25 Brewers in 25 Days : Joe Inglett

There's a reason that I am writing this article with about 5 days left to go until Opening Day. For starters, at the beginning of Spring Training the 2nd backup infielder was one of the few positions that was up for grabs, so I didn't know until recently who I would be writing about. Secondly whomever fills that role won't really impact the club very much unless they start playing an extended amount of time due to the injury of one of the regular infielders. And by that point it won't matter because we would have lost a key component in our lineup. And finally, even though it looked like Joe Inglett had the edge on the job pretty early on for a couple of reasons that I will discuss in a minute, I had to wait until he played enough in Spring Training so that I would have something to talk about. So it looks like now is the time to talk about new Brewers infielder Joe Inglett, who is looking to join the ranks of Casey McGehee, Todd Coffey and Scott Podsednik as another great waiver pickup by GM Doug Melvin.

Inglett was put on waivers by the Toronto Blue Jays and claimed by the Texas Rangers. Then the Rangers put him on waivers and the Brewers claimed. So in an offseason when he was technically on 3 different teams, do you think he would have guessed that he would have been on an Opening Day roster? The guy is 31 years old, but he has only played for like 2 1/2 seasons in the Major Leagues. Podsednik was 27 when we picked him off of waivers, and he went on to have a career year and nearly win rookie of the year. The same obviously can't happen with Inglett, but some players often blossom with a change in scenery and another shot. He gets the change of scenery in Milwaukee, but I wonder how much he is going to play. He got to see a good amount of action in Spring Training and hit .216 with 1 HR, 8 RBIs and 9 walks for a .347 OBP. I'm going to sound like a broken record when I once again talk about not putting stock into Spring Training stats, but he must have showed something down in Arizona that impressed the Brewers management.

And that thing that he showed was versatility, which is vital to a backup player if they ever want to see their name in the starting lineup. Look at Craig Counsell (2nd base, 3rd base and shortstop), Jody Gerut (leftfield, centerfield and rightfield), and Jim Edmonds (leftfield, centerfield, rightfield and Prince Fielder's backup at first base should he take a day off). Inglett can cover 2nd base, 3rd base, shortstop, leftfield and rightfield, so I'm sure that Manager Ken Macha will figure out a way to get him in there once a week. If not, he will be one of the first options off of the bench to pinch hit. And in the National League when you have the pitcher hitting, those men riding the pine often find themselves going into the game cold with a chance to make a huge impact late in the game. That is why you see a lot of veterans in pinch hitting roles instead of younger players. Guys that have been around for a while (either major or minor league veterans) know what they need to do to prepare for that one and only at bat they get that day. Chances are they also might enter the game in a double switch, and be brought in for defensive purposes as well as getting that one crucial at bat. Does Joe Inglett have what it takes to help the Brewers off of the bench? We'll see soon enough.

The only thing that I remember about Joe Inglett is that he hit a grand slam against us on June 19, 2008 as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays. That sounds like a really random and trivial thing to remember, but that day was anything but trivial. The reason that I remember it was because it was a Sunday and I was working at Miller Park. At the time I was working 2nd shift at my "day job" so weekend games were the only ones that I was able to watch in person. The Toronto Blue Jays were in town for interleague play, and Brewers pitcher Dave Bush took a no-hitter into the 8th inning with the Brewers comfortably leading 8-0. Bush gave up a triple to former Brewers 1st baseman Lyle Overbay who then scored, and the Brewers went into the 9th leading 8-1. Then a couple of garbage pitchers (David Riske and Tim Dillard) came in for some garbage time and ended up giving up 6 runs, including a 2 out Grand Slam to Joe Inglett. And then we had to bring in closer Solomon Torres for the save, and the Brewers won 8-7. Just like that the game went from a no-hitter to a save situation, and I was all lit up with frustration. At the time I was doing a wrap-up after each series on this blog, and if you want to read my immediate reaction after that game, click on this link. After that I never heard about him ever again, at least until the Brewers claimed him off of waivers. I don't expect him to have another crushing moment like that, but I do expect him to have this stat line in 2010:

.278 avg, 2 HRs, 33 RBIs and not on the roster for the entire 2010 season. I know I always try to say something wacky or funny at the end of the stat line, but since the Brewers bench is so lefty heavy eventually they're going to have to have a right handed batter sitting in the dugout. And unfortunately Inglett is the most likely candidate to be replaced. That is unless he proves that he doesn't deserve to be replaced.

One player that proves that he belongs in the starting rotation is righthander Dave Bush. Aside from 2009 when he got struck in the arm with a line drive in June and never recovered, he has been the most consistent pitcher of the various starting 5s since he arrived in Milwaukee prior to the 2006 season. His history earned him the #4 spot in the rotation, which figured to be overloaded with lefthanders. A good year out of Bush will help to improve and solidify a starting rotation that has been well documented as the worst in all of baseball in 2009, but that my friends, is a topic that will be covered tomorrow. Brewers! Brewers! Keep Turnin' Up the Heat!

- pookon -

www.pookon.com
email: pookondotcom@gmail.com

25 Brewers in 25 Days : George Kottaras

I'm going to start out this article by George Kottaras was my last choice to be the Milwaukee Brewers 2010 back-up catcher. From what I have seen of Jonathon Lucroy, I thought that he would be the perfect candidate for the back-up job because he would learn from Gregg Zaun while at the same time not be facing a lot of pressure to perform at the Major League level. Apparently they feel like he could use some more regular playing time and he has been assigned to AA Huntsville. He's good enough to play at AAA Nashville but the starting catcher there is my 2nd choice for the Major League back-up job, Angel Salome. Since the top brass obviously wants them to both play everyday and get ready for their future with the Brewers, they couldn't play on the same team. Lucroy and Salome are both just 23 years old, so they will no doubt have their shot when the time is right. Gregg Zaun isn't getting any younger so it's hard to believe that he'll be around more than a year. Matt Treanor (whom I previously mentioned is married to Misty May-Treanor) was traded to the Texas Rangers, which opened up the back-up spot for Kottaras.

Kottaras is still pretty young (at 26 years old) and he's only played in 48 games in the big leagues. So he too could stand to learn a lot from Zaun. Last year he studied under Jason Varitek when he was with the Boston Red Sox, and he was the personal catcher of knuckleballer Tim Wakefield. That had to be a ton of fun to catch that guy. Brewers broadcaster Bob Uecker (a former Major League catcher) has a great line about the knuckleball, "The way to catch a knuckleball is to wait until it stops rolling and then pick it up" Uecker always has the best lines and stories. Kottaras didn't get a whole lot of playing time with the Red Sox, especially since he got injured and then the Sox acquired Victor Martinez from the Cleveland Indians. Kottaras would spend the rest of the year at AAA. When the Red Sox put him on waivers, GM Doug Melvin snatched him up because you can never have enough depth at the catching position. Melvin has made a lot of good waiver claims in the past (Scott Podsednik, Derrick Turnbow, Todd Coffey and Casey McGehee to name a few) so we'll see if he works his magic again.

Last year with the Red Sox Kottaras hit .237 with 1 HR and 10 RBIs. He only had 98 at bats in 45 games so those numbers are going to be a little low. Zaun should start around 100 games give or take, so Kottaras should see similar playing time give or take a few depending on Zaun's performance. So unfortunatley we might be looking at similar numbers. But Kottaras is regarded as an offensive catcher, and while I once again have to mention to not use Spring Training statistics as a guide, he did make a good impression on the Brewers management by hitting .333 with 3 HRs and 8 RBIs this spring with his new team. That and some of the scouting reports that they had on him made him the winner of the back-up catching position. Time is only going to tell on his longevity with the Brewers, because like I mentioned, there are a couple of catchers down in the minors waiting to take the starting role.

If Kottaras does well he just might find himself sticking around with the team and splitting time behind the dish with one of the up and coming young catchers. And if not then no harm, no foul. We took a chance on this guy and if it doesn't pan out then we're in no worse shape then we were before. That would also mean that Salome or Lucroy could get an early call up to be his replacement. I'm going to be keeping a watchful eye on both of our Major League catchers so that I have a further understanding of who they are and what kind of game that they play. And speaking of playing games, I'd like to play Naked Twister with that reporter. Grrrr. Right hand yellow! Left hand boob! I'm sorry for giving you that image. Actually no I'm not. I warned you on the top of the page to beware for all types of Ill Shit on this blog. And I also don't like to apologize for who I am because that it was makes me me. And if you don't like it you can get the hell out of here. But you don't like it, you love it. Which is why you are still reading this article even after I mentioned playing Naked Twister. But one thing that you will like rather than love is Kottaras' 2010 statistics:

.245 avg, 3 HRs, 18 RBIs, 52 games played and wondering why he's being interviewed by Telly Hughes and not some hot blonde.

The next player featured in "25 Brewers in 25 Days" is another newcomer who like George Kottaras, will see limited playing time in 2010. That would be utility infielder Joe Inglett, who also was a waiver wire pickup in the offseason. Although extremely versatile (he can play 2nd, 3rd, shortstop and the corner outfield spots) Inglett probably won't be playing too often because he is the backup to the backup infielder (Craig Counsell) and the backup to the backup outfielders (Jody Gerut and Jim Edmonds). I hope he enjoys pinch hitting and does a good of it because at least for the time being, that's going to all that he is going to do. But pinch hitters are very important role players, especially on a National League team. But that my friends, is a topic that will be covered tomorrow. Brewers! Brewers! Keep Turnin' Up the Heat!

- pookon -

www.pookon.com
email: pookondotcom@gmail.com

25 Brewers in 25 Days : Jim Edmonds

As a Brewers fan I am all too familiar with Jim Edmonds, but I am used to seeing him in center field while the Brewers are up to bat. Sometimes I swear to God that there were two of him out there, because there was no way on this green Earth that one man could get to every single ball that was hit in the air and catch it. It didn't matter if it was hot over the outfield fence or if it was a sinking line drive; the ball always magically found its way into the webbing of Edmonds glove. This made me hate the guy beyond belief, but damn it I respected him. Edmonds is one of the greatest defenders of all time, and he has 8 gold gloves to prove that. I tried to find a video of one of his spectacular catches, but they don't exist on the internet due to MLB copy-writes and restrictions. Apparently they were reproduced or retransmitted in any form, and the accounts and descriptions of the games were disseminated without the expressed written consent of Major League Baseball. C'mon guys. They tell you in each and every broadcast not to do it, and then you go and do it. Idiots. But I can use these pictures, even though I think that I'm supposed to give credit or link to some site or something. And even though I have ads on the side and the goofy underline ads, I don't make any money off of this site so I think that it is OK. If you feel otherwise go ahead and comment below. I don't have that option on there to look pretty. It would be nice if someone used that shit every so often. But back to Edmonds because that's what this article is about, right?

After 5 years in an Angels uniform, 8 years with the Cardinals then 2 brief stints with the Padres and Cubs, it's weird to see Jim Edmonds on our side. And even though this 40 year old has probably lost a step or two, he's still a better defender than Ryan Braun, Corey Hart and Jody Gerut. Carlos Gomez gets a slight edge over Edmonds because of his speed, but it is only a slight because Edmonds has experience and instinct. You can't teach either of those things, you just have to learn them with time. But if there was anyone who can teach Gomez how to be a better defender (and he's already a plus defender) and help converted infielders like Braun and Hart become true outfielders, it's Edmonds. The should be able to pick up all the subtleties and nuances of of Edmonds goes about his business, and he should be a huge benefit to a relatively young team. Like I mentioned with Trevor Hoffman being a mentor to the pitching staff, Edmonds will do the same with the outfielders and Counsell will likewise help the infielders. Every team needs veteran presence and leadership, and having 3 guys like Hoffman, Counsell and Edmonds puts us a step above the rest in my opinion.

Edmonds didn't play in 2009, so there was concern that he wouldn't be able to come back and play at the Major League level. But this guy has looked phenomenal all spring and you can tell that he keeps himself in excellent shape. I never like to use Spring Training stats to prove a point, but so far (with a week to go before Opening Day) he has been one of the most productive players on the field with a .273 avg, 2 HR's and 12 RBIs. Like I mentioned in the Jody Gerut article yesterday, Edmonds should see his fair share of playing time for the exact same reasons (left handed bat, experience and the possible failure / inexperience of Hart and Gomez) that Jody Gerut will. I don't know if I mentioned this at all in any of the previous articles, but Manager Ken Macha tends to favor playing the veteran players over the youngsters. Edmonds was concerned about coming back to baseball if he was only there to ride the pine and provide insurance should someone get injured. But thanks to Macha's preference and the other reasons mentioned above, it won't be unusual to see Edmonds playing any of the 3 outfield positions on a regular basis, especially in the dog days of August and the playoff push in September.

I feel extremely confident in the playing ability of Jim Edmonds and the wealth of knowledge that he brings to this team. When the Brewers first signed him, the announcement came out of left field (shouldn't it have come out of center field?) but I instantly loved it. When I've seen guys like Brady Clark, Bill Hall and Scott Podsednik try to play center field, it'll be great to see Edmonds do it right. Granted we did have Mike Cameron the last two years, and Carlos Gomez is supposed to be no slouch out there (don't sell yourself short Judge, you're a tremendous slouch) Edmonds is the real deal. Now I'm not saying that Mike Cameron isn't, it's just that Jim Edmonds doesn't cost $10 million a year. I can tell that I'm really backing myself into a corner, but pit Cameron and Edmonds up against each other and you'll see that Edmonds leads in every single category. Or at least that's my prediction without actually looking it up. It is 2 in the fucking morning and I'm a day behind on this entry, so I'm going to fudge a couple of things and take some journalistic liberties. I don't think that you're supposed to do that, but screw it. I don't write for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, I write for Pookon's Ill Blog.

I'm counting on Edmonds to bring a lot to this team both on and off the field. Apparently this was GM Doug Melvin's idea as well and it is very similar to the Gab Kapler signing in 2008. If we get the same results from Edmonds that we got from Kapler (asking for the same is really reaching at this point in Edmonds' career) Edmonds' stat line in 2010 might look something like this:

.261 avg, 17 HRs, 52 RBIs and a handful a highlight reel plays that will shoot him to the top of Sprtscenter's Top 10 plays of the day.

When Edmonds was signed to a minor league contract it was just a formality and he was always in line to have a spot on the 25-man roster if he wanted it. There simply was no outfield competition in camp and all that he had to do was not play like an old guy and totally suck big time. But one position that appeared to have competition was the back-up catcher. In the entry on Gregg Zaun, I mentioned that there were no fewer than 4 players vying for that roster spot. I hoped that Matt Treanor would get the gig so that he would bring his hot wife to the ballpark but they instead went with 26 year-old George Kottaras. Kottaras was recently playing back-up to Jason Varitek and Victor Martinez on the Boston Red Sox and he only played in 45 games. He may end up playing in a few more than that depending on Zaun's ability to be productive on offense and to also stay healthy, but there's a chance that he'll be regulated to catching a particular pitcher (like Mike Rivera caught Manny Parra or Dave Bush last year). But that my friends, is a topic that will be covered tomorrow. Brewers! Brewers! Keep Turnin' Up the Heat!

- pookon -

www.pookon.com
email: pookondotcom@gmail.com

25 Brewers in 25 Days : Jody Gerut

Jody is a girl's name. I just wanted to get that one out of the way at the beginning of this so I don't have to address it later. But then I met a guy named Jody and found out that Jody is a guy's name too. Who would've thought? There's another guy named Jody and he's on the Brewers Opening Day roster. Jody Gerut is on that roster because of the lack of better options in the outfield. I hate to break it to you like that, but I don't see why we are carrying a back-up outfielder that hit .236 with 5 HRs and 21 RBIs last year. Oh yeah, that's because he is a back-up and didn't play enough to effect the final outcome of the season. That was true last year, but this year of the 3 starting outfielders (Braun, Gomez and Hart) Braun is the only player that you could write in permanent ink to play in over 150 games. Gomez is young and has yet to prove he belongs (but he is given that shot this year) and Hart just flat out sucks. So there is a definite possibility that Gerut may play close to 100 games combined between Center and Right Field. Yikes. But why is on the team? Like I said, because there are no better options.

The Brewers counted on Hart to not suck. They even offered him a long term deal that he foolishly turned down. Great for us though. But the problem is that we don't have any viable options in the minor leagues to fill in when certain outfielders fail. I can't name one prospect that is major league ready to play on this team. The closest is Lorenzo Cain, but he missed most of last year due to injury, or else I may be writing a feature article about him rather than Carlos Gomez. And depending on Casey McGehee's sophomore year, 3rd base prospect Mat Gamel might be moved out there if he can't handle the defensive aspects of the hot corner. Plus he'd need some time in the minors where it "doesn't count" to get adjusted to the position. And there are also concerns that his bat is inconsistent. Like we need another one of those on the team. So Gerut gets a spot based on that and a few other things.

Gerut had the spot locked up before Spring Training began thanks to the lack of depth and a couple of other reasons. First off he can play all 3 outfield positions well. Secondly, he bats left handed, which should get him some at bats in a right hand heavy lineup. Thirdly, he's only making $2 million this year meaning that he comes pretty cheap. He also came to Milwaukee in a trade with San Diego for Tony Gywnn Jr. (son of Padres great Tony Gwynn) in another trade that shouldn't have happened. Doug Melvin will give Gerut every chance to succeed so he can convince the fans that the trade worked in our favor. Seeing as how Gwynn Jr. didn't do so hot last year, I think Melvin made the right move. But time will tell on that one. And although I said bad things about Gerut, I did notice that his stats and performance on the field vastly improved once he got regular playing time in August and September when Hart was out with an injury. If that is any indication, he'll do just fine when he plays more than once a week and hit more like he did in San Diego when he had a .296 avg with 14 HRs and 43 RBIs. Kind of like I hope that Craig Counsell doesn't see regular playing time, I hope the same for Gerut because that means something is wrong with 1 of the 3 starters. But I have a feeling that he won't be quite as bad as last year.

Tony Gwynn Jr. was a fan favorite who never proved himself when he had the opportunity to convince the Brewers top brass that he belonged here. Since he was wasting away in the minors they did the right thing and traded him to a team where his name alone would get him regular playing time to prove himself. I wished him good luck. So Gerut came to town he was instantly disliked and was never given a fair shot. It didn't help that he was horrible in his pinch-hit appearances and started off by going 4-41 at the plate for a .098 average with 2 RBIs. But like I said, when he got the opportunity to play every day, he went 34-120 for a .283 average with 5 HRs and 19 RBIs. Gerut looks like he is going to get the chance to be the .283 player instead of the .098 player. And people will like him even though he has a girl's name.

But my favorite thing about Gerut is that Steve "Sparky" Fifer of Sportsradio1250 was so convinced that Gerut wouldn't make the Opening Day roster that he promised on the air that he would wear a dress to Opening Day of he did. To understand how awesome it is that Sparky will have to wear a dress, you'd have to listen to him on the radio and understand his personality. He's one of those really passionate sports fans that is extremely opinionated. Basically you either love him or hate him. And whichever one you choose, you'll certainly laugh when he shows up wearing a dress. Sparky is one of those guys who is in radio for a reason - they have a great voice with an ugly ass body. His head is way too big and he's a short silly looking guy. So at least we have that to look forward to. We can also look forward to Gerut having these stats in 2010:

.256 avg, 9 HRs, 43 RBIs, semi-regular playing time and still having a girl's name, despite the fact that I have met guys named Jody.

The other back-up outfielder on the 25 man roster doesn't have a girl's name. That's because he is the one and only Jim Edmonds. Just like Trevor Hoffman, I could have never imagined Edmonds being in a Brewers uniform, especially after all the harm he caused us while playing with the Cardinals and the Cubs. Even though Edmonds is turning 40 this year and he has lost a step in the outfield, he will most certainly see some playing time out there because you can't teach experience. And the one thing that Braun, Gomez and Hart lack is experience. Although Edmonds can't help them with that (you might even argue that he is going to take some of that away from them) what he can help them with will be worth every penny that he is being paid this year. If you are going to learn, you might as well learn from the best. And while calling Edmonds the best is sure to cause a stir and plenty of debate, you can't argue that in his prime he was pretty damn fantastic. But that my friends is a topic that will be covered tomorrow. Brewers! Brewers! Keep Turnin' Up the Heat!

- pookon -

www.pookon.com
email: pookondotcom@gmail.com

25 Brewers in 25 Days : Craig Counsell

People know that I'm a big Brewers fan. I don't know how they come to that conclusion, but someone always outs me. Then everyone comes at me like the fucking cops and starts asking me rapid fire questions. It's like an interrogation. The only thing that is missing is the burned out bad cop and the bright lights shining in my face. One of the most common questions that I get is "who is your favorite player on the Brewers?" The safe choice is to go with Prince Fielder or Ryan Braun. But those are everyone's favorite players. And I'm anything but safe. From 2003-2009 my favorite player was Bill Hall. Even when everyone else had moved on, my favorite player was Hall. I stuck with him to what ended up being a very bitter end, as he was designated for assignment and traded to Seattle. My current favorite player on the team is Rickie Weeks, who held a close second to Hall since he first came up to the majors in 2005. But what does any of this have to do with Craig Counsell? A lot actually. Craig Counsell is my brother James' favorite player. Craig Counsell backed up Bill Hall at 3rd base and Rickie Weeks at 2nd base when they were either ineffective or injured. And Craig Counsell deserves every bit of credit that he gets for doing those things. But Counsell doesn't stop there. Counsell has cemented his place in Brewers history whether or not people actually admit it. That's because he plays the game right and contributes both on and off the field. He's the player that every team in the Major Leagues should have on their roster, but I don't think that people here in Milwaukee realize just how important that he is to our team. But thanks to a career year in 2009 at the still young age of 39, people in Milwaukee are starting to come around.

Let me start out by clarifying that people do love Craig Counsell here. Although he was born in Indiana, he grew up in the Milwaukee suburb of Whitefish Bay. He went to High School there, and his father worked for the Milwaukee Brewers. He first played with the his "hometown" team in 2004 when he came here in a trade from the Arizona Diamondbacks. Although he had a pretty good year, he became a free agent and resigned with the Dbacks. After 2 seasons in Arizona he was back with the Brewers in 2007 and served primarily as a back-up and pinch hitter. Although he did all of the little things like bunting, playing excellent defense, moving runners over when grounding out, taking walks and being versatile in the field, I feel like he never got the proper respect he deserved. Then 2009 came along and every single fan who passed through the turnstiles saw a side of Counsell that they never saw before - an all around great ballplayer who they could all get behind.

In 2009 the Brewers infield was seemingly set up where all 4 players would each play at least 140 games. And then Rickie Weeks suffered a season ending wrist injury and Counsell started playing every day at 2nd base. And then Bill Hall struggled so mightily against right handed pitchers that Counsell was starting at 3rd base against right handed pitchers. And then JJ Hardy never got out of his season opening slump, so Counsell was also playing shortstop. Until the emergence of Casey McGehee as the everyday 3rd baseman, Counsell was playing his way into the lineup everyday at either 2nd base, 3rd base or shortstop. It was like he was playing musical chairs out there, but every time the music stopped and he had to take a new position he brought his excellent defense with him. In previous years you could ignore his low batting average (in the .220 range) and lack of power (2 HRs, 20 RBIs) because of his on base percentage (.350 range), defense and versatility. But then in 2009 something changed, and although the previously mentioned infield situation got him into the starting lineup every day, his bat for the first time kept him in it.

There's this saying that you can't teach an old dog new tricks. While that saying can be true in a lot of cases, it is bullshit if the old dog is willing to listen. People remember Craig Counsell for various reasons, but one that always sticks out is his unusual batting stance, as seen in the picture on the left. How he is able to hit like that I'll never know, because I have tried it both in baseball games and in batting cages and it doesn't work for me. It's kind of like trying to drive a golf ball like Happy Gilmore. But hey, if it works then I say go with it. But although Counsell had been hitting like this for his entire Major League career (and probably in High School and College too), Brewers hitting Coach Dale Sveum wanted him to drop his hands down and go with a more traditional approach (as seen in the picture on the right). And it worked. It worked so well that Counsell had a career year at the plate with a .285 avg, 4 HRs, 39 RBIs, 61 runs scored and a .357 OBP. While that might not seem very impressive to someone who isn't familiar with his career stats, it is. The other thing about him is that he was clutch in situations where the Brewers totally needed it. He often got on base late in the game in what ended up being the game winning rally. He'd get a pinch-hit single to extend the inning so that Braun or Fielder could come to the plate and drive in runs. And on defense he's make a diving stop or turn a tough doubleplay to end the other team's potential rally. He was so clutch that Tim Allen + Sparky (hosts of the Brewers postgame show on Sportsradio1250 in Milwaukee) started calling him C3, which stood for Craig "Clutch" Counsell. That turned out to be one of the non sexual things that I would yell out at Brewers games.

Counsell is no stranger to being clutch in situations, as seen in his memorable moments in the World Series Championships of the Florida Marlins in 1997 and in 2001 with the Arizona Diamondbacks. In Game 7 of the 1997 World Series he scored the winning run in the 11th inning for Florida's first Championship. They would applaud Counsell in Florida if more than 5,000 people showed up to the games. I mentioned yesterday that Counsell still gets a nice ovation down in Arizona even if he is wearing the "enemy's" uniform. He was the MVP of the NLDS against the Atlanta Braves and had a couple of pivotal at bats in the World Series that Arizona ended up winning against the favored New York Yankees. And in 2009 Counsell was the positional player MVP in most people's opinions for reasons previously mentioned in this article. And although he will be turning 40 years old this year, he is showing no signs of slowing down. After the kind of season he had, Counsell had plenty of suitors knocking on his door, but the Brewers wisely paid him enough to retain his services, because he will once again be clutch in 2010.

Craig Counsell is my brother James' favorite player, but not for any of the reasons previously mentioned in this article. In order to understand why, I need to take you on a little trip down memory lane. James and I have been going to Brewers games since we were in the Coca-Cola Kids Fan Club back at good ol' County Stadium. Even though we were cute kids and we brought our gloves to every game, we never once caught a foul ball, homerun or got a ball from the ball girl/boy. Not once. And even when we scurried for a foul ball and were knocked over by a bunch of adults, they didn't even give us the ball. All they gave us was scrapped knees and a lack of faith in the good nature of grownups. As the years went by and we started going to 20+ games a year, we thought that our chances would increase. But they didn't.

In the summer of 2007, James would one-up me and get an actual game used ball, which was a foul grounder off of the bat of Craig Counsell. The ball girl tossed it up to him, since he was sitting on the 1st base side on the field level. James gave me a good amount of shit that he got a ball before I did. I mean c'mon! No fair! The ball has scuff marks and grass stains. How can I compete with that!?! Then I started following the Brewers on the road, and in 2007 Marcus Hanel (the bullpen catcher) tossed me a ball when I was in Cincinnati. I instantly texted James and gave him shit that I got a ball too, but he reminder me that his was cooler. Keep in mind at this time I was 26 and he was 28. Even so, my big brother always finds of way to one-up me. Since he was so excited to get his first ball, and because it came off the bat of Counsell, I started kidding him that Craig Counsell was his favorite player.

And then Craig Counsell came into his store. James worked at a Home Depot in the lawn and garden department close to Mequon (another Milwaukee suburb where Counsell currently lives) and Counsell would often stop in to buy stuff. Counsell still lives here in town (even in the offseason I'm told) and James would see him at the store but he wouldn't bother him unless he came to James with questions. James was living in Fox Point (which borders Mequon) at the time, and if Counsell had any impact on the game, I'd send him a text message with the line, "your friend and neighbor Craig Counsell did _______" or some variation of it. But every time I mentioned Craig Counsell to him I always stick in the your friend and neighbor line. And then (like I mentioned in the Prince Fielder "25 in 25" article) I got Counsell's autograph on a baseball and gave it to James, which forever cemented me as the eternal one-upper. There's a lot of things that James beats me at (ok, so he beats me at just about everything including beer pong) but I got him this time. Unless he gets Counsell to show up at my birthday party, I don't know how he could top what I gave him. But rest assured that James has this in the back of his mind and will one day regain his position on top of the one-upper list.

Even though I love Craig Counsell for all of the reasons mentioned in this article (and many more) I don't want to see him play in 130 games again. I'm all for him getting a few starts a week, but once it approaches 3/4 of the games in a season, that means that one of our regular infielders is injured or unproductive. And as much as Counsell brings to the team, we would still rather see him as a spot starter and pinch hitter off of the bench. Even though he should (hopefully) play less this year, there's no reason why he can't put up these numbers in 2010:

.280 avg, .351 OBP, 2 HRs, 33 RBIs, 110 games played, veteran leadership and still James' favorite player.

I don't have any lengthy sentimental stories to tell about Jody Gerut, one of the Brewers back-up outfielders. Because he is not one of my favorite players. The only thing that I can say about him is that he is a guy and his name is Jody. That's a girls name. Hopefully between now and tomorrow I can figure out something to put in his "25 in 25" article. Will I come up with some material about Gerut? Is Jody more than just a girl's name? Will Woody and Bullseye land to safety? Can they reach Jessie and Stinky Pete in time? Tune in tomorrow for the exciting conclusion: "Woody's Finest Hour." Wait, what does Jody Gerut have to do with Toy Story 2? I'm not sure, but that my friends, is a topic that will be covered tomorrow. Brewers! Brewers! Keep Turnin' Up the Heat!

- pookon -

www.pookon.com
email: pookondotcom@gmail.com

25 Brewers in 25 Days : Claudio Vargas

Seriously, who cares about Claudio Vargas? I'm pretty sure that his Mom does, but poll the majority of Brewers fans and they'll certainly remember his stint with the team in 2007 rather than his half-season in 2009. In 2007 as a starter he was 11-6 with a 5.09 ERA in 23 starts. As his stats indicate he was a beneficiary of tremendous run support as he also gave up too many runs per game to make them interesting. Vargas was not well liked in Milwaukee that year because we traded away Doug Davis (who with Arizona that year had a 13-12 record with a 4.25 ERA) to get him. His 1st time in Milwaukee ended with him getting cut during Spring Training days before the 2008 season began. So it surprised everyone (including me) that we brought him back in 2009. But like every M. Night Shyamalan movie, there's a twist! This time when he took the mound for Milwaukee he was pitching solely as a reliever. And whatever happened when he made the transition from starter to reliever, it certainly worked. In 28 games covering 30.1 innings with Milwaukee in 2009, he had a 1-0 record with a 1.78 ERA. That performance was rewarded with a 1-year contract to stay with the Brewers and hopefully add some more stability in the bullpen.

As mentioned before (in a previous "25 in 25" entry), the bullpen is shaping up to be a strength of this team. Vargas should help solidify that if he is in 2009 form instead of 2007 form. Many pitchers have transitioned successfully from starter to reliever and ended up prolonging their career because of it. I wrote about LaTroy Hawkins doing that, but the most famous as of late has to be John Smoltz. Smoltz is the 2nd pitcher in Major League history to have both a 20 win season as a starter and a 50 save season as a closer, and is the only pitcher to have 200 career wins and 150 career saves. I'm not being ridiculous and comparing Vargas to Smoltz, but it helps to show that someone can transition quite easily from starting to relief. But let me also point out that Smoltz was a hell of a starter, while Vargas was mediocre at best.

Vargas will not be counted on to be fantastic, because Todd Coffey fills those shoes rather well. All that Vargas has to do is not suck. He can even have a mid 3 ERA and still be effective. But if his ERA starts climbing into the 4s or 5s, then the fans will certainly take notice, grab their pitchforks and torches and run him out of town just like they have done many time in the past. I don't believe that will happen, because Vargas (albeit with a limited sample size) seems to have found his place in the bullpen. I would compare him to Carlos Villanueva, who may or may not make the team this year. He also has pitched in both roles, and for some reason has been more effective in relief. Some things just kind of click in different ways for different people. And like old guys always say, if it ain't broke, don't try to fix it. And so far Claudio Vargas ain't broke as a relief pitcher.

The only interesting tidbit that I have to share about Vargas is when my cousin Kevin and I got our picture taken with him at the Brewers On Deck event in January (pictured at the beginning of this article). For all of the photo opportunities with the popular players, the lines stretched as far as the eye could see (like when we got our picture with Corey Hart). Vargas was sitting on the stool with no one in line to get their photo with him, so we kind of felt bad that he was being ignored. I didn't know who he was until I saw the back of his jersey, but after the picture I shook his hand and wished him well in the 2010 season. That guy has banana hands and a death grip handshake. I could have swore that I felt a couple of bones break in my right hand, and if I didn't believe it before, I had no doubt in my mind that this guy was a pitcher. He must have some kind of grip on that pitch to be able to control the ball enough to evade the bat of the hitters he is facing. I was impressed by that, and I walked away feeling like less than a man than he was. But he could make me feel a whole lot better if he has a 2010 season like this:

3.17 ERA, 1-2 record, 48 innings pitched and the last player named when you ask the common fan to name all of the players on the 25 man roster.

But one player that everyone in Milwaukee knows is back-up infielder Craig Counsell. Counsell grew up in the Milwaukee suburb of Whitefish Bay and went to the high school there. He currently resides there and is a fan favorite. And it's not just Milwaukee that loves him; he gets a standing ovation every time he plays in Arizona be it a regular season game or a Spring Training game. And he's even wearing a rival uniform when the Arizona fans applaud him. Craig Counsell also has the distinction of being the favorite Brewers player of my brother James, but he loves him for reasons far different than every other Brewers or Diamondbacks fan does. But that my friends, is a topic that will be covered tomorrow. Brewers! Brewers! Keep Turnin' Up the Heat!

- pookon -

www.pookon.com
email: pookondotcom@gmail.com

25 Brewers in 25 Days : Mitch Stetter

This article will probably be about as short as lefty reliever Mitch Stetter's appearance in a game. With the exception of a random lefty tossed in the bullpen every now and then, Stetter was the only lefty out there. Most of the time he was brought in to face 1 batter, and it wasn't unusual to see him pitch just 1/3 of an inning. The nice thing about that is he was usually brought in to get a key out that was one of the turning points in the game, and he he almost always got the job done. And since he would often throw 10 pitches at most per game, he was available to work back-to-back games which was huge considering he was the only southpaw available for relief for the majority of the season. When a big lefty up to bat for the other team in a crucial situation, Mitch Stetter was the man.

What makes Stetter so devastating against lefties is his sidearm delivery. First off, he starts out pitching with his right foot on the far left edge of the rubber on the pitching mound. From the way that he slings the ball towards the plate out of that position, it looks like it going to cross the strike zone right down the middle. But it doesn't. It cuts way outside to a left-handed hitter, and they end up swinging at something that is nowhere near connecting with the bat. Imagine a blindfolded kid swinging at a pinata. The key to Mitch Stetter's effectiveness and longevity on this team if he figures out how to dominate right-handed hitters with the same success. In 2009 Stetter had a 3.60 ERA, 4-1 record, appeared in 71 games but pitched only 45 innings. But check out these split stats. In 24.2 innings against lefties, he had a 1.46 ERA. In 20.1 innings against righties, he had a 6.20 ERA. Numbers don't lie, and in this case they also validate my argument.

One thing that is unique about Mitch Stetter is that he is 1 of 3 pitchers on the current roster who was actually drafted by the Brewers (with the other 2 being Yovani Gallardo and Manny Parra). The Brewers have historically had a big problem churning out pitchers of any variety from their farm system, which has led to overpaying for starters (Jeff Suppan) and relievers (Eric Gagne - remember that 1-year $10 million deal? I cringe just thinking about it). There's a good amount of talented position players drafted by the Brewers that are still currently on the team - Fielder, Braun, Weeks, Escobar and Hart. But only 3 pitchers make the cut, and only 1 (Gallardo) has proven to be worthy of the label "talented". You can make a case for Stetter, and 1 more good year out of him will propel him to the talented section versus the current stage of limbo he is in.

But it could be worse. He could be in the group of pitchers that the Brewers have drafted in the last 10 years that have yet to advance beyond AA minor league ball. Three names always come up when pitchers drafted by the Brewers is the topic du jour. Mike Jones was drafted 12th overall in 2001, and after many shoulder surgeries, rehabs and setbacks, he finally advanced to AAA at the end of last year. That's right, 8 years after being drafted he's in AAA. Mark Rogers was drafted 5th overall in the 2004 draft, and after 2 shoulder surgeries he pitched in his first Spring Training game a few weeks ago. He should be in AA this year, which is ok since he's still just 24 years old. And then there's my favorite - Jeremy Jeffress, the 16th overall pick in the 2006 draft. His fastball clocks in at nearly 100 mph, but he's currently serving a 100 game suspension because he can't stop smoking the reefer. He's already been busted once, and he served a 50 game suspension for that. 1 more positive test and he's banned from professional baseball FOR LIFE. Or like they say in The Sandlot: FOR-EVER. FOR-EVER. FOR-EVER.

Mitch Stetter should have some company in the bullpen this year because it looks like the Brewers are going to carry a 2nd lefty reliever. Lefty starters Chris Narveson and Manny Parra are both out of options, and whichever one doesn't make the starting rotation will be kept in the bullpen to provide depth. Hopefully that means that Stetter will only be used against lefties because as the stats indicated, that is his strength. But I'd also like to see him face righties as well because any experience would only benefit him, seeing as 2009 was only his first full season in the majors. But if he's anywhere near what he was like last year (and if he faces less righties) Mitch Stetter could see this stat line in 2010:

2.79 ERA, 3-1 record, 68 games appeared in but 42 innings pitched and the same awesome delivery.

So much for a short article. Stetter will see some company in the bullpen, but 1 reliever is like the company who keeps coming back to visit year after year and ends up crashing on your couch is Claudio Vargas. Vargas in back in Milwaukee for the 3rd time. He first came here as a starter in the Doug Davis trade back in 2006. Then he was reacquired in July of 2009 but this time as a reliever. Following a successful stint in Milwaukee the 2nd time around the Brewers signed him for 2010 to once again pitch out of relief. His 1st time in Milwaukee he wasn't very good. His 2nd time in Milwaukee he was very good. The 3rd time be the charm where he is great. But that my friends, is a topic that will be covered tomorrow. Brewers! Brewers! Keep Turnin' Up the Heat!

- pookon -

www.pookon.com
email:pookondotcom@gmail.com

25 Brewers in 25 Days : Todd Coffey

At 6'4" and 240 pounds, pitcher Todd Coffey is a big guy. Which makes it that much more impressive that he sprints out of the bullpen to the mound when he enters the game., like he did in this video I took when I was at the Brewers/Cardinals game at Busch Stadium. Coffey started sprinting towards the mound when he was with AA Chattanooga in 2004. He was the next reliever scheduled to go in the game, and just as he finished his warmup, his team rallied and scored 8 runs. Coffey still went in the game, but after getting amped up then cooled down, he sprinted out to the mound to get amped up again. And he's been doing it ever since. At Miller Park they play the theme song used by former WWF wrestler The Ultimate Warrior, who also would sprint out of the warmup room and onto the stage. Then they started displaying a stopwatch clock (which looks oddly similar to the Starbucks Logo) that says "Coffey Time" on the video screen to record his time. The fastest I remember him getting to the mound was something like 12.86 seconds. Like I said, an incredible feat for a big guy. Coffey has become one of the most beloved players on the team, and when he enters the game, everyone stands and cheers. People used to only get this excited for the Klement's Sausage Races.

The Brewers claimed Coffey off of waivers from the Cincinnati Reds in September 2008, and he was instrumental in their playoff push. He gave up 0 runs in a little over 7 relief innings during the final weeks of the year, but since he was claimed off waivers in September he was not eligible for the postseason roster. So he couldn't help the Brewers in the playoffs. In retrospect that didn’t matter, because aside from Jeff Suppan, pitching wasn’t the problem in the NLDS, the offense (or lack thereof) was. But in 2009 Coffey was one of the most stable forces on the pitching staff, and he ended up pitching 83.2 innings in 78 games, had a 2.90 ERA, 4-4 record with 65 strikeouts. Coffey jokingly once said that he intended to pitch in all 162 games, but that is a physical impossibility. I don’t think even Superman’s arm could handle that kind of stress. But Todd Coffey did lead the entire NL in innings pitched by a reliever, and although he tired a little at the end, he was the most valuable member of that bullpen. Yes, even more valuable than Trevor Hoffman.

Todd Coffey was brought into so many situations. Since he is a groundball pitcher, there were a lot of times when he was brought in when there were 2 men on base and only 1 out. The thinking in this is to pitch to contact and hope the batter hits it to an infielder so they can turn the double play and get out of the inning. More times than not, this worked in the Brewers favor because Coffey always got the job done. He didn’t know how not to. He was also brought in earlier in the game to start an inning if the starter failed to go deep in the game. And then he sometimes served as the setup man to Trevor Hoffman. So on any given day you’d see Coffey pitching in the 5th-8th inning. And then when Hoffman was on the DL, he was closing out the 9th. It’s such a huge bonus to have a guy that versatile who is also effective, because like it or not, not every pitcher has the mentality to do that. It sounds easy, but I have seen with my own eyes countless examples where pitchers need stability in their given role.

In my opinion, Todd Coffey was the 2009 bullpen MVP, and I might even go so far as to give him the MVP of all Brewers pitchers. Yovani Gallardo takes that award for reasons already mentioned a few days ago. But Coffey finished 2nd. Unfortunately I think relievers don’t get the credit that they deserve. Relievers are expected to come into the game and not give up any runs, and the only time that you usually do notice them is when they struggle and give up runs. So that means that relievers have to be perfect or else they’ll be the fodder of talk radio and internet message boards, get booed in their own stadium and eventually might find themselves being run out of town. Life's tough as a reliever, which is why you see so many guys jumping from team to team year after year.

You never realize just how important a bullpen pitcher is until you desperately need them, such as least year when the starting rotation floundered and went belly-up. This year I hope that same thing doesn't happen, but if it does Todd Coffey will be ready and waiting to pitch as many innings as Ken Macha and Rick Peterson allows him to. But at least this year (at the start of the season at least) he will be surrounded by a couple of veteran arms and starters (like Dave Bush or Chris Narveson that are shuffled to the bullpen for depth) that he shouldn't have to sacrifice his right arm to the please the Baseball Gods. But I still expect Coffey to get more than his fair share of innings, especially if he puts up numbers like this:

2.75 ERA, 3-3 record, 78.2 innings pitched, 57 strikeouts, 11.95 seconds fastest sprint time to the mound and millions of fans knowing when it's Coffey Time.

Todd Coffey will have the most innings pitched among the relievers, but this next bullpen pitcher should have the fewest innings pitched (excluding players up for a short stint or September call-ups) because he is the lefty specialist Mitch Stetter. Stetter mainly faces lefties because he himself is a lefty and his sidearm delivery makes the ball sweep across the strike zone and out of the reach of the batter. When he's on, he can be devastating and a huge asset to the relieving corps. When he's off he gets rocked. The key for Stetter is whether or not he can be as effective against right-handers as well, but that my friends, is a topic that will be covered tomorrow. Brewers! Brewers! Keep Turnin' Up the Heat!

- pookon -

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email: pookondotcom@gmail.com

25 Brewers in 25 Days : LaTroy Hawkins

I was surprised when the Brewers signed LaTroy Hawkins to a 2 year deal worth $7.5 million dollars. Multiyear deals for relievers tend to come back and hamper the team in the long run, kind of like David Riske’s contract (3 years, $13 million) that he hasn't lived up to. After one mediocre season, he's currently on the DL rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. He's trying to come back and pitch in 2010, the final year of his contract. Most relievers are (and should be) given a 1 year deal because the bullpen is often a revolving door. Here is the list of relievers used out of the bullpen last season – Todd Coffey, Carlos Villanueva, Seth McClung, Trevor Hoffman, Mark DiFelice, Chris Smith, Mitch Stetter, Claudio Vargas, Chris Narveson, David Weathers, Jorge Julio, Mike Burns, John Axford, RJ Swindle, Jesus Colome, Tim Dillard, Josh Butler, Dave Bush and David Riske. I know that's a long list, and I could have just said that we used 19 different pitchers, but I was trying to prove my point.

The first couple you probably remember because they stayed on the major league team for the entire season and had an impact on the team’s overall success. But some of those guys (like RJ Swindle and Jesus Colome) did not, so they weren’t around for long. And once the 25-man roster is set and the starters have been named, there's sure to be a couple of names on the Opening Day roster who will not be on that list when the season ends in October. Yeah you heard me, I said October. That's because the Brewers are making it back to the playoffs. But I will say how deep they are going in the playoffs, because there's so many factors that are going to go into determining that. But once again I'm off subject. You can tell I don't know shit about LaTroy Hawkins.

So at first the Hawkins deal looks like a bit of a question mark, considering that he is 37 years old. But the more that you look at it, the more that it makes sense. Then it hit me – LaTroy Hawkins is insurance in case something happens to Trevor Hoffman. I pray to God that it doesn’t, but the main focus of the offseason was pitching depth. Hawkins does have closing experience, and has 87 career saves. Compare that to the other backup closers Coffey (11) and Villanueva (5) and you can see that he is the obvious choice to come in the 9th should Hoffman be overworked or (heaven forbid) be injured. By signing him to a 2 year deal, you keep him around for next year in case you can’t find another closer on the free agent market or if one of the minor league pitchers being groomed to be the major league closer (like John Axford) isn’t ready yet. Whichever scenario plays out, it will be good to have another veteran arm in the bullpen whether he is setting up or closing.

LaTroy Hawkins career statistics aren’t the greatest (4.51 ERA, 60-81 record) but that is skewed by his ineffectiveness as a starter (6.11 career ERA) but then improved when he made the move to the bullpen (3.29 career ERA as a reliever). He seems to be getting better with age, and he vastly improved in the past few years. Last year he really shined (2.13 ERA with 11 saves) and was given a nice contract by the Brewers after coming off a big year. Just like Randy Wolf. And just like I said about Wolf’s contract, I hope Hawkins’ doesn’t come back to haunt us later this year or the next. But $3.75 million per year isn’t a whole lot to pay for a pitcher of his caliber, even if the rap sheet on him is that he leaves the ball up sometimes and is prone to giving up homeruns. But if there was one thing that I heard during Macha’s press conferences last year was that all of the Brewers pitchers left the ball up in the zone, hence the high ERAs. That is where new pitching coach Rick Peterson comes in. He has the monumental task of improving the pitching staff top to bottom, and if he can work with Hawkins and keep him on the track he's been on in the last few years, it won't be hard to imagine this line for 2010:

3.23 ERA, 4-2 record, 5 saves, 45 strikeouts and a better understanding to the fans of Milwaukee of what kind of pitcher he is.

Remember how I said that relievers tend to come and go so fast that you forget that they even pitched for you team? That's why I don't have a jersey of any relief pitcher from the Brewers. I will soon be getting a Trevor Hoffman because the guy is a future Hall of Famer, and a throwback Rollie Fingers (Brewers closer from 1981-1985) would be awesome, but a Todd Coffey jersey would be amazing. That's because from the moment he arrived in Milwaukee in September of 2008 he instantly became a fan favorite when he sprinted out of the bullpen and into their hearts. But that my friends, is a topic that will be covered tomorrow. Brewers! Brewers! Keep Turnin' Up the Heat!

- pookon -

www.pookon.com

email: pookondotcom@gmail.com

25 Brewers in 25 Days : Trevor Hoffman

Trevor Hoffman is baseball's all-time saves leader. After the completion of the 2009 season, he has 591 saves. So he's pushing to become the first pitcher with 600 saves. And he's going to be doing it in a Brewers uniform. Trevor Hoffman’s entrance music is AC/DC’s “Hell’s Bells”. I distinctly remember the first time that I heard it in person at Miller Park. It was Thursday April 30th, 2009. Hoffman had opened the season on the DL, so he was only making his 3rd appearance of the year and coming in for his second save chance. All the LCD displays went black, the lights dimmed a little, then “DONG!!” rings the first bell, and the crowd of 26,464 jumps to its’ feet in one unifying motion and the place erupts in noise. Then Hoffman slowly jogs in from the bullpen while the crowd rocks out. It sent chills down my spine with how unbelievably amazing the atmosphere was in that moment. It's one of those things that you have to see to believe, and no amount of explanation can replicate it. I'd offer to take you to a Brewers game at Miller Park, and if you play your cards right you might be seated next to me for a Trevor Hoffman save. But if that can't be arranged, I've provided the best quality video that I could find on Youtube (of his entrance, not from that night). It really doesn’t do it justice because like I said, nothing is like being there in person, but at least it gives you a taste of what this moment feels like.

Entrance music is more common in wrestling, but there are a few players that take the field to some pretty memorable tunes. Former Brewers closer Derrick Turnbow had Metallica’s “Fuel” (because he was a flamethrower who sometimes hit triple digits) and current Brewers pitcher Todd Coffey sprints in to the WWF’s Ultimate Warrior’s theme music, but nothing is as iconic as Hoffman’s “Hell’s Bells.” You might be able to make a case for Mariano Rivera’s “Enter Sandman” or Rick Vaughn’s “Wild Thing” in the movie Major League, but "Hell's Bells" does it for me much more than those other songs. But of course I'm biased, because I get to hear that song and see Hoffman take the field many times during the year, and it just gets better every single time. And I count myself lucky to be able to watch this future Hall of Famer at least one more year as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers.

On January 13 2009 the Brewers signed closer Trevor Hoffman to a one year deal. This was one of the biggest and most pleasant surprises that has ever happened to this team. Who would’ve ever thought that Hoffman would ever be playing baseball in anything but a San Diego Padres uniform? Everyone thought that he would retire with them (he did play there for 15 years) but San Diego was penny pinching and Milwaukee was in need of a closer after Solomon Torres retired. So they swooped in and made him an offer he couldn’t refuse. And in 2009 he goes on to have one of the best seasons of his career – 1.83 ERA, 3-2 record, 37 saves (41 opportunities), 48 strikeouts and he made the NL All-Star Team. Apparently he enjoyed his time in Milwaukee (or the money was good) because he wasted no time signing another 1-year contract with an option for 2011 less than 24 hours after the season ended. With the closer locked down for 2010 and a bullpen mostly intact, Doug Melvin only had to worry about the starting rotation.

There’s a lot of debate on the importance of a closer in baseball and that the role is way overrated compared to 20 years ago. Anyone who says that has never been in the position where the game hinges on your performance. I hate to compare beer pong to baseball, but unfortunately that is the only “sport” that I have played that I can use as a comparison. I’ve played far too many games where my team was leading by 3-4 cups and we were shooting at just 1, but we ended up losing the game because we failed to hit the last cup and close out the game. A beer pong game is not over until that last cup is hit, and a baseball game is not over until the final out is recorded. Watch one Brewers vs Cubs game and you’ll know that all too well. I can’t rest comfortably (even if the Brewers are up 9-1 in the 9th inning) until the game goes final. If the starting pitcher goes out and throws a gem and the closer can't nail it down, then that starting performance is wasted. And when you only get at the best 5 spectacular performances from a bad starting rotation in a year, you can't afford to wasted any of them. That is why Trevor Hoffman is huge for our team.

The biggest thing that he does is anchor down what looks to be another phenomenal bullpen. The Brewers finished 10th in the NL (16th in MLB) with a bullpen ERA of 3.97. While that certainly doesn't look like anything special, you have to consider that they pitched 544 innings, 3rd most in the NL. Since the starting pitchers only went about 5 innings on average, the bullpen was asked to cover the final 4 innings of every game. By September it looked like their arms were about to fall off and as a consequence the ERA's went through the roof. Hopefully with the addition of Randy Wolf and Doug Davis, who both should throw close to 200 innings each, the bullpen will still be fresh and effective during the playoff push.

But aside from anchoring the bullpen, his presence allows other players to slot (heh heh) nicely in the most effective places to make the most of their talents. For instance, either LaTroy Hawkins or Todd Coffey can set-up for Hoffman in the 8th, and whichever one doesn't will pitch the 7th. Mitch Stetter will serve as the left-handed specialist, and depending on how the rest of it shakes out, Claudio Vargas, Carlos Villanueva, and whomever the long reliever is will fall into their respective roles. Unlike in 2008 when Eric Gagne failed as closer and we had a closer by committee going on until Solomon Torres stepped up and earned the role, we don't have to worry about that this year. But the most important thing that Trevor brings to the bullpen is experience and veteran leadership. That is one of those things that you can't put an ERA, win total or price on.

Several players have spoken out that they are inspired by Hoffman's work ethic and his game preparation. If he gives younger players (especially pitchers like Stetter, Gallardo and Parra) advice through instruction, it's like having another coach on the team. Even if he doesn't verbally teach the players, they can still pick up important lessons from watching him go about his day to say business. His presence on our team is invaluable, and I hope that he is able to repeat that performance in 2010. You'd think that his body would start to wear down, and although his Spring Training numbers are less than desirable, Hoffman knows how to get in game mode once the calendar flips to April. Not much will change in 2010, as this old vet will once again put up age-defying numbers:

2.12 ERA, 3-1 record, 35 saves in 38 chances, blow my mind with "Hell's Bells" for another year and record save #600 of his storied Hall of Fame career.

I've watched him do pre and post game workouts on the field, and it stuns me that he's in such good shape. I'd collapse in a breathing spasm after like 2 minutes if I tried to keep up with him. He was playing long toss with Todd Coffey in the outfield after the final game of the Brewers vs Tigers series in Detroit that I went to last year. I tried to get his attention so that he could toss me a ball, but he was too focused on his workout to notice me. Since the Brewers got swept, he didn't get the chance to enter the game. But being the workaholic that he is, he still went out there anyway on threw on the field. Except that the game was over. But that's just the kind of guy that he is.

I don't what kind of guy newcomer LaTroy Hawkins is. The Brewers signed him to a 2-year deal to add some more veteran presence in that bullpen. The only thing that I know about Hawkins is that he filled in for Jose Valverde as the closer on the Houston Astros last year when Valverde was injured. So I guess he's kind of a back-up plan to Hoffman if he needs a day of rest. But if that's all I know, I'm going to have to do a bit of research or write a pretty short article. I think I'm gonna go with the second option, since that count down to Opening Day is getting smaller by the minute. But that my friends, is a topic that will be covered tomorrow. Brewers! Brewers! Keep Turnin' Up the Heat!

- pookon -

www.pookon.com
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25 Brewers in 25 Days : Doug Davis

Doug Davis belongs in Milwaukee. He played with the Brewers from 2003 -2006 only to be traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the offseason following that last year with the Crew. It was a trade that should have never even happened, as we gave away Davis, Dave Krynzel and Dana Eveland for Johnny Estrada, Greg Aquino and Claudio Vargas. At the time the Brewers needed a catcher, but Johnny Estrada was not the answer. Greg Aquino was a bust and Claudio Vargas was just ok, which is funny because Vargas is back with the team but in a different role (he's in the bullpen now). The Brewers then tried to reacquire Davis last year before the trade deadline, then also put a claim on him when the Diamondbacks exposed him to waivers only to pull him back. So when Davis became a free agent, Brewers GM made him his second pitching target (right after signing Randy Wolf). And now in 2010 Doug Davis is back in blue. And although the Brewers are facing an overload of left-handed pitchers, it's good to have him back because he fits the mold of the hard working, blue collar town that he's playing for.

Doug Davis is never going to win a statistical award. He's never going to win 15 games. He won't lead the league in strikeouts (but he may lead the league in walks). But Doug Davis is going to take the ball every 5th day, give you 200+ innings of 4 ERA ball and keep you in the game. For a team that struggled mightily with pitchers posting 7.00 ERA and spending weeks on the DL, that's a blessing. I know that we shouldn't celebrate mediocrity, but at this point I welcome it compared to the ups and downs we had last year. Last year I was begging for Suppan, Parra and Bush to just be average. That is why we brought in Doug Davis to be the #3 starter (possibly the #4 if Manny Parra gets his act together ) because of the reasons I already mentioned. With the numbers our offense is able to put up, all Davis has to do is put up a "quality start". A quality start is defined as when a pitcher goes at least 6 innings and gives up no more than 3 earned runs. 22 of Davis' 35 starts last year were define as "quality." Most people don't like this terminology because it can be a little misleading, but for average pitchers like Davis it shows that he usually gives his team a chance to win by keeping the opposing team from scoring a lot. You'll never ask Davis to shut them down and pitch a no-hitter, so I'll take all the "quality starts" that we'll get from him.

My only problem with bringing Doug Davis back is that a scenario exists where we could have 4 left-handed pitchers in the starting rotation (Randy Wolf, Davis, Manny Parra and Chris Narveson) to go along with right-hander Yovani Gallardo. I don't think that scenario will happen because right-handers like Jeff Suppan (because of his $12.5 million salary this year) and Dave Bush (out of minor league options and would become a free agent if he doesn't make the team) are competing for those spots. Davis and Wolf were guaranteed starting spots in the rotation because we signed them as free agents to fill those roles. So Davis need not worry, but even if only one of those lefties makes the rotation, we're still looking at Gallardo at #1 followed by back-to-back-to-back lefties before Suppan rots in the #5 spot. In a NL Central Division filled with right-handed sluggers like Albert Pujols, Matt Holliday, Derek Lee, Aramis Ramirez and Carlos Lee, this could prove to be a big mistake. But after the injuries and ineffectiveness of the pitchers that he did have, Brewers GM Doug Melvin had no choice but to sign a durable pitcher like Davis, even if he throws with his left arm.

I liked Doug Davis when he was with the Brewers because you always knew exactly what you were going to get out of him. He may have some starts where he only gives up 1 run or 7, but those starts are going to be few and far between. But I also had a personal and selfish reason for liking Doug Davis. I previously mentioned that I work on the Club Level at Miller Park as an order taker, but I don't know if I said that I've been there since 2002. So I've been to more than my share of Brewers games in the last 9 years. Most people I worked with dreaded a Doug Davis start because they had somewhere else to be after the game. I loved it because I can't think of anything better to do on a hot summer night. It also helped that I get paid by the hour and the average time of a game started by Doug Davis would be like 4 hours. When you compare that to a Ben Sheets game, which almost always clocked in at less that 2 1/2 hours, you can see the difference.

Since Davis isn't a hard thrower (his fastball tops out at the mid 80's) he relies on command of his pitches to get outs. When his command isn't there, the batters aren't swinging. Which leads to a ton of walks. He regularly places in the top 5 in walks allowed, and in 2009 gave up more walks (103) than any other pitcher in the entire Major League. That is why it is important for our defense to be more improved from last year and to stay on it's toes because Doug Davis is going to put men on base. And he's also going to have a soul patch and hold a funny looking dog. I know you were looking for an explanation when you saw this, but that picture has nothing to do with this post. I found it online and I just had to use it. Does this guy know how to party or what? I don't think there is anything that can top this.

Except for this. If you read yesterday's article, then you know I'm all about yelling out quasi-sexual things that really can be taken either way. When Doug Davis was on the mound, I'd always yell out some reference to his initials, D.D. (or Double D). There was always some kind of way to spin it, like yelling out, "Who loves Double D's? This guy!" I forgot about this for years, but one night when I was drunk and talking Brewers with a friend, the DD reference came back to me and I started laughing. Now before anyone starts thinking that all I do at Brewers games is yell out random sexually suggestive things, I really only do this when I'm wasted. I know that being drunk is no reason to start yelling out things and being obnoxious, nor is it an excuse for my behavior. But sometimes it just happens, and unfortunately I find to be hilarious. I'd apologize for my actions (and I'll let it be known that I don't swear and I usually try to restrain myself if there are children around) but that's just kind of who I am. That's probably why I've managed to stay single all of these years. I knew there was a reason why my dashing good looks and million dollar personality wasn't winning me the hand of every female in town. It's because of things like that. And the fact that I laugh anytime someone says member, insert, the penal system, slot, parts, rump, Uranus and other words like that probably has something to do with it. But one thing that is not a laughing matter will be Davis' stat line in 2010:

4.08 ERA, 12-12 record, 208 innings pitched, 138 strikeouts, 98 walks

I was going continue with the starting rotation, but we're 2 weeks away from Opening Day and there still is no resolution on who will pitch in the #4 and #5 spots. So instead I'm going to try to grow up and act my age. But one player that doesn't act his age is closer Trevor Hoffman. The man is supposedly 42 years old, but you wouldn't think that if you saw him without his shirt on. I don't know why I'm looking at dudes without their shirts on, but that guy is ripped. His workout regimen is supposed to be second to none, which explains his longevity in the league. 2010 will be his 17th season and 2nd in Milwaukee. Last year he was damn near perfect, and if you would have asked me a few years ago that not only would Trevor Hoffman be a member of the Brewers but he would also record save #600 with them, I would have laughed at you. But this also is not a joke. Hoffman is (and has been for a while) the all-time saves leader in Major League Baseball history. He's just 9 away from reaching that plateau, and I hope it happens at Miller Park so I can be there when "Hell's Bells" blasts through the speakers and I get to witness another historical moment. But that my friends, is a topic that will be covered tomorrow. Brewers! Brewers! Keep Turnin' Up the Heat!

- pookon -

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