SB Nation - Geoff Jenkins

Wednesday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 15:16:15 -0000

Mark DiFelice hopes to pitch for the Brewers again in 2011.

Some things to read while choosing carefully.

Well, this was bound to happen eventually: There's virtually no Brewer news today. Today's top story is the $100,000 minor league deal given to Mark DiFelice, who will spend the 2010 season rehabbing with Brewer trainers in the hope of returning to the mound with the Crew in 2011 (FanShot).

Elsewhere, Marc Hulet of FanGraphs has a look at the last few Brewer drafts, from a somewhat pessimistic point of view. The Brewer organization is down a bit and there's certainly not a lot of depth to speak of, but I think they deserve a little more credit than that.

I recently contributed to a discussion on the NL Central's moves at the Winter Meetings over at The Nats Blog, along with seven other NL Central sites.

We're continuing to plug away at the BCB All Decade Team. You have until 4 pm today to vote for our final starting outfielder, and 4 pm tomorrow to vote for our first bench infield spot. Geoff Jenkins has a pretty commanding lead in the former, but Craig Counsell's lead is much smaller in the latter. A new vote will open at 4 today.

Around baseball:

Royals: Are expected to sign former Twins pitcher Phil Humber to a minor league deal.
White Sox: Acquired Juan Pierre and cash from the Dodgers for two PTBNL.

Meanwhile, side deals are being struck to go along with the not-yet-official Mariners-Phillies-Blue Jays deal involving Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay: When/if the deal becomes official, the Blue Jays will send outfielder Michael Taylor to the A's for third baseman Brett Wallace, recently acquired in the Matt Holliday deal.

In a financially larger transaction, the Rangers are one large step closer to having a new owner, as Tom Hicks has selected a group of investors including current team president Nolan Ryan to begin negotiations.

Not much else going on, so I guess we can talk about a couple of former Brewers: The B-Ref blog has a look at some of the unique facets of Mike Cameron's career. He's in elite company on some relatively significant all-time lists. The Transaction Oracle projects him to hit .252/.349/.442 in 2010.

Meanwhile, I know I said I'd try to go the rest of the week without mentioning Jason Kendall, but this Transaction Oracle quote is a little too good to pass up:

Seriously, if the Royals gave me $1 million to me to kick Moore in the crotch, they'd be better off from both a financial and a baseball standpoint.

How about a note about a former Brewer catcher that was actually pretty good? Cardboard Gods has a post where at least a couple of paragraphs are about Darrell Porter.

Here's a study I'd like to see someone duplicate for the Brewers: DRaysBay has a look at variations in the 2009 Rays' attendance based on starting pitcher. There's a lot of factors to consider (opponent, day of the week, position in the standings), but I wouldn't be surprised to discover the Brewers lost a fair chunk of attendance on days when Jeff Suppan or Braden Looper pitched down the stretch last season.

Speaking of things someone could duplicate for the Brewers, FishStripes has a Marlins add-on for Firefox. I'm not sure what exactly that entails, but if someone made a Brewer one and it didn't get in the way while I'm trying to work, I'd use it.

It's possible it's just something to do for the sake of pretending to do something, but Bud Selig has formed a committee to consider and address on-field improvements for the game, and one writer (Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune) thinks it might be the first step towards a legitimate challenge of the DH rule. (h/t BBTF) Craig Calcaterra, however, threw some cold water on the theory.

On this day in 1999, the Brewers signed Jose Hernandez to a three year, $10 million deal. Hernandez had one very good season as a Brewer and made the All Star team in 2002, but also struck out 498 times in three seasons, leading the NL in two of his three years.

On this day in 2002, the Brewers traded Ray King to the Braves for Wes Helms and John Foster. Helms spent three years as a Brewer, hitting .268/.335/.425. Somehow, I remember him being much worse than that.

Happy birthday today to:

Alcides Escobar, who turns 23.
2003-2004 Brewer Matt Kinney, who turns 33.
Former Brewer first round pick and 1975 Brewer Tommy Bianco, who turns 57.

Drink up.

Tuesday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:38:02 -0000

More photos » by Jeff Curry - AP

Craig Counsell slides right into the projected 2010 roster.

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Some things to read while she digs for her phone.

It's finally time to back off the comments about Randy Wolf not wanting to be here. Wolf said all the right things in his introductory press conference yesterday, and now actually appears happy to be a Brewer. Jen Lada was also at the press conference, and tweeted four quotes giving a nice feel for Wolf and the organization's excitement to have him.

The Brewers also announced Craig Counsell's new deal yesterday (FanShot). Counsell will earn $2.1 million next season along with some playing time incentives. The Bucky Channel says moves like this one are "crucial when trying to make a smaller market team a contender." Fire Doug Melvin is fine with the move, as long as Counsell doesn't take playing time away from Mat Gamel.

With Wolf and Counsell officially on board and LaTroy Hawkins (physical on Wednesday) and Claudio Vargas (physical on Friday) expected to be added by the end of the week, Adam McCalvy notes that the Brewer 40 man roster is about to be full, which might mark the end of any major Brewer moves in free agency. Two notes on that:

If you're still waiting for the Brewers to sign another starting pitcher, odds are you'll be waiting for a while. Adam McCalvy said Doug Melvin probably regrets comments he made months ago suggesting the Brewers were looking to sign two starters.
Secondly, the 40 man roster may be full, but it's a "soft" full. Room could almost certainly be made by outrighting new acquisition Luis Cruz or Tim Dillard, who would most likely go unclaimed at a time of year when no one has many 40 man spots to spare.

The roster crunch was one of the reasons cited for non-tendering Mike Rivera. Brewed Sports isn't too happy with the decision, and also notes that non-tendering the team's lone returning catcher pokes a hole in arguments used to support starting Jason Kendall last season.

Speaking of crowded situations, you can add David Riske to the list of pitchers to pencil into a bullpen spot to start the season. Doug Melvin said Riske expects to be ready for spring training (FanShot). That's bad news for Chris Smith, Chris Narveson, Zach Braddock and Chuck Lofgren, among others, who now may be fighting for one roster spot. If Mark DiFelice hadn't gone down, they'd all come to Maryvale on the outside looking in. A lot can happen between now and then, of course.

And speaking of Chris Smith, Brewerfan.net asked someone from the Brewer organization to verify some of their option info, and discovered that Smith doesn't have any options left. Obviously, Smith wouldn't be a major loss, but it's possible someone would claim him if he were available.

Meanwhile, we reached the final conclusion of the Mike Cameron era in Milwaukee yesterday, as he agreed to a two year deal with the Red Sox (FanShot). Cameron's strikeouts and one memorable dropped fly ball made him a polarizing talent as a Brewer, but most advanced metrics seem to agree on his significant value, and you'll rarely hear anything negative said about him as a teammate and clubhouse presence. If you missed it last night, Jordan has a goodbye post for him.

How lucky are the Brewers to have Ryan Braun? I think we occasionally forget how rare it is for a player to have an impact as immediate as his in the major leagues. Braun hit the second most home runs of any major leaguer in their first 162 games, and also collected the tenth most hits, making him the only player to appear on both lists.

Speaking of luck, Braden Looper's 14 wins last season made him the most unlikely winner in major league history.

Another day, another new poll for our BCB All Decade Team. You have until 4 pm today to select a catcher, and until 4 pm tomorrow to select our final starting outfielder. So far Damian Miller and Geoff Jenkins are leading those votes, respectively.

After looking at the candidates at catcher, I'm starting to wish I had gone this route instead: Camden Chat has an All-Awful lineup for the 2000-2009 Orioles.

And actually, speaking of awful: Rob Neyer has a ranking of the Top 100 players of the 2000's, and while former Brewers CC Sabathia (#25), Mike Cameron (#36), Ray Durham (#71), Jose Valentin (#88) and Corey Koskie (#92) are on it, Prince Fielder is nowhere to be found.

Around baseball:

Angels: Signed Hideki Matsui to a one year, $6.5 million deal.
Astros: Re-signed outfielder Jason Michaels to a one year deal.
Blue Jays: Signed catcher Ramon Castro to a one year, $1 million deal.
Mariners: Signed catcher Eliezer Alfonzo to a minor league deal.
Marlins: Signed pitcher Clay Hensley to a minor league deal.

Of course, the biggest transaction "announced" yesterday appears to be far from done, and may take several days to be made official: A three way deal would send Roy Halladay to the Phillies, Cliff Lee to the Mariners and prospects to the Blue Jays. You might recognize this trade as one several bloggers mocked Ken Rosenthal for suggesting over the weekend. I guess he knows something after all.

Happy birthday today to 2005-2006 Brewer Rick Helling, who turns 39.

Drink up.

Making Your '00 Face: Final starting outfielder

KLSnow — Mon, 14 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.

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

Voting for a catcher opened yesterday and will close at 4 pm tomorrow. Today we need to select our final outfielder. I've narrowed the list a little, removing some players who did not receive significant support in their first time on the ballot:

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.

Geoff Jenkins

Seasons as a Brewer: 8, 2000-2007*
Slash line as a Brewer: .276/.348/.496
UZR (Fielding) as a Brewer: +12.7 runs**
WAR as a Brewer: 15.2

* - Jenkins was also a Brewer from 1998-1999.
** - Data only includes 2002-2007 seasons.

Carlos Lee

Seasons as a Brewer: 2, 2005-2006
Slash line as a Brewer: .273/.333/.511
UZR (Fielding) as a Brewer: -23 runs
WAR as a Brewer: 2.1

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

Scott Podsednik

Seasons as a Brewer: 2, 2003-2004
Slash line as a Brewer: .276/.344/.401
UZR (Fielding) as a Brewer: -11.3 runs

WAR as a Brewer: 8.7

Poll

Who should be the third outfielder on our BCB All Decade Team?

Jeromy Burnitz

15 votes

Geoff Jenkins

419 votes

Carlos Lee

67 votes

Brady Clark

4 votes

Scott Podsednik

14 votes

519 votes | Poll has closed

Making Your '00 Face: Corner outfielder

KLSnow — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 22:00:18 -0000

First Base: Prince Fielder
Second Base: Rickie Weeks
Shortstop: J.J. Hardy

Voting for third basemen opened yesterday and will close at 4 pm tomorrow. Over the next few days we're going to jump around a bit: Today we'll unveil the candidates for our first outfield spot. In this case, we're looking at guys who played one of the corners:

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.

Geoff Jenkins

Seasons as a Brewer: 8, 2000-2007*
Slash line as a Brewer: .276/.348/.496
UZR (Fielding) as a Brewer: +12.7 runs**
WAR as a Brewer: 15.2

* - Jenkins was also a Brewer from 1998-1999.
** - Data only includes 2002-2007 seasons.

Brady Clark

Seasons as a Brewer: 4, 2003-2006
Slash line as a Brewer: .284/.361/.393
UZR (Fielding) as a Brewer: +1.3 runs
WAR as a Brewer: 5.8

Corey Hart

Seasons as a Brewer: 6, 2004-2009
Slash line as a Brewer: .273/.326/.470
UZR (Fielding) as a Brewer: -5.2 runs
WAR as a Brewer: 6.6

Carlos Lee

Seasons as a Brewer: 2, 2005-2006
Slash line as a Brewer: .273/.333/.511
UZR (Fielding) as a Brewer: -23 runs
WAR as a Brewer: 2.1

Ryan Braun

Seasons as a Brewer: 3, 2007-2009*
Slash line as a Brewer: .308/.363/.574
UZR (Fielding) as a Brewer: -17.6 runs
WAR as a Brewer: 9.7

* - Braun spent the 2007 season at third base.

Poll

Who should be the first corner outfielder on the BCB All Decade Team?

Jeromy Burnitz

5 votes

Geoff Jenkins

164 votes

Brady Clark

1 votes

Corey Hart

1 votes

Carlos Lee

16 votes

Ryan Braun

255 votes

442 votes | Poll has closed

Yanks vs. Phils: The Tale of the Tape.

Rubie Q — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:00:42 -0000

More photos » by Kathy Willens - AP

Is CC Sabathia enough to shift the tale of the tape toward the Yankees?

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You're a discerning baseball fan. You're an intelligent baseball fan. You can seamlessly work 'WAR' and 'wOBA' and 'FIP' into a barroom/restroom debate and impress the pants off of whomever you're talking to. You're ready to get your last fix of baseball before the long, cold winter of rampant speculation -- followed, of course, by the spring of irrational exuberance -- but, you're wondering: How do the Yankees and Phillies stack up against each other ... in matters beyond the box score?

You're in the right place, friend. After the jump: Yanks vs. Phils: The Tale of the Tape. (Note: we're required by federal law to note that this breakdown is for entertainment purposes only. However, should you choose to use this information in a friendly, handshake wager with an acquaintance: God help you.)

THE MASCOTS: WHAT'S A YANKEE? WHAT'S A PHILLIE?

YANKEES: Depends where you're living. If you're in the South, it's a person who lived in the Union during the War of Northern Aggression. (Er, Civil War. Sorry.) If you're in Europe, it's all of us across the pond in the States. If you're in Boston, it's an [CENSORED] with a [CENSORED] [CENSORED] who loves to [CENSORED] his [CENSORED] with a [CENSORED] like a typical [CENSORED] [CENSORED] and sometimes invites his [CENSORED] [CENSORED] [CENSORED] to join in, when he's not [CENSORED] [CENSORED] to pictures of Derek Jeter. [CENSORED].

PHILLIES: It's just an abbreviation of "Philadelphia." Lay-zee. I'm glad that trend didn't catch on; I wouldn't want to follow the Milwaukee Walkies. (Or Milwaukee Millies.) Though it would be fun to make fun of the Minnesota Minnies. (Side note to our friends in Minneapolis: send me a note next April from your open-air stadium. Give me an update on Joe Mauer's frostbite. I'm sure the sight of icicles forming on his sideburns will be stunning.)

ADVANTAGE: Yankees.

UNDERRATED PLAYER:

YANKEES: To the extent that any Yankee can be underrated (and, at this point, I feel like I know more about Phil Coke (favorite band: Genesis, but when Peter Gabriel was in the group, not when Phil Collins took over the vocals and they started churning out crap like I Can't Dance) and Phil Hughes (favorite movie: A Walk In The Clouds) than I do about members of my immediate family), I guess it'd be Nick Swisher. Did you know he put together a 3.7 WAR year? (Yes, TheJay, I know you did. I'm talking about the non-cyborg members of BCB.)

PHILLIES: Chase Utley. Yeah, I know, he gets plenty of pub, but I've seen people (cough Jon Heyman cough) voting Ryan Howard ahead of Utley in the MVP voting. This, in a word, is insane. (Don’t believe me? Talk to Jordan. I believe he’s prepared a multi-volume treatise on this topic, in case you’re looking for bedtime reading.) .282/.397/.509 from a second baseman with plus defense? Yes, please. Where do I sign up?

ADVANTAGE: Phils.

NUMBER OF "TRUE YANKEES" ON THE TEAM:

YANKEES: Four. (Jeter, Posada, Pettitte, Rivera. That's it. The rest of yous can't hold a candle to Scott Brosius and Chad Curtis.)

PHILLIES: None.

ADVANTAGE: Yanks.

TREASURED TEAM RELIC:

YANKEES: They've got a whole monument park. Pick anything out there behind the left field wall.

PHILLIES: Jamie Moyer.

ADVANTAGE: Phils.

PLAYER WHO MOST RESEMBLES A WWE SUPERSTAR:

YANKEES: This is tough. I'll be honest: I really just wanted to talk about the Phillies on this one. The best I could come up with is CC and the WWE's Mark Henry:

via z.about.com via www.criticalbench.com

PHILLIES: Jayson Werth. I'll bet you a two-liter that he's moonlighting as the WWE's Edge.

via www3.allaroundphilly.com via www.poptower.com

Eerie, ain't it?

(Wait, hold on: I've got another Werth picture for you:

via www.baltimoresun.com

AWESOME. Kinda looks like Matt Damon in The Informant (sans mustache, of course), doesn't it? Jeyson Werth is like Hannibal on The A Team.)

BIG ADVANTAGE: Phils.

POLITICIAN/STATESMAN WHO LOVED THE LADIES:

YANKEES: Former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer.

PHILLIES: Founding Father Benjamin Franklin (though rumors of his demise due to syphilis are, reportedly, greatly exaggerated).

ADVANTAGE: Phils.

And, most importantly:

BREWERS CONNECTION:

YANKEES: Besides CC, there's Melky Cabrera. He was almost a Brewer this season, although (legend has it) we would have had to take on the bloated corpse of Kei Igawa to complete the deal. (And, speaking of Igawa, here's a question I've been mulling for the past 12 seconds: if the Brewers had traded for Igawa, they probably wouldn't have signed Braden Looper, and we would've been spared the historically awful season Looper put together. [Cue Mykenk.] HOW-EVAH, Igawa only went 10-8 with a 4.15 ERA in AAA this year, and made $4 million, plus the $8 million he's owed for 2010 and 2011 Which option is preferable -- or, to be more accurate, slightly less painful?

PHILLIES: With World Series hero Geoff Jenkins put out to stud, the best I can come up with is former Brewer Matt Stairs. That's still pretty good, I think. I love Matt Stairs. Tell me you wouldn't drink Labatt Blue with Matt Stairs. He'd drink you under the table, for sure, and you might wake up listening to Bryan Adams and watching "The Stanley Cup: 100 Years of Glory," but still: I'd party with Matt Stairs. If nothing else, maybe you could get enough Labatt in him that he'd say this again.

(Oh, wait. There is another connection: Davey Lopes. Ugh. Now I have to think about the Davey Lopes Era again. That was a fun time, wasn't it? That reminds me: remember, towards the end of the season, when Macha had that quote about his door always being open, and that the players could come talk to him whenever they wanted to -- with the strong implication being that the players weren't coming to talk to him, and that Macha wasn't going out of his way to talk to them, either? You know who else was famous for not talking to his players? Davey Lopes. Ugh, again.)

ADVANTAGE: Push (though I don't think it's out of the question to root for CC in this series).

So, there you have it. Final breakdown: Yankees 2, Phillies 4 (with one tie), and it's not even that close. Go Phillies!

Who Is This Franchise We're Rooting For?

David S. Cohen — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 14:35:38 -0000

More photos » by Matt Slocum - AP

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One of my first baseball memories is of the Phillies' 1980 World Series season. I remember going to a few games, although I think I've mixed up which ones with highlight reels. I definitely remember watching the final outs sitting in my family room. And then I remember everything going downhill from there. Other than a blip in 1983 and 1993, my existence as a Phillies fan has been all doom and gloom. And for good reason -- the product on the field had been pretty atrocious and the management was worse.

But things are different now. For the Phillies, it seems that everything's coming up aces. And if you have any memory of the last thirty years, I'm sure you're like me and occasionally find yourself asking in joyous disbelief - who is this franchise I'm rooting for?

What am I talking about? Every facet of the game. Take a look at this quick summary:

Stadium: After years of being behind the curve with the old Vet Stadium, the Phillies built Citizens Bank Park which opened in 2004. It is a beautiful park that's also great for watching games. Other than Inga Saffron complaining about the faux brick facade and every Braves pitcher complaining about giving up home runs, I haven't really heard anyone say anything but glowing things about the place.

Attendance: Last night the Phillies had their 53rd sellout of the year. Only 8 games have not been sellouts so far, and chances are the remaining 20 games are going to be mostly, if not completely, sold out as well. The Phillies have the third highest attendance total and attendance average in the majors (behind the Dodgers and Yankees in both, the two largest markets in the country). They're on pace to top 3.5 million fans at the park this year.

Manager: The team is managed by an old hick who no one can understand at press conferences. Yet, he seems to be able to manage players perfectly. Combined with Milt Thompson, he's a hitting instructor extraordinaire. He lets others perform the tasks he's not great at, like coaching the pitching staff. Yes, he has difficulties with in-game management sometimes, but the proof is in the pudding here: he has a .552 winning percentage with the Phillies and has won the most games in the NL since he was hired in 2005.

Management: After years of penny pinching and gut-based pursuits of hustle and character, the Phillies management finally seems to know what it's doing. They have a payroll that a major metropolitan area deserves. And they know how to evaluate talent and attract and/or keep it in Philadelphia. No, they're not the most forward-thinking front office in terms of modern-day talent evaluation, but as much as they preach old-school scouting, they somehow put a team on the field year-in, year-out that does what modern day analysts preach: take pitches, get on base, and rake. And we can't ignore that the front office really gets it with contracts these days. It locks up its young stars and is finally understanding sunk costs (see, e.g., Adam Eaton and Geoff Jenkins).

Minor Leagues: Relatedly, the team actually has a minor league system to be proud of. As a Phillies fan of years past, could you ever imagine them trading top prospects for a pitcher like Cliff Lee and not damaging their system for a decade in the process? Yet, they were able to do just that and still keep Kyle Drabek, Dominic Brown, and Michael Taylor, let alone other interesting prospects like Travis D'Arnaud, Joe Savery, and Anthony Gose. And they did a pretty good job signing talented players from this year's draft as well.

Home Grown Talent: Building off the great minor league system currently in place, the Phillies have an amazing crop of home grown talent in the majors right now. Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Cole Hamels, J.A. Happ, Ryan Madson, and even Carlos Ruiz defensively -- almost this entire list is award-winning caliber. Almost every other team in the majors would kill to have this level of home-grown talent playing for its major league team.

Outfield From the Ashes: The Phillies outfield should amaze you every night. Not just in their performance, but in the way that they have performed after almost being left for dead by their prior teams. Raul Ibanez doesn't exactly fit in this mold, although his performance before his injury certainly seemed like an amazing turn of events. But Shane Victorino and Jayson Werth, both 2009 All-Stars, were pretty much jettisoned by the Dodgers because they weren't developing. Yet, Victorino might be the team's all-around MVP this year, and Jayson Werth is putting up leader-board numbers at the plate.

Mid-Season Pitching Gold: For the fourth year in a row, the Phillies have made a mid-season pitching acquisition that has turned into gold. In 2006, they traded for Jamie Moyer, who went 5-2 down the stretch with a 1.09 WHIP And 116 ERA+. In 2007, they signed JC Romero who posted a 1.24 ERA in 51 games out of the pen for the Phils, combining with Madson and Wagner to form a great back of the bullpen. In 2008, they traded for Joe Blanton, who went 4-0 down the stretch, won 2 games in the playoffs, and is now having a superb 2009. And then there is Cliff Lee. No, he's not Roy Halladay. He's better. He has a 0.82 ERA, 4 wins, and a .923 OPS as a hitter (his .538 SLG is fourth on the team, behind only Raul Ibanez, Ben Francisco, and Ryan Howard).

Injuries: The team is healthy. Yes, Brett Myers has been out for most of the season, and Raul Ibanez suffered an injury from which he still might not have fully recovered. But, otherwise, injuries haven't been a problem for this team. I haven't studied it, but I'd venture a guess that the Phillies' starters have, comparatively, a very high percentage of the team's total plate appearances. And this isn't a new thing. Star Phillies just don't get hurt for long stretches of time. Certainly some injuries are fluky, but staying healthy is often a skill in itself. And the Phillies have it.

Results: Then there are the results. The Phillies have won the NL East two years in a row. They won their second World Series ever last year. This year, they lead the NL East by 6.5 games, and have the second-best record in the entire NL.

No, the team isn't perfect. Brad Lidge is giving everyone nightmares this year. There are salary issues looming for next year. Ruben Amaro is still new at his job and could just be getting lucky so far. They're very vulnerable to injury, as they don't have much depth at some key positions.

But that's quibbling at this point. The franchise is firing on all cylinders right now. And this is an entirely new and incredibly welcome feeling for me as a fan of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Tuesday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 15:01:50 -0000

More photos » by Gene J. Puskar - AP

Jeff Karstens is stopped by umpire Chad Fairchild, right, and Jason Kendall from getting to Chris Smith after being hit by a pitch in the eighth inning on Monday. No players were ejected, and the Pirates won 8-5. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

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Some things to read while changing your misleading name.

Thanks to Tristarscoop for picking up the slack while I was away yesterday. Between getting married, honeymooning, buying a house, moving, being in another wedding and now a funeral, I feel like I've been away more than I've been home in the last two months, but (knock on wood) I should be back for the long haul now...at least through the end of the week.

Did you skip out early on last night's game? I almost went to bed in the seventh inning and would have missed the bench clearing incident involving Chris Smith and Jeff Karstens. Smith hit Karstens with a pitch in the eighth inning but later said the pitch wasn't intentional, which is probably the same thing Karstens said after hitting Ryan Braun in April. This HBP had some increased historical significance, being the 600th plunking at PNC Park.

Because the mess happened so late last night, possibly after many Brewer bloggers had gone to bed, there wasn't a lot of reaction to it on the web this morning. Don't be surprised, though, if Jason Kendall picks up a suspension of a game or two for his actions in the shoving match that followed. Kendall shoved Jeff Karstens down the first base line and was later involved in a shouting match with Pirates pitching coach Joe Kerrigan.

The incident also overshadowed the Brewer debut of Felipe Lopez. Lopez missed an early flight because he was waiting for his bats and would not have been in the starting lineup if not for the rain delay, but went 4-for-4 with a triple and a walk, becoming the first Brewer to record four hits in their debut since Chuckie Carr in 1996. TheJay sent me that link, and also this note:

By the by, it took Jody Gerut only 20 games (5 starts) over six weeks to reach four hits.

Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic discussed the D-Backs' reasons for trading Lopez. He (Lopez, not Piecoro) stands a good chance of being a Type B free agent this offseason, but had also been vocal about enjoying playing in Arizona. The D-Backs would have had to offer him arbitration to receive any compensation if he left, but weren't willing to pay him the $5-6 million he would have received if he accepted the offer. They also seem to think Roque Mercedes is similar in value to the compensation pick they could have received.

Manny Parra has allowed just 12 baserunners in 13 innings since returning from AAA and lowered his ERA from 7.52 to 6.37 in the process. Has he figured it out? Zach Sanders of Baseball Digest Daily seems to think so.

In the minors:

Cody Adams, the Brewers' second round pick from 2008, has been suspended for 50 games after testing positive for amphetamines. (Also noted in FanShot) Adams wasn't pitching well for the Timber Rattlers in the first place, but will now be set even farther back.
While the struggle to draw fans to games in Huntsville has drawn some negative attention this season, the Nashville Sounds are just happy the attention isn't on them. Despite making some improvements to Greer Stadium, the Sounds' attendance is down from last season, and ranks 15th in the 16-team PCL.
2009 draftee Josh Prince is the Prospect of the Week over at Between the Green Pillars. Battlekow interviewed Prince back on June 23.
The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers lost 15-1 to Lansing last night but still lead by two games in the Midwest League West Division Second Half Standings.
The Cub Reporter has a nice interview with Nashville hitting coach Sandy Guerrero, perhaps better known for being Prince Fielder's BP pitcher at the Home Run Derby.

Ever thought about attending a Brewer Fantasy Camp? Bill Schroeder has the sales pitch for you.

On rankings:

FanGraphs ranked Ryan Braun #8 in their Trade Value rankings, one spot ahead of Tim Lincecum. I love Braun, but if the Giants called and offered Lincecum I'd have a hard time turning it down.
The Brewers dropped four spots to 18th in WhatifSports' Power Rankings.

Around the majors:

Angels: Released reliever Rudy Seanez, who had been pitching in AAA. (h/t Diamond Notes)
A's: Placed Jason Giambi on the DL with a strained quad.
Mets: Placed starter Fernando Nieve on the DL with a leg injury.
Nationals: Placed Scott Olsen on the DL with a back injury and designated Julian Tavarez for assignment.
Orioles: Acquired reliever Cla Meredith from the Padres for infielder Oscar Salazar.
Padres: Placed catcher Edgar Gonzalez, who was hit in the head by a pitch over the weekend, on the DL.
Phillies: Designated reliever Tyler Walker for assignment.
Rangers: Placed Frank Francisco on the DL with a mild case of pneumonia.
Red Sox: Designated Julio Lugo for assignment.
Reds: Placed Ramon Hernandez on the DL with inflammation in his knee.
Tigers: Placed Joel Zumaya on the DL with a sore shoulder.
Twins: Signed Mark Grudzielanek to a minor league deal.

Last week I mentioned that I had participated in SBNation's NL Central Roundtable, and linked to part 1 of the conversation. Part 2 is up over at Viva El Birdos. It was written prior to the Lopez acquisition, but there's still some relevant stuff in there.

Happy birthday today to former Brewers Lance Painter (42), Geoff Jenkins (35) and CC Sabathia (29).

Oh, and I already knew Amy K. Nelson was a baseball writer, but discovering that she's also an old school video gamer made her infinitely cooler in my book.

Drink up.

Friday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Fri, 29 May 2009 14:45:24 -0000

More photos » by Gus Ruelas - AP

This is not Seth McClung.

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Some things to read while eliminating your accomplishments.

Last year it was C.C. Sabathia, and in 2009 Trevor Hoffman is filling the role of well-known player who brings national attention to Milwaukee. Hoffman was profiled in the New York Times this week, discussing life in Milwaukee (or in his case, his lack thereof) and his impact on the bullpen.

One of the pitchers Hoffman has helped is Todd Coffey, but he apparently hasn't found a way to help fans tell the difference between Coffey and Seth McClung.

Maybe a new haircut would help. Mark DiFelice is the man for the job.

Adam McCalvy's new ~~mailbag~~ inbox is up, and features notes on Chris Capuano, Alcides Escobar, Geoff Jenkins, Jake Peavy, Jorge Julio and Ryan Braun.

Another homestand, another ghost story: This week, Cardinals SS Brendan Ryan reported some paranormal activity at the Pfister Hotel, but later recanted the story. Tony LaRussa says the ghosts are good friends.

Not everyone made friends in Milwaukee this week. Cute Sports has the video of Jason LaRue narrowly avoiding getting trampled by sausages.

"Sausage tramplings" were probably not among the criteria considered when the Brewers were nominated for SportsBusiness Journal's Professional Franchise of the Year.

Frank Catalanotto has already done a fair amount to endear himself to the fans in Milwaukee, but Beyond the Box Score lists him among 23 players who have seen significant big league time despite being below replacement level.

The Journal Sentinel has added a searchable, sortable database of every Brewer home run in the Miller Park era. I haven't had a chance to go take a look at it yet, but I'm glad they're making the effort. Baseball Reference also recently added a database of every home run in major league history.

Down in the minors, Cole Gillespie, BCB's #10 prospect, is struggling a bit with the adjustment to AAA. Gillespie is hitting .212/.342/.323 in Nashville and At The Old Ball Game is calling for his head.

Just one power ranking to report today: Yahoo has bumped the Crew down from sixth to seventh.

Around baseball:

Dodgers: Placed Will Ohman on the DL.
Phillies: Brett Myers has fraying in the labrum in his hip that will likely require surgery and cost him the rest of 2009.

As you've probably heard (and as noted in the comments in yesterday's Mug), Carlos Zambrano has been suspended for six games for making contact with an umpire and generally making a scene earlier this week. Jorge Says No! says six games wasn't enough. The Chicago Tribune is reporting Zambrano won't skip a start, and will instead be pushed back two days.

Elsewhere in transactions, it was a rare "coming and going" day for former Brewers in Cleveland, as Zach Jackson was sent to AAA and replaced by Tomo Ohka.

Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic wants D-Backs third baseman Mark Reynolds to be in the Home Run Derby this year, citing the entertainment value of watching Reynolds hit massive home runs. That got me thinking: while the Home Run Derby is fun as it is, I'd probably be more likely to watch it if the rules were changed, and hitters were looking to hit the longest home run, instead of the most. Imagine Mark Reynolds, Prince Fielder, Russell Branyan and the like competing to see who can be the first to launch one out of Busch Stadium. I'd watch it.

Speaking of Branyan, since moving into a full-time role in Seattle he's hitting over .300 and striking out less, and Lookout Landing is pretty excited about it.

Looking to make a list of players who might be available in the trade market? MLB Trade Rumors has a list of eleven teams whose postseason chances have fallen below 10%. BP's PECOTA-adjusted projection gives the Brewers a 38% chance at winning the Central, higher than any other team.

Roy Halladay is old school. On Wednesday, he pitched seven full innings in his eleventh consecutive start, tied for the fifteenth longest streak to start a season since 1954. Among the others with 11 are former Brewers Bill Wegman, Chris Bosio and Jerry Augustine, and legendary Milwaukee Brave Warren Spahn.

A few weeks ago, Jeff previewed the D3 World Series in Appleton. He was joined in attendance by Kirbir, who live tweeted the event and made it the focus of her Pictures of the Week post. Now, Jeff has a review of the event, and a look at how his prediction models fared.

Here's a cool feel-good story: Rock band They Might Be Giants is sponsoring a little league team in Seattle. (h/t C. Trent Rosecrans.)

Oh, and happy birthday to Charlie Hayes, who played for the 2000 Brewers and turns 44 today.

Drink up.

A look back at the 1st round of the 1995 draft

erik — Wed, 06 May 2009 18:45:08 -0000

Farm-niks rejoice, we're just a little more than a month away from the draft! Last time I did a little retro of the 1994 draft. This time we'll look at the '95 draft. This a much improved draft class than the one that proceeded it, with several all-stars.

In the chart you'll find some relevant info, including whether the player was drafted out of high school or college, as well as their six-year WAR totals. Why six years? Because that is the time it takes before they become eligible for free agency, or, in other words, when they quit being a bargain to the club employing them.

Player	POS	Team	HS/College	WAR
Darin Erstad	OF	CAL	College	19.6
Ben Davis	C	SD	HS	2.9
Jose Cruz	OF	SEA	College	12
Kerry Wood	P	CHC	HS	20.6
Ariel Prieto	P	OAK	Cuba	2.9
Jaime Jones	OF	FLA	HS	0
Jonathan Johnson	P	TEX	College	-0.9
Todd Helton	1B	COL	College	19.8
Geoff Jenkins	OF	MIL	College	13.4
Chad Hermansen	SS	PIT	HS	-3.4
Mike Drumright	P	DET	College	0
Matt Morris	P	STL	College	16.6
Mark Redman	P	MIN	College	9.1
Reggie Taylor	OF	PHI	HS	-0.4
Andy Yount	P	BOS	HS	0
Joe Fontenot	P	SF	HS	-0.8
Roy Halladay	P	TOR	HS	19.8
Ryan Jaroncyk	SS	NYM	HS	0
Juan LeBron	OF	KC	HS	0
David Yocum	P	LAD	College	0
Alvie Shepherd	P	BAL	College	0
Tony McKnight	P	HOU	HS	1.1
David Miller	1B	CLE	College	0
Corey Jenkins	OF	BOS	HS	0
Jeff Liefer	3B	CHW	College	-2
Chad Hutchinson	P	ATL	HS (did not sign)	0
Shea Morenz	OF	NYY	College	0
Michael Barrett	C	MTL	HS	-2.9
Chris Haas	3B	STL	HS	0
Dave Coggin	P	PHI	HS	0.2

Despite an on again, off again relationship with the disabled list, Kerry Wood produced the most of any of the first rounders during his first six years.
For some reason, Cuban emigre' Ariel Prieto had to go through the draft. Anyone remember why? Regardless of why, the pick didn't really pan out.
It was a great year for college hitters. Todd Helton, Darin Erstad and Geoff Jenkins all become all-stars. Todd Helton obviously turned out to be head-and-shoulders better than Erstad and Jenkins, but for a while there, Erstad and Jenkins were mostly pretty good ballplayers. Jose Cruz was another solid college position player. Helton, Cruz and Erstad all had the common denominator of being rather excellent defenders.
Terrible year for high school hitters.
High school pitchers are typically the riskiest of picks. Two panned out - Halladay and Wood - out of six, but together they gave the HS pitcher class an average WAR of 1.14 per season proving that sometimes it's good to gamble on upside.
Speaking of Halladay...Mark Redman. Over Roy Halladay. Over Roy Halladay!?!
I didn't know if I should have counted Hutchinson. I mean, he didn't sign so he didn't cost the Braves any money, but he cost them a pick. He didn't contribute to the Cardinals either, who drafted him a year later. For that matter, he didn't help the Cowboys, either.
Helton has 54 WAR and counting. He slugged under .400 last year and played in only 83 games, but seems to be back to his old ways. He's 35 and signed through 2011, with a club option through 2012. 63-65 WAR for his career doesn't seem out of reach, which would put him up there in Hall of Fame consideration, but I have serious doubts Cooperstown will ever come calling.

Averages for each group:

Group	#	Total WAR	Avg. Per Season
College Hitters	7	62.8	1.5
HS Hitters	9	-3.8	-0.07
College Pitchers	6	24.8	0.69
HS Pitchers	6	40.9	1.14

Thursday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 14:16:45 -0000

More photos » by Darren Hauck - AP

If you're a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates, it's possible this is the last thing you saw before becoming one of Yovani Gallardo's eleven strikeout victims yesterday.

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Some things to read while wondering if the apocalypse would be that bad.

A day later, Yovani Gallardo's performance from yesterday is still drawing notice all over the place. Some highlights:

Chone Smith was reminded of a Steve Carlton performance from nearly three decades ago, and reminds us all that this performance wouldn't be possible in the AL.
Babes Love Baseball has a comment from Ken Macha after the game.
Chuckie Hacks wondered about Gallardo's ceiling and noted that he now has as many total bases (10) as Jason Kendall.
View From Bernie's Chalet says Gallardo's starts are becoming must-see.
Gallardo's performance inspired Tyler Maas of Bugs & Cranks to include him on the list of the 10 best active hitting pitchers.
Matthew Pouliot of Circling the Bases thinks Gallardo could win a Cy Young Award sometime in the next few years.
Charlie from Bucs Dugout tipped his cap to Gallardo.
Sully Baseball asks if eleven strikeouts weren't enough.
Baseball Musings says it's the first 1-0 game won by a pitcher's home run since 2002 when Odalis Perez did it, and just the eighth in the last 50 years.
The Bucky Channel is having a hard time coming up with words to describe the performance.

After the game yesterday the Brewers made a roster move, placing Mike Rivera on the DL with an ankle sprain and calling up Carlos Corporan to take his place. The Brewers had one empty spot on their 40-man roster, so no one had to be removed to make room for him. Corporan is seen as a good defensive catcher, but more or less anyone who knows how to put on the equipment and warm pitchers up in the bullpen can do what the Brewers are asking for from a backup catcher.

So, put yourself in the shoes of a Pirates fan for a moment. You've just seen your team swept at Miller Park, your fifteenth consecutive loss to the Brewers, and your lineup was dominated by Yovani Gallardo yesterday. What do you do now? I guess you could keep complaining about Ryan Braun, like Raise the Jolly Roger is doing.

After one month of baseball, Dan Szymborski of Baseball Think Factory has updated his 2009 ZiPS projections, and now projects Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder to finish second and third in baseball with 45 and 41 home runs, respectively. He also projects Braun to finish tied for second with 133 RBI.

Meanwhile, Dave Bush is leading the league in a less prestigious stat. Bush became the first pitcher in the major leagues to hit three batters in one game Tuesday night, and now leads the league with 5 hit batsmen.

Also via Plunk Everyone, Rickie Weeks needs six more HBP to take over the all-time lead at Miller Park. Geoff Jenkins is the current leader.

Dave Bush's three hit batsmen Tuesday weren't nearly as rare as Corey Hart's three walks, a new career high. The last time Hart walked three times in the same game was in a 24 inning contest in AAA.

Jorge Julio, on the other hand, has demonstrated the capacity to rack up walks at a much faster pace. Anthony Witrado has a story on Julio's relationship with Bill Castro, and what they've been working on since Julio's disastrous appearance in Philadelphia. The early results are good.

Maybe the Brewers will be underrated all season. Despite having won 7 of 8 games, getting back over .500 and moving into a tie for second place, MLB FanHouse moved the Brewers down from 24th to 25th in their power rankings. What a joke.

On the subject of jokes, Right Field Bleachers posted the audio of Bob Uecker's discussion of Twitter during yesterday's game. Good stuff. If you Twitter and you're not yet, you should be following BCB.

Here's a promotion the Brewers should use: Choose your Bobblehead night. The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers are letting the fans vote to pick the bobblehead given away on September 3. Rattler Radio lists the candidates, which include some classic Rattlers as well as Brett Lawrie and Cutter Dykstra.

Around the league:

Cardinals: Are expected to place infielder Brendan Ryan on the DL today with a hamstring strain.
Indians: Placed Travis Hafner on the DL with a sore shoulder.
Nationals: Acquired reliever Logan Kensing from the Marlins for a low-level pitching prospect.
Orioles: Ryan Freel, acquired from the Reds this spring, is unhappy with his role with the team and would like to leave.
Rockies: Placed infielder Jeff Baker on the DL with a sprained hand.
White Sox: Released reliever Mike MacDougal.

When I unveiled my NL Central predictions a month ago, I was called out for underrating the Cubs, who (at least in some eyes) could not possibly be considered anything less than a lock to dominate the NL Central. Obviously the season isn't over, but as the Cubs close April in fifth place and View From The Bleachers is calling for changes, I feel pretty good about my assessment.

Oh, and now that Joe Torre has batted his pitcher eighth, can we go back to calling it a good idea?

Drink up.