Quote:
Originally Posted by Palaaemon
Bird,
Just some thoughts -
Grouping the starting pitching staff together - You are absolutely right. All but Matt Helm (neutral)are either groundball or extreme groundball pitchers and solidifying 3/4 of the infield (particularly the middle) has helped them a lot, albeit in a small sample size, it should translate to the rest of the season.
Joe McPhillips - Is just having a slow start. He will come around soon.
Bobby Erbakan - I am very surprised at how fast his transition to 2nd base has come. A 9 already?! Definitely going to help the ball club.
Zacharias Martell - I am continually amazed by how he and Kirk Patnode both exceed expectations.
Rich White - He is a bit of a parasite. What I mean by that is when he is on a bad team with little to no leadership like he was with El Paso last year before the trade his negative traits and his mouth got him in trouble and he performed terribly. He fed on the negativity of the situation there. When he was traded to Denver last season, he had an immediate turn around. Joining a winning team culture with plenty of leadership and team captain Matt Helm you could see him change 180° in attitude (his great ability to adapt to new situations certainly helped), no longer said negative things in the media and locker room. He pulled right up to the dinner table and fed on all the positivity the rest of the season. It was night and day. Couple his defensive contributions with all that and he is a fine role player that as long as he is kept on a leash and fed he can be counted on for years to come.
Josh Shaeffer - He is a little similar to Rich White but for a different reason. He has a motivation problem, his lack of work ethic. Being on this team has been the best thing for him. The leadership and other players give him what he needs to excel and most times he does to the benefit of the Brewers.
The Bullpen - Night and day compare to last year. If they can stay consistent this year that could be the difference between winning the MGL and narrowly missing out like last year. Things are looking up, at least in this small sample size.
L.A. Spinners - It's nice to see the Brewers arch enemies burying themselves early. Hopefully they can keep it up  .
Have a Great night bro!
Palaaemon |
Yes, great observations all. (I don't want to give too much away, but I will report on the most recent week likely later tonight, and the gist is that things just keep getting better and better in Denver.)
Cheol-han's lack of stuff has made him vulnerable and he is far from his peak but with his fine control and solid movement he is still a valuable starter and he's been a bit lucky this season too and therefore has a great record. The rest of the starting staff is very solid and that infield defense, which has been nothing short of amazing, has made a huge difference. Even RodRod has been quite good and only recently committed his 2nd error of the season. Certainly on a much better pace than last season.
And the great thing about Joe McPhillips is that even when his bat is weak he provides such excellent defense and speed and knows how to draw a walk. There are some encouraging signs of late that he is starting to heat up a bit. Which is good because Rich White and Brett Taranto can't possibly keep up the offensive pace they are on.
Bobby Erbakan got a LOT of starts at second during Spring Training but most importantly he had the underlying skills to allow him to pick up the position quickly. He has not only been steady but has made a great number of incredible plays that most second basemen wouldn't.
And that catching tandem just keeps impressing with both their bats and defense. (IIRC, Patnode has yet allow a runner to steal a base this season.) It no doubt helps that they both are such quality characters with great attitudes and work ethics.
And I think you are spot on about Rich White. He needed a environment like the one in the Brewers clubhouse- and he needed a chance to be named the everyday starter at short- in order to mature. Surely his bat will tail off a bit eventually, but his defense has been marvelous and that should continue.
As for Josh Schaeffer- as he was coming up through the system I was never a fan. He put up great numbers year after year, playing alongside draft-mate Joe McPhillips (and perhaps that relationship was key). But I didn't buy into him as a legit prospect. Thing is, he's been one of the most consistent hitters, fielders, and runners on the club the past few years. My fondness for him is growing. And with Ryan Rodgers no longer around, his ability to take a walk is increasingly valuable. I don't expect him to age well, but for now he's a keeper.
The bullpen clearly under-performed last year. Even the members of that group who are now gone were really better than their numbers indicated. But, with a few small hiccups, this year's 'pen is world's better. And it has helped that future starters Sekien Hamasaki and John Weaver have performed so well too, mostly in long relief and with an occasional start. Ben Flynn is still inconsistent, but he shows the greatest potential of all. And Eric Marino has quietly been steady thus far, though in limited appearances.
L.A. continues to struggle, and as you will see soon, Brooklyn is slumping again. There is a whole lotta season left and the Brewers are well aware that they led the MGL most of the season last year before dropping into second place. But a great start is still a nice feeling.
The real question now, in terms both of clubhouse cohesion and on-field performance, is outfielder Jorge Gonzalez. Not only is he considered a disruptive influence, which fortunately is a non-issue at his point with all the winning and great leadership, but he has seriously under-performed at the plate thus far. Fortunately, Andrew Kennedy is off to a great start, so he is getting more starts in left field then was expected.
Do the Brewers send the still young Gonzalez down to AAA for some more seasoning (and risk upsetting the chemistry there, with the Chester club struggling to get to .500)? Or do we hope he starts to play better soon, if for no other reason than to enhance his trade value? Kennedy is off to a great start but the days when he will be a defensive liability are likely not far away. Who is the left fielder of the future for Denver? That is a question that seems quite up in the air at the moment.