SB Nation - Corey Patterson

Thursday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 16:20:18 -0000

by Brian Snyder - AP

Yes, Randy Wolf is a Brewer now.

Some things to read while remembering that "port" is "left."

Welcome to day one of the Randy Wolf era (FanShot). He'll make $29.5 million over the next three seasons, plus an option for 2010. Reaction to the deal has come from everywhere:

Miller Park Drunk credits the Brewers for signing the best available free agent.
Master Reid of Quevedo at the Buffet says it's a gamble the Brewers had to take at this point.
Erik Manning of FanGraphs explains why this deal shouldn't be compared to the Jeff Suppan signing.
Jordan also offered his thoughts on that topic, and reasonable expectations for Wolf.
Adam McCalvy noted that Wolf's deal is the third richest for a pitcher in team history.
Jorge Says No! says the Brewers are "going for it" in 2010.
Babes Love Baseball thinks the Brewers overpaid for him.
Aaron Gleeman says he'd rather have the deal Rich Harden signed with the Rangers.
Wolf's contract inspired Rob Neyer to write a two parter on the economics of player salaries.
Meanwhile, Diamond Leung has a quote from Wolf about the divorce situation with the McCourts that might have led to Wolf's departure from Los Angeles.

But, the Brewers weren't done there: They decided to burn a little extra money by overpaying for bullpen help. The result is a two-year, $7.5 million deal for LaTroy Hawkins (FanShot). The move ensures the Brewers will have at least three pitchers in their bullpen earning more than $3.5 million next season (Hoffman, Riske and now Hawkins), as well as two pitchers with closing experience, both of which are 37 or older. Two more links on Hawkins: one good, one bad.

Aaron Gleeman notes that Hawkins has posted a 3.35 ERA over the last six seasons, in 379 innings.
Brian McTaggart quoted Hawkins as being "very disappointed" about leaving Houston, which is pretty much exactly what you don't want to hear from a guy you just threw a lot of perfectly good money at.

Both signings and a few other topics came up in Doug Melvin's MLB Network interview last night, which Tristarscoop chronicled for us, in case you missed it.

Since then, Doug Melvin's had an interesting 12 hours or so. First, a valet lost the keys to his car. Then, after presumably getting a ride back to the meetings, Melvin raised his offer to Craig Counsell. Melvin seems confident a deal will get done, and if he's saying so, that means he's pretty sure. Counsell has also spoken to the Reds, but it doesn't sound like there's much happening there.

Meanwhile, what once looked like a sure thing still isn't done: Mark Mulder remains unsigned, and now the Royals are also showing interest in his services.(h/t MLB Trade Rumors)

The Brewers also filled one more spot on their 40 man roster, selecting Indians lefty Chuck Lofgren in the Rule 5 Draft (FanShot). In a later post, Baseball America called him one of the best stories taken. It sounds like he's had a rough couple of years, but he's a big, athletic lefty who throws hard (90-93), so he's exactly the kind of pitcher the Brewers should be seeking out to work with Rick Peterson.

Can't get enough Triple G? Batter's Box Interactive has some photos from a Gregg Zaun at bat in Toronto last season. Zaun was also the starting point for today's Thursday Thinker: stop back for that at noon.

You still have a few hours to cast your vote for a second baseman on our BCB All Decade Team. Voting for that position closes at 4 today. Prince Fielder officially became the first Brewer elected to the team yesterday. Voting for a shortstop opened yesterday and closes at 4 tomorrow. Voting at third base, perhaps the most ~~depressing~~ interesting choice on the team, will open at 4 today.

Around baseball:

Astros: Acquired reliever Matt Lindstrom from the Marlins for two minor leaguers and a PTBNL, and signed Brandon Lyon to a three year, $15 million deal.
Mariners: Signed Corey Patterson to a minor league deal. (FanShot) Also re-signed infielder Josh Wilson.
Mets: Re-negotiated their contract with Henry Blanco, due to concerns over the health of his shoulder.
Orioles: Acquired Kevin Millwood from the Rangers for reliever Chris Ray and a PTBNL.
Padres: Released pitcher Eulogio de la Cruz.
Rangers: Agreed to terms on a one year, $7.5 million deal with Rich Harden, with a club option for 2011 and acquired Mike Lowell from the Red Sox for catcher Max Ramirez.
Rays: Acquired Rafael Soriano from the Braves for reliever Jesse Chavez.
Red Sox: Acquired Boof Bonser from the Twins for a PTBNL or cash.
Royals: Released Mike Jacobs and pitcher John Bale
Tigers: Designated pitcher Freddy Dolsi and catcher Dusty Ryan for assignment.

Two former Brewers continue to search for work, and for once I'd rather have Jay Gibbons. Jason Kendall has received a two-year offer from the Royals, while Gibbons is drawing interest from the Dodgers.

While some players are looking for new teams. J.J. Hardy is busy making friends with his. He recently played in Harmon Killebrew's golf tournament, and the Hall of Famer had some nice things to say about him.

Easily the biggest trade at the meetings so far has been the three way deal involving the Tigers, Yankees and D-Backs. A lot of people are burying Arizona for giving up on Max Scherzer, but Patrick Sullivan of The Baseball Analysts and I agree: The Diamondbacks might come out ahead in this deal, trading a pitcher with an unsure future for two that might pitch in their rotation this season. Meanwhile, no one seems to mention that the Yankees traded two starters and a center fielder for one player.

Ever wonder what folks in minor league front offices do during the offseason? I don't know, but the Timber Rattlers' premiere episode of The Offseason would suggest they have some time on their hands.

With Jason Kendall gone, I guess we probably won't be talking about plunkings as much, and that's probably ok. With that said, Jeremy Greenhouse of The Baseball Analysts has a look at the probability of getting hit by a pitch, and what matchups and velocities make a batter most likely to get plunked.

It's been a pretty busy week at the Winter Meetings, and the flow of information has been dizzying at times. Just imagine how fast information would flow out if the internet was working.

Still looking for a gift for someone this holiday season? I might have a suggestion for you. Boys of Summer is a documentary chronicling Robert Cochrane and his father's summer long road trip to visit all 30 major league parks. The film is now available on DVD for the first time, with all proceeds going to the Michael J. Fox Foundation to help support research on Parkinson's Disease.

On this day in 1986, the Brewers sent Tim Crews and Tim Leary to the Dodgers for first baseman Greg Brock. Brock would go on to hit .261/.348/.387 over five seasons as a Brewer.

Happy birthday today to Doug Henry, who turns 46. Henry pitched the first four seasons of his major league career (1991-1994) as a Brewer, racking up 61 saves.

Drink up.

Rule 5 Applesauce - Rangers Sign Harden, Worrying About Pelfrey, Boras Speaks And Twitter Is Still Ridiculous

James Kannengieser — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 12:45:08 -0000

Former Rule 5 picks include Dan Uggla and our own Johan Santana, so you never know what gems might be found.

Meet the Mets

The Mets pick 7th in today's Rule 5 Draft. Check out Mark's list of potential picks from a few weeks back. MLBTradeRumors also offers up a preview.

Scott Boras says the Mets have the financial resources to sign any player they choose. He's probably right. The organization's real problem is determining which players to sign.

John Harper recently perpetuated the myth that Mike Pelfrey took a major step backwards in 2009, despite evidence that suggests otherwise. Ted Berg and Matt Cerrone weigh in on the topic.

Metstradamus riffs on the debunked Pat Burrell rumor and the possibility of signing Elmer Dessens. This had me laughing:

Funny how neither Dessens, Blanco, Pedro Martinez, Carlos Baerga, Mackey Sasser, nor anybody else with "intangibles" needed to be in the room to mentor Oliver when he signed that $36 million contract. Weird, huh?

Patrick Flood offers up his take on the inevitable Bengie Molina/Mets relationship.

Mets Police comments on the Sports Illustrated All-Decade team, which Carlos Beltran and Johan Santana were named too. MP also implies he would rather have Wally Backman on his team instead of Jeff Kent due to their respective effects on team chemistry. I'll take the probable Hall of Famer.

Around the NL East

Jayson Stark tweets that the Braves are only asking for prospects in return for Derek Lowe.

The Marlins traded Matt Lindstrom to the Astros for two minor leaguers and a PTBNL.

Federal Baseball wraps up the Nationals activity at the winter meetings.

The Good Phight is holding out hope for a Roy Halladay trade. Halladay, Lee and Hamels would be frightening and probably unstoppable.

Around MLB

The Royals offered Jason Kendall a two year contract. Umm, what?

The Mariners signed Corey Patterson to a minor league deal. Walkoff Walk has some advice for M's manager Don Wakamatsu regarding Patterson.

The Astros signed Brandon Lyon for three years, $15 million. Seems a bit excessive.

Mike Cameron's agent says his client has a special place in his heart for Seattle. Too bad the Mariners already have an awesome center fielder.

The Rangers signed Rich Harden and traded Kevin Millwood to the Orioles for Chris Ray. Evan Brunell at The Hardball Times weighs in.

The Changing of the O's

Stacey — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:12:47 -0000

2007 - Pre-MacPhail. 2010 - Based solely on current players. How much have we improved, really? Discuss. Is it fair to say that the only position where the 2010 Orioles are worse off than the 2007 Orioles is shortstop?

All lineups are based on who played that most games at that position in each year.

2007 Baltimore Orioles	2008 Baltimore Orioles	2009 Baltimore Orioles	2010 Baltimore Orioles
C: Ramon Hernandez	C: Ramon Hernandez	C: Matt Wieters	C: Matt Wieters
1B: Kevin Millar	1B: Kevin Millar	1B: Aubrey Huff	1B: Luke Scott
2B: Brian Roberts	2B: Brian Roberts	2B: Brian Roberts	2B: Brian Roberts
3B: Melvin Mora	3B: Melvin Mora	3B: Melvin Mora	3B: Ty Wigginton
SS: Miguel Tejada	SS: Juan Castro	SS: Cesar Izturis	SS: Cesar Izturis
LF: Jay Payton	LF: Luke Scott	LF: Nolan Reimold	LF: Felix Pie
CF: Corey Patterson	CF: Adam Jones	CF: Adam Jones	CF: Adam Jones
RF: Nick Markakis	RF: Nick Markakis	RF: Nick Markakis	RF: Nick Markakis
DH: Aubrey Huff	DH: Aubrey Huff	DH: Luke Scott	DH: Nolan Reimold

Taking a look at some early projections

KLSnow — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:35:51 -0000

More photos » by Morry Gash - AP

Can Rickie Weeks bounce back and have a strong 2010?

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Earlier this week, ACTA Sports sent me a preview of the hitter projections from 2010's Bill James Handbook. Obviously, it's still really early, but I found some of the projections interesting, so I thought I'd pass them along to you.

Let's start with your likely leadoff hitter for the 2010 Brewers:

Player	AB	AVG	OBP	SLG	R	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	K
Rickie Weeks	425	.259	.357	.449	80	48	23	5	16	56	100

It's probably worth noting that even Bill James, who tends to be relatively optimistic, doesn't project Weeks to play a full season in 2009 (he has him at 114 games). Even so, these numbers are probably a little optimistic. The .259 average is a slight drop from 2009, but the .357 OBP is actually 17 points higher. Weeks was off to a hot start slugging in 2009, posting a .517 slugging percentage, but this .449 projection would be easily the second highest of his career.

Other potential second basemen:

Player	AB	AVG	OBP	SLG	R	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	K
Felipe Lopez	565	.281	.352	.400	79	58	31	3	10	60	104
Craig Counsell	342	.246	.337	.327	45	25	15	2	3	42	51

While James has Lopez playing a full season, he projects to be less productive, losing 55 OPS points to Weeks. This line for Counsell looks fair, although the Brewers are likely in trouble if they actually need him for 342 ABs.

Follow the jump for lots more projections!

Both because he could feasibly bat #2 and because he's possibly the most interesting projection:

Player	AB	AVG	OBP	SLG	R	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	K
Alcides Escobar	504	.288	.326	.377	75	48	22	4	5	28	77

If Escobar can put up this kind of season and still play the level of defense we've come to expect from him, I'll be overjoyed. James also projects him to steal 42 bases in 54 attempts, adding roughly 18 bases to his value. The walk total may look low, but it's actually a bit optimistic: Escobar only averaged 23.3 walks per season over six years in the minors. Escobar's primary source of value will almost certainly always be his glove, but if he can put up a .700 OPS in the majors then he'll be a significantly above average contributor at short.

The other option, of course, is J.J. Hardy:

Player	AB	AVG	OBP	SLG	R	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	K
J.J. Hardy	528	.254	.320	.422	70	68	28	2	19	50	92

This isn't as strong of a bounce back as I was expecting to see. Certainly, Hardy adds a little bit of power over Escobar, but his OBP is actually a little lower, and his base-stealing ability is completely negligible (James projects Hardy to go 1-for-1 stealing bases). These numbers are roughly the midpoint between Hardy's very good 2008 season and extremely disappointing 2009.

Moving on, I think it's pretty safe to assume Ryan Braun will be batting third and playing left field on Opening Day, unless Anthony Witrado is promoted to GM:

Player	AB	AVG	OBP	SLG	R	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	K
Ryan Braun	615	.315	.378	.593	112	119	42	6	39	53	112

Those are MVP-quality numbers if ever I've seen them. Braun projects to be an elite player again next season, and if the award doesn't go to Albert Pujols (projected to go .333/.443/.642 with 44 home runs), Braun might have to be considered the frontrunner. These numbers would set new career highs in slugging, RBI, doubles and home runs, while tying a career low in strikeouts.

And, unless something changes before spring, Prince Fielder will likely be hitting behind Braun:

Player	AB	AVG	OBP	SLG	R	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	K
Prince Fielder	601	.286	.393	.574	103	124	37	2	44	96	135

With these numbers, Fielder would still be one of the National League's premier hitters, but his production would actually decline a bit from 2009's numbers in all three slash stats, RBI, home runs and walks. Fielder won't turn 26 until May, so it seems strange to project him to decline, even slightly. With that said, he'll still be one of the NL's elite hitters.

The way things stack up at present, the leading candidate to bat fifth and play third base is likely Casey McGehee:

Player	AB	AVG	OBP	SLG	R	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	K
Casey McGehee	492	.272	.328	.429	63	76	30	1	15	41	86

Like many of us, James expects McGehee to come back down to Earth a little, but these projections still have him as a solid-to-slightly above average third baseman. All three slash lines are significant steps down from the .301/.360/.499 numbers he put up in 2009.

The other option, of course, is some guy the Brewers have on the end of the bench:

Player	AB	AVG	OBP	SLG	R	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	K
Mat Gamel	455	.277	.354	.464	65	73	28	3	17	53	142

These projections, especially the OBP, seem a little high, but Gamel projects to outperform McGehee in nearly every way en route to a .818 OPS. This is yet another piece of evidence to be used in the argument that the Brewers should sell high on McGehee to make room for Gamel in the lineup.

(I know at least a few of you would probably like to see a projection for Adam Heether here, but he doesn't appear in James' projections. Sorry.)

Until told otherwise, I'm going to continue to assume Mike Cameron will return to play center field and bat sixth:

Player	AB	AVG	OBP	SLG	R	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	K
Mike Cameron	561	.237	,328	.428	79	74	32	3	23	71	171

These numbers aren't the best argument for opening the checkbook to keep him around. Clearly, James is expecting age to catch up with Cameron, who would lose 13 points in average, 14 in OBP, 24 in slugging, and strike out over 170 times for just the second time in his 16 year career. These numbers still aren't terrible, and combined with good defense Cameron is still likely an above average center fielder. But, with that said, paying anything like his $10 million 2009 salary for performance at this level is a questionable decision.

Dropping all the way to the seventh spot in the lineup in right field, here's Corey Hart:

Player	AB	AVG	OBP	SLG	R	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	K
Corey Hart	533	.272	.332	.467	78	76	37	5	19	43	110

This would actually be a pretty nice bounce-back season for Hart, with his highest batting average, slugging percentage and run total since 2007. Entering his age 28 season, it's possible Hart will never be the player we all thought he might be after hitting .295/.353/.539 three years ago, but these numbers would be acceptable for a corner outfielder.

While we're on the subject, here are the projections for some other outfielders on the Brewer roster:

Player	AB	AVG	OBP	SLG	R	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	K
Frank Catalanotto	110	.273	.360	.418	14	12	8	1	2	10	14
Jody Gerut	162	.259	.326	.420	23	20	9	1	5	14	25

I'm not sure either of these stat lines suggest either of these guys should play everyday, but they project to be solid fourth and fifth outfielders next season, and if it won't cost too much to do so, I'd be fine with bringing both back. Thankfully, there's no projection for Corey Patterson.

I'm preparing myself for disappointment by operating under the assumption that Jason Kendall will continue to catch and tie up the eighth spot in the batting order again next season.

Player	AB	AVG	OBP	SLG	R	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	K
Jason Kendall	409	.254	.338	.320	43	35	19	1	2	37	44

I'm not sure what James is smoking here, because even this lackluster projection seems a little too high. In two seasons as a Brewer, Kendall has hit ..244/.329/.315, and I'm not sure he can even repeat that at age 36, much less improve upon all three numbers. Kendall is likely getting the benefit of the doubt based on an extensive major league career, but recent evidence would suggest he's sliding downhill, not mounting a comeback. I'm not sure where one finds the data to support even a small offensive resurgence from a weak-hitting 36 year old catcher.

Interestingly enough, James' projections don't have Mike Rivera, but they do have Angel Salome:

Player	AB	AVG	OBP	SLG	R	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	K
Angel Salome	240	.296	.345	.442	30	39	15	1	6	18	45

This is much higher than I would have projected Salome, who I think might be the third best of the three internal options to replace Kendall next season (Sadly, Jonathan Lucroy is also not projected). With that said, Salome is projected to out-OPS Kendall by 129 points. Remember what it was like when the Brewers had a catcher that wasn't an offensive black hole? Me either. I'd love to see what that's like.

So, what do you think of these projections?

Wednesday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:03:58 -0000

More photos » by Julie Jacobson - AP

Dear front office: Please don't acquire Gary Matthews Jr., unless the Angels are willing to eat his salary AND take on Jeff Suppan's. Sincerely, Everyone

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Some things to read while getting a new backpack.

So apparently Gary Matthews Jr. wants out of Anaheim, and some Brewer fans (including Al) think he could be a good fit in center field next season, if the Angels agree to pay most of his salary. Meanwhile, Angels management is somewhere hoping and praying that there's one general manager left in baseball who thinks Matthews can be a productive major leaguer next season. Dave Cameron of FanGraphs notes that Matthews has been worth -$5.3 million in salary over the last three seasons. And while he was a pretty good defender at one point, TotalZone ranked him as the fourth worst defender in all of baseball last season. And he's 35 years old. On the scale of center fielders, Matthews is much closer to Corey Patterson than Mike Cameron.

The Milwaukee chapter of the BBWAA has unveiled their postseason awards, with Prince Fielder and Yovani Gallardo surprising no one by taking home Team MVP and Pitcher of the Year honors, respectively. Trevor Hoffman was named top newcomer, Todd Coffey was named Unsung Hero and Craig Counsell won the "Good Guy" award, which may be renamed for him when he retires. Mike Cameron also received two community service awards: one from the team and one from the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. Congratulations to all of them.

Speaking of Mike Cameron, he's one of two Brewers among the top 6 free agents by WAR. Cameron ranks sixth with 4.3 WAR, a couple spots down from Felipe Lopez, who is fourth with 4.6.

Josh Butler has a new blog post from the AFL. Today's topics include night games, strep throat and his repertoire. Butler has been home for a few days with strep but still expects to make his scheduled start today.

Unless another package of stuff shows up on my doorstep, today is your last chance to enter the Bring Back Seth McClung contest. As of this writing, 401 people have signed up. I'll draw seven winners from the group at 5 pm today.

There had previously been speculation that Doug Melvin could consider leaving the Brewers to become president of the Blue Jays. You can lay that rumor to rest: Interim President Paul Beeston has been given the full time job. Elsewhere around baseball:

Astros: Signed former Red Sox bench coach Brad Mills to be their new manager.
Rays: Signed Gabe Kapler to a one year deal for slightly more than $1 million.

As you may have heard, Mark McGwire is coming out of hiding to return to the Cardinals as hitting coach. Lookout Landing speculates on how his first meeting with Skip Schumaker might go.

Speaking of Lookout Landing, they spent the evening last night watching a winter league game in Venezuela, and have some observations on the experience.

Side note: Lookout Landing also has a link to free live broadcasts of VWL games, but when I clicked on it the first thing I got was a box asking for permission to connect to my Facebook account. Don't fall for it.

Still looking for a replacement for Jason Kendall? MLB Trade Rumors has a list of catchers that may be available via trade. Most of them aren't too exciting, but it's possible all of them would be better than Kendall next season.

So this is how the other half lives: As part of the McCourt divorce, Jamie McCourt has submitted a list of her monthly living expenses, which includes over $30,000 (per month) for clothing and accessories, over $1000 for wine, and $533 per month for a birthday party. Apparently when you're that wealthy, you get a birthday every month. Who knew?

Speaking of birthdays, happy birthday to:

Braden Looper, who turns 35.
Lenny Harris who spent 2002 as a Brewer and turns 45.
Mark Knudson, who appeared in 106 games as a Brewer in the late 80's and early 90's, and turns 49.
And Bob Melvin, who served as Phil Garner's bench coach and turns 48.

Staying on the subject of birthdays, Wezen-ball has compiled a calendar of Top Birthday WARs. So if you've ever wanted to know the best player born on your birthday, there you go. Mine is Joe Judge, who racked up 43.7 WAR playing first base for the Washington Senators from 1915 to 1932.

That's all I have for you today, unless you're someone in need of a list of unacceptable Halloween candy.

Drink up.

Brewers 6, Astros 0

KLSnow — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 20:58:53 -0000

More photos » by Darren Hauck - AP

Yovani Gallardo pitches during the first inning Sunday. Gallardo and three relievers combined to shut out the Astros.

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W: Yovani Gallardo (13-12)
L: Felipe Paulino (2-10)

HR: Corey Hart (12), Prince Fielder (40), Jody Gerut (8)

MVP: Yovani Gallardo (+.216)
LVP: Casey McGehee (-.036)

Win Expectancy Graph
SBNation Coverage

If you missed today's game to watch some other sport, you missed a bunch of milestones at Miller Park:

Yovani Gallardo, making his final start of the 2009 season, struck out seven batters in five innings. That leaves him with a season total of 204. He's just the fourth Brewer ever to record 200 strikeouts in a season.
Prince Fielder hit his 40th home run in the first inning, making him just the second Brewer in franchise history to reach 40 home runs twice. He also drew a walk in the fifth inning, becoming the first Brewer ever to reach 100 in a season. He drew his 101st in the eighth.
Ryan Braun picked up two hits today, and his fifth inning single was the 500th hit of his career.
Corey Patterson also singled in the fifth, picking up his first Brewer hit. He was later picked off.

Yovani Gallardo and three Brewer relievers didn't need much run support today, but the Brewer bats got them enough. The Brewers scored four runs off Felipe Paulino in the game, all on home runs, and added two more in the eighth while the Brewers combined to shut out the Astros. Remarkably, it's the ninth time the Astros have scored one run or less in 15 Paulino starts this season. Gallardo's final line: 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 7 K.

Carlos Villanueva (sixth inning), Chris Smith (seventh and eighth innings) and Mike Burns (ninth inning) combined to complete the shutout. With the win, the Brewers have won eight of their last ten games to inch back to within one game of .500.

Cubs Beat Brewers 13-7 In Walkathon

Al — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:52:15 -0000

More photos » by Charles Rex Arbogast - AP

Fortunately, Aramis wasn't hurt by this HBP, which drove in a run.

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It's been more than six years since the Cubs have walked as many times -- 12 -- as they did last night. That game, a 15-2 win over the Mets on March 31, 2003 in New York, featured a career day (two HR, seven RBI) from a man who appeared as a pinch-hitter for the Brewers on Tuesday night -- Corey Patterson.

Tuesday night's game was that kind of game. The Cubs beat the Brewers 13-7, scoring almost as many runs as the Bears had points (15) on Sunday, and it got closer when a former football player, Jeff Samardzija, given up two consolation runs to Milwaukee in the ninth inning.

More on walks: only six games since 1954 have featured more walks by a Cubs team, and only one of those -- a 20-9 win over the Giants on August 13, 1959 -- had even one HBP. Last night's game featured three. Two of them came in the Cubs' five-run sixth inning, and the second of those, to Aramis Ramirez, "drove" in a run. (Milton Bradley also got a RBI on a HBP, in the seventh.) The Cubs scored eight runs in their last three innings on only four hits and the 13-run outburst, the second-biggest of 2009, was accomplished with only one home run. The roundtripper came off the bat of Geovany Soto, who, perhaps better late than never, is beginning to hit like the Rookie of the Year we saw in 2008. Geo has started only seven games in September, but is hitting .360/.452/.800 in those games, with two homers and 12 RBI.

Even more on walks: the Cubs had two different players, Ryan Theriot and Derrek Lee, who walked four times. That's nowhere near a record, but Theriot, after striking out and singling in his first two times up, walked four consecutive times (off four different pitchers), and Lee was two-for-two (a single and a double) in his non-base-on-balls plate appearances. The Cubs overall sent 50 batters to the plate, but had only 34 official at-bats (the other 16: the 12 walks, the three HBP, and a deep fly ball to CF by Carlos Zambrano that went for a sacrifice fly).

Speaking of Z, Paul Sullivan's game story criticizes him for alleged antics during the Brewers' five-run fifth inning, after which Carlos was pulled (having thrown 103 pitches):

But Zambrano's histrionics overshadowed everything. During the five-run fifth, he showed up outfielder Bobby Scales by making faces and waving his hands when Scales didn't throw home on Ryan Braun's run-scoring single. Pitching coach Larry Rothschild came out to calm down Zambrano, but the pitcher made no eye contact during the visit.

I dunno. I didn't see it that way, although I also wondered why Scales made no attempt to throw to the plate on Braun's hit. It was a horrendous inning -- all the Brewers' action came after two were out and no one on base, and Z threw 39 pitches -- but the last two runs weren't really Z's fault. Ryan Theriot fumbled what should have been an inning-ending ground ball by Casey McGehee (after Z had intentionally walked Prince Fielder to load the bases), and Mike Cameron drove in the final pair of runs after that. Theriot's blunder was originally ruled an error, but later changed to a hit by the official scorer. It should have remained an error; a major league shortstop should make that play.

I doth, as the saying goes, protest too much. Z was dominant for the first four innings, allowing only a triple in the RF gap to Brewers rookie Alcides Escobar and hitting 95+ on the Wrigley Field boards showing pitch speed several times. It could have, and probably should have, been an easy six-inning quality start and win for Z. Instead, the win went to Aaron Heilman, who had an efficient scoreless sixth inning. Since August 12, in his last nine appearances Heilman has thrown 12 innings with nine strikeouts and a 1.50 ERA and more importantly, has issued only one walk during those nine outings. In fact, before Samardzija came in during garbage time, the bullpen did an excellent job of keeping the Brewers down while the Cubs were piling up walks and runs -- three hitless innings with only one walk from Heilman, Kevin Gregg and Esmailin Caridad.

An announced crowd of 38,986 included maybe 8,000 no-shows, as the ballpark filled up late despite a windier and slightly cooler night than Monday. Those who did come were treated to an enjoyable, if rather lengthy (three hours, 20 minutes) victory, the Cubs' 10th in 14 games in September. Do not give up, my friends. The Rockies lost again last night and the Cubs crept to within 5.5 games of the wild-card lead. It's still a longshot -- but possible. Keep the faith and go Cubs.

Rampant Speculation: Filling out a coaching staff for 2010

KLSnow — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 18:00:27 -0000

More photos » by Gene J. Puskar - AP

I don't think Ken Macha should return next season. If he doesn't, who should replace him?

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The last few weeks haven't gone so well for Ken Macha, and there's an increasing possibility that he will and/or should be let go after just one season at the helm in Milwaukee. Until a few weeks ago, I was indifferent on Macha, and felt like he was worthy of one more season in the job before a full evaluation was given. In the last few weeks, however, he's made several moves that I found troubling in both short and long term situations. Here are the offenses we've seen in the last few weeks, and why they worry me.

Mat Gamel. Gamel entered this season as either prospect #1 or 2 on nearly everyone's prospect list, and was fully expected to contribute to the team this season. He made his 2009 debut on May 14, but stagnated on the bench for much of the next two months, picking up just 113 at bats in 57 team games. Despite posting a .267/.341/.493 line as a third baseman, he played in just 23 games there. Since being recalled, he's received just one pinch hit AB. He last appeared in a game on Wednesday: He entered the game as a pinch hitter and was removed without hitting (in a 5-0 game) when Tony La Russa changed pitchers.

Gamel entered the 2009 season as a key element in the Brewers' future plans, but Macha's decision to let him sit on the bench in May, June and now September may have cost him three months of development time this season, and now he could be sent back to Nashville to open 2010. I disagree with but understand the decision to play Casey McGehee more down the stretch, but burying Gamel at the end of the bench is a poor long term decision.

J.J. Hardy/Alcides Escobar. This is a tough situation, and even an expert manager may occasionally struggle with it. The Brewers have a league average at worst major league shortstop in J.J. Hardy, and a potential star in the making in Alcides Escobar, but both can only play one position, so Macha is forced to find a way for the two to split time and do the best he can with what he has. It's possible there's no correct answer, but some answers are certainly more wrong than others, and the way this situation has been handled was bad for several reasons:

When Hardy returned, Macha immediately started him on back to back days. The Brewers have done their best to deny sending Hardy down purely to delay his service clock. So, if Hardy didn't actually give the Brewers the best chance to win in Macha's opinion, then why did heimmediately slot back in as the starting shortstop upon his return?
Alcides Escobar, meanwhile, has been bounced around with and messed with in the lineup (batting ninth for his first several starts), when he plays at all. There is a legit argument to be made for batting a position player ninth in a properly constructed lineup. With that said, the fact that Escobar was the only position player to start in the nine hole this season doesn't make sense when considering we're talking about a top prospect and one of the potential faces of the franchise. Escobar has a hit in four of his last five games, but has played in just six of the team's 13 games in September.
Craig Counsell started at short yesterday. As I mentioned above, Macha is in a tough spot with two players who deserve and/or need to play, but he made that problem worse yesterday by benching them both to start a 39-year-old utility infielder. Counsell is having a nice season and several of us like him for various reasons and roles, but there's no excuse for taking opportunities away from Hardy and Escobar to give them to him.

Corey Patterson. He's been to the plate 3751 times this decade, and hit .252/.290/.405. Among players with at least 3000 PAs since 2000, he has the lowest OBP and the 11th lowest OPS. He's coming off a spring that saw him get released by baseball's worst team. Why he's on anyone's roster is a legit question, but Ken Macha started him and batted him leadoff on back to back days against the Cardinals last week. For perspective: Bill Hall's career OBP is 22 points higher than Patterson's. If Bill Hall had started in center and batted leadoff, there would have been enormous howls of protest. Macha found a way to do something worse. The next day, he did it again.

Ryan Braun. Braun has rested in two of the last seven games, for reasons that may or may not be medical. This by itself isn't a cause for alarm, but Macha's decision to tell the media Braun had a sore shoulder without talking to Braun about it was. Braun adamantly denied any issues to reporters, but the fact that the manager and his star player didn't make sure they had their story straight implies either a lack of communication or a communication failure. If something like this had happened with a role player, it wouldn't be important, but when it happens with one of your stars, it's a cause for concern.

Jason Kendall. We cover this topic a lot so I won't belabor it. Jason Kendall is one of baseball's worst hitters, and despite repeated evidence that the Brewers may have better options available, Kendall started nearly every game for several months this season. He's playing less and hitting better lately, but the fact that it took this long to realize a 35-year-old catcher with a .295 slugging percentage shouldn't catch every day is unfathomable.

Now, let me make myself perfectly clear: Ken Macha isn't the only thing wrong with the 2009 Brewers. Even with another manager at the helm, this was probably not a playoff team and almost certainly not a better team than last season. With that said, I think Macha has shown us enough to make the decision that he's not the best manager for this team, and it's time to move on.

Follow the jump for the 2010 coaching staff I would assemble, and feel free to offer yours in the comments.

Manager: Dale Sveum. In hindsight, maybe Sveum should have been retained after finishing the season last year. Familiarity is the key for me here: Sveum has been with the team long enough to watch much of the young core develop. He knows their strengths and weaknesses, what they can and can't do and how they should and shouldn't be handled. He has limited managerial experience, but his brief run as manager in 2008 makes him a somewhat known commodity for the organization and its fans. He's a rare opportunity to provide a fresh face for the organization while also retaining a tie to recent success.

A quick aside - It's possible the managerial search before this season was one of the worst in recent memory. Consider the candidates:

Ken Macha, who we're already talking about firing.
Bob Brenly, who has gone on to repeatedly embarrass himself discussing the Brewers on Cubs TV broadcasts.
Willie Randolph, fresh off a train wreck of a managerial career in New York
Dale Sveum.

There's two candidates there who would have been terrible, a third that hasn't been very good, and one dismissed first for lack of experience. Maybe they should have looked a little harder.

Bench coach: Don Money. I'd love to keep Willie Randolph in this role and feel like he's done a lot of good here, but I suspect that he'll leave if Ken Macha is fired and he isn't hired to replace him. That's unfortunate, but the Brewers have another pretty talented manager-in-waiting with a track record with the organization in Don Money. He's managed over 1300 games over the last ten seasons in the minor leagues, and worked his way up the ladder with a lot of the Brewers' homegrown talent, having managed everyone from Prince Fielder and Rickie Weeks to Mat Gamel and Alcides Escobar. Again, I like the familiarity with the organization here: Money was involved in the development of a lot of the organization's present and future, and hopefully he can use that experience to put those players in the best position to succeed in Milwaukee.

Pitching coach: Chris Bosio. Again, familiarity with the organization is a nice asset. I'm not really comfortable evaluating Bosio based on his limited amount of time with the major league team, and I'm optimistic enough about him to give him a full season to work with in 2010.

Bullpen coach: Stan Kyles. I don't think I've seen a word written about Kyles one way or the other since spring training. That's not exactly a ringing endorsement, but it's not a reason to fire him, either. He stays.

Third base coach: Frank Kremblas. After managing for four years in Nashville, Kremblas left the organization this offseason to take the same job with Indianapolis in the Pirates' organization. Would he come back to the Brewers? It's hard to say, but I'd guess the lure of coaching in the big leagues and avoiding the bus rides of the minors is pretty strong. Like Sveum, Money and Bosio, Kremblas has extensive experience with many of the young players that will be the core of this team going forward, and like Money, he's managed over 1300 minor league games, so he'll be another voice of experience in the clubhouse.

First base coach: Ed Sedar. I see no reason to replace him, but also no reason to promote him. So I'll leave him where he is.

This would be a relatively young and major league experience-light coaching staff, but I think they're exactly what the 2010 Brewers will need: Someone who is familiar with and will understand the young core of this team, and will put them in positions to succeed and produce results at the major league level. The Brewers have built a pretty nice core of young talent, now it's time to put together a coaching staff that can maximize it.

What do you think? Do you like this staff? Would you change anything? Am I completely off base? Have at it. Speculation is fun.

Tuesday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 14:50:04 -0000

More photos » by Paul Beaty - AP

The Brewers kept both Alcides Escobar and J.J. Hardy on the bench yesterday so Craig Counsell could play short. Is that enough to get Ken Macha fired?

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Some things to read while running down from the attic to answer the door.

Ryan Braun was out of the lineup yesterday for the second time in seven games, but this time Braun and Ken Macha had their story straight, and referred to it as just an off day. Braun was hit by a pitch in a pinch hit appearance, raising his season total to 12. Plunk Everyone notes that Braun had only been hit 13 times in his first two seasons, and could double his career total in 2009.

Prince Fielder had a rough day yesterday at the plate, but continues to be the focus of speculation regarding offseason trade possibilities. Buster Olney thinks Fielder could be a fit for the Red Sox next season. Tom H. thinks the Brewers would need to get multiple pitchers in return for Prince, and MLB Daily Dish isn't sure where the Red Sox would find the financial flexibility or playing time for him. Meanwhile, Bob Brenly, ever the pompous douchebag, compared his jersey to an infield tarp.

Meanwhile, there's a new J.J. Hardy rumor out there. Prospect Insider is citing "a source close enough to the situation" as saying the Brewers fully expect to trade J.J. Hardy this offseason. That's not really surprising in the least, but it is something like a confirmation of what we expected.

The Brewers may have a roster move to announce before tonight's game: The Contra Costa Times is reporting that Josh Butler, possibly the fastest rising pitcher in the Brewer organization this season, has joined the team in Chicago and is expected to be in uniform today. (h/t Brewerfan.net) Butler could be a candidate to start on Friday if Manny Parra still can't go. Before that can happen, though, the Brewers will have to clear a 40 man roster spot to make room for him. If anyone who's not Corey Patterson is DFA'd, I may break something.

Yovani Gallardo will return to action tonight for the first time since skipping a start last week, and for the first time at Wrigley Field since that thing I'd prefer we didn't talk about. He's looking forward to getting back out there, and Quevedo at the Buffet is looking forward to watching him take on Carlos Zambrano tonight.

Here's something I never, ever would have expected to say: The Brewers can only hope Gallardo's performance tonight will compare to Jeff Suppan's performance last night. Suppan pitched very well despite continued soreness in his oblique which is preventing him from swinging the bat. Suppan bunted with the bases empty in both at bats last night, which is a really puzzling decision...even if he just stood there and took three strikes, he at least would have forced Ryan Dempster to throw six pitches.

Miller Park Drunk has video and a thought-by-thought breakdown of Alcides Escobar making one of this season's greatest defensive plays over the weekend. After Escobar made that play, Ken Macha responded by sitting him on the bench yesterday so Craig Counsell could start at short.

Two weeks ago, I was indifferent on Macha. Now, I'd applaud the move if he were fired today. Macha checks in at #5 on Jon Heyman's list of managers on the hot seat. Heyman also notes that the Brewers have a replacement in waiting in Willie Randolph. If you didn't shudder when reading that, you should have. Dale Sveum is also still on the staff, and at the moment he'd be my first choice.

As great as Felipe Lopez has been as a Brewer over the last couple of months, it feels like there's a new story about his lack of hustle every couple of weeks. Last night he didn't run out a dropped liner that might have changed the complexion of the game in the late innings. Everything Lopez has done this season would suggest he'd be a solid long-term investment, but these little lapses (along with his performance after his last big contract) make him a major candidate to disappoint someone next season.

Mark DiFelice got some good news yesterday, as an MRI showed no structural damage in his sore shoulder. With that said, there's no reason he should pitch again in 2009: The Brewers have more than enough arms in the bullpen, and getting some rest can't possibly hurt at this point.

You'd never guess it by looking at this winter's prospective free agents, but FanGraphs says we're witnessing the golden age of center fielders. And yes, the Brewers started Corey Patterson in center for back to back games during said "Golden Age."

In the minors:

Matthew Pouliot of Circling the Bases has the OPS leaderboard from the PCL, and Adam Heether checked in at #9 this season, significantly ahead of both Mat Gamel and Alcides Escobar.
Brett Lawrie went 1-for-5 with a walk as Team Canada fell to Australia in 10 innings in Baseball World Cup play yesterday. The Canadians are now 0-2 in second round play. (h/t Rattler Radio)

On power rankings and whatnot:

WhatifSports has the Brewers holding steady at #18.
The Sporting News dropped the Brewers one spot to 19th.
Andy Seiler's draft projections have the Brewers picking 12th next June.

Even when they're not winners on the field, the Brewers are winning at the box office this season: Beyond the Box Score has a chart showing that the Brewers are drawing over 40,000 fans per win in 2009, the second highest total in the National League.

Around baseball:

Indians: Placed reliever Joe Smith on the DL with a left knee injury.

I'm working on starting a new trend, feel free to help me out. Every time someone stops by the comments section to complain about strikeouts, I plan on posting the following quote from this Circling the Bases post:

Among all hitters with at least 400 plate appearances this season, the 10 guys who strike out most often have an average OPS of .938 and the 10 guys who strike out least often have an average OPS of .753.

Read it over and over again if you have to.

Yesterday I mentioned that Brewer cleanup hitters (see Fielder, Prince) have the highest OPS in all of baseball. On the other end of that list are the Kansas City Royals, whose cleanup spot is the third worst held by a position player in all of baseball. I'll agree with the theory that most lineup tinkering doesn't create a huge difference, but the Royals are proof that, if you try hard enough, you can really screw it up.

As this season draws to a close, so does the career of Hall of Fame beat writer Hal McCoy. Today's story is about his relationship with Aaron Boone, and how it extended his career. It's worth a few minutes of your time.

On this day in 2007, Prince Fielder hit his 46th home run, setting a new franchise record. The Brewers beat the Reds, 5-3.

And, of course, today is the one year anniversary of the firing of Ned Yost. Celebrate accordingly. This year's parade plans fell through. Instead, I'm planning on leaving something in the toaster until it starts on fire, then attempting to put it out with gasoline. When the police come to investigate the fire I'll tell them, "Toasty really battled today."

I don't have a Brewer birthday today, but isn't the Yost anniversary enough? If you need a birthday, Gaylord Perry is 71.

Drink up.

Thursday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 14:12:16 -0000

by Morry Gash - AP

Ken Macha argues a call with third base umpire Larry Vanover during the first inning Wednesday. A case can be made that neither man should hold their present job next season.

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Some things to read while the sausages run the Preakness.

The Brewers are (mercifully?) off today, giving us a day to ponder Ken Macha's future. Batting Corey Patterson in the leadoff spot was the last straw for Brewers Daily, and Keep Turning Up the Heat doesn't understand his decision-making process with Mat Gamel. I'm not quite ready to call for Macha's head...but right now I wouldn't be disappointed if he were let go.

Keith Law has spent the last three days at Miller Park, and was disappointed by Macha's decision to use Gamel as a pinch hitter, then remove him before he actually got to bat. He also had some thoughts on Jason Kendall, Corey Patterson, and several interesting musical selections.

This probably wasn't the best week to watch a Brewer homestand, as the Brewers were dominated by Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright once again. With Wainwright's performance yesterday, the Brewers scored just one run in 39.1 innings pitched by Wainwright and Carpenter at Miller Park this season.

Brewer pitchers have actually only allowed 22 runs (slightly more than 3 per game) over the last seven games, but the bats have been shut down, and almost any bats could be shut down by the pitchers the Brewers have faced recently. Take a look back at the last nine days' opponents:

Joel Pineiro (14-9, 3.28)
Chris Carpenter (16-3, 2.16)
John Smoltz (1-1, 3.27 in the NL)
Barry Zito (9-12, 3.99)
Matt Cain (13-4, 2.51)
Jonathan Sanchez (6-11, 4.03)
Carpenter again
Smoltz again
Adam Wainwright (18-7, 2.59)

The Brewers have faced four starting pitchers with an ERA under 2.60 and just one with an ERA over 4.00 in the last nine games. It's probably not surprising they only won two of them.

With Derek Jeter tying Lou Gehrig for the Yankees' franchise lead in career hits, Baseball Digest Daily has a look at each franchise's active hits leader. Prince Fielder leads all current Brewers with 649, good for 21st most all time. If he picks up 19 more hits in 2009, he'll pass Dave May, Ted Simmons and Bill Hall for 18th place.

In the minors:

The Pioneer League season continues through the end of the week, and in what might be his final rookie league start, Eric Arnett pitched his longest professional outing yesterday, allowing two earned runs in 5.2 innings. He'll likely start 2009 in Wisconsin, but could feasibly be fast-tracked to Brevard County if he gets off to a good start.
Speaking of Wisconsin, Brock Kjeldgaard wrote himself into the Timber Rattler record books this season by striking out 172 times, most in team history. He also finished in the all-time top ten in games, home runs, RBI, total bases and walks. Kjeldgaard set a Pioneer League record by striking out 113 times for Helena last season.

The Brewers dropped two spots to 20th in MLB FanHouse's Power Rankings.

Around baseball:

Giants: Designated reliever Osiris Matos for assignment.
Phillies: Released Rodrigo Lopez.
Rockies: Designated Adam Eaton for assignment.

Joe Posnanski stumbled across a pretty fascinating stat this week: David DeJesus, who leads the Royals in walks, would be ninth on the Dodgers. A little plate discipline goes a long way.

A little water damage goes a long way, too. Less than one year after completing construction, the Mets are already battling water damage in suites at Citi Field, along with a host of other constructional and structural issues. Some franchises stretch their curses out over decades: The Mets are getting it all in 2009.

On this day in 1973, Jim Colborn pitched a complete game and led the Brewers to a 6-5 victory over the Tigers. It was the Brewers' 70th win, the first time in the franchise's five year history they'd reached thay mark. They went 4-15 the rest of the way to finish at 74-88.

I don't have any birthdays today, unless it's your birthday: In that case, happy birthday to you.

Oh, and the next time you're trying to take a family photo, you may want to check the background for donkeys.

Drink up.