The Yuni B grand slam owns the top spot on the “WHAT THE **** JUST HAPPENED” leaderboard through 14 games.

Quite possibly the most harshly-critiqued Brewer not named John Axford in the last three seasons, Betancourt has been the spark plug behind the team’s current four-game win streak, which including a three-game sweep of the reigning World Champs.

Over those four games, Betancourt had a base hit and an RBI in each game, all-in-all going 5-for-11 at the plate and driving in eight runs.

Though Ryan Braun’s two-run homer end the club-record 32 inning scoreless streak and captured all the magic and headlines and glamour, his feat would have merely been the only salvaging moment in a gut-wrenching sweep. Instead, Betancourt tied the game up in the top of the ninth with an RBI double, plating Carlos Gomez. The Brewers pulled out the win in extra innings, and the  rest was, err, history(?).

For those accustomed to Yuni B’s first-pitch swinging antics and ground ball-botching, his rope to score Gomez would have been WAR-y enough (Related: I’m getting incredibly analytic into sabermetrics and stuff here).

But nope. Yuni must have been paying attention in physics to the unit of circuits and electricity and was, thus, motivated into becoming a week-long spark plug for his team.

Apr 14, 2013; St. Louis, MO, USA; Milwaukee Brewers third baseman Yuniesky Betancourt (3) hits an rbi double that ties the game against the St. Louis Cardinals during the ninth inning at Busch Stadium. The Brewers defeated the Cardinals 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports

His grand slam off of Barry Zito on Tuesday was, evidently, the determining factor in a 10-8 Brewers victory over San Francisco; his wall-scraping homer got the Brewers on the board on Wednesday in addition to a fifth inning sacrifice fly propelled Milwaukee to a 4-3 victory; and he drove in yet another run with a single in the series rubber match.

So what I’m saying is this: Betancourt–the ever-so-maligned Yuniesky Betancourt–came up as the most consistent contributor during the team’s four-game win streak. His defense has been respectable at first base, even. Two homers, eight RBI, a grand slam, an incredibly clutch intentional base on balls require credit to be given where credit is due.

I’m pickin’ up good vibrations, Yuni B. Well done, kid.

Remember Yuniesky, the goal is to pick up the ball…not just stop it. Photo: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

Since I began writing for RtB back in the winter of 2010, I have always had a punching bag.  By “punching bag” I mean, an aging/overrated/overpaid  default player that I can blame all of the teams woes on.  Usually it is someone who is past their prime, lacks the tools to be an everyday player, or is insanely overpaid.  Lucky for me, I have had one of those every year thus far.  That is, until this season…

Going into the 2013 season, I had some concerns about who would be the focus of my blind rage and malcontent.  Part of me thought Rickie Weeks might be worthy of carrying the mantle.  Meanwhile, other parts of my beer-saturated cranium thought that the signing of guys like Bobby Crosby and Kelvim Escobar would serve nicely.  Unluckily for me, Weeks looks to be back in form and both Crosby and Escobar are selling cars at a Dodge dealership in Phoenix (I assume). 

On Monday I felt like my prayers had been answered.  The Brewers went out and lit $33 million dollars on fire by signing the next best thing to Jeff Suppan, Kyle Lohse.  Now granted, I do believe Lohse has more talent than Suppan..but based on age and dollars, it is a wash.  This was certainly a step in the right direction, but this signing did not quite fill that void in my hate riddled soul.  All this signing did was make me see the disconnect between my two favorite uncle’s, Mark (Attanasio) and Doug (Melvin).  This signing did not make Kyle Lohse my punching bag, it made the organization my temporary boxing…sack.  You know the one I am talking about right?  The one that guys can wail on with one hand and it keeps bouncing back over and over again.  The Brewers had made themselves my punching sack…I still needed a punching bag.

Without even so much as a day for me to soak in all the money they just dumped into Lake Michigan, I got a text from old pal and staff writer Colin Bennett.  The text read thusly:

Everything is on hold.  We are giving Yuniesky Betancourt a MAJOR LEAGUE DEAL

The first sentence of that text was in regards to a joint article we were/are working on.  The second sentence was a gift…and a curse.

All Spring Training I had longed for a player who could pinch hit with one out and the bases loaded, to deliver that double play.  At night I would lay awake and dream about 1 pitch at-bats, ending in a double-play or a pop up to the 3rd baseman.   As I watched our talented young position players move base runners with sacrifice bunts and fly balls, I ached for 3 straight swing-and-misses on balls in the dirt.  Now…I had all of those things in one horrible, depressing package. 

Yuniesky Betancourt was a player that was so unwanted, that the Royals refused to trade us Zack Greinke unless he was part of the deal.  How bad do you have to be for a team to force a “throw-away” player on you?

Here are some of my favorite highlights from Yuni’s storied career:

2008/09 – His last season with the Mariners he was statistically the worst defensive starting shortstop in baseball, paired with him walking in 3% of his over 500 plate appearances…also the worst in baseball for a starter.  He was then traded to the Royals.

2009/10 - The Royals gave up two minor league nothings to acquire Betancourt, who thanked them by having a .274 on-base percentage…again, the worst in baseball for a starting position player.

2010/11 – Then the Brewers were forced to take him as part of the Greinke deal.  As a Brewer he led the majors in fewest pitches seen per plate appearance, 3.16.  You guessed it, worst in major league baseball.  He also retained his crown of having the worst on-base percentage of any starting position player. 

Don’t get me wrong, Betancourt had some moments as a Brewer that were good and possibly great.  During our playoff run to the NLCS that year, he was off the charts good.  Almost good enough to make me forget about all the times he was the worst player in baseball. 

All of a sudden, Kyle Lohse looks like a 14 karat gold plated pooper scooper doesn’t he? 

It will be oh so nice to rip Betancourt apart every time he steps on the field.  The real difficulty will be trying to keep it fresh.  Coming up with new material about a guy I have insulted hundreds of times before will be a challenge that I embrace.  

I have been writing about the Crew for so long now that sometimes it seems like they are inside my head.  How could they have possibly known that I secretly yearned for one of the worst baseball players of the last half-century?  

The only logical explanation, is that someone in the Brewers front office loves my work on all of the over-payed, 40 year old garbage they keep throwing on the field. 

My Dad always says, “A turd in a tuxedo, is still a turd”. 

Welcome back to Milwaukee you classy, sophisticated turd!!!

Oct 11, 2012; Washington, DC, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Kyle Lohse (26) throws during the sixth inning of game four of the 2012 NLDS against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Okay. The Brewers have a flair for the dramatic. We all get that, and we all saw it coming from a mile away. It had to happen eventually

Doug Melvin, Mark Attanasio, and the rest of the Brewers organization were so quiet this offseason… with the exception of revamping the bullpen by bringing in sturdy pieces like Tom Gorzelanny, Michael Gonzalez, Burke Badenhop, and Michael Olmsted, the Brewers did virtually nothing this offseason.

This, after the club two years prior sold the farm in acquiring two starting pitchers—Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum—to immediately contend for a World Series run. Then, the following year, after offering a $100 million contract to Prince Fielder and ultimately losing him to a deal that was both twice the length and double the monetary value, went after veteran (and rival) third baseman Aramis Ramirez to help replace some of Fielder’s prolific offense.

Let’s stop here for a minute. I can’t cite any articles, and I neither feel like, nor do I think it’s possible for me to go back to the twitter reactions from Brewers fans when they signed Ramirez. What I can tell you is that it was not universally positive. I was watching very closely (hoping they’d move on either Jose Reyes or Ramirez), and I remember the reactions very well. The detractors (of which there were quite a few) were contending that Ramirez was too old, not a good enough defender, and overpriced.

Ramirez was 33 years old last season, so he is on a bit of an age tilt. But he still managed to surpass even the optimists of the signing, including myself. I saw Ramirez posting an honest .275 BA with around 15-20 homers and 75-85 RBI. Worth the money, but only just. Instead, Ramirez put the hammer down on everyone and slammed 27 homers, 105 RBI, and he put up a slashline of .300/.360/.540, numbers that pushed him into ninth in MVP voting, which would have undoubtedly been higher if the Brewers were a playoff-bound team. Along with Braun’s improved power numbers, the two (along with Corey Hart) made for one of the most threatening 3-4-5 punches in all of baseball. That isn’t even bringing up his defense, which was stellar… so stellar, in fact, that Ramirez was a top-five finalist for a Gold Glove at third base (and in my humble opinion, should have won it).

What have we to learn here? Brewers fans are passionate… as passionate as any in baseball, and they react like crazy when this team makes signings perceived as risky. They want this team to be good both in the present and in the future, and the additions of Kyle Lohse and now Yuniesky Betancourt have jarred the fanbase, and have kept the streak of flashy offseason moves by the Brewers alive.

First, Lohse. Let me get this out of the way… if I see one more Jeff Suppan comparison, I’ll burst. Honestly. Lohse is NOT Jeff Suppan 2.0. Suppan didn’t have any of the tools that Lohse has, Suppan was always mediocre-to-bad, whereas Lohse has had an average career until his explosion onto the scene the last two years with the St. Louis Cardinals.

I can argue all day about why Lohse is better than Suppan, but any self-respecting fan can look at the situation and see that it’s simply the truth. Suppan threw an 85 MPH fastball and didn’t hit his spots. He sucked with the Brewers, he sucked before, and he still sucks now. Plain and simple.

Lohse works primarily with his 2-seam fastball that sits around 90-91 MPH, a hard dipping change-up in the low-80s, a very tight slider in the mid-80s that almost looks like a slider/cutter hybrid, and a curve in the low-70s. He mixes his pitches well, he hits his spots, and he gets a lot of ground ball outs, a valuable tool in fly ball-friendly Miller Park. He won’t have a K/9 above 7.0, but he’ll get a decent amount of strikeouts on location and familiarity of the division alone.

Lohse was undeniably good last year. His 16-3 record (.842 W-L%) led the league, he pitched to a 2.86 ERA in 211 innings, to go along with 143 strikeouts and a remarkable WHIP of 1.090. He had another good year the season prior, going  14-8 with a 3.39 ERA in 188.1 IP with 111 Ks. Two great seasons. And the big thing about Lohse is the fact that all of the stats are going the right direction… in 2010, he had a BB/9 of 3.4, in 2011 it dipped to 2.0, and in 2012 it was a microscopic 1.6. His K/9 has gone from 5.3 in both 2010 and 2011 to 6.1 in 2012, and he boasted a career high in K/BB with a 3.76, a very good, top of the rotation number.

All of this because he switched from a 4-seam fastball, with which he had less control, to a 2-seam fastball (starting in 2011), which has been the catalyst for his success.

Point is, don’t write Lohse off. It’s foolish to condemn him before he even wears Brewers blue. He’s a great No. 2 behind Yovani Gallardo, and while it’s hard to see him having an ERA below 3.00 again this season, it’s not hard to imagine a solid ERA in the low-to-mid 3s. All of that for the 10th best free agent available to start the winter, and well below the five year, $75 million dollar contract agent Scott Boras was reportedly seeking.

Oct 5, 2011; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Milwaukee Brewers infielder Yuniesky Betancourt celebrates in the second inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks during game four of the 2011 NLDS at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Now, a few words on the much maligned Yuniesky Betancourt, whose signing came the day after Lohse’s. Betancourt, of course, was the primary shortstop in the 2011 NL Central champion Brewers squad, and while he didn’t shock the world with his offensive production (.252/.271/.381, 13 homers, 68 RBI), he didn’t completely offend anyone. His defense wasn’t as glaringly bad as advertised either, even initiating one of the defensive plays of the year for the Brewers on May 9th, 2011.

So far, if his contract information has been released, I haven’t been able to find it (aside from it being a one year, major league deal), but if the Brewers were able to snag Alex Gonzalez, their other main utility infielder, for $1.5 million, my guess is that Yuni B. came dirt cheap—probably around $1 million with a few incentives.

His defense isn’t great. In fact, it’s pretty subpar. He sort of makes up for it on offense, but even his bat is frustratingly streaky. He boots his fair share of routine plays on defense, and he practically never draws walks at the plate. But he has some pop in his bat, he has the ability to make astounding defensive plays, and can play every infield position, though to varying results ranging from average to… not so average.

The vitriol surrounding the return of Yuni to the Brewers is probably mostly in a comical context, as he has earned a reputation of being a player that fans love to hate, but the move itself was practical. With Taylor Green and Jeff Bianchi headed for the DL, Donnie Murphy seeing the door, Corey Hart out until at least early-May, and Mat Gamel out for the entire season, the move was not only smart and cheap, it was necessary. The Brewers could have taken a chance on someone else, but they’re familiar with Yuni, and by all accounts, he’s a good guy to be around in the clubhouse, so why not?

The biggest drawback of the past two days is that the Brewers surrendered the 17th overall pick in the first year player’s draft by signing Lohse, which was a major reason Lohse was without a home until just this week, and a big reason many fans aren’t happy about his arrival. Losing that pick sucks, but the Brewers farm system isn’t as bad as most believe, and I think they can take that hit. Having a solid No. 2 behind Yo and in front of an extremely talented No. 3 in Marco Estrada makes the Brewers a much better team.

To say they’re World Series contenders is a pretty big stretch. To say they’re a better team in a much better position to make a run at a playoff spot? That’s not quite so outlandish, and it’s because of these moves.

Take a chill pill, Brewers fans… opening day is 5 days away! It’s going to be a fun season, and I fully expect the smart additions to rebuild the bullpen, add Lohse to the rotation, and bring back Betancourt for infield depth will prove to be a series of moves that will silence the Melvin critics for at least a few months.

If I’m wrong, I’ll eat crow. But I think we’re all hoping I’m right.

(more…)

With the Hall of Brewers We Won’t Miss series going on back in June and a remembrance for, well, players we won’t miss, I assembled candidates for the All-Brewers We Won’t Miss team from the 2000′s.

So without further ado, make a quick run to your closet, put on your Royce Clayton shirt, and cringe a bit as you go through the team.

Catcher

Candidates- Henry Blanco, Paul Bako, Chad Moeller

Moeller somehow hit for the cycle on April 27, 2004 against the Cincinnati Reds.

Any of these guys could have easily been selected to the team, but, in the end, consistently bad play was the determining factor. Henry Blanco batted .236 in 2000 and .210 in 2001 while getting the majority of the playing time over Raul Casanova. Though he was one of the best defensive catchers in the game, (2.7 combined dWAR over his two seasons), his offense was abysmal (negative oWAR in both seasons). Chad Moeller was really bad (batted .208, .206, and .184 from 2004-2006) and probably deserves being on the list, but he hit for the cycle and is thus spared. Paul Bako posted a mere .295 OBP and -0.7 WAR in 87 games in 2002 but only played one season with the Brewers–not nearly enough time for us to celebrate his departure.

Winner- Henry Blanco

We should actually be thanking Blanco for his contributions to the Brewers; tied at 2, he hit an inning-ending ground out with runners on the corners in the ninth inning of Game Five of the 2011 NLDS in Milwaukee. In the bottom of the 10th, his defense allowed Carlos Gomez to steal second after Blanco dropped the ball behind the plate and, as we all know, Gomez then scored on Nyjer Morgan’s series-winning single.

First Base

Candidates- Kevin Barker, Brooks Conrad, Brad Nelson

Look, who did you really expect too see here? Richie Sexson? Lyle Oooooooverbay? Prince Fielder? The Brewers have had some of the best luck with first basemen over the course of the 2000′s. To put it in perspective, the worst season by a Milwaukee starting first basemen (until this season because there really hasn’t been one starting 1B) was in 2005 when Overbay hit .276/.367/.449 with 19 homers, 72 RBI, and 80 runs.

I give you Brad Nelson, ladies and gentlemen.

Brewers fans will really have to dig into the memory bank to recall Kevin Barker. He was a 24-year-old draft pick of the Brewers and the Opening Day starter in the infamous tie game with the Reds in 2000. He batted .220 in 100 at-bats, posting two homers and nine RBI. Barker drew nearly as many walks (20) and hits (22), which led to a respectable .352 OBP before his season ended on May 27 and some guy named Richie Sexson took over. Brad Nelson and Brooks Conrad pretty much go hand-in-hand after their performances with the Brewers. Nelson started 2009 on the big league roster and couldn’t hit the broad side of the barn. He failed to get a hit in 21 at-bats (mainly as a pinch-hitter, but still…) before being released as a .000 hitter with nine strikeouts. Conrad wasn’t much better; the former Braves postseason hero went 0-27 to open 2012 despite batting over .400 in AAA. He finally broke through with a two-run homer on June 2 against Pittsburgh. Two of his three hits on the season were home runs against the Pirates before he was released as a .075 hitter with two homers and six RBI in 40 at-bats.

Winner- Brad Nelson

At least Brooks Conrad got a hit. Nelson was a joke each time he stepped into the box. No confidence. Overswinging. Pressing. It was just a bad situation for a guy who made the postseason roster a year before. Sorry, Brad, but we won’t miss you.

Second Base

Candidates- Ronnie Belliard, Enrique Cruz, Junior Spivey

We could really just flip a coin for this one. Belliard had a good year in 1999, but that wasn’t the 2000s, which weren’t as productive for the dreadlocked Brewer. He batted a combined .263 over 2000 and 2001 and posted a 3.4 WAR in 2001. His 2002 season was simply awful, however. He had an OBP, not an average, of .257. 257. Two-fifty-seven. And a WAR of -2.3. In the end, his positive 2000 and 2001 season save him from making this team. Enrique Cruz somehow lasted the entire 2003 season in the majors despite only going 6-71 for a .085 average. He struck out more than 42% of the time. Adam Dunn’s career rate is 28%. His longest hitting streak was one and, in only 76 plate appearances, he had a -1.5 WAR. Junior Spivey came to Milwaukee in the Richie Sexson trade before the 2004 season after being an All Star in 2002. He got injured and only appeared in 59 games in ’04, then hit .236 in 2005 before being traded for Tomo Ohka. His defense made Rickie Weeks look like a Gold Glover, making 18 errors in 108 games over his two seasons.

Winner- Junior Spivey

Cruz wasn’t a starter like the two, and Belliard had two out of three good seasons. Spivey couldn’t stay healthy and didn’t prove nearly as valuable as the Brewers had hoped the former All Star would. When Rickie Weeks took over second after Spivey’s departure, we didn’t miss him.

Third Base

Sep 19, 2011; Chicago, IL, USA; Milwaukee Brewers third baseman Casey McGehee reacts after striking out during the sixth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. (Image: Jerry Lai-US PRESSWIRE)

Candidates- Jose Hernandez, Wes Helms, Casey McGehee

Though he started at shortstop in 2001 and 2002, Jose Hernandez’s arguably worst season came at third base in 2000. He batted .244 with 11 homers and 59 RBI–not the prototypical “power” third baseman numbers–and struck out 125 times, or over 25% of the time. His K totals grew worse as the years went on, but 2000 was his all-around worst season. When I asked someone on Twitter what they thought of Wes Helms, he replied “at least he was good at getting hit by pitches”. His numbers weren’t terrible (.267/23/67 in 2003) but Brewers fans were happy to replace him in 2006. He (zero steals over three seasons) and Casey McGehee (one over three seasons) would make for a good race to determine the slowest non-catcher of the 2000′s for the Brewers. McGehee actually may have had a better year than Prince Fielder in 2010 when he batted .285 with 23 homers and 104 RBI, but 2011 was a completely different story. He batted .223, led all NL third basemen in errors, and posted a -1.1 WAR.

Winner- Jose Hernandez

Normally, I’d put Hernandez under the shortstop category seeing as it was his primary position in two of his three season, but his terrible season as a third baseman coupling with the strong candidates for the team at short make for him reaching the squad at the Hot Corner. He led the team in errors, struck out three times more than he walked, was caught stealing seven out of ten times, and had a -0.3 WAR.

Shortstop

Candidates- Royce Clayton, Yuniesky Betancourt, Cesar Izturis

ROYCE CLAYTON HAS AS MANY RINGS AS LEBRON, GUYS! (And more hair!)

In 2003, my first year to follow every Brewers game, I distinctly recall my grandmother having a strong dislike for Royce Clayton, the long-haired shortstop for the Crew. He was an All Star with St. Louis in 1997 (once again proving the ASG is seriously flawed), but only batted .228 with a .301 OBP and 39 RBI in 146 games in his only season with Milwaukee. My grandma always noted that if he cut his hair, maybe he’d hit the ball…but judging by his -1.5 WAR that season I’d say that’s wishful thinking. As for Yuniesky Betancourt, I need not explain much. We won’t miss his first-pitch swinging, ground ball-botching play, but he did have a clutch RBI single in Game Five of the 2011 NLDS. Yuni B swung at the most first pitches in the league and was only in 12 3-1 counts all season long.  Cesar Izturis has taken over the role of shortstop this season after losing Alex Gonzalez for the season to injury, playing more games at short than any other Brewer despite a stint on the DL himself. We can count on a .215 average and a dismal .234 OBP with a homer and eight RBI from the man Ron Roenicke calls “Caesar”.

Winner-Royce Clayton and Yuniesky Betancourt

There simply is no leaving Betancourt off the team, but Clayton was awful in his year with the Brewers. They’ll split time at shortstop with Cesar Izturis getting the occasional Ned Yost Sunday Special start.

Left Field

Candidates- Ryan Thompson, Carlos Lee

The fact that Geoff Jenkins and Ryan Braun manned the garden in front of Friday’s Front Row at Miller Park for 11 of the last 13 seasons limited the options from which to choose. Jenkins was shelved because of an injury in June of 2002 and career .243 hitter Ryan Thompson joined the team and accumulated 62 games over the course of the remaining season. He stayed near his career totals, posting .248/.295/.518 splits. As for Carlos Lee, the production was never a problem. He played all 162 games in 2005 after being exchanged for Scott Podsednik, hitting 32 homers and driving in 114 runs. He was an All Star in both his seasons with Milwaukee, 2005 and 2006, but never had the fan-friendly appeal to him of other players. Lee never (and still doesn’t) run out grounders and was a minus defensive player.

Winner- Ryan Thompson

It’s not fair to include Thompson on this team with his limited action in a Brewers uniform, but he’s going up against Ryan Braun, Geoff Jenkins, and Carlos Lee. But does anybody really miss Thompson when El Caballo is still producing with Miami?

Cam Boogie could roam the outfield..and can bring those talents to this team. (Image: Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE)

Center Field

Candidates- James Mouton, Mike Cameron, Chris Duffy

James Mouton was never the everyday starter for the Brewers, but over his two seasons with the team (2000 and ’01) he totaled 355 plate appearances, which is nothing shabby for a bench player. He hit .233 and .246, respectively, with four total homers while striking out in over 25% of his at-bats. While he spent time in both left and right, center field was his primary position. Mike Cameron was a fan favorite in 2008 and 2009 and hit 49 homers in his two seasons but was in the decline of his career. Cam-Boogie’s strikeouts were his downfall. He struck out 298 times in 269 games and only hit .247. Chris Duffy was unproductive in his short stint with the Brewers in 2009. He racked up four hits in 32 at-bats and was released early on in the season.

Winner- Mike Cameron

I loved Mike Cameron’s work ethic, but there’s no missing his strikeouts. It pains me to say it, but Mike Cameron gets the start on the Brewers We Won’t Miss Team.

Right Field

Candidates- Jeffry Hammonds, Kevin Mench, Chris Magruder, Jody Gerut

Right field is full of Hall of Brewers We Won’t Miss candidates. Jeffry Hammonds was the largest contract in Brewers history in 2001 when he signed as a free agent; injuries plagued his 2001 season but he was an intricate part in the team’s awfulness in 2002. MLB FanCave finalist, friend of RtB, and nominator of Hammonds for the Hall Steve Sievewright wrote the following on the former right fielder.

65 RBI, now that sounds like a completely average year right? Well, it would be except that’s the amount of RBIs Hammonds had in his 3 years as a Brewer.  Stats as a Brewer are as follows: .248 BA/.321 OBP/65 RBI/69 Runs/16 HRs. Here’s the key stat: 187 games. In three years! Three abysmal years. 49 games in 2001, 128 in 2002, and 10 (yes 10!) in 2003. All years were cut short by stints on the DL.

Kevin Mench came over in the deal that sent Carlos Lee and Nelson Cruz (way to go, management!) to Texas for Francisco Cordero,

You go, Jeffry Hammonds. You go.

Mench, Laynce Nix, and a minor leaguer. He was incredibly slow, terrible on defense, and had consistently poor at-bats. He saw the 11th-fewest pitches per PA in 2007. He hit .288 while with the Brewers, which actually wasn’t that bad….if it wasn’t actually his OBP instead of his batting average. He drew a total of 20 walks and had a negative defensive WAR. In Chris Magruder’s two seasons, he hit .236 and .203, respectively, in a consistent role off the bench. He wasn’t very good, but seemed to just be some guy on the roster, which makes it hard to miss or not miss him. Jody Gerut wasn’t very good (he batted .197 in 2010) but he had a grand slam in ’09 and hit for the cycle in Arizona in ’10 so he gets a pass.

Winner- Jeffry Hammonds

Hammonds three year, $21 million contract, the biggest in franchise history at the time, is tied with the Jeff Suppan deal for the worst Brewers signing ever. He couldn’t stay on the field for the majority of the deal and was unproductive when he stayed relatively healthy in 2002.

Bench- Chad Moeller, Brooks Conrad, Enrique Cruz, Ronnie Belliard, Carlos Lee, Kevin Mench

Starting pitchers- Braden Looper, Jeff Suppan, Manny Parra, Victor Santos, Glendon Rusch

Bullpen- Luis Vizcaino (SU), Ricky Bottalico, Carlos Villanueva, Jorge Julio, Guillermo Mota, Eric Gagne (SU) , Derrick Turnbow (CL)

Manager- Ken Macha

Here’s how the lineup would look:

2B Spivey

CF Cameron

3B Hernandez

RF Hammonds

LF Thompson

1B Nelson

SS Clayton/Betancourt

C Blanco

Tonight I would like to take a look at both of those articles and share some of my thoughts with you.  Before you read my thoughts, you should go read their articles.  Therefore, let us start with Kyle Davis’ article from Call to the Pen.  It is all about Zack Greinke bringing another Cy Young to Milwaukee. 

Lou’s Editorial

Feb 26, 2012; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Zack Greinke (13) throws during a workout during spring training at Maryvale Baseball Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-US PRESSWIRE

The first thing I noticed, I do not have the same curious fascination with Greinke as Kyle clearly does.  It’s not like he sleeps with a photo of him next to his bed fascinated, but probably a step below that.  Kyle references an article that lists ZG as one of the top 3 fantasy baseball pitchers in the National League this season, and I agree.  Although, there is something you all should know about me.  I only played fantasy baseball one time, Greinke was on my team, and he won the Cy Young.  Does this mean I should join a fantasy baseball league?  Probably not, but just something I thought you should all know.  And don’t ask me too, because I hate fantasy baseball…accept it. 

There is no doubt that Greinke knows how to strikeout batters.  Mr. Davis points out that Zack averaged over 10 strikeouts per 9 innings, which is pretty awesome.  Kyle covers almost every aspect of why Shaq Greinke was not as dominant as we had hoped, but there is one thing that I really need to emphasise.  Yuniesky Betancourt.  Greinke got much worse in 2010, which was his first season with Yuni Betancourt playing shortstop.  Coincidence?  I don’t think so.  Then in 2011 Greinke gave up more home runs than he ever had in his career.  Now, Kyle attributes that to pitch selection and adjusting to batters.  His article does talk about the ineptitude of Betancourt, but I think his departure will be one of the best things to happen to Zack.  I genuinely think Greinke was pitching to fly-balls because he did not trust the right side of his infield.  Who could blame him?  This season, that should not be an issue. That is why I think Greinke could win the Cy Young. 

Truth is, Kyle’s article is spot on.  He leaves nary a rock unturned.  You have to go read this article, because this guy seems to be the Greinke whisperer.  Great work Monsieur Davis.  I tip my cap to you and your strange obsession with our starting pitcher.  You should all go follow him on Twitter @AgainstKyle

Now let’s talk about Robbie Knopf’s continuation of his Mock Draft at Seedlings to Stars.  Yesterday he posted the supplemental Mock, then messaged me to tell me how jazzed he was about who he thought the Brewers would pick.  Here is his entire Mock for the supplemental round, you should check it out. 

Lou’s Editorial

38th Pick Overall (also a Fielder Pick) – Addison Russell, SS

Once again, Robbie has made the Brewers look extremely intelligent.  While I will never debate this fact, perhaps he is giving us too much credit.  This kid sounds like he could be the next big thing in this franchise.  He hits too all fields, has power, and from what our boy over at S2S has to say…his upside is through the roof.  Now, the part of this article that caught me off guard was Russell’s build.  Very rarely do you see a 6’1″ and 205 pound shortstop in this day and age…well, any day and age I guess.  If the Brewers went ahead and drafted this kid, he is straight out of High School and that always makes me nervous.  But, since I can not find any real information on this kid other than what Robbie wrote about…I will leave it too the experts and people who have access to tape of this kid in action.  As an organization, we need to be stockpiling any and all talent right now, so any pick is a good one.  It’s best to draft these type of players now, while there is still time to develop them.  The wheels are slowly going to start falling off our wagon, so management needs to replace those wheels now.   

Robbie, you were right.  I really like this pick too.  Perhaps you should get a job with the Brewers front office, that way you can get paid for your genius and obvious love of the Brewers.

If you like what you see from Robbie, go follow him on Twitter at @RCG_Robbie 

Kyle Terada-US PRESSWIRE

Aside from being the brother of current bench coach, Jerry Narron, Johnny has a pretty impressive resume as a coach and hitting instructor.  Replacing Dale Sveum will not be easy, but I think Narron could be an upgrade.  Arguably his biggest accomplishment, is the resurgence of Josh Hamilton, or as he is known in my home, “The Natural”.  Narron spent the past few seasons as the assistant hitting coach of the Texas Rangers and acountabili-buddy to Hamilton.  In my opinion, the Rangers have been the best offensive team in baseball over the last two seasons.  It would be naive of me to think that Narron had no influence on the success of that team.  I can not wait to see what he will bring to this lineup. 

Now Johnny never played in the big leagues, but he did spend a few years in the minors with both the Yankees and  White Sox.  That should not bother anyone, because very rarely do ex-players turn into successful coaches.    There will always be exceptions to that rule, but most successful coaches have, at the very least, spent their entire adult lives in the game.  Johnny fits into that second category.  In fact, the Narron family has had 9 different members involved in major league baseball (in one capacity or another).  The guy understands the game and know what it takes to win. 

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Even though the month of December is not over, I think we have a pretty clear picture of what this team is going to look like when pitchers and catchers report to Arizona in 2 months.  Whether you like what they look like or not, things seem to be locked in.  That being the case, we are going to take a look at the possible opening day lineup/roster for 2012. 

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