Some things to read while making a new friend.
There’s still a lot of time left before spring training, but it’s possible Milwaukee Brewers fans received one of the best pieces of news of the offseason on Monday. Ryan Braun, less than two weeks removed from a cryotherapy procedure on his ailing thumb, reported he swung a bat for the first time over the weekend and felt “pretty good.”
If the Brewers are going to compete for a playoff spot in 2015, they likely need an improved performance from Braun, who set new full-season career lows for batting average (266), on-base percentage (.324), slugging (453), home runs (19) and RBIs (81) this season.
With that said, we almost certainly won’t know anything about Braun’s long-term prognosis until he starts consistently appearing in games and facing live pitching next spring. His reaction the first time he gets jammed by a hard fastball will tell us more than any offseason status report ever could.
Braun is, of course, going to be a Brewer for a very long time. Most players don’t have that level of certainty, and some could move as soon as November when offseason player transactions start to happen after the World Series. Derek Harvey of Brew Crew Ball has a look at some of the roster rules that become important this time of year as teams prepare for free agency and the Rule 5 draft.
One of the players most likely to move on this winter has to be Mark Reynolds, who will likely be displaced at first base after batting just .196 with a .287 on-base percentage, hitting 22 home runs and driving in just 45, the second-lowest total in MLB history for a player who went deep that often. Michael Trzinski of Reviewing the Brew has a preview of his pending free agency, and Carson Cistulli of FanGraphs wants your help predicting the contract he’ll receive this winter.
At the FanGraphs link, Cistulli also asks you to predict the years and value of Nationals first baseman Adam LaRoche’s next contract. LaRoche has been mentioned in connection with the Brewers a handful of times already this offseason. You can follow the eventual signings of Reynolds, LaRoche and all of this winter’s players on the open market with the MLB Trade Rumors free agent tracker.
We’re into the third week of the offseason, but some of us still aren’t ready to let the 2014 season go and look ahead. Vince Morales of Miller Park Drunk is in that camp and recapped the season as only he can, then followed up by introducing a series of Brewers-themed inspirational memes for children.
In the minors:
- First baseman Nick Ramirez (2-for-4 with a home run) and second baseman Hector Gomez (1-for-3 with a walk and a double) had the Glendale Desert Dogs’ only extra-base hits in their 2-2, 10-inning Arizona Fall League tie with Peoria (box score). Outfielder Tyrone Taylor went 0-for-5 and Brooks Hall pitched two scoreless innings for Glendale, which fell to 0-3-1 since their Opening Day win.
- The only other Brewers minor leaguer in winter league action on Monday was catcher and free-agent-to-be Hector Gimenez, who started at first base, went 1-for-4 with two walks and scored twice in Aragua’s 10-1 win over La Guaira in Venezuela (box score). Jimenez has appeared in all five games for the Tigres.
Closer to home, Halloween is coming soon, and you may be looking for a way to fit your favorite baseball team into your holiday-based traditions. If so, Brew Crew Ball user GoldenFrank’s link to Brewers pumpkin stencils may be exactly what you need.
If you’d like more Brewers coverage today but you’re sick of reading, I’ll be making my weekly appearance on The Talking Cheeseheads with Ben Larson this afternoon. Listen in live on Sports Fan 100.5 in Wausau or Sports Talk AM 1090 WAQE in Rice Lake, or follow the link above for the archived audio.
Around baseball:
Diamondbacks: Are expected to hire Athletics bench coach Chip Hale as their new manager.
Meanwhile, we received another announcement on Monday that could change the free-agent market for starting pitching a bit: top Japanese pitcher Kenta Maeda appears unlikely to be posted by the Hiroshima Carp, meaning he’ll probably remain in Nippon Professional Baseball for at least one more season.
After a day off on Monday, the National League Championship Series will continue today at 3 p.m. in San Francisco, with Tim Hudson and the Giants facing John Lackey and the Cardinals. St. Louis catcher Yadier Molina left Sunday’s game with an oblique strain but remains on the active roster and is hoping to be able to return before the end of the series.
Meanwhile, the American League Championship Series took an unplanned second consecutive day off on Monday when the Royals and Orioles were rained out in Kansas City. The two teams are now scheduled to play each of the next five days to get the series in under its normal schedule, starting with a 7 p.m. contest tonight. Wei-Yin Chen will pitch for Baltimore and take on Jeremy Guthrie, whose Royals lead the series 2-0.
If you’ve been watching the postseason with any regularity, odds are you’re quite familiar with some of the commercials that have played steadily during every game. Grant Brisbee of SB Nation has a list of the five worst ads of October, in case you haven’t already seen them enough.
Today in former Brewers:
- Jerry Crasnick of ESPN is the latest to write about Lorenzo Cain’s rise to stardom as a member of the Royals.
- Michael Jong of Fish Stripes has a recap of Casey McGehee’s 2014 season with the Marlins, giving him a B-minus grade for a return from Japan that nearly included a trip to the All Star Game.
- Gaslamp Ball notes that today is the 46th anniversary of the Padres selecting outfielder Ollie Brown with their first pick in the 1968 expansion draft. Brown later went on to be the first Brewer ever to be used as a designated hitter when the American League introduced that rule in 1973.
And in baseball economics: Max Rieper of Royals Review says Kansas City needs to use the extra revenue generated by the Royals’ postseason run to raise the payroll for 2015.
Finally, with help from Brewerfan.net and the Baseball Reference Play Index, we’d like to wish a happy birthday today to:
- 2014 AZL Brewer Matt Martin, who turns 22.
- Seattle Pilot and 1970-71 Brewer Tommy Harper, who turns 74 (Today In Brewer History).
- 1953-57 Milwaukee Brave Dave Jolly, who would have turned 90 (Today In Brewer History).
Today is also the 10th anniversary of the Brewers claiming reliever Derrick Turnbow off waivers from the Angels in 2004. Follow the link for that event’s entry in Today In Brewer History at Brew Crew Ball.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to think of more heroes.
Drink up.
Don’t forget to follow Kyle on Twitter @BrewFrostyMug, and check out and “like” the Mug’s Facebook page. The Frosty Mug runs mornings Monday-Friday and is brought to you by Legends of the Field, a sports memorabilia company you can trust.
