SB Nation - Matt Wise

Wednesday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:02:27 -0000

More photos » by Jacques Boissinot - AP

Eric Gagne, seen here in his Quebec Capitales uniform from the Can-Am League, is looking to return to the majors. The Brewers aren't interested.

Browse more photos »

Some things to read while I work on the logistics of this.

No matter how ugly this offseason gets, at least we know it won't be this bad: The Brewers are not interested in a reunion with Eric Gagne, who spent the 2009 season pitching in the independent Can-Am League. I'm guessing interest in his services will be pretty light.

Speaking of moves that probably won't be made, Ken Rosenthal says the Brewers are unlikely to make a deal to clear up the logjam in their infield, unless "the pitching equivalent of Mat Gamel" is on the table. I'm not sure where the Brewers will find ABs for both Gamel and McGehee, but I'd guess Gamel might start 2010 in AAA if both return.

It's a light news day, so I scraped the bottom of the barrel for a roundup of players that have been mentioned in association with the Brewers over the last few weeks:

Brewer Paradise Lost ended their long hiatus with a post advocating for signing Jarrod Washburn.
Jack Moore of FanGraphs looks at Edwin Jackson's improved 2009 season, and says he still shouldn't be considered an elite pitcher.
Meanwhile, Dave Allen of FanGraphs looks at Joel Pineiro's decreasing walk rate and ability to get ground balls.
Lyle Spencer of MLB.com says John Lackey is believed to be seeking "Barry Zito dollars." This could be a great deal, as Zito dollars look great on the surface but perform at a tiny percentage of their expected worth.
If Craig Counsell really is considering offers from other teams this offseason, Omar Vizquel might be one name mentioned as a possible replacement. Vizquel, however, appears to want to play for a higher-profile team. The Phillies are the early favorite to sign him.
Dayn Perry lists Mike Cameron to the Cardinals as one of ten moves that need to happen this offseason.

After weeks of wondering about his whereabouts, TheJay found Adam Heether yesterday...sort of. A news story from his Venezuelan team's home page says Heether can't be released while he's injured. There's no mention of the details of the injury, or why they would want to release him in the first place...Heether was hitting .214/.389/.371 in his first 21 games.

Elsewhere in the minors, Wisconsin Sports Tap has ranked the top 15 outfielders in the Brewer system. The cupboard is pretty bare at the upper levels of the minors, but there's good depth in the lower levels that could develop into an organizational strength.

Just one transaction of note today:

Phillies: Removed infielder Eric Bruntlett from their 40-man roster.

I don't know why I waited this long to mention this, because it makes me laugh nearly every day: If you haven't seen it yet, you should be checking out the "Faces" series at Lookout Landing.

Over the last decade, we've seen major organizational shifts across baseball to emphasize the development and value of prospects. Minor League Baseball is setting record attendance numbers as fans come out to see the players of the future, and teams are taking great strides to protect their investments. Why, then, are the same players being fed a steady diet of junk food before and after games? Garrett Broshuis has a look at he diet of minor leaguers, and the challenges they face trying to find healthy options.

In yesterday's Fall/Winter League Update, I mentioned that D-Backs first baseman Conor Jackson is leading all Dominican batters with a .561 OBP this winter. That's even more impressive when you remember a detail I forgot: Jackson is recovering from Valley Fever, which cost him a large portion of the 2009 season.

B-Ref sponsorships are a great way to help support a site many of us use every day and frequently take for granted, but they're also a great opportunity for jokes: Baseball Junk Drawer has a top ten list of the best page sponsorship comments. (h/t Beyond the Box Score)

Happy birthday today to:

Matt Wise, who posted a 3.93 ERA in 175 games as a Brewer and turns 34.
1991-1992 Brewer Dante Bichette, who turns 46.
Mike Felder, who spent 1985-1990 as a Brewer and turns 48.

Today is also the 41st anniversary of the birth of Gary Sheffield. While "Happy birthday" doesn't really seem appropriate, it merited acknowledgment.

I missed it yesterday, but today appears to be another Woot-off Day.

Oh, and don't forget to check the IQ. (h/t @AccidentalWI)

Drink up.

Monday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 14:49:55 -0000

Some things to read while watching out for the big chicken.

So, the likely biggest story of the day is Eric Gagne's release. Gagne faces a decision between rehab and surgery for his shoulder, but would not have been ready to pitch before March 25 either way. At least he provided a few weeks of interesting and now irrelevant debate. (Also noted in FanShot) Also, Adam J Morris of Lone Star Ball wonders if the Rangers might be interested in Gagne once he's healthy.

Bill Hall and David Riske continue to make strides in their rehab, though, as both played a simulated game yesterday. Riske gave up a single and a home run to Hall right away, but settled down to retire the next four batters, including Hall two more times. (Also noted in FanShot)

Other injury notes:

Brae Wright, one of the Brewers' brighter high-level pitching prospects not named Jeffress, will have Tommy John surgery and miss all of 2009.
Mat Gamel, who was the last Brewer to report to camp and still has not played in the field this spring, showed up late on Friday and had his locker moved outside by Mike Cameron and Jason Kendall.
Tony Gwynn returned to camp yesterday following the birth of his daughter. He's hoping to try throwing again in the next couple of days.

While Tony Gwynn is gone, Lorenzo Cain is making the most of his playing time in big league camp, including a big game on Friday and this profile in the JS.

On the field, Yovani Gallardo had his second rough outing in three spring appearances, giving up seven runs and lasting just two thirds of an inning. After the game, Doug Melvin said the Brewers have had preliminary discussions with Gallardo about a long term deal, but have set them aside.

Some visual evidence from yesterday's game:

J.J. Hardy turning the double play.
Yovani Gallardo turning the ball over to Ken Macha after just .2 innings of work.
Corey Hart dancing his new post-strikeout jig.

Meanwhile in the WBC, Mark DiFelice was impressive in Saturday's game for Italy, pitching four shutout innings against a relatively high-powered Venezuelan team. Italy could be eliminated with a loss to Canada today, meaning DiFelice and Vinny Rottino could both be back in camp in the next couple of days.

Does pitching in the WBC have a negative impact on a pitcher's in-season performance? Baseball America cites a study they're calling "inconclusive," but it appears pitchers from the 2006 WBC saw their 2006 ERA go up over 18%, as opposed to a 6% bump leaguewide.

If you didn't stop by over the weekend, you may have missed Jordan's note on Manny Parra and his fastball, and you should go check it out. You may also have missed Friday night's first post in the Brewer WAR Lords series.

Sometimes we miss something when assessing a player's value. For example, I was unsure about Crawfish Boxes rating Lance Berkman ahead of Prince Fielder in their NL Central First Baseman rankings, until I learned Berkman is actually made of chocolate cake. That will increase his value.

Other rankings/projections/previews/etc:

The Ghost of Moonlight Graham thinks the Brewers have baseball's best outfield.
Nothing But Balls is projecting the Brewers to finish third in the Central.
Babes Love Baseball previewed the 2009 Brewers in haiku.
Jorge Says No! has five things for Brewer fans to look forward to in 2009.

Two former Brewers announced their retirement over the weekend: Matt Wise and Mark Sweeney. No word on why Wise decided to hang it up, but his career has taken a severe downhill turn since midseason 2007.

On an even sadder note, former Brewer Chris Spurling was arrested for domestic battery Thursday night.

Stories from other camps:

Angels: Reporters discovered over the weekend that Vlad Guerrero is one year older than previously thought. He's actually 34. Also, Ervin Santana will begin the season on the DL and Mike Napoli may not be ready for Opening Day either.
A's: Justin Duchscherer is being shut down due to pain in his throwing elbow and is unlikely to be ready to pitch on Opening Day. The team also signed former top prospect Andy Sisco.
Giants: May make room on the roster for an extra position player by going with an 11 man ~~bullpen~~ pitching staff.
Red Sox: Reportedly signed John Lester to a five year extension worth $30 million.
Twins: Signed Scott Baker to a four year deal worth $15.25 million.

Team USA hasn't been too friendly to opposing pitchers in the World Baseball Classic, scoring 21 runs in two games (including Ryan Braun's solo HR last night), but it appears they're not making many friends off the field either. Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star is none too happy with Team USA's antics, which include skipping a press conference and playing crappy country music. The crappy country music only would have gotten worse if Corey Hart was on the team.

With Alcides Escobar banging on the door to the big leagues, this research is increasingly Brewer-relevant: Tom Tango estimates 25 runs as the most a great fielder can contribute to a team.

Of course, not everyone likes statistics or research. MLB Network had a discussion of PECOTA projections last night that you might have seen. If you haven't, Joe Posnanski has the video, and when it's done you can see how he pleonasmed all over it.

Oh, and Ryan Howard is a dangerous man.

Drink up.

Friday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 14:18:01 -0000

Here are some things to read while waiting for Monday's Mug.

So you may have heard that Ken Macha is the new manager of the Milwaukee Brewers. Reaction from around the web:

In-Between Hops has some stats showing Macha's tendencies. The Cliff's Notes version: don't expect a lot of base stealing, pinch hitting or sac bunts. I'm ok with most of that. My question, though, is whether those stats are a function of Macha's management style or the environment in which he worked in Oakland.
Two-Fisted Slopper also uses the numbers to develop an expectation of what's to come.
The JS Blog has audio from the press conference.
If you like knowing what was said at press conferences but don't actually like to listen to things, Al also chronicled it for you.
Ken Rosenthal notes some problems Macha had with his veteran players in Oakland. The Brewers downplay it in this link.
View From Bernie's Chalet likes the contrast between Macha and Ned Yost.
The Brew Town Beat likes the move as well, but raises some questions about Macha's relationships and his aversion to small ball.

So now, the next question: what about Mike Maddux? Baseball Musings is reporting that Mike Maddux and Rick Peterson are both considering the jobs in Milwaukee and Texas, and the only question is who ends up where.

We're probably going to hear a bunch of stories like this for a while: "So, now that the Mariners have a GM that used to work for the Brewers, does that mean they'll trade for (Brewer)?" Today's name in the blank is J.J. Hardy. I'm not sure the Mariners could offer anything in return that would be interesting enough for me to be happy about the trade.

Of course, there is still a hole at third base. Beyond the Box Score says Russell Branyan was the 20th best third baseman in 2008, generating 11 runs with his bat and saving 2 in the field. Bill Hall doesn't crack the top 25.

Eric Seidman of FanGraphs has been compiling a list of his favorite highlights from this season. His #1 highlight is CC Sabathia. I think an awful lot of us agree.

Sabathia was not one of the five Brewers who filed for free agency yesterday, on the first day of fifteen when it's allowed. I've always felt like filing that early creates the feeling that you can't wait to run out the door. If you haven't read it yet, the five Brewers who did file yesterday were Eric Gagne, Gabe Kapler, Mike Lamb, Ben Sheets and Brian Shouse. Here are some other players that filed for free agency yesterday:

Angels: Mark Teixiera, Garret Anderson, Jon Garland
Braves: Will Ohman, Greg Norton, Julian Tavarez
Cardinals: Braden Looper, Cesar Izturis, Felipe Lopez, Jason LaRue, Ron Villone, Russ Springer
Dodgers: Manny Ramirez, Joe Beimel, Casey Blake, Derek Lowe, Greg Maddux
Marlins: Paul Lo Duca
Mets: Oliver Perez, Damion Easley, Matt Wise
Nationals: Chad Cordero, Ryan Wagner, Pete Orr
Padres: Trevor Hoffman
Reds: Jeremy Affeldt, Mike Lincoln
Twins: Eddie Guardado, Nick Punto, Dennys Reyes

UPDATE: Cubs Ryan Dempster, Jim Edmonds, Chad Fox and Bob Howry filed too.

Also, the White Sox declined Ken Griffey's option and the Tigers declined theirs on Edgar Renteria, so they're free agents too.

One trade has already been made: the Royals acquired 1B Mike Jacobs from the Marlins for RP Leo Nunez. Jacobs has above average power but a sub-.300 OBP.

Finally, how many players that can't handle the glove are in the Brewers' farm system? TheJay noted today that Brendan Katin posted a .926 fielding percentage in AAA this season, in the outfield. How is that possible?

Drink up.

2008 Mets Post-Mortem: The Cost Of Injuries

Eric Simon — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 12:00:07 -0000

If you want to know how a team with a $138 million payroll can miss the playoffs, take a gander at the lineup. Not that one. I mean the one in queue outside the trainer's room. Injuries are a part of the game, and some players certainly carry higher risks of injury than others. Older players and players with prior health problems are obvious candidates for a trip or two to the disabled list. Especially high-risk individuals are those injury double-threats: Aging players who have a laundry list of past ailments and afflictions (see: Alou, Moises).

Every team suffers its share of games lost to the disabled list. The Yankees had Jorge Posada, Chien-Ming Wang and Joba Chamberlain all spend time on the shelf; the Red Sox missed David Ortiz, Josh Beckett and Curt Schilling for varying lengths of time; the Braves missed Chipper Jones, Tim Hudson, John Smoltz and Tom Glavine at one point or another, so the Mets clearly aren't on an island with respect to busted goods.

I wanted to know exactly how many man-games the Mets lost due to injury this season. So, armed with their transaction ledger, salary data, schedule and my trusty spreadsheet, I had a look-see at how many games individual Mets players missed while on the disabled list. A few caveats:

I only counted time on the disabled list; missed games while injured but on the active roster were not counted.
I guesstimated slightly with respect to the day a player went on/came off the disabled list. As a rule, and to be conservative, I counted both days as days on the active roster (i.e. *not* disabled list days).
For the sake of simplicity, I counted pitcher missed days the same as hitter missed days. I figured it wasn't worth the added complexity of figuring out missed starts, etc., so all team games were treated equally.
I didn't include Tony Armas's or Trot Nixon's missed days because #$%^ 'em, that's why.

Having said that, here are the results:

Player	2008 Salary	Salary/Game	Missed Games	Salary Missed
Moises Alou	$7,500,000.00	$46,296.30	139.00	$6,435,185.19
Marlon Anderson	$1,050,000.00	$6,481.48	42.00	$272,222.22
Luis Castillo	$6,250,000.00	$38,580.25	65.00	$2,507,716.05
Ramon Castro	$1,975,000.00	$12,191.36	32.00	$390,123.46
Ryan Church	$2,000,000.00	$12,345.68	56.00	$691,358.02
Orlando Hernandez	$7,000,000.00	$43,209.88	162.00	$7,000,000.00
John Maine	$450,000.00	$2,777.78	34.00	$94,444.44
Pedro Martinez	$11,813,351.00	$72,921.92	54.00	$3,937,783.67
Angel Pagan	$401,500.00	$2,478.40	125.00	$309,799.38
Duaner Sanchez	$850,000.00	$5,246.91	11.00	$57,716.05
Billy Wagner	$10,500,000.00	$64,814.81	49.00	$3,175,925.93
Matt Wise	$1,200,000.00	$7,407.41	147.00	$1,088,888.89
TOTAL	$50,989,851.00	$26,229.35	916.00	$25,961,163.30

Nine-hundred and sixteen missed games at an average cost-per-game of $26,229.35 for a grand total of $25,961,163.30 of lost wages due to injury. That's almost $26 million, which will pay for C.C. Sabathia's 2009 salary, among other things. For poops and pickles, if the Mets had that money back their 2008 payroll would have been more like $112 million, not $138 million. To be honest, I have no idea how much the Mets team attrition compares to other clubs, but 916 games is a ton of missed time.

Keep in mind that I only included players whom the Mets could have reasonably expected to be on their 25-man roster for the whole season. Here's the positional breakdown:

Starting pitching: 250 games, $11,032,228.11
Relief pitching: 207 games, $4,322,530.86
Infield: 65 games, $2,507,716.05
Outfield: 195 games, $6,435,185.19
Bench: 199 games, $972,145.06

Even with all of these injuries the Mets still had a great chance to make the playoffs this season. I'd be making excuses if I blamed their having fallen short on bad health, though it'd be equally naive to suggest that their physical breakdowns didn't play any role in their ultimate demise. To have four players from your would-be active roster miss at least 125 games apiece and not have your record suffer to some degree is unrealistic. Plenty of blame still falls on Omar Minaya for not having reasonable contingency plans for some of these guys, most notably Alou and Hernandez, who were safe bets to miss significant time in any given year. Still, a little more luck in the health department and we might not be grinding our teeth bitterly as we watch other teams take their hacks at baseball history.