The outfield is typically where a lot of your power comes from. Well at least in Left and Right Field. The other power positions are typically 1st base and 3rd base. In the last "25 Brewers in 25 Days", I recapped the infielders, so we all know how Brewers 1st and 3rd basemen did in 2013. In case you didn't read it (and I don't blame you if you didn't because it was reeeeeaaaaaaaaal long) here's a quick recap - they weren't that good. They didn't get any power out of the corner infielders, but did the corner outfielders pick up the power slack? You don't need to read this article to know that answer. You watched this team in 2013. Everyone and my Mom knows that Ryan Braun missed the majority of the year when he got suspended for use of Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs). It was a big story here in Milwaukee. One of the biggest local stories of the year and I'm not just talking about sports. Everyone was talking about it which drove me nuts. Everyone knows that I'm "The Brewers Guy" so they always try and talk baseball with me. I'll sit and talk baseball forever. There's nothing I love more. Well, I love snacks and women more than baseball. That's what happens when you're a fat straight dude. But baseball is #3. But I don't really like talking Brewers baseball with someone who only hears snippets on the radio or goes to a handful of games. They only know what they hear and don't know the whole story. It's painful to have to educate people. I try to avoid it because I don't like to come off as some kind of smug, pompous know-it-all. But everyone wants to know my opinion on Ryan Braun. And I will tell you below.
But what about the rest of the outfield as a whole? They were anchored by Carlos Gomez, who had a career year. Too bad he had to waste it in a year when the team went 74-88 and finished 4th in the NL Central. Nori Aoki was solid in his 2nd year in America but he lacked the power numbers that typically come out of Right field. The one nice thing about the Brewers being out of it in May and Braun being injured/suspended was that we got to see some of our younger outfielders play. Logan Schafer, Khris Davis and Caleb Gindl got a hell of lot more playing time than anyone expected because Braun, Gomez and Aoki were each projected to start 145+ games. Even though 2013 will be looked back upon as a disappointment, there were a few blessings in disguise. One of them is most definitely the outfield depth. I like to stick to 2013 in these recaps but the success of those younger players paved the way for Aoki to be traded, Braun moved to Right and Davis pretty much handed the Leftfield job in 2014. But what about 2013? I know you're anxious for recap. It's January. You've waited this long, so I'm not going to make you wait anymore.
Ryan Braun #8, LF
2013 Prediction: .324 Batting AVG, .389 OBP, 38 HRs, 107 RBIs, 31 stolen bases and a lifetime ban from winning the NL MVP again even though his numbers say otherwise. You brought this on yourself pal.
2013 Actual: .298 Batting AVG, .372 OBP, 9 HRs, 38 RBIs, 4 stolen bases, 59 games started, 225 at bats, suspend for 65 games for "violations of the Basic Agreement and its Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program" and a next to nothing chance of ever winning another voted-upon award or election into The Baseball Hall of Fame. Have fun in the shadows pal.
Ryan Braun had a season that I'm sure he'd like to forget. I doubt there is any other player on the team that was happy when the calendar flipped to January 2014. The suspension is one thing. Well it's a pretty big thing. But the injuries were pretty big as well. He missed the 4th, 5th and 6th games of the year against the Arizona Diamondbacks with a stiff neck. He missed some time in May as well with neck and back problems and you could tell that he wasn't swinging the bat well. He was still getting hits but they were mostly singles. He was totally missing his power in May and June and had a total of 2 homeruns and 17 RBIs after April. In early June it was announced that he also was dealing with a right thumb injury that eventually landed him on the DL on June 15th. He probably should have stayed there for the rest of the season but the Brewers had no choice but to activate him on July 8th when Ramirez had to go on the DL. They couldn't have them both out of the lineup. But at that point it didn't really matter anyway. The Brewers were in last place at 36-52 and 17.5 games behind the 1st place St. Louis Cardinals. On July 22nd (while I was up at Afterglow and away from my phone/the internet) he was suspended for the remainder of the season. So that was his 2013. But you want my opinion, right? Well here it is.
I forgive Ryan Braun and I can understand why he did it. Bet you didn't see that one coming. I had a totally different opinion before August 6th. That's when it all changed. I woke up that morning with back pain. It totally came out of nowhere and it was the most excruciating thing that I have ever experienced. It hurt to sit, lay down, stand up, move, breathe and live. I couldn't function. I missed a couple of days at work. When I finally got back to work it was a nightmare. I sit in an office chair all day and my back would get stiff. It was necessary for me to get up and walk around or else I would be immobile. People would wince as I walked by because of how much it looked like I was in. I don't wish that upon anyone. I had some pain killers but weren't nearly enough to make me feel better. I've never felt so bad physically in my entire life. So what does this have to do with Braun? In 2011 Braun was injured at different points during the year but he only missed a couple of games and never went on the DL. In August 2013 he gave a little clarification on what he took and why he did PEDs, "I was dealing with a nagging injury," Braun said, "and I turned to products for a short period of time that I shouldn't have used. The products were a cream and a lozenge, which I was told could help expedite my rehabilitation."He would later fail a drug test in the post season. While we may never know the full story he served his time and should be forgiven for making this mistake. Unless he does it again I'm going to assume this was a just a mistake. But Scott, you still haven't told us why you have forgiven him for his actions. He hurt every single fan of this team by lying right to their faces and dragging this franchise through the mud. Over the last few years, the Milwaukee Brewers were only mentioned alongside Ryan Braun and PED use. Some face of the franchise. So now I owe you an explanation.
When I was in serious pain I would have done anything to make it go away. I would have taken anything, lied, cheated, stolen, screwed over my family and friends and damn near made a deal with the Devil to make it go away. One night I fell off of the couch onto the floor and I was at one of the lowest points in my life. I was alone, unable to move and couldn't stop crying because of how much it hurt. I was asking God for help. I was desperate. This moment helped me to understand. And I don't do a whole lot of physical activity. No one is counting on me to hit a baseball, run or play defense. I'm not not the single biggest factor in the success of an entire team. I don't have anything riding on my shoulders nor do I have the pressure of living up to my status or contract. And I would have taken some kind of drugs to help me get and feel better. So how could I blame Braun? The 2011 Brewers team was the 2nd best in franchise history (behind 1982 of course) and they had a chance to win the Division and go deep into the Playoffs. He did what he had to do to stay on the field. Whether he did it for himself or for his team, I don't know.
Now I'm not saying that he should have cheated and used PEDs, but I understand.
Carlos Gomez #27, CF
2013 Prediction: .270 Batting AVG, .313 OBP, 21 HRs, 60 RBIs, 42 stolen bases, a Gold Glove and the most animated player that isn't a cartoon.
2013 Actual: .284 Batting AVG, .338 OBP, 24 HRs, 73 RBIs, 40 stolen bases, 80 runs scored, 10 Triples, a Gold Glove and pretty much the only thing that made the 2013 Season watchable.
Who do you love more than Carlos Gomez? Steve Guttenberg? The creepy dude in the Ice Cream Truck that gives you a Choco Taco if you show him a nipple? The creator of Jenga? (that would be Leslie Scott by the way). That one monkey at the Zoo who flipped you off?Kate Upton's Totties? Polly Pocket? "The Garbage Man" Joe Winkelsass? Pete's Dragon? Chester A. Arthur? Natalie Portman? My Dog Skip? The Michelin Man? The Minnesota Miracle Man? Juwanna Man? The Man With One Red Shoe? The Man in the Yellow Hat? Peyton Manning? Wes Mantooth? Fess Parker? Parker Lewis? Luis Tully? Telly Hughes?Alright. I'm done. (Note - I did not put your own Mother on the list because you should always love your own Mother the most. Shame on you if you wouldn't pick that first. Unless she's a real bitch of course.) But seriously - it's a tie between Kate Upton's Totties and Natalie Portman, right? Because if not we are no longer friends. But in a very close second it better be Carlos Gomez. He is hands down the most exciting player in a Brewers uniform that I have ever seen. Nyjer Morgan comes to mind and his "Plushdamentals" and Tony Plush persona are legendary. He has an amazing 2011. But how was he in 2012 when his performance faltered? Damn near nonexistent. Granted Gomez has only had one great year (2013) but he's always been a joy to watch either on the base paths or in the field. His bat just kept him out of the lineup. Until now.
I'm going to give you some homework if you checked out on the 2013 season in May and didn't stick around for the whole year. Watch the 2014 season for Carlos Gomez alone. He is so exciting to watch. His defense alone is highlight worthy and he's going to rob 4-5 homeruns, take away numerous doubles with his speed and gun down people trying to take the extra base with his arm. And now that he figured out how to hit for average? Say goodnight Carlos. He can now be amazing in his sleep. You never know if he is going to drop down a bunt or swing out of his shoes. That makes every swing an adventure. An adventure worth taking. He had 24 homeruns and 40 stolen bases. Chicks dig the long ball for sure, but I'm sure they can also get behind the stolen base. For most of the year he kept his batting average above .300 by opening up to hitting the ball to all fields and being a little more patient at the plate. He had a career high in walks and OBP. He's 29 years old and in his prime. He's signed for the next 2 years and if he puts together a year in 2014 that is anywhere near this past year, I would expect Mr. Melvin to offer him a contract that would make him a Brewer for life. It'll cost him for sure, but it would be well worth it. Lock him up forever because I want to wear his jersey with pride. I bought a Gomez All-Star Jersey which I will always wear with pride because those jerseys represent one year (most often a career year like Rickie Weeks in 2011) but I want it to be more than that. On top of that, he just seems to be a fun loving kind of guy. You ever watch him in a post game interview or clowning around in the dugout? Laughing, smiling, running around being goofy. He just looks like he is having so much fun. So many people forget that baseball is a game and that games are supposed to be fun. So enjoy it. Enjoy the shit out of it. Watch Carlos Gomez. Love him. You won't regret it.
I'm going to give you some homework if you checked out on the 2013 season in May and didn't stick around for the whole year. Watch the 2014 season for Carlos Gomez alone. He is so exciting to watch. His defense alone is highlight worthy and he's going to rob 4-5 homeruns, take away numerous doubles with his speed and gun down people trying to take the extra base with his arm. And now that he figured out how to hit for average? Say goodnight Carlos. He can now be amazing in his sleep. You never know if he is going to drop down a bunt or swing out of his shoes. That makes every swing an adventure. An adventure worth taking. He had 24 homeruns and 40 stolen bases. Chicks dig the long ball for sure, but I'm sure they can also get behind the stolen base. For most of the year he kept his batting average above .300 by opening up to hitting the ball to all fields and being a little more patient at the plate. He had a career high in walks and OBP. He's 29 years old and in his prime. He's signed for the next 2 years and if he puts together a year in 2014 that is anywhere near this past year, I would expect Mr. Melvin to offer him a contract that would make him a Brewer for life. It'll cost him for sure, but it would be well worth it. Lock him up forever because I want to wear his jersey with pride. I bought a Gomez All-Star Jersey which I will always wear with pride because those jerseys represent one year (most often a career year like Rickie Weeks in 2011) but I want it to be more than that. On top of that, he just seems to be a fun loving kind of guy. You ever watch him in a post game interview or clowning around in the dugout? Laughing, smiling, running around being goofy. He just looks like he is having so much fun. So many people forget that baseball is a game and that games are supposed to be fun. So enjoy it. Enjoy the shit out of it. Watch Carlos Gomez. Love him. You won't regret it.
Norichika Aoki #7, RF
2013 Prediction: .302 Batting AVG, .360 OBP, 8 HRs, 48 RBIs, 35 stolen bases and returns the favor by dropping the bomb on Americans who don't think that he can play our version of baseball.
2013 Actual: .286 Batting AVG, .356 OBP, 8 HRs, 37 RBIs, 20 stolen bases, 80 runs scored and ended up being the bomb at the leadoff position.
In his 2nd year in the United States, Aoki proved that he was among the most productive leadoff hitters and probably was the most underrated player on the team. He became the lead off hitter that the Brewers have been searching for since 2004 when they traded Scott Podsednik to the Chicago White Sox. In the meantime they've tried Rickie Weeks, Corey Hart, Brady Clark, Mike Cameron, Craig Counsell, Gabe Gross, Tony Gwynn Jr. or whomever they tried there over the past 10 years that didn't work. Rickie Weeks showed moderate success at that position in the past but just didn't get on base enough to justify leading off. Take this all with a grain of salt because Aoki only has 2 MLB Seasons and Weeks has 9, but Aoki's .355 OBP is better than Weeks' .346 and Aoki kills Weeks in batting average at .288 to .247. Weeks owns Aoki in power numbers (HR and RBI) and they would be pretty comparable in a speed contest. I'd take Aoki's defense and his ability to crush lefties but Weeks brings so much of a wildcard to the leadoff spot. So what would you rather have - a steady, consistent presence or a wildcard who could be a game changer? I'm the biggest Rickie Weeks fan in the World, but in the first spot in the batting order you need consistency. That's what the Brewers had in 2013. They had The Little Jap Who Could.
I don't know why I wasted so much time trying to compare him to another player. He's better than any other player that you could stack him up against. He just went out and did his job every day. Out of his 171 hits in 2013, 148 of them were singles (just 20 DBs and 3 TRs) so he's not much of a threat to drive in runs or get himself into scoring position. I also expected him to steal more than 20 bases which he should have done considering his diminutive size and above average speed. His defense was solid but he did play it rather safe, often standing almost on the warning track because he was better at running in on balls instead of running back on them. I say he was underrated because he wasn't that flashy. If he did hit a homerun it was a wall-scraper over the right field fence. He didn't ever showboat or make any really fancy catches in the outfield. He was just solid. Before I praised consistency for the leadoff hitter and while I will continue to stick to my guns on that, I would rather have a wildcard in my Right Field who could potentially set the season on fire. They'll either be blazing hot or go down in flames. I like to take a chance. Aoki is good, but he's too safe for me. He was traded to Kansas City this offseason so Right Field and the leadoff spot will look a little different in 2014. It's going to be a bit of a wildcard. And that's just how I like it baby. Don't stop.
Logan Schafer #22, OF
2013 Prediction: .273 Batting AVG, 2 HRs, 28 RBIs, fan-fucking-tastic defense and the best Logan since Wolverine.
2013 Actual: .211 Batting AVG, .27 OBP, 4 HRs, 33 RBIs, 69 games started, 298 at bats and not quite a superhero. He's more like a sidekick.
I only really have one complaint about Logan Schafer so far - his batting average. I can understand how his inconsistent playing time at the beginning of the season led to his lack of success. You will see that often with young players who are relegated to bench roles in the Majors when they used to be starters in the Minors. With a career Minor League batting average of .294 you expected some of that to transition over once he got some regular playing time. He was the 4th outfielder (and first lefty bat off the bench as a pinch hitter) for the first few months, but once Braun found himself on the DL he became the everyday Left Fielder. His offensive numbers still didn't improve, which led to the eventual promotions of Khris Davis and Caleb Gindl to try and make up some of the offense missing from Braun. But what kept Schafer on the roster for the entire 2013 season was his glove and his speed, which combined into some pretty damn good defense. When you put Schafer side by side with Carlos Gomez there's a pretty good chance that every fly ball is going to get caught if hit in their general direction. This is huge because the majority of the Brewers pitchers profile as the fly ball type. And in a place like Miller Park, those fly balls are likely to find the seats unless you have the kind of outfielders who can pull them back out. Schafer can do that with the best of them. He did a good enough job to keep his status in 2014 but I have a feeling he missed out on a golden opportunity to establish himself. Based upon what we saw from him offensively in 2013, he'll always be a backup outfielder. But his glove will keep him in the Majors. There's nothing wrong with that. The team needs backup players too.
Khris Davis #18, LF
2013 Prediction: N/A. I'm not even going to bother because even if by chance he does make the team, he's going to be way out of his element so much that Walter Sobchak will constantly remind him of it.
2013 Actual: .279 Batting AVG, .353 OBP, 11 HRs, 27 RBIs, 30 games started, 136 at bats and the best Khris in Milwaukee that isn't my Mother (because Khris Middleton of the Milwaukee Bucks can suck it).
Khris Davis did what Logan Schafer didn't do - he took advantage of the situation. His performance in 2013 directly led to Norichika Aoki being traded and guaranteed himself a spot on the 2014 team as the everyday Left Fielder. But that's looking ahead to the future. Slow down pal. We're not there quite yet (but we will be soon as Opening Day is only 71 days away as I am typing this) so we will continue to look back on 2013. He wasn't really on my radar in the Minor Leagues but he did impress someone with his career .288 batting average with an average of 17 Homeruns and 61 RBIs per year. That's pretty good for a corner Outfielder. For those of you thinking that it isn't enough for a Left Fielder just remember that not every player is going to be a Braun or a Ramirez. In just 56 total games (30 starts) he hit 11 Homeruns and had 27 RBIs. If you consider that to be 1/3 of a season, you can prorate that out to 33 Homeruns and 90 RBIs, which is pretty damn good. Now while that's probably not going to happen, those are Braun type numbers. If he can get anything close to that he will be in very good company. My only real issues with Davis is that he has my Mom's name and he can only play Left Field. His defense is suspect but so are the rest of the players on this team. Defense has never really been an issue if you want to play for the Milwaukee Brewers, but if you have the potential to hit 30+ Homeruns a year, there will always be a job for you on this team. I still don't know what to say about his name though. I understand that Khris and Chris can be both a boy and a girl's name (my female boss' name is Chris) but I still can't help but feel weird about it. When I yell out "Yeah Khris!" I feel like I'm cheering on my Mother.
2013 Prediction: N/A.
2013 Actual: .242 Batting AVG, .340 OBP, 5 HRs, 14 RBIs, 34 games started, 132 at bats and the next man up in case of injury in 2014.
Caleb Gindl shouldn't have been on the 2013 team but I'm kind of glad that he was. Injuries were what brought him to our attention but he left us with some satisfaction that the outfield depth in the Minor Leagues was a strength of this organization. I don't remember him standing out too much or having many of those big moments. He did have a walk-off homer and was the everyday Left Fielder for a couple weeks right after Braun was suspended. But aside from that he was just solid. He wasn't good enough that I would write his name in pen for the Brewers in 2014, but he has to be at least considered as the 5th Outfielder if they decide to carry that many. If not, he'll be the top Outfield prospect at AAA and will be the first one called up in the event of an injury. I don't have a problem with that. I need to have problems with other things. I have too many problems to add anymore onto this heap. Some things I just need to let go and let somebody else deal with. Caleb Gindl fits into that category. It's like a Dad that travels 100% of the time for business. Honey, you just stay home and watch the kids. I'll drop in from time to time just to see how they are doing. But aside from that I don't really need to be involved. Is that wrong? Not if you're making the big bucks like he is. When you're pulling down 6 figures you can pretty much do what you want in this country. I wouldn't know. In one month of the MLB Season, even the players making the Major League minimum earn 3 times what I make in an entire year. You follow that math? I work for 12 months and make $30,0000. They play a game for 10 days and make $30,000. Something doesn't seem fair here. Well life isn't fair pal. Deal with it.
The Outfield is a huge strength of this team and we got a nice look at the future. By now I know how this whole thing will shake out so I'm not going to speculate any more. All I'm saying is that you should get used to seeing a whole lot more of Khris Davis. And I'm not talking about seeing him in the nude. Unless that's your thing of course. There's nothing wrong with looking at naked dudes if that's your thing. To each their own. I can't stop obsessing over trying to make Natalie Portman my wife with a quick stopover with Mila Kunis as my girlfriend. Say what you will about Ryan Braun, but if you can't find someone to love in the Brewers Outfield then something is seriously wrong with you. There's plenty to love. It's like big women. Or big dudes. There's just more of them to love. So embrace them. Squeeze the shit out of them. Love them. You will live a more truthful life. Plus you're going to get something out of it too. You just might be able to witness something special.
- pookon -
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