Archive for the ‘Milwaukee Brewers baseball club’ Category
It’s Official — Brewers First Baseman Mat Gamel Tears His ACL Again, Is Out for the Season
Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Mat Gamel apparently has the worst luck of any major league baseball player going these days.
Not one full week into the official start of Brewers’ Spring Training, Gamel has been confirmed as having torn his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee. This is the same ACL he tore during his ill-fated 2012 campaign while running into that ditch the San Diego Padres call an infield.
So Gamel’s now torn the same ACL two years in a row. That, my friends, is abysmal luck.
Consequently, Gamel will be out all of 2013. (See this link, courtesy of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, for further details.)
There are a few odd things about this particular injury according to the Journal-Sentinel report. First, Gamel tore the middle of the ACL, not either end as is more common. Most surgical failures — which constitute about ten percent of ACL surgeries — will re-tear on either end of the ligament, rather than in the middle where the ligament should be the strongest. Second, Gamel had spent eight solid months of rehabilitation prior to reporting to Spring Training. His rehab consisted of strength and flexibility exercises, and I’m sure his therapy was of the absolute best.
Consider, please, that in order to be able to hit, run, and field — strenuous activity by any other name — a baseball player has to be able to move laterally without strain, swing a bat with full extension and run without noticeable problems. Gamel had been able to do all of this prior to reporting to Spring Training.
In addition, he’d passed two physicals, where presumably he ran on a treadmill, had to do various arcane flexibility exercises (some akin to yoga poses), and did so in front of various doctors and physical therapists. He was given a clean bill of health because he had proven that he was ready to resume his life as an active, everyday baseball player.
Otherwise, he never would’ve stepped out onto the field.
And now, Gamel won’t get the chance to prove that he has what it takes to make it in the major leagues. At least, not in 2013. And possibly not at all, as two ACL tears on the same knee within eighteen months are a huge red flag to every general manager of every team in major league baseball.
However, I had a thought that might prove useful . . . if not to Gamel, maybe to someone else recovering from such an injury. It’s a long shot, but hear me out.
Last year, I read GOOSE, an autobiography written by ex-Baltimore Ravens defensive lineman Tony Siragusa. Siragusa doesn’t actually have a working ACL in one of his knees, but he was able to work around this by coming up with a unique strengthening and conditioning plan. Because of this, Siragusa was able to play for twelve years in the NFL and he never missed a game.
But you’d have never known he had that sort of durability coming out of college.
That’s because Siragusa was told that maybe he’d play two years, or perhaps three, for the NFL, all because he didn’t really have an ACL. From this article from 2001 at Philly.com by Jerry Brewer of the Philadelphia Inquirer:
(Siragusa’s) quite the story, perhaps a great symbol for the NFL today. It is hyped as a league of parity and a league in which a hardworking player can become a success without having a great pedigree.
It is a league in which a then-280-pound tackle from the University of Pittsburgh could go undrafted (mostly because he has no anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee), endure nine knee surgeries, and play 11 years in an NFL career that reaches a plateau on Sunday when he plays in his first Super Bowl.
A wise old doctor from Indianapolis once told Siragusa his knee would hold up for two years in the NFL. Maybe three.
“The doctor examined my knee, and he said, ‘You have no ACL in your knee,’ ” Siragusa said. “I said, ‘You’re a good doctor.’ “
Boiling it down to brass tacks, Siragusa set out to prove the doctor wrong. And he did — by going to one of his trusted past college coaches, if memory serves (it’s been well over a year and a half since I read GOOSE, mind you), then setting up his brutal training regimen. This is what allowed Siragusa to play, and play well, for twelve long years without a working ACL in his knee.
My thought is that if Siragusa could do this and play football, it might be possible for Gamel to do the same thing. Gamel is only 27 years old. He may, if he’s fortunate, be able to find a strength and conditioning coach that can duplicate whatever it was that Siragusa managed to do. If so, this would allow Gamel to build up his legs to the point that even if his ACL fails for an unprecedented third time, he can still play despite the injury.
As I understand it, what Siragusa did in his conditioning program was to strengthen all of the muscles around where the ACL should be. These other muscles took the place of the ACL — or at least bore the strain of a rough and tumble NFL season — so isn’t it conceivable that Gamel could strengthen these same muscles around his ACL, which might take enough pressure off the soon-to-be twice-repaired ligament to allow him to continue his career?
However, if what Siragusa did is not able to be duplicated, perhaps Gamel would be better off to consider coaching. Or figure out some other passions to cultivate along with baseball to help him pass the time.
As of right now, it surely seems to me that unless Gamel is able to duplicate whatever it was that Siragusa did, Gamel’s body is telling him that it’s time to make other plans. Gamel has heart, moxie, and drive — everything you want in a major league baseball player — but if his body won’t hold up, he just isn’t going to be able to continue.
That’s why I hold out at least a slight amount of hope that Siragusa’s regimen may work for Gamel. Because it seems to be the best hope Gamel has.
And any hope beats no hope at all. Especially if you’re the unluckiest Brewer this side of Brad Nelson (Mr. “0-for-21” himself).
————
Note: Corey Hart has said publicly here that he will help Gamel all he possibly can. Hart, who is truly a class act, said he feels for Gamel and will encourage him to continue to pursue rehab. The Journal-Sentinel’s Todd Rosiak quoted Hart as saying:
“I’m just going to hug him and hope things work out. He’s going to have to have support everywhere. This is a tough situation. The biggest thing for him is suport (sic) in here. I told him to move in with me and I’ll help as much as I can. I’ll be leaving before him (to go on minor-league rehab) so I’ll let him stay at the house.”
(This is just one more reason why Corey Hart is my favorite current Brewers player. Just sayin’.)
Remembering Earl Weaver, Plus a Corey Hart Update
This past Saturday (January 19, 2012 to be exact), news broke regarding the passing of Hall of Fame manager Earl Weaver. Weaver managed the Baltimore Orioles for his entire career and had a 1480-1060 record, good for fifth-best among 20th century managers who managed for ten years or more.
But that’s not what I remember most about Weaver.
Nope. I remember Weaver as a firecracker, someone who loved to bait the umpires and held the record for most ejections in a career (with 91 regular-season ejections by most counts) until Bobby Cox later came along and broke it. (But don’t fret, Weaver fans; he still holds the American League record for ejections.)
Weaver was a great manager, don’t get me wrong. And he certainly beat my Milwaukee Brewers team more often than not, though we did win against Weaver and his Orioles in 1982 in the final game of the season. (Don Sutton out-dueled Jim Palmer in Baltimore. Had the Brewers lost that game, the Orioles would’ve advanced to the 1982 ALCS and the Brewers would’ve gone home, there being no wild cards back then.)
Here’s how Sports Illustrated described Weaver:
Anointed as “Baltimore’s resident genius” by Sports Illustrated‘s June 18, 1979 cover, Weaver was a 5-foot-7 spitfire whose irascibility was exceeded only by his tactical acumen; imagine Ozzie Guillen’s profanity crossed with Lou Piniella’s explosiveness, multiplied by Tony LaRussa’s mastery of roster usage. Weaver’s tirades against umpires were legendary; he holds the AL career record for ejections with 94. In 1969, he became the first manager thrown out of a World Series game in more than 60 years. In 1975, he was run from both games of a doubleheader in by umpire and longtime nemesis Ron Luciano, the second time during the exchange of lineup cards, then ejected again by Luciano the next day.
Mind you, Ron Luciano was one of the most colorful umpires in MLB history, and wasn’t likely to get along with someone as equally colorful as himself.
Not that Weaver was easy for any umpire to get along with. Don Denkinger said this in an article by the Associated Press (via Yahoo Sports):
Former umpire Don Denkinger said he called one of Weaver’s last games in the majors.
”He comes to home plate before the game and says, ‘Gentlemen, I’m done.’ He told us the only way he’d ever come back is if he ran out of money,” Denkinger told The Associated Press by phone from Arizona. ”I told him that if he ever ran out of money to call the umpires’ association and we’d take up a collection for him. We’d do anything, just to keep him off the field and away from us.”
But Weaver had a slightly softer side. Again according to Denkinger (from the above-mentioned AP article):
Umpires found out just how demonstrative Weaver could be. Denkinger remembered a game in which the manager disputed a call with Larry McCoy at the plate.
”Earl tells us, ‘Now I’m gonna show you how stupid you all are.’ Earl goes down to first base and ejects the first base umpire. Then he goes to second base and ejects the second base umpire. I’m working third base and now he comes down and ejects me,” Denkinger said.
Much later, after they were retired, the umpire asked Weaver to sign a photo of that episode.
”He said absolutely. I sent it to him, he signed it and said some really nice things. It’s framed and hanging up in my office back home in Iowa,” Denkinger said.
I remember many games where I sat in the stands at old Milwaukee County Stadium, watching the Milwaukee Brewers play Weaver’s Orioles. Weaver was a brilliant statistician, something I didn’t fully appreciate at the time (especially as it always seemed whenever I went to a Brewers-Orioles game, the Brewers were going to end up on the short end of the stick). But he was an even better motivator, which is why he knew how to get the best out of such players as Mark Belanger (a defensive specialist who regularly hit below the “Mendoza line”), John Lowenstein and Terry Crowley.
Here’s a bit from the SI article, quoting a well-known “underground” audiotape of an interview Weaver did with broadcaster Tom Marr:
Weaver was known for assembling productive platoons, and nurturing exceptional pinch-hitters who could turn a game around. In this legendary 1980 “Manager’s Corner” interview recorded with broadcaster Tom Marr as a gag after a flubbed take — unaired but widely circulated since then (and again not safe for work) — he extolled the virtues of one of his long-time benchwarmers:
Terry Crowley is lucky he’s in ——- baseball for Chrissake. He was released by the Cincinnati Reds, he was released by the ——- ——- Atlanta Braves. We saw that Terry Crowley could sit on his ——- ass for eight innings and enjoy watching a baseball game just like any other fan, and has the ability to get up there and break one open in the ——- ninth.
Weaver believed in pitching, defense and a three-run home run (one of his most widely-shared sayings). And for the most part, he had the pitchers to back up that philosophy in Jim Palmer, Mike Cuellar, Steve Stone, Mike Flanagan, Pat Dobson and Dave McNally, among others. He also had the acumen to move Cal Ripken, Jr., from third base to shortstop during Ripken, Jr.’s rookie year.
Weaver’s managerial record is extremely impressive. His demeanor on the field was that of a fiery Napoleon, which was fitting considering Weaver might’ve been 5’7″ on the tallest day of his life — exceptionally short for a major league anything, much less a manager.
And Weaver even has a Wisconsin connection (aside from all those games against the Brewers): He managed the Appleton Foxes (now known as the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers) in 1960 to a 82-59 record and a league championship according to ReviewingtheBrew.com, and is ensconced in Appleton’s Baseball Hall of Fame for that season alone.
With all of Weaver’s potty-mouthed tendencies, he was also known as a devoted family man. He was married, only once, for forty-eight years.
With all of that color, and all of that style and all of those umpire-baiting moments (not to mention the chain-smoking and his well-known penchant for conducting post game interviews in the nude — back in the clubhouse, of course), Weaver will never be forgotten by anyone who ever saw him manage.
Now for something completely different: Brewers RF-1B Corey Hart has decided to seek a second opinion regarding his right knee issues, so surgery has been delayed. According to MLB.com, the MRI of Hart’s knee has been sent to Dr. Richard Steadman in Vail, CO. Depending on what Dr. Steadman thinks of the MRI, the doctor may or may not wish to consult with Hart in person.
The Brewers assistant GM Gord Ash said this in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article via Yahoo Sports about Hart’s delayed surgery:
“Until we get past this step, we don’t know what the next step will be,” Brewers assistant general manager Gord Ash said, according to the (Milwaukee) Journal Sentinel. “Time is of the essence, so we’re hoping it won’t be delayed that long. It’s hard to say right now.”
My take? I understand Hart’s caution. He’s already endured one knee surgery on that knee already, and he probably would prefer not to have to go through another one. Plus, he’s in the final year of a three-year contract and has wanted the Brewers to give him an extension as he wants to join Ryan Braun as potential “Brewers for life.”
The Brewers will not even bother offering Hart an extension if he can’t play, no matter how much heart he showed at the end of the 2012 season while continuing to play on a ruptured plantar fascia. And no matter how much heart he showed by moving, midseason, to an unfamiliar position in order to better benefit the Brewers after Mat Gamel went down with an injury.
But unless there’s something really odd on that MRI, it’s highly unlikely that Hart will be able to avoid surgery.
What I’m guessing — and mind you, it’s only a guess — that Hart wants out of this second opinion is to perhaps endure a lesser knee surgery that will allow him to heal more quickly.
The current surgical plan would cause Hart to stay completely off his knee in a non-weight bearing capacity for six full weeks after the surgery. But Hart’s a workout fiend. He’s known for it. So being completely off his knee, unable to do any weight-bearing exercises, is likely to make him stir-crazy.
And when you add in the contract issues to the whole mix, I can see why Hart would rather have someone else look at the MRI in order to see if any other course of action will bring about a good result.
However, as a Brewers fan, I’d like to see the speedy Corey Hart of old return to the basepaths. That can’t happen unless he goes through the currently planned knee surgery, rests up, and then enjoys better flexibility and range of motion in his knee and foot thereby. (I know the plantar fascia issues seem to have improved, but I won’t really know how Hart can run until he’s able to get to spring training and give it a shot. Or get into rehabilitation, go to the minors and work his way up to the majors, whichever one is doable.)
That’s why I urge Hart to err on the side of caution with regards to this surgery. I know it may mean a lesser payday in 2014 if he really can’t play until mid-May or later. I know it may mean he’ll end up with a different team entirely if the Brewers are unwilling to give him a new contract (or an extension if he really burns it up upon his return).
But I want to see him healthy again, able to run the bases with greater abandon (and without knee and foot pain, natch) and to play at his full capacity.
As great as Hart’s 2013 season was (.270 average, 30 homers and 83 RBI), I believe he will feel a whole lot better once the surgery has been completed and the rehab done. And once he feels much better, he’s likely to hit even better and maybe even make a few more All-Star teams.
Let’s just hope the Brewers have the sense to lock him up to a new multi-year deal before his stock dramatically rises, post-surgery.
Brewers 1B Corey Hart to Have Knee Surgery, Miss Spring Training
News broke Friday afternoon regarding Milwaukee Brewers first baseman/right fielder Corey Hart, as he’s slated to have knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus this upcoming Tuesday according to this article from the Associated Press (via Yahoo Sports).
Tom Haudricourt, the long-time Brewers “beat writer” for the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, interviewed Brewers assistant general manager Gord Ash for his Friday article (and previous blog post on the same subject). In both places, Ash said two things: one, the Brewers still have Mat Gamel on the roster. This is significant because Gamel started 2012 as the starting first baseman for the team, and only vacated that role due to a knee injury he suffered while fielding a foul ball in San Diego in late April. And two, it’s better for this injury to have happened now rather than right before the start of the season.
While both things are true — as is Corey Hart’s assertion that he’s a “fast healer,” considering how quickly Hart returned from surgery last season (he was supposed to miss some or all of April, but ended up starting Opening Day in right field just as he — and the Brewers — had planned) — this is still not a good thing.
I have nothing against Mat Gamel and think he will make a good everyday player if he’s given a chance. Gamel’s fielding in the short stretch of games he had before hitting that pothole in San Diego due to inadequate field maintenance was quite good. His hitting was acceptable for so early in the year (Gamel was batting .246). And there’s every reason to believe Gamel would’ve done an adequate-to-better job at first base.
However, Corey Hart did an excellent job at first base after being moved there midway through the season. His batting did not suffer, either, as he hit 30 home runs, drove in 83 RBI, and batted .270 (his average suffered somewhat in September due to playing on a sprained-or-worse plantar fascia, which brought his overall average down). Hart is one of the “big three” on the Brewers and is counted on along with Ryan Braun and Aramis Ramirez to keep the Brewers in games.
(And did I mention that Hart is a two-time All-Star? No? My bad.)
The Brewers currently have a starting rotation with only one proven, dependable guy — Yovani Gallardo — which is why it’s imperative that all the strong bats the Brewers possess be in the lineup. The other Brewers who could possibly be starting pitchers include last year’s “swingman” Marco Estrada, who filled in capably for the injured Chris Narveson; Narveson, who’s coming back from a serious arm injury and may be on a limited pitch count all year, which will limit his effectiveness as a starter; second-year starter Michael Fiers; and outright rookies Mark Rogers, Wily Peralta and Tyler Thornburg. These six men will battle it out for the four remaining starting pitching positions, but it’s impossible to know how many — if any — will be successful.
Let’s just say that the possible starters for the Brewers, with the exception of Gallardo, don’t exactly scare anyone and leave it at that.
At any rate, Yahoo Sports writer Jeff Passan’s latest column on the Brewers (a preseason lookover written before the news about Hart’s injury broke) said that Ryan Braun’s big bat isn’t enough to overcome the lack of quality starters. And that’s likely to be true.
My worry is this: How much difficulty are the Brewers likely to have scoring runs when Hart’s not in the lineup? (Because before Gamel got hurt, Hart was playing every day in right field. So it wasn’t like Gamel was taking Hart’s place — instead, after Gamel got injured, Hart moved over there and Norichika Aoki played in right field every day.)
My take? Hart will come back strong, but I hope he doesn’t rush himself. He’s in the final year of a three-year contract and will be a free agent at the end of 2013 unless the Brewers give him a contract extension, which is unlikely until he actually gets on the field and performs at a high level again.
If the Brewers do not have the sense to give Hart an extension, he needs to be at full strength in order to show the rest of the league just how good he is.
I really hope the Brewers will re-sign Hart, mind you. But I’m very nervous, as I’m afraid the Brewers might be too short-sighted to realize just what they have in Hart until he’s gone.
Milwaukee Brewers 2012 End-of-the-season Wrap-up
As promised, here’s my end-of-the-season assessment of the Milwaukee Brewers.
While most writers have concentrated on the Brewers’ pitchers major league-leading 29 blown saves (ouch!), or the many injuries to key players (first baseman Mat Gamel, pitcher Chris Narveson, and shortstop Alex Gonzalez suffered season-ending injuries early, while catcher Jonathan Lucroy and pitcher Shaun Marcum spent significant time on the disabled list), or the weak first-half performances by Brewers second baseman Rickie Weeks and third baseman Aramis Ramirez as reasons why the Brewers finished third in the National League Central and missed the second Wild Card slot by four games, I’d rather focus on something else.
Put simply, the Brewers had an extremely inconsistent season. Some months, the Brewers looked terrible. Other months, the Brewers looked like world-beaters — with one of their best months being the month of September (which is why they were in Wild Card contention at all).
This is the main reason the Brewers could lead the league in positive categories like runs scored, home runs, and strikeouts (by pitchers), and also lead in such a horrible category as blown saves at the same time.
In other words, the 2012 season for the Brewers was one of some very high highs, some very low lows, and one of remarkably puzzling statistics.
That said, some players stood out more than others.
On the bad side:
Closer John Axford had the most inconsistent year of his young career. While his stat line doesn’t look that bad — 35 saves in 44 chances, a 4.67 ERA, a 1.44 WHIP, a 5-8 record and 93 strikeouts in 69 1/3 innings — the fact remained that Axford’s ERA was much higher in 2012 than it was in 2011, when Axford posted a 1.95 mark along with 46 saves in 48 opportunities. And of course Axford blew far too many saves, actually losing his job as a closer for a while before regaining it after a series of sparkling performances as a set-up man in July (Axford posted three holds during that time).
But at least Axford was able to regain his form, as he looked much better toward the end of the year. This bodes well for his future with the Brewers.
Backup closer/set-up man Francisco “K-Rod” Rodriguez had an even more inconsistent year than Axford; while K-Rod had 32 holds, by far the most on the club, K-Rod also had only three saves in 10 opportunities (seven blown saves, in short), a 2-7 record, and a 4.38 ERA in 72 innings of work.
As K-Rod had an $8M contract last season and vastly underperformed considering his talent and overall reputation, it’s obvious that unless K-Rod takes a serious pay cut, he’s likely headed to another team.
The rest of the Brewers bullpen (save only Jim Henderson): for whatever reason, most of the bullpen looked like deer caught in the headlights for the vast majority of the 2012 season. There were reasons for this — for example, the death of Jeff Adcock the long-time assistant groundskeeper, who knew all of the relievers extremely well, certainly played a part in the Brewers’ overall inconsistency.
Even so, the performance of Kameron Loe (6-5 record with a 4.61 ERA in 61 1/3 innings with only seven holds and two saves out of seven opportunities, compared to his 2011 statistics of 4-7 record with a 3.50 ERA in 72 innings of work with 16 holds and one save out of eight opportunities) was perplexing; the performance of Manny Parra (2-3 record with a 5.06 ERA in 58 2/3 innings of work with nine holds and zero saves out of two chances, compared with his 2010 stats of 3-10 record with a 5.02 ERA in 122 innings of work, half as a starter and half as a reliever, with no holds and no saves) was merely irritating, and while Jose Veras’ stats look good (5-4 record with a 3.63 ERA in 67 innings of work with 10 holds and one save in two opportunities), more was expected of him than this.
Now to the disappointing starter, Shaun Marcum. Marcum spent two whole months on the disabled list, and ended up with a 7-4 record with a 3.63 ERA in 124 innings of work, which looks OK. But Marcum’s 2011 record of 13-7 with a 3.54 ERA in 200 and 2/3 innings of work showed that he’s capable of much more.
Marcum’s year was disappointing because of his injuries, not because of his talent. But because he couldn’t pitch every fifth day for two months, the Brewers’ record suffered. That is an undeniable fact.
And because of Marcum’s lengthy stint on the DL, the Brewers actually waived him late in the year, hoping someone else would pick him up. When no one else did, it was obvious that the Brewers were less than pleased that Marcum was still on the roster. That’s why it seems most unlikely that Marcum will remain a Brewer in 2013, especially as he’s now a free agent.
Then we get to perhaps the most disappointing player on the entire team — Rickie Weeks. Weeks had a horrendously bad first half, as his .162 batting average on June 12, 2012, shows. And while Weeks eventually did pull his hitting form together, as his ending line of a .230 BA with 21 home runs and 63 runs batted in shows, his fielding was atrocious: a .974 fielding percentage with 16 errors and perhaps the least range of any second baseman in major league baseball.
Weeks is thirty years of age. This is significant because very few players improve their defense at this stage of the game (my favorite player, Vinny Rottino, is one of the few who demonstrably has, at least at the catcher position). But Weeks shouldn’t have had this sort of precipitous decline in his range; the only possible excuse for it is the nasty injury he suffered in 2011 where his foot, at full extension, hit the first base bag at an odd angle, which put Weeks on the disabled list for a substantial length of time.
If that’s the case, Weeks’ range should improve again now that he’s fully healed. But I’d still like to see the Brewers find Weeks a fielding mentor, as when Willie Randolph was the bench coach for the Brewers a few years ago, Weeks’ fielding improved markedly.
Now let’s get to the positives, some of which were quite surprising:
Reliever Jim Henderson came up from AAA, where he’d been the closer, and showed he has the talent and the moxie to pitch extremely well at the major league level. Henderson posted a 1-3 record with a 3.52 ERA in 30 and 2/3 innings pitched, with 14 holds and three saves in seven opportunities. Henderson was one of the few bright spots during the late July/early August part of the season, and he’s someone I’m rooting for in 2013 to cement his job as the primary set-up man for Axford.
Starter Yovani Gallardo improved from a 7-6 record at the All-Star break to finish at 16-9; his ERA was 3.66 in 204 innings. Gallardo also had 204 Ks.
The main reason Gallardo’s late season dominance was important was due to the trade of pitcher Zack Greinke in late July. Greinke had a 9-3 record with the Brewers in 123 innings of work; he also had 122 Ks, and was the undisputed ace of the staff. That’s why Gallardo had to step up in the second half of the season — and step up he did.
Right fielder/first baseman Corey Hart was a revelation at first base; after being shifted mid-season, and after not playing first base since 2006 (that at the AAA level, and only part-time), Hart posted a .995 fielding percentage with only four errors. And Hart’s hitting continued apace; Hart had a .270 average with 30 HRs and 83 RBI, which possibly would’ve been even better had he not been hobbled with a nasty injury to his plantar fascia late in the season. (Hart hit only .254 in September due to that injury.)
Compare Hart’s fielding and excellent range with that of former Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder in 2011 — the 5’10” Fielder had a .990 fielding percentage with 15 errors and a much smaller range than the 6’6″ Hart — and it’s clear that Hart has an excellent future ahead at first base. Because if Hart could do this well after changing positions mid-season, how well is he going to do after he’s fully recovered from his injury to his foot and has a full Spring Training under his belt in 2013?
Third baseman Aramis Ramirez ended the season with a .300 BA, 27 HR, 105 RBI and 9 SBs in 11 attempts, which seemed nearly inconceivable on April 24. 2012, as Ramirez was in his characteristic season-starting slump and was hitting only .164 with only one HR and six RBI. Ramirez’s fielding in 2012 was much better than it had been in 2011; he cut his errors in half (from 14 in ’11 to seven in ’12) and improved his fielding percentage (from .953 in ’11 to .977 in ’12) while increasing his range.
And when you consider that in 2011, the Brewers had Casey McGehee — whose .942 fielding percentage and 20 errors, along with a very small range, didn’t exactly inspire confidence — it’s obvious that Ramirez was an extremely bright spot for more than just his bat.
Right fielder Norichika Aoki hit well and improved his fielding as the season progressed; Aoki should be a serious contender for the Rookie of the Year award with his .288 BA, 30 stolen bases in 38 attempts, 10 HR and 50 RBI.
The Brewers’ young pitchers Michael Fiers, Wily Peralta and Mark Rogers all did extremely well as rookies. Fiers’ record of 9-10 is deceptive as Fiers ran out of gas in the final three weeks of the season; still, his ERA of 3.74 in 127 and 2/3 innings of work was quite promising, and his 135 Ks (a better than one strikeout per inning ratio, which is excellent for a starter) shows his talent in full measure. Rogers, who came up in August, posted a 3-1 record with a 3.92 ERA in 39 innings of work, and his 41 Ks (again, a better than one strikeout per inning ratio) bode well for Rogers’ future. And Peralta, who was called up in September, looked so good with his 2-1 record and 2.48 ERA in 29 innings of work that both Ryan Braun and Aramis Ramirez said Peralta has all the makings of long-term starter in the major leagues.
But I’ve saved the best for last.
Put simply, Ryan Braun is in a class by himself. Braun had perhaps his best overall season in 2012 (.319 BA, 41 HR, 112 RBI, and 30 SB in 37 attempts), easily equaling or improving upon his 2011 National League MVP effort (.332 BA, 33 HR, 111 RBI, and 33 SB in 39 attempts) despite losing teammate Prince Fielder to free agency and having to deal with clean-up man Ramirez starting off in a horrendous slump. While Ramirez eventually got it together (by the All-Star break, Ramirez was hitting .272), the fact remained that Braun didn’t have much support in the first month or so of the season, which meant Braun could be pitched around.
And, of course, due to the whole performance-enhancing drug scandal (did he or didn’t he? I believe he didn’t.), Braun was booed mercilessly in every ballpark save one: Miller Park in Milwaukee. But this didn’t stop him, nor did the rancor of various sportswriters, nor did the ruination of his reputation — absolutely nothing stopped Braun from putting up MVP-like numbers and carrying the Brewers to their 83-79 record and missing out on the second Wild Card by only a few, short games.
Ultimately, though, the Brewers 2012 season will be remembered for its inconsistency — for its excellent late-August to mid-September run to the playoffs and an above-.500 record, yes, but also for the bullpen meltdowns of mid-June to mid-July. For their excellent cadre of young starters, yes — but also for the two months of Shaun Marcum’s stint on the DL. For John Axford regaining his form, yes — but also for his losing his form, and losing it badly, mid-season.
The next question is, whither 2013? Well, a lot depends on things that can’t be known right now. For example, how many of the 2012 relieving corps will come back next year? How many injuries will the ’13 Brewers have to deal with? Will Chris Narveson be able to regain his form as a starter, or will his post-surgical recovery limit him to shorter stints out of the bullpen?
But things do look promising despite the ’12 Brewers’ puzzling inconsistency, which is far better than I thought back in early August. And that, most of all, is why I believe that the 2013 Brewers might surprise everyone and finally make it back to the World Series for the first time since 1982.
October ’12 Quick Hits, Pt. 1
Folks, I’m trying out a new browser — Mozilla Firefox — and so far, it’s working rather well. My previous browser, a version of IE, wouldn’t let me properly access the WordPress blogging site, which is one reason I haven’t done much with my blog in the past two weeks (I suspect a recent “upgrade” — by the way, why is it that upgrades seem to cause so much distress for all concerned no matter who’s doing the upgrading? — by WordPress was what caused me not to be able to use the site properly).
At any rate, there are a number of things to get to, so let’s get started.
First, Atlanta Braves P Ben Sheets — a long-time starting pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers — indeed retired after pitching one inning of the 162nd and final game of the regular major league baseball season.
Second, I will write an “end of the season wrap-up” blog later this week which will point out the highs and lows of the 2012 Milwaukee Brewers season; for now, all I’ll say is that it’s obvious LF Ryan Braun (with his 41 HR and 30 SB) is the Brewers 2012 MVP and that if baseball writers were objective, Braun would be likely to have his second National League MVP in as many years.
Third, I’m rather frustrated with most politics and most politicians at the moment — aside from Racine’s state Senator John Lehman, that is, and my incoming state Assemblyman, Cory Mason (Mason represented a different area of Racine prior to this year; due to redistricting, he’s now running unopposed to represent the 61st Assembly district and the seat presently held by Robert Turner (D), as Turner has retired). This is why I haven’t said much about politics in quite some time.
My basic beliefs, however, are unchanged; I believe that we’re not well served by our two major party system. I think most of the candidates we get via this system are indebted to big money interests, or worse, must be insanely wealthy themselves in order to afford to run in the first place (a la Mitt Romney of the Rs). And while I like Gary Johnson the best (he’s the Libertarian candidate for President, and is the former Republican Governor of New Mexico), I’m still undecided as to how I’ll vote this fall in the Presidential election.
Fourth, I’m still fighting a lingering sinus issue, which is one of the main reasons I haven’t been blogging overmuch in the past several weeks (well, that and the browser situation, which I’ve now remedied quite nicely). But I hope to write several blogs this week — maybe even one regarding the state of publishing, who knows? — and have a guest blog by novelist Stephanie Osborn in the pipeline that should be posted within the next two weeks also.
(Oh, yes — the reason this is “part one” of the Quick Hits for October is that I’m sure there’ll be more. Because there always are.)
Stay safe, everyone.
September 16, 2012 — Brewers Back in Wild Card Chase; Corey Hart Status
Folks, after all but writing the Milwaukee Brewers off a few months ago due to their bullpen meltdowns, the Brewers have quietly managed to get back into wild card contention.
Now, there are some qualifiers to consider, the first being that the Brewers are only contending for the second wild card spot, not the first — that is, if this were last year, the Brewers would not be in contention at this point as there was only one wild card available last year — and the second being that at 74-72, the Brewers are still two games over .500, which isn’t exactly a world-beating record.
However, this is much better than I thought the Brewers would be at considering it’s September 16, 2012 — they’re still in contention, they’re playing good baseball, and they’ve even taken the lead in strikeouts with 1,261 (by pitchers, not how many times the batters have struck out). This is because rookies like Mark Rogers, Mike Fiers, and the recently-called up Wily Peralta have done their jobs in addition to veteran and de facto ace Yovani Gallardo (who’s had a brilliant second half; his record is 15-8 with a 3.72 ERA and 188 Ks), and because the much-maligned relievers have quietly pulled it together, with John Axford in particular pitching much better in the past thirty-five days or so, converting on all eleven of his last save attempts (he now has 29 saves out of 38 attempts, a 5-7 record, and his ERA has fallen to 4.76). Without all of these pitchers doing their best, the Brewers would still be way under .500 and have no chance of the second wild card spot.
Better yet, Ryan Braun’s outstanding year has continued apace, even though Corey Hart has been out of the line-up and Aramis Ramirez’s year took a while to get started (as Ramirez is a notoriously slow starter, this wasn’t much of a surprise), so teams could and did pitch around Braun much of this season. Despite that, Braun is batting .312 with 40 home runs, 103 runs batted in, and 24 stolen bases in 31 attempts. Braun also has 201 career home runs with the Brewers, which leaves him fifth on the all-time list, tied with Cecil Cooper; Braun’s the sixth Brewer to reach the 200 HR plateau, and the seventh to hit 40 HRs in a season.
All of this makes for an exciting end to the 2012 season, and as a long-time Brewers fan, I’m extremely glad to see it. (Go Brewers!)
Now, let’s talk about Brewers first baseman/right fielder Corey Hart. Hart, unfortunately, has been out for a week with a sprained ankle and a partial tear in his plantar fascia, according to Brewers.com beat writer Adam McCalvy. That’s why he hasn’t pinch-hit; that’s why he’s not played the field; that’s why he’s had to rest and sit on the bench while having one of his better overall years despite his mid-season position switch from right field to first base (Hart’s stats stand with a .278 batting average, 27 HRs, 77 RBI, and 5 SBs in 5 attempts; as for his fielding stats, in 92 games played at first base, Hart has only 3 errors and a .996 fielding percentage).
Hart attempted to run the bases on Sunday and did not fare well according to McCalvy’s account. Here’s a quote from that article:
“I’m definitely aiming for Tuesday, I just wish it would have felt better today than it did,” Hart said. “It’s a little frustrating. Today was the first day I tried to run the bases, and it didn’t go as planned.”
Running in a straight line was fine, but the trouble came when Hart ran along the arc along the outer edge of the infield dirt.
A bit later in the article, Hart said this:
“It’s tough, because I want to play,” Hart said. “I’ve played through a lot of injuries, but it’s one of those things where if I’m on first, I’m not going to be able to score on a double. If I’m on second, it’s going to be iffy to score on anything. Is it worth it to these guys? I feel like I wouldn’t be able to do everything I need to do.”
The last resort, Hart said, is an anti-inflammatory injection. The club’s medical officials on Sunday were mulling the pros and cons of that step.
Hart is extremely well-conditioned, a dedicated athlete, and a very good teammate, someone everyone on the Brewers, past or present, has liked — that’s not an easy feat, either, to be the guy everyone likes — and if he could get on the field, he’d be there, no questions asked. But he’s obviously frustrated, as his quotes show . . . it’s not an easy thing to come up with a nasty injury toward the end of the season, especially when your team is still in the wild card chase.
My hope for Hart is that he heals quickly but doesn’t overstrain; even though the Brewers season is winding down and they do have a shot at the second wild card, the fact is that Hart is far more important to the Brewers in the long run, which is why he needs to put his long-term goals ahead of any short-term gains if those short-term gains will harm him.
Or to put it another way — I’d like to see Corey Hart play again this season, yes. But only if he’s healthy.
A Friday Update
Folks, it’s Friday, and I know I haven’t been a great correspondent this week. There are reasons for this — most of them have to do with working on my next novel (the sequel to Elfy, which is called An Elfy Abroad — I’ve talked about EA before), not to mention finishing up not one but two edits.
All that said, I should have a book review for y’all tomorrow for Shiny Book Review’s “Romance Saturday” mini-promotion (that is, I review a romance on Saturdays, oft-times, and at least a few people have grown to expect it — a plus). So look for my review of Suzanne Enoch’s A Lady’s Guide to Improper Behavior tomorrow at SBR.
Other than that, I’ve been reading a number of very interesting books by Sean Williams — I have four of them, starting with The Crooked Letter, which should be reviewed soon — along with E.C. Myers’ very interesting sequel to last year’s Fair Coin, Quantum Coin, a book on contemporary economics by Michael Casey called The Unfair Trade, and if all else fails, I can re-read A Man Rides Through by Stephen R. Donaldson for the umpteenth time (as it’s one of my favorite “comfort books”).
As for a health update, I’m still getting over the sinus infection. But I felt better today and was able to do more, which was good.
Listening to the Milwaukee Brewers by radio at the moment; the Brewers are losing, 2-0, to the St. Louis Cardinals and are in the third inning. (There was a lengthy rain delay; the game didn’t start until after 9:00 p.m.) But even when the Brewers aren’t winning, I enjoy listening to Bob Uecker and his counterpart, Joe Block . . . Uecker’s a legend, and Block seems to enjoy being around him (as did Cory Provus before Block, last year), which makes for a good listening experience all the way around.
The Brewers are making a nice run at the moment and are now only three games below .500 with a record of 67-70. My hope is that the Brewers will be able to make it to .500 and stay there; if so, that will help to redeem a season that has been full of ups and downs.
There’s not much else going on, but as always, when something happens, I’ll be sure to let you know.
Now, back to the Brewers game . . . maybe they’ll score a run tonight, who knows?
Milwaukee Brewers Place Shaun Marcum on Waivers
Folks, I really don’t understand the Milwaukee Brewers front office moves these days. Case in point, today’s move — placing right-handed pitcher Shaun Marcum (5-4, 3.19 ERA) on waivers.
Here’s an excerpt from today’s story by Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports:
The Milwaukee Brewers placed right-hander Shaun Marcum on trade waivers Tuesday, thinking strategically as the deadline for setting postseason rosters looms at midnight Friday ET.
Skipping down a few paragraphs, Rosenthal says:
If Marcum is claimed, the Brewers will have nearly 36 hours to negotiate a trade with the claiming team. If he clears, they will have the same amount of time to discuss Marcum with multiple clubs, possibly enabling them to get a stronger return.
Now, as to why I think this move is inexplicable? Marcum is only thirty years old — thirty. Up until the 2011 postseason, Marcum pitched very well for the Brewers (13-7, 3.54 ERA). A strong case could be made that without Marcum, the Brewers wouldn’t have made the postseason at all, as Marcum was one of the cornerstones of the vaunted Brewers pitching staff.
So here’s a proven veteran who isn’t considered “too old” by most baseball people, who likely will snap back next year after significant arm problems in 2012 — and who pitched quite credibly a few days ago on August 26, when he gave up zero earned runs in a 4-0 loss to Pittsburgh. (In fact, the Boston Herald called Marcum’s return “solid” in their story.)
And the Brewers waive him? Why?**
Apparently it’s because the Brewers front office has decided not to offer Marcum a contract for next year, and rather than keep Marcum around, they’d rather he catch on elsewhere so maybe the Brewers won’t have to pay him so much.
Typical Brewers penny-pinching nonsense, which I thought owner Mark Attanasio was going to do away with . . . yet he hasn’t. (Strange, that.)
This is the second move in the past week that I haven’t totally understood (after the release of left-hander Randy Wolf). And because it’s being bruited about that the Brewers front office is being “smart” about waiving (and/or releasing) pitchers that obviously aren’t in their plans, I figured I’d mention the human side — which really does matter, even in major league baseball.
To wit: after seeing the Brewers front office cold-heartedly cut Wolf on his thirty-sixth birthday, then waive Marcum a few short days after Marcum did all he could to help the Brewers win a ballgame (not Marcum’s fault he got an undeserved loss there, as he pitched well but the Brewers defense let him down), why would any pitcher want to sign here? For any money?
Look. The Brewers have a “player’s manager,” Ron Roenicke; I have my differences with him, but one thing I will say for him is that he treats people with respect. And that’s a good thing.
But the Brewers do not have a “player’s front office.” And everyone in the league knows it.
As I’ve been saying all season long, if I’d have been Randy Wolf — who pitched far better than his record or ERA shows (Wolf was ahead in eight games when he left, then the Brewers bullpen blew the win, or he’d be 11-10 right now) — I’d never have come back here. And if I were Shaun Marcum, even before this nonsense, I’d not want to come back here, either, for the same reasons (Marcum, like every pitcher on the staff, has been victimized either by poor defense or blown saves from the bullpen).
Now, the Brewers front office has given every pitcher in the league yet another reason to think twice. And even for a league that’s far more concerned with performance on the field than they are with high character, highly-motivated people, the Brewers front office has shown itself to have very little class, and even less respect for starting pitchers, than most of the rest of the league.
And while it’s understandable that on-the-field performance would be the determining factor, some things need to be taken into account (such as the Brewers often-poor defense and the real problems in the bullpen this year, that I and every other commentator in “Brewers Nation” have noted). These things were not taken into account in Wolf’s case, and they certainly haven’t been taken into account in Marcum’s, either.
So my point remains: if you were a free agent starting pitcher, why on Earth would you want to come to Milwaukee? Because sooner or later, the Brewers front office will treat you this way, too — and as far as I’m concerned, there’s no amount of money that will make up for bad treatment.
—————
** Unless Marcum wants to be waived, this move is inexplicable. My assessment of the cold-bloodedness of the front office staff with regards to these two moves stands.
Brewers Sweep Reds — Then Lose to Astros. Huh?
I have been puzzled by many things when it comes to the 2012 edition of the Milwaukee Brewers. Why Brewers manager Ron Roenicke and Brewers pitching coach Rick Kranitz continue to have jobs is definitely at the top of the list.
The Brewers had a three-game homestand on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday against the best team in the National League — the Cincinnati Reds. And what do you know? The Brewers swept them.
Now, as to why I didn’t say anything about it? I was hoping to write something tonight about the Brewers now having a four-game winning streak, and I didn’t want to jinx it.
Anyway, the Brewers were doing well against the Houston Astros in the top of the eighth inning, as they were leading, 3-1, in Houston after a nifty start by Brewers rookie starting pitcher Mark Rodgers. However, Houston scored a run against Brewers reliever Francisco “K-Rod” Rodriguez in the bottom of the eighth, which made the game 3-2.
The Brewers ninth came and went, so it was up to Brewers relief pitcher John Axford to close out the 3-2 win. However, Axford was wild; worse, Axford couldn’t seem to throw strikes. And because of this, Axford ended up first blowing the save, as the Astros tied it up, 3-3; then, Axford also lost the game, as the Astros scored the winning run, 4-3.
Rodgers’ winning effort goes for nothing, all because Roenicke didn’t have the sense he was born with to get someone else in there once it was clear Axford didn’t have it. (Two batters in would’ve been soon enough; also, that was before the Astros scored a run, so maybe a different pitcher would’ve still been able to save the game.)
And what really stinks about this is that Brewers reliever Jim Henderson (a thirty-year-old rookie who has two saves in two save opportunities) and Axford were both ready to go in the bottom of the ninth. However, Brewers pitching coach Rick Kranitz (who supposedly consults with Roenicke on every pitcher, all the time) called for Axford. And then, Roenicke didn’t realize he needed to get Axford out of there — which is why I blame them both for this loss.
See, sometimes it’s easy to blame a player like Axford who just doesn’t have it. But Axford is a very good pitcher who’s tried everything to get it together; as I’ve said before, I think there’s something mental, not physical, going on there (though if I were the Brewers, I’d also check out Axford’s pitching mechanics with a specialist, just to cover all the bases).
That’s why I blame Kranitz and Roenicke instead, as they are supposed to understand when one of their players is having trouble. Yet, for whatever reason, they just didn’t — and when Axford, quite predictably, ran into problems, neither of them seemed to believe there were any other viable options than Axford.
Even though Henderson was warm in the bullpen. And certainly could’ve at least attempted to save that win for Mark Rodgers and the rest of the Brewers, especially considering that Axford had shown nothing while putting the first two guys on base.
Yet Roenicke and Kranitz didn’t make a change. And the Brewers lost. Again.
That’s how the Brewers, who looked great at home against the Reds, ended up losing to the worst team in baseball, the lowly Houston Astros.
And as it’s the joint failure of the Brewers manager and Brewers pitching coach that led to this unlikely win for the Astros, not just the failure of any specific pitcher (even though it’s obvious Axford had nothing), my solution is simple: fire Kranitz and Roenicke. Fire them both. Now.
Otherwise, they will both continue to make bad decisions about which pitchers should come in, and which shouldn’t. (As they’ve done all year long.) And they’ll never blame themselves; oh, no. Instead, they’ll blame the players — yet it’s obvious that the blame must be shared to anyone excepting these two men: Rick Kranitz, pitching coach. And Ron Roenicke, manager.
That’s unacceptable to me as a Brewers fan. Especially as I have eyes and a brain, and know how to use both. Which is why I’m sick and tired of Roenicke and Kranitz continuing have jobs when, during the course of 2012, they’ve done nothing to deserve it.
The definition of insanity has often been given as, “Doing the same thing over and over again after it’s already been proven not to work.” If that’s the case, then Kranitz and Roenicke have both proven that they are not up to the task of doing even a mediocre job for the Brewers. Which is why both of them should be fired, soonest.
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