As you hopefully know by now, Catchella launched today at Baseball Prospectus. If you are unfamiliar, folks who are much smarter than I am have labored hard to finally quantify en masse the defensive contributions of a catcher. The importance of this in baseball circles is hard to overstate. Other metrics — like Ultimate Zone […]
Author: Michael Bradburn
Garin Cecchini Deserves a Shot
The Milwaukee Brewers have some options at third base. None seem spectacularly overwhelming on the surface. However, in determining which player most deserves the starting role, it’s best to explore all available options. As it sits right now, the newly-acquired Jonathan Villar is perched atop the official depth chart. In his 589 career plate appearances, Villar has […]
Keep Calm And Carry On: Cliches & Patience For Brewers
If there’s one thing that makes me crazy, it’s the ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ fad. It’s been waning in popularity for a while now, so I suppose that I should be finding new things to annoy me now. But so it goes. You can picture an old fellow in a rocking chair wearing a baseball […]
The Rising Cost of Elite Relief
About a month ago, I wrote an article about the weird timing of the Francisco Rodriguez trade with Detroit. I hypothesized that there were still a number of moving parts in the relief market that needed to settle. Among those moving parts, Darren O’Day has re-signed with the Orioles, Ken Giles has been traded, and […]
Why Hasn’t Jonathan Lucroy Been Traded?
If the Brewers are indeed open to trading him, Jonathan Lucroy could be one of the hottest commodities available on the trade market. Given the fact that very few attractive options on the free-agent market at catcher existed at the beginning of the offseason, it has become even more barren with Matt Wieters acceptance of his qualifying offer […]
The Weird Timing of the K-Rod Trade
This past Wednesday, David Stearns continued to pour gasoline on the hot stove by trading the Milwaukee Brewers’ closer, Francisco Rodriguez. In general, a lot of things go into a trade. All potential trade partners have to be explored, the loss of that particular player has to be justified by the return for both parties, one […]
Early-Season Test: Brewers ’16 Schedule Released
While the starting lineup is anything but certain, Major League Baseball has released an almost-certain 2016 schedule and the Brewers will presumably have it pretty tough at first. Despite starting at home for six-straight games, their first four competitors are the San Francisco Giants, the Houston Astros, the St. Louis Cardinals, and the Pittsburgh Pirates. […]
The Legacy of Doug Melvin
As Doug Melvin steps down to an advisory role with the Milwaukee Brewers, it’s clear that an era is in its twilight. But what does that mean for the fans who look retrospectively and forward? Let’s start first with some fair analysis. During Melvin’s tenure, the Brewers had a win-loss record of 1004-1052. Considering the team […]
Game One-Hundred Three Recap: Cubs 4, Brewers 2
TOP PLAY (WPA) Having already thrown 19 pitches in the top of the 3rd inning on Saturday, Matt Garza served up a fastball at the top of the zone to Anthony Rizzo, who promptly deposited it in the right field seats (+.298 WPA). The inning started pretty easily for Garza, who seemed to be settling into […]
Game 97 Recap: Brewers 2, Diamondbacks 1
TOP PLAY (WPA): In the top of the sixth inning with nobody out, Ryan Braun broke the scoreless tie by going opposite field on the first pitch for his 18th home run of the season (+.162 WPA). Unlike last night, there was nobody on base for Braun, but a solo shot proved devastating enough as […]