Results tagged ‘ Manny Parra ’
How to Start Em
We are just inching ourselves closer and closer to Opening Day and the roster is just starting to take shape. In the last couple days we’ve let Iribarren and Halama go and I’m sure there are more cuts to come.
The Brewers will enter the season with a lot of new faces over last year. I’m excited because it should ciase some much needed line-up changes. There has been talk about Macha batting the pitcher in the 8th spot this year and I’m not sure it’s the best move. The Brewers did not see much success with it the last time they tried it but that was a different team. I’m not going to go as far to say I hate it and it won’t work, I’m just not a fan of the idea. Last month Adam McCalvy posted on his Brew Beat blog a possible Brewers lineup of Weeks, McGehee, Braun, Fielder, Hart, Zaun, Gomez, Pitcher, Escobar. It’s probably how it will turn out but I think it should look something like this.
1. Carlos Gomez- CF
We finally have a guy who fits the idea of a leadoff hiter. I try not to take too much stock into Spring Training stats but this is quite telling. Gomez has been on base 10 times (9 hits, one walk) and has 7 stolen bases without being caught. He doesn’t walk all that much and strikes out a bit too much but that’s not too different then Weeks the last few years. I’ll touch more on that alter.
2. Alcedis Escobar- SS
I love speed at the top of the lineup and with Gomez and Escobar going 1-2 we’ll have a ton of speed at the top. Escobar handles the bat better then we advertised and should be able to move runners over when need be. Escobar can steal bases and create havoc on the base paths as the pitchers are trying to focus on getting Braun and Fielder out.
3. Ryan Braun- LF
This is a no brainer and it needs no explanation.
4. Prince Fielder- 1B
See comment for Braun.
5. Casey McGehee- 3B
McGahee thrived in this spot last year. If runners are on base and pitchers decide to pitch around Fielder to get to McGehee he can put the ball in play. He has average to good power but there should be enough speed on, sans Prince, the base paths where he just needs to put the ball in play to drive in runs.
6. Rickie Weeks- 2B
Anyone who knows me knows I’m a huge Rickie Weeks fan. I’m well aware he’s had his struggles and I don’t deny that. I could always go to the “he shouldn’t be hitting leadoff” argument to defend him. This is the first year he can move back in the lineup and attack the ball. He had to be patient at the top of the order and I think it really affected him. In this spot he can relax a bit because the pressure to get on base isn’t there anymore. Weeks has an electric bat and can hit to all fields and I think could really be a great run producer in this spot.
7. Greg Zaun- C
Zaun doesn’t provide a lot at the plate. He does seem to be able to put the ball in play and not strike out a lot. With a guy like Weeks in front of him he has the experience to be patient at the plate to allow Weeks to steal a base or two.
8. Corey Hart- RF
This seems a little low for Hart but I like him in this spot. Hitting in front of the pitcher is not easy and Hart has struggled in the past with striking out. Hopefully by placing Hart here it will force him to be a little more patient. If Hart does get on in most cases the pitcher is going to lay down a bunt. It’d pay off to have a guy with speed in front of him. Hart could easily steal 2nd and be bunted over to third as the line-up turns over. If Zaun is placed in this spot this is not an option at all and could lead to a double play on a poor bunt.
Just as the lineup should look quite different from last year the starting rotation had a nice makeover as well. I honestly have no idea how it’s going to look come Opening Day but here’s how I think it should look.
Yovani Gallardo
The ace of the staff and should start opening day this year, and should have last year.
Randy Wolf
Veteran pitcher who is a good number two type guy. He’s good enough to shut teams down and at the very least give the Brewers a chance to win every time he takes the mound.
Doug Davis
Davis is an innings eater which is great to have in the middle of the rotation. He isn’t going to blow anyone away but he can strike guys out and go deep in games. He walks too many guys and can get touched up at times but is consistent.
Dave Bush
I’ve always liked Bush. He has shown that his stuff is good enough to shut teams down. He strikes guys out and can eat up innings. With him and Davis back to back in the rotation it should provide some rest for the bullpen for a couple of games.
Manny Parra
If his command is on he could pitch out of the two spot on any team. If he’s not on he’s not even average. I know it’s the Spring but he’s looked really good so far. I made it clear in an earlier blog (Parra the Key to the Playoffs) what I think about Parra. Putting him in this spot takes some pressure off of him, which should help him in the long run.
So you might be asking “Where is Jeff Suppan?”. Spring Training or not he’s given up 5 home runs already in just 9 innings. The rest of the staff has given up just 6 home runs combined. Suppan had his worst year last year and to be honest I don’t see him turning it around. So Suppan out of the pen you ask? No. I think it’s time for the Brewers to swallow their pride and just let him go. We’re paying him regardless so we might as well pay him to not cost us games. Plus I wouldn’t even have him as next in line. Chris Narvason is really pitching well and should start the season as the long reliever and ready to start in case of an injury.
So there you have it. The Brewers lineup will probably look nothing like how I have it but they say they want to run more and this lineup should allow them to do just that. As for the rotation I have no idea. I know at least the top three guys and after that, no clue.
-Ross
Random Baseball Thought
Dear Ben Sheets,
Well done on that 8 run, 0 outs outting the other day.
Sincerely,
Brewer Nation
What’s not to like about (Dave) Bush?
Football is over, NHL is on hiatus, and nobody cares about the NBA. There is really not a lot going on in sports right now. The only thing that we have to look forward to is the start of baseball. In a little more than a week, pitchers and catchers will be reporting to camp in Arizona and Florida. The new season brings hope to teams and players alike. It seems like most teams are still worried about their starting rotation, mostly because they cannot find that 4th or 5th starter. Luckily for Brewer fans, we do not have that same concern. The only thing we have to worry about is that we have too many starters. With Suppan, Parra, and Bush all vying for a starting job, One of them will inevitably not pass the proverbial “GO” and collect $200. Who will make it? Who won’t? Let’s take a look…
Jeff Suppan
There are many reasons why Jeff Suppan will win a role in training camp. He has many things in his favor. He is in a contract year, he is durable, and can pitch a lot of innings. He has post season experience. He also owns a restaurant and is one helluv an actor on The Young and the Restless and brings some kind of experience to the staff. Bottom line: The Brewers have too much invested in him, and we know exactly what we will get from him. His job is safe.
Manny Parra
If I have to hear one more person use the “lefties take a longer time to develop so we need to give him another year” argument I think I might puke. Well, Tom Glavine was a late bloomer, maybe Parra is too! Right? Wrong. Look at any stats of other great lefties in the past 15 years. Glavine is the only one who wasn’t ready out of the gates. Glavine is the exception, and we should not be banking on that. Melvin was smart enough to get rid of Jorge De La Rosa and Dana Eveland, he should be able to pull the trigger on this one. Do you know why Manny Parra threw a no hitter in AAA? Because it’s AAA! One time in little league I struck out the side on 9 straight pitches. Big deal! He has done squat in the majors, I can’t see why he should stay with us. Bottom line: Parra needs somebody to get injured in order to earn a spot on the team.
Dave Bush
The gamer. The many of many different facial hair designs. The only person to win a playoff game since Mike Caldwell in the 1982 playoffs, game 5. There are a lot of reasons why I like Bush. He is only 3 years older than Parra, but is very smart with his pitchers. He hides the ball well. He can grow a beard in 5 innings. But really, he is much more consistent and has better stuff. Granted, Bush was not the same after his injury last year, but a whole off season is sure to change that. He seems to like Milwaukee and like I said before, he got our only playoff win 2 years ago. He shows signs of greatness, taking several no hitters into the later innings the past 2 seasons. He has a WHIP that is almost a half point better than Parra’s and batters hit about 20 points less against Bush than the lefty. Result? An overall better pitcher who can even hold his own when batting, something you don’t get with the other 2 pitchers.
Either way, I am pumped for baseball, and for baseball blogging. The Beer Mug Blog has some surprises in store for their readers this summer so please tell your neighbors, your grandma, and your ex-girlfriends. And, with the Chinese New Year right around the corner, I think it is safe to say that 2010 is the year of the Brewer!!!
Random Thought of the Day:
Milwaukee is making a bronze statue of Bud Selig to honor everything that he has done for the city. But really, he hasn’t done that much. The best thing Bud Selig ever did was give the team to Wendy, so she could sell it to Mark Attanassio. While Bud Selig stepped in and did some great things for baseball in general, not a lot of those directly helped the Brewers against their competition. I mean, the Commish of Baseball has ties to a team, don’t you think he’s going to try and bend some rules to help out said team? Crazy I tell you!
-Ben
Manny Parra- No need to fret yet
While the Brew Crew is off to a great start and own a 2 game lead in the NL Central, many people seem to be wondering what in the world is wrong with Manny Parra??? Pulling from articles I have read, discussions I have had, a little bit of my own research, and my all around baseball intelligence, I want everyone in Brewer Nation to take a deep breath, look in the mirror and tell yourself, ‘everything is going to be all right.”
Reason Number One: A stat that I pulled from Adam McCalvy on Brewers.com, at the same points in their career, Tom Glavine and Manny Parra have almost the exact same numbers when pitching every fifth day. Nobody would argue that Glavine, even after his recent release by the Atlanta Braves, has a one way ticket to Cooperstown waiting for him whenever he hangs it up. Throughout the history of baseball, lefties always seem to mature at a slower pace, and this is true from high school all the way up to the bigs. While there are always exceptions to the rules, this is not one of them. At 26, he is still very young and has plenty of room to get better.
Number Two: The Brewers played a rough schedule so far. And it looks like it will be a battle all the way into the all star break. But if the Brewers (and Parra) can stay healthy, I expect him to come out of the all star break and pitch lights out. For the month after the break, or the next 11 series, 7 are against Cincinnati (twice), Pittsburgh (three times), and Washington (twice). This will be big for the Brewers and if Parra comes into the end of August unable to prove himself, he might be more valuable to the Brewers out of the bullpen, giving us another left handed option as we go down the final stretch. Until then, I say let the youngster pitch. Remember, Manny Parra DID throw a no-no in triple-A with Rivera catching. He’s got good stuff.
Number Three: Parra, at age 26, had never had a major league skipper other than Ned Yost before spring training had started this year. Not only is Parra getting acclimated to Ken Macha, who has a proven record with young pitching, but he also is adjusting to NOT having Yost, NOT having Maddux, and having Castro in the dug out and not out in the bull pen. I know a lot of the Nay-Sayers will say that with the amount of money they make and how good they are supposed to be, those are not good excuses. I would challenge that idea and say it has a HUGE impact on a pitcher, especially one that is young. Which only solidifies my notion that when the Brewers get back together after the all star break, everyone will know each other a little more and the comfort level will start to show itself in the Win-Loss columns.
While Parra’s name will be brought up numerous times around the trade deadline, it would be foolish to dump Parra now, unless Melvin & co. know something that I don’t. Having a lefty in the middle of the rotation is important to our success. And as long as the Brewers are winning, I feel confident that the winning will indeed start to rub off on the lefty from California and this ship will right itself as it heads down the storm that is September baseball.
Ben
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