Maybe you should have kept the stache Mike? Photo: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Even if he hadn’t broken his arm this past Saturday in a Triple- A start, things were not looking good for the fairly young righty.  But he did break his arm…so now things look even worse than not good. 

During a start for the Nashville Sounds on Saturday, Mike Fiers took a line drive off of his right arm.  It did not take long for confirmation that the arm was broken.  Estimated healing and rehab time is anywhere from 10-12 weeks. 

That would effectively eliminate him throwing another pitch in the minor leagues for 2013.  So, unless the Brewers call him up in September without a single rehab start (let’s be honest, it would not be the most surprising thing this organization has ever pulled)…we have seen Fiers for the last time until next April. 

I have always been a firm believer in Mike Fiers and what he can bring to this team, but this Spring Training opened my eyes.  No mustache on earth could cover up the stink that started to emanate off of Fiers, no matter how gnarly.  

While he had some success starting last year, there were also no books on the kid.  No one had really faced him, or had the opportunity to learn his pitches and tendencies.  It does not take long though for hitting coaches to figure a guy out. 

Fast forward to this year.  My how things have changed. 

In 11 appearances with Brewers this year, he was rocking a 1-4 record that he paired nicely with a 7.25 ERA.  Some of the highlights included:  giving up a 12th inning walk-off home run to Andrew McCutchen, allowing 7 runs and only recording 5 outs against the Phillies, and a game in which he only gave up 5 hits…3 of which were home runs.

To call this season a setback, is not being realistic.  The 2013 season has been a nightmare for Mike Fiers.  It has been the equivalent of you walking into work tomorrow, your boss punching you in the face with your own fist, and then having a customer snap your arm over their knee like a tiny twig.  

He started the 2013 calendar year as a lock to be in the starting rotation and will end it by making model cars in his garage…but they wont turn out very good.  That cast will make the details on that model car impossible.  

Reality Check:  Mike Fiers turned 28 on Saturday (Happy Birthday?).  By missing the rest of this season, he gives other young arms time to leap-frog him on the organization pecking order.  He is still under Brewers control for a few more years, but that may not matter.  With so many young arms working their way  up, this could spell C-U-R-T-A-I-N-S for Fiers career in Milwaukee.  Let’s keep it real here…his value may not be sky-high, but he is certainly the type of bargaining chip you like to have in your corner.  Possible starter/long relief guy with low mileage, but still has major league experience.  That is what most teams will want to get in return. 

As a “Fiers Starter” (is that what his fans call themselves?), I am sad about this.  Watching him develop last year was one of the high points of the season, at least in my eyes.  Now he finds himself staring down the pit of eternal MiLB (Minor League Baseball, if you are not a total nerd).  Even when he comes back next Spring, he is going to have an uphill battle.  Here is a quick list of guys who will be looking to take his job next April:

Tyler Thornburg, Taylor Jungmann, Johnny Hellweg, Ariel Pena, Jimmy Nelson, Hiram Burgos, and maybe Jed Bradley

Get well soon and get to work.  Your life just got a lot more complicated.

Yet, do they have what it takes to make another miraculous try-hard run like in 2012 or should they focus on next year? (more…)

Ryan Braun has tried to stay positive while dealing with a thumb injury. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

It’s been a rough season for Milwaukee Brewers’ slugger Ryan Braun. Not only does his name keep popping up in reference to steroids, but a thumb injury has greatly diminished his production.

Through 57 games, Braun is hitting .304 with nine home runs and 36 driven in. For any other player, those numbers would be something to smile about. But not for Braun. If Braun isn’t leading his team in home runs after two months of the season, you figure there must be something wrong with him. But if a shortstop, a position not known for power, has more home runs (see Segura), then sound the alarm. Hopefully, it’s really his thumb that’s limiting his power and not the absence of steroids. Did I just go there? Yes. Yes I did.

The Brewers’ left fielder sat out the entire Miami series with hopes that his thumb would heal with rest but so far, nothing has changed.

“I try not to get disappointed,” Braun told Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “I just keep an open mind and just deal with what I can. Hopefully it starts to get better.”

While Braun doesn’t seem too down in the dumps, you can tell he just wants to get out there and play. Fortunately, the Brewers didn’t need him much as they took the series from the Marlins. But we’re talking about the Marlins – the worst team in baseball. The Crew will need Braun if they hope to dig themselves out of the 15.5 game hole they have in the NL Central.

What do you think Brewers’ fans? Should Ryan Braun go on the disabled list to try and get his thumb right? Or should he attempt to play through it?

Carlos Gomez: I think I’m in love. (Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports)

You were enduring the calm before the storm. The referee had all but sounded the gun for the 162-leg marathon. Your winter jacket was probably still prominently displayed on the coat rack. Francisco Rodriguez was not a Brewer.

Now, imagine yourself on March 31, listing off the, say, fifty players that would lead the league in Wins Above Replacement (WAR) come two-plus months from the date.

Miguel Cabrera? Awesome then and awesome now. Mike Trout? Same. Joey Votto? Yup.

Now raise your hand if you would have not only had Carlos Gomez in that list, but at the top of it.

Contrary to the odds, Gomez leads Major League Baseball with a WAR of 4.2. Repeated: Gomez leads all of baseball with a WAR of 4.2. Damn right the man deserves his own bobblehead!

Through 63 games, Gomez has ascended to the top of the league and into my girlfriend’s heart (I’m sometimes convinced she likes him more than me, but it’s justified, probably) not only on the defensive and base running side, but also at the plate. The speedy center fielder leads the team in homers, runs, slugging, isolated power, and swings that lose his helmet.

Gomez’s bat and speed often come into play when he gaps one and legs out a triple (Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports)

What’s truly incredible about Gomez’s feats is his long-awaited fulfillment of the dreaded “p-word”: potential.

For years, since his days with as a prospect with the Mets through his time with the Twins, Gomez has shown signs of brilliance and raw ability to go along with signs of, bluntly, bad baseball. Questionable base running, poor at-bats, and terrible hacks plagued Gomez for years. Years.

A few minor swing adjustments and a .960 OPS later, Gomez has ascended to becoming the most valuable player in all of baseball. For Gomez, it has been a mixture of stellar defense (his 11.6 fielding runs above average are tops in baseball), stealthy base running and speed (13 steals, eight triples), and an offensive outbreak (.326/.366/.594). All three phases considered, you’d be hard-pressed to find any player who’s been more productive to their team through the first one-third of the season.

Granted, there are still just under two-thirds of the season left. Expecting MVP-level production from Gomez for one hundred more games may be a bit far-fetched, but this Carlos Gomez is here, and here to stay. He’s one of few players in the game that contributes at a high level in every possible facet of the game. Gomez brings an energy to the club that doesn’t translate to his WAR–a sense of high intensity to each at-bat and hustle to chase down each fly ball. His play, along with that of Jean Segura, have been the consistent bright spots in what has been predominantly a rough start for the Brewers.

In the field, Gomez has been even better than in years past in which he was already considered on of the game’s top center fielders. His Ultimate Zone Rating (UZR) of 11.6 leads all players. His RngR (runs above average based on range) is the highest in the game at 11.3. The only player to make more plays out of his “zone” than Gomez is Hunter Pence (Milwaukee’s Jean Segura and Ryan Braun rank tied for second and fourth, respectively). His robbing of a Carlos Gonzalez would-be home run still ranks as one of the top plays made this season.

Gomez has undoubtedly asserted himself as a deserving All Star and has made sure that, next year on March 31, his name is include in that list among the top players in baseball.