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[stevenohlrogge]

Keon’s change

Throughout our lives, we will be forced to make adjustments in order to move forward in life.  These adjustments can be very significant, or they can just be minuscule.  For some people, the smallest of changes can mean the difference between success and total failure.  Take Keon Broxton, a guy who has been dubbed major league baseball's best young center fielder. You wouldn't know it by looking back at his 2016 stats, as they don't exactly scream future all star.  As he posted a modest .242/.354/.430, with 9 homers, 19 RBIs, and 23 stolen bases in 75 games.  Not to mention his multiple trips back to Colorado Springs.  It took his final trip back to the minors for Keon to figure out how he could be a top 10 center fielder in all of major league baseball.  How did he accomplish this?  He made a very small adjustment. When he returned and was given what had to be his final chance to prove he belonged he did not disappoint.  He did look very different in the batter's box, however, he seemed to have dropped his hand from above his shoulders, to just above his belt buckle.  A popular example of this would be what former Brewer Jean Segura did when he was traded to Arizona to help him lead the N.L in hits in 2016.   He probably did not know it yet, but this change was going to turn his career around.  In the second half of 2016, he put up some pretty ridiculous numbers, as opposed to the first half.  Let's look at what he did before the hands went down.  He posted a line of .125/.253/.188, with 1 homerun, 2 RBIs, and 8 hits, however, after the hands went down, he was a totally different player.  He posted a line of .294/.399/.538, 8 home runs, 17 RBIs and 42 hits.  That is an astronomically improved player.  This small adjustment will be the reason that he becomes not just an all-star, but one of the brightest young stars in all of baseball. I am not one to pay attention to player projections, but from what I have been told and read for myself it seems like absolute disrespect to Broxton.  I know for a fact what is being predicted will be shattered by him, as he is truly just starting to find his true potential.  I would not be surprised to see him in a few future all-star games and compete for some gold glove awards.  In fact, this spring Keon is showing that he is ready to prove his doubters wrong, thanks to his adjustments he is batting a remarkable .391/.462/.783. I for one am truly excited to see what he can do in a full season with all of this new found confidence and success.  I know that he will be a cornerstone to this rebuild and will hopefully be around a very long time.

[stevenohlrogge]

Mlb rule changes back up

There has been a lot of strange rumbling around baseball lately.  Apparently, MLB is considering some rather strange rule changes that would easily destroy baseball and what it represents.  One foolish suggestion that scares me is the idea of starting extra innings with a runner on second base.  This would not only take away the thrill of a tight game, it will hand an unfair advantage to the visiting team, and make it easier for the home team. Here's why, when a runner is immediately granted second base there is only a need for a sacrifice bunt to move them to third.  The next step would be to just hit a sacrifice fly to drive them in.  How exactly does this make the game shorter?  When you have to perform two of the easiest task in baseball, wouldn't each team continues to just go back and forth between innings?  Maybe not, but tell me how this would be fair when a game looks like this example.       Let's say the home team is held to one hit, that being a solo home run.  The home pitcher has had the game of his life.  eight innings of shutout baseball.  Then the closer comes in he gives up a solo home run, we've all seen this. Now the game is tied at one a piece, they head into extra innings and the away team bats first.  They get that unfair run in and win the game.  How is that fair?  A pitcher throws eight innings of great baseball, only to take a no-decision just to make the game a few minutes shorter, that isn't fair to me, and I'm sure the players would agree, especially the starting pitchers. Now, of course, there have been some rule changes that have helped baseball, but they have helped by not really altering the length of the game, but by getting the correct calls made.  Instant replay is a perfect example of how you can change a game for the better by not hurting the integrity of the greatest sport ever played, but making sure the right calls get made.  I was against this idea when it was proposed. Then I started seeing teams lose due to botched called at home, bad check swing calls, and blatantly missed fair or foul calls.  This really got annoying and I am glad that teams are now being given fair treatment with the new replay system.  Of course, this system needs some tweaking but like all new things, they take time to work.   As for the runner on second base rule, this can not take place, if it does Americas past time will be just that.  Major League Baseball has to leave this great game alone, and stop trying to cater to everyone's needs.  Personally if you don't like the length of a baseball game the aspect that makes this game great, then do everyone a favor and do not watch.

[stevenohlrogge]

Villar Back up

With the 2017 season just around the corner, there are plenty of things Brewers fans have to look forward too.  One being the very anticipated MLB debut of Josh Hader, another waiting to watch number one prospect Lewis Brinson get his turn in the spotlight.  For some reason, though I have a question entirely different in my mind,  that is was the emergence of Jonathan Villar for real?  I have many questions when it comes to the young stud acquired from Houston last November for pitcher Cy Sneed.  Will he still use his legs, will his defense improve, will he endure a sophomore slump, or continue the pace from 2016?  These are all good questions, but here's a head scratcher.  Do you think Jonathan Villar is the next face of the Milwaukee Brewers? Villar at only 25 years old has shown that once he was given a shot to compete every day,  he made every opportunity count.  Villar hit for power (19 home runs), average (.285), he lead the majors in steals with (62).  He also showed off his versatility around the diamond, the only kinks I see in Villar is he gets picked off a bit much, and he is sometimes a tad aggressive on the on the bases.  None the less Villar is showing that he has five-tool potential, and to add to that he is also a switch-hitter that obviously increases his value. In 2016, Villar played in 156 games.  Villar slashed an impressive .285/.369/.457.  His WAR (wins above replacement) was a 3.9, this means that with Villar in the lineup his team would win three more games than they would if he wasn't playing.  This gave him a better WAR than Ben Zobrist who won world series MVP for the Cubs.  If you want to put all statistical analysis aside for a minute and talk about something that isn't recognized on the stats sheet.  Villar when you get the chance to see him play every game, you will see that he plays with a high intensity and has the extreme passion for the game and his team.  These values are not taught in spring training, you are born with these instincts.  When I see a player as valuable to the team on and off the field such as Villar you really have no choice, but to consider him the future of this team.

If I wrote the checks in Milwaukee.  I would be strongly considering a long-term deal for Villar, as talent and value as he possesses does not come around very often.  Especially to small market teams who need to work with what they have.  If we don't lock Villar up soon I would hate to see him be torn away from Milwaukee by a big market team.  Villar is our future we must protect the future.  We must also ensure that Villar becomes a cornerstone in this rebuild.  To do this, if he has a season compared to the one he had in 2016.  We must offer him a deal between six years and 85 million dollars to allow him to remain the face of the franchise.

[stevenohlrogge]

Hader In coming

To be called number one at something must be a very special feeling.  Josh Hader holds the title of the number one left-handed pitching prospect in all of baseball, he is currently Milwaukee's number three prospect in their already deep farm system, and will soon be suiting up for the big league club.  The question is how soon?  With the team currently lacking a left-handed arm in the rotation, I believe we could see him donning the navy blue and gold jersey as soon as opening day 2017. If he can manage to have a productive spring, there is no reason that he should not be considered for a starting job.  To be able to insert him into a rotation that already has up and coming stars,  Zach Davies and Junior Guerra, would be a huge upgrade to the starting five.   With the ongoing rebuild, the Brewers are definitely looking for the next big thing since Ryan Braun.  Hader's track record from the minors indicates that he is ready for the show if you take away his stint in mile high Colorado Springs in 2016.  He has been nothing but dominant,  in Double-A with Corpus Christi and Biloxi, his stats are very impressive. He posted a career Era of 2.73, 7-9 record and an amazing 10.7 strikeouts per nine innings in Double-A.  When he relocated to Triple-A, his stats climbed a bit. In 14 games he posted an era of 5.22, 1-7 record.  Amazingly his strikeouts per nine innings increased to 11.5.  We all know that the majors are a different type of challenge, but these numbers don't lie.   Before his not so good run in Colorado, he participated in the Arizona Fall League, that is where everyone realized that Hader is the real deal.  In seven games he posted a 2-0 record, Era 2.56, win percentage 1000% while striking out 19.  That short stint really opened the eyes of scouts and fans everywhere, not only did he face hitters who have seen the majors, he dominated.  Since that performance he has been compared to Chris Sale, that in itself is a huge honor, he also possesses the best slider in the minors, Chris Sale's put away pitch.. However, fast balance Hader does make it to the majors he will have to climb over some hurdles.  His control still needs a little work. which in turn will keep his pitch count down allowing him to stay in the game longer, and have more quality starts.  fastball hovering around 96 to 98 mph, and his ability to control his slider.  He will definitly be a force to be reckoned with.   I do not have a crystal ball, so I can not tell you that this success will translate to the big leagues.  If Hader does show just half of this dominants for Milwaukee.  We are looking at a potential future superstar that can headline Milwaukees rotation, and be one of the top pitchers in all of baseball.

[stevenohlrogge]

As some of you may know pitchers and catchers will report to either Arizona or Florida to begin their first workouts before 2017 spring training commences. On February 15th the Milwaukee Brewers will hold their first workouts.  This leaves them with less than a month to fill some gaping holes on the roster.  In the past month in a half or so the Brewers have been said to be looking to add at least a couple of relief pitchers who could take on the ninth inning role or be the closer if you will. There were a lot of names that were available at the time such as Brad Ziegler, Santiago Casilla, Drew Storen, Greg Holland and Sergio Romo and many more.  It looks as though the Brewers were close to snagging one of these top notch bullpen arms, alas most of them have signed deals elsewhere except... The man I am basing this article off is one of my personal favorites that man being Greg Holland.  There are ups and downs to this if a deal is made, however.  Let's take a look at why adding one of the game's best closers to an already decent Brewers bullpen could possibly see this team winning 80 games this year.

I do realize that Greg Holland is a far stretch from becoming a reality. However, that might not be the case anymore Holland has said to be gaining interest from at least six teams at the moment some big market clubs just looking to add on to depth such as the Cubs then there are the smaller market teams such as the Reds D-Backs and Brewers who are also showing interest.  In my opinion the Brewers have to be at the top of Hollands list it just seems like such a perfect fit we need a dominant shutdown closer who also has a name for himself and will most certainly sell the ever so popular shirts-ys I know I'd be picking one up as soon as I hit Miller Park in April. If you look at Hollands career numbers he has shown that when he is on his game he is easily a top ten closer in all of baseball. He holds a career ERA of 2.42 and will definitely be in line for at least 40 saves. Let's look at Hollands last three seasons 2013 Holland had a 1.21 ERA and notched 47 saves in 2014 he posted an ERA of 1.44 and saved 46 games that year.  He did regress in 2015 as he posted a 3.83 ERA and saved 32 games.  That is still a great year for any reliever believe it or not.

  There is a downside to this signing if it indeed does go through or look at is as a blemish if you will.  Holland last pitched in 2015 as he ended up missing all of 2016 with Tommy John surgery.  I'm not at all concerned with that though as the Brewers do hold the best medical staff reputation for the past two years and it looks like it will continue that trend.  What irks me is the contract that Holland is seeking.  It was reported today that Holland wants a two-year deal that part is fine depending on the figure of course.  The part that makes me hesitant is that he wants and opt out clause aka the take the money and run clause.  That does not make it very enticing for teams when a player who just had one of the biggest career turning surgeries is demanding such a weird contract. Oh well, i think that the Brewers could make it happen after all they do have only 35 million dollars committed to the team this year thanks to Ryan Brauns and Matt Garza's contracts.  This just has Brewer's splash written all over it, in my opinion, all I can do as you will is just get my popcorn and see what Slinging Stearns has up his sleeve.

Information of stats courtesy of http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hollagr01.shtml

Photos used courtesy of

http://m.mlb.com/news/article/26897186/ http://www.milwaukeefatherhood.com/milwaukee-brewers-host-the-milwaukee-

fatherhood-initative-at-miller-park/

[stevenohlrogge]

In the last twenty-four hours, the Milwaukee Brewers have managed to make two very intriguing transactions, one that was quite puzzling and one that excites me personally.  To begin the Milwaukee Brewers now staring dead in the face of the tender deadline, which is December 2nd decided to part ways with the fan-favorite slugger Chris Carter.  When I was notified of this, I immediately rushed to my computer and did all research possible as to why we would let a player that hit forty-one home runs drove in ninety-four runs, and over one hundred twenty hits be let go especially at what some believed would be a modest price.  After breaking the news to my wife, that one of her favorite players had been let go, I came to a realization that there was only one explanation for such a bizarre move.  I told myself that they had to have a replacement waiting in the midst, and I quickly tried to piece together who it might be.  I quickly realized that he was not going to be a high paid player, such as Edwin Encarnacion as that would not make sense given what Carter was set to make.  I then went to the prospect pool in my head and realized there was really no one that fit the build there.  Unless you count Garret Cooper who I dismissed immediately because there was no way he would make the opening day roster due to lack of experience at the upper minor league level.  Hmm, who could it be it took less than 7 hours after the news that we had learned the truth.

The truth being that Carter was asking for more than a so-called modest contract there have been multiple reports of contracts that were requested I believe it was 10 million for a year  that did not entice Milwaukee in any way If you ask me once slinging Stearns heard this so called proposal he got up and walked away from the negotiating table never to return to talks.I could just see his face as that figure was requested by a player who has massive power and had his best season of his career by far in twenty sixteen.  To go along with two hundred plus strikeouts, and average defense at best that is just a ridiculous request in my opinion.  Do not take this out of context I am a huge Chris Carter fan probably not as big as my wife though if you ask me, Carter, asking for that much is just a bit out of the Brewers reach.  Hear me out we are a small market team in a rebuild that needs to address other needs other than first basemen.  Obviously first base is a need that we have been lacking since the departure of Prince Fielder.  To ask us for that amount of money on that short of a deal is not going to happen, and in no way shape or form should even be considered by Milwaukee as that money can be spent elsewhere, and perhaps fill two positions of need for that price.  Now that the Carter era in Milwaukee seems to be officially over as he has since been designated for assignment by the Brewers, and they are hopeful that they can find a trade partner for the slugger before the tender deadline.  Of course, the likely hood of a trade is slim to none just because clubs would rather claim him for nothing rather than give up someone for his services.

Now if you would follow me metaphorically speaking obviously I'd like to introduce to you the newest member of the Milwaukee Brewers, and the answer to the question I was asking without further a due here is the 2017  Brewers first baseman , Eric Thames just inked a three-year sixteen million dollar contract with an option for a fourth year with the crew.  You must be scratching your heads as to why the exciting introduction for former MLB prospect Eric Thames  well look no further than the far lands of Korea playing for the NC Dinos of the KBO where Thames has spent his last three professional seasons.  Thames has been the Babe Ruth of the KBO the last three seasons.  That is not far fetched to say judging by the numbers that Thames has put up the last three years.  In 2014 Thames went off in his first season with the Dinos as he would accumulate his first video game like season 343.BA, HR,37, RBI,121, H,152 that alone is pretty amazing.  I know that in Korea it is a different ball game, and there are some pretty ridiculous numbers put up by their players, but I have studied film on Thames since the acquisition, and I have been nothing, but impressed. As you may know, Thames did play in the majors at one point of his career, and really never was given a true chance to show what he could do.  in 2011 Thames debuted for the Blue Jays he was a prospect with great power the year before in triple he hit 352 with 27 home runs that would get any fanbase excited.  Once given a chance in the bigs Thames had your typical rookie year of adjusting to the big league lifestyle, and I would assume massive pressure from high expectations. Thames final 2011 stat line BA, 262 HR,12, RBI,37. that is isn't a horrible season especially for a rookie who played in 95 games after playing forty-six games for Toronto in which turned out to be his last in 2012. His final stat line as a Blue Jay BA, 243, HR, 3, RBI,11. in July 2012  Thames was traded to the Seattle Mariners he didn't stick around too long as he would play in only forty games and post up a BA, 220, HR,6, RBI,14,.  Once Thames was designated for assignment he would then be traded to Baltimore who he would never play a game with finally he was claimed by Houston, and never played on a major league field for them as well this pretty much ended his time in MLB as he would decide to go, and pursue an international baseball career, and that was possibly the best decision of his life.  As you read earlier his first year in Korea went pretty well, but it his second year that really sticks out at you.  I am an avid player of MLB the Show, and I have played quite a bit, but never have I had a season such as Thames produced in 2015.  The video game like season from the slugger would show the world that he clearly was not given enough time by his former teams as those teams now could end up kicking themselves once the 2017 season concludes.  Thames amassed an astonishing BA, 381, HR, 47,  RBI, 140  H,180 It's no wonder that he would win the KBOs MVP award that season along with a Gold Glove award.  It's numbers like those that without a doubt got him back on major league teams radars.  In his final season in the KBO Thames would have yet another great season BA,317, HR,40, RBI,118.  To put all of that into one pile of greatness in his three years Thames overall stats in the KBO BA, 349 HR, 124, RBI,382, H.472

I honestly can not say how this will transition to the majors but ill tell you I am a lot more confident than most people who seem to be trashing this move.  All, because he is coming from a different league, can I remind you of someone who came over from a different league, and found massive success in the states have you heard of a guy named Ichiro in his time in Japan where he spent nine seasons, and posted a BA, 353 H,1278 now I am not comparing Ichiro to Eric Thames he is easily top thirty all time when it comes to greatest baseball players ever in my opinion especially when you accumulate 3000 hits in the majors.  The point is it doesn't matter nor, should it matter where you find success when it comes to baseball all that matters is that you are given a fair chance to prove what you can do, and  I think Thames has earned that chance.  Welcome to Milwaukee Mr. Thames cant wait for 2017.

all statistics in this article do not belong to me: http://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.cgi?id=thames001eri https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ichiro_Suzuki#Career_in_Japan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Thames

All images used do not belong to me: http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=eric+thames+kbo&view=detailv2&&id=E3BD32BC38793ADE53A715F309BA92E18BAAD2AD&selectedIndex=3&ccid=xpsMbc6p&simid=608034192016147923&thid=OIP.Mc69b0c6dcea9f0c9a173f929334aa11eo0&ajaxhist=0 http://www.mydaytondailynews.com/news/ap/top-news/brewers-sign-eric-thames-designate-slugging-1b-chr/ntF8J/

[stevenohlrogge]

As I write this it is November 24th Thanks Giving eve 2016 we have just been informed of the first major trade of the 2016 offseason.  Yes, my friends it has happened the offseason has kicked off in a big way and admittedly a very confusing way, to say the least.  The move will net the Seattle Mariners their future shortstop and presumably lead off man for 2017 plus he is a right handed hitter something that lineup in Seattle desperately needs.  The Diamondbacks will acquire an underwhelming overhyped starting pitcher and a below average infielder.  The trade pieces as follows.  Jean Segura,  Mitch Haniger, and Zach Curtis will head to Seattle in the deal and the D-backs will receive Taijuan Walker and Ketel Marte.

Obviously, the biggest name that jumps out right away is Jean Segura.  Segura experienced what could easily go down as his best season in his career.  After being acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers in the winter of 2015 along with Tyler Wagner. For Pitcher Chase Anderson,   Infielder prospect Isan Diaz, and third basemen  Aaron Hill.  Mean Jean the hitting machine would post up a very impressive 2016 campaign in the desert as he would go on to lead the national league in hits with 203 accumulate an average of 319 and smash 20 hrs and drive in 64 RBIs. Doing all this as the leadoff man to top it off he was also a finalist for the NL gold glove at second base.  The second piece that would head to the desert would be Mitch Haniger another player acquired from the Brewers in July of 2014 along with pitcher Anthony Banda.  This would net the Brewers former fan favorite two-time gold glove winner Gerardo Parra.  Haniger would spend most of the season in triple a but he would put up stats that would lead to his eventual major league debut in 2016.  The youngster would prove his worth by slugging 20 hrs driving in 64 RBIs and batting 341 in triple a.  He would eventually make the all-prospect team for Major League Baseball.  Finally going to Seattle in the deal would be reliever Zach Curtis.  Curtis would be the lesser of the three in the deal as his era for 2016 was above six which is definitely not impressive, to say the least.  Believe it or not, he was actually a bright spot in that horrible Arizona bullpen which is why this trade feels even weirder.  Now for the return to Arizona, you would think it must be monumental for what the D-backs gave up.  Sadly no the DiamondBacks would receive Taijuan Walker a former top prospect for Seattle who has done everything but impress in his time in the majors.  Walkers, 2016 would not be one that opens up any eyes which add even more confusion to this trade as he would have a record of 8-11 with an era of 4.22 to put that into perspective Chase Anderson who was acquired from the D-backs for Segura put up similar numbers as he would go 9-11 with an era of 4.39.  Keep in mind this was in hitter-friendly Miller Park Walker pitched in Safeco Field which has been known to be a pitcher-friendly ballpark, to say the least.  If you ask me the Dbacks actually downgraded the pitching staff from what they had in Chase Anderson who I am very happy to be pitching for my Brewers.  The second and final player acquired from Seattle is definitely a downgrade to Segura if you ask me Ketel Marte in 119 games for Seattle Marte batted a modest 259. he hit one hr and drove in 33 runs.  That is not good not good at all what was Arizona thinking when they made this trade I have no idea but if you ask me it's not a very good first impression by new Gm Mike Hazen

Now, this goes without saying, Seattle, definitely won this trade by a landslide if you ask me this is no contest what so ever.  I know that we don't know what goes on behind closed doors but it had to be significant for Arizona to make such a bold and idiotic move.  Unless this is the start of a long overdue rebuild that is...

All stats in this article do not belong to me: http://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.cgi?id=marte-000ket http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/a/anderch01.shtml http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/walketa01.shtml http://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.cgi?id=curtis000zac http://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.cgi?id=hanige001mit http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/segurje01.shtml

All images used do not belong to me: http://www.azsnakepit.com/2016/4/7/11390640/jean-segura-hits-11th-inside-the-park-home-run-in-diamondbacks-history https://sportswithneil.com/2015/04/21/the-struggles-of-taijuan-walker/

[stevenohlrogge]

Today I will be addressing a topic that seems to get under my skin all too often.  This topic is controversial and your opinion will vary depending on your point of view.  I want to discuss the annoying topic of teams who are beginning their rebuild and are looking to spend big money and or prospects to acquire proven and ready major league talent a little too soon. This to me is a perfect way to take two steps forward and three steps back.  There are may examples of this especially this offseason.  I will be discussing multiple teams that have just shed big league talent and money and within a year later think they are ready to compete for a playoff spot.

A team that nobody would expect to even think about making a splash this offseason unless you follow rumors  would definitely have to be the Atlanta Braves.  The Braves finished with a record of 68 and 93 proud owners of yet another high draft pick.  Yet this franchise is being tied to a number of A-list players with the likes of Chris Sale, Chris Archer, and Jose Bautista.  This a prime example of having an eager front office if you ask me.  Atlanta is in its second year of what looks to be a minimum 5-year rebuild.  They have unloaded high-level talent such as Craig Kimbrel, Justin Upton, Melvin Upton Jr, Jason Heyward, Shelby Miller, Evan Gattis. Obviously, you get where I am going with this they have traded away A and B list players in the last year and a half and in the process have accumulated one of the best farm systems in all of the baseball.  Trying to attempt to make a so-called splash  when your so called rebuild is so young is just not what you do at this point of the process. Tell me how does it make sense to be building for the future and then just want to throw all that hard work away without even giving it a chance to develop. I know it can be tempting to have a big name like Chris Sale don your colors for the next three years but is it worth selling the farm for a short-term rental?  No, it is not a prime example would be the 2016 Arizona Dbacks.

Prior to the start of the 2016 season, the Dbacks made some moves that had a lot of people hopeful that they could become a world series contender.  If you look at the following transactions you really couldn't argue that statement.  The Dbacks kicked off their crazy 2015 offseason by signing ace Zack Greinke to a six-year two hundred and six million dollar contract.  This made Greinke the highest paid pitcher in major league history when you look at his yearly earnings that is.  Obviously, the Greinke signing did not go as planned in the first year as the future hall of Famer put up some pretty bad stats by his standards. 13-7 record, 4.37 era and to add insult to injury literally Greinke also saw the DL for the first time in his career.  those numbers and bad luck made the signing look ten times worse  in my opinion.  Soon after the unexpected signing, the Dbacks made what looks to go down as one of the worst trades in past twenty years.  The Dbacks were the subject of much criticism by giving up one of one of the best prospects in baseball in an already depleted system when they sent former number one overall pick from the 2015 draft Dansby Swanson star center fielder and leadoff man Ender Inciarte and highly regarded  prospect Aaron Blair to the Atlanta Braves in a trade that would net them Shelby Miller.  That trade did not do any better than the Greinke signing as Miller would spend most of the season in the minors and deal with the injury bug as well.  Millers final line for 2016 a disastrous 3-12 record and an era of 6.15.  Yes, those moves did more to hurt that Dbacks team than help them.  I know that Greinke and Miller have talent and can bounce back but had the Dbacks waited for just one more year to make these type of bold moves they could have possibly netted Chris Sale and spent big on a huge bullpen arm to strengthen what was definitely the worst in all of the baseball. Instead, they will just have to deal with what in my opinion was one of the best offseasons on paper but that's it really.

There are more examples from the past and possibly future that will continue to make this mistake.  I hope that some teams will learn from others mistakes so that one day we will not have so many teams in a rebuild ( so often that is). One more point I'd like to cover but not get into detail as I have covered it in my previous article is that I believe teams feel the need to make these bold moves because they know that if they don't acquire the big named talent now they will have no chance to be competitive because the bug market teams will just sweep them up if they do not jump at the opportunity.  None the less I think it's better to stand pat and give your young kids a chance to develop.  Who knows you could have  the next Ryan Braun in your system right now.

All stats and information of players used do not belong to me

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/greinza01.shtml

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/millesh01.shtml

All images used do not belong to me

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2014/09/diamondbacks-hire-dave-stewart-as-gm.html

[stevenohlrogge]

If you were to tell someone that in 2016  a kid who is a mere 6'0" ft 150 lbs would lead the Milwaukee Brewers  in wins.  Well, they would probably look at you like you are crazy.  I wouldn't argue with them at first when you see this future  phenom pitch he looks to pose zero threat due to his small stature.  If you haven't figured  out who I am referring too then you obviously do not follow Brewer's baseball im, of course, talking about Zach Davies.

The Brewers faithful were in for an unexpected but nice surprise following the acquisition of Zach Davies on July 31st, 2015.  Davies was sent from the Baltimore Orioles to Milwaukee in exchange for red-hot outfielder Gerardo Parra.  Davies made his MLB debut on September 2, 2015, for Milwaukee. Davies looked to have promise as soon as he threw his first pitch I knew that this kid was gonna be special.  You see  Davies is a rare breed of pitchers that does not rely on throwing the ball in the upper nineties to find success.  Instead, Davies relies on mostly his breaking pitches such as a curveball, slider, and changeup while his fastball maxes out around 90 to 91 mph.  This doesn't seem like a very overpowering skillset you could argue.  You could also say that Davies would get eaten up by big league talent who are used to crushing pitches that are close to 98 mph which is the normal pitching style we have become a customed right.  Wrong Davies has another skill that makes him nearly impossible to tally runs against.  This skill is known as precision control Davies is one of the rarest and most fun pitchers to watch due to his sniper like accuracy when he pitches Davies can pinpoint the ball exactly where the catcher asks for it.  This makes it extremely tough for hitters to get on base against when a guy is basically playing you like it's the beginner pitching difficulty in MLB the show.  Jonathan Lucroy has been quoted saying that Davies is extremely fun to catch because he makes a catcher's job so much easier.  I would imagine so if all you need to do is put the signs down and let Davies do the rest that seems like a nice luxury for a catcher. If you take a look at Davies first time in the Majors when he received a  call-up to the Brewers his stats don't seem that crazy mostly because he only played for a month.  Davies posted a 3-2 record in 6 games played with an era of 3.71.  That seems like a good first impression if you ask me.  Now take a look at his 2016 stats where he pitched practically a full season.  Davies was arguably the Brewers ace you could also argue Junior Guerra but ill get into to that later.  Davies went 11-7 with an era of 3.97 in 28 games.  In 163 innings pitched Davies struck out 135 and walked 38 that is an example of his control 38 walks in 28 games played and over 160 innings is really impressive.  Davies easily stacks up to some of the best pitchers in the game at this point and he is just going to get better as the years go by.  If you ask me if  Davies receives run support through at least 50 percent of his starts moving forward he could be a Cy Young candidate and easily  a 20 game winner.  I honestly believe  that if Davies continues to show his masterful control and keep doing what he is doing the sky is the limit and I'm very excited to see where this kids potential will reach in the near future.

Looking forward to the Brewers 2016 rotation it's hard to imagine Davies not anchoring this team.  I predict Davies will be our opening day starter in April 2017. I also will make a strong case that if all goes well next year and the consistency stands pact and the control is still dominant I think a lot of fantasy owners will be fighting over who gets this kid.  Mark my words the world will know who Zach Davies is come mid-season next year and Dan Duquette the Orioles gm will forever regret making that trade back in July of 2015.

All statistics and information do not belong to me: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zach_Davies

http://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.cgi?id=davies000zac

All photos used do not belong to me: http://dairylandexpress.com/2015/09/03/brewers-zach-davies-impresses-early-in-debut-crew-beats-pirates/

[stevenohlrogge]

With the World Series coming to an end soon my favorite part of the offseason will soon commence. Can you guess what that is?  It's trade season!!! and preparation for the MLB Winter Meetings.  I will use this valuable virtual limited paper space to express all types of trade speculation and rumors that most likely will end up not coming to fruition and me just looking silly in the end.

Here I go there is a rumor that is out there that intrigues me not just as a Brewers fan but as a baseball fan in general.  It begins with the question that has been asked by many journalist and fans since the end of the August waiver trade deadline.  Will the Milwaukee Brewers trade Ryan Braun and make me a very depressed individual ? "Ok, you got me that last part was me being dramatic.  Seriously though was 2016 the last time that I and we see Ryan Braun in true Brewers Blue?  According to the ever so accurate rumor mill, it may have been. If you have read any of my recent articles you would know that the Brewers were supposedly 20 minutes from sending Ryan Braun to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Yasiel Puig Brandon Mccarthy and two prospects the trade did not  happen as they ran out of time however it looks like the two sides might revisit talks again this winter.

 Now that it is this winter I want to look at the possibility of this trade becoming a reality. Let's first examine the situation in Los Angeles where the relationship between the Dodgers and Puig have well... grown distant.  It all started when the Dodgers sent Puig down to triple  and placed  him on revocable waivers hence the trade rumor being discussed.  If you want my opinion the best way to describe the relationship between the Dodgers and Puig could best be described as a typical relationship.  Look at the scenario Puig is the damaged girlfriend who has made mistakes and just cannot admit them and constantly seeks approval from the boyfriend aka the Dodgers in this scenario the boyfriend gives the girlfriend one more chance to prove that she has truly changed.  Obviously, Puig did come back and put up some decent numbers in September and had a whole three hits in the playoffs but you do not just forget a whole mess that has been going on for such a long period of time between the two, do you?  The answer is a big fat no why?  I'll tell you why the Dodgers are basically trying to get rid of the problem that is Puig crowding the young outfield  and are willing to do anything to make it happen.  In the trade discussion, the Dodgers were said that would eat all of Ryan Brauns remaining 76 million dollar contract. That sound like a near impossibility wouldn't you say?  Well having money will do that for you and on top of the sweet sound of change bouncing in and out of Dodger executives pockets as they picture the possibility of acquiring one of the game's best all-around players in Ryan Braun for a mere 76 million dollars.  There is also the prospect haul that the Brewers are expected to get on top of Puig and Mccarthy that is just music to my ears.

 The Brewers can now say that they own the league's number one farm system which is something I am very proud to shout to the heavens while other teams are competing in thinking about the future and the future in Milwaukee is looking bright if all works out I'm sorry I'm rambling back to the topic.  If the Brewers trade away possibly the organization best player of all time maybe behind Robin Yount, for a declining outfielder that has attitude issues and is in a let's call it a slump as of late you might ask why I'm ok with this at all right? Well to me I look at it like this  Puig is 25 years old and has tremendous upside and a change of scenery always can do somebody good I mean look at former Brewers Jean Segura who hit 319 and had 200 hits in 2016 and former Brewers outfielder Khris Davis who smashed 41 Hrs for Oakland in 2016 what I'm trying to say is a change of uniforms always is welcome to a slumping player. If that isn't enough to convince you to think about the situation that Puig is in he is in the big city of L.A and is not the face of the franchise which he so desperately needs to be to succeed.  Puig needs to be the guy that everyone counts on he likes to have the team on his back. Now that Corey Seager one of my favorite players has arrived in L.A Puig knows that his time as the face of the dodgers  has run out well it ran out last year but look at some productive years from Yasiel.

2013 for example in 104 games Puig had some pretty nice offensive numbers .319 BA, 19 HR, 122 H,42 RBIs, 104 Gs, and in 2014 .296 BA 16 HR, 165 H, 69 RBIs, 148 Gs. I guess you could say when Puig needed to be the best on the team or at least a top 3 player he did his job since those two years he has declined a bit but I do not think these numbers are responsible for him just not being good I think it's just time for him to get out of a  situation where he is un wanted.  Puig's stats for 2015, .255 BA 11 HR, 72 H, 38 RBIs, 79 Gs. Obviously, he had an injury plagued season that year which could also be cause for a lack of production but the nice perk if he comes to MIlwuakee we have the best medical staff in all of  Baseball we have won the Martin-Mohan award.   Which recognizes the best medical staff in baseball two years in a row and it should be a third this year.  Puig's final stat line for 2016 and why I see some potential in this kid .263 BA, 11 HR, 88 H, 45 RBIs 104 Gs. I know it doesn't look like much.  For a guy that didn't play every day and obviously has something going on mentally judging by all the locker room problems, I would say that he is due for a change if he does, in fact, get traded and become the new face of the Brewers franchise.  Hopefully, He becomes the star that he desperately needs to be to succeed if this trade does happen I think we will be seeing him at the 2017 all star game he will put up some great defensive metrics as well with that cannon of an arm. Playing at Miller Park we all know what happens if you're a power bat.

 Now let's talk the other half of this transaction if you know anything about baseball or have been following it since 2007 you likely know who Ryan Braun is.  Whether it is for the good or the bad you have heard his name mentioned quite often on highlight reels news or just in the media in general which is definitely a sight to be seen because he is an MIlwuakee Brewer and no one cares about small market teams in my opinion.  I will start this by saying that I have always and will always be a huge Ryan Braun fan even after the whole scandal which in my opinion didn't exactly have the most convincing evidence but that's a different topic.  The topic at hand is if the six-time all-star 2007 rookie of the year and 2011 N.L MVP will no longer be wearing a Brewers uniform come Opening Day 2017.  It's worth noting that Braun will accept his 10 and 5 rights in the beginning of May 2017.

This means that a player has played in 10 MLB seasons and has played 5 with the same team which obviously Braun has achieved.  This alone will entice David Stearns to make a trade to get something for the rebuilding Brewers and to add to baseball's best farm system. I would assume that Braun being granted his 10 and 5 rights will use them with full authority.  This clause basically gives a  player total control over their future.  The biggest annoyance I would imagine for a baseball player is constantly hearing rumors chirp in their ear distracting them throughout the season as you could agree it could become difficult to produce at a high level and try to stay focused.  This right doesn't eliminate the player hearing rumors about himself but instead it gives the player the right to deny a trade to any team and only accept a trade if they feel it is the best for them and of course their families and  not just the best interest of the ball club. If you take all of that into account for Ryan Brauns situation you would expect that a trade will be a near certainty as David Stearns will be pushing very hard this winter meetings trying to unload the prestigious slugger as he did back in August and nearly had it come to fruition as well.  I think as a personal preference and being a tad biased as a Brewers fan I do think that Ryan Braun deserves a better fate  if he could go to a contender that gives him a shot at a World Series appearance or better yet a ring I think that he deserves nothing more than to hoist up that trophy even though it will be with another team. I do not care what anyone thinks of Ryan as a person he is still a guy that does a lot of off the field community work that the media refuses to expose because they want the readers to continue hating him for what reason I have no idea I guess jealousy it's just the way the world work nowadays. Rather you like it or not as a Brewers fan you need to face the fact that Braun will not win as a Brewer unless some miracle occurs and that's just not right.  For a guy that has had the team on his back since 2007, you would think that it's only right for the Brewers to return the favor.

If you ask me I don't think this trade should happen but it most likely will happen.  It may not be the aforementioned transaction but I  can tell you that Ryan Braun's time in Milwaukee has likely come to an end.  If you are a Brewers fan you need to look at this as a win-win situation.  Meaning that if Braun does not get moved by May then we get to keep an M.V.P caliber player for the next 5 years.  On the other hand, if he does, in fact, get moved then we will just build on our farm system and continue to amass young controllable talent. That is always a good thing.

Information used in this article does not belong to me:

http://archive.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/361404041.html

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/puigya01.shtml

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/braunry02.shtml

all image used do not belong to me:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1819461-yasiel-puig-20-what-to-expect-from-dodgers-absurdly-talented-phenom-in-2014

http://www.foxsports.com/wisconsin/story/ryan-braun-now-all-time-leader-but-who-is-milwaukee-brewers-greatest-home-run-hitter-082115

http://www.milwaukeefatherhood.com/milwaukee-brewers-host-the-milwaukee-fatherhood-initative-at-miller-park/

http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/schedule/?c_id=la

[stevenohlrogge]

As you may know today Major League Baseball announced this year's finalist for the 2016 Gold Gloves. I am particularly interested because my former all-star catcher Jonathan Lucroy has been nominated once again as a finalist for the award. Most of you know that Lucroy was traded to the Texas Rangers on August 1st as a part of the 2016 MLB trade deadline. I would have expected that Lucroy was gonna be a finalist  as he is elite behind the plate Lucroy had  gaudy numbers at the dish and especially at backstop in 2016. Luc posted a 994.fld% (Fielding Percentage) 6.es (errors) 34. Cs (caught stealing) and 39%. CS% (caught stealing percentage). Offensively he didn't do too bad either. 2016: 24 HR, .292 BA, 81 RBI, 143 H. With  the Brewers and Rangers. As opposed to his competitors Buster Posey and Yadier Molina who has won the award in 8 consecutive seasons if he wins it again Yadier will be one shy of the all-time record for consecutive gold gloves won currently held by Ivan Rodriguez and Johnny Bench.  so I'm not giving Lucroy a good chance just because  there's a record on the line for one of  MLBs all-time greats. Yadier stat line for 2016 998. fld% (fielding percentage) 5.es (errors) Cs 18 (caught stealing) Cs% 21% (caught stealing percentage) Offensively Molina posted 2016: 8 HR, .307 BA (8th), 58 RBI, 164 H. Now for Buster Posey Posey is not really known to be a huge threat behind the plate as opposed to his offensive number which can make any pitcher cringe well usually this year that flipped upside down . Posey's defensive stats Fld%.997 (fielding percentage) 3es.(errors) Cs. 28 (caught stealing) Cs%. 39% (caught stealing percentage) Offensively Posey had a surprisingly bad year for his standards 2016: 14 HR, .288 BA, 80 RBI, 155 H. Now lets me make my case for why I think Lucroy has a chance to dethrone Molina if you take all biased media out of the equation. Here we go Lucroy compared to Molina has a tad less offensive production Lucroy: 24 HR, .292 BA, 81 RBI, 143 H.  Molina: 8 HR, .307 BA (8th), 58 RBI, 164 H Posey: 14 HR, .288 BA, 80 RBI 155 H. As you can see Lucroy has a lower batting average than Molina by only 14 points as you know though Lucroy did move into the American League and as we all know the pitching there is a bit tougher than in the NL. Lucroy did smash 24 HRs which blew Molina out of the water who only hit 8. Lucroy also had 81 RBIs Molina 58 Lucroy clearly showed more production at the plate than Yadier in 2016. Molina did best Lucroy in the hits category but this is still a defensive award and I should not have to focus on offensive production to determine who will be crowned with the prestigious award it is what it is I guess but if you want to compare Lucroy to Molina defensively oh boy does Lucroy demolish Yadi in caught stealing and caught stealing percentage those are pretty important defensive category . Lucroy: a 994.fld% (Fielding Percentage) 6.es (errors) 34. Cs (caught stealing) and 39%. CS% (caught stealing percentage).   Molina: 998. fld% (fielding percentage) 5.es (errors) Cs 18 (caught stealing) Cs% 21% (caught stealing percentage)   Posey: Fld%.997 (fielding percentage) 3es.(errors) Cs. 28 (caught stealing) Cs%. 39% (caught stealing percentage). Lucroy has the lowest fielding percentage out of Molina and Posey and also committed more errors but look at his Caught stealing Percentage and Caught stealing in general Lucroy blows Molina away. Buster's stats compare to Lucroy defensively but offensively Lucroy bests Posey. As you can guess there's also DRS and a lot of sabermetrics to take into account but judging by these stat lines id say Lucroy has a pretty good shot at dethroning Yadier Molina who has not lost the award in 8 years. It would be bittersweet however as Lucroy was robbed of the award in 2014 due to the fact Yadier was higher by FLD% by about 2 percent. This year FLD% shouldn't be a problem . I also have a bad belief that sports are a popularity contest and Yadier has been crowned king for quite some time which he does deserve as he is by far the greatest rival catcher I have had the pleasure of growing up loving for his skill and just all out skill and fiery  personality he is truly a leader. I grew up  hating just as well  because he is a Cardinal and therefore are the biggest rival next to the Cubs of course. In conclusion, Lucroy has a bit of an edge over his competitors in each category but by no means is blowing anyone out of the water so realistically if you wanted me to guess who will win this year I'd have to say, Molina. My argument is HE IS YADIER MOLINA need I say more. I do however think that Lucroy will make it close I just think in the end it will land in Molina's lap im hoping for a different result obviously. I guess we will need to wait until November 8th coincidently there's something else important going on that day I guess I must have erased it from my mind or something. Oh well, i hope this article has helped some of you get a sense for the Gold Glove race for Catcher this year and I hope if your team has a nominated player he will be recognized as there are too many snubs year in and year out.

All images used do not belong to me: 

https://www.pinterest.com/explore/buster-posey/

http://m.milb.com/t518/news/article/2013103063519652/paul_goldscmidt_and_gerardo_parra_earn_rawlings_gold_glove_awards

http://m.mlb.com/news/article/156972846/gold-glove-winners-announced/

http://andrewebb.sportsblog.com/posts/21415144/will-the-brewers-trade-jonathan-lucroy-.html

All information used does not belong to me:

http://m.mlb.com/news/article/156972846/gold-glove-winners-announced/

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/lucrojo01.shtml

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/molinya01.shtml

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/poseybu01.shtml

[stevenohlrogge]

As you may know, I recently compiled an article arguing why I believe Major League Baseball needs a salary cap. Well someone must have listened as I have some pretty exciting news well exciting for me anyways. Major League Baseball has revealed that it intends to enforce an international draft by 2018 or 2020 as a part of MLBs CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement). Obviously, this isn't a salary cap but it is a step in the right direction when it comes to leveling the playing field for small market teams. As a Brewers fan, i am especially excited about this new draft as it will give us an opportunity to acquire big named talent resembling the likes of Yoenis Cespedes, Jose Abreu, Yasiel Puig and Yoan Moncada without having to spend half of the teams budget in the process. I honestly can't express how amazing this would be I mean think about it the next big international star would go to a team that actually could use them not just acquire them just because they can. I am speaking of course of the Dodgers who currently have a payroll just north of 250 million the Yankees need I say more the Red Sox and now the Cubs all of these teams can just go out and acquire these guys for upwards of 60 million dollars an example would be what the Red Sox paid Moncada. Do you think it is right for a player to earn more money without ever seeing a major league field than a player who has played for 5 years in Major League Baseball ill give you a minute to think about that? Times up you're minute has passed and if you still have not decided you are likely a fan of one of the aforementioned teams that are ruining baseball simply by having more money than other teams. Like I said this will be a huge step towards baseball becoming a more fun sport for the small market teams and it will make it more exciting for the fans of the small market teams or as big named teams like to call them the bottom feeders which is just a disgusting insult seeing that the teams with the most money usually don't win the World Series because it takes more than money to win it takes heart and determination. Thank you, Mr. Manfred, for finally addressing a huge need in baseball I hope these developments will continue to get baseball to a point where its fun for everyone again.

All images used do not belong to me.

http://www.si.com/mlb/2015/06/09/rob-manfred-mlb-draft

All information used does not belong to me.

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2016/10/mlb-pushing-for-international-draft-in-cba-negotiations.html

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/cespeyo01.shtml

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/moncayo01.shtml

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/puigya01.shtml

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/a/abreujo02.shtml

[stevenohlrogge]

He is truly one of the most iconic players in Milwaukee Brewers history. In fact, if you even mention the Milwaukee Brewers he is the first name that comes to mind. well for the last three years or so. He is none other than Jonathan Lucroy. Growing up in Umatilla Florida and attending the college of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Lucroy had baseball in his blood he became a Rajun Cajun legend. Setting multiple school records in his three years attending the university. The Brewers must have had their eyes on Lucroy from the very beginning. Other teams not so much as Lucroy went 101st overall in the 2007 amateur draft in the third round. Lucroy would make it to the bigs in may of the 2010 season replacing injured starting catcher at the time Martin Maldonado. At first, Lucroy had his struggles with the bat and his defense behind the plate was not his strong suit either. At the plate in 75 games Lucroy slashed 253 avg 4 home runs 70 hits and 26 RBIs that's not a very good first impression in my opinion but as a rookie, you could expect that I guess. Lucroy's numbers would steadily ascend gradually year after year when in 2012 he hit 320 with 12 home runs and 58 RBIs he just kept getting better and better especially in 2014 when Lucroy would have his best season (excluding 2016) to date. Lucroy now a fan favorite and arguably the face of the franchise at this point exceeding the fans expectations over another Brewer great Ryan Braun. Lucroy would play 153 games the most in his career to this point in 2014 he would amass 176 hits a career high he would slug 13 home runs another career high he would only drive in 69 RBIs however a very odd phenomenon for such a great year Lucroy would go on to break the MLB record for most doubles hit in a season by a catcher with 46 the record previously held by legendary catcher none other than Ivan Rodriguez who hit 45 in 1996 as a catcher he hit 47 total that season two were hit when he was playing as the  designated hitter. Lucroy's 2014 season must have been a very nice single season accomplishment and the icing on the cake had to be that the Brewers were in first place for 150 games that year only to lose almost all of September after going on a 13 game losing streak at the end of august yeah it's sad to think about but I know Lucroy will always remember his best season as a bittersweet turn of events that led him to accomplish some singular feats but that's about it he is a competitor and he lets everybody know it . The following season 2015 would not be as enjoyable for Lucroy as he would end up taking a pitch off of his big toe in the early weeks of the season toe that would force him to miss almost half the season Lucroy now on a rebuilding Brewers team could  only spectate the collapse of a once-promising Milwaukee Brewers team  he once knew and loved. That love must have grown smaller and smaller once Lucroy realized he would no longer have the hopes of competing in his mind only the hope of being traded and playing for a contender. This did not sit well with Brewers fans once they found out there beloved Lucroy wanted out of Milwaukee it went from cheers of LUUUUUUUc to just plain BOOOOOS. Sadly a lot of so called fans do not know the story that Lucroy asked to be extended by Milwaukee in the spring of 2015 only to be turned down by then GM general manager Doug Melvin. Now that that is cleared up I hope your opinion of one of the greatest Brewers of all time has changed if you had felt any resentment towards him in the first place. 2016 would be the final year that Lucroy would represent the Milwaukee Brewers as the entire offseason spilled rumors of him being shipped off to hear and there as rumors are known to do that sort of thing. The Brewers received multiple calls on Lucroy in the 2015 offseason especially around the winter meetings and the Brewers opted to take a chance and hang onto Lucroy and try to trade him at the trade deadline in July of 2016. That was the best move new GM general Manager David Stearns could have made fearing that Lucroy was not back to his regular self following an injured 2015 campaign teams thought it wasnt nessecary to trade top talent to Milwaukee in exchange for the possible future hall of famer. Waiting until the July deadline proved to the benefit of the Brewers as they would acquire a haul of talent from the Texas Rangers on August 1st for Jonathan and Jeremy Jeffress. The rebuilding Brewers received Lewis Brinson, Luis Ortiz, and Ryan Cordell all top ten prospect thanks to the bounce back season of LUUUUC. I was actually fortunate enough to see Lucroy's final game as a Milwaukee Brewer as my wife Caroline was kind enough to get tickets to that particular game and I couldn't be happier that she did. It was an emotional scene in Miller Park as Lucroy's walk up song blasted over the speakers not once but twice as he stepped in the batters box chants of LUUUUUUUUUUC rained down from the Brewers faithful. LUUUUUUC was displayed on the Miller Park scoreboard the entire time until the at bat commenced I turned to Caroline and I said He's Gone she had a sad look on her face realizing that her once  favorite player and (first bobblehead was given to her by  me as a gift when we first meant)  Maldonado, of course, his still her favorite. We knew Lucroy was no longer going to sport the Navy Blue and Gold of the Milwaukee Brewers. Lucroys final at-bat was with out a doubt memorabe for me and at the same time aggravating because we can't stay competitive year after year we have to resort to letting the talent such as Lucroy go its a commom pattern in MIlwaukee and I hope it does not continue. I would like to express my gratitude to Lucroy now that he is gone i hope he finds sucess with the Rangers obviously he did i mean alot of success as I was saying I know you won't read this but if you do I want to thank you for being such an amazing player and a great person on and  off of the field alot of players today need to look at you as an example of what a real proffesional athlete/ rolemodel is. I hope that one day we will be seeing the number 20 hanging from the rafters at Miller Park never to be worn again by anyone donning the Milwaukee Brewers colors.

All images used do not belong to me.

http://m.brewers.mlb.com/news/article/192906826/brewers-jonathan-lucroy-gets-standing-ovation/

Information used does not belong to me.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/lucrojo01.shtml

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/o/overbly01.shtml

http://www.thescore.com/mlb/news/571706-brewers-lucroy-breaks-doubles-record-for-catchers

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/rodriiv01.shtml

[stevenohlrogge]

This story will change pace a little bit instead of my usual Brewers/Baseball themed articles i will change up the pace with a personal story about two amazing cats named Packer   and Maldy yes we  like sports here haha . It all started back in late November I was inside the house it was around 12 am i was just minding my own business when i heard a strange noise coming from the porch. I went outside to investigate what it could be. Not to my surprise it was a little white/brown/black tabby he couldn't have been more than a year old he had a brown patch on his chest that could represent a catcher's chest protector when they have won a gold glove award he had a black pattern on his face that resembled a mask from the phantom from the Phantom Of The Opera and a small brown nose and the biggest eyes with black circles surrounding them that make him look devious.  Me and my wife Caroline have a habit of providing food for outside cats so if a new cat comes around you would think oh ok just another hungry baby looking for some food. This cat was different this cat that would eventually be named Maldy after the Brewers future hopeful Gold Glove catcher Martin Maldonado (Carolines favorite player). I opened the front door approached Maldy  and instead of fleeing as any other cat would he slowly worked toward me enough to where i could snag a quick pet but i was rejected that opportunity. For months me and Caroline were putting food out in hopes that Maldy would return let's just say  he was a regular when it came to visiting us we had countless nights where he would show up at the windows and just sneak a peek into what would eventually be his future home. I and Caroline  were alerted of his presence by the hissings of our current cats Bubulle. Geddy, Brewer, and Opeth this would let us know that we had a visitor yes cats do alert their owners or in this case family that there is a stranger near the house it's not just  dogs who make it known that something isn't right as most people believe.One night  me and Caroline had a discussion  that we wanted to bring Maldy into our house and let him live among our five other cats. Finally, April showed its smiling face and we started getting excited about the idea that the little cat that visited the house on that cold November night would eventually find his way into our living room. Finally we succeeded and Maldy was home. The first night was a big adjustment for Maldy it must have been a very long time since he was in a house that is if he ever was an inside cat. Maldy would take some time to get used to his new surroundings as you would expect. In fact the first thing Maldy did once Caroline brought him through the door he walked into the living room played with a toy and then immediately scampered downstairs.I guess it was a nice little hiding spot for him. The first night was a very anxious night not just for Maldy but for me and Caroline as well. Caroline scheduled an appointment with the vet for the next day so we could take him in and have him examined just a routine checkup to make sure he was healthy. The scary thing for me was knowing that he had to have blood work done in order to test if he had any diseases such as feline aids or feline leukemia both diseases can be transferred from cat to cat as you would imagine so please I can not stress this enough when you find a stray cat always have them tested for these diseases they do not only protect your other pets they also protect ones who have yet to be infected ill go over why its important to have your animals tested near the end. So you the reader can spread the word that these diseases are no joke. Back to Maldy we take him to the vet he gets his work done I was relieved that his blood test came back negative we took him home and he has been an amazing cat in the short time we have had him. Now you would think the vet was over well unfortunately for Maldy he had to go through one last procedure that was the infamous neutering and the removal of his claws. Caroline schedules yet another appointment for the vet and Maldy would take the last week to say goodbye to his dear old friends that have literally been with him since birth. The week passes and we bring Maldy in for his appointment. We are saddened by the news he would have to remain at the vet for two whole days which felt like an eternity to me and Caroline. We were given permission to visit him the next day an invitation that we quickly accepted.  The day passes and we head to the vet the next morning to check on Maldy. You remember that i said this was a story about two cats well I'd like to introduce the time we met Packer and her three newborn kittens. We walk into the vet are guided to a room where they have the cats who are recovering from their surgery. We open the door and low and behold there were about six or seven newborn kittens playing and running about on the floor. This was the first time i had ever seen a kitten in real life so as you would imagine Caroline volunteers me to hold one. I am given a small little gray kitten that weighed no more that a feather. I'm not gonna lie i have never seen so much cuteness in one room before. I then focus my attention on Maldy but he was on medication at the time so he was a bit relaxed. We remove Maldy from his cage and we held him for about twenty minutes in this time I and Caroline can't help but notice the babies that are drastically trying to get our attention.We sit on the ground and the mother cat who would be named Packer later was rather stingy about letting us or Maldy near the baby cats she was very protective. Packer finally allows us to not only pet her but interact with the baby kittens that she was taking care of at the time. Now the legacy of Packer and her baby's  begins. Me and Caroline would spend quite a bit of time in the recovery room comforting Maldy and of course playing with the kittens around us. Caroline out of know where turns to me and asks if you would ever want a kitten I don't know what to say at this point so I just say what any married man would say 'If you want' when in my head I was frantically jumping up and down at the idea of having one of these little fluffballs come home with us. Caroline then speaks to Dr Alain the owner of the veterinary clinic and asks about the kittens situations. He tells her that there is a family of cats that were looking to be adopted and that family would consist of Packer and her three kittens. I did mention that there was around six or seven kittens present in the room and that Packer was taking care of them all now you find out only three belong to her. That shows incredible passion and mothering from the  Packer who is a baby herself. You will see what i mean in just a moment. Eventually me and Caroline decided that we wanted to adopt the family. Why not just one kitten you might ask ? Well Caroline was notified that if Packer had not been adopted they would no longer have been able to keep her around. So the obvious choice for Caroline and I was to adopt the whole family this meant bringing home four new kittens on top of the five we already have at home. This would grow are furry family to nine, ten if you want to count our sugar glider named did. We bring the family home after about a week of waiting to receive the phone call that they could be picked up. They had to get checkups as well. We bring the four new baby's home and these babies would be known as Packer the mother who is a  black cat with glowing green eyes and  as you will see later a very kind heart. The baby would be named after some icons in sports history mostly Wisconsin-based sports. One baby would be known as Lombardi after the greatest coach in the history of football he is brown, black with a quite frequent facial expressions that resembles the orange cat from the popular movie Shrek Puss and Boots. the other two would have names based around two Milwaukee Brewers. One would bare the name T-Plush which is a nickname given to former Milwaukee Brewer Nyjer Morgan who would have one of  the biggest hits in Brewers history in 2011 which would advance the Brewers to the NLCS. T-Plush the kitten resembled a porcupine because his fur was spiked like the quills of the little forest critter. Last but not least there is Sleepy a little black,white kitten whose color scheme reminds you of oreo cookies, in fact, that was a nickname of hers for a while but I changed it to du dune which is a french term. Now that you have an idea of the situation with the new babies the best is yet to come. When the babies came home I and Caroline knew that it would be a big responsibility. Kittens need a lot of attention a steady diet and plenty of sleep in a house of nine cats you would think it would be a nearly impossible task but you don't have Packer. Packer as the mother of these three kittens of course had her duties such as feeding them cleaning them and keeping an eye on them you could say it made it easier on us. Packer is possibly the most caring cat that you will ever know there isn't a day that went by that she would not feed the babys or just leave their side in general. Packer has a unique personality her best qualities are  those of a mother who wants nothing more than the best for her children she is also very protective of everyone not just her babys but me and Caroline as well. She even went as far as protecting Caroline one day when Bubulle wanted some attention  Packer came to the rescue of her yes a cat protected my wife from our other cat who just wanted attention LOL. There is no way that i can explain every single example of the way Packer has impacted the life of her babies in a manner that most cats or even human mothers might not be willing to do.All i can say is that if you ever have an opportunity to adopt make sure if given the chance you bring the mother as well it will have a very positive impact on the lives of the kittens growing up to this day they do not leave each others side and are strong and healthy. However today we were given the news that Packer can no longer give milk to her now seven yes seven-month-old babies the average time that a kitten is supposed to stop weeming is between three to four months. On this day October 12 2016 Packer can no longer feed her own babys as she has done for the last five months. As i write this she is secluded in our bedroom and separated from her babies which will have to continue into next week because her stomach is swollen from how often the babies are fed. The vets told us that she would eventually just tell the kittens no and that is was time to eat soft food from the can that my wife has spared no expense to provide for the little furballs. That was told to us the week that we brought the family home do you see where i am going here Packer only want the best for her babies and if that means sh has to be in pain she will for them. Obviously me and Caroline would not allow this hence the separation of the family that hasn't been separated well ever.I am very glad that me and Caroline took this responsibility of helping Packer raise her babies as it has taught us as humans so much more that we ever knew about how intelligent animals truly are and that they too have feelings that we as humans share. Such as compassion loyalty and in Packers case love.

[stevenohlrogge]

Today I read about some rather troubling news regarding a future financial decision pertaining to the Brewers. I read that the Brewers might not tender a contract to Chris Carter because he has had an amazing season and will cost a lot in arbitration now remember this is a rumor and is based on speculation and is in no way fact. This issue has inspired me to write about my first topic not pertaining to my personal  interest of the Brewers. In fact, this topic will entice most baseball fans especially those who support a small market team. The issue is nonother than Major League Baseball failing to enforce a salary cap. This has been a growing issue for years upon us fans and I for one am just sick and tired of my team becoming a farm system so to speak for these big money teams that have hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars to spend to acquire any small market teams top talent as soon as they become available. If you look at all professional sports such as the NFL NHL NBA they all have salary caps enforced but why not baseball? I mean if you take a look back at some of the past rosters or even current rosters you would be amazed at the talent that these teams had had or did have.  I'm gonna use my Brewers one time to explain how ridiculous this issue is. In 2008 the Brewers acquired former CY Young award winner C.C Sabathia from the Cleveland Indians in a nonwaiver trade deadline blockbuster trade. The Brewers sent 3 of the organization's top prospect to Cleveland in the deal. Sabathia would go on to have what has to be one of the most historic second halves in baseball history posting an astonishing 1.65 era winning 11 games and losing 2 the most amazing stat here is that Sabathia would throw a whopping 7 complete games with the Brewers. C.C was a huge piece in Milwaukee finally making the playoffs that year. In fact, one of his complete games came against the Chicago Cubs the day that the Brewers won the NL Wild Card what a day that was watching the team pop champagne and interact with the fans on the field. If you were a Brewers fan you practically worshiped Mr. Doug Melvin for pulling off such a steal or so you think it would be a steal. Here's the kicker one of the players who went back to Cleveland would be none other than all-star Michael Brantley an amazing player who has gone on to have a ton of success including being a finalist for the American League MVP award, with Cleveland the last few years when he's healthy Brantley is a dominant force in Cleveland's lineup.  What happened to the Brewers and C.C Sabathia well in the 2008 offseason C.C was signed by the New York Yankees at a mere price of 150 million dollars yeah cause that's fair for a team with a payroll that has barely eclipsed 100 million once in its franchise history and that was for one year in 2011.Obviously, there are many other examples of big money teams un-evening the playing field. As a result of this, there are teams who simply decide to entice a superstar player that they already have control over to stay in their organization rather it is right for them or not and that is what happens when a team uses its assets to a rather unfair advantage. A prime example of this is when the Miami Marlins signed Giancarlo Stanton to what would be and still is the richest player contract in the history of sports. For a mere 13 years at 325 million dollars, basically crippling the organization from signing another top talent down the line. Stanton must be very comfortable in Miami seeing that he will never play baseball anywhere else after signing that huge deal. If you look at the Miami Marlins and who they are this could turn out to be a huge mistake they basically signed away their franchise over to one player who in my opinion has been declining and out of nowhere has been rather injury prone I do not watch the games as Marlins fans do but I see the numbers yes he hits home runs that's cool does he deserve to be paid that much money for playing a game I don't think so. It is moves like these that motivate some teams to try the same exact kind of method in order to stay competitive. Take the Arizona DiamondBacks for example 2 years ago they were the worst team in baseball they received the number one overall pick in the 2014 draft who they would trade away in a deal that would bring talented righty Shelby Miller to the desert for 2016 Miller did not enjoy success in his first year ill leave it at that sorry Brenden and  they made headlines by signing ex-Dodger pitcher Zack Greinke to a massive 200.6 million dollar deal now 200 million isn't 325 million but for the small market, d backs franchise that is still a ridiculous reach. I know Greinke had an amazing year in 2015 going 19-3 with a 1.66 era possibly one of the greatest seasons to date. If you look at Greinke's 2016 campaign he did not enjoy as much success with Arizona as you would have expected him too he went 13-7 with a 4.27 era by far the worst year of his career by his standards anyway. He was all of a sudden injury prone and the Diamondbacks attempt at competing in a stacked NL west would not go as planned. Those are some crazy coincidences huh? Once a player cashes that big paycheck it's almost like the remarkable season they had before just never happened it isn't the case with all-star like players but it sure is an ongoing problem .This is the type of stuff we need to avoid and it will all be avoided if all teams are given the same amount of money to spend on talent I say no more stacked rosters filled with multiple 100 million dollar contracts when 85 percent of the league's teams only have one 100 million dollars plus contract to their name if that. Finally a sad but true fact to this game is that once a team becomes less competitive the fans start to disappear unless there loyal which is a hard quality to find nowadays in the world we live in. This all needs to come to an end we need to make baseball fair again and give the little teams a chance to bring back their fans who have all hopped on other teams bandwagons I wouldn't want them back in my opinion once you leave you will never be a true fan that's just my view anyway let's make baseball great again what do you say!!

All images used does not belong to me.

https://dbpjournalismclass.wordpress.com/author/dbpjournalism/

All information used does not belong to me.

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2016/10/heymans-latest-chisox-santana-cozart-rockies-davis-brewers-smith.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CC_Sabathia

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/sabatc.01.shtml

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/11897600/giancarlo-stanton-325m-miami-marlins-heavily-backloaded

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/greinza01.shtml

[stevenohlrogge]

The 2016 Milwaukee Brewers season was full of ups and downs it also had a lot of unexpected surprises as well. From the beginning of spring training 2016, the Milwaukee Brewers were pegged by so-called baseball experts to lose a minimum of 100 games out of the 162 that was to be played. You wouldn't argue that fact if you follow the team such as I do now don't get me wrong I knew from  the very beginning that we would not lose 100 games. I did not, however, predict that we would be giving some of the most competitive teams a run for their money series after series. A nice example of this would be beating the Chicago Cubs 7 times the only other team that put up more Ls in the loss column for the best team in baseball  was the St Louis Cardinals who tallied 8 wins on the Cubs.The Brewers would show baseball that they were not going to lie down and let the juggernaut teams with 100 million plus payrolls beat them into the ground. No, instead they would not just beat but demolish some of the best pitchers in all of baseball take Jake Arrieta and Kyle Kendricks as some of the many so-called ace victims of the Baby Brewers explosive offense.Now showing  the best team in baseball we were for real wasn't just the only highlight of this rebuilding season. The Milwaukee Brewers had a number of breakout performances from the likes of Jonathan Villar, Chris Carter, Keon Broxton, Junior Guerra,  Zach Davies, Hernan Perez,Jacob Barnes and Martin Maldonado the list goes on and on  I'm not kidding the success we experienced this season I am still convinced we will be competing for a playoff spot come 2017.Yes after only one season as a rebuilding team you heard it here first  I haven't even mentioned the comeback performance from the face of the franchise Ryan Braun who enjoyed a nice little 30 HR season for the 6th time in his career. Now when there is a lot of good going for your team it's hard to look at the negatives but of course as is the case for every organization in every sport, not just baseball there is the sad reality of a player declining.The Brewers in all the success experienced some setbacks of some of the clubs  pitchers who were hopefuls for a spot  in the future starting rotation. Wily Peralta to begin the season was horrific, to say the least, I'm not gonna get into stats because I respect him too much and I know he worked very hard to correct his skillset to be called back up after being demoted in late June. Jimmy Nelson is another highly touted former top prospect who started out quite strong but just couldn't keep it up down the stretch and as a result seen a rapid decline were he lost I believe it was 9 consecutive starts after starting out 5 and 1. Now Taylor Jungmann a very sad case if you want to talk about rapid declines in sports Jungmann came up in June 2015 his MLB debut went swimmingly well against the Pittsburgh Pirates he would end his 2015 campaign with 9 wins and 8 losses as he struggled to post a W in the win column in September. The Brewers fan had Jungmann pegged as the future ace of the team unfortunately that was not the case in 2016 like I said I'm not gonna go slandering these players by posting stats as  I said earlier I just hope that these young studs return to form and help us down the line.This season for the Milwaukee Brewers has offered a nice glance into the future.If you want my honest opinion I think the only thing holding us back is the big money teams who can lose an A-list player and just go dig in their pockets and go acquire another 2 A-list players I will get more into this when I talk about why I believe baseball needs a salary cap.Back to the season wrap up I as a Die Hard Brewers fan am very excited for 2017 knowing that we will have basically every position filled by a young hungry team ready to win team that showed its heart and hustle this season optimistic isn't the right way to describe how convinced I am that we will be seeing playoff baseball in Milwaukee  sooner than expected take that so called baseball experts!..

All images used do not belong to me.

http://www.foxsports.com/wisconsin/gallery/milwaukee-brewers-2016-season-awards-ryan-braun-chris-carter-jonathan-villar-100516