Monday’s Frosty Mug

January 30, 2012

 Is this Nyjer Morgan, Tony Plush or Tony Red Carpet? It's impossible to tell.

Some things to read while posting bail.

We're 19 days away from pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training, and over the weekend 12,118 Brewer fans crammed into On Deck for a small taste of baseball to help pass the time. Adam McCalvy has a story on the upbeat atmosphere and The Official Site has a slide show of photos from the event where John Axford signed a baby, Nyjer Morgan unveiled some new nicknames and Bob Uecker made a child cry.

This weekend's biggest story may have come from Zack Greinke, who told reporters he's still open to signing a long term extension despite the fact that he's currently operating without an agent. Tom Haudricourt quoted Greinke as saying Mark Attanasio is "probably the best owner in baseball."

Elsewhere in pitcher negotiations: Tom Haudricourt talked to Brewer negotiator Teddy Werner, who said the team has made "good progress" in an effort to avoid arbitration with Shaun Marcum. He didn't say this specifically, but the team has indicated in the past that they're working on a one year deal. Behind the JS paywall, Marcum talked to Todd Rosiak about a mechanical adjustment he's working on this winter.

Here's another reminder how far the Brewers are stretching the budget with this year's $100 million payroll: Cleveland.com says the team is getting just $12 million per season from their TV deal with Fox Sports Wisconsin. (h/t @Joe_Block) With that said, they're on pace to set another ticket sales record.

Rickie Weeks was in attendance this weekend and told reporters his ankle still isn't quite 100% (behind the JS paywall) following last season's severe sprain. With that said, he's been working out this winter with his younger brother Jemile and Prince Fielder. Aramis Ramirez was also in attendance and said he's looking forward to playing home games in a climate-controlled environment in April.

Meanwhile, Ryan Braun was not at On Deck but was still a major topic of conversation. John Axford became the latest Brewer to speak out in support of Braun. Tom Haudricourt noted that MLB will make no announcement if Ryan Braun's appeal is successful (it's supposed to be confidential), but Braun's representation will likely mention it.

Of course, On Deck wasn't the only place where cool things happened this weekend. Here at BCB, Grim Spandango posted "A Slugger Like You," an incredible parody of the Adele song "Someone Like You." Noah also shared his thoughts on Prince Fielder's departure as someone who's grown up with Fielder in the organization. Also, Tigers fans write songs too.

It'll be interesting to see if the Brewers change their strategy a bit this season with Prince Fielder gone and Ryan Braun potentially missing some time. The Associated Press suggests the team could alter their approach, but Craig Calcaterra threw cold water on the theory.

This is pretty incredible, when you think about it: High Heat Stats notes that with 796 games played, Corey Hart is now the Brewers' active career leader. That was also the topic of last week's Thursday Thinker.

We do have one minor transaction to report this morning: Baseball America is reporting the Brewers have signed pitcher Vinnie Chulk to a minor league deal. Chulk is 33 and has a career 4.33 ERA in 252 relief appearances, but hasn't pitched in the majors since 2009. He spent 2010 in Japan and 2011 in the A's organization, where he posted a 3.36 ERA for AAA Sacramento.

In the minors:

At last check Jorge Lopez leads Caleb Gindl by about 40 votes in the balloting for the #9 spot on our Community Prospect Rankings. You have until 1 pm today to cast your vote, and the voting for #10 will open at 2.

Around baseball:

Astros: Signed pitcher Zach Duke to a minor league deal.
Giants: Signed infielder Ryan Theriot to a one year, $1.25 million deal.
Phillies: Signed outfielder Hunter Pence to a one year, $10.4 million deal to avoid arbitration and signed outfielder Juan Pierre to a minor league deal.
Pirates: Signed pitcher Daniel Cabrera to a minor league deal.
Rangers: Signed outfielder Kyle Hudson to a minor league deal.
Red Sox: Signed pitcher John Maine to a minor league deal.

Early in the weekend it was widely reported (including in a FanShot here) that the Cardinals had signed Roy Oswalt, but that has since been refuted. Jason Brannon of Baseball Nation wants to know what the Brewers and Reds should do if that deal comes to fruition.

The Miller Park retractable roof is great, but this makes me wonder about its longevity: The Mariners held their annual fan fest this weekend with the Safeco Field roof partially open because the mechanism to open and close it has broken down.

In former Brewers:

Here's today's best sabermetrics note: Dave Cameron of FanGraphs notes that while reliever usage has changed over time (with pitcher outings getting shorter nearly every season for decades), reliever effectiveness hasn't really improved.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get back in the saddle.

Drink up.


“When I first came to Milwaukee, I had a big challenge: Put a team on the field the fans liked more…

January 30, 2012

"When I first came to Milwaukee, I had a big challenge: Put a team on the field the fans liked more than the sausage races. I still haven't done that. They love those sausage races."

Doug Melvin, via this two part tweet from Scott Merkin of MLB.com.

This morning's Mug is running a little late, but I wanted to share my favorite underreported quote from On Deck.


Today In Brewer History: Happy Trails, Dave Bush

January 30, 2012

 One year ago today Dave Bush and his epic pitch face left for Texas.

On this day one year ago longtime Brewer Dave Bush signed a minor league deal with the Rangers, once and for all ending his Brewer tenure.

Bush had come to the Brewers along with outfielder Gabe Gross and pitcher Zach Jackson in a December, 2005 trade that sent Lyle Overbay to Toronto, and was a mainstay in Milwaukee's rotation for the next five seasons. His first year as a Brewer was probably his best one: He pitched a career-high 210 innings in 2006 with a 4.41 ERA, striking out a career high 7.1 batters per nine and walking just 1.6 to lead the NL in K/BB ratio.

Bush started 144 games in his five seasons as a Brewer. That's the 12th most in franchise history, and only Ben Sheets (221) has made more during the Miller Park era. He's also the Brewer career leader with 58 career HBP. Jamey Wright (49) is the only player to come within ten of that mark. Randy Wolf is the active franchise leader with 22.

Bush appeared in 17 games with the Rangers last season but only made three starts and posted a 5.79 ERA. He finished the season in the Phillies organization and re-signed with them as a minor league free agent this winter.

With help from Brewerfan.net and the B-Ref Play Index, happy birthday today to:


Amid changes, an upbeat air at On Deck

January 29, 2012

 Prince Fielder was off to Detroit and Ryan Braun stayed out of the spotlight, yet fans posed a half dozen questions to Milwaukee's baseball brain trust on Sunday before anybody mentioned either of the most noticeable absences from Brewers On Deck.

Roenicke, Hart chat with Brewers fans

January 29, 2012

 Brewers manager Ron Roenicke and outfielder Corey Hart took part in a live chat with fans from Brewers On Deck.

Greinke open to contract extension

January 29, 2012

 Brewers ace Zack Greinke said he is still operating without an agent, but that does not necessarily scuttle the chances of a contract extension.

Growing Up With and Saying Goodbye To Prince Fielder

January 29, 2012

 The Brewers drafted the kid of the last Fielder who played for the Tigers. Maybe they'll do it again.

In June of 2002 I was a few months from turning twelve years old. I had just completed fifth grade. This was just a year and a half after I began truly following sports in any capacity. In 2000-2001 the first sport that I focused on was basketball, during the one season in the last thirty years that the Bucks actually mattered. I remember flipping through the channels on TV when a Sam Cassell to Tim Thomas alley-oop drew me in to the Bucks game. The Bucks had their great run that year, winning their division and coming painstakingly close to the NBA Finals. At the time, I remember I hated baseball. It was too slow, I didn't feel connected to any of the players. But really, the root of the problem was that the team I should have been rooting for--the Brewers--was in the midst of a terrible run with seemingly no hope on the horizon.

In June of 2002, the Brewers drafted Prince Semien Fielder with the seventh pick in the June amateur draft. People at the time called it an overdraft. His bat was prolific through high school, and his pedigree suggested that he certainly inherited talent. However, he has also always been a bit hefty and many scouts had serious reservations that he would stay in shape throughout his career. Many considered Prince to be a likely DH prospect, something the Brewers had little use for other than as trade bait.

But oh man could Fielder hit. He signed almost immediately after being drafted and was assigned to the minor leagues where he had a combined .998 OPS between rookie and A ball. He also, of course, had a bit of media attention on him during his time in the minor leagues. As I looked through the Journal-Sentinel's sports section, that caught my eye. A couple of years into Fielder's career, and my allegiances towards the Brewers grew stronger and stronger. At last, there was something to root for in Milwaukee baseball. And I changed my sporting preferences drastically - gone was my love of basketball. By 2005, the sport bored me to tears. Baseball took its rightful spot at the forefront of my heart.

Of course, Prince Fielder wasn't the only young player who instilled some optimism in the Brewers' future. No, Fielder was one of several players who came up very close to each other. Rickie Weeks was someone who had just as much, if not more, hype as Prince Fielder. Then there was also J.J. Hardy and Corey Hart. There were others, like Ben Hendrickson and Dave Krynzel who didn't quite pan out, but whom the organization and its fans hoped would be key contributors to the big league squad. A few years later, players like Ryan Braun and Yovani Gallardo were called up to help solidify the team.

But none of those players embodied the spirit of the new, young, talented Brewers more than Fielder. To me, a fairly new Brewer fan, he was the epitome of the future, of what the Brewers could be. It was exciting. He was going to be a superstar, I was certain. Back then, I only used the J-S and brewers.com to give me information on the team. It didn't occur to me to look for fan blogs or anything like that. Sundays were especially exciting. Those were the days that the Journal-Sentinel used to run (and probably still runs, I'm not sure anymore) the large, full page, week in review Brewers and baseball columns, with a whole bunch of little news clippings. Often, this was the best chance to get any news on the minors or the chances of a player being called up. Every other day, I would be lucky to see even a paragraph of Brewers news, outside of the game recap.

Every now and then, though, there would be news on Fielder and the other youth in the Brewers system. Even if it was just a small snippet detailing how he went 2-4 with an RBI, it was news. And it fueled my, and many other Brewers fans', hope for the future of the team. In 2005, he hit his first major league home run on the same day that Rickie Weeks hit his. Weeks had been called up for good in the middle of that season, while Prince was there only for a short spell. But that day, with both players hitting their first homers, that was a great moment. That's when the future finally became the present. When you knew the Brewers were on the verge of having something special.

The next season, his rookie year, Fielder had a successful campaign. He hit 28 home runs and had an .831 OPS. Nothing earth-shattering. In his second full season, in 2007, he hit 50 home runs. Any doubt that he might not live up to his potential vanished then and there. He gave us four more great seasons after that. He hit 230 home runs in a Brewers uniform. In six full seasons, he missed just 13 games. He finished in the top-five voting for the MVP award three times.

All the while, I grew up with Fielder. I followed his minor league outings as best I could. I grew as a Brewers fan with each passing season that Fielder was on the big league team. While Fielder's 50 HR outing solidified him as a star in this league, that year and that effort also helped solidify my allegiance to the Brewers. Since beginning to follow the Brewers, I've never had a Fielder-less team. I grew up with Fielder on my television, on my favorite team, and in Miller Park, where I have been countless times over the past six years.

I'm not sure if I really have much of an end point to this. After ten years of being in the Brewers organization, Prince Fielder is officially gone. It's not something surprising. Even years ago, we knew the Brewers wouldn't be able to afford Fielder. He found somebody who could, to the tune of the fourth largest contract in sports history. There's no way Milwaukee could have matched that.

I'm not mad. I'm quite the opposite of that. I'm extremely happy for Fielder. He deserved to get paid. And you know what, he looks really good in that Detroit uniform. I'm thrilled that we, as Brewers fans, got six years of major league service from such a fantastic player. Just like if Zack Greinke leaves for a bigger deal after 2013, I'm going to be happy that we at least got to experience him as a member of the Brewers for a short time. Who knows? Maybe with Fielder, he'll come back to the Brewers after these nine years are up. Hank Aaron did it. It's not beyond reason that Fielder could reprise his role one more time in the future.

But I am sad. An era is ending for the Milwaukee Brewers. Sure, the team could be just as good as they were last season. They still have Ryan Braun and Rickie Weeks and Corey Hart and Yovani Gallardo. They still have Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum and Nyjer Morgan. They now have Alex Gonzalez and Aramis Ramirez. They might have Mat Gamel, if he's good enough.

But the heart and soul of the Brewers team is gone. Prince Fielder, for several years, embodied the Brewers. He had fun on the field, even if certain people found it disrespectful. He was a ferocious competitor. He was a seemingly great guy who was active in the community. The only person on the team who seemed to match Fielder for personality was Nyjer Morgan. But he's an outsider, not somebody who was homegrown and brought up with several of his teammates. I'm very interested in seeing how the demeanor of the team changes next season without the big guy around.

I wish nothing but the best of luck to Prince Fielder in Detroit. I hope that he can win an MVP award or two. I hope he has many more outstanding years. I'll never forget how Prince changed me as a Brewers fan and I'll certainly never forget how much he helped in turning a laughing stock into a National League contender.

Thank you Prince, we'll miss you.


Brewers setting record pace at box office

January 29, 2012

 Despite the loss of Prince Fielder to free agency and the potential loss of NL MVP Ryan Braun to suspension, Brewers fans are snapping up tickets to see the reigning NL Central champions at a record pace.

Winter League Notes, 2012-01-29

January 29, 2012

Dominican: Aguilas L 5-2 at Escogido

Batter Team Pos AB R H RBI BB SO E AVG Notes
Carlos Gomez Aguilas CF 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 .222


Today In Brewer History: Happy Birthday, Julio Mosquera

January 29, 2012

On this day in 1972 Julio Mosquera was born in Panama City, Panama. The Blue Jays signed him as an international free agent in 1991, and he made his big league debut for them as a 24 year old in 1996. All told, he made eleven major league appearances for Toronto, with the last one coming in April of 1997.

For a long time it looked like Mosquera's career might have been done at that point. The Rays claimed him off waivers near the end of the 1998 season, but never put him in a major league game. He played minor league seasons in the Yankees, Rangers and Mariners organization. But on June 8, 2005, Mosquera got the opportunity he'd been waiting eight years for.

The Brewers were down 12-3 in the ninth inning of an interleague matchup against the Yankees when Ned Yost called upon Mosquera to bat in place of Chad Moeller against Mariano Rivera. Mosquera grounded out to third, ending the game. It was the only appearance of his Brewer career and his last as a major leaguer.

Mosquera turns 40 today. With help from the B-Ref Play Index we'd also like to wish a happy birthday to 1970 Brewer Bobby Bolin. He turns 73.