Will Smith tore a ligament in his right knee on March 24th. The Associated Press reported, “Smith said he was getting ready to shower after pitching in a minor league game on Thursday and was standing on one leg to take off his other shoe when he lost his balance and twisted the knee. “‘I […]
Tag: Will Smith
The Flexibility of Craig Counsell
For a manager in baseball, as for any person of authority in any field, rigidity can be deadly. While every worker should try to change with the times and stay ahead of the curve, the decision-maker ultimately bears the most responsibility in these areas, since they set the example for everyone else to follow. In […]
Rolling Out the Barrel: The Truth is Out There
Milwaukee’s Spring Training slate kicked off this week, with the team securing an expected win over UW-Milwaukee in their scrimmage on Wednesday. The Brew Crew then dispatched the Cubs and Giants in a pair of split-squad games on Thursday, opening their Cactus League schedule with a perfect 2-0 record. It should be pointed out that […]
Rolling Out the Barrel: Valentine, You’re a Hit!
Good morning, Brewers fans! Welcome to the very last edition of Rolling Out the Barrel for this offseason. By the time we reconvene next week, Milwaukee’s pitchers and catchers will have reported to Maryvale Baseball Park and I will consider the 2016 baseball season to have officially begun. While we’ll still be getting little more […]
Which Brewer Had the Worst Pitch in 2015?
On Tuesday, I wrote about the best pitches that we saw from the Brewers in 2015. Jimmy Nelson’s curveball, Ariel Pena’s four-seam fastball, Francisco Rodriguez’s changeup, and Will Smith’s slider all separated themselves from the pack in a good way. Now, we come to the natural compliment to that exercise — which Milwaukee offerings proved […]
Which Brewer Had the Best Pitch in 2015?
Most fans of baseball seem to observe the game from a hitting-centric viewpoint. As Warren Spahn once quipped, “hitting is timing, pitching is upsetting timing.” This approach has never appealed to me — I think pitchers have a greater hand in the game than we credit them for. Aside from the fact that they succeed far […]
Rolling Out the Barrel: Today’s Production or Tomorrow’s Potential?
Folks, apparently it was Brewers week over at Beyond the Box Score. If you’re not already reading them regularly (you should be), now’s the time to start. We’re rolling out the barrel today with a bunch of help from SB Nation’s sabermetrics blog, so if silly things like math and numbers get you all twisted, […]
What Will the 2016 Brewers’ Bullpen Look Like?
The recent trade of Francisco Rodriguez means that the 2016 bullpen will look significantly different from the 2015 one. There will obviously be a new closer, but that specific title is less important than the specific leverage roles that each player will fill. Rodriguez was not just the Brewers’ closer; he was also one of […]
Can Will Smith Continue to Retire Righties?
Now that Francisco Rodriguez has departed after four-ish years in Milwaukee, the Brewers don’t presently know who will finish games for them in 2016. They certainly don’t lack options — with guys like Will Smith, Jeremy Jeffress, and Michael Blazek displaying the potential to cover the ninth inning. If no one else comes into the picture, Smith may […]
Will Smith’s Platoon Split and the Dangers of Sample Size
In his second full season with the Brewers, Will Smith pitched very well. No one can complain about a 67 ERA- across 63.1 innings, especially when it comes with a 75 DRA- and 68 cFIP. Riding an incredible slider, Smith learned how to retire right-handed batters, who tallied an uninspiring .193/.264/.281 line and .208 TAv off him. […]