My days as a golf course grounds crew member are finally over, and what better way to celebrate than some good ole’ tailgating/baseball at Miller Park. Unfortunately, the Milwaukee area was hit with a thunderstorm or two, but we still managed to get in our fair sure of fun in the parking lot while periodically taking breaks in the car during the downpours of rain. Once 7:30 rolled around and it was already 3-2 Padres, it was finally time to head inside. After a stop in the bleachers for a few innings, my buddy Kyle and I worked our way to field level seats down the 3rd base side about 12 rows up (Our original seats, which cost $7.50 a piece, were located in the upper deck. Do you really think I was going to even bother heading up there?) Anyways, despite a poor outing for Yovani Gallardo (6 ER and 5 BB allowed in 3.1 innings), the Brewers pulled out a 10-6 victory thanks to some clutch hitting and a solid effort from the pen.
Even though the game was a joy to watch, what really surprised me was the number of empty seats in the ballpark, especially for a Friday night. The official attendance was 27,976, which only filled about 67% of the stadium. I guess it’s hard to fault Brewer fans for not showing up on a night where the weather was awful and with the team already out of the playoff race, but it just goes to show how the sports fans of Wisconsin have already set their sights on football season. However, I still think there are plenty of reasons to watch this team (loads of young talent, explosive offense, Hoffman approaching 600 saves) and this should be the attendance of a weeknight game, not a weekend game. We can only hope that Terrance Mann knows what he’s talking about (One of my top 3 favorite movies..Field of Dreams. HIGHLY recommend it).
Anyway, since there isn’t much else to talk about until football season, I’ll get the dreaded 2011 pitching preview out of the way and touch on some potential free agent signings. As most of us know, the Brewers’ woes can be attributed mainly to the poor performance of the pitching staff (although the offense has also been inconsistent throughout the year). Even ace Yovani Gallardo has been roughed up in a few too many games for my liking. Randy Wolf, aka the lefty version of Jeff Suppan, has been a huge disappointment up until recently. Dave Bush is still building up his velocity after getting pegged on the elbow by a line drive last year, but has put up pretty good numbers…for a number five starter. The problem is that Bush is at worst our third-best starting pitcher, as lefties Chris Narveson and Manny Parra just can’t seem to avoid ‘the big inning’. Whether you want to fault the pitching coach, a mental road block or lack of ability for this problem, it’s something Brewer fans are getting rather sick of witnessing. The bullpen has undergone a complete overhaul since the beginning of the year (Original members of the pen still around: Trevor Hoffman, Todd Coffey…wow, that’s it?), and thank God this is the case. The bullpen was atrocious early on. Now, the Brewers have their closer of the future in John Axford. They also have solid setup men in Kameron Loe, who has found his calling as a relief pitcher, and Zach Braddock, who is only 22 and a solid lefty option for manager Ken Macha…a solid base for the future. Don’t forget about long reliever Chris Capuano. It’s hard not to root for this guy coming back from a second Tommy John Surgery. Plus he’s performed well since being called up. The Brewers have done a nice job of being careful with Cappy's arm. So let’s get to the question everyone is asking: What the eff are the Brewers going to do?
Keep them because they’re good:
SP Yovani Gallardo (R), SP/RP Chris Capuano (L), CP John Axford (R), RP Kameron Loe (R), RP Zach Braddock (L)
Gallardo is the Brewers bona fide ace and is signed through 2014…Capauno has showed that he deserves to be brought back next season with a solid spot start and nice work out of the pen…Axford will close next season thanks to a dazzling rookie season after stepping in for future hall of famer Trevor Hoffman…Loe has struggled lately but is definitely worth keeping after a career resurgence in the bullpen…Braddock is young, a hard thrower and left handed. Um, yeah, keep him!
Keep them because we have to:
SP Randy Wolf (L), RP LaTroy Hawkins (R)
The Brewers still owe Wolf $19 million over the next two years. Wolf also has a player option in 2013 for $10 million. If he earns it, that’s great. I want to see this guy succeed just like any Brewers’ fan. And I think he’s finally finding his groove and can play an important role for this team next season…Hawkins has been struggling with shoulder fatigue all year and when he has pitched, he’s looked terrible. He’s owed $4 million next season and you can be sure he’s back unless the Brewers find a way to move him. Crap. I would just eat his contract.
Sure, you can come back:
RP Todd Coffey (R)
Coffey has been alright, posting a 4.53 ERA in 54 games thus far. He is arbitration eligible after this season, so Coffey will likely be back in 2011.
Not keeping you, but I wish we were:
SP Dave Bush (R)
I don’t believe that Bush is quite all the way back from his right elbow surgery, and once he is, he can put up even better numbers than now (4.63 ERA, 6-10). However, he is a free agent once the season comes to a close and I don’t think the Brewers see what I see in Bush. :( There have been no contract negotiations to speak of.
So long, boys:
SP Doug Davis (L), RP Trevor Hoffman (R), RP David Riske (R)
Davis has a team option next year for $6.5 million. No thanks…Hoffman will be a free agent once the season comes to a close. Maybe the greatest closer of all time, he will almost surely end up with 600 saves and probably call it a career…Riske has a team option for $4.5 million, but has barely seen the field during his time with the Brewers because of injury. I don’t see the Brewers bringing him back, especially for that kind of money.
Question marks (And a lot of them at that):
SP Manny Parra (L), SP Chris Narveson (L), RP Chris Smith (R), RP Carlos Villanueva (R), RP Mitch Stetter (L), RP Marco Estrada (R), Mike McClendon (R)
Some of these guys will start in the majors while others will begin the year at Nashville, the Brewers’ AAA affiliate. It’s anyone’s guess, really. It’s also possible one or two of these pitchers will be dealt before the 2011 season.
Here is a list of all the potential free agents after the 2010 season. Personally, I would like to see the Brewers look at right handed starters like Jake Westbrook, Tim Hudson, Jon Garland and Jeff Suppan (just kidding…that wasn’t funny, I’m sorry) and relievers like Matt Guerrier, J.J. Putz and Jason Frasor.
My prediction for the 2011 Brewers’ Pitching Staff:
SP – Yovani Gallardo
SP – Randy Wolf
SP – Chris Capuano
SP – Manny Parra
SP – (Free Agent/Trade)
LRP – Chris Narveson
RP – Todd Coffey
RP – LaTroy Hawkins
RP – Chris Smith
RP – (Free Agent/Trade)
SU – Kameron Loe
SU – Zach Braddock
CP – John Axford
I don’t think the Brewers would be smart to give up on Parra just yet. He is arbitration eligible and needs to get his head on straight, but has a ton of upside and has shown flashes of brilliance. That being said, I think 2011 is his last hurrah as a Brewer if he struggles again. Narveson just doesn’t seem to be cut out to be a major league starter and belongs in the pen as a long reliever, if not in AAA. Triple A is where I think we’ll see Stetter, Estrada, Villanueva and McClendon begin the year, but they could receive call ups if Smith or Narveson struggle to start off the season. This is ASSUMING that none of the ‘Question mark’ guys are dealt before 2011 comes along. Also, it’s possible that Fielder gets dealt for an arm or two before the season begins, so the Brewers can add some pitching not only through free agency, but also trade.
Packer game at 9 tonight! FOOTBALL!
Too-da-loo!
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