Quote:
Originally Posted by Palaaemon
Bird,
I think it was a fair deal worked out on short notice. Like you said you had a much nicer option to trade for earlier in the year but was not ready to execute the trade at that time. Rich White's batting profile if he hits his projections, should be more than adequate for a WPK shortstop starting for a top team with his overall profile. His ability to get on base will be very nice and his base stealing ability with that speed will make him a great distraction for the opposition. Of course the primary ability you look for in a shortstop is there in abundance for Rich, Defense. He certainly checks all the boxes.
As you have discussed he is certainly a handful and doesn't seem to care what he says to whom. He is going to have to be managed by the organization going forward from the PR dept, the coaching staff and team captain Matt Helm and the other team leaders. He is young yet. Hopefully he will learn and mature in time (sooner than later) and improve. In the meantime let's hope that his negativity does not affect the development of his talent or the rest of the team. With the culture that has been built here in Denver and the leadership level this team has I don't believe any negativity will ensue from him into the clubhouse. One thing he, and the team have going for you both is that at each level and everywhere he has ever been he has adapted to each new situation very well. So there is a positive to hang your hat on. In my opinion I believe that Rich White will not become any sort of true star in the league, but has a chance at being a very good player that could play for 10 years in our league barring injury issues.
Have a Great night my man!
Palaaemon
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Yes, I agree with your assessments.
I should probably say that I think the offer that would have given me Silveira was when I was shopping a package deal with Koch and John Flores, not a straight up Koch for Silveira offer. Having traded Flores earlier I didn't have any trade bait to add now that was quite as tempting. (And I will admit that part of the reason I didn't take that offer at the time- other than the fact that my goal was to get bullpen help and that Silveira is in his late 20's and expensive- was that it felt like borderline cheating. I try not to make trades that I feel are too lopsided in my favor.)
White is off to an incredible start with the bat since joining the team- he even hit his 2nd HR as a Brewer in the most recent game- but I chalk that up to the honeymoon effect (I think he's thrilled to be the starting shortstop on a winning team) and the small sample size. Still, we are already seeing dividends from the defensive improvement at short (or, at least, that's how it feels to me.)
And I agree that our overall good leadership and strong makeup as a team, combined with winning (of course), will help keep everyone happy in the clubhouse. But the interesting thing to watch down the line, especially if we hit a prolonged slump, is how the combination of several sparkplugs (McPhillips, Kawasaki, Taranto if and when he gets promoted, Antonio Nieves if and when he returns from AAA, John Weaver, same, and I feel like I might be forgetting one) and the outspoken White will interact with the low work ethic (unmotivated) Josh Schaeffer (who has been amazing, hard work or not) and the selfish Jorge Gonzalez (who has also so impressed me with his play that I feel the need to give him a chance.)
Fortunately, in addition to captain Matt Helm, we have strong leaders in Kirk Patnode and Ben Flynn (when you set Flynn to first base, where he is a bit less talented, instead of reliever he gets the captain label). And just overall great character types like Zacarias Martell (smart, hard working, loyal) and the veterans who just don't make waves (Chad Brown, Ryan Rodgers, Bobby Erbakan, Andrew Kennedy.)
The other young shortstops who I could have traded for who possessed the profile I was most looking for (plus defense) were largely even more problematic (and a bit less talented) than White. One of them, Andy O'Brien, who is currently in the middle of a rather long hitting streak, is selfish and error prone. Then there is Oscar Pereida, who is a total disruptive force in a clubhouse. The best character among them was Matt Bell, who is a captain, but while he is a great fielder he doesn't have much of a bat and he is considered fragile. So, in the end, White was considered the best choice.
I expect he will be our starting shortstop for at least the next 5 seasons and we have control for even longer than that. But of course if his defense starts to decline and a better option comes along, I don't see White as a career Brewer (unlike, say, McPhillips or perhaps Erbakan.)
Now the real question is who plays second base long term. I'm fine with making due with Willemse and Vargas for now (but, as stated, Vargas will likely be gone before next season) and we could bring David Bennett up with his solid defense and mediocre bat. But is Taranto the future? He would provide us with another really good contact bat with some pop but his defense is average at best. And we are already living with an average fielder at third because of his great bat (RodRod). I prioritize great defense up the middle and right now we have that again, with the addition of White. Taranto would be a pretty fine first baseman though, standing 6' 3", and so another option would be the unconventional move of the late 20's Erbakan to second (this maybe should have been done a few years ago) and/or shifting Chad Brown to second where he might have a few more quality years left in him. Then again, as they age, Kennedy and Rodgers might need to start playing first more as well. (Rodgers remains a great corner outfielder but for how many more seasons, and Kennedy is dependable but unspectacular in left with a much better defensive option in Gonzalez pushing him for playing time.)
Heading down the rabbit hole a bit further:
The team looks set in the starting rotation for at least the next few seasons, with Kawasaki and Green long-term pieces and Hamasaki and John Weaver potential replacements for aging starters.
The bullpen is a shambles but we have young arms with great potential (Ben Flynn, already starting to show his value, Eric Marino, who needs to get his control issues under control, and minor league prospect Adrian Darby a few years away but with recent scouting development indications being that he could be a great one eventually) and we can always invest in a few arms in the off-season if we need to.
Our catching tandem continues to impress (admittedly, also likely over-performing- especially Patnode at the plate) and are solid. Plus, we have another big league ready catcher at AAA in Chris Moon with very similar skills sets to Martell and Patnode.
The infield corners are set, barring a move of Erbakan to second, (and even then we have plenty of first base options that would work), assuming that we can continue to live with RodRod's fumbleitis given his great bat and running skills. Shortstop should be fine with White. Second, as stated above, is unsettled but not without options.
The outfield continues to look tremendous. (Don't try to run on us either. Schaeffer has a great arm in right and has been racking up the assists, and the most recent development report now shows McPhillips arm as a 10. And Rodgers still has a very strong arm also and threw out a guy at home plate a few days ago. Kennedy, admittedly, is just average and Gonzalez is a bit weak armed.) We also have great bats at those positions. (The August 1st development report shows a slight decline in contact rating for Kennedy- though he still leads the league in batting average, and shows Rodgers once again at 10 in this category, though he continues to under-perform.)
If we can stay healthy and our veteran stars don't suddenly fall apart (Cheol-han Lee and Ryan Rodgers- I'm looking at you) the present and near future for the Brewers looks pretty bright.
And a few prospects in the low minors- third baseman Jose Figuroa and starting pitcher Jim Atwell- also continue to look like future Brewers and possible stars. (And young first baseman Sean Wright, unheralded as he is, continues to rake and has 17 HR's this season in single A ball, IIRC.)