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The Opposing Viewpoint: Milwaukee Brewers

This edition of The Opposing Viewpoint features Jeff Sackmann, who writes for Brew Crew Ball and created the awesome Minor League Splits site, answering some questions about what to expect from the Brewers this year. I’ve also answered some questions about the Mets for Jeff, and you can take a look at that here. Read on for talk of defensive shifts, platoon splits, and pitchers batting eighth.

Defense was a big problem for the Brewers last year, and the team responded by signing Mike Cameron to play center field, moving center fielder Bill Hall back to the infield, and moving Ryan Braun to left field. How are Hall and Braun responding to their position shifts, and where on earth is Matt LaPorta going to play when he’s ready for the majors?

Bill Hall is happy, and is looking pretty darn good.  He’s made some great plays in the last few days, and no one ever doubted his ability to play the infield.  Some Brewers fans thought he was just as good a defender as JJ Hardy at short, so it stands to reason that he can handle the hot corner.

Braun…well, it matters less, now that he’s in left.  He doesn’t look hopeless, but it’s tough to imagine him ever being above average.  LaPorta will probably force a trade, either of him or maybe of Corey Hart.  He’s playing both left and right in Double-A this year, so he’s got the weak end of the defensive spectrum covered.

When closer Francisco Cordero signed with the Reds, Milwaukee responded by giving Eric Gagne a one-year deal. How do you see the 2008 Brewers ‘pen performing in comparison to the 2007 version?

Gagne is a question mark, but the rest of the pen looks pretty good.  David Riske and Salomon Torres have been solid so far, and I have to believe Gagne will at least be decent.  Even Guillermo Mota has turned in at least one great appearance.  It’s the most expensive bullpen in the league, and it might be worth the money.

Much has been made of the heavily right-handed nature of Milwaukee’s lineup (once Cameron returns from his suspension, Prince Fielder will be the only lefty bat among the starting eight) and the large platoon splits of some key players. Do you see this as a good thing or a bad thing?

I wrote about it at length the other day–long story short, it’s pretty much a neutral thing.  All else equal, a balanced lineup is better than a non-balanced lineup, but there are only so many adjustments opposing teams can make, and let’s face it: The offense is pretty darn good on the weak side, too.

The pitcher has batted eighth for the Brewers in all but one game so far this year, an idea that has been advocated by lineup-construction models for quite a few years and put into practice by Tony La Russa last season. What do you think of this lineup decision? 

It’s not going to make or break the season by any means–it probably won’t result in more than 5-10 more runs over the course of the year–but I do like it as a sign that Ned Yost is listening to people who know more about that kind of stuff than he does.  Yost can be bullheaded sometimes, and like most managers he would benefit from some time spent playing Strat-O-Matic, but this reflects a more open mind than I previously gave him credit for.  Maybe it presages other changes that might have bigger impacts.

This weekend could be a watershed moment in the history of booing at sporting events, as Guillermo Mota returns to Shea Stadium for the first time since last September. What role is Mota expected to have for the Brewers this year, and what Brewers player (if any) is most at risk of having a Guillermo Mota 2007 sort of year?

I don’t think the roles are set in the Brewers bullpen.  It seems like Mota could earn himself a set-up role, but he’s far from the only option for that job.  We’ve got a lot of former closers/set-up men, and it seems like Yost doesn’t quite know what to do with them yet.  Derrick Turnbow has had his share of 2007-Mota months, and he’s well on his way to an April like that.  I think the Brewers would eat his salary and ship him out before he puts together a full year like that, but he’s the obvious candidate.

Bonus question: What is your favorite baseball food?

I’m too cheap to buy food at the ballpark.  When I’m going to Shea, I usually go to Pho Bang in Elmhurst for the best Vietnamese food in town before or after the game.

This entry was posted on Friday, April 11th, 2008 at 9:54 am and is filed under Matt LaPorta, Guillermo Mota, Mike Cameron, The Opposing Viewpoint, Ryan Braun, Bill Hall, Milwaukee Brewers, Eric Gagne, Derrick Turnbow, 7 Train. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.