Results tagged ‘ Kottaras ’
Great Start? Still Some Concern
So the Brewers are off to a nice 2-2 start. Looking at just the first series against the Rockies they took 2 of 3 from a playoff team. It was great to see the Brewers come out flying but I have some concerns about what I saw during that series. Of course I’m being a little picky but these are issues that need to be worked out if this team really wants to make the playoffs.
Yovani’s pitch count
I really like Gallardo and think he is an ace type pitcher. My one knock on him last year was he threw too many pitches and would tend to walk guys too much. On opening day he only walked two, which was great to see. He still threw 109 pitches in only 6 innings which means he’s still going deep into counts. I paid close attention during that game and noticed he seemed to always start behind in the count. He just didn’t seem to get ahead of guys on a regular basis like an ace should do. Ubaldo Jimenez was up 0-1, 1-2 on almost every hitter it seemed like. He attacked the zone early and put the hitters in defense mode the rest of the at-bat. I have plenty of faith in Gallardo and I’m not trying to say he’s not going to be an ace this year, he will be. I just would like to see our ace go deeper into games and start attacking hitters. He needs to impose his will on the hitters and make it into the 7th and 8th inning on a regular basis.
Edmonds in the 5 hole??
I talked about my issues with the constant lineup changes in a previous blog and hoped to see a more consistent lineup this year. So what does Macha do on to start the season? Throw a wrench into the whole thing and move McGehee to the 6th spot in favor of Edmonds? It made no sense to me and I’m hoping it is not a sign of things to come. Macha needs to just let the players settle into their spots in the lineup and let them hit. While I’m not thrilled with the way the lineup is set Macha just needs to let it be. Edmonds has done a great job working counts and seeing pitches but he’s not a threat like McGehee is. McGehee is going to put the ball in play and make you pay if put runners on in front of him. Edmonds still strikes out too much to really make a team second guess walking Prince. Let McGehee drive in runs and protect Prince. Edmonds can work the counts and frustrate pitchers as they’re trying to get through the bottom of the order.
Defense behind the plate?
I like Zaun and Kottaras a lot and think it’s a nice upgrade over last year but they’ve not looked sharp blocking balls. Zaun had the blunder on opening day that cost the brewers an early run. I couldn’t tell but there should have been more communication from Gallardo or McGehee showing Zaun where the ball was but you can’t let that happen. Kottaras allowed two balls to get by him in his one game. This is a disturbing trend in just the first three games. I’m going to chalk it up to new catchers getting used to new pitchers and hope it’s just that. They’ve done a great job throwing runners out which is something we didn’t see last year. Now they just need to keep pitches in front of them and not allow runners to get free bases. It also does not allow a pitcher to throw their best breaking stuff. They might worry if they put one in the dirt it’s going to the backstop and the runners will move up 90 feet. A pitcher cannot have that thought in their head as they pitch. They need to be able to trust their catcher to make a play when need be.
Of course there is a lot to get excited about from what we’ve seen so far this year. I just remember last year when we got off to that great start and everyone was talking playoffs again, I know I was. We ignored small issues that could have came back to hurt us later int he season. As the season moved along those issues (lack of depth and Suppans struggles) really slowed us down and derailed our season. Yes it’s early in the season and I normally don’t put too much stock into the first couple series as a sign of things to come. Now is the time to figure out what we have and what needs. Let’s not wait until we hit that first slump and we act surprised about some of the Brewers struggles. We figure them out now we limit the length and amount of slumps the Brewers will hit during the year.
-Ross
Random Baseball Thought
So something very interesting happened on Opening Day this year that has never happened in the history of the game. Ian Stewart became the first player in the history of the game to hit a home run in his first at-bat on his birthday, on opening day. Yes this is an obscure pointless stat but it’s a reason I love baseball. The game has been around for over 100 years and still every year you’ll see things that have never happened.
If I could take a Hot Tub Time Machine
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Well, as we get closer and
closer to the beginning of a new baseball season, it is time to look back at
what I thought would happen over the
off-season. Let’s take a look at just how close I was to getting a
perfect score, and how things would have been if I could have taken a Hot Tub Time Machine and switched my choices…
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*Looper and Brewers both agree to the 2nd year option on his
contract.
-Well, this is the first one that bit the dust. In retrospect, I was an idiot for even wanting this. Looper’s numbers were terrible and he had waaaaay too much run support. It doesn’t surprise me that nobody has called him up yet.
*Cameron, who loves Milwaukee so much, will come back for a 1 year deal worth
$5 million, with a mutual option for the second.
-This is not true, but I think it will end up being a good thing for both parties. It’s good for the Brewers because they had to get something for Hardy, and CF is a position that we had up for grabs at the time, and now the Red Sox are stuck with Cameron, and well, hahahahahahaaha.
*J.J. Hardy will get traded to Boston for relief pitching.
Hardy did get traded, but it was to the Twins and for a Center Fielder. 1/2 right.
*Doug Davis will sign a 2 year deal.
1 year deal only. 1/2 right. But I should get bonus points for even guessing the right pitcher! C’mon, how hard is that!
*Jeff Suppan, who wants to win so bad and feels terrible for how he’s pitched,
will restructure his contract (I know, long shot here)
Suppan is currently fighting for his life in the starting rotation. If he didn’t feel terrible at the end of the season, he should right now.
*Jason Kendall moves to Mexico( OK, OK, enough with the silly ones).
Kansas City is right by Mexico, right?
* Corey Hart will get packaged with Mat Gamel and a minor league arm for either
an All-Star right fielder (see: Adam Dunn) or a #2 pitcher (Millwood, Baker,
etc.).
I want Corey Hard to do well for the Brewers and be the player he was 2 years ago, but I am still not sold.
*Brewers HAVE to find the come-back pitcher of the year next season (Early
Favorite: Francisco Liriano)
I thought I had this one locked up with Mark Mulder, and then he totally bailed on us. Thanks a lot Mark!
I give myself 1 and 1/2 right (I looked it up, Kansas City IS by Mexico). So, even though my counter part did better, I made more gutsy predictions and more specific, so hah!
Now, onto what to look for this year. There are 2 stories that I am excited to see how they fold out this spring. Both deal with position battles, and I think both could be handled in different ways.
1. Back-up catcher spot up for grabs
While Greg Zaun was signed to be the starter, Rivera was released as our back up. There are 3 people that are vying for it. Angel Salome, Matt Treanor, and George Kottaras. Inevitably, it seems like the starting spot will be for Salome, when he is ready. But in the meantime, he needs to play more in the minors. And although the Canadian Kottaras is a good player, Treanor is a better defensive player. Kottaras also bats left handed, which some might see as a hinderance. However, I don’t think that the back up catcher would ever be used in a pinch-hit situation, so that should not be a reason to worry. From what I read, it seems like Treanor is just a little more reliable and consistent. But from a fan stand-point I would love to see Matt Treanor
at Miller Park. More importantly, I would love to see Mrs. Treanor, aka Misty May-Treanor, the gold medal beach volleyball player. I think that right there should sway the vote. I mean, our back up catcher plays in what? 30 games? I don’t think it matters too much who it is, so why not give it to Misty May’s husband!
2. 3rd base show down
Casey McGehee did an awesome job last year at 3rd base. He played above average defense, was third on the team for home runs, and placed in the top 5 for rookie of the year. He also gives away baseball bats at Brewer games-even when I made it to the Metrodome last year. Mat Gamel, on the other hand, is the next top prospect to not have a starting spot. There is no question on if the kid can hit. But can he play defense is another topic of discussion. Some people thought he could play right field for a departed Hart. Some thought he would move into first base when Prince got traded. Those 2 things never happened. So, if I know Macha (which I do) he is going to give it to McGehee to start the season, and play it by ear after that. Macha is known for giving the guys who have earned their spots the same chance to earn their spots back on the bench. And Counsell can give our day-to-day guys rest whenever they need. He could also probably fill in for any big injuries. That leaves Gamel in some kind of limbo. Macha could platoon it having Gamel go against righties and vice versa with McGehee, but that doesn’t really seem like him. It is interesting to see Gamel’s name listed 2nd in the depth chart on the brewers official website, as seen here. Nonetheless, it should be something to keep an eye on.
-Ben
Random Baseball Thought
I thought Jason Kendall was brought on because he is so good at handling the staff. but the Brewers had one of the worst ERA’s in the league last year. Tied with, you guessed it: The Kansas City Royals. And now the Royals have signed him on for a year in hopes of what? Doing the exact same thing? I feel like I’m taking crazy pills! I should have never stopped playing catcher!!!!!!
mlblogsbenross
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