Looking through a list of Milwaukee Brewers Spring Training invitees, I was surprised to see a name of a player I’ve heard quite a few times: Veteran relief pitcher Ryan Webb. It was hard to believe a solid bullpen piece like him could be had for the price of a minor league contract until taking […]
Category: Articles
Building Confidence in Travis Shaw
Confidence is key, and when discussing the intricacies and mental states of baseball players who, daily, deal with the pressures of slumps, overbearing fans, nagging injuries, and minimal relaxation time, it’s one of the most important factors to determining long-term big league success. This is why Travis Shaw, one of the Brewers’ key offseason acquisitions […]
A Tight Rotation
Spring Training starts soon, which means a number of things to everyone. It’s a chance for young players to make an impression with the big club. It’s two months to prepare for the season for those assured of a roster spot. And, in quite a few cases, it’s a semi-open audition for the unfilled spots […]
Craig Counsell and Pinch Running
If you were to ask someone how many times the Brewers pinch ran in 2016, you could win an awful lot of bar bets. You would also get a lot of strange looks, but it’s January and you’re thinking about baseball. Glancing through The Bill James Handbook 2017, the number really stands out: Craig Counsell called […]
Matt Garza’s Value
For an MLB player, value has two elements: Production: A player can be considered valuable based on how well they perform on the field. Alternately, as advanced statistics and analytical tools emerge, a player can be considered valuable based on their underlying elements — stuff, mechanics, plate approach, command, etc. Both of these metrics, traditional […]
Starting Susac in 2017
On July 31, 2016, the Brewers dealt reliever Will Smith for catcher Andrew Susac and pitcher Phil Bickford. While Bickford has been the focus of the trade for many, it’s Susac who is mostly likely to make the greatest impact in 2017. In December, The Brewers shipped away fellow catcher Martin Maldonado, in effect declaring […]
Lucas Erceg and All-Around Development
After being drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the second round in June 2016, third baseman Lucas Erceg made quite a first impression. He joined the Helena Brewers on June 19th and managed to only stick around for a month due to the fact he slashed .400/.452/.552 with eight doubles, two home runs, and 22 […]
2017 Brewers and What to Expect
Wisconsin may be in the middle of a cold winter, but Spring Training 2017 is only a few weeks away! Here’s what you can look forward to from your favorite Cream City crew. 1. Junior Guerra Will Continue to Shine Junior Guerra took his place in the starting rotation in May of last season and […]
Villar and Baserunning Havoc
Brewers shortstop Jonathan Villar has always been the backup plan. In Houston, he couldn’t escape the foreshadowed megastar Carlos Correa, and when he was shipped to Milwaukee for lanky right hander Cy Sneed prior to 2016, he was viewed as the bridge for top prospect Orlando Arcia. That reality inspired a certain fire inside Villar, […]
Youth Movement on Hold
To Brewers fans’ disappointment, the oft-controversial and seemingly replacement-level veteran right-handed starting pitcher Matt Garza will likely open the 2017 season in the Milwaukee Brewers starting rotation at the expense of sexier, younger options in Josh Hader, Jorge Lopez, and Brandon Woodruff. The idea isn’t that Garza is likely to be a big piece on […]