SB Nation - Braden Looper

The Brewers, Twitter and You

KLSnow — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:00:38 -0000

Whether it's just a fad or a new mainstay in social media, Twitter is probably one of the more polarizing services on the Internet. For some, it's an everyday must-check. For others, it's a joke, and its consistent users something to ridicule.

For the uninitiated, Twitter is a social networking service that allows you to send 140 character-or-less "tweets," and subscribe to and follow the tweets of others. At its basic level, it's a tool for feeding people a lot of information they didn't need to know or don't care about (like the results of one's recent trip to the bathroom), but some people use it for more than that, thankfully.

For Brew Crew Ball (@BrewCrewBall), Twitter is a great way to spread the word about new content, interact with Brewer fans and occasionally make fun of the Bucks. I use the BCB Twitter to follow several official Brewer sources, journalists following the team and other Brewer bloggers and fans. It's frequently entertaining, and occasionally a source of breaking news I would not have immediately found elsewhere.

So, if you're thinking of starting a Twitter account, follow the jump for 46 Twitterers (and my recipe blog) to follow to get yourself started. And if you already use Twitter, here's a list of people to be sure you're following:

Official Brewers

@Brewers: The team's official Twitter.
@BrewerAsh: Brewers Assistant GM Gord Ash
@Brewercom: Tyler Barnes, Brewers VP of Communications
@BrewCharities: Brewer Charities Inc., the official charity arm of the Brewers
@RickPeterson3P: Brewer pitching coach Rick Peterson
@73_MC: Seth McClung
@BradenLooper (Inactive since August)

Brewer Minor League affiliates and minor leaguers:

Journalists covering the Brewers

@AdamMcCalvy: Adam McCalvy, MLB.com
@CFly: Colin Fly, Associated Press
@Haudricourt: Tom Haudricourt, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

National journalists and bloggers worth noting

@BaseballAmerica
@Baseball_ref: Baseball Reference
@BenBadler: Ben Badler of Baseball America
@D_A_Cameron Dave Cameron of FanGraphs/USS Mariner
@jh_moore Jack Moore of FanGraphs/Beyond the Box Score
@Jay_Jaffe Jay Jaffe of Baseball Prospectus
@Jaysonst: Jayson Stark of ESPN
@JPosnanski: Joe Posnanski of Sports Illustrated and joeposnanski.com
@SI_JonHeyman: Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated
@JonathanMayoB3: Jonathan Mayo of MILB.com
@KeithLaw Keith Law of ESPN
@MLBTradeRumors
@RobNeyer: Rob Neyer of ESPN
@Trenni: Trenni Kusnierek of MLB Network
@Wezen_ball

Other Brewer twitterers/bloggers (with blog name, if it's not obvious)

@BrewCrewBabe
@BrewTownBeat
@CreamCityCrushrs
@DWalshMKE: Dan Walsh of the Daily Drink
@jdondlinger: Jason Dondlinger of View From Bernie's Chalet
@MillerParkDrunk
@MillerParkNorth: Mark Lange of Wisconsin Sports Tap
@poonix: SgtClueLs of Fire Doug Melvin
@SconnieSports
@SheffieldsHouse
@SportsBubbler
@untuckem

Members of the BCB Family:

If I missed someone, let me know.

Thanks, and feel free to RT!

Wednesday's Frosty Mug

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

More photos » by Julie Jacobson - AP

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

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Some things to read while getting a new backpack.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Speaking of birthdays, happy birthday to:

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

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

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

Drink up.

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!

Sherman's Second Plan To Top Atlanta

Sam Page — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 10:01:03 -0000

Recently at the Post, Joel Sherman threw some water on the John Lackey dreams of many Mets fans, instead proposing a series of buy-low candidates the Mets would be prudent to acquire. His criteria reads:

So if the obvious avenues are blocked, where do the Mets go? I am going to recommend three starters that have this in common: They are AL flyball pitchers with high-end stuff, coming off bad years (all had 5.00-plus ERAs).

He is overstating the effect of switching leagues by totally ignoring qualified National League pitchers, but is definitely considering some qualities the Mets should pay more attention to. Did his search yield anyone worth acquiring?

Sherman's first suggestion is Jeremy Guthrie. He starts with a pretty convincing case against Guthrie:

Guthrie is coming off, by far, his worst season (10-17, 5.04 ERA), and his strikeout rate fell for a fourth straight year, never a good sign.

His strikeout rate didn't just decline, it went from barely average to bad:

via www.fangraphs.com

Guthrie seemingly never had very good stuff, which would violate Sherman's high-end stuff condition. But wait!

But Yankee hitters continued to praise his stuff.

That's a basically meaningless statement, since you wouldn't expect the Yankees to trash their opponents publicly. The assumption there, however, that a drop in "stuff" hasn't led to the drop in strikeout rate, is supported by Pitchf/x finding virtually no change in his pitches' movement. As for his extreme flyball tendencies, Sherman conflates some trends, and ignores most of his career numbers.

He yielded the most homers in a season in the AL since 2006 (35). Fewer than half (17) came at home, but he was the second most extreme flyball pitcher among qualified AL starters in 2009.

Guthrie, the third most extreme flyball pitcher among qualified AL starters in 2009, posted a 10.9% HR/FB, which is actually exactly equal to his career mark. In fact, the huge number of homeruns was the result of Guthrie going from a career extreme groundball pitcher to flyball pitcher suddenly. As a result, his homeruns allowed should only be expected to come down if you think he will revert back to a groundball pitcher suddenly, which is much less likely than simply regressing from some bad luck. While this expectation may be a decent gamble in itself, best-case Jeremy Guthrie is a groundball pitcher with averageish stuff, which is basically the opposite of what Sherman was trying to find. That being considered, Ruben Tejada and Bobby Parnell, Sherman's proposed package, is a horrible trade for a pitcher who is best case Pelfrey-lite and worst case, useless.

For his second proposal, Sherman does something odd, pointing out how team-abuse led to Gil Meche injuring his arm, then quotes the organization that abused him to prove Meche would be alright:

But he was doing bullpen sessions late in the year and two Royals officials told me that if the team was in contention, he would have been able to pitch.

Was it the same Royals official who said Meche's injury came from having the wrong "mindset"? Meche did have some bad luck with homeruns, the difference between bad 5.40 tRA and a not-good-at-all regressed 5.04 tRA*. There's precedent, however: throughout most of Meche's mostly forgettable Seattle career he posted similar HR/FB numbers. Bottom line: why trade for and subsequently pay $24MM dollars for two years of a huge injury risk, with higher-upside, cheaper, injury risks on the free agent market? Busted Gil Meche for two years or Rich Harden for one? Sherman fittingly proposes trading Castillo, because the Royals need fielding help, Sherman and Dayton Moore being the last two people on Earth who believe Luis Castillo plays anything better than horrible defense.

His third idea, Ervin Santana, is like Gil Meche in that he did have some bad luck with homers last year, but has the larger red flag of arm issues and a big contract. Unlike Meche, however, Santana is a year removed from a great 6 WAR season and could be worth the risk. For that same reason, though, he'd likely cost more in trade.

Not being one to criticize without contributing, however, I'll add three buy-low pitchers, who don't necessarily conform to Sherman's criteria (much like his own three).

1. Felipe Paulino- Paulino went 3-11 with a 6.27 ERA, which likely makes Astros GM Ed Wade's eyes bleed. Underneath those superficial stats, however, Paulino had very good peripherals and an absurd HR/FB rate, making his tRA* an above-average 4.42. He's got blazing stuff, a very unfavorable home ballpark, and his value couldn't be lower. Trading for Paulino seems like a total no-brainer.

2. Sergio Mitre- I think Mitre fits Sherman's rubric for a trade target better than any of his three. Mitre demonstrated middling stuff with improved control, but somehow gave up 10 homeruns in just 51 ML innings. With an ERA of 6.79, and an xFIP of 4.19, Mitre may be worth the rare cross-town trade.

3. Braden Looper- Seriously. Looper surrendered a crazy 39 homeruns, playing his home games in hitter-friendly Miller Park. In Citi Field, Looper could likely replicate his solid back-of-the-rotation or better performances with the Cardinals.

Similar buy-low candidates: Ricky Nolasco (the king of bad luck: pitched like an ace, ERA like someone on the Mets), Brett Myers, Aaron Cook, Aaron Harang, Bronson Arroyo, and Derek Lowe.

Friday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:40:29 -0000

More photos » by Pat Sullivan - AP

Former Brewers manager Ned Yost looks great with someone else's logo behind him.

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Some things to read while keeping your pimp hand fuzzy.

The search for a new pitching coach might be about to get much more interesting: Rick Peterson, considered by most the odds on favorite to get the job, is also interested in the vacancy in Florida. If Peterson turns out to be unavailable, the search may start from scratch.

Meanwhile, yesterday was interview day for Ned Yost in Houston. Inexplicably, Yost still doesn't seem to understand why he was let go in Milwaukee, and said this when asked about it:

"Don't lose 10 out of 13 games is the best thing I can figure," Yost told reporters in Houston, "and hope your offense stays on track so you don't struggle to score runs."

Alyson Footer also quoted him as saying the Astros are "one starter away from having a really good staff." If the Astros hire Yost, fans in Houston can look forward to a 2010 season full of "really battling" and "being one pitch away from getting out of it."

In yesterday's Mug, I noted that Mike Burns had been outrighted to AAA, but neglected to mention that he's injured: He presumably still has the labrum pathology that he was diagnosed with at the end of the season. It's a bit more challenging to demote an injured player, but TheJay has a look at the CBA's rules regarding such transactions.

I also mentioned Jon Heyman's decision to leave Prince Fielder off his MVP ballot. Thankfully, we're not the only ones upset about it: James Bailey of Hardball Cooperative has an in-depth look at Heyman's ballot, and the reasons Fielder should be on it.

Plunk Everyone has compiled a list of difficulty rankings for several stats around baseball: Follow the link to see where Jason Kendall, Ryan Braun, Dave Bush, Jeff Suppan, Prince Fielder, Braden Looper, Mike Cameron, Yovani Gallardo and Felipe Lopez rank among the best in baseball at the things they do.

If we learned one thing about Jody Gerut this season, it's this: he's miscast as a bench player. Among the 20 most frequently used pinch hitters in baseball this season, Gerut ranked 17th in OPS off the bench, ahead of only Mark Loretta, Greg Norton and Greg Dobbs. I have a feeling we'll have "Who is the real Jody Gerut?" conversations on more than one occasion this winter.

Further proof that it'd be really, really difficult to get fair value back in a deal involving Ryan Braun: Rowland's Office has a hypothetical deal sending Braun to the Braves for Jair Jurrjens, one of the game's top young pitchers. Even if you assume their expected values were exactly the same, Jurrjens has a few days over 2 years of service time, meaning he's under team control for four more seasons (through 2013), and will be arbitration eligible after next season. Braun, meanwhile, is under contract and cost controlled for two extra seasons (through 2015), and his salary never exceeds $12 million.

(I use Cot's Contracts all the time for info like that, and frequently forget to cite them. If you need contract info, Cot's is the place for it.)

In the AFL and on the farm:

Project Prospect's Friday topic of conversation is Lorenzo Cain, who's off to a pretty good start in the AFL and is expected to play roughly 4 times a week in an effort to bounce back from a rough 2009 season. They've also got a nice primer on what to expect from the AFL and they're looking for a scouting report on the speed of Taylor Green.
Wisconsin Sports Tap has a look at the season that was for the Huntsville Stars. It's kinda bleak down there, but Jonathan Lucroy is a nice bright spot.
Actually, statistics would suggest it was pretty bleak all over the Brewer minor leagues this season. Baseball America has the final batting leaderboards for 2009, and the only Brewer appearances are among the leaders in stolen bases (Eric Farris had 70) and strikeouts (Brock Kjeldgaard, Joe Koshansky and Brendan Katin all made the list).
As noted in BA's Minor League Transactions, the Brewers released 12 minor leaguers yesterday (FanShot). The most notable name on the list was 2004 third round pick Josh Wahpehpah.
Alcides Escobar, Mat Gamel and Angel Salome all made Baseball America's list of the top 20 prospects in the Pacific Coast League. Tom Haudricourt had mentioned this previously, but that link will take you to the team's press release.
John Sickels of Minor League Ball has a look back at his top 50 pitching prospects entering 2009, including a pre-suspension Jeremy Jeffress.

The Hendies tournament continues over at Brew City Sports: Follow the link to cast your vote in the Excrement Eight.

If you like your roundups of Brewer news, but wish there was less reading involved and maybe a bit more rambling, then you may be the perfect candidate to try out View From Bernie's Chalet's new video blog.

Or, if you like Brewer related fan fiction, you may want to try out Witrado's Quest and Doug Melvin's Hunt for October.

I'm sure this is exactly what Major League Baseball had in mind for the postseason: After a long delay between rounds, baseball is back and the main topics of conversation are weather and divorce. Jon Heyman thinks the Yankees and Angels will get the game in tonight, but could have a hard time tomorrow. Diamond Leung has the scoop on each side's attorney in the McCourt fiasco.

It could be worse, though: Fans in Texas aren't getting playoff baseball, and they're also not getting their playoff ticket money back until sometime in November. (h/t 6-4-2) The money is reportedly "tied up with MLB," and may already have been used to pay off some of the cash the Rangers reportedly had to borrow to make payroll this season.

If you ever doubted the usefulness of Twitter, doubt no longer: In amidst conversation about last night's NLCS opener, Jason of IIATMS presented me with a Nickname of the Year contender: Ronnie "Staypuft" Belliard.

On this day in 1982, the Brewers scored six runs in the seventh inning en route to a 7-5 victory over the Cardinals, evening the World Series at two games apiece.

Happy birthday today to Freddy Parejo, who spent the 2009 season patrolling the outfields in Huntsville and Nashville and turns 25 today. Birthday wishes also go out to Brian Harper, who spent the 1994 season as a Brewer and turns 50.

That's all I have for you today, unless you wanted to read about the rebound of Krispy Kreme or the rising price of chicken wings. I found both of those links via C. Trent Rosecrans.

Drink up.

Wednesday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 13:14:34 -0000

More photos » by Darren Hauck - AP

As it turns out, Jason Kendall may not be all that valuable defensively either.

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Some things to read with the hand-washing time you've saved.

Clearly, "calling a good game" is not weighted heavily in these rankings, but Driveline Mechanics ranked Jason Kendall 105th out of 114 catchers defensively in 2009, and Mike Rivera 28th. It's further proof that Kendall has outlived nearly all of his value...and somehow, I still expect Doug Melvin to find a reason to bring him back next season, and Ken Macha to play him 120 times.

Craig Counsell and Braden Looper's offseason surgeries were completed yesterday, and both were "routine," according to Dr. William Raasch, who is now off to shop for a new house with the money he's made off the Brewers this week (FanShot).

Here's some symmetry for you: Wisconsin Sports Tap has a list of the top ten Brewer moments from the 2009 season, and Miller Park Drunk has a list of ten things he won't miss about this season.

While glancing over Baseball Digest Daily's Asian MLB Awards, I noticed this completely unrelated tidbit: The Brewers, who scored the third most runs in the NL this season, got 14.3% of those runs from Ryan Braun. That's the fourth highest percentage in all of baseball.

In what might be an unprecedented event, the Brewers had two pitchers (Braden Looper and Manny Parra) among the top three in the "Good Luck Division" of The Hardball Times Awards' season finale. The two pitchers combined for 25 wins with a 5.70 ERA.

Speaking of awards, Jon Heyman left Prince Fielder off his NL MVP ballot. Moments like this are why it's so easy to blast the BBWAA.

The Arizona Fall League's Opening Day was yesterday, but it wasn't a great start for the Javelinas, who got pummeled by Surprise, 17-4. Lorenzo Cain led off with a double for Peoria in the first and scored the game's first run, but the Rafters responded with runs in the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh innings. Omar Aguilar also pitched in the game, and allowed three runs on four hits and a walk in 1.2 innings. Beyond the Box Score has the PitchF/X data on Aguilar's outing.

There's just one note for the transaction log today:

Padres: Infielder Luis Rodriguez and catcher Eliezer Alfonzo declined outright assignments to the minors and are now free agents.

Who knows if the Brewers might be interested, but one more name could be about to enter the starting pitching rumor mill: Ken Rosenthal is reporting Tim Hudson could decline his half of his mutual option with the Braves for next season. The option would pay Hudson $12 million in 2010, and it seems unlikely many teams will want to commit more than that to a guy who made just seven starts in 2009.

Every day it looks a little more likely that Ned Yost will be back in the big leagues next season. He's already being mentioned as a managerial candidate in Cleveland and Houston, and now you can add him to the list in Washington as well.

If a last place team in a terrible stadium switches over to a TV network much of their fan base doesn't get, do they make a sound? According to SportsBusiness Journal, only 20,000 households tuned in to watch an average A's game this season, the second lowest figure in all of baseball.

Some days I'm up perusing the internet before it's light, and I come back with lots of great baseball links. Some days, I just find lunch ideas. Such is the Way of the Mug.

Happy birthday today to Tommy Harper, who led the 1970 Brewers in hits, runs, doubles, home runs, RBI, stolen bases, walks, batting average, OBP and slugging, and turns 69 today.

That's all I've got for you today, but if you're looking for something else to do, you could consider Static Electricity Fun Time.

Drink up.

Thursday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 14:10:57 -0000

More photos » by Al Behrman - AP

Ryan Braun isn't going anywhere. Let it go.

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Some things to read while getting a craving.

Doug Melvin held his post-mortem press conference yesterday, and while this comment in yesterday's Mug has the full list of topics discussed, some jumped out more than others:

Melvin does not expect to pursue the possibility of trading Ryan Braun or Prince Fielder this offseason, but the team also has yet to make a move to lock up Fielder long term.
Trevor Hoffman's contract, previously reported as being worth $8 million for 2010, is actually worth $7.5 million, plus a $500k buyout for 2011. That link also has a list of the incentives that would increase the buyout and potential 2011 salary.
Adam McCalvy also has notes on Jeff Suppan (not guaranteed a spot next season), Ben Sheets (may still be on the radar) and J.J. Hardy (unlikely to return).

Hopefully yesterday's press conference will be the end of speculation about the possibility of trading Braun. I usually avoid them, but I've heard the topic came up again in Anthony Witrado's chat this week, and Rubie Q is setting the odds on the origin of the rumor.

Even if Fielder isn't likely to be dealt, he's one of four faces on Amazin' Avenue's Offseason Met Rushmore. The Mets certainly seem like a team that would have interest in Fielder, but I don't think they have enough young pitching, which the Brewers would almost certainly need to get back.

Meanwhile, the Nats might be a fit for J.J. Hardy. FJB has a list of possible trade scenarios that all end with Hardy in DC. John Lannan is one of the players mentioned and if the Nats are offering him, the Brewers should be listening. Lannan just turned 25, has posted nearly 400 innings with an ERA under 4 over the last two seasons, and is under team control for four more years.

Elsewhere on the starting pitching front, Jorge Says No! has a hypothetical deal: Corey Hart to the Braves for Kenshin Kawakami. Kawakami is 34 years old, but has two relatively cheap years remaining on his deal with the Braves and posted a 3.86 ERA in 156.1 innings this season. I'd make that trade.

Chris Bosio's charity golf outing, which I mentioned earlier this week, is in Neenah today and it looks like the weather will cooperate. Leading up to the event, Bosio sat down with Brett Christoperson of the Appleton Post-Crescent to discuss the 2009 season at length.

Do you still have some residual bitterness from the season that was? Then you're the perfect candidate to participate in Brew City Sports' Hendies tournament. I went with chalk in most of the early round matchups, but there might be an upset brewing in the Bando division.

In the minors:

Matt Hagen of The Hardball Times handed out postseason accolades for the Florida State League yesterday, and named Caleb Gindl the league's top hitting prospect. Gindl's small frame continues to be his biggest challenge, but if he continues to hit people will have to take notice.
The instructional league season is just about over, with Eric Arnett tweeting that he'll be home in three days. There's not much coverage taking place in Arizona: that's the only news that's come out of instructional league in over a week.

With the regular season officially concluded, Andy Seiler has the 2010 draft order through the first three rounds. The Brewers are currently slated to draft 14th, 47th and 78th overall. The 47th pick is the Brewers' top unprotected pick, meaning it's the one they'd lose if they sign a Type A free agent. They're also likely to gain picks between #17 and the middle of the second round when Felipe Lopez and/or Mike Cameron sign elsewhere this offseason. The Brewers could also receive compensation picks for Braden Looper, Jason Kendall and David Weathers, but would have to offer arbitration to be eligible, and all three of those players would likely accept the offer and make significantly more than they're worth.

Yes, Ken Macha is returning for 2010, but here's a reminder that it could always be worse: Ned Yost is being mentioned as a candidate for managerial openings in both Houston and Cleveland. I think I speak for a lot of us when I say it'd be great to have him back in the division.

Speaking of managers, Hal McCoy has a great profile of likely NL Manager of the Year Jim Tracy, chronicling his two years in Pittsburgh and sudden resurrection in Colorado.

Happy birthday today to Bob Skube, who had cups of coffee with the Brewers in 1982 and 1983 and turns 52.

That's all I've got for you today, unless you'd like to read about 2002-2003 Beloit Snapper Jon Steitz's dad winning the Nobel Prize.

Drink up.

Wednesday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:07:20 -0000

More photos » by Morry Gash - AP

Casey McGehee, seen here being congratulated by Felipe Lopez after hitting a home run in July, was the National League Rookie of the Month for September.

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Some things to read while learning a new skill.

It's a light news day, so the biggest story is probably the unveiling of 2010 ticket prices, which I'm having a hard time getting developing an opinion about either way. Prices are going up slightly, but not enough to really get upset about. (FanShot)

That might have been the most lackluster opening paragraph in a Mug all year. Maybe I need to check into Casa de Machado's starting lineup from yesterday.

Casey McGehee was named NL Rookie of the Month for September, a pretty fitting cap on a surprising season for a guy who quickly became a great story (FanShot).

Speaking of rookies, Alcides Escobar will technically still count as a rookie next season, as he narrowly avoided the 130 AB cutoff. Mat Gamel, on the other hand, spent more than the maximum 45 days on a major league roster this season, so he's not eligible.

Speaking of Escobar, Chris Mehring of Rattler Radio received the latest copy of Baseball America and noted that Escobar was the first team shortstop on their all levels all star team this season. Brett Lawrie was also the second team second baseman, and Eric Farris and Evan Anundsen made the all Advanced-A team.

Speaking of shortstops, Adam Guttridge of The Hardball Times took a first look at attempts to project J.J. Hardy's performance for next season, and thinks the team that eventually acquires him from the Brewers is going to get a great deal.

With the regular season officially over, it's time for Plunk Everyone to look back at the season that was. Jason Kendall, Dave Bush, Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder and Felipe Lopez all make an appearance in their NL awards.

Fielder and Braun also show up on this somewhat more prestigious list: The top ten batters in the majors, ranked by OPS+. Fielder finished third, behind Albert Pujols and Joe Mauer, and Braun finished tied with Ben Zobrist for tenth place.

These probably don't go together, but I'm lumping them together anyway as "Power Rankings and whatnot:"

WhatifSports ranked the Brewers #16 in their final power rankings of 2009.
The Dugout Doctors ranked Bernie Brewer as baseball's fifth best mascot.

There are three hot stove notes today that pertain to the Brewers in one way or another:

The Brewers can almost certainly be considered the early favorite to sign Doug Davis, especially considering he's not expected to return to the D-Backs.
The Padres may be looking to sign a center fielder this offseason, and Mike Cameron's name has come up.
The Astros exercised their half of a mutual option on pitcher Brian Moehler. If Moehler accepts (and it's pretty likely he will), he'll make $3.5 million next season. He'll be 38 before spring training and posted a 5.47 ERA in 154.2 innings this season. Don't be surprised if this is mentioned as justification for bringing back Braden Looper: If Moehler, who is older, posted a higher ERA and pitched fewer innings than Looper, is actually worth $3.5 million, then $6.5 million for Looper can be spun as a decent deal.

Elsewhere on the hot stove:

White Sox: Exercised 2010 options on pitchers Freddy Garcia and Matt Thornton.

There was only one major league game yesterday, but it was a classic. If you missed it, you can relive it through the FanGraphs Win Expectancy Graph. Coming into the weekend, I didn't really have a strong rooting interest in the Twins-Tigers race, aside from a slight inclination to see the Twins win so we'd keep getting baseball analysis from Aaron Gleeman's mom.

With that said, the Tigers (and Major League Baseball's) handling of the Miguel Cabrera situation made me a whole-hearted Twins fan for the day yesterday. After the game, Cabrera seemed to understand the gravity of the situation, but that doesn't change the fact that he shouldn't have been allowed to play. Furthermore, Jim Leyland's decision to brush off questions about a domestic assault investigation by calling it "gossip" is absolutely deplorable.

On a lighter note, yesterday's game did give us a preview of the upcoming TBS playoff coverage, and the early reviews aren't very good. I've probably seen a dozen or more complaints about Chip Caray this morning, but he was only the second worst part of yesterday's broadcast to me, behind the incessant airing of the same commercial for George Lopez's new show. By the end of the divisional round, even Frank Caliendo is going to be sick of it.

It's a rough week for anyone who works in the front office of a baseball team, as firing season has clearly opened. Paul DePodesta, the Padres' Assistant GM who's been fired as a GM once himself, has an inside view of what it's like to work in a business where friends can come and go so quickly.

Need a mental warmup today? Try naming the career home run leaders by last initial. (Hint: There are two former Brewers.) I got 13, but also got frustrated and gave up with over four minutes left.

Once your brain is warmed up, turn it on to this task: The Eastern League team formerly known as the Connecticut Defenders is moving to Richmond, and they need a new name. Their existing options universally suck, so CNBC's Darren Rovell is asking for your help to generate some new ones.

Happy birthday today to Tim Unroe, who appeared in 48 games as a Brewer between 1995 and 1997 and turns 39 today, and to West Bend native Ryan Rohlinger, who turns 26.

Drink up.

Tuesday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:39:55 -0000

More photos » by Jeff Curry - AP

Trevor Hoffman delivers a pitch during the ninth inning Sunday, in what won't be his final Brewer appearance after all.

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Some things to read while staking your claim.

If the Brewers keep up this pace, they'll have all of their offseason work done by Thanksgiving: One day into the offseason, the Brewers have one problem solved, as Trevor Hoffman signed a one year deal worth $8 million with a team option for 2011 (FanShot). Tom H. is reporting that both the option year and potential buyout contain escalators tied to games finished in 2010.

Here's some reaction around the web:

Evan Brunell of The Hardball Times thinks it was a logical move.
Jorge Says No! thinks the Brewers overspent and could have better used the money on other priorities.
Rob Neyer notes that Hoffman's BABIP has been very low over the course of his career, but that's also true of many other premier closers.
Dave Allen of FanGraphs notes that Hoffman has a lot of "rise" on his fastball, which leads to more infield flies and a lower BABIP.

While Trevor Hoffman was signing his new deal, the list of Brewers awaiting surgery continued to grow. On top of Casey McGehee (knee), Craig Counsell (knee) and Braden Looper (knee), it was announced yesterday that Manny Parra will have arthroscopic surgery to "clean up" the AC joint and "remove some friction" in his shoulder (FanShot). The issue didn't prevent Parra from making his final starts of the 2009 season, but that doesn't keep me from wondering if it should have.

Meanwhile, there was good news on the medical front for Corey Hart, who met with a hand specialist and received confirmation that his injured fingers were sprained, not fractured. He should be fine in a month's time.

BBWAA ballots for postseason awards are due in on the final day of the regular season (which, as it turns out, is now today), but it will still be several weeks before we find out where Prince Fielder stands in the race for NL MVP. Walkoff Walk compared Fielder's 2009 season to some of the best years at the plate in Brewer history, and ranked him third on their NL MVP ballot. Meanwhile, Quevedo at the Buffet makes a passionate case against trading Fielder this offseason.

Speaking of awards, Yovani Gallardo finished second in the balloting for NL Comeback Player of the Year, far behind Chris Carpenter.

With Trevor Hoffman back in the fold, the Brewers have one less opportunity to get compensation picks for free agents this offseason, but they still could cash in: The latest Elias rankings are out, and they have Felipe Lopez as a Type A free agent, along with Jason Kendall, Mike Cameron, Braden Looper and David Weathers as Type Bs. Kendall did not receive any bonus points for leading the majors in beer plunks.

MLB Trade Rumors also has a list of players who could be non-tendered this offseason, and Dave Bush, Seth McClung and Jody Gerut are on the list. The three of them would likely command around $8 million in arbitration for next season.

Seth McClung doesn't sound very optimistic about the possibility of coming back in 2010, but BCB has started a Facebook petition in an effort to convince the Brewers to bring him back. As of this morning, it had already climbed over 20 members. Let's push that number a little higher today.

Attendance at Miller Park was down about 1% this season, but that's better news than you'd think: According to the chart at that link, 19 major league teams saw a larger decline in attendance this season, with eleven teams losing more than 10% and four teams losing over 20%.

Alcides Escobar can probably be penciled in as the Opening Day starter at short for the 2010 Brewers, but does he have a brighter future than Washington's Ian Desmond? FakeTeams has the argument for both sides, and a poll.

In the minors:

BaseballHQ has scouting reports for the Arizona Fall League, and ranks Mark Rogers and Rob Wooten as the second and third best pitchers on the Peoria Javelinas. AFL play opens one week from today.
Jonathan Mayo is working on a formula to determine the minor league pitcher of the year, and Evan Anundsen checked in at #8 on his list. He posted a 2.69 ERA and struck out 118 in 130.1 innings in Brevard County this season.

As I just mentioned, the AFL starts soon with other winter leagues soon to follow, but if those aren't enough for you the Wisconsin Sports Tap has an offseason survival guide. Hopefully we'll start the countdown to spring training soon, but the report date for pitchers and catchers has yet to be determined.

Need a mental warmup this morning? It took me 30 seconds to name the seven ways a batter can safely reach first base. I got the hard ones first and spent 20 seconds with a brain cramp before remembering an obvious one.

Is anyone out there a member of SABR? After reading Wezen-ball's pitch this morning (and noting SABR's discounted membership for anyone under 30) I decided to give it a shot for a year.

How much does defense impact a mediocre pitcher? Fungoes uses Jeff Suppan as a teaching tool to answer that question. If you're making a list of proper uses for Suppan, "teaching tool" and "batting practice" should both appear above "starting pitcher."

And, from one bad contract to another: Dugout Central chronicles the life and times of Bill Hall.

Happy birthday today to Jerry Stephenson, who appeared in two games for the Seattle Pilots and turns 66, and Valerio de los Santos, who appeared in 183 games as a Brewer and turns 37.

Drink up.

Monday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 15:12:41 -0000

More photos » by Jeff Curry - AP

Craig Counsell hugs Alcides Escobar while Prince Fielder hugs Felipe Lopez after the Brewers defeated the St. Louis Cardinals in the season's final game Sunday.

Browse more photos »

Some things to read while turning your back on karaoke.

Before I get started today, I wanted to take a moment to thank everyone for stopping by the site over the course of the season. The results on the field weren't always anything like what we were hoping for, but this site remained a fun place to write about and discuss the Brewers, and I owe that to all of you. As of the end of September, 760,415 people had visited the site in 2009, over double the 372,904 that had visited at the same point last year.

And, while the regular season may be over, there is no offseason here at BCB. The Frosty Mug will continue to be posted every weekday, along with some other things I'm working on and all the other great stuff I've come to expect from our contributors, as we work our way through the hot stove season and count down the days to spring training 2010. So, to sum up, thanks for reading, and please continue to do so.

Yesterday's biggest news might have been the announcement that Ken Macha will return next season, and a club option has been added to his contract for 2011 (FanShot). I'm disappointed by the news, but at least it means we'll probably have a manager (and maybe a GM) on the hot seat to discuss come May or June.

While Macha is returning, interim pitching coach Chris Bosio and bullpen coach Stan Kyles have not been offered contracts for next season, but will instead be invited to re-interview for their jobs. Tom H. says he'll be very surprised if former A's and Mets pitching coach Rick Peterson isn't hired to fill Bosio's spot. All of that will probably cast a somewhat dark cloud over Bosio's charity golf outing in Neenah on Thursday.

Yesterday's game might be the last time we see Mike Cameron in a Brewer uniform, but this almost certainly wasn't the way he wanted to go out: Cameron left yesterday's game early after suffering a mild concussion while making a diving play in the sixth inning. Hopefully Cameron will be ok, and I wish him the best of luck going forward, whether it's with the Brewers or someone else.

Trevor Hoffman also had a season finale to forget yesterday, blowing a one run lead in the bottom of the ninth and sending the game to extra innings. With that said, yesterday's game likely will not be Hoffman's final appearance as a Brewer, as he's reportedly close to a deal to return next season (FanShot). Jon Heyman is reporting the deal is expected to be worth around $8 million and should be completed by the end of the week. Hoffman's contract for 2009 had a base value of $6 million, but incentives for finishing games and making the All Star team pushed the actual value up to $6.8 million.

Jon Heyman ranked the Brewers' decision to sign Hoffman for 2009 as the 24th best decision made this season. Nowhere to be found on that list is the trade for Felipe Lopez, which may be one of the more underrated moves in Brewer history: all Lopez did was take over an uncertain position in the field and the lineup and hit .320/.407/.448. And he'll likely net the Brewers two compensation picks as a free agent.

Ryan Braun finished the season with 203 hits, making him the only NL hitter with 200 and just the fourth player to reach 200 in Brewer history, and also picked up his 20th stolen base Sunday, making him the second Brewer ever to record 30 home runs and 20 steals. The Brewers had gone 17 seasons without having anyone reach 200 hits, the second longest active streak in the majors. Braun told Tom H. that chasing 200 hits helped him maintain a singular focus down the stretch:

"I think my level of concentration and focus on every at-bat is probably more intense than I’ve ever been able to do before. I’d like to be able to channel that emotion and that feeling. I’ve been able to focus and concentrate on being locked in on doing nothing but centering the ball up the last two weeks, and knowing I had to do that to get to this point."

Two thoughts on that quote:

First of all, if focusing on a milestone helps Braun get into a groove at the plate, here are some more he can focus on: His next stolen base will be his 50th, his next triple will be his 20th and he needs 34 more home runs to crack the top ten in franchise history.
Second, anyone who has watched some of Braun's performances in the field the last few days could tell he was more focused on his work at the plate.

Casey McGehee picked up the hit he needed to finish the season over .300, then was removed from yesterday's game to protect that figure. Adam McCalvy listed McGehee as the biggest surprise in his review of the 2009 season, but Jayson Stark is still picking Marlins OF Chris Coghlan to win NL Rookie of the Year.

Meanwhile, Mat Gamel replaced McGehee in the game, the last game action he'll likely see before reporting to winter ball in Venezuela after Thanksgiving (FanShot). Gamel is also scheduled to get married this offseason, less than a week before he leaves.

With Trevor Hoffman already having pitched, John Axford pitched the tenth inning in yesterday's season finale, picking up his first major league save. It'll be interesting to see what 2010 holds for Axford, who ascended all the way from Brevard County to the big leagues this season. Al thinks he'll start off as the closer in AAA, and could be one of the first called up.

The Brewers are closing in on the deadline to make a decision on the future of Braden Looper, who is expected to undergo athroscopic surgery on his knee in the coming weeks (FanShot). The surgery is being referred to as "cleaning up" some issues Looper says have been present all season. From this angle, it's tough to tell if the knee has been an actual problem for Looper, or is merely a convenient scapegoat following a disappointing season.

With the regular season concluded, the Brewers are locked in with the 14th pick in next June's draft, meaning they can't lose their pick if they happen to sign another team's Type A free agent. Andy Seiler is way out ahead of the game and has a mock draft: He thinks the Brewers will pick junior college outfielder LeVon Washington, a Scott Boras client who didn't sign after being picked late in the first round by the Rays in 2009.

The regular season is hardly cold and already we're seeing another wave of firings: Over the weekend J.P. Ricciardi was dismissed as GM of the Blue Jays and it was announced that Kevin Towers will not return as GM of the Padres. The Blue Jays are also searching for a new team president (and the new president may want to hire his own GM), but have named Alex Anthopolous the new GM, and they're saying it's not an "interim" position.

If Doug Melvin meant what he said about making a serious splash in the pitching market this winter, this might be a trade possibility: The Braves are reportedly looking to deal Derek Lowe, just one season after signing him to a four year, $60 million deal. The Braves would likely have to take on one of the Brewers' big contracts or send cash to complete a deal, though.

Here's a move that could happen and would likely be cheaper: Scott Podsednik, who hit .306/.355/.415 for the Rockies and White Sox this season, is expected to explore free agency this offseason.

Speaking of potential free agents, for the second consecutive year the top prospect in Japan is considering asking Japanese teams not to draft him so he can immediately be eligible to play professionally in the US. If drafted by a Japanese team, Yusei Kikuchi would either have to wait nine years to be eligible to come to the US or his rights would have to be sold to a US team via the "posting" process.

We're quickly coming up on postseason awards season, and here's a question to ponder when discussing them: Why aren't MLB.com reporters eligible for the BBWAA? In many cases (including with the Brewers), the MLB.com reporter may very well be the best beat reporter covering the team.

What a difference two years can make. Today, Jim Tracy is getting the Rockies ready for their second postseason appearance in three years. Two years ago today, he was fired by a Pirates after two years on the job.

Happy birthday today to Alex Diaz, who spent parts of the 1992, 1993 and 1994 seasons as a Brewer and turns 41 today.

Oh, and somewhere in a third world country today, a shipment is arriving carrying nothing but orange t shirts.

Drink up.