Rolling Young, Controllable Talent - Your 2018 Milwaukee Brewers Let's Make it Happen Thread

Starting this thread a little early so it's ready to go in case the Brewers have any more ~big moves~ up their sleeve.

Can Arcia build on his outstanding 2017? Will this be the season Braun actually plays first base? Was Eric Thames a one-season phenomenon? Am I the only one worried about the second base situation? Can Gallardo make a comeback? Why So many outfielders? Let's do this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhUJ0SE8U0A

I think there's a real chance Lorenzo Cain instantly slots into "face of the team" status in 2018

I really hope so. I want to love him; I'm just so scared of free agents and price tag, and not sure how much of an upgrade he really is over the already pretty solid outfield we have. I can just imagine fans really, really beginning to rue him around year 3 of his contract.

Damn Keston Hiura is looking good

Still trying to figure out the logic of adding two very expensive outfielders to a system already crowded with depth at that position, but not picking up an ace starter (especially given that there were some bargains on the market).

I don't doubt there's a logic to it, I just don't get it. Only conclusion I can come to is the team doesn't really believe it can content this year.

yelich isn't expensive, but yeah

seeing things like the nationals signing jeremy hellickson (?) i guess alex cobb is out there asking for a 10-year contract

I'm with Evan on this one. These moves make no sense to me. They're going to go into the season with a crazy good outfield, which is going to force them to cut good players with no options left. Meanwhile they're left without a single *great* starter - just a bunch of "potentially good" dudes with question marks. Their payroll is still fairly low. I feel like something didn't work out.

Teams in general seem to be about stocking talent as much as possible and then slowly bringing players to the bigs when they know they are ready to go.

also who in their right mind would sign a FA starting pitcher?

if Braun can play 1B that would make things a bit smoother. then you've got Santana, Yelich, and Cain in the OF, with Broxton in reserve. but then, what to do with Thames? I guess you can platoon him or something.

and yeah signing FA pitchers is generally bad - that said the Brewers are under budget and clearly have a hole in SP, they could have picked up Lancy Lynn at least???

FA pitchers never work out well for us, so I appreciate not overpaying. But Darvish and Cobb went for relatively reasonable prices. We could have afforded them.

The logjam in the outfield and at first (four possible players there!) aren't the worst problems to have, but I wish we could have gotten at least something for Santana (unlikely to get the playing time he deserves) or Aguilar (a possible DFA candidate). The roster is just ridiculously imbalanced right now.

Steans gave a less than inspiring interview with JS basically saying, "yeah I know people say we should have signed an ace but sometimes things don't work out and who can really predict how it'll all go anyway?"

ultimately I still feel like Sterns wanted to make some sort of trade but something must've fallen through. our rotation has the potential to be alright but it relies a lot on young pitchers without much experience who had decent, but not great years. we've seen how that's worked out over the years. feel like one solid, proven starter could help things a lot. cuz realistically, you look at the rotation now, probably 3 of those guys are going to work out. potentially 4 once Jimmy Nelson returns.

No guarantee Nelson will be any good when he comes back.

I think the real logic—and it's unpopular—is that Stearns simply doesn't expect the team to really contend this year. Too many unknowns; he's still waiting for young players (mostly pitchers) in the system to work their way up. If the team over performs in April and May he can make a mid-season acquisition, otherwise he can keep the team on track for a big-scheme rebuild (Yelich slots to be a very good player for quite a while—the only piece that doesn't make a ton of sense in this equation is Cain, whose window is smaller, but I guess Stearns still sees him as a great player at a good price so you can justify the expense).

Anyone flipping between the Brewers and Bucks late last night went on a massive roller coaster

Thought it was too early in the year, too cold, too March to get excited for baseball but nope I’m stoked now

Heartbreaking game for SD fans. Glad they're battling your team at least!

jesus has this been an emotional rollercoaster of a week

brutal. Four excruciating games in a row, if you exclude one incredible inning Tuesday. Pretty fucking petty of the Cubs to tweet that shit while we're still processing the horror of watching our closer go down in violent agony

🎶 Hey, Milwaukee, what do you say
How ‘bout one more L today 🎶 pic.twitter.com/DuMTbQqGXE

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) April 6, 2018

Fuck these guys forever.

Kind of sick of this meme but lol

If you don’t then you don’t love me deserve me
at my at my pic.twitter.com/ijhdWxua88

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) April 7, 2018

This season has been really rough. Could be fun when/if the offense breaks out, but all those scoreless stretches and zero-run games are a morale-killer

it's a good time to have a rough start, though - cubs and cards have also sputtered out of the gate. i'm not taking the pirates seriously (yet)

I'm not too worried about it, this is a good offense and they shouldn't get shut out too often. being .500 after all that is kinda nice. plus, they were like 1-for-100000 with RISP over the homestand (the 1 being Orlando Magic's walk-off, of course)

4/4 saves blown, lol

yikes, bandy had a bit of a fit about that strike 3 call. i mean it may have been an inch or two low but it wasn't thaaaat bad. reminds me of a matt carpenter freak out. he's lucky he didn't get thrown out. aren't the brewers short on catchers right now, health-wise?

daaaang, josh hader

https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/josh-hader-is-becoming-baseballs-most-valuable-reliever/

Hader has faced 34 batters. He’s struck out 22 of them, while allowing only two hits. He’s making high-leverage appearances, and in five of six games, he’s recorded more than three outs.

And yet our closer is Matt Lolbers

Brewers are short of everything now, health-wise. Last night we were getting blown out of the water and didn't even have enough position players available to let one pitch

we've definitely rounded into midseason injury form

Josh Hader is beginning to feel like a legend in the making

yea him and Thames being the heroes of the game reminds me why I love this team so much

Jesus Aguilar!

Davey Nelson :(

years ago I saw some post-game segment where he and the Rock tossed a ball around to demonstrate... something. I don't remember what but it was charming as hell. That guy was so good on air, such a lovable presence. Can only imagine how much his absence will be felt by those who knew him.

yeah I know someone who used to work on the Brewers' media team, he said Davey was just as friendly and affable as he came off on camera. really loved how he was always so positive about the team, even when they got their ass kicked.

8 straight, baby !

yeah, I know who they've been playing against. but still

sucks to see Thames land on the DL. wonder if Braun is gonna see some time there now.

Hopeful the extra playing time snaps Santana from his slump. This is getting hard to watch

just like last year at this point, i can't tell which team i want to win! the cubs are off to a slow start but still seem like the odds-on favorite to win by the end of the year. but then again i wouldn't be surprised to see the brew crew end up at the top either, especially if the pitching is decent.

So some 21 year old fill in starter just struck out 13 in 5.2, god damn

Wonder if they’ll send him back down now

Even better, his family came to watch him pitch in Colorado Springs, wound up getting to see him in the majors instead

first NL team to 30 wins

didn't foresee

That's because you turned your back on Jesus (Aguilar)

see, even by bumping this thread you've brought good tidings

"The Haderade...sweet and salty today, once again."

send him out for the 9th imo

man if you'd have told me in 2010 that 8 years later we'll have the NL's best record in June with our two best players being Lorenzo Cain and Jeremy Jeffress....

Aguilar's having a pretty good year huh

Freddy tonight: 7 IP, 10 K, 1 BB, 1 Hit, 0 ER. guess he's probably gonna stay in the bigs now.

running like crazy on the Braves early

https://media0.giphy.com/media/ZQm4fEHAsUrCw/giphy.gif

rough last week of the first half

https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/what-christian-yelich-has-changed/

Reds getting Scooter Gennett was pay back for Bill Hall hitting like Rogers Hornsby against the Reds for a few years. I swear one year he hit 11 home runs for the season and like 8 of them were against the Reds.

Jay Bruce used to hit big against the Brewers, don't know if it has continued with the Mets (probably not).

last 10 ABs vs. Hader: 1H, 9K

seven consecutive series victories, now only 1 back in division, guys I AM FEELING IT

Re: Hader, I haven't seen such filthy cheddar since the heyday of roided up closers like Gagne & Rivera.

Yelich hit for another cycle today. How many batters have done it twice in a month ?

Even better: both cycles were completed with a triple. That's got to be a first in-season.

both cycles against the reds also

Heard this morning that two times against the same team in the same season is a first. There might be three firsts involved in this.

Reds glad to help in the MVP race. I think Yelich is hitting like .500 against the Reds this year.

counsell starts dan jennings and pulls him after one batter (matt carpenter). september baseball!

LOOG-y starter then send in a Righty?

guess so! carpenter has been slumping for about a month now so i'm not sure it was necessary for today's game, but still pretty interesting to see counsell do something like that in this final week.

Huh, that's a scenario I never thought of before. If a starter comes out after one unretired batter and the 2nd pitcher throws 4.2 innings and comes out with 2 outs in the 5th, is the 2nd pitcher eligible for the win in relief even though he wouldn't have been eligible as a starter?

It's up to the scorer.

can't believe Counsell pulled Jennings in the middle of a perfect game

wasn't it an UltraOpener move?

anyway, looking good for the Brewers, and i hope they play the Rockies.

yea given our history of getting knocked out by the Cardinals I'd be happy to not have to face them in a do-or-die game

gotta say I've liked the way Counsell has managed these last few weeks, as though every game is a playoff game. they're 23-10 since 8/20, back when their playoff chances were something like 30-40%.

congrats brewers

destroy the cubs

apologies that the pirates are unlikely to pull off a sweep in chicago

umm... go Cards !??

Works for me, but only if simultaneously go nats

apologies that the pirates are unlikely to pull off a sweep in Chicago

don't speak so soon

Hader seems... tired?

Go Brew crew. I'm game for a Brewers vs. A's or Cleveland World Series.

Act like you want it, Jeffress.

Yelich is doing a pretty good '67 Yaz imitation.

After today:

Yaz '67 (Sept./Oct.) - .417/.504/.760, 9 HR, 26 RBI
Yelich (Sept.) - .360/.500/.826, 10 HR, 33 RBI

(It was an offhanded comment--didn't realize they were that close.)

He's two RBI's from a triple crown.

Christian Yelich's last 14 plate appearances:

Three-run homer
Walk
Walk
Walk
Walk
Walk
Two-run homer
Walk
Walk
Strikeout
Walk
Two-run homer
Strikeout
Solo homer

— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) September 30, 2018

So he’s just another Mark Reynolds really

pic.twitter.com/9ZYGLSm75j

— kluch53 (@kluch53) October 1, 2018

except the brewers had the lead for most of the first half but ok

immediate regret for nit-picking a meme

brewers are a good team, congrats to the ilx brewers fans

tbh I wasn't too bullish on this season b/c a lot of players had breakout years in 2017 and I didn't know how repeatable that was. Thames, Santana, and Pina all regressed this year (I thought Shaw did too, but apparently his increased BB% made up for it), while most of last year's starting pitchers were notably worse this year, and our top guy Jimmy Nelson didn't pitch at all. All those offseason moves really worked out.

current mood:

Eric Thames. Boss. pic.twitter.com/mMsWIHKvff

— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) October 1, 2018

Since the break, Yelich is hitting .367/.449/.770 in 64 games, and down the stretch he has been nearly impossible to get out.

Over his last 13 games, Yelich is 21-for-43 with six home runs, five doubles and two triples. That’s 13 extra-base hits in just 12 games, and he’s driven in 21 runs while scoring 17 times. He walked 14 times, including all five times last Wednesday to finish off a sweep of the Cardinals, one of eight straight victories the Brewers finished the season with.

https://www.sbnation.com/mlb/2018/10/1/17919174/christian-yelich-triple-crown-red-hot-brewers-mvp-case

Impressive.

lol

https://i.redd.it/5aalx0ievmp11.jpg

https://cdn.fangraphs.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/yelich-wrc-plus.png

very good time to be streaking

https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/lift-off-for-christian-yelich/

I don't believe there is a 2019 thread, so I'm placing this here:

Bob Uecker is going OFF pic.twitter.com/i3c9IXyIM6

— SI Extra Mustard (@SI_ExtraMustard) September 26, 2019

we migrated over here this year:

NL CENTRAL PREDICTATRON 2019

Oh, that makes sense.

I didn't know till today they had a 29-year-old rookie pitcher named Jason Alexander. I wish I were a headline writer for one of the local papers--I'd have one for appearance.

"every appearance"

Maybe we can have a rolling fake headline thread

Brewers Twitter is calling this the Summer of George

Over/under on how long till the first "Master of His Domain" headline.

Another divisional leader without a thread (nothing since 2018)...Don't know if FB links work, but I'll post this for frogs.

https://www.facebook.com/BlueJays/posts/pfbid029JSxqQKn6j6daSsHtxFuQbqXsnDcSYzvKV5oPpNfUeo8NcT1ty8WujG3gDhBMfAXl

at a certain point, team-specific threads started to seem unnecessary with the small number of regulars on ILB, and some people started just posting on the general season thread instead. but that isn’t a hard and fast rule and some of the team-specific threads are pretty popular. but that’s why you don’t see a 2023 thread for every single team.

Makes sense. I'm glad I started the Rays thread, though.