You don't want to read a John Axford article. That's not the one you were looking for. You can go about your business. Move along. Now that I laid that Jedi Mind Trick on you you can get over the fact that I was crying wolf. Deal with it. But I'm running out of days before the season begins so it for sure will be here Tuesday or Wednesday. I know that you asked for it and hold tight, because eventually you will get it. But if you would have asked me 1 week ago who the backup outfielders would be on this team I would have answered Chris Dickerson and Brandon Boggs. Despite Dickerson signing Kevin's sombrero and Boggs being a young athletic switch hitter, both missed out on Opening Day by last minute trades or replacements. That's the beauty of Spring Training because you really can't predict these roster changes. Since every team invites close to 50 players to Spring Training (some on the 40 man roster, some from their minor league system and some players battling to make the club) the team needs to cut it down to 25 by the season opener. Sometimes a player is cut that another team thinks they could use, and a trade is worked out. That's what happened with the Brewers in the last few days.Dickerson seemed to have the edge on the backup spot because he was on the team last year, he bats left handed (the Brewers still have a right heavy lineup) and he can play all 3 outfield spots. Then he was unexpectedly traded to the New York Yankees for reliever Sergio Mitre, who I will talk about tomorrow when I cover the final bullpen spots. They might have planned on opening the season with Dickerson, but you have to give up a strength (in this case offensive outfielders) to get a need which for the Brewers is always pitching. No offense but I won't miss Dickerson. But I am glad that we are finally realizing that pitching wins games, no matter how much Bill Hall likes to say that he does.
Boggs was signed as a free agent over the winter to provide some depth, which he still will be doing at AAA Nashville. He didn't have a very good Spring, but I viewed him as a player with a lot of upside. But it makes sense that he is going to AAA instead of hanging out with the big league club because he doesn't have a lot of experience, so sitting him on the bench is not going to benefit him. He needs to go and play every day and be ready in case a starter goes down (and I pray to God we leave the injuries down in Phoenix when we head back North) and he can fill in any of the 3 outfield spots. His versatility in the field and as a switch hitter may bring him back later in the season, but for now he's looking for an apartment in Nashville. I hear Mat Gamel needs a roommate.
Jeremy Reed will be one of the the backup outfielders for the Brewers when the season begins. I didn't start writing this article until I woke up this morning, so I don't have time to finish it before I head off to work in like 15 minutes. But when I get home I will finish it. But I wanted to throw something up here for the time being so you don't think that I quit on you guys. I think the Brewers decided to go with Reed because he has played in the majors for the last 7 years (mostly as a backup) and is well suited for the role of pinch hitter / spot starter. How long he will last is the real question. Someone has to go once Corey Hart is activated from the disabled list, and I doubt it will be Mark Kotsay or the newly acquired Nyjer Morgan. So enjoy the first few weeks of the season Mr. Reed, and I wish you well on your way out the door. With all due respect, the only reason that you made the team was because Hart is on the DL and you had a decent Spring Training. But it should have been because you were born in San Dimas, California. That's where Bill S. Preston, Esquire and Ted "Theodore" Logan are from and where my family lived. That kind of street cred should have easily earned you a roster spot, but apparently Doug Melvin and the Brewers brass don't appreciate things like that. Even though he's not a Nyjer like the other backup outfielder on the roster, I'll still cheer for him. But in 2 weeks when he's gone it'll be a different story.
I really want to talk about Nyjer Morgan because he of all players has the ability to get me kicked out of a game because of his first name. Let's just say when you shout it out loud and you are drunk, you have the chance of saying another word that isn't acceptable to use. Plus even when I am sober and yell out, "that guy has to be the fastest Nyjer on the field!" I will get warned by stadium security and the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Department. Even though I am cautious about saying his name in public, I really like the trade for Morgan. Sure he has some character issues and has started more than his share of fights, but from everything I've read in the last day or so suggests that he's a good guy with raw emotions who could do with a change of scenery. If you remember Prince Fielder has some anger issues and gets fired up sometimes, but you love him anyway. But somebody on that team keeps Prince Fielder in line. Now that Mike Cameron isn't here anymore, I don't know who that team leader and glue guy in the clubhouse is. Hopefully someone can keep that Nyjer in line because he has too much talent to go to waste.
I have faith that Carlos Gomez is going to stay in the starting lineup all year, but if you can get a plan B for a minor leaguer (Cutter Dykstra, son of Lenny) who probably wasn't going to make it to the majors, then why the hell not do it? Morgan probably won't get a hell of a lot of playing time, but he's a plus defender that could give Gomez and Weeks a run for their money as the fastest player on the team. He fits well into Manager Ron Roenicke's plan to be more aggressive on the bases and is a fantastic replacement in the outfield if a starter needs to miss a few days. In fact, I would go so far to say that with Braun, Gomez, Hart, Kotsay and Morgan we have the best outfield I've seen in recent years. If this Nyjer learns to control his temper than I think he'll fit right in. I've heard he is very passionate about winning (something that frustrated him while playing with Washington and Pittsburgh) and likes to let loose and have fun, which should put him right in line with the crazy antics this ballclub will get into if Roenicke let's them be themselves. Either way it's going to be a hell of year and it just got a whole lot more interesting now that this crazy Nyjer was added to the mix.And speaking of crazy, Brian, Kevin and I filmed this video last Thursday after a night of raging. Since we didn't know who the backup outfielders would be, we just talked about anything for 10 minutes. It's pretty random and not safe for work / children's ears, so take caution when playing it. I bet you can't make it through the entire video.
Since I don't expect Reed to be around for long, I'm not going to bother doing a stat prediction on him. And even though Braun, Gomez and Hart should each play around 150 games (or at least we hope they do) Nyjer Morgan will find a way to get himself into the lineup because he's just too good of a talent to let him rot on the bench. I hate to see him get in the game at the expense of one of our regular outfielders, but something tells me that Nyjer will find a way into the game. And it wouldn't surprise me if he put up a stat line like this:
.285 AVG, .345 OBP, 2 HRs, 29 RBIs, 24 stolen bases and be the fastest Nyjer on the team.
There are only 2 more days to go until Opening Day, and 2 more roster spots to identify. So that means there is a 50/50 chance that tomorrow's article will be about John Axford. I know that I've been teasing it for about a week, but I tomorrow could be the day it's finally here because I'm running out of players to talk about. Plus that article is already written, and I don't feel like writing any more, so I might as well just post that one. But I may just be teasing you again, much like I got teased for being the little fat kid in 2nd grade. Am I telling the truth finally? Or am I bullshitting you once again. You'll have to wait and see, but that my friends, is a topic that will be covered tomorrow. Roll out the Barrel! We'll have a Barrel of Fun!
- pookon -
www.pookon.com
email: pookondotcom@gmail.com
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