Catcher has been an oft-cited area of need for the Brewers over the last several seasons, starting with the trade of Jonathan Lucroy and leading to plenty of speculation over names like J.T. Realmuto, Wilson Ramos, and, in some sectors… Jonathan Lucroy. More recently, some of this speculation has turned to free-agent-to-be Yasmani Grandal and […]
Tag: Stephen Vogt
The No Good, Very Bad,… .500
A month ago, had someone told Brewers fans and analysts that the club would be .500 after their first dozen games, I gather no one would have even shrugged. First things first, there is this essential feeling that even though *every game matters*, early in the season is the time to iron things out and […]
Who Will Catch the Most Games in 2018?
In 2017, Manny Pina surprised a lot of people and became the regular starting catcher. Once Jett Bandy cooled off after a hot start, Pina took over the everyday role, and he had a productive season. In 369 plate appearances, he posted a TAv of .262, and BP’s defensive metrics rated him at just about […]
Roster Surplus and Depth Questions
The 2018 Milwaukee Brewers are in quite a strange position, representing the bundle of contradictions that defined their uncanny 2017 campaign. On the one hand, the organization dropped a “rebuilding” narrative in 2015, meaning that industry writers, analysts, and fans alike did not expect the club to compete, let alone contend, for several years; on […]
Why are the Brewers Great Early and Terrible Late?
A friend pointed out to me that the Brewers have blown 40 leads this season (now 42), which seems like a lot. In checking other major league teams, it is in fact a lot. My initial reaction was to blame the bullpen but that is neither warranted nor fair. The issue is that this Brewers […]
Weekend Recap 12: Vogt and Thames
The Brewers started the back half of their schedule by taking two of three from the Miami Marlins to successfully start their homestand. Marlins Brewers Friday June 30 2 3 Saturday July 1 4 8 Sunday July 2 10 3 New acquisition Stephen Vogt provided all the offense the Brewers needed in their win on […]
A Vogt of Confidence
On the surface, the Brewers’ waiver claim of former Oakland catcher Stepen Vogt might look like more of the same. I’ve written before about Milwaukee’s propensity for using the waiver wire and, really, a significant part of the team was built from the scraps of other franchises. Hernan Perez. Junior Guerra. Carlos Torres and Jared […]
Claiming Vogt
The Brewers shook things up behind the plate on Sunday. Jett Bandy has been jettisoned to Class-AAA, and to replace him the Brewers snatched Stephen Vogt off the waiver wire from the Oakland Athletics. Vogt was an All-Star in 2015 and 2016 for the Athletics, partially because the weak Athletics roster had no obvious candidates […]