Archive for the ‘baseball’ Category
Vinny Rottino hits 1st HR in Majors, NY Mets win, 9-0
The old saying is, “You never forget your first” anything. And in this case, after all the time, energy, and “sweat equity” Vinny Rottino’s put into making the major leagues — his persistence — I’m certain that Rottino will never forget May 26, 2012.
Why? Because this was the day that Rottino hit his first-ever major league home run as a member of the New York Mets. Rottino’s homer was part of a four-run first inning that helped stoke Mets starter Johann Santana to a lead he would never relinquish. Ultimately, the Mets won, 9-0, over the Padres; Rottino went 2 for 3 with a HR, two runs scored, a walk, and a strikeout.
Despite Santana’s nine-inning four-hit shutout, the day belonged to Rottino. This is because he’s a 32-year-old rookie who’s played parts of six major league seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers, Florida Marlins, and, of course, the Mets. Trying so hard for so long — playing ten seasons of professional baseball in the minor leagues — is noteworthy, as I’ve said many times.
Finally, others are noticing Rottino’s persistence and talent, too. As Ethan Asofsky of MLB.com put it:
Vinny Rottino got a lesson in supply and demand after the Mets’ 9-0 win over the Padres on Saturday.
After hitting his first Major League home run, having spent 10 seasons in the Minor Leagues, the Mets outfielder had to bargain with the fan that caught the ball to get it back. The fan received a signed bat and ball from Rottino in exchange for the most valuable commodity a 32-year-old rookie can have — his first home run ball.
You might be wondering what Rottino had to give the Mets’ fan in return; from Asofsky’s above-mentioned story, here’s what happened next:
“I was running out of bats, so I actually gave him a bat that I haven’t used in a while,” Rottino said. “It turns out it was a Florida Marlins bat. That’s what it said on it. I realized that after the fact.”
Rottino’s home run came on a 2-1 fastball, capping a four-run first inning that allowed Mets starter Johan Santana — who tossed a four-hit shutout — to pitch with the lead for the rest of the game. Rottino said he didn’t feel the contact when the ball met his bat on the home run. He was numb.
“I was just happy to help the team and contribute to the win,” Rottino said. “But I was floating around the bases a little bit. I had a little bit of goose bumps running around the bases. It was a cool feeling.”
Asofsky then points out this is the first time Rottino’s had a chance to play meaningful baseball — in May, no less. And then, of course, Asofsky points out how long Rottino’s been trying to make it in the big leagues (as I have done, blog after blog), and then ended his article this way:
Rottino said he never stopped believing he’d have the opportunity to round the bases after his first home run in the Major Leagues. Mets manager Terry Collins said Rottino’s work ethic is a result of how much he loves the game.
“I talk about it all the time with my teammates down in Triple-A, you just have to keep grinding and believing,” Rottino said. “You just never know what can happen. I’ll continue to do so.”
And lest you think Ethan Asofsky was the only one to figure out this was a really big deal, Justin Tasch and Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News also wrote an article that discussed Rottino’s HR. Here’s what they had to say:
Vinny Rottino, the Mets’ 32-year-old utility man, smashed his first major league homer to cap a four-run first inning Saturday, helping the Mets topple to Padres, 9-0.Rottino, who made his debut in the minors in 2003, has played in 32 games in the majors his (sic) spanning six years. His daydreams of trotting around the bases finally became a reality when he connected on a 2-1 pitch from lefty Clayton Richard.
(Quoted verbatim from May 26, 2012, NY Daily News article; sic was added by Barb Caffrey due to the unnecessary word that somehow escaped the Daily News‘ copyeditors.)
Notice the pitch count, which was described in both articles. Rottino’s batting eye must have been sharp, as he’d taken two balls and a strike from Padres pitcher Clayton Richard. This meant he was on a “hitter’s count.” He then got a favorable pitch to hit (a fast ball), and drove it out of the ballpark in deep left-center field according to the box score.
What a great day for Vinny Rottino!
Vinny Rottino Promoted to Mets (Again)
For the second time this year, Vinny Rottino has been promoted to the New York Mets from the AAA Buffalo Bisons after the Mets sent down pitcher Chris Schwinden. Here’s a link to the most recent story from a NY affiliate:
http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2012/05/21/mets-promote-vinny-rottino-send-down-chris-schwinden/
Rottino has had a twenty-game hitting streak at Buffalo this year, and has done everything the Mets have asked of him. Let’s hope this time Rottino will stay awhile.
May 2012 Milwaukee Brewers: Not Hitting on All Cylinders
As I write this, the Milwaukee Brewers are losing, 5-4, in the bottom of the 11th inning against the Minnesota Twins; so far, they’ve lost three in a row and are at the bottom of the National League Central Division standings. But even if they win this game, the Brewers obviously aren’t firing on all thrusters just yet (or hitting on all cylinders, either; take your pick of clichés). They aren’t hitting well, fielding well, pitching all that well, and their baserunning is suspect.
Now, as former Brewers first base coach Davey Nelson said last night on Brewers Extra Innings on WTMJ-AM 620 radio last evening (he was host Dan O’Donnell’s guest), it’s difficult to win games when you can’t hit, pitch, or field. (Nelson put it a bit more diplomatically, but this is the substance of what he said.) A caller added that the Brewers couldn’t run the bases overly well, either, as even big stars like Ryan Braun and Corey Hart have made odd baserunning errors in recent days; Nelson then added poor baserunning to his assessment.
All I could do when I heard this was laugh.
As for today’s game, it’s now over. With two outs in the bottom of the 11th, the Brewers had the light-hitting Cesar Izturis up, and all he could do was send a line-out to the shortstop. Brewers lose, 5-4, due to a home run hit by the light-hitting Twins SS Trevor Plouffe (he had been hitting .143 before he hit the game-winning HR in the top of the 11th).
At any rate, today’s game featured some clutch hitting by Ryan Braun and Aramis Ramirez, and some good table setting by Nyjer Morgan and Corey Hart. But it also featured two errors (one odd one by RF Hart where he may have lost the ball in the sun; he should’ve caught the ball in foul territory, but it instead bounced off his glove), some questionable baserunning, and a dearth of clutch hitting as six Brewers were left on base.
The Brewers have now lost four in a row, twice to the lowly Twins, twice to the lowly Astros. Their current record is 16-24; they are one game ahead of the Chicago Cubs due to the fact that the Cubs haven’t yet played their game against the White Sox so the Cubs’ record is currently 15-24. Most likely, the Brewers will be in last place again tomorrow. (The Twins’ record has improved to 14-26 due to their two wins over the Brewers.)
I don’t know what the Brewers can do at this point to improve as a team, except work on fundamentals such as bunting, baserunning, and fielding. Rickie Weeks is hitting well below .200, while Aramis Ramirez is stuck in the low .200s; these two hitters were expected to do far better than they’ve done thus far. (Even with Ramirez’s well-known penchant for slow season starts, he was still expected to have more than 21 RBI at this point.) Even the guys who are hitting, like Braun, catcher Jonathan Lucroy (a surprising .333), Nori Aoki, and Corey Hart (hitting only .252, but with 8 HR and 18 RBI, which is fourth-best on the team), can’t make up for the guys who aren’t doing much of anything.
Brewers manager Ron Roenicke says that the Brewers need to show more personality on the field, basically blaming the whole clubhouse for being quiet and reserved. I’m not certain how showing more personality would win games, considering the 1962 Mets had loads of personality, yet won only 40 games. But that’s Roenicke’s story and he’s sticking to it.
The usual way to fire up a team is to fire the manager, but the Brewers gave Roenicke a two-year contract extension earlier this season so that’s highly unlikely to happen. The second way would be to fire a coach — perhaps pitching coach Rick Kranitz, as the Brewers’ team ERA is 5.20 — horrible — and the Brewers are dead last in the majors in this particular statistic (which probably is the main reason they’re not winning too many games). Individual pitchers, such as Zack Greinke or Shaun Marcum among the starters, or Kameron Loe and to an extent Manny Parra among the relievers, have been OK; it’s the fact that others who were expected to do well like Yovani Gallardo have done very poorly that has caused the team ERA to balloon up.
The Brewers need to get something going in some area. Whether it’s clutch hitting, fielding, pitching (definitely pitching) or baserunning, the Brewers need to improve. Until or unless it does, the Brewers will remain mired in the bottom of the NL Central.
May Baseball: Brewers in Extras, Rottino Sent Back to AAA
Currently, as of 11:56 PM on Friday, May 11, 2012, the Milwaukee Brewers are tied with the Chicago Cubs, 7-7. They’re about to go to the thirteenth inning; all position players and all non-starting pitchers have been used, with the only two players available being starting pitchers Yovani Gallardo (who pitched two days ago) and Marco Estrada (who’s supposed to pitch Sunday), which leaves Brewers reserve pitcher Vinnie Chulk as the pitcher of record . . . this is a game, believe it or not, where the Brewers were ahead, 1-0, until the top of the seventh inning.
All of that sturm und drang, though, pales in comparison to the latest twist of the Vinny Rottino saga. Rottino was called up by the New York Mets on May 4, 2012, played in three games, went 0 for 4 during that time, and now has been sent back to AAA Buffalo. The main reason Rottino was sent down is that Mets IF Ronny Cedeno was reinstated from the 15-day DL.
Some of what Rottino is dealing with has to do with being the 26th guy on a 25 man roster; that is, he’s good enough to play in the majors, though probably not every day, and the Mets know this or they’d never have called him up. They also have to know that Rottino is a guy who does better if he plays every day or every other day — that doesn’t mean he’ll never stick in the majors, but the timing has to be right for him.
Rottino’s career, thus far, seems to be plagued by bad timing. This, of course, is entirely out of Rottino’s control. All Rottino can do is prepare himself, persist, and hit the cover off the ball at Buffalo. If he does this, let’s hope the right opportunity will finally arise as Rottino truly deserves it.
By the way, the Brewers are now batting in the bottom of the 13th inning. The game’s still tied, 7-7. The Cubs are now out of relief pitchers and have used their very last player, catcher Geovany Soto, off the bench. Rickie Weeks got hit on the left wrist and may have hurt himself badly; he can’t get the batting glove off his hand and is wincing in pain. Ryan Braun is about to bat; let’s hope he can end this game so the Brewers can find out what’s wrong with Weeks already.
UPDATE: Braun, too, was hit by a pitch (in the back); the Cubs final reliever, Lendy Castillo, was wild and didn’t get warned. Aramis Ramirez lined a single into center, then came the hero of the day night — Corey Hart. Hart had already hit a 2 R HR in the 9th to tie the game at 7, then hit a seeing-eye single that drove in the eighth and final run for the Brewers. Brewers win, 8-7; Hart goes 4 for 7 with a HR, double, and two singles, and drove in 3. Chulk gets the win (his first win since August 19, 2007 in the majors); he’s 1-0.
Monday Odds and Ends
Today’s post contains a number of quick updates. (Ready, set . . . go!)
First, Milwaukee Brewers SS Alex Gonzalez, after being placed on the 15-day DL on May 6, 2012, found out that he tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL); Gonzalez will now be out for the entire year. This might not seem so bad, except for the fact that Gonzalez is the third Brewers player to go down with a season-ending injury, joining first baseman Mat Gamel and pitcher Chris Narveson on the long-term disabled list.
Second, the Wisconsin recall primaries are tomorrow, May 8, 2012. Please get out there and vote; remember that in the 21st district, the only real Democrat is former state Senator John Lehman. In the gubernatorial primary, the four real Ds are Tom Barrett, Kathleen Falk, Doug LaFollette, and Kathleen Vinehout.
Third, I’m attempting to broaden my horizons regarding digital publications, as I’ve joined a workshop toward that end. While I still hope to find a publisher (or at least an agent) this year, it’s important to learn everything I can about e-publishing in case I do decide to go that route.
That’s about it — now, I’d best get back to editing (as a non-fiction manuscript I’ve been working on with two writers is due to be turned in later this week).
Baseball Round-up: Brewers News, Rottino Called Up by Mets
Folks, if I were a member of the Milwaukee Brewers organization, I’d be panicking right now. After first losing P Chris Narveson, then 1B Mat Gamel to season-ending injuries, the Brewers have placed CF Carlos Gomez on the 15-day DL. Now, the Brewers probably will have to place SS Alex Gonzalez on the DL as well, because today he slid into second base attempting to steal, and had to be assisted off the field.
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UPDATE: Tom Haudricourt points out in today’s game blog at the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel online that this is the fourth consecutive day where a Brewers player has exited the game (Gamel, Braun, Gomez, and now Gonzalez). MLB.com Brewers beat writer Adam McCalvy wrote that Gonzalez will be going to the DL as of tomorrow, and said that 3B Taylor Green and SS Edwin Maysonet (here’s his prior major league statistics; he’s a lifetime .276 hitter in very limited play) will be called up from AAA Nashville. Green can play 2B, 1B, and possibly the OF; Maysonet also plays 2B.
Note that this update doesn’t change my initial assessment about who’s going to play the outfield, now that there’s only three healthy outfielders (Corey Hart, Norichika Aoki, and Nyjer Morgan), with Braun playing anyway due to an Achilles injury.
This also doesn’t change my initial assessment regarding first base, either; right now we have Travis Ishikawa and Brooks Conrad, who aren’t good long-term solutions. It might be better for Braun and the Brewers if he must continue to play despite his injury to be shifted to first base. Braun came up as a third baseman, knows the infield, and is the best athlete on the club, so this might not be so onerous as it might appear.
That way, Corey Hart could be put in CF as he has good speed and is blessed with the best arm (outside of Braun, who is ailing) in the outfield. Morgan could be put in RF (possibly platooning with Conrad, who’s a better OF than he is at 1B), and Aoki, who has a very suspect arm despite his excellent speed, in left field.
Now, back to my regularly scheduled post.
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The player who really could’ve helped them right now is 32-year-old utilityman Vinny Rottino, who was called up yesterday by the New York Mets. Rottino, who had a good Spring Training with the Mets and was the last player sent down to the minors, hit .317 at AAA Buffalo with 1 HR, 14 RBI, 13 runs scored, 8 doubles, and 1 triple. He had a fourteen game hitting streak going at Buffalo when he was called up.
Here’s a link to a very nice Mets blog that discussed the Rottino call-up:
Rottino has played the outfield exclusively for the Bisons this season, but played first base, third base, and catcher along with the OF in Spring Training. The Mets know Rottino is versatile, is a patient hitter, and has a calming, steady presence on the bench; better yet, Rottino is a fine defender and makes very few mental mistakes.
The best news in this case is that Rottino finally is is an organization that’s told him the flat, exact truth: they told him when he was sent down (reading between the lines in Peter Jackel’s last story about Rottino in the Racine Journal-Times) that he’d be the first position player called up, and he has been. Being in an organization that’s told Rottino the truth and values what he’s done thus far has to be a huge emotional lift, which Rottino deserves due to his persistence, faith in himself and his abilities, and all of his hard work.
But as this article by Peter Jackel from 2007 shows, Rottino is a lot more than just a guy with a great attitude. Then-Brewers pitcher Jeff Suppan had this to say about Rottino:
“What is great about Vinny is he is able to play a lot of different positions and he plays them well,” Suppan said. “He had to wait a little while to get some good opportunities in the big leagues, but I think in the years to come, he’s going to be a mainstay.”
And here’s what then-Brewers hitting coach Jim Skaalen had to say:
“He knows he belongs up here,” Skaalen said. “Through the hard work he’s put in over the years coming from where he’s come from – an undrafted player – and the odds that are against someone in that situation, he’s obviously a fighter or he wouldn’t be here. And now he’s fought himself and worked himself to this level and he’s not going to be denied now.
“That’s the way it is with guys who play at this level. They expect to be here, they’re comfortable in this environment and they know they’re as good as anybody else who’s out there.”
Ultimately, the main thing to remember about Rottino is this: he’s a baseball player. And he’s a very good one. This is not a publicity stunt by the Mets; it’s not charity. Rottino has earned his opportunity and I believe he will make the most of it.
More people need to know about Vinny Rottino and his long journey to the major leagues. If they did, they’d realize the value in refusing to give up no matter what the odds.
Mat Gamel Tears ACL, Out for the Year
Folks, in last night’s game (May 1, 2012), Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Mat Gamel ran to catch a foul ball in San Diego. There’s a drainage ditch there, right where the stands meet the field and wall, that’s caused problems before — but the Padres organization has yet to fix it. This piece of information is essential to have when you consider that Gamel, in stumbling, then falling due to the drainage ditch, tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and is now projected to be out for the entire year.
This is really bad news for Gamel. He’s only 26. He’s had a rough go of it in the Brewers organization; for whatever reason, every season the Brewers minor league system seemingly had Gamel playing a different position. He started out at third base, had a flirtation with the outfield for a while, and then eventually was moved to first base last year due to the Brewers’ certain knowledge that Prince Fielder would leave after the 2011 season due to Fielder’s demands for a huge payday — one the Brewers couldn’t provide.
So here Gamel is; he’s finally ensconced in the major leagues, playing every day, at first base. Then he has this injury due to something the Padres really should’ve fixed at least four years ago — this odd drainage ditch right near the wall at Petco Park, which has caused players to miss time or be put on the disabled list (DL) before — and is now out for the entire year. Gamel’s season ends with a .246 average, 1 home run, 6 RBI, 3 SB, 4 walks, and 15 strikeouts in 21 games played.
As for the Brewers, they’re now in crisis mode according to several sources — Brewers Extra Innings announcer Dan O’Donnell (a show on the Brewers Radio Network, carried by Brewers flagship radio station WTMJ-AM in Milwaukee, WI), FSN Wisconsin announcers Craig Coshun and Jerry Augustine (the latter a former Brewers pitcher during their glory days in the late 1970s/early 1980s), and Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel Brewers beat writer Tom Haudricourt (see this link for more details) — as their only extant options are these: move RF Corey Hart to first base on a long-term basis, or sign and/or trade for someone else who’s capable of hitting big league pitching.
Now, some of you might be saying, “What about Brooks Conrad, who’s hitting quite well in AAA ball?” While Conrad is hitting exceptionally well thus far — a .400 batting average, 5 HR and 13 RBI — the season is still young, and Conrad’s lifetime batting average of .229 in three-plus years of playing time isn’t exactly reassuring.** Conrad, 32, can play a number of positions, which is definitely a plus, and is a credible short-term answer, along with current Brewers utilityman Travis Ishikawa (the latter a strong defensive first baseman). But a long-term answer, he probably isn’t.
At this point, if I were the Brewers organization, I’d immediately start working Corey Hart out at first base. I’d have him start playing late innings at the position, to get used to it (this, incidentally, would help keep his big bat in the game in later innings, too). And until he was ready to play full games at first base, I’d probably divide the playing time between Conrad and Ishikawa as the best available options.
But this season doesn’t look too good right now, not with two substantial, season-ending injuries already in Gamel and pitcher Chris Narveson, which is one reason O’Donnell was panicking tonight on his radio show. (Bad enough that the Brewers are now 11-14 and just lost a game to former Brewers pitcher Jeff Suppan, now of the Padres, even though Suppan hadn’t pitched in the major leagues since 2010. Or that Rickie Weeks is only hitting .180 and looks horrid at the plate.)
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Note: For those of you saying, “Well, Barb, you keep extolling Vinny Rottino, and his stats aren’t that great, either!,” here’s my answer: Rottino’s not had a solid chance to play every day, or even every third or fourth day, in the majors. Conrad has. ‘Nuff said.
April 30, 2012: Career Night for Ryan Braun
Remember this date: April 30, 2012. Why? Because it was the night Milwaukee Brewers LF Ryan Braun hit 3 home runs and a triple. Braun accounting for 15 total bases, raised his batting average to .294, his HR total to 7 (which now leads the team), his RBI total to 16 (which also leads the team), and he’s now scored 17 runs.
This, obviously, is the best hitting night of Braun’s career. It’s the first time he’s hit 3 HRs in a game. It’s the first time he’s accounted for so many total bases in a game. And it gave him a way to silence the critics over his 2011 MVP Award (especially due to the PED controversy, which Braun has put behind him after his not-guilty verdict by arbitrator Shyam Das), too — a “win-win-win,” all things considered.
But you’d never have expected this sort of output from Braun going into last night, because the Brewers played the San Diego Padres in Petco Park. This particular ballpark is known as a pitcher’s park, where “baseballs go to die” — and is about as antithetical to hitting and hitters as it’s possible to be. In fact, it’s so antithetical to hitting that Braun is the very first player to ever hit 3 HRs in one game there — and Petco Park has been open since 2004.
Braun didn’t let that stop him, nor did he let his so-so stats coming into the game (before his monster night, Braun was hitting .263 with 4 HRs and 11 RBI) stop him, either.
A few of Braun’s words, quoted from the Reuters article:
“I’ve been pretty terrible the first few weeks, really inconsistent with my swing. I’m glad I was able to have a good game and contribute to a victory.”
That you did, sir.
A really good article from the Washington Post reminds readers that as of the first of this year, San Diego started considering whether to bring the fences in due to the lack of overall offense. Here’s the first few paragraphs of this excellent article by Matt Brooks:
“
Big, beautiful and barely half-full most nights, San Diego’s Petco Park has long been considered a pitching oasis and wasteland for power hitters.
“In four of its eight seasons of existence, the Padres’ home stadium has ranked 29th or 30th (dead last) in home runs per game. And with power alleys of 401 feet in left field and 400 in right, it’s easy to see why.”
Ryan Braun heads for home after his third straight round-tripper. (Denis Poroy – GETTY IMAGES)
Here’s what Braun says about bringing in the fences at Petco Park (courtesy of the same Washington Post article by Brooks, referenced above):
“There’s no doubt this is one of the more challenging if not the most challenging place to hit home runs in the league,” he told reporters. “I think for fans, you want to see offense. Offense is exciting when teams are scoring runs. It’s a lot of fun for the fans to watch. So I think if they did do that, it would make it more of a neutral ballpark. As of right now it certainly favors pitchers pretty substantially.”
Even so, Braun had a career night. We can only imagine what he’d have done in a different ballpark, but it’s hard to believe that anything could top three HRs (none being “cheapies”) and a triple.
Brew Crew Ball points out that Braun’s 15 TBs are a Brewers franchise record. And with his 13 multi-homer games, Braun has moved into seventh place, all-time, on the Brewers leader board (first on the list is Prince Fielder, second is Gorman Thomas, and third is Brewers Hall of Famer Robin Yount).
Congratulations, Ryan Braun!
(And in case you were wondering, here’s the video from MLB.com of Braun’s historic night.)
2012 Brewers Pluses, Minuses, and Oddities thus far
Folks, so far 2012 is shaping up to be a very strange year for the Milwaukee Brewers.
For example, if I had to grade the starters right now, I’d say they’re a net minus for the team. (This when they were expected to be a major strength.)
Consider, please, that the ace of the staff right now is #4 starter Shaun Marcum. Marcum’s current ERA is 3.46, his record is 1-1, he’s pitched 13 innings thus far and he has 12 strikeouts. The aces we’re supposed to be able to depend on, Yovani Gallardo and Zack Greinke, have each had one good game and one bad game thus far — they, too, are 1-1, and Greinke has 12 Ks right along with Marcum to lead the team thus far. But it gets murky after that — Gallardo’s ERA is 5.91 while Greinke’s is even worse at 6.75. Both have pitched exactly 10 2/3 innings, while Gallardo has somehow walked 7 men thus far (Greinke has only walked 1, but that’s not much of a comfort when almost every other statistic he has is abysmal).
And as for #3 starter Randy Wolf, he’s has had two bad outings thus far, which is why his ERA is a whopping 10.61 in only 9 1/3 innings. Wolf said he “stunk” a few days ago, and that he will do better; he’s a proud man, and I’m well aware that no professional baseball player ever goes out on to the field and wants to do so poorly — especially to start the season. But this just isn’t good.
And #5 starter Chris Narveson, who pitched so well in his first start, pitched poorly today; he now stands with an ERA of 7.00 with 9 innings pitched, 5 Ks and 4 walks. While he’s not expected to be a shining light (as he is the #5 starter), he is expected to be competent; Narveson most likely will improve right along with Wolf and the others, but this is a most inauspicious start to the 2012 for the entire starting rotation.
As for the relief pitching, here we’re looking at oddities instead; while there are some minuses (John Axford’s had two bad outings, though he does have two saves, while Francisco Rodriguez has had one bad outing), there are two big pluses thus far — the pitching of Manny Parra, coming back after being out all last season with back and arm issues, and the pitching of Kameron Loe. Both of them have sub-3 ERAs; Loe has consistently gotten the ground-ball outs he needs to get to be a successful pitcher, while Parra has 8 Ks thus far (better than some of the starters).
And the rest of the relievers have been pretty good, too; Jose Veras has pitched well thus far, as has Marco Estrada; even Tim Dillard has done surprisingly well (don’t let his ERA of 7.11 fool you, as that’s due to one, bad outing). So the guys expected to do well — Axford and K-Rod — mostly haven’t, but the rest of ’em have. I’d rank that an oddity.
Now, we get to the fielding, which is just plain awful and is a huge net minus for the team. Ryan Braun, who’s hitting pretty well, has already made an unusual throwing error (he was off-balance the other day against Atlanta, threw to third base, was off the mark, and a run scored), while Carlos Gomez, probably the best fielding outfielder on the team, has already made two errors.
But the infielders have been by far worse; Alex Gonzales, who’s supposed to be such a good defender, has three errors already (though one wasn’t his fault as Mat Gamel wasn’t where he was supposed to be; really, Gonzales shouldn’t have had to be charged with that as that’s where the “team error” stat should come into play — which is why MLB needs to adopt that rule, stat). Rickie Weeks at second base has one, while Mat Gamel has two . . . and Aramis Ramirez has one.
So the team defense so far has lacked quite a bit.
As for the hitting, only one regular player is doing very well and being productive, and that’s Corey Hart. He’s hitting .321 thus far with 4 homers, 8 RBI, and 3 doubles. Ryan Braun has done the best otherwise, as he’s hitting .343 with 1 HR, 4 RBI, 2 stolen bases and 4 doubles.
The biggest net plus when it comes to this team thus far is the catching tandem of Jonathan Lucroy and George Kottaras. Lucroy is hitting .364 with 2 HR and 6 RBI, while Kottaras is also hitting .364 (a statistical anomaly, that) with 3 HR and 6 RBI.
But there’s still some real problems with the hitting; the team as a whole is only batting .228, while Weeks and Ramirez are batting below .200. (Ramirez in particular has been terrible, as he’s batting only .114.)
This is why I call the hitting an oddity thus far; there are some people hitting, a few you’d expect to do well (Hart and Braun), a few you wouldn’t who are doing well (the catchers), and a few you expect to do well who aren’t (Weeks and Ramirez.
All of this adds up to a 4-6 record and a highly unpredictable and frustrating season thus far.
Hallelujah! Brewers OF Ryan Braun Wins Appeal; Will Not be Suspended (UPDATED)
Folks, I told you this would happen, and it did.
Today, Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun won his appeal and will not be suspended 50 games for performance-enhancing drugs (read: steroids). Apparently, he was able to prove a problem with the “chain of custody” (that is, how the urine sample was handled before it got to the lab); Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel writer Tom Haudricourt said, in essence, that the Brewers breathed a big sigh of relief after hearing this.
Apparently MLB itself isn’t happy that Braun won his appeal, but that’s just too bad about them; the fact is, arbitrator Shyam Das agreed with the Major League Players Association and with Braun himself, and that’s what matters. (Anything else is just a fig leaf for MLB, and should be discounted.)
Here’s a link to Haudricourt’s story:
http://m.jsonline.com/140213003.htm?ua=iphone&dc=smart
UPDATE FOLLOWS:
Ryan Braun has released a statement, which the Journal-Sentinel has at this link:
http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/140218803.html
Here’s an excerpt from that statement:
I am very pleased and relieved by today’s decision.
It is the first step in restoring my good name and reputation. We were able to get through this because I am innocent and the truth is on our side.
We provided complete cooperation throughout, despite the highly unusual circumstances.
I have been an open book, willing to share details from every aspect of my life as part of this investigation, because I have nothing to hide. I have passed over 25 drug tests in my career, including at least three in the past year.
Later in the statement, after Braun thanked the many people (including the Brewers organization) he felt he should, he said this:
This is not just about one person, but about all current and future players, and thankfully, today the process worked.
Despite the challenges of this adversarial process, I do appreciate the professionalism demonstrated by the Panel Chair and the Office of the Commissioner.
As I said before, I’ve always loved and had so much respect for the game of baseball.
Everything I’ve done in my career has been with that respect and appreciation in mind.
I look forward to finally being able to speak to the fans and the media on Friday and then returning the focus to baseball and working with my Brewers teammates on defending our National League Central title.
And friends and teammates of Braun have not been shy saying they’re very pleased to hear this, either.
Brewers closer John Axford, on Twitter, said this regarding Braun:
All I can say is that Braun has exemplary character is continuing to handle this in an unbelievable manner.
#ThereBetterBeSomeApologies
And Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers, who is a good friend of Ryan Braun’s, said this via Twitter:
MLB and cable sports tried to sully the reputation of an innocent man. Picked the wrong guy to mess with. Truth will set u free
#exonerated
My own take, as you know, is that back in December, I said that I believed Braun would be found innocent or at minimum be vindicated and this suspension would not hold up. Here’s a bit from that blog, written on December 10, 2011:
Braun has been an outstanding player from the time the Brewers brought him up. He won the Rookie of the Year Award in 2007. His lifetime numbers are comparable to his MVP numbers; over his last five seasons, he’s averaged 36 HRs and 118 RBIs a season, and has hit over .300 every year except 2008 (when he “only” hit .285); his lifetime batting average, over five complete seasons, is .312.
So I don’t really see where Braun could’ve been taking anything that was of an enhancing nature, especially if he’s never tested positive before (and indeed, he hasn’t).
Then on December 22, 2011, I pointed out that Braun knew the one minor leaguer, Brendan Katin, who’d successfully fought his appeal, and that maybe this meant something for him. And Katin said that he didn’t believe Braun was dirty; he said he was “shocked” to hear of an impending suspension, as it didn’t really make any sense. My conclusion was as follows:
In other words, Braun’s test could be a false positive of the sort Katin had happen to him; just because it hadn’t yet happened as far as anyone’s aware in the majors yet, that doesn’t mean it can’t happen. Tests are handled by humans, thus are inherently flawed, and it is possible that a completely innocent man could be caught in the cross-hairs, just like Katin was back in 2007.
My view remains that Braun is innocent until and unless he is proven guilty, not the reverse — and that I fully expect that Braun will be exonerated. (emphasis added)
So as I said before, I fully believed Braun would be vindicated. I was right, and I’m not afraid to tell you all “I told you so,” either.
Now, the Brewers, their fans, and Braun himself can breathe a sigh of relief; as for MLB, they should realize that tests can be messed up and not every player who tests positive initially is a dirty player. Rather than being mad at arbitrator Shyam Das, they should be grateful that Das is an independent person and used his head for more than a hatrack.
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