In April of 2017, the Brewers traded reliever Damien Magnifico to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for $885,000 in international bonus money. About a month later, they invested most of that cash in then-17-year-old Cuban prospect Ernesto Martinez, Jr. Since the signing fell outside the usual timeframe for top international prospects (Martinez signed almost a […]
Tag: 2018 Brewers analysis
Weekend Recap: Chacin and Thames
Another week, another losing record. After splitting a pair of games in Chicago, the Brewers lost their weekend series in St. Louis. Before Sunday’s win, Milwaukee had fallen to third place in the division and out of a playoff spot for the first time since April. While the pitching performances this week were less than […]
Valuing Hernan Perez
The Brewers may face something of a roster crunch entering 2019, or at the very least a potential wave of contractual non-tenders. A non-tender is a basic roster tool that allows the Brewers to release a player facing salary arbitration or a renewal contract for the coming season; these are typically players that can be […]
Brewers at Cubs: What is a Playoffs Rotation?
One of the frequent concerns Brewers fans state about their beloved Milwaukee club is that the roster lacks a “Playoffs Rotation.” This was a common complaint throughout the off season, and it was only amplified during a trade deadline that passed with the Pirates landing Rays ace Chris Archer while GM David Stearns spat on […]
Weekend Recap: Schoop and Lyles
The Brewers suffered another week full of what ifs, as some blown late leads resulted in a 2-4 week and series losses to both the Padres and Braves. Even in futility, the team couldn’t stand out, as their nineteen hits in Sunday’s loss was the second time that’s occurred this season and 235th occurrence since […]
Trouble
The Brewers pitching staff is in shambles. Between role regression among key pitchers, injuries to a group of key early-season pitchers as well as crucial trade deadline acquisitions, and an essential end to the rotating “shuttle team” to Triple-A Colorado Springs, the Brewers have lost their ability to prevent runs. Based on Baseball Reference Three […]
Jonathan Schoop is a Bad Fit
The Brewers recently acquired second baseman Jonathan Schoop from the Baltimore Orioles while surrendering incumbent second baseman Jonathan Villar, and prospects Luis Ortiz and Jean Carmona. On paper this doesn’t look too bad as Villar had worn out his welcome, and Ortiz is a fine prospect, but Schoop is, on paper, a quality major leaguer. […]
Which Roster Crunch?
The Brewers have made a series of moves lately, both in terms of standard (non-waiver) trade deadline impact deals and post-deadline deals, involving players that would be exposed to the 2019 Rule 5 draft (info here). These players include LHP Kodi Medeiros, a probable MLB reliever; RHP Luis Ortiz, a potential mid-rotation starter with more […]
Finding Balance between Hoarding Prospects and Overpaying
A few days before the trade deadline, the Brewers traded Brett Phillips and Jorge Lopez to Kansas City for Mike Moustakas. Moustakas is under contract through the end of this season, and then there is a mutual option at $15 million for next year. Phillips and Lopez have each spent time in both Triple-A and […]
The Good and Bad News with Ryan Braun
After 85 games and just over 300 plate appearances this season, Ryan Braun has been worth just 0.5 Wins Above Replacement Player (WARP) on the heels of career-lows in batting average (.246), on-base percentage (.294), slugging (.442), and True Average (.259). Rightfully, a lot of attention has been paid to his extremely unlucky .272 Batting […]