SB Nation - Junior Spivey

Making Your '00 Face: Final position player

KLSnow — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 22:00:18 -0000

With the '00's almost behind us, it's time to take a look back and work together to make a BCB All Decade team for the '00s. Each day, we'll tackle a new position, and we'll have our 25 man roster complete sometime around the 1st of the year.

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

#1 SP: Ben Sheets
Closer: Francisco Cordero

Voting for our #2 starter opened yesterday and will close at 4 pm tomorrow. Today, we'll select our final bench player. Because we have a backup at every position among our first four bench players, our final bench spot can be filled by any of the remaining candidates at any position. Follow the jump for their stats, then cast your vote in the poll below.

NOTE: Because Thursday and Friday are holidays, this poll will remain open a little longer than usual. You have until Saturday at 4 pm to cast your vote.

Brady Clark

Seasons as a Brewer: 4, 2003-2006
Slash line as a Brewer: .284/.361/.393
UZR (Fielding) as a Brewer: -1.1 runs
WAR as a Brewer: 5.8

Jeromy Burnitz

Seasons as a Brewer: 2, 2000-2001*
Slash line as a Brewer: .242/.352/.480
UZR (Fielding) as a Brewer: n/a**
WAR as a Brewer: 4

* - Burnitz was also a Brewer from 1996-1999, but those stats aren't reflected here.
** - FanGraphs only has UZR data dating back to 2002, so Burnitz has no data.

Henry Blanco

Seasons as a Brewer: 2, 2000-2001
Slash line as a Brewer: .222/.303/.268
WAR as a Brewer: 0.6

Johnny Estrada

Seasons as a Brewer: 1, 2007
Slash line as a Brewer: .278/.296/.403
WAR as a Brewer: -1

Jason Kendall

Seasons as a Brewer: 2, 2008-2009
Slash line as a Brewer: .244/.329/.315
WAR as a Brewer: 2.1

Russell Branyan

Seasons as a Brewer: 3, 2004-2005, 2008
Slash line as a Brewer: ..248/.351/.526
UZR (Fielding) as a Brewer: -9.1 runs
WAR as a Brewer: 1.7

Jose Hernandez

Seasons as a Brewer: 3, 2000-2002
Slash line as a Brewer: .261/.324/.434
UZR (Fielding) as a Brewer: +4.7 runs*
WAR as a Brewer: 5.8

* - FanGraphs only has UZR data dating back to 2002, so only Hernandez's 2002 season is included here.

Mark Loretta

Seasons as a Brewer: 3, 2000-2002*
Slash line as a Brewer: .281/.348/.374
UZR (Fielding) as a Brewer: -2.7 runs**
WAR as a Brewer: 1.8

* - Loretta was also a Brewer from 1995-1999, but those numbers aren't included here.
** - Again, FanGraphs only has UZR data from 2002 forward, so only Loretta's 2002 season is included here.

Ronnie Belliard

Seasons as a Brewer: 3, 2000-2002*
Slash line as a Brewer: .251/.327/.384
UZR (Fielding) as a Brewer: -6.9 runs**
WAR as a Brewer: 2.9

* - Belliard was also a Brewer in 1998 and 1999. All stats here only reflect his performance from 2000-2009.
** - FanGraphs only has UZR dating back to 2002, so Belliard's 2000 and 2001 performances are not reflected in this total.

Keith Ginter

Seasons as a Brewer: 3, 2002-2004
Slash line as a Brewer: .257/.344/.448
UZR (Fielding) as a Brewer: -0.9 runs
WAR as a Brewer: 3.1

Eric Young

Seasons as a Brewer: 2, 2002-2003
Slash line as a Brewer: .271/.340/.392
UZR (Fielding) as a Brewer: -6.7 runs
WAR as a Brewer: 2.6

Junior Spivey

Seasons as a Brewer: 2, 2004-2005
Slash line as a Brewer: .256/.337/.400
UZR (Fielding) as a Brewer: +8.2 runs
WAR as a Brewer: 1.2

Richie Sexson

Seasons as a Brewer: 4, 2000-2003
Slash line as a Brewer: .276/.366/.536
UZR (Fielding) as a Brewer: -10.6 runs*
WAR as a Brewer: 10.2

* - FanGraphs only has UZR data since 2002, so this number does not reflect Sexson's 2000 and 2001 performances.

Lyle Overbay

Seasons as a Brewer: 2, 2004-2005
Slash line as a Brewer: .289/.376/.464
UZR (Fielding) as a Brewer: -12.3 runs
WAR as a Brewer: 4.6

They Should've Been Catchers...

TheJay — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 19:00:28 -0000

Wednesday's Frosty Mug noted it was former Brewers pitcher Matt Kinney's 33rd birthday. Now that Gregg Zaun is on the team, I find myself automatically comparing former Brewers players' ages to that of the team's new starting catcher. I've put together a partial list of Brewers players since 1990 who are both younger than Gregg Zaun and out of baseball (or at least the majors). Zaun was born on April 14, 1971.

Enjoy this blast from the past:

Izzy Alcantara
Jeff D'Amico
Trent Durrington
Timber Rattlers hitting coach Matt Erickson
Wayne Franklin
Keith Ginter*
Ben Grieve
Jimmy Haynes
Adrian Hernandez
Scott Karl
Brooks Kieschnick
Matt Kinney*
Robert Machado**
Chris Magruder
Julio Mosquera**
Nick Neugebauer
Marc Newfield
Alex Ochoa
Kyle Peterson
Ruben Quevedo
Rafael Roque
Alex Sanchez*
Junior Spivey
Antone Williamson
Joe Winkelsas
Steve Woodard

* - Played in the minors or Mexican League in 2009.
** - Yes, I know these guys actually were catchers.

The NL Central Offseason Revue Pt. 2: The Red Menace

the red baron — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 16:35:23 -0000

Um, I think Jocketty is the one on the left.

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I decided I'm going to try and do these in order from best to worst in the division; unfortunately, that now means I have to try and come up with preseason predictions before the offseason is even half over. Not a great idea on my part, really; I should have done them in alphabetical order or something. Oh, well. Too late for such considerations now, I suppose.

Of all the teams in the Central, perhaps none is so enigmatic as the Cincinnati Reds. Every spring for god knows how many years now we've heard the constant refrain, "Look out for the Reds this year. This is the year they finally turn that corner." Now, to be fair, we hear much the same thing about the Pirates, but predictions of Pittsburgh's rise are always couched not in terms of contention, but in terms of near-winning baseball. Thus, even as the predictions are made, our natural inclination toward Piratic indifference kicks in. The Reds, on the other hand, are a different story.

See, the thing about the Reds is this: they have some really, really good players. Players I would love to have on my team. They stole Brandon Phillips from their in-state rivals just a couple offseasons back, right from under the Cards' noses, even as Junior Spivey was busily reminding us not all reclamation projects end up reclaiming anything. Sometimes the ship stays sunk. (By the by, I'm proud to say I was one of the people hoping and advocating for the Cards to bring in Phillips. Sadly, our voices were not heard.) The Reds have some outstanding young arms. Their closer is one of the better ones in the business. (Still not worth his contract, but that's another issue entirely.) The right fielder is the guy the Cardinals really wanted in 2005; they chose Colby Rasmus specifically because he was the most similar player to Jay Bruce in the draft. There is some real talent here.

Yet somehow, year after year, those cries which warn us of the approaching Cincinnati domination always turn out to be wrong. Every year the Reds find some way not to win. It's gotten to the point I almost fear the offseason when no one cautions against the Reds; perhaps the spell will then be broken and this long-benighted franchise will step fully into the light. Or, perhaps not.

Either way, a little insurance can't possibly be a bad thing.

This is the year, folks. Watch out for the Reds.

Cincinnati Reds 2009 Record: 78-84, 13 games out of first

Pythagorean Record: 76-86 (673 runs scored, 723 allowed)

It was another disappointing year for the Reds, who came into the 2009 season with one of the most promising teams Cincinnati has seen in years. There was tons of optimism, and rightfully so; the Reds' rotation was immensely talented and young, just beginning to come into its own. Unfortunately, the struggles of youth and the injury bugbear combined to rob the Reds of their pitching bite, and the offense simply wasn't good enough to compensate.

Offense: After years of watching the Dunn/Griffey led Reds mash their way through the division while failing to hold anyone to less than seven runs per game, the 2009 Reds were a positively anemic change of pace. The Cardinals were not a particularly prolific offensive team, but the Reds made them look positively potent by comparison. (I'm feeling quite loquacious this morning, by the way. Does it show?) The Cardinals scored 730 runs, 57 more than the limp-lumbered lads from Cincy. Nearly six wins worth of offensive production is nothing to sneeze at.

While the Reds' problems at the platter in 2009 were legion, one can point to two areas in particular which acted as anchors around the necks of the Redlegs. On the one hand, you have the outfield. Then, on the other hand, you have the infield.

One of the more glaring issues for the Reds was the appallingly average sophomore slump of Jay Bruce, who followed up what was a very encouraging debut season with, essentially, the exact same performance. Not that that's the worst thing in the world, mind you; Bruce's OPS+ was 97 in '08 and 100 in '09, making him exactly league average, but this is Jay F. Bruce we're talking about here. He's young, yes, but you still don't expect him to be duking it out with Skip Schumaker for the title of Averagest HItter in all Baseballdom.

The good news, for Cincinnati fans at least, is this: Jay Bruce is still a better hitter than what he's shown in the majors. I feel completely confident in saying I still expect Bruce to be a star, given time to grow and better health. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for the rest of the Reds' outfield. This is, after all, a team which paid Willy Taveras actual, honest to god money to post a .559 OPS over the course of 400+ at-bats. Laynce Nix proved a source of superfluous Y's and steroid speculation, but little else. (Well, except against the Cardinals, that is.) He did put up an OPS+ of 98, but from a left fielder, you've got to expect a bit more thump. The lone real bright spot for the Reds was Johnny Gomes, who hit quite well in the Great American Bandbox, to the tune of an .879 OPS. Unfortunately, Johnny Gomes plays defense like Chris Duncan using an oven mitt. Still, beggars can't be choosers, I suppose.

On the infield, things were a bit more of a mixed bag. The right side of the Reds' gamut of grounder grabbers was brilliant, with Joey Votto establishing himself as a legitimate force (OPS of .981 for the season), and Brandon Phillips turning in another of his usual five-tool showcase performances. The left side of the infield, however, oy. Not so much. Paul Janish and Adam Rosales took the lion's shares of at-bats at shortstop and third base, respectively, and both posted OPS's in the low .600s. (Janish took the low .600s thing to the extreme, posting a .601.) Jerry Hairston played a fair amount at various positions all over the diamond and was a little better, though he still wasn't inspiring shock and awe in too many opposing pitchers.

Now that's the bad news. The good news (again, for Reds' fans), is that there will be different faces at several positions for 2010. Drew Stubbs, the Reds' uber-athletic Mike Cameron clone, came up late in the season and displayed a wide base of exciting tools in center field. Stubbs has speed, he has power, and he can go get it with the best of them in the field. The only thing holding him back is his tendency to take lots and lots of empty swings. Sort of a center field version of Tyler Greene.

The other big upgrade the Reds can count on is, of course, our old buddy Scott Rolen. Rolen came over from the Blue Jays in a midseason trade and played quite well for the Reds, hitting .270/.364/.401 and playing defense which was nearly Rolenesque. The Rolen of old is gone and he's never coming back, but the new model is still a substantial upgrade over what the Reds were trotting out most of the season.

Starting Pitching

What was supposed to be the biggest strength for the Reds ended up helping to drag them down. As the year opened, there were some touting the Reds' 1-2 rotation punch of Edinson Volquez and Johnny Cueto as the best in the National League, and perhaps one of the best in all of baseball. Sadly, Volquez succumbed to injury, having Tommy John surgery in early August, and Cueto seemed to take a step backward from his rookie campaign, even though he ended up with a lower ERA for the season. Cueto started off hot, then imploded in the late summer months, allowing an opponent's OPS of 1.026(!) in July and .938 in August. He did turn things around a bit at the end of the season, pitching better in September, but it wasn't enough to wash away the sins of the previous two months.

As strange as it sounds, Bronson Arroyo actually had sort of an okay year. Sort of. Kind of. He went 15-13, 3.84, gave up less hits than innings pitched (214 H in 220.1 IP), and struck out almost twice as many batters as he walked. Now, as to how he did it, I honestly have no idea. Every time I saw Arroyo, he was being yanked out of the game after giving up five runs in two and a third. He's basically Swamp Gas II: the Swampening at this point for me. Homer Bailey continued to frustrate those of us who believe prospect ranking should count for something, damn it, by not turning into Nolan Ryan, but there were positive signs. While his overall numerical profile doesn't inspire much confidence, Bailey did pitch extraordinarily well in September, going 4-1, 2.08 and striking out 42 batters in 43.1 innings while walking 19. Let's put it this way: if Walt or Dusty decide Homer's just not going to work out up there, I would be more than happpy to take him off their hands.

Elsewhere in the Reds' rotation, Aaron Harang was bad again, Micah Owings was a really good hitter, and Kip Wells gave Cincinnati a taste of the 2007 Cardinal magic.

The rotation could very well still be a strength in 2010 for the Reds. If Bailey really has turned a corner and Cueto can find a bit of his early-season magic after Memorial Day, Cincy could have a nice tandem atop the rotation. Add Volquez possibly returning for the stretch run, and that's an intriguing trio. And as much as it pains me to say it, you could probably do worse than Bronson Arroyo and the Harangutan for your 4th and 5th spots. (Then again, for what the Reds are paying those guys, they could also do miles better.)

Bullpen

And now we come to the real strength of the Cincinnati Reds: their bullpen. (I'll take 'Sentences I Never Expected to Speak' for $600, Alex.) After years of wandering in the desert, searching for relievers, the Reds seem to have finally found the guys to put the kibosh on any late-inning uprisings.

Francisco Cordero is not worth his contract. We'll just get that out of the way up front. Nonetheless, he's a very, very good pitcher even as he enters his mid 30s, posting a 2.16 ERA last season. He could fall off a cliff, but I don't think he will. I think we're just going to have to put up with him being good for the near future. Maybe we could get Spiezio to sober up and just pinch-hit during series with Cincinnati...

The biggest difference for the Reds between 2009 and past seasons was the emergence of Nick Masset and Danny Ray Herrera, the Screwball Kid himself, as legitimate setup men. In the past, even when the Reds had a player who could shut the door at the end of the game (remember when Todd Coffey looked like a good pitcher for like three months? Wasn't that weird?), there was nothing in the way of a bridge to get there. With Masset and Herrera, the Reds finally have that bridge.

The rest of the Redleg relief corps was solid but nothing spectacular. Arthur Rhodes was good, making me wish the Cardinals had more Rhodehouse and less Diner, but secondary LOOGY certainly isn't anything to get too very upset about.

Offseason Priorities

To be honest, I'm not sure how much Walt Jocketty and the rest of his communist cronies are going to be doing this offseason. The very same thing that makes the Reds such an intriguing team is the thing which makes them so difficult to improve. The Reds are a transitional team, and the opportunity cost of bringing in marginal upgrades may just prove to be a bit too steep. Add in the fact Cincinnati appears to have very little breathing room in terms of payroll, and I think it will likely be a relatively quiet offseason for Jocketty and Co.

The two big opportunities for the Reds to make upgrades are at shortstop and left field; unfortunately, upgrading at either of those spots is easier said than done this winter. The Reds lack the financial capacity to get into the bidding for either of the big LF prizes, Holliday or Jason Bay, and most of the other players available would represent a middling upgrade at best. The Reds have two players in their system, Todd Frazier and Chris Heisey, who both could see time in left in 2010. Frazier is a third baseman by trade, but earns his keep mostly with the bat, and could see outfield time a la Allen Craig just to get him into the lineup. Heisy is a speedy, plus-defense type with a line-drive swing and fair on-base skills. It wouldn't surprise me to see the Reds bring back Gomes as a LF/1B guy on days when Votto isn't playing and try to work one or both of Heisy/ Frazier in slowly with ABs in left.

Shortstop, on the other hand, might be a bit more interesting. There aren't a whole lot of guys out there, but there are a couple decent names. If the Reds were looking for an offensive upgrade, either Miguel Tejada or Felipe Lopez could offer a bat for a fair value. Of course, both have significant questions surrounding their abilities to play shortstop, but hey, I said offensive upgrade. If Cincinnati decided to go more for a defense-first guy, Orlando Cabrera can still pick it with the best of them. Regardless, I think shortstop is the most likely position to look toward if the Reds are going to make a move this offseason.

I'm sure Jocketty and Baker would like to pick up a more dependable arm for depth in the rotation, but I'm not sure they'll have the payroll to do so. The Reds are already paying Harang and Arroyo gobs of money; they may try to deal for an arm but I don't see a signing there. The bullpen actually needs the least help of all; they may sign a guy to replace Rhodes if he leaves or something like that, but I think the relief corps is largely set.

The Bottom Line

Do I think the Reds are going to be better than Milwaukee? I must, since I did them before the Brew Crew, right? The answer is a decided and unequivocal maybe. I think the Reds have the potential, certainly, to improve more than probably any other team in the division, simply based on their young talent base. I think the Brewers largely are who we think they are, a team of tremendous offensive talent and very, very limited pitching resources. The Reds, on the other hand, have a lot of untapped potential on both sides of the equation, and depending on how things break, they could vault up the standing in the Central or remain the same enigmatic bunch of underachievers they have been for years now.

I think the addition of Scott Rolen was a cataclysmically bad one, but, paradoxically, I also believe he'll make the Reds better in the coming season. He should provide just enough offense while helping the pitchers out significantly.

In the end, the success or failure of the Reds' 2010 season will likely have little to do with what, if any, moves Walt Jocketty makes this winter. Rather, the fate of the first season of the new decade (eat it, Matty!), will hinge largely on the three pillars upon which we've been told Cincinnati's new glory would be built for years: Homer Bailey, Jay Bruce, and Joey Votto. If those three are the players they were thought to be on the way up, the Reds could very well make some noise. If not, it could be another very long summer in the home of the world's shittiest chili.

The Baron's Playlist for the 16th of December, 2009: the Christmas Catalogue

(In no particular order, by the way)

"Fairytale of New York" - The Pogues
"Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" - Brenda Lee (listen closely; she's actually saying fucking pie. Seriously.)
"You're All I Want for Christmas" - Brook Benton
"A Change at Christmas (Say it Isn't So)" - the Flaming Lips
"Merry Xmas Everybody" - Slade
"Jingle Bell Rock" - Bobby Helms (this is the song that will one day force me to pull to the side of the road and cry when my mother is gone)
"White Christmas" - The Drifters (sorry, but this one is way, way better than the Bing Crosby version)
"Happy Christmas (War is Over)" - John Lennon and Yoko Ono
"Blue Christmas" - Elvis Presley
"Happy Holidays" - Alabama (I really, really hate Alabama, but I loved this song when I was a kid listening to the old True Value Hardware Christmas records)
"We're Going to the Country!" - Sufjan Stevens
"Peace on Earth/ Little Drummer Boy" - David Bowie and Bing Crosby
"Marshmallow World" - Dean Martin
"God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen" - Nat King Cole (another True Value special)
"Frosty the Snowman" - The Ronettes
"Jingle Bells" - Glenn Miller
"I'll Be Home for Christmas" - Frank Sinatra
"I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" - Gayla Peevey
"Christmastime is Here" - The Vince Guaraldi Trio (sadly, this song underwent one of the worst remasters I believe I've ever heard just a couple years ago; find the old, unremastered version.)
"Christmas Wrapping" - the Waitresses (this song is utter crap. I fucking love it.)

I'm going to stop at 20. It's tough for me to do, but I'm going to do it.

Making Your '00 Face: Our first backup infielder

KLSnow — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:00:18 -0000

The concept here is pretty simple. Each day, I'll give you a list of candidates: For position players, it's the full list of players who appeared in at least 100 games at the position during the '00s. 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
Catcher: Damian Miller

Voting for our final starting outfielder opened yesterday and will close at 4 pm tomorrow. Today we'll select our first backup infielder:

Russell Branyan

Seasons as a Brewer: 3, 2004-2005, 2008
Slash line as a Brewer: ..248/.351/.526
UZR (Fielding) as a Brewer: -9.1 runs
WAR as a Brewer: 1.7

Craig Counsell

Seasons as a Brewer: 4, 2004, 2007-2009
Slash line as a Brewer: .247/.341/.338
UZR (Fielding) as a Brewer: +8.5 runs
WAR as a Brewer: 5

Jose Hernandez

Seasons as a Brewer: 3, 2000-2002
Slash line as a Brewer: .261/.324/.434
UZR (Fielding) as a Brewer: +4.7 runs*
WAR as a Brewer: 5.8

* - FanGraphs only has UZR data dating back to 2002, so only Hernandez's 2002 season is included here.

Mark Loretta

Seasons as a Brewer: 3, 2000-2002*
Slash line as a Brewer: .281/.348/.374
UZR (Fielding) as a Brewer: -2.7 runs**
WAR as a Brewer: 1.8

* - Loretta was also a Brewer from 1995-1999, but those numbers aren't included here.
** - Again, FanGraphs only has UZR data from 2002 forward, so only Loretta's 2002 season is included here.

Ronnie Belliard

Seasons as a Brewer: 3, 2000-2002*
Slash line as a Brewer: .251/.327/.384
UZR (Fielding) as a Brewer: -6.9 runs**
WAR as a Brewer: 2.9

Keith Ginter

Seasons as a Brewer: 3, 2002-2004
Slash line as a Brewer: .257/.344/.448
UZR (Fielding) as a Brewer: -0.9 runs
WAR as a Brewer: 3.1

Eric Young

Seasons as a Brewer: 2, 2002-2003
Slash line as a Brewer: .271/.340/.392
UZR (Fielding) as a Brewer: -6.7 runs
WAR as a Brewer: 2.6

Junior Spivey

Seasons as a Brewer: 2, 2004-2005
Slash line as a Brewer: .256/.337/.400
UZR (Fielding) as a Brewer: +8.2 runs
WAR as a Brewer: 1.2

Richie Sexson

Seasons as a Brewer: 4, 2000-2003
Slash line as a Brewer: .276/.366/.536
UZR (Fielding) as a Brewer: -10.6 runs*
WAR as a Brewer: 10.2

* - FanGraphs only has UZR data since 2002, so this number does not reflect Sexson's 2000 and 2001 performances.

Lyle Overbay

Seasons as a Brewer: 2, 2004-2005
Slash line as a Brewer: .289/.376/.464
UZR (Fielding) as a Brewer: -12.3 runs
WAR as a Brewer: 4.6

Poll

Which of these players deserves a spot on the bench on the BCB All Decade Team?

Russell Branyan

36 votes

Craig Counsell

178 votes

Jose Hernandez

9 votes

Mark Loretta

44 votes

Ronnie Belliard

2 votes

Keith Ginter

5 votes

Eric Young

0 votes

Junior Spivey

3 votes

Richie Sexson

118 votes

Lyle Overbay

43 votes

438 votes | Poll has closed

Making Your '00 Face: Second Base

KLSnow — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 22:00:15 -0000

Today, we're opening the voting at second base:

Ronnie Belliard

Seasons as a Brewer: 3, 2000-2002*
Slash line as a Brewer: .251/.327/.384
UZR (Fielding) as a Brewer: -6.9 runs**
WAR as a Brewer: 2.9

* - Belliard was also a Brewer in 1998 and 1999. All stats here only reflect the player's performance from 2000-2009.
** - FanGraphs only has UZR dating back to 2002, so Belliard's 2000 and 2001 performances are not reflected in this total.

Keith Ginter

Seasons as a Brewer: 3, 2002-2004
Slash line as a Brewer: .257/.344/.448
UZR (Fielding) as a Brewer: -0.9 runs
WAR as a Brewer: 3.1

Bill Hall

Seasons as a Brewer: 8, 2002-2009*
Slash line as a Brewer: .253/.312/.446
UZR (Fielding) as a Brewer: -1.1 runs
WAR as a Brewer: 7.4

* - Hall only appeared at second base during five of those eight seasons (2003-2006 and 2008), and only appeared in 50 games at the position one time, in 2004.

Eric Young

Seasons as a Brewer: 2, 2002-2003
Slash line as a Brewer: .271/.340/.392
UZR (Fielding) as a Brewer: -6.7 runs
WAR as a Brewer: 2.6

Rickie Weeks

Seasons as a Brewer: 6, 2003, 2005-2009
Slash line as a Brewer: .247/.351/.415
UZR (Fielding) as a Brewer: -22.1 runs
WAR as a Brewer: 4.2

Junior Spivey

Seasons as a Brewer: 2, 2004-2005
Slash line as a Brewer: .256/.337/.400
UZR (Fielding) as a Brewer: +8.2 runs
WAR as a Brewer: 1.2

Poll

Who should be the second baseman on the Brewer All Decade Team?

Ronnie Belliard

22 votes

Keith Ginter

28 votes

Bill Hall

46 votes

Eric Young

31 votes

Rickie Weeks

218 votes

Junior Spivey

59 votes

404 votes | Poll has closed

Wednesday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:33:43 -0000

by Ed Andrieski - AP

Everyone's talking about John Lackey today. Should they be?

View full size photo »

Some things to read while launching a third party.

Thanks to Mark for filling in yesterday while I laid on the couch and drifted in and out of consciousness. My apologies for the late Mug today - I had hoped to be off my pain meds by now, but no such luck, so I'm having a hard time writing coherently. Also, as I was gathering news this morning, a delivery truck showed up with a whole room full of furniture from IKEA.

Before we go any further, you may want to just give up and find a new team or a new sport. Dave Begel of OnMilwaukee.com wants to make sure you know the Brewers are never going to compete (h/t BBTF). So abandon all hope, ye who remain here.

Meanwhile, for those of us who haven't jumped off a bridge, it's the time of year where we spend lots of time discussing players who may or may not even consider becoming a Brewer. Take John Lackey, for example.

Jorge Says No! wonders if the Brewers should be interested in signing him.
In-Between Hops has a visual representation of reasons they shouldn't.
When Buster Olney said the Brewers may have interest in Lackey, he also mentioned the Mariners as a candidate, prompting Lookout Landing to rip apart the logic involved in that statement.
Ken Rosenthal says the Angels are still interested in Lackey, too.
If/When Doug Melvin gets outbid for Lackey, Fire Doug Melvin has a statement for him to read. Melvin is already using similar language to complain about the draft.

There's also a flurry of discussion on catchers:

Just a few days after this vomit-inducer on Jason Kendall's likely return, new reports would suggest Kendall's return may not be so likely after all, and Jonathan Lucroy may be the leading candidate to take Kendall's place next season.
View From Bernie's Chalet is in favor of that move.
Project Prospect gave Lucroy a pretty nice review from the Arizona Fall League.
Big League Stew wonders why no one is searching for Jason Kendall's real age.

I'm planning on writing something more in-depth on Lucroy once my brain gets a little less fuzzy. In the meantime, here's a bunch of notes on Mike Cameron, too:

Dave Cameron of FanGraphs wonders if Cameron might be the second-best position player on the free agent market this offseason.
Evan Brunell of The Hardball Times thinks he'll end up with the Yankees.
Hot Foot hopes he doesn't end up back with the Mets.

A fair number of people are treating it as a foregone conclusion that Craig Counsell will either return to the Brewers next season or retire, but that may not be the case. Adam McCalvy thinks Counsell's surprising 2009 season should net him several offers, and may drive up the price for Whitefish Boy.

MLB Daily Dish has predictions for free agents #11-20 in their rankings, and thinks Rich Harden (ranked #12) may end up with the Brewers. They also have Felipe Lopez (ranked #14) signing with the Cubs.

Speaking of oft-injured pitchers who could get a phone call from Doug Melvin, FanHuddle thinks the Brewers could sign Brad Penny.

And, of course, as the Brewers look to spend their free agent dollars this offseason, one massive mistake overshadows all other deals: Jorge Says No! has a look at the logic and failure of the Jeff Suppan deal.

Finally, there's some continued reaction to the J.J. Hardy-Carlos Gomez deal:

Aaron Gleeman has a scouting report on Gomez from his former manager, Ron Gardenhire.
Real GM Baseball gave the Twins an A- for the deal, and the Brewers a C+.

On Monday, I mentioned having written a scouting report on Hardy for Nick Nelson of Nick's Twins Blog. In return, I asked for his scouting report on Gomez. Here it is:

"When it became clear that the Twins were working to move Johan Santana during the 2007-08 offseason, fans geared up for a marquis package in return. After all, Santana was arguably the best starting pitcher in baseball; a two-time Cy Young Award winner with devastating stuff and command from the left side who still hadn't yet turned 29. What the Twins got was a package from the Mets that included three promising pitchers but was headlined by Carlos Gomez, a raw 22-year-old center fielder who general manager Bill Smith envisioned as a future anchor in the lineup.

Because of the circumstances surrounding his acquisition, Gomez became saddled with massive expectations amongst the Minnesota fan base. This might have been his undoing. By the time the Twins sent him to the Brewers for J.J. Hardy last week, a sizable portion of local fans was more than ready to see Gomez go. His lack of progress at the plate and his repeated mental lapses on the field -- one of which was on display during the ALDS when he cost the Twins a crucial run by overrunning second base in New York -- became too much for a lot of folks to tolerate.

As a person who greatly values defense and appreciates players who display enthusiasm and emotion on the field, I was always a big fan of Gomez and I'm sorry to see him go. There's no doubt that he was failing to make meaningful strides on the cognitive end, but his physical tools are undeniable and he was at least making slight adjustments at the plate this past season, with a decreased strikeout rate and increased walk rate. Granted, he was still poor in both those areas and his overall hitting numbers dropped regardless, but it's something to keep in mind, especially considering that he's still only 24 years old.

As far as defense goes, get ready for a treat. I know Mike Cameron did some nice things for the Brewers, but Gomez is better. I watched the great Torii Hunter in center field regularly for about a decade, and can confidently say that Gomez gets to balls that Hunter in his prime never would have dreamed of reaching. Even though he occasionally makes bad reads, Gomez can very quickly make up for a missed first step and has closing speed on line drives and fly balls like I've never seen before. He's an exquisite defensive center fielder and will make any fly ball heavy pitchers on the Brewers staff very happy.

That tremendous defensive proficiency means that Gomez doesn't have to progress all that much offensively in order to transform into a highly valuable player. While he has failed to post even a .300 OBP during his three major-league seasons thus far, Gomez posted a .339 OBP in the minors despite being young for every level and he may benefit from a return to the National League. His dreadful lack of discipline at the plate may prevent him from ever taking the next step and becoming an adequate offensive contributor, but I could certainly see him turning a corner and becoming a Franklin Gutierrez type player. Even if he doesn't, his defense makes him a worthwhile starter in center field and at worst he'll settle in as a quality fourth outfielder and pinch-running option.

For all the negatives that have surrounded Gomez's tenure in Minnesota, my lasting memory of him will not be the baserunning muff against the Yankees or one of the hundreds of outside breaking balls whiffed on for strike three. It will be the 12th inning of this season's Game 163 against the Tigers, when Alexi Casilla sneaked a grounder between second and first to drive in Gomez with the winning run. Gomez came sprinting home, arms outstretched like the wings of an airplane, and dove across home plate despite the fact that the play was nowhere near close. After recording the game-winning, playoff-clinching run, Gomez lept into the air with the excitement of a kid in little league. He may not be the brightest guy in the world, but Gomez plays the game with a lot of heart and he absolutely has his strengths.

Appreciate Gomez for what he is, and you'll love having him on your team. Just try to be patient with the mental mistakes and often clueless offensive approach."

Meanwhile, NL Gold Glove winners are expected to be announced today, and Stan Musial's Stance is projecting J.J. Hardy as the winner at shortstop. It seems unlikely, but I suppose it's possible.

Over 1000 innings and nearly 1000 appearances into his career, we're still trying to figure out how exactly Trevor Hoffman has managed to be so successful. Dave Allen of FanGraphs has a look at one of Hoffman's strengths: pinpoint control that allows him to keep the ball out of power zones to left-handed hitters.

Hitting during day games at Miller Park might get a little easier next season: The team has removed the ivy in the center field batters' eye and replaced it with glare-reducing black paint. They're also adding some black mesh around the scoreboard.

In the minors:

Jonathan Lucroy, Zach Braddock and (to a lesser extent) Lorenzo Cain are having pretty nice seasons in the AFL, and the Peoria Javelinas are 16-8, the best record in the AFL. They lead their division by five games with eight to play. For more on their recent performances, check out today's Fall/Winter League Update.
FanGraphs has the Brewers' minor league season in review, with notes on one Brewer minor league graduate and four more prospects.
Project Prospect ranked Caleb Gindl as the 12th best corner outfield prospect in all of baseball.
Plunk Everyone noted that Adam Heether and Brendan Katin are still among the Venezuelan Winter League leaders in HBP. Heether hasn't appeared in a game since November 1, and I'm still not sure why.

Around baseball:

Blue Jays: Claimed utilityman Mike McCoy off waivers from the Rockies.
Orioles: Claimed pitcher Armando Gabino off waivers from the Twins.
Rays: Exercised Carl Crawford's option for 2010, declined options on catcher Gregg Zaun and Brian Shouse, and claimed pitcher Ramon Ramirez off waivers from the Reds.
Red Sox:Shortstop Nick Green and outfielder Joey Gathright both rejected outright assignments and will become free agents.
Reds: Outfielder Darnell McDonald rejected an outright assignment to the minors and will become a free agent.

If you're looking to sign Yorvit Torrealba to a deal this offseason (perhaps as a replacement for Jason Kendall), the baseline has been set: After the Rockies declined his $4 million option for next season, they reportedly offered him $4.5 million for two seasons, and he turned it down. I think the Brewers could easily beat that, and might welcome a 2 year$6-7 million deal for him. Brian McTaggart has a look at other available catchers.

Meanwhile, the Reds are reportedly looking to cut payroll into the $65-70 million range, which could be a challenge considering they owe $66 million to ten players for 2010. So, if you have a Red you're looking to acquire, you should get on the phone.

Looking for another buy-low pitching candidate? The Royals are reportedly monitoring the rehab of Runelvys Hernandez, who has pitched just four major league games since 2006.

We use WAR a lot to discuss the value of players, but are there cases where we're misusing it? Jeremy Greenhouse of The Hardball Times looks at misuses of the stat. We've definitely been guilty of some in the comments here.

I shuddered while reading this note: Garrett Broshuis, a teammate of Giants prospect and accused murderer Angel Villalona, has a look at the circumstances surrounding Villalona's release from prison, which included a roughly $50,000 payment to the victim's family and their decision to ask for charges to be dropped.

On a happier note, Brewerfan.net has an interview with former Brewer Junior Spivey, who remains a Brewer fan long after moving on from the organization.

A couple of cool notes from the SBN Network:

SB Nation celebrated its sixth birthday this week.
Sky Kalkman, formerly of Beyond the Box Score, represented SBN well by winning Dugout Central's prediction contest.

I don't have any Brewer related birthdays today, so we'll have to settle for wishing a happy birthday to UW-Stevens Point alum Scott May, who appeared in five major league games and turns 48 today.

Oh, and I have a new career goal: Leveraging BCB's Twitter (@BrewCrewBall) to get a CBS TV deal.

Drink up.

Toros! Toros! Toros! Baseball in Tucson lives on

Jim McLennan — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 15:30:40 -0000

via tucsontoros.com.ismmedia.com

View full size photo »

Even with the departure of the Sidewinders from Tucson, the Diamondbacks are not the only professional baseball outfit in the state of Arizona. The former owner of the Sidewinders, Jay Zucker, opted to keep involved with the game, and brought a franchise of the Golden Baseball League to Tucson. The Toros play at Hi Corbett Field, the current spring training home (albeit not for much longer) of the Colorado Rockies, and have done well in their inaugural season, leadin their division. The team also recently signed former Diamondback and 2002 All-Star, Junior Spivey.

At the suggestion of emilylovesthedbacks, and with 'Skins providing valuable logistical support, a get-together down in Tucson was arranged, and so Mrs. SnakePit and I headed down the I-10 to check out the newest addition to our local pro sports franchises. Details after the jump.

Our road-trip hit a pot-hole before we left, the rear-left window of the SnakePitMobile having jammed itself in the down position - not what you want in an Arizona summer. It turned out a box had fallen onto the switch in the back, jamming it on, and tripping a breaker. Fortunately, after some prodding by Chris, we managed to reset it, and hit the road, pausing only for iced coffee and a breakfast croissant at Jack in the Box. It looks nothing like the picture on the menu, yet still tasted pretty good, I have to say.

The advantage of leaving at 10:30 on Sunday was a clear run down to Tucson. As they have apparently been doing for at least the past decade, there are road-works on it, yet they didn't have too much impact due to the light traffic, and so we rolled into Tucson just after noon. The aim was to link up at Risky Business, a downtown sports bar, to watch the game, and so we went "right down Broadway," doing our best Mark Grace impressions as we rolled along the street of the same name.

'Skins had got there first, but after a week of sorry losses, we hadn't even bothered to turn the radio on for the first couple of innings, so were ~~startled~~ ~~surprised~~ shocked and amazed to see the Diamondbacks holding a 6-0 lead when we went into the place. I was delighted to discover both Pilsener Urquell and Stella Artois on the beer menu; I went for the former and plate of potato skins, while designated driver Mrs. SnakePit had a Coke and the calimari, and we settled down to watch the remainder of the game.

It was very much like a Gameday Thread, with less typing. Well, at least from me: 'Skins had his netbook, and katers showed up with her Sidekick, but I just couldn't get my fat fingers comfortable on the teeny netbook keyboard, and there wasn't really a lot of toom on the table for our behemoth of a laptop. So, I generally restricted myself to sardonic verbal comments, as the six-run lead got whittled away by the Astros. Still, the ending was good enough, with our team finally ending their long losing streak and getting a few hits with runners in scoring position.

via upload.wikimedia.org

After the game, Mrs. SnakePit and I headed off to the hotel, dropped our stuff off and chilled for a couple of hours, before reconvening at Hi Corbett. it's the first time I'd been there, and I didn't realize how long it had been active It was originally built in 1937, for the Class D Tucson Lizard, so pre-dates the post-war arrival of Spring Training in Arizona. It therefore has a great deal more history associated with it than Tucson Electric Park, which only opened in 1998. One of the cool things inside, is a 'Wall of Fame', listing all the members if Cooperstown who have played at the park - basically, just about everyone. Any list that starts with Hank Aaron is going to be worthy of note.

We linked up with 'Skins, katers, Zephon and emilylovesthedbacks, who were already there and paid the ten bucks which got us the best seats in the house - right behind the Toros on-deck circle, and also immediately behind the players' wives and their families [including Mrs. Spivey and their cute kids] To my delight, we were there on Dollar Dog Night, something of which I took full advantage, and the beers were more reasonably priced than Chase, with a bomber retailing for $7.50. They also had soft-serve ice-cream, made while you watched - if a sluggish process, it was one worth the wait.

A stern warning was broadcast over the PA that foul language would not be tolerated, though ironically, this was immediately followed by the playing of an unedited version of Sublime's What I Got, complete with its not quite so all-ages couplet, "But I got a dalmatian and I can still get high/I can play the guitar like a motherf_cking riot." Oops. Generally, however, the aim was clearly for a family-friendly atmosphere, with the PA announcer making heavy use of sound effects to accompany the game proceedings. While not something I'd want to see the Diamondbacks adopt, it kinda tied in with the minor-league feel.

That said, I was surprised how many players I'd heard of, especially on the visiting Orange County Flyers. Their line-up included Damian Jackson, best known for knocking Johnny Damon out in a 2003 ALDS collision, Scott Spiezio and Robert Fick, a player I had on my fantasy team a couple of seasons back. [Nice article in the Arizona Daily Star on Spiezio and his battles with substance abuse] Beside Spivey, the best-known name on the Toros roster was Dustin Yount, who was a couple of years above SnakePit Jr at Chaparral, and the son of Hall of Famer and former Dbacks first base coach Robin.

The GBL is reportedly thought of as being about Double-A level, and the difference between the play here and the majors was fairly obvious, most clearly in the field. Each side ended the night with a trio of errors, and there were a couple of other plays which probably would have been made by those in the big show. The starter for Tucson, Pete Hartmann, a 38-year old veteran who played in the minors from 1993-2004 without getting to the show, took the loss, giving up eleven hits and eight earned runs in five innings, most of the damage coming in a five-run second.

The Toros tried to claw their way into things, Spivey scoring the team's first run in the fourth, and they came back to make it 5-3 thanks to a two-run double from right-fielder Curt Miaso [whose other half was also immediately in front of us]. However, another five-run inning for Orange County in the sixth, ended this as a meaningful contest, and the Flyers ran out 11-5 winners, getting 18 hits off the home team's pitching. Though the Toros' Andre Marshall, a former Phillies prospect, did hit the night's only home-run in the eighth.

It was a thoroughly entertaining time, and a good warm-up for SnakePitFest next week, as we warmed up our pithy comments. Perhaps a bit too pithy, as it seemed 'Skins ended up needing to explain to one of the wives that when we said we hadn't seen Junior Spivey score a run since 2004, that it was simply because we hadn't seem him play since 2004... Certainly, if you wanted to heckle or encourage a player, you could do so, in the sure and certain knowledge that they could hear every word.

However, you've really got to support all the players, especially veterans clearly not playing for the money, with monthly salaries generally between $1.000-3,000. They're there because they love the game and can't bear to give it up, even if the chances of being called back, even to a minor-league affiliate may be slim. But who can say? For over 100 players have been sold to major-league teams since the GBL began in 2005, including Tim Wilhelmsen, Rene Garcia and Andrew Romo, Toros pitchers signed by the Brewers, White Sox and Giants respectively, earlier this season. Seth Etherton, a D-backs prospect currently in Triple-A, was also a GBL player in 2008.

The Toros currently lead their division in the second-half, and look set to make the playoffs in their first year, a solid success for the new franchise. Sunday's attendance of 1,413 was actually pretty small for the team, which has been averaging almost four thousand per game; it looks like the team will be rewarded with the GBL All-Star game, either next year or in 2011. I hope the Toros continue to do well - if I was in Tucson, I'd certainly be a regular attendee. The loss of the Sidewinders and the looming departure of spring training will hopefully not mark the end of pro baseball in the town.

Wednesday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 14:44:59 -0000

Some things to read while acknowledging that the world would be better off without some people.

Another sigh of relief is in order this morning, as X-rays on Ryan Braun's thumb came back negative. Braun lost a fly ball in the lights in last night's 6-4 loss to the Padres and, as a baseball tends to do, it found a delicate place to hit him. He suffered a contusion and will likely be off today, but could play again as soon as tomorrow.

Braden Looper continues to work to catch up with his teammates in his preparations for the season. Looper gave up two earned runs (four total) in four innings last night, but gave up two home runs and was hit hard in general. He'll get one more minor league start before the home opener.

Tony Gwynn Jr. was given another opportunity to prove he belongs in the field last night, and was not impressive. In fact, "not impressive" might be understating it a bit, so Chuckie Hacks took it to the next level. Tuesday's JS Camp Report had this to say about Gwynn's chances of making the team:

Asked if Brad Nelson (.370, 3 HRs, 15 RBI) and Chris Duffy (.313, 8 doubles, 11 RBI) deserved to claim the reserve outfield jobs over Tony Gwynn Jr. (.167) for the same reason, Macha said, "I'd probably say that's the case but they're not on yet. We'll have to see. You'll have to ask me that question in a couple of days."

Brewed Sports has a familiar name in mind to fill Gwynn's roster spot. Geoff Jenkins was cut loose by the Phillies yesterday, and could be available for next to nothing. It's important to remember, though, that the Brewers would likely have to DFA Brad Nelson to make room for him. Nelson will likely produce at a similar level for the Brewers this season, and when he's done he'll still be under team control for five more years.

A side note on Jenkins: Gary Sheffield was also let go yesterday, but FanGraphs compared the two former Brewers and thinks Jenkins has more to offer a team at this point.

While nothing is official yet, it appears Casey McGehee has made the team, as Mike Lamb will not. Lamb has until 11 am today to decide if he would like to become a free agent or go to the minors. If he decides to stay with the Brewer organization, he'll have to clear waivers to be sent down. He'll make $3 million (from the Twins) to be a below average corner infielder this season anyway, so it's hard to feel too bad for him.

Ken Macha tried out a new lineup wrinkle yesterday, batting Corey Hart second and J.J. Hardy fifth. It's an interesting concept: putting Hart in front of Braun and Fielder could force pitchers to throw him more strikes. It will only work, though, if Hart learns to take a pitch from time to time. If pitchers know they can get him out with junk out of the zone, there's no reason to change their approach to him at all.

Barring something unforeseen, Mark DiFelice will be on an Opening Day roster for the first time in his 12 year professional career. Tom H. has a profile that talks about DiFelice's long road to the majors.

By the way, if you're headed out to Miller Park to catch DiFelice and the rest of the Brewers on Opening Day, Miller Park Drunk wants you to dress for success.

If you've already purchased tickets for a Brewer game this season, you're one of 1.75 million fans who have done so, which means you'll also probably be one of 1.75 million fans waiting in line at the new discount concession stand.

You probably won't see these guys, though: The Brewers are suing another suite holder for failure to pay. This time, it's Big League Promotions and Marketing of Waukesha. Apparently they weren't Big League enough.

Brian Anderson posted a new blog before last night's FS Wisconsin telecast and has a preview of some of the upcoming interviews Brewer fans can expect to see as part of the telecasts.

Peter Gammons says 2009 is the year for Rickie Weeks, but if you don't believe him, The Grand National Championships is making a case for it too.

On Rankings/Previews/Predictions and whatnot:

Bucs Dugout has the Brewers finishing second in the Central.
Sports Illustrated also has the Brewers second in the division, but says they could make a run at the Cubs by trading Prince Fielder for pitching and replacing him with Mat Gamel, who still has not played one inning at first base.
Lukekohler.com also has the Brewers finishing second.
Desipio.com predicts the Brewers will win 81 games and tie with the Reds for third place.
Sharapova's Thigh thinks the Brewers will finish right around .500.
Wheelhouse Radio has the Brewers finishing fifth.
Canada Free Press also has the Brewers fifth, along with a bandwidth-sucking website that made this morning's Mug five minutes later all by itself.
Sixty Feet, Six Inches has the Brewers fourth in the Central.
C70 at the Bat also has the Brewers fourth.
MLB Playoff Odds simulated the season 10,000 times using CHONE projections and predicts the Brewers will win about 79.8 games.
Stan Musial's Stance has the Brewers fourth in the division.
The Replacement Level Yankees Weblog simulated the season 6000 times, with 1000 simulations each for six projection systems. The Brewers averaged 81.9 wins and finished in second more often than any other position.
Vigilante Sports has the Brewers finishing second.
The Sports Guys rank the Brewers 26th in their preseason power rankings. I've started a petition to get them to become "The Fashion Guys."

Around the minors today, there are a couple of stories of note: Vinny Rottino is headed to Huntsville to play every day at third base. Also, Keith Law watched a Brewer minor league game this week and was impressed by the velocity of Brewer farmhand Pedro Lambertus, who could spend 2009 in Brevard County or Huntsville.

Meanwhile, in other camps:

Astros: Acquired Jeff Keppinger from the Reds for a player to be named later.
Braves: Signed Chipper Jones to a three year extension, keeping him in Atlanta through 2012.
Giants: Jonathan Sanchez will miss his final Cactus League start and could miss his first start of the regular season after burning his right index finger "cooking."
Marlins: Released Dallas McPherson.
Mets: Released Jose Valentin, Tony Armas Jr. and Junior Spivey.
Nationals: Released Wily Mo Pena.
Padres: The team is still looking to add relievers and could make a move for a player who's out of options.
Rays: Jason Isringhausen may not make the team and is not willing to accept a minor league assignment.
Tigers: Jeremy Bonderman will open the season on the DL with tightness in his shoulder.

Another day, another economic story: An AP poll showed 45% of baseball fans think baseball's biggest problem is its price tag. To a point they're right. Take another look at the note above about the Brewers reducing concession prices: the reduced price for soft serve ice cream is $3.50. That's after you spend $10 to park your car and pay "convenience fees" for the right to pay $30-$100 to watch a game.

With that said, the wording of the poll is problematic for me. The poll asked baseball fans for their opinion on the biggest problem facing the game, and they named a problem. If I handed you a $100 bill and asked you to name the biggest problem with it, you'd probably be able to find one. But all the game's problems put together weren't enough to keep participants from telling a pollster they were "interested" or "very interested" in baseball.

Of course, cool giveaways can help raise fan morale too. Giving a cardboard model of your team's new stadium to season ticket holders, however, may be too small of a gesture.

Are the rules somehow different in spring training? Dusty Baker was ejected from yesterday's Reds game, but instead of leaving the field, he remained in the dugout.

Statheads rejoice, you're about to have another new toy: two sources are going to start measuring the hang time of fly balls.

Oh, and if you'd like to make the trip to Davenport, Iowa this season, you could watch the Timber Rattlers play the Quad Cities River Bandits from a van down by the river.

Drink up.

Tuesday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 14:06:39 -0000

Some things to read while turning a wine bottle into a terrarium.

Before the Brewers/Cubs game yesterday, Braden Looper pitched a simulated game and completed two innings despite being struck in the head by a line drive. (h/t FanShot) Looper is still on pace to be ready for Opening Day and could start a Cactus League game as soon as this weekend.

Mike Rivera is also ready for game action, and will get the start Wednesday when the Brewers travel to Tucson to take on the Rockies.

The sore intercostal muscle that pulled Ryan Braun out of Sunday's WBC game is still not believed to be serious, but Braun will undergo an MRI anyway, just to be sure.

Elsewhere, the Brewers sent a couple more pitchers down to minor league camp yesterday: R.J. Swindle and Chase Wright. It's a bit of a surprise move, as Swindle was expected to compete for the LOOGY spot in the bullpen and Wright had pitched well in camp. It's possible this means Lindsay Gulin is now in the running for that spot.

Some visual evidence of yesterday's game:

Bill Hall tells Corey Hart to talk to the hand.
Ken Macha congratulates Hart following his home run.
Prince Fielder with a headfirst slide into third.
Rickie Weeks has an impressive vertical leap...but not the baseball.

Speaking of Rickie Weeks, Miller Park Drunk has come to his defense following Rob Neyer and Bill James' assessment that the Brewers should shuffle their defensive lineup and move him out of the infield.

Cory Provus has a blog over at the Sports Bubbler. Today, in his first post, he discusses Corey Hart, Chris Duffy and Casey McGehee. Tomorrow: Brewers with first names starting with a different letter.

Speaking of McGehee, he's the subject of today's JS Spring Training profile.

On predictions, projections, etc:

Walkoff Walk is picking the Brewers to finish fourth in the Central, but predicting a monster season for Manny Parra.
Bleed Cubbie Blue predicts the Brewers will finish with a win total somewhere in the mid-80's, but finish second in the Central and miss the playoffs.
Baseball Reflections has the Brewers winning 80-85 games and finishing no better than second.

Stories from other camps:

Astros: Signed Ivan Rodriguez to a one year, $1.5 million deal. They also may open the season with Jose Capellan in the rotation.
Marlins: Returned Rule 5 pick Zach Kroenke to the Yankees.
Mets: Will return Rule 5 pick Rocky Cherry to the Orioles. They also signed Junior Spivey to a minor league deal.

So, let's say you're managing the Atlanta Braves. You missed out on trading for Jake Peavy this winter and signed Derek Lowe instead. I understand you'd try to justify it, but do you really want to do it by citing six starts in the postseason and World Baseball Classic? There's roughly 112 issues with that analysis.

Speaking of the WBC, as injuries continue to decimate Team USA, there's an increasing chance manager Davey Johnson will forfeit the WBC. If that happens this may very well be the last World Baseball Classic, which would be a shame because it sounds like Cuban press conferences are hilarious.

Aside from being former Brewers, what do Kevin Barker, Mark Loretta and Russell Branyan all have in common? They're three of just seven players to receive an intentional walk during spring training.

Baseball Musings continues to project team offense for 2009. Today, the Astros check in at 4.46 runs per game, up from 4.42 last season.

Last week I posted a graph from Beyond the Box Score showing run expectancy by pitch location. The Baseball Analysts have taken it a step further and broken down run expectancy by location and pitch type and have also broken down home runs by pitch location.

You won't see any more all black maple bats in major league baseball this season, but you will see a black dot on existing maple bats. Larry Stone of the Seattle Times explains some of baseball's rule changes regarding bats.

Meanwhile, across town, The Seattle Post-Intelligencer is folding, effective immediately.

Oh, and no matter how bad the economy gets, you really shouldn't take a job with Lenny Dykstra.

Drink up.

Your Mike Aviles Mega-Projection

royalsreview — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 04:42:43 -0000

So let's go:

	BA	OBP	SLG	HR
Bill James	.288	.322	.443	14
CHONE	.280	.317	.425	11
Marcel	.308	.351	.462	10
Oliver	.280	.312	.436	16
ZiPS	.289	.319	.433	14
PECOTA	.268	.309	.409	13

Since we're dealing with rate stats here (I threw in homers just for fun) I don't have a huge problem with averaging these numbers.

And now, the mega-projection: .286/.322/.435, down from .325/.354/.480 last season. The average actually looks like a good representation of the numbers: you've got the extremely negative PECOTA and extremely positive Marcel projections counter-balancing each other, then four others that are all around the average. I guess technically the average is always reflective, but in this case, you can see it very easily.

Poll

If Pressed, I Would Consider This Mike Aviles Mega-Projection:

Too Negative: I Am More Sanguine With Regard to Mike in 2009 Than These Systems

94 votes

Accurate, or a Reasonably Accurate Looking Projection That Is

206 votes

We've Found the Next Junior Spivey

26 votes

326 votes | Poll has closed

SB Nation - Junior Spivey

Making Your '00 Face: Final position player

Who should be the final position player on the BCB All Decade Team?

They Should've Been Catchers...

The NL Central Offseason Revue Pt. 2: The Red Menace

Making Your '00 Face: Our first backup infielder

Which of these players deserves a spot on the bench on the BCB All Decade Team?

Russell Branyan

Craig Counsell

Jose Hernandez

Mark Loretta

Ronnie Belliard

Keith Ginter

Eric Young

Junior Spivey

Richie Sexson

Lyle Overbay

Making Your '00 Face: Second Base

Who should be the second baseman on the Brewer All Decade Team?

Ronnie Belliard

Keith Ginter

Bill Hall

Eric Young

Rickie Weeks

Junior Spivey

Wednesday's Frosty Mug

Toros! Toros! Toros! Baseball in Tucson lives on

Wednesday's Frosty Mug

Tuesday's Frosty Mug

Your Mike Aviles Mega-Projection

If Pressed, I Would Consider This Mike Aviles Mega-Projection:

Too Negative: I Am More Sanguine With Regard to Mike in 2009 Than These Systems

Accurate, or a Reasonably Accurate Looking Projection That Is

We've Found the Next Junior Spivey