is Willie Stargell. What impact did Willie Stargell have on your career?

I was very fortunate to be around so many great baseball players and coaches in my career.  Willie Stargell was one of those people who was so genuine, thoughtful, intelligent.  He was one of the best story tellers that I have ever been around.  He taught me a lot about hitting, how to pitch against good hitters, having fun, and keeping everything loose.   I teach many of the things he taught me to the players that I coach today.  The advice that he gave me was very important to my baseball career and how I try to handle myself in daily life.

Recently on MLB Network, they rebroadcast a game in which recently retired Randy Johnson fanned 13 Brewers. You were the starting pitcher for the Brewers in that game. Was Johnson's "stuff" that night the most filthy pitching you had ever faced professionally?

In short, yes.  At that time he was as "unhittable" as any pitcher in the league.  Many fans focus on how hard he threw but what made him tough to hit was the combination of his height, angle, and movement on the ball.  There are many pitchers that throw in the mid 90’s, but it seemed like he was releasing the ball about 15 feet away from me out of the 1^st base dugout!  He struck me out on a slider that almost hit me in the shin.

How does a young pitcher on a staff with 3 future HOFers, and guys like Steve Avery and Kent Merker, get noticed by his coaches?

This is an interesting question, and my answer may be relevant to Brewers fans as well.  When I was with the Braves, I was groomed to be a starting pitcher but we had Glavine, Maddux, Smoltz, Avery, and Merker as our starting rotation.  There was not much of a chance for anyone else to crack into that starting rotation.  When I was in the big leagues with Atlanta, I was primarily relegated to the bullpen in long relief.  Even though I was on the team, it was easy to get lost and not get much attention from the coaches.

Ned Yost was our bullpen coach at the time.  Of course, he had his main guys in the bullpen that he had to take care of and I was not one of them.  As with most rookies, I did not get much attention and I was hoping that I could get recognized through my results on the field. 

Well, one day we are playing against the Dodgers in L.A. and I pitched the last 3 innings of an 18 inning game and got the win.  I show up at the field the next day Ned approached me to let me know that his good friend Dale Earnhardt was watching the game (from a hospital room after a crash in a race) and told Ned that he liked "that Woodall kid’s style".  Ned then took care of me the rest of the year.  The "Intimidator" had influence in many ways.

Part 2 of 3 will be posted tomorrow, with questions on pitching coaches, catchers and Doug Davis.

“We didn’t want this to drag out,” Werner added. “We filed a number that we feel is very strong in…

January 30, 2010

"We didn't want this to drag out," Werner added. "We filed a number that we feel is very strong in his process and we were hopeful that we could reach some common ground. They felt like the number that we put out there this week was not appropriate for how they view Corey's performance."

Hart (seemingly) Heading To Arbi’s

January 30, 2010

Corey wants 4.8 Mil, the Crew wants to give him 4.15 Mil and both sides are at a standstill (according to Adam McCalvy). Let’s check out Corey Hart’s arguement:

1. I was totally an All-Star (that was voted in by the fans I later dissed)
2. I’m a 20/20 guy (once in 08)
3. I have to put up with fans asking me how many outs there are every freakin’ inning. I mean, geez, can’t these people read the ribbon board?
4. I lost at bats to offensive powerhouses like Jody Gerut and Frank Catalonotto last year
5. It takes a lot of money to change my hair as much as I do
6. I hit .173 and had an OBP of .192 during our September postseason chase in 08.
7. J.J. Hardy and Jason Kendall were the only opening day starters to have a worse OBP and SLG % than me last year.
8. Even though fans noticed that I didn’t go after as many fly balls very hard in 2009, I had the worst fielding percentage out of every outfielder on the team (including bench players)
9. I got kids to feed
10. I heard Melvin has never been to arbitration yet so I’m figuring he knows he’s gonna lose.