The 25 - My First In-Person Look at 2014 Milwaukee Brewers

The Milwaukee Brewers currently own the best record in baseball, which is probably the biggest surprise of the 2014 MLB season so far.  Following my first installment of The 25 on opening day, I decided that I would wait for my first in-season update until I saw the Brewers in-person.  Last night I got to see the Brewers play the Cincinnati Reds on the road at The Great American Ballpark with Cheesehead Chick and In-Law Cheese.

The game was poised to be a pitcher's duel given that Gallardo went into the game with a 1.91 ERA while Cueto had a 1.15 ERA. Gallardo turned in his first bum performance of the season given that he allowed more than three runs over six innings for the first time in seven starts in 2014.  Unfortunately for the Brewers, Cueto was stellar for the Reds.  On that topic, a local pizza restaurant runs a promotion that if the Reds strikeout 11 guys they giveaway a small pizza to each ticket holder.  Cueto came close in the 8th with almost the entire stadium chanting PIZZA, PIZZA, PIZZA at the top of their lungs.  A guy a few rows behind us got so excited that he yelled "I JUST WANT TO EAT" at the top of his lungs.  Unfortunately for the Reds faithful, Cueto was unable to seal the deal so although the Reds won, their fans will not be able to get their free small pizza that they apparently desperately need.  High comedy all around.

While we are on the topic of food, the Reds have great food options throughout the stadium.  My favorite spot is next to the right field fair pole.  Not only does the food stand offer the local fair of the opposing team (they fittingly had beer brats) but they also have a ton of tasty Leinenkugel beers on tap that you can mix and match.  My favorite combo is the Honey Bear, which is 1/2 glass of Leinenkugel's Honey Weiss and 1/2 glass of Leinenkugel's Berry Weiss.  The cherry on top is that you can watch the relievers for the opposing team warm up right around the corner from the concession stand I just described.  If the opposing team's fans want to feel at home with some tasty local food and drinks while keeping an eye on their relievers, they should get tickets by the right field fair pole.

Without further adu, here are my updated rankings to The 25 following my first in-person look at the Brewers this season:

Player Rankings

1. Jean Segura (SS, LR 1) 2. Carlos Gomez (CF, LR 2) 3. Jonathan Lucroy (C, LR 3) 4. Yovani Gallardo (RSP, LR 6) 5. Wily Peralta (RSP, LR 8) 6. Kyle Lohse (RSP, LR 5) 7. Matt Garza (RSP, LR 7) 8. Tyler Thornburg (RSP, LR 9) 9. Scooter Gennett (2B, LR 10) 10. Francisco Rodriguez (RRP, LR 20) 11. Marco Estrada (RSP, LR 11) 12. Khris Davis (LF, LR 12) 13. Will Smith (LRP, LR 14) 14. Aramis Ramirez (3B, LR 16) 15. Brandon Kintzler (RRP, LR 15) 16. Logan Schafer (LF, LR 18) 17. Martin Maldonado (C, LR 22) 18. Zach Duke (LRP, LR 21) 19. Lyle Overbay (1B, LR 24) 20. Wei-Chung Wang (RRP, LR 17) 21. Mark Reynolds (1B, LR 19) 22. Jeff Bianchi (3B, LR 23) 23. Caleb Gindl (OF, NR N/A) 24. Rob Wooten (RRP, NR N/A) 25. Rickie Weeks (2B, LR 25)

Disabled List

1. Ryan Braun (RF, 15-DL) 2. Jim Henderson (RRP, 15-DL) 3. Tom Gorzelanny (LRP, 15-DL)

#2) Carlos Gomez (CF, LR 2): Baseball has an unwritten code that Gomez refuses to follow, which certainly gets under the skin of the opposing team.  Sure I wish Gomez ran out sacrifice fly instead of admiring them but every other Brewer comes to his defense on a regular basis so I guess the fact that Gomez bucks the normal baseball trends is fine with me.  Add in that Gomez is becoming one of the best centerfielders in baseball four years later than expected and that makes him the most interesting player currently on The 25. With all due respect to Nyjer "Tony Plush" Morgan, I am not sure there is a Brewer more liked by his team and more loathed by the opposition than Gomez in franchise history.  It is almost as if Gomez was put on earth to get under the skin of sanctimoniousness Cardinals players and fans.

#10) Francisco Rodriguez (RRP, LR 20): Going into the season it looked like Jim Henderson was going to be the closer but after a shaky end to spring training, the Brewers went with K-Rod instead of Henderson.  So far K-Rod is perfect with an 0.00 ERA over 17 innings thanks to 24 strikeouts while allowing just four walks and seven hits.  I am not a huge fan of saves as a legitimate MLB stat but the fact that K-Rod tied an all-time record of most saves before May 1st with 13 just shows you how well things are going for the Brewers so far this season.  Given that K-Rod is currently a perfect 14-for-14, I see a couple rough outings coming up sometime soon but we might as well enjoy the tide till K-Rod falters.

#12) Khris Davis (LF, LR 12): The Brewers are taking the anti-Moneyball approach by trying to do as much damage as possible, early in at-bats, against starting pitchers.  That means instead of working the count, the Brewers are swinging early and often if they see a pitch they like.  That is great if you can get to the starting pitcher but if you don't, that allows starters to work longer into the game since they do not rack up huge pitch counts.  Davis seems like the biggest culprit of the anti-Moneyball approach, which worked last season but has not been as successful this year.  Sure Davis has a ton of time to turn things around but if he continues to struggle it will bring my problems with the Aoki/Myers trade to fruition.

It is only the beginning of May but given the (monotony) length of a baseball season, the fact that the Brewers get along so well is powered by more than just Everybody Wei-Chung Tonight, Pharrell Williams, or just Hank the Dog.  If this trend continues, I see the Brewers actually being buyers at the trade deadline to help jump start their playoff run.

2013 MLB Trade Deadline Advice for Doug Melvin

For the last four years at the NBA Trade Deadline I gave very specific advice to Milwaukee Bucks general manager John Hammond for how to improve the roster (2010, 2011, 2012, & 2013).  This is my first year doing the same thing for Milwaukee Brewers general manager Doug Melvin ahead of the MLB Trade Deadline.  Here is my five-point-plan for how Melvin should approach the 2013 MLB Trade Deadline:

#1) Move at least one of the three "closers" for prospects.  I say "closers" because John Axford was supposed to be the closer for the Brewers this season but struggled to start the season, which opened the door for Jim Henderson and K-Rod.  When you factor in age and contract, I would much rather trade K-Rod or Axford than Henderson but I totally support the Brewers moving any of the three for future assets.

#2) Hold onto starting pitcher Yovani Gallardo unless offered a Greinke-esque return.  The Brewers have Gallardo under control through 2015.  Sure Gallardo's contract jumps from $7.75 million to $11.25 million next season and has a $13 million ($0.6 million buyout) club option for 2015 but that also means the Brewers could have a borderline ace under control through 2015.  Gallardo has pitched for the Brewers so long that people forget he is still only 27-years old, which means Gallardo still has a decade left in his career.  The velocity on Gallardo's fastball has decreased over the last few seasons and to make matters worse he was arrested earlier this season for driving under the influence of alcohol but he is still a low-end ace so the Brewers should keep strongly consider keeping Gallardo.

#3) Hold onto any and all prospects.  The Brewers have as much of a chance of making the playoffs this year as I do of leveraging the advice I dispense on this blog into becoming the next general manager of one of the Cheesehead professional sports franchises.  The Brewers need to continue to build for the future instead of making short-term trades with negative long-term consequences.

#4) Do not trade catcher Jonathan Lucroy, starting pitcher Kyle Lohse, shortstop Jean Segura, right fielder Norichika Aoki, center fielder Carlos Gomez, and left fielder Ryan Braun.  The Brewers have Lucroy, Lohse, Segura, and Aoki on team friendly deals through at least 2014 so that makes them virtually untouchable in my book.  The Brewers have larger financial commitments to Gomez and Braun but with Gomez finally fulfilling the promise that made him the centerpiece of the Johan Santana trade and PED stink hanging over Braun there is no way the Brewers would get equal value for either player at this point.  Lohse and Aoki are the most likely of the six to get traded but I would resist overtures even for them unless the Brewers get a Godfather offer.

#5) Entertain offers for Aramis Ramirez and Rickie Weeks as long as you don't have to eat more than $5 million of either of their contracts.  I know this feels like selling low on Ramirez since he is having a disappointing season this year compared to last year and is currently on the DL but he is owed $16 million next season, which is about $10 million too much.  Plus moving Ramirez will allow the Brewers to see whether Juan Francisco is a long-term answer at third base.  Weeks is on the books for $10 million this seasons, $11 million for next season, and has a $11.5 million vesting option (if healthy at end of 2014 season and has 600 PAs in 2014 or 1,200 PAs in 2013-14) for 2015.  Despite hitting well going into the All-Star break, Weeks is still a Jeff Suppan-esque lightning rod for Brewers fans. Much like Ramirez, the Brewers are on the hook for way too much money for Weeks.  The payroll relief alone of trading either Ramirez or Weeks without assuming their entire contract would make the 2013 MLB Trade Deadline a success for the Brewers.

I wish I knew more minor league players outside of the Brewers' farm system so that I could give Melvin specific players to target but unfortunately I don't at this point.  I promise in next year's incarnation of this column I will give Melvin or the new general manger of the Brewers specific minor league players to target.  Whether Melvin follows my blueprint or charts his own path, if Melvin makes any moves, check back for my full breakdown.