SB Nation - Richie Sexson

Making Your '00 Face: Our first backup infielder

KLSnow — Tue, 15 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
Catcher: Damian Miller

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

Russell Branyan

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

Craig Counsell

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

Jose Hernandez

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

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

Mark Loretta

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

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

Ronnie Belliard

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

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

Keith Ginter

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

Eric Young

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

Junior Spivey

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

Richie Sexson

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

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

Lyle Overbay

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

Poll

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

Russell Branyan

36 votes

Craig Counsell

178 votes

Jose Hernandez

9 votes

Mark Loretta

44 votes

Ronnie Belliard

2 votes

Keith Ginter

5 votes

Eric Young

0 votes

Junior Spivey

3 votes

Richie Sexson

118 votes

Lyle Overbay

43 votes

438 votes | Poll has closed

Making your '00 Face: First Base

KLSnow — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 22:00:19 -0000

Richie Sexson

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

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

Lyle Overbay

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

Prince Fielder

Seasons as a Brewer: 5, 2005-2009
Slash line as a Brewer: .284/.381/.550
UZR (Fielding) as a Brewer: -27.2 runs
WAR as a Brewer: 12.0

Poll

Who should start at first base on the Brewers' All Decade Team?

Richie Sexson

20 votes

Lyle Overbay

8 votes

Prince Fielder

417 votes

445 votes | Poll has closed

Thursday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:47:13 -0000

More photos » by Jeff Chiu - AP

Randy Wolf is seeking a multi-year deal, just like he was last year.

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Some things to read while going extra casual.

Remember yesterday, when the Mug was late because I had so much to write about? Today's Mug is nothing like that. Adjust your schedules accordingly.

It sounds like Doug Melvin has been active at the GM meetings: Adam McCalvy noted that he's spoken to the agents for Randy Wolf and Doug Davis, and is expected to also speak to Scott Boras, who represents Jarrod Washburn. Al may have summed it up best:

If you have an arm and an agent, odds are Doug has talked to them at the GM meetings.

Arn Tellem, who represents Randy Wolf, told the Brewers his client is seeking a multi-year deal. The Brewers, in turn, told Tellem not to expect $5 million for Jason Kendall. Neither of those are really shocking developments: Wolf was also seeking a multi-year deal last offseason before the market evaporated and he was forced to settle for less, and Kendall hasn't been worth $5 million for several years now.

Meanwhile, FanHuddle wonders if the Brewers are building for 2011, not 2010, with the coming season being spent as development/evaluation time for players like Carlos Gomez, Alcides Escobar and Jonathan Lucroy.

Speaking of Gomez: Fire Doug Melvin has some fan fiction that might explain the decision to acquire him.

Today's "Around Baseball" segment has been reserved for senior citizens:

Mariners: Signed Ken Griffey Jr. (who turns 40 in November) to a one year deal for 2010. The deal is worth $2 million plus incentives.
Red Sox: Signed Tim Wakefield (who is 43) to a two year deal worth $5 million.

Looking for more info on the Arizona Fall League? John Sickels of Minor League Ball just returned from a trip out to the desert and is answering your questions today.

Meanwhile, there might be trouble brewing in Venezuela: the threat of violence and war is once again coming up in the country, and the Mets are considering calling home one of their top prospects in the Venezuelan Winter League. Meanwhile, Adam Heether still hasn't been seen in a game since November 1...

The Gold Gloves were announced yesterday, and I checked to see if any Brewers were honored, then tuned the rest out. Over at The Book Blog, Tangotiger has a press release on the irrelevance of the awards.

Looks like money is getting tight for the Dodger organization, trapped in the middle of the McCourt divorce. As Cute Sports noted, they recently cut the salary of 87-year-old amateur scout George Genovese to $8000. We've had discussions in the comments before about the "plight" of scouts and how it's not always as bad as it sounds, but this is ridiculous.

Speaking of financial issues, I mentioned yesterday that the Reds are looking to cut payroll this offseason and, as Tyler Hissey of Dugout Central notes, that makes last season's decision to trade for Scott Rolen even more puzzling. Rolen is due to make $11 million this season.

While most players are spending their offseason in various warm places getting ready for 2010, I still think Ross Ohlendorf is having the most interesting offseason of all, and now he's blogging about his work with the US Department of Agriculture (h/t Jen Langosch).

Need a Trenni fix this offseason? She's the guest in the most recent Phillies Nation Podcast.

On this day in 2007, Ryan Braun was named the NL Rookie of the Year. Braun has posted a .937 OPS in his first three major league seasons: Among players with at least 1500 PAs as a Brewer only Braun, Prince Fielder (.931) and Richie Sexson (.902) are over .900.

I couldn't find any Brewer birthdays today, so we'll have to settle for wishing a posthumous happy birthday today to Moonlight Graham of "Field of Dreams" fame, who would have turned 132.

Drink up.

Monday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:57:28 -0000

More photos » by Pat Sullivan - AP

J.J. Hardy will most likely be traded this offseason, but no matter what Buster Olney says, he's almost certainly not going to be non-tendered.

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Some things to read while getting new cufflinks.

So, with the World Series possibly one day away from being over, we're quickly closing in on hot stove season. Let's start today's rumor roundup with J.J. Hardy. Buster Olney thinks the Brewers could non-tender Hardy, but Al and I both agree that the concept is sheer lunacy. The logic behind it (as cited on MLB Trade Rumors) is beyond flawed:

Olney writes that the Red Sox inquired about Hardy at the deadline, but balked when the Brewers asked for excellent prospects in return. Olney wonders if this is a sign of things to come, and if no market for Hardy develops, would the Brewers be better off non-tendering the former All-Star?

So let me get this straight: The Brewers turned down an offer from the Red Sox because it wasn't enough. If nothing else develops, instead of returning to the Red Sox and asking for the same offer, Olney thinks the Brewers could let Hardy walk for free? On what planet does that make sense?

Roguejim also has a look at Hardy's trade value, and MLB Trade Rumors has a look at other shortstops that could be available via trade.

Elsewhere on the (hypothetical) market, we have Mat Gamel. MLB Trade Rumors has him listed among third basemen who could be on the move this offseason. The Nashville Sounds' website has an article from Baseball America with Gamel's reaction to a tough season offensively.

Until Jarrod Washburn either becomes a Brewer or signs somewhere else, his name is most likely going to keep coming up. Keep Turning Up the Heat! has a look at Washburn's recent performance and would accept a one year deal for him, but also notes that the 2010 Brewers are probably in trouble if Washburn is their biggest acquisition.

Meanwhile, Mike Cameron's name continues to come up in connection to other teams: The Cub Reporter has a look at Cameron as a potential fit in Wrigley in 2010, but doesn't think the two sides are a match.

As they suggested they would, the Brewers have found another job in the organization for former interim pitching coach Chris Bosio. He'll serve as the team's advance scout next season (FanShot).

Jonathan Lucroy is off to a hot start in the AFL, as he hit his second home run on Friday. Tom H. also got a positive review from a scout who recently saw Lucroy play for Peoria. Lucroy is probably a candidate to represent the Brewers when rosters are announced later today for the Rising Stars Game, which will be played on Saturday and broadcast live on MLB Network.

For more on Lucroy, the rest of the Brewers in the AFL and Alcides Escobar's season debut weekend in Venezuela, be sure to check out today's Fall/Winter League Update.

Elsewhere in the minors, I may have committed a Twitter foul. Yesterday afternoon I made a joke about the somewhat unexciting nature of Eric Arnett's recent Twitter activity, and today his account has been removed. Hopefully I'm not responsible for that. Meanwhile, Seth McClung has a picture of his daughter's Halloween costume.

Yet again, we have less-than-encouraging news about the depth of prospects in the Brewer organization, at least defensively: Alex Pedicini of The Hardball Times has the top four minor leaguers at each position, ranked by Total Zone, and there's not a single Brewer prospect among the 28 players listed.

Around baseball:

Astros: Declined their option for 2010 on Doug Brocail, and re-signed Geoff Blum to a one year deal worth $1.5 million.
Giants: Re-signed Freddy Sanchez to a two year deal worth $12 million, and declined their 2010 option on Noah Lowry. They also removed pitchers Justin Miller and Kelvin Pichardo from the 40-man roster. Miller is expected to become a free agent.
Indians: Removed pitchers Mike Gosling and Scott Lewis and infielder Niuman Romero from their 40-man roster.

Did Robin Yount use a corked bat? A game used Robin Yount bat with cork in it is up for auction, leading to discussion regarding the possibility. There's also a strong possibility the bat was corked sometime after it left Yount's possession. I'm reluctant to believe Yount corked the bat, for a simple reason: If Yount knew the bat was corked, he most likely also knew that someone would be able to figure out it had been tampered with. Why, then, would he ever give that bat away? That's like giving your autograph on the back of a steroid prescription.

Could John Maine be a reclamation candidate for Rick Peterson in 2010? Amazin' Avenue suggests he's a candidate to be non-tendered, but concludes the Mets should bring him back.

Baseball Analysts has an interesting look at pitchers' velocity and how it changes as the season goes along, broken down by several demographics. Most of the data isn't exceptionally surprising, but the difference in pitch speed between April and the rest of the season is pretty striking. (h/t Beyond the Box Score)

I'll admit it: I'm having a hard time getting excited for or paying much attention to the World Series. I have yet to sit through an entire game, and I've fallen asleep before the end of both games 3 and 4. Yet somehow, I don't feel as bad now that I know that Jon Heyman caught writers playing Scrabble and solitaire on their computers during Game 3.

Among the five candidates (Lopes, Royster, Yost, Sveum and Macha), I think you can make a solid case that Jerry Royster was easily the worst Brewer manager of the 2000's, even among a pretty bad field of contenders. With that said, his stuff apparently works in Korea, where he has led the Lotte Giants to back-to-back postseason appearances and signed a $600,000 contract extension over the weekend.

If you're hanging around the site tomorrow afternoon, you may notice some minor changes in the site as part of the visual refresh of the SB Nation platform. The changes will be minor, but will also be step one in a project to improve the load time of sites, which should be good news for everyone.

On this day in 1974, the Brewers acquired Hank Aaron from Atlanta for outfielder Dave May and minor league pitcher Roger Alexander. Aaron would go on to hit .232/.326/.360 in his final two seasons as a Brewer, make the 1975 All Star team and hit 22 home runs.

Happy birthday today to:

Taylor Green, 2009 Huntsville Star and current Brewer representative in the Arizona Fall League, who turns 23.
2007-09 Nashville Sound Lindsay Gulin, who turns 33.
Paul Ridgon, who made 27 starts as a 2000-2001 Brewer after coming over from the Indians in the Bob Wickman-Richie Sexson deal, and turns 34.
Paul Hartzell who appeared in four games for the '84 Brewers and turns 56.

Oh, and the Phoenix Desert Dogs ate mac and cheese after Friday's AFL contest. I don't know if they used this recipe.

Drink up.

Some fan perspective on the Astros managerial candidates

DyingQuail — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:20:50 -0000

More photos » by David J. Phillip - AP

Continuing with the theme of cool pictures instead of relevant ones.

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If you haven't caught on by now, I'm not overly enamoured with how the managerial search is going. I don't know why that is exactly, but it probably just has something to do with the fact that I won't get to make the decision; or that I don't trust I'll like the decision made.

By far the best thing to come of the managerial search, though, came last night via a Tweet from Brian McTaggart:

GM Wade said manager search now private; "We’ve been open on this thing, but I don’t want it to get to the point of Dancing With the Stars"

With that chuckle out of the way, it seems to me like we'll get less perspective on what goes on with the managerial search from here on out, but that doesn't mean we can't keep getting a better feel of who these gentlemen are. I've enlisted the help of some gracious blog managers from around SBN who have had to opportunity to observe the various managerial candidates in action.

So after the jump, check out what they had to say about their experience with our candidates as a manager.

Mackanin

The only manager that I'm familiar with is Pete Mackanin, who managed the Reds for half the season in 2007. A lot of the readers on our site really like Mackanin for a couple of reasons. First, he's hilarious. He seemed like the kind of guy that simply appreciated the opportunity to be in the dugout and didn't mind making jokes to the media. His light-hearted personality is a breath of fresh air with most managers and players who speak in cliches all of the time.

The second reason so many of us liked Mackanin is because he wasn't afraid to think outside of the norm. Granted, since he was interim manager and it was fairly clear that he didn't have much chance to get hired on, he didn't have a lot to lose. The only specific example I have right now is when he brought in a 5th infielder during a game to try to prevent a ball from getting through the infield. He also did stuff like put Jeff Keppinger at SS even when Kepp didn't have much experience there. Of course, Kepp isn't really that good of a shortstop, but it definitely helped the Reds to have his bat in the lineup everyday since Keppinger was killing the ball.

Mackanin took a team that was 20 games under .500 when he took them over and they went 2 over in the last 80 games under him. That's probably the number one reason why fans took to him. Who knows if that was real or just a bad team having a decent stretch. I don't remember many times during that span though that I regretted Mackanin being with the team. Unfortunately, I can't say much of the same about Dusty Baker.

--Red Reporter

Acta:

Acta was interviewed by the Rangers when they fired Buck Showalter, and he was the guy I was most interested in, mainly because in his interviews (including the rather famous one in saber-circles he did with BP) he came across as a stathead type. He was in a no-win situation in Washington, but he's someone who it seems like deserves a second chance, although with Houston's dysfunctional front office situation, this may not be the best second-chance landing spot for him.

--Lone Star Ball

Yost

Yost is still hated by Rangers fans because the Rangers traded Jim Sundberg for him back in the early 80s, and he had one of the worst seasons ever in major league history. So if you are looking for more Astro/Ranger rivalry stuff, Yost has that going for him.

--Lone Star Ball

[I think this probably get's Yost some street cred with some of us]

Yost did a pretty nice job of sticking with the young guys and developing a nice core of talent during his early years as manager of the Brewers, leading some to believe he might be a decent choice to manage a rebuilding team.

With that said, Yost's temperament and stubbornness really seemed to flare up when the Brewers were expected to contend. His lineup and bullpen decision making were questionable at best. He tended to stick with his starting pitchers far too long, giving them just enough rope to hang themselves, then telling reporters they "really battled today" and were "one pitch away from getting out of it" after the game.

He likely wasn't the worst manager in baseball, but his stubbornness and his prickly demeanor did him no favors, and his unwillingness to publicly admit a mistake or explain the rationale behind a questionable move quickly earned him a lot of hostility from the fan base. He doesn't appear to have learned from that mistake - he told reporters following his interview in Houston that he still didn't know why he'd been fired in Milwaukee.

Behind the scenes, Yost was often referred to as "Nervous Ned," reportedly drank volumes of coffee that can only be described as legendary, and was widely blamed for a tight, edgy clubhouse atmosphere in 2008, when he was eventually fired.

--Brew Crew Ball

Pedrique

Pedrique was basically handed the keys to the Titanic after hitting the iceberg and told, "Have fun." He was given the job on a team with a 29-50 record that had lost its best slugger (Richie Sexson) for the season. He didn't really have much hope of doing anything, given the group of replacement-level players with the team, and was never intended as more than a place-holder.

--AZ Snake Pit

Bob Melvin

Bob Melvin is a more interesting case. His first three years, he oversaw continual improvement, taking the team to the 2007 NLCS with a league-leading 90 wins. I'll confess, I bought into the myth of his genius, given that he had overseen two of the biggest gaps over Pythagorean expected record in baseball history (+11 games in both 2005 and 2007). However, he couldn't sustain it, and the team basically dropped off a cliff after April 2008 - he was 74-88 over the last "season" of his time here.

I didn't like his managerial style. Too fond of bunts by position players, even in the first couple of innings, and tended to stay with his starters too long - supposedly "giving them a change to win," it seemed to end up condemning them to defeat more often than not. His choice of bullpen arms was also questionable, not least his mis-use of Juan Cruz, who was one of the best relievers in the league from 2007-08, but was largely condemned to mop-up duty by Melvin. He had his favorites, and they played pretty fixed roles - the concept that the game might need to be 'saved' before the ninth was totally alien to Melvin. Do not expect a fixed line-up either. In 2007, we had *158* different batting orders including pitchers, and 151 in 2008.

--AZ Snake Pit

As more responses come in, I'll post them and send this back to the top of the home page, but I think we have enough here to start dissecting the managerial tendencies of these candidates. Thanks to all the other bloggers at SBN for helping out with this; I'm pretty sure this will be indispensable in helping us better gauge the candidates.

Jason Bay Headed to Free Agency

Charlie — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 02:52:56 -0000

More photos » by Elise Amendola - AP

8 months ago: Boston Red Sox' Jason Bay reacts after striking out with two men on base in the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park in Boston Wednesday, April 8, 2009. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

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USS Mariner on Jason Bay:

He’s 31 years old, right-handed, and not really much an outfielder anymore. He has classic old player skills. In fact, he’s eerily reminiscent to some other free agent the M’s blew a lot of money on.

Bay, 2009: .267/.384/.537, 15% BB%, 30% K%, .269 ISO, -13.9 UZR, +3.4 wins
Sexson, 2003: .272/.379/.548, 14% BB%, 25% K%, .276 ISO, -9.6 UZR, +3.9 wins

The numbers are from Sexson’s last healthy season before the M’s signed him – you’ll recall that he missed most of his contract year with a shoulder problem, but then went right back to being the player he was before the injury. Interestingly, Sexson was actually headed into his age 29 season when the M’s signed him, so Bay’s actually even further into his decline phase than Richie was. Richie made better contact than Bay does, if you can believe that. Their power levels were similar, and they both offset the low batting averages by drawing a bunch of walks.

In terms of skillsets, they’re basically the same player – quality (but aging) power hitters who don’t fit the park and play defense like a DH. These are the types of players that make the worst free agent signings. Power is overvalued in the market, while defense is undervalued, so sluggers almost always get paid more than they’re worth. Toss in the fact that this skillset doesn’t age well, and you have a recipe for disaster.

Well put. Bay's a nice player, but he's past the phase of his career where he was an intriguing young player, and is now an increasingly scary commodity. He doesn't make contact quite as well as he used to, he doesn't play defense, and he runs gingerly. Obviously, he's still a very good player and he may have some good seasons left, but this is not the kind of player you want to pay market value for.

A couple of points here:

1) The return for the Bay trade so far hasn't been so hot, clearly, but I hope it's clear that trading him was, at least, the right idea. Bay is now an impending free agent and might have played his last game for Boston, which failed to sign him to a long-term deal. If Boston couldn't do it, then the Pirates almost certainly couldn't have, not that they should have wanted to anyway.

Bay is a Type A free agent, which means the Bucs would have probably received compensation picks for him, but I'm not sure Andy LaRoche and Bryan Morris aren't worth more than those comp picks anyway, and they certainly were worth more than those picks when they were acquired.

2) The case of someone like Sexson shows how small-market teams can compete even with the deck stacked against them. Since Sexson wasn't yet eligible to become a free agent, the Brewers were able to sign him before the 2001 season to a cheap four-year, $17 million deal that carried him through his age-29 season. He then signed a backloaded $50 million contract with the Mariners that quickly became a debacle because he only had two more decent seasons left in him.

Bay just turned 31, and he's only now reaching free agency. Whoever signs him is very likely to be paying more for what he did in Pirates and Red Sox uniforms than anything he's likely to do going forward. It's obviously way too early to shut the book on Bay. Obviously. But there are lots of warning signs there, and most of the time a player's best seasons come before he's eligible for free agency.

Friday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 14:03:31 -0000

More photos » by Morry Gash - AP

Jayson Werth slides safely past Jason Kendall, who waits for the throw during the fifth inning Thursday.

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Some things to read while never knowing the joy.

(Yeah, I've been a little hard on kids this week. It's been a rough week. Sorry)

Doug Melvin has finished his evaluations of the team's manager and coaches, and while he hasn't announced any plans to make a change, he also declined another opportunity to give a vote of confidence to Ken Macha, saying he hasn't decided yet if Macha will return next season.

The Brewers were shut down by J.A. Happ yesterday in what might turn out to be one of Happ's final starts of 2009. The Phillies are considering moving Happ to the bullpen to help fill a hole in the late innings of games.

Meanwhile, Manny Parra is ready to pitch today, and will likely get two starts to attempt to finish the season on a positive note. Parra hasn't pitched since lasting just one inning on September 8 (and threw just 88 pitches in the start before that), so he'll probably have a short leash and a low pitch count tonight.

Prince Fielder is the only player in baseball this season to start every game for his team, and could become just the fourth Brewer ever to start all 162. Fielder cited a lesson he learned in little league as his reason for wanting to play every day.

Speaking of things that seem like they happen every day, Jason Kendall was hit by another pitch last night, the 246th of his career. Plunk Everyone has dozens of notes on the accomplishment, including this one: The Brewers are just 5-7 in games where Kendall is hit by a pitch this season.

I usually avoid blog posts that focus on tearing apart bad sports writing: Just because there are still fish in the barrel doesn't mean you need to keep shooting. With that said, Rubie Q (with a small assist) is taking on the assertion that the Brewers would have eight wins better with Rickie Weeks. If you've never considered how rare an eight win player is, this one is worth your time.

Braden Looper has had an up and down season but probably hasn't been the Brewers' worst starter, even if he did set a new franchise record for home runs allowed. Should he be back next year? Fire Doug Melvin says yes, as long as he can transform into a "100 foot tall metal version of Looper that could throw non-meatballs and then crush a car while spitting fire."

Baseball America has a cumulative look at organizational minor league performance this season, and the Brewers finished 22nd with a 332-348 record, buoyed by good seasons from Brevard County and Huntsville but anchored by poor records in Wisconsin and Arizona.

On Power Rankings:

Yahoo moved the Brewers up one spot to 17th.
Beyond the Box Score moved the Brewers up one spot to #22.

Around baseball:

Pirates: Claimed pitcher Anthony Claggett off waivers from the Yankees.

Jorge Says No! is continuing their series on players who will be free agents at season's end, and they've come across another player the Brewers may have interest in: Doug Davis. They think he'll get three years/$27 million on the open market.

Jon Weisman of Dodger Thoughts has an interesting conversation starter on the state of baseball commentary: With the increasing amount of information available and the resulting increase in the knowledge of the average fan, can any national baseball writer really be trusted or expected to do the work necessary to keep up with all 30 teams?

I want to sit next to this guy the next time I go to a game. After spending hours sitting in the hot sun watching the Angels lose, a fan in Anaheim bought out an ice cream vendor and distributed the contents of his cooler for free to nearby fans.

I've got significantly too many "On this days" today, so it's time to bust out the bullet points:

On this day in 1974, surgery was performed to replace the ulnar collateral ligament in Tommy John's elbow, resuscitating the pitcher's career and earning him a new claim to fame. Now, I'd guess most baseball fans know what Tommy John surgery is, but have no idea it's named after a pitcher who won 288 games over 26 seasons.
On this day in 1986, the Brewers beat the Orioles 9-3 in George Bamberger's final game as manager.
On this day in 2001, the Brewers beat the Diamondbacks 9-4 as Richie Sexson and Jeromy Burnitz became the first pair of teammates ever to hit three home runs in a game.
On this day in 2007, Prince Fielder hit two home runs (one of them off of Braden Looper), making him the youngest player ever to hit 50 in a season. The Brewers beat the Cardinals, 9-1.
And on this day one year ago, Ryan Braun's tenth inning, walk-off grand slam propelled the Brewers to a 5-1 win over the Pirates.

Happy birthday today to David Weathers, who turns 40.

Oh, and today's Mug, most of my recent work and my management of this site might suck, but they're all asbestos free.

Drink up.

A Brief Look At Dodger Knuckleball Pitchers

Eric Stephen — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 17:51:19 -0000

More photos » by Matt Sayles - AP

Charlie Haeger had a nice debut last night for the Dodgers.

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The knuckleball is just a fascinating pitch. When it works, the pitch can be devastating, reducing the best hitters in the game to foolish-looking swings, leaving them muttering to themselves as the walk back to the dugout. When the knuckler doesn't work, batters treat the ball like Tom Cable treats assistant coaches, and it travels very, very far. Charlie Haeger experienced both extremes last night in his Dodger debut, and although he was tagged with the loss, he pitched a very good game.

Here is a look at some past Dodger knuckleball pitchers and their debuts:

Charlie Hough

Drafted by the Dodgers in 1966, Hough made his major league debut with the Dodgers as a 22-year old in 1970. Hough entered a game on August 12, in which the Dodgers were up 11-4 with two outs in the ninth inning. Gene Alley was on second base, and Roberto Clemente on first for the Pirates. Hough walked Al Oliver to load the bases, then struck out Willie Stargell to end the game. Not a bad first out.

Hough was with the Dodgers for a decade, and was the fireman reliever for in 1976 and 1977. Used primarily as a reliever with the Dodgers, Hough was sold to the Texas Rangers in 1980 and went on to start for them for over a decade, and is still the Rangers' franchise leader in wins. Hough is currently the pitching coach for the Dodgers' Advanced Class A affiliate in San Bernardino.

Age at Dodger debut: 22

Final Line: 0.1 innings, 1 walk, 1 strikeout

Dodger career: 401 games, 16 starts, 47-46, 60 saves, 799.2 IP, 102 ERA+

Hoyt Wilhelm

Wilhelm already built his resume as perhaps the greatest relief pitcher in baseball history by the time he came to the Dodgers in 1971. The 49-year old made his Dodger debut on August 16, 1971 against the Mets. Tom Seaver was on his way to shutting out the Dodgers, and Wilhelm entered the game with the Dodgers trailing 6-0 in the top of the eightth inning. He got the final four outs of the game, allowing only a single to Cleon Jones in the ninth.

Wilhelm pitched for the Dodgers in 1972 as well, but was released on July 21, just five days shy of his 50th birthday. Contrary to popular belief, Wilhelm did not face Julio Franco. The Dodgers were the final team of his Hall of Fame career.

Age at Dodger debut: 49

Final Line: 1.1 innings, 1 hit, 1 strikeout

Dodger career: 25 games (all in relief), 0-2, 4 saves, 43.0 IP, 105 ERA+

Tom Candiotti

Candiotti was an established major league starter when he signed with the Dodgers in November 1991, putting up an 84-78 record and a 117 ERA+ over nine seasons, mostly with Cleveland. Canditotti's Dodger debut came in San Diego on April 9, 1992. Candiotti pitched into the eighth inning, allowing only three runs, and was supported on offense by home runs by Eric Karros, Mike Scioscia, and Brett Butler in a 6-3 Dodger win.

Candiotti would be a fixture in the Dodger rotation for five and a half years, also pitching some out of the bullpen in 1997. However, even though the Dodgers made the playoffs in both 1995 and 1996, Candiotti only appeared in one playoff game as a Dodger, in relief in the 1996 NLDS. He would pitch two more seasons after leaving the Dodgers, with Oakland and Cleveland. Candiotti protrayed fellow knuckleballer Wilhelm in the movie 61*.

Age at Dodger debut: 34

Final Line: 7.1 innings, 6 hits, 3 runs, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts, win

Dodger career: 187 games, 159 starts, 52-64, 1048.0 IP, 106 ERA+

Dennis Springer

Springer, a journeyman who made his MLB debut at 30, joined the Dodgers in the middle of the 2001 season. His Dodger debut was a start on July 19, 2001 against the Brewers. Springer lasted just four innings, allowing four runs, including a home run to Richie Sexson.

Springer would later that year give up the 73rd home run of the season to Barry Bonds, on the final day of the season. He pitched one more game in 2002 with the Dodgers before retiring.

Age at Dodger debut: 36

Final Line: 4.0 innings, 7 hits, 4 runs, 2 strikeouts

Dodger career: 5 games, 3 starts, 1-2, 20.1 IP, 112 ERA+

All four previous knuckleballers ended up with an above average ERA+ as a Dodger. What will Charlie Haeger's Dodger future hold? Much like the knuckleball, trying to predict where Haeger's career will end up is a fruitless endeavor.

Things I Would Like To See from the 2009 Brewers

TheJay — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 19:00:10 -0000

The Brewers are still clinging onto the fringe of the postseason race, but there's more than just the standings to watch. It's impossible to tell how two months of a season will play out, but I think every baseball fan has some things he or she wants to see happen. Below is my list. Some of it may seem silly - trust me, it's how I intend it to be.

We'll start off a with a serious one, because it's on the front page. Gravitas and all.

1. Prince Fielder win the RBI title. Albert Pujols currently leads the league in RBI, but Prince is hot on his heels and third place isn't even close. With rumblings about intentionally walking Pujols starting to get louder, it's possible his RBI numbers could slow down over the last two months. If Prince keeps hitting the way he has all season, he could sneak in and win the crown. At the very least, he has a very good chance at breaking Cecil Cooper's franchise record of 126 RBI, set in 1983.

Follow the jump for the rest of the list.

2. Let Casey McGehee catch a game, or even an inning. Yes, I know he's not good enough behind the plate to be a starting catcher. There's a reason he was moved to third base soon after beginning his minor league career. That said, one does get sick of watching the same catcher and same backup every day and, heck, it's not like he'd be lost back there. Maybe a few years down the line someone will look at his career statistics and think, whoa, he caught?! Hey, it happens with Carlos Delgado. Let Casey catch!

3. Let Prince Fielder play every inning at first base. Through 107 games, Prince Fielder hasn't missed so much as an inning in the field, an impressive feat given interleague play and the fact the "future DH" tag is applied to him liberally. Richie Sexson did it in 2003, the first time it happened in the majors since Travis Fryman did it in the shortened 1995 season. The only other Brewers player to come close was Robin Yount, who fell four innings short in 1976. But, if he has to miss a day somewhere down the line, then I hope the next item on the list happens...

4. Play Bill Hall at every position in one game. Billy has now played every position outside of first base, catcher, and pitcher in his major league career. If the team is out of it during the final homestand, why not let Hall do his best Bert Campaneris impression? I think it would be an entertaining way to close out the year. That said, I could see Bill not agreeing to go along with it, as it really is just a stunt, and one that could be construed of making fun of jerking him around the diamond for years.

5. Give Lindsay Gulin a start in the majors. Yes, he doesn't really deserve it based on his pitching so far this year and yes, there's not much point in bumping someone off the 40-man roster for a feel-good story and yes, the "real" starting rotation should be back to "normal" soon. Good teams just don't do this stuff. But hey, Why Not? There's already one independent league veteran on the squad, might as well make it two. But if you don't want to go that far, you can always...

6. Give Chris Cody a start in the majors. So he hasn't been as good in AAA as he was in AA. So he's 25 and came into the year as basically a non-prospect. So his nickname could be Pianist Wrestler. So what? He's done better than other Brewers minor league starters.

7. Let Chris Smith pitch with a lead. After saving 12 games in 21 appearances in AAA, the Brewers' version of Generic RHP has been banished to mopup work in the majors. As such, the team is 1-21 in his appearances. The only victory was the Brewers' wild comeback victory over the Giants on June 27. He would have been in line for the win had Trevor Hoffman not blown the save in the top of the inning. Of his 22 appearances, he has only entered one with even so much as a tie. Throw the kid a bone and let him try and get a hold.

8. Finally, let RJ Swindle try and banish the AAAA tag. Swindle hasn't pitched a game in the majors this year without allowing a run. He only made one scoreless appearance last year. But he's been dominant in AAA, with a 1.43 ERA in 59 games and 92 strikeouts in 82 innings. There's not much more he can do at AAA. So let him make a run at Benj Sampson's record 14 straight relief appearances allowing a run. Maybe he'll kick it in gear along the way.

So what would you like to see the Brewers do this year?

Tuesday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 14:17:37 -0000

More photos » by Morry Gash - AP

Jody Gerut is tagged out at home by catcher Josh Bard during the sixth inning Monday. We can't see the plate in the picture, but judging by where Gerut is reaching and the location of the tag, it looks like it's possible he should have been safe. A safe call, of course, would have turned a 14-6 blowout into a 14-7 nailbiter.

Browse more photos »

I don't have an opening joke today. I'm not really in the mood for one.

It was another Tough Day for Suppan yesterday, on a day where he walked the tightrope for four innings, walked in a run and gave up a grand slam in the fifth, then was left in to allow four more runs in the sixth. Ken Macha sounded a lot like Ned Yost while defending his decision to leave Suppan in after the game, citing a tired bullpen but also mentioning that Suppan was "one pitch away" from getting out of the fifth. Opportunities to provide that "one pitch" came several times, but Suppan walked in a run and grooved a fastball instead.

The "tired bullpen" argument only works for so long here. Six members of the seven man Brewer bullpen have been overworked of late, including R.J. Swindle, who was called upon for two innings last night, just one day removed from pitching two innings for Nashville on Saturday. One arm, though, is hardly seeing any work at all: Trevor Hoffman has appeared in just five games (six if you count the All Star Game) in July, and will enter play today with a full week of rest.

It will be another long day for the bullpen today, as Carlos Villanueva makes his first start of the season (Also noted in FanShot). Villanueva is expected to pitch 3-4 innings and be followed to the mound by Tim Dillard, who isn't getting the start he expected today but is just happy to be here.

There's disrespect all around this decision. First, Macha decides to pitch Villanueva over Dillard because Dillard "is kind of limited in his pitches." Here's the problems with that logic, which I'll bullet point so I don't go on all day about them:

The bullpen is exhausted and desperately needs someone to eat innings. Dillard pitched eight innings his last time out in AAA. Villanueva is expected to go 3-4 today.
Villanueva has allowed 13 earned runs in his last 8.2 innings. View From Bernie's Chalet argues that Villanueva does not give the Brewers the best chance to win.
Dillard takes shots left and right for not getting strikeouts or having weak secondary stuff, but he gets outs. He's averaging roughly 6.1 innings per start and posting a 3.66 ERA in AAA, where he leads the PCL with ten wins. He is exactly what the Brewers need in a starter right now.

The disrespect for Dillard doesn't end there. His seven inning, one hit shutout for Nashville last week earned him PCL Pitcher of the Week honors, but the award was presented to Tom Dillard. (h/t Rattler Radio)

Baseball Digest Daily says the Brewers can win the Central if they can go 38-25 the rest of the way. The Nationals need to go 61-3 and are scrambling to schedule 64 more games against the Brewers. The Bucky Channel is ready to admit this team is no longer a playoff contender. Over at Cute Sports, tristarscoop says she's embarrassed to be a Brewer fan right now. Quevedo at the Buffet is splitting time between lamenting the Jeff Suppan signing and looking ahead to next year. John Buchel says the beer doesn't even taste good in the Brewer clubhouse.

Some production from the catcher spot would really help the Brewers turn things around. Jason Kendall (ranked 22nd in catcher career WAR) has the second lowest OPS+ among players qualified for the batting title. If the Brewers are in fact sliding out of contention, and most signs point to it, it might be time for the Brewers to sit Kendall down and see what they have in Mike Rivera and Angel Salome.

Here's your daily lumping of trade market notes:

Mike Wilner of Toronto's The Fan 590 says Roy Halladay would approve a trade to Milwaukee, for whatever it's worth.
Larry Stone of the Seattle Times discussed trade rumors with Jarrod Washburn, who doesn't sound too eager to leave Seattle.
Now that the possibility of trading J.J. Hardy for two months of Washburn has passed, Doug Melvin has moved on and is now offering Hardy in exchange for a 1969 Camaro.

The Brewers could free up one roster spot for a new player by cutting their losses on Bill Hall. Brewer Paradise Lost wonders if it's time to dump Hall once and for all and eat his contract. Keeping Hall on the roster just because he's getting money either way is just compounding a bad decision.

The Crew dropped seven spots to 18th in Inside the Majors' Power Rankings. That was the largest drop of any team.

Maybe, though, the Brewers can still get hot. Anyone can get hot, as it turns out: just ask the 2003 Brewers, the third worst team ever to win ten straight games.

Around baseball:

Giants: Acquired Ryan Garko from the Indians for a minor league pitcher.
Reds: Placed Micah Owings (shoulder stiffness) and Chris Dickerson (bruised shoulder) on the DL.
Twins: Kevin Slowey will have surgery to remove bone chips from his wrist and miss the rest of the season.

If you need some help making it through the day today, here's a section I'll call "It could be worse."

The Brewers could be the Royals, who have lost eleven of twelve games but aren't planning on making any changes.
They could be the Reds, who are 45-53, fifth place, 3.5 games back of the fourth place Brewers and seven back of the Cubs, but still see themselves as contenders in the Central.
Or, they could be the Mets, who held a press conference yesterday to jump from one fiasco (the insanity of Asst. VP Tony Bernazard) to another, as Omar Minaya called out a reporter. The reporter's response is here. Jon Heyman is already making a list of new potential GMs.

A little Brewer history to close out today's Mug: On this day in 1997, Steve Woodard beat Roger Clemens 1-0 to earn his first major league victory. Exactly three years later, he was traded to the Indians in the trade that made Richie Sexson a Brewer.

Drink up.