Brewers Offseason Update

The Brewers have made some nice moves in the off-season so far. Nothing huge but some moves. K-Rod accepted arbitration so he will be back next year. The Brewers now have their new Shortstop as well in Alex Gonzalez. Look for the Crew to make a few more moves as the off-season progresses. Maybe A-Ram??

Interview with Christopher McFarland

This is my interview with Chris McFarland, the Brewers 18th round draft choice this year. JS stands for me, Jacob Stalsberg and CM stands for Chris McFarland.

JS: When did you begin playing baseball?
CM: I started playing baseball when i was 6 years old.

JS: Has baseball always been your dream?
CM: Always, first time i watched baseball was on TV when i was 5 and i asked my mom to sign me up and I've never gave up on it since then. No one in my family ever played baseball so it was kinda of weird for me to from just watching it on TV.

JS: What was it like to get drafted by the Brewers?
CM: It was blessing, nothing but smiles when you get your name called.

JS: What is the best advice you've been given in your playing career?
CM: Remember to have fun, you will always play better too and just keep it a a game

JS: Who is your idol in baseball?
CM: Derek Jeter has always been my favorite baseball player but then again i have so many as well Robinson Cano, Albert Pujols, Cal Ripken Jr, Willie Mays.. a lot.

JS: What's it like to be able to play a sport you enjoy everyday?
CM: It's the best thing in the world and I will never take it for granted. It's been my dream to play in the majors and its up to me now to make it come true.

JS: Has the transition from college to minor league ball been easy?
CM: I haven't played a full season so far, just some time in instructs so i couldn't say so far coming from high school.

JS :What is your favorite moment in baseball that you've experienced?
CM: Playing in the Under Armour All American Game was exciting. I don't think I've had a specific moment that has had stood out other than that but definitely expecting lots to come.

Ryan Braun Wins MVP

Yesterday, Ryan Braun got the call that he had won the Most Valuable Player of the year award for the National League beating out Matt Kemp (Dodgers) and his own teammate Prince Fielder. Braun put up some ridiculous stats this season, with his stat line being: .332 batting average, 33 home runs, 111 RBIS, and a .397 OBP. That's not even before you get to the fact that he stole 33 bases. It was the cap of a great season for the Brewers, and hopefully it will indicate better things to come in Ryan Braun's future.

Brewers Second Base Situation

OK. I am going to warn all of you guys before reading this that if you like Rickie Weeks, you probably should stop reading. Because my plan entails moving Rickie Weeks to another team.
I think that the Brewers should trade Rickie Weeks. There, I'm just going to lay it out there.
I think that if the Brewers really wanted to look into making this team better than it is right now, they should think about acquiring a good pitcher, and a scrub second baseman for Weeks. Ideally we would trade him to the D-Backs for Daniel Hudson and Aaron Hill, but we might have to add something to that. Now I think that they should trade Weeks because he is just way to injury prone to have on a team. Plus, he could draw interest from other teams because he is just starting a new contract so it's not like he will be a rental player or anything. The Brewers also could target pitchers like Brandon Morrow (Blue Jays) or James Shields (Rays).

Brewers First Base Situation

HERE IT COMES, THE TOUGH ONE.

1) PRINCE IS GONE, OH NO!!!
2) Don't you fret now, i have a solution!! Heres what the Brewers should do: Trade for a guy in Toronto by the name of Adam Lind. WHY?? Because Mat Gamel is not the answer at first base. And because Lind struggled towards the end of the year, he is going to be cheap. I'm thinking Gamel and Mcgehee? Why do I want Lind, now you ask? Well he hits for a lot of home runs. And thats what this team is missing when fielder leaves. His average is sub-par, but he would be a nice hitter in the number 5 spot behind Rickie Weeks. This is the ideal situation for the Brewers, because they do not lose power at the first base spot.

NEXT UP!!! Second Base.

Brew Crew's Catcher Situation

Let's start with what should be the easiest position to figure out in 2012. That doesn't mean however that I do not feel some moves could be made. Here's what I think the Crew should do:
1)  Stay with Jonathon Lucroy as your starting Catcher for 2012.
Lets Be honest here, he's cheap, young, good, can play defense, and is a great guy. There is no reason to fix what ain't broke, and hes a nice hitter in the 8th or 7th spot.
2) Hang George Kottaras out there as trade bait.
Some team is realistically going to want a nice lefty bat off the bench like Kottaras. So, see what you can get. Randy Wolf is the only concern here because he doesnt well work well with Lucroy, but at some point in time they have got to cooperate, and if you can get a nice bullpen arm for Kottaras, why not? Then go out in FA, and get a decent backup catcher.

Up next, the tough one: FIRST BASE.

Brewers Lose Championship Series

Last night the Brewers unfortunately  lost to the Cardinals and the Cardinals will move on to the World Series. I'm not going to go into detail because it was ugly. Throughout the offseason, we will be going through position by position team needs and what moves the Crew should make. This series should start in the next couple of days. Stay Tuned.