Results tagged ‘ John Axford ’

Fourteen Brewers Listed on Provisional World Baseball Classic Rosters

2013wbcThe World Baseball Classic provisional rosters were announced this afternoon live on MLB Network. They’re provisional because rosters don’t lock until February 20th but these are the names that you can expect to see playing in the 2013 World Baseball Classic. Pool play begins on March 2nd.

Among those members of the Brewers organization who are participating are nine players who were active on a 25-man roster as of 8/31/2012. The limit from each organization is 10. The overall limit is 14 players from each franchise.

Brewers players will represent seven countries (and Puerto Rico) in the international tournament which began in 2006, was played again in 2009 and now falls into its every-four-years format.

Without further ado, here are the participants along with the team they’ll be representing in 2013.

Team USA (2)

  • Ryan Braun*
  • Jonathan Lucroy* (Twitter: @JLucroy20)

Team Mexico (2)

  • Yovani Gallardo*
  • Marco Estrada*

Team Canada (4)

Team Puerto Rico (2)

Team Dominican Republic (1)

Team Italy (1)

  • Jeff Bianchi*

Team Netherlands (1)

Team Australia (1)

*-active MLB player as of 8/31/2012

Official Release: Brewers On Deck To Feature Over 50 Players, Coaches

brewersondeck2013

Thirty-two current Milwaukee Brewers players from the 40-man roster plus a host of alumni, Minor League prospects, coaches, front office executives and broadcasters are scheduled to participate in Brewers On Deck, which is set to take place Sunday, January 27 from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. at the Delta Center.  The event is presented by Time Warner Cable.

Brewers On Deck is the annual Fan Fest that bridges the gap between winter and Spring Training.  Players, coaches and alumni scheduled to attend include the following (all subject to change):

PLAYERS

COACHES

  • Ron Roenicke
  • Joe Crawford
  • Marcus Hanel (@Markoos55)
  • Garth Iorg
  • Rick Kranitz
  • Jerry Narron
  • Johnny Narron
  • Ed Sedar
  • John Shelby
  • Lee Tunnell

MINORS

ALUMNI

  • Jerry Augustine (@jaugie46)
  • Jim Gantner
  • Larry Hisle
  • Gorman Thomas
  • Bob Uecker

Tickets for Brewers On Deck are currently on sale.  Advance tickets are $15 for adults and $9 for children ages 14 and under. Tickets may be purchased at the Miller Park ticket office, by calling the Brewers Ticket office at 414-902-4000, or online at Brewers.com/ondeck. On the day of the event, only cash will be accepted for purchases made at the door.  Tickets the day of the event are $20 for adults and $15 for children 14 and under.

Brewers On Deck will feature a number of activities for the entire family.  Autographs and photos from Brewers players and coaches, interactive games in the Kids Area, Q&A sessions and game shows with coaches, players and staff, vendor booths with baseball memorabilia, the Brewers Community Foundation Treasure Hunt and many other activities will all be a part of Brewers On Deck.

The same system for autographs will be used for Brewers On Deck that was used last year.  Recipients of any “PREMIER” autographs (players to be announced at a later date) will be chosen through a random selection process. Numbered coupons to be entered into the random selection process will be available the day of the event only and will be distributed beginning at 8 a.m. at the Delta Center. Coupon distribution will be available up to an hour before each designated autograph session. A schedule of players, their session times, and distribution info will be posted later this month.

Fans can receive one coupon per event admission ticket and can use that coupon to enter the random selection process for any one of the select Brewers players. There is no cost for coupons to enter the random selection process; however, those holding coupons that are chosen must pay $25 at the respective autograph stage to collect their player signature. There will be 250 winners for each of the PREMIER autograph sessions.

Players and staff not included in the PREMIER autograph list will not use the random selection process. Each of these players will sign 250 autographs at prices ranging from free to $10. The autograph opportunities are for signatures on photo cards provided by the team; the Brewers cannot guarantee that any player will sign other memorabilia.  For additional information regarding the lottery process, visit Brewers.com/ondeck.

All autograph proceeds benefit Brewers Community Foundation. Please note that cash is the only acceptable form of payment for autographs.  The Brewers cannot guarantee that any player will sign other memorabilia, and personalization of items is solely up to the discretion of each player.

Details on Gonzalez’ Contract Incentives

Adam McCalvy just posted a blog where he broke down the incentives available on top of the $2.25 million guaranteed in new Brewers reliever Mike Gonzalez’ contract.

McCalvy explains that there are up to $400,000 in bonuses, that figure according to the Associated Press.

Gonzalez can earn $50,000 if he finishes 25 games, another $75,000 for finishing a total of 30 games, an additional $75,000 if he finishes 35 games, $100,000 if he finishes 40 games and another 100 grand should he finish 50 games in 2013.

These incentives are clearly designed to compensate Gonzalez should he have to close games for any reason.

I make a full post today though to discuss the implications thereof.

To me, it would seem to indicate that should injury befall John Axford, Brewers GM Doug Melvin would be expecting field manager Ron Roenicke to turn to Gonzalez to close games. He is the most experienced secondary option in the bullpen to be sure (he has 56 career Saves) but at this point in his career he is also cover-your-eyes awful against right-handed hitting. Obviously in the closer’s role, you face plenty of hitters from both sides. One would think that having Gonzalez close wouldn’t be the best choice long-term choice.

Hopefully that isn’t a bridge we ever come to though.

If The Season Started Tomorrow…

It’s the final day of 2012.

This was a year which saw the Milwaukee Brewers attempt (unsuccessfully) to defend a division championship for the first time since 1983. It was the first time that the Brewers featured their very own defending league Most Valuable Player since 1990. They entered the season with an intact rotation which used the fewest different arms (6) to make all 162 starts. Arguably the league’s most fearsome bullpen back-end was returning as well with only a couple of key veterans taking jobs elsewhere. And sure, Prince Fielder followed the money to Detroit but this was going to be Mat Gamel’s breakout year and Aramis Ramirez would pick up most of the slack…at least once May rolled around, he would.

Alas, we all know how things turned out in 2012 so I shan’t recap the trials, tribulations, trade, and triumphs that resulted in 83 victories a year after winning a franchise-record 96 games.

No, for this column we look forward. We look forward to 2013. We look forward to P&C. We look much too far forward to Opening Day with this set of projections.

If the season started tomorrow, the following things would be true:

  • I’d be extremely happy that I wouldn’t have to still be counting down to Opening Day (91 days as of this writing).
  • I’d be extremely cold while tailgating outside of Miller Park for a few hours on my wife’s birthday.
  • I’d have failed miserably in posting my season preview “Brewers By the Jersey Numbers” articles.

But really, I’m posting today to take a look at how the current roster stacks up and what I think a 25-man roster would look like when the games started counting.

dougmelvinI gotta tell you all that I would normally not make this projection for quite some time but with Doug Melvin’s declaration that they were “coming to the end” of acquiring free agents (or however he exactly worded it), chances are the majority of options at the team’s disposal today are going to be the same options they are presented with in 43 days when Pitchers and Catchers officially report.

Of course, and it should go without needing to be said, a ton can change between now and then anyway despite appearances. Somebody could be traded. Somebody could be signed as a veteran backup where currently only inexperience resides. Somebody could injure themselves in a pickup basketball game. Et cetera. But if we accounted for every “if” that we could, nobody would ever project anything. That’s simply not much fun.

Assuming everyone is through rehab successfully, here is how my 25-man roster would look if the season started tomorrow. (Players listed alphabetically within their position group.)

Starting Pitchers (5)

  • Marco Estrada
  • Mike Fiers
  • Yovani Gallardo
  • Chris Narveson*
  • Mark Rogers

Gallardo

I know what you’re thinking. “Free Wily Peralta!” I agree that he’s likely one of the best five options available to fill a spot in the rotation but based on the necessary evil of depth maintenance and with respect to the rules on minor league options, this just feels like the rotation that will head north from Arizona. Gallardo is a lock. Estrada was mentioned more than once this off-season as having an advantage in the competition. (He also isn’t hurt by the fact that his manager really likes his pitching.) Fiers did more than enough throughout most the season to be given a shot from the get. After adding two left-handed relievers to the bullpen, sticking Narveson in there doesn’t make sense anymore (if it ever did). Rogers is out of options and I really want to see him get a shot to contribute as a starting pitcher. He won’t make it through waivers to Nashville. Peralta has options remaining and that’s what this should come down to. Don’t doubt for a minute though that if Fiers struggles for a few starts early and it appears that the end of 2012 was due to being “figured out” more so than simply fatigue, he’ll be optioned down to Nashville in favor of the young Dominican.

Tyler Thornburg will get a look this spring but I feel like they don’t want to mess with him as a reliever this year at all. They’ll give him a full season starting in Triple-A. Hopefully with the regular and steady work he was used to, he’ll be able to avoid the arm fatigue that slowed his development in 2012. Hiram Burgos, just added to the 40-man roster, should also pitch in games in big league camp to start the spring, but after skyrocketing through the system this year, he’ll be in Nashville’s rotation when camp breaks.

Relief Pitchers (7)

  • John Axford (Closer)
  • Burke Badenhop
  • Mike Gonzalez*
  • Tom Gorzelanny*
  • Jim Henderson
  • Brandon Kintzler
  • Michael Olmsted

axfordaction

One open spot for competition. Many feel that the aforementioned Peralta should be in the rotation and that either Narveson or Rogers will become the default long reliever as a effect. For me, the final spot in the ‘pen will come down to one of the recent high-ceiling additions which Melvin and his staff have picked up this off-season. If I had my druthers, Michael Olmsted gets first crack at it. Spring Training performance might dictate that he isn’t ready for the jump over Triple-A, and this might be specifically adjusted in March, but based on minor league numbers, projectability, and stuff, Olmsted appears to be at the top of the influx of opportunity-seekers. Olmsted is already on the 40-man roster too, something that would come into play should someone like a Jairo Asencio continue to impress.

Last year’s swingman Josh Stinson has an option remaining so he’ll head to the minors. Likewise Miguel De Los Santos. One other note, as of this posting the Mike Gonzalez deal still hadn’t been made official. When it is, someone must come off the 40-man roster. I think that will be Fautino De Los Santos. So, if he’s even still with the organization, he’ll be tucked away in the minors to begin the year.

Catchers (2)

  • Jonathan Lucroy
  • Martin Maldonado

lucroy-bunting

Need there be a lengthy explanation? How’s this: no other catchers on the 40-man; these two played very well all year (when healthy); next best options coming to camp are Blake Lalli and Dayton Buller. Next!

Infielders (7)

  • Jeff Bianchi
  • Mat Gamel**
  • Corey Hart
  • Donnie Murphy
  • Aramis Ramirez
  • Jean Segura
  • Rickie Weeks

segura

A “traditional” roster usually consists of six infielders and five outfielders. I’ve split this roster differently for a couple of reasons though. First, Mat Gamel and Jeff Bianchi are both out of minor league options. Bianchi performed okay last year in his first big league action, but really what the Brewers will be holding onto is depth at shortstop. Sure, they wouldn’t have to add Donnie Murphy to the 40-man roster at all and could just stash him in the minors to begin the year but he is the superior defender to Bianchi and can more capably cover defensively at the hot corner. Furthermore, the team has made no secret of the designs to have Gamel play in the corner outfield spots this spring along with Corey Hart’s obvious ability to fill in should an emergency arise.

Taylor Green will once again be the victim of circumstance, but he is more valuable to the organization playing everyday anyway even if that’s at Nashville. He can stay ready at the plate and be called upon if an injury creates a need.

Outfielders (4)

  • Norichika Aoki**
  • Ryan Braun
  • Carlos Gomez
  • Logan Schafer**

braunaction

To elaborate a bit on my point from above, Logan Schafer can play all three defensive outfield positions very well. He can take over for any of the regulars when they need a day off and can be utilized in double-switches late in games. It’d be the same way that the Brewers played the majority of 2012 defensively once Hart moved to first base. Assuming that day’s starting outfield was Braun-Gomez-Aoki, Nyjer Morgan was the only “true” outfielder remaining on the roster. Schafer can do more than Morgan could defensively and still brings at least as much at the plate from the same left side.

For the record, if the Brewers did decide to carry five outfielders, I’d guess that Murphy would begin the season in the minors for depth and the extra outfielder would be Caleb Gindl. This seven IFs and four OFs configuration can work, though, with the proper personnel. The Brewers would have that group in 2013 should they choose to go that route. I would.

Opening Day Lineup

  1. Rickie Weeks
  2. Norichika Aoki
  3. Ryan Braun
  4. Aramis Ramirez
  5. Corey Hart
  6. Jonathan Lucroy
  7. Carlos Gomez
  8. Jean Segura
  9. Yovani Gallardo

On Opening Day I foresee manager Ron Roenicke looking to do a couple of things with his lineup. I think he’d like to have Weeks back up near the top and despite how Aoki performed so well while leading off in 2012 I think he’ll play the same card he did once he moved Weeks down the lineup last year to justify the order I have listed. You may recall that on days when Carlos Gomez started in center, Aoki batted second because Aoki handled the bat better to move the leadoff hitter over should he reach base. When Morgan started in center Roenicke felt that Aoki’s patience resulted in a better chance to get on base for the rest of the lineup. As we know, despite typically low batting averages, Weeks gets on base. His .350 career OBP is 99 points higher than his career batting average and only .005 lower than what Aoki did in his rookie season. What’s more, despite the struggles Weeks had for a majority of 2012, he still managed to walk 74 times (and reached based 13 more times after being hit by a pitch).

That being the situation near the top, I think it affords Roenicke the opportunity to begin with Gomez further down the order where he won’t hurt the Brewers early on in the season should he regress from last year’s breakout. If Gomez proves that 2012 is the baseline going forward then Roenicke will have a good problem with which to deal.

Segura is still young, still growing into his skills and performed well enough in the oft-dreaded “spot before the pitcher” that he could flourish there to begin the year. His winter league numbers are also encouraging regardless of the competition level. If he can develop more patience, he’ll be contributing plenty out of the 8th spot all season.

* - Throws left-handed
** - Bats left-handed

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So that’s how I see things shaking out if the season started tomorrow.

And you?

Winter Meetings Preview: Milwaukee Brewers

2012-Winter-Meetings-logoThe Winter Meetings aren’t officially underway just yet as I sit down to give my keyboard a workout this evening, but the Opryland Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee is set and baseball executives from across North America have checked into their rooms and have no doubt begun to follow up on things begun prior to departing for Music City.

Doug Melvin is there (along with his entourage) and has had plenty to say about what he expects out of the 2012 Winter Meetings. With appreciation to the Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel for the quotes themselves, I’ll be laying out some things Melvin said and analyzing what I think they mean for the Brewers heading through the rest of the off-season.

Before I do that, let’s recap the basics about what educated fans know already about the Brewers and their needs.

Bullpen

John AxfordThe bullpen was bad in 2012. In fact, it underperformed so incredibly that it alone could be labeled as a singular reason that the team failed to reach the postseason. Just a handful of losses flipped to wins and the Brewers would have had that opportunity to face the Braves in the first-ever National League Wild Card Game.

As a result of their collective struggles, the bullpen has been basically gutted. Gone are multi-year Brewers like Kameron Loe, Francisco Rodriguez, Tim Dillard, Mike McClendon, and Manny Parra. Along with them, first-year tryouts for Jose Veras and Livan Hernandez ended in free agency. Even short-term fixes like Vinnie Chulk came and went. The only guys left who pitched in the big league bullpen to end the regular season and are still a part of this organization are likely closer John Axford, likely setup man Jim Henderson, and the finally healthy Brandon Kintzler.

As we all know, the Brewers did announce a trade acquisition on Saturday when they dealt a minor-league outfielder for established relief pitcher Burke Badenhop. That addition still leaves three jobs to be filled. FoxSports.com’s Jon Morosi already tweeted earlier this evening about one of those open roles:

Just some names to know.

Starting Pitching

Yovani GallardoThe Brewers got good performances for the most part from the men who took the ball every fifth day during the year but there is a lot of flux possible in what was left at the end.

A return of all five starting pitchers from the 2011 NLCS team was seen as a rarity, not to mention that the Brewers only used six starting pitchers all that season. Now? Randy Wolf was released, Shaun Marcum is a free agent, Zack Greinke was traded, and Chris Narveson is coming off of shoulder surgery.

That’s the stuff of how question marks are made.

Yovani Gallardo is set to return atop the rotation but after that hasn’t yet been decided. As it stands right now, the Brewers have probably six arms vying for the open four spots in the rotation. Mike Fiers, Marco Estrada, Chris Narveson, Wily Peralta, Mark Rogers and, to a lesser extent in my opinion, Tyler Thornburg.

Doug Melvin has mentioned a couple of free agent starters by name this off-season already (Edwin Jackson and Ryan Dempster, for the record) but had some commentary on that front as well.

Offense

ryan-braunWhile the starting offense can be returned completely intact, the bench will need addressing and a couple of decisions need to be made.

Will Jean Segura begin the season as the starting everyday shortstop in Milwaukee or in the aforementioned city of Nashville as he gets a bit more seasoning in Triple-A? Who will take over as the backup infielders after the Brewers burned through a number of MLB veterans during 2012? Travis Ishikawa is gone, Alex Gonzalez is a free agent after being hurt most of the season, Mat Gamel should be healthy but missed a ton of at-bats and doesn’t really have a job at this point…and that’s just the infield.

In the outfield, Nyjer Morgan was released and Logan Schafer seems incredibly obvious to become the fourth outfielder with Milwaukee. After that, though, will they carry a fifth outfielder? If so, who will it be?

About the only spot on the field where there isn’t a question is behind the plate. Jonathan Lucroy and Martin Maldonado are healthy and coming off of strong seasons.

Excuse whilst I knock on some wood.

Okay. With that, let’s get to those quotes from Melvin.

dougmelvinThe big quote is one about payroll. After setting a franchise record in 2012 with a payroll north of $100 million, the Brewers finished in the red, meaning that they actually lost money this year. (Part of that is because the fans didn’t show up quite as well as they had budgeted for, but wins bring attendance.)

Melvin said, “(The payroll is) coming down. We’ll probably look at (an opening payroll) of $80 million or thereabouts. We want to keep flexibility in case players become available.”

In other words, despite a large chunk of money coming off the books there should be no expectation of a dollar-for-dollar reassignment. That could limit how much the Brewers can do in free agency but it will almost certainly limit the magnitude of what the Brewers can do.

That assumes that Melvin sticks to his initial words, but more on that in a bit.

Melvin was clear in that the Brewers don’t plan to get involved on high-end (in terms of years or dollars) relief pitchers.

“We’re not looking at those kinds of guys. We’d probably be reluctant to go three years with anybody. We might have to do two. David Riske was our last three-year deal for a reliever. That didn’t work out,” said Melvin.

Would left-handed reliever Sean Burnett be a pipe-dream then? Burnett had to debunk a rumor that he was seeking a four-year deal but that doesn’t mean he isn’t looking for three.

The starting rotation was mentioned earlier and was brought up to Melvin as well. He stated that with how the contracts worked out with Jeff Suppan and Randy Wolf that the Brewers “wouldn’t go three years with a starter. You look at those contracts and they don’t usually work out. Look at all the free-agent players who have been traded the last few years. Free agency gets people excited, but it’s not as effective as people would like to think.”

Does that mean that following a report which I linked to on Twitter the other day that the Brewers are taking themselves out of the market for the aforementioned Jackson and Dempster, both of whom are believed to be seeking deals of a minimum three years? Perhaps.

Melvin stated that the Brewers will probably go with some of their younger players in the rotation but that he understands the dangers of trusting a small sample size.

josh hamiltonAs for the offense, Melvin admitted (as reported in this space) that contact was made between him and Josh Hamilton’s agent Michael Moye, but Melvin also said that, ”I don’t see (a big-ticket signing) happening. If it does, we’d have to be creative with something.”

Melvin added, “You never know how those things work out. I never thought we’d be able to get Aramis Ramirez last year (for what they signed him for). Things change. If major things happen, you have to be prepared to act quickly.”

In other words, Melvin is reminding everyone that you simply can’t use definitives when discussing transactions in Major Leage Baseball. Or, to go the cliched route…Never say never.

Finally, for the bench, Melvin said that they’re in the market “mostly for depth.” He stated that they “may have to go with some of our younger guys” but that “it’s always nice to have an experienced bat on the bench.”

And since a lot of you have reached out via social media as to why I haven’t pass along many rumors in the last few days, Melvin confirmed that he has made no offers to any free agents yet and, as of the time he said so out loud, he didn’t have any serious trade talks going either.

Then again, he’s in Nashville now at the Winter Meetings. It’s made for just those kinds of things.

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Stay tuned all week for reaction and analysis to anything and everything that I hear or read related to the Brewers. I’ll pass it along just as soon as I can.

My suggestion? If you aren’t on Twitter or you are and don’t follow me @BrewerNation…now’s one of the best times of the year to take the plunge. I can’t always blog right away but tweeting is much easier to do on the fly.

Hot Stove Report: Non-Tender Deadline Looms

Midnight EST on Friday is the next milestone in the off-season as all teams must decide whether to tender contracts to players under team control but who do not have a fixed contract value for 2013. This can lead to arbitration, to long-term contract talks, to a simple one-year deal or possibly even to a trade. Player who aren’t tendered become free agents and can sign with any team.

Often times a player is non-tendered because his cost outweighs his value. Non-tendered players are free to re-sign with their original team. This occurs to reduce cost associated with a player’s years of arbitration eligibility.

The Brewers began the off-season with a handful of non-tender candidates. Nearly all of them have since been designated for assignment and subsequently released (or they refused a minor-league assignment with the same effect). The Brewers do have a relatively high-profile non-tender candidate remaining, however…

Manny Parra.

Eventually a well-regarded prospect after being taken in the 26th round of the MLB First-Year Player Draft back in 2001, Parra is now a 30-year-old southpaw relief pitcher who doesn’t exactly get left-handed hitters out like he should if he were to focus his efforts.

It can be accurately stated that over the course of his career Parra fares better against lefties than he does against right-handed hitters. This is reflected in his career splits of .267/.349/.417/.766 against .290/.371/.438/.809. It’s also accurate that in his first season where he only pitched out of the bullpen, Parra beat his career averages.

Therein lies the question which must be answered by Doug Melvin et al. Should Parra become a LOOGy and, if so, how much is he worth (financially) in that role?

Parra has had a bit of relative success against right-handed hitters when you compare him to a “standard” LOOGy. What you have to ask yourself if you’re Melvin is whether Parra is consistently successful enough to continue to warrant a role where he faces multiple hitters are varying handedness in a given appearance.

I personally don’t think so and I would completely understand if Melvin and field manager Ron Roenicke altered Parra’s role in 2013…assuming he’s with the team.

That’s the other question. If Parra, who is arbitration-eligible, isn’t worth the usual increase by way of the arbitration process. This is Parra’s second year of arbitration eligibility. Parra made $1.2 million in 2012* which isn’t all that much in the grand scheme of things. With the premium on bullpen arms, especially given that it could be argued that Parra has added value in that some might feel he could still start games, a 2013 salary of $1.75 million or more wouldn’t shock me.

So Parra isn’t as pressing of an issue as Jose Veras, Kameron Loe, and Nyjer Morgan were, for example. Each of those players were projected for new salaries of over $2.5 million. In other words, if the Brewers decide to keep Manny Parra for 2013, it works financially on its own merit. Putting everything together though with production determining value for that cost is what Melvin and company are no doubt weighing.

The other thing to note about the non-tender deadline is that there will be players released by other teams, some of which might be appealing to the Brewers. It could be a cheaper way to fill some of these bullpen roles which currently stand open for Milwaukee. If they do cut ties with Parra (and then don’t bring him back) the Brewers really only have three players currently in the bullpen. They are John Axford, Jim Henderson, and Brandon Kintzler.

They’ll need help. They’d do well for at least one piece of the help to throw the pill with his left hand. Will that be Parra? Stay tuned.

*Source: Baseball-Reference.com

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See Previous Hot Stove Reports:

Individual and Franchise Milestones (Mostly) Attainable in 2013

STATISTICS CURRENT THROUGH COMPLETION OF PLAY ON: 4/19/2013

This column will first be publicized automatically via my 30,000th tweet on Twitter. Even though I had begun compiling this information a couple of weeks ago, I was going to wait until closer to the regular season to post these numbers. This was in an effort to not waste time or column space on players who ended up not being with the Brewers come the start of Spring Training.

But with the aforementioned milestone tweet bearing down on me, I felt it appropriate to make this post coincide.

I will keep this space updated* throughout the season with current 2013 totals as the players listed work toward the attainable milestones. Should a player achieve a milestone, I will list it and the date it was achieved and (if appropriate) list the next milestone on the statistical path which the player could achieve.

So bookmark this one folks and refer back to it as often as necessary throughout 2013. This information will appear on the individuals’ “Brewers By the Jersey Numbers” previews as well.

Without further adieu, here are the major players on the Brewers who have milestones in front of them which should be attainable in the 2013 regular season.

Ryan Braun

Perennial all-star Ryan Braun achieved his first two milestones of the season on Friday, April 19th against the Chicago Cubs. He collected the 2000th base of his career on a first inning home run. The three RBI from that homer also moved him into a sixth-place tie on the all-time list with former Brewer Prince Fielder.

Stat Next Personal Milestone Career thru 2012 2013 Total Needed to Achieve Best Season
R 700 614 7 79 113
H 1250 1089 12 149 203
TB 2250 1976 27 247 356
2B 250 223 3 24 45
3B 30 29 0 1 7
HR 250 202 4 44 41
RBI 750 643 13 94 114
SB 150 126 1 23 33
BB 350 305 9 36 63
Stat Next Team Top 50 Milestone Career Total as a Brewer thru 2012 Needed to Achieve Next Team Top 50 Milestone Holder Current Holder’s All-Time Position
R 661 614 40 Geoff Jenkins 5
H 1144 1089 43 Ben Oglivie 7
TB 2175 1976 172 Jim Gantner 5
2B 262 223 36 Jim Gantner 5
3B 30 29 1 Rickie Weeks 7
HR 208 202 2 Gorman Thomas 4
RBI 685 643 29 Ben Oglivie 5
SB 136 126 9 Tommy Harper 4
BB 320 305 6 Dave Nilsson 17

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Aramis Ramirez

Stat Next Personal Milestone Career thru 2012 2013 Total Needed to Achieve Best Season
R 1000 965 1 34 99
H 2000 1959 5 36 181
TB 3500 3452 8 40 333
2B 450 423 3 24 50
3B 25 22 0 3 4
HR 350 342 0 8 38
RBI 1250 1227 2 21 119
SB 30 25 0 5 9
BB 550 545 2 3 74
Stat Next Team Top 50 Milestone Career Total as a Brewer thru 2012 Needed to Achieve Next Team Top 50 Milestone Holder Current Holder’s All-Time Position
R 175 92 82 Matt Mieske 50
H 331 171 155 Scott Podsednik 50
TB 518 308 202 3-way tie 49
2B 61 50 8 2-way tie 50
3B 9 3 6 4-way tie 50
HR 34 27 7 3-way tie 48
RBI 159 105 52 Lyle Overbay 50
SB 25 9 16 2-way tie 49
BB 126 44 80 Glenn Braggs 50

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Corey Hart

Stat Next Personal Milestone Career thru 2012 2013 Total Needed to Achieve Player’s Best Season
R 550 529 0 21 91
H 1000 950 0 50 164
TB 1750 1689 0 61 293
2B 250 211 0 39 45
3B 35 33 0 2 9
HR 175 154 0 21 31
RBI 550 508 0 42 102
SB 100 83 0 17 23
BB 300 269 0 31 51
Stat Next Team Top 50 Milestone Career Total as a Brewer thru 2012 Needed to Achieve Next Team Top 50 Milestone Holder Current Holder’s All-Time Position
R 567 529 38 Ben Oglivie 10
H 996 950 46 Prince Fielder 12
TB 1825 1689 136 Don Money 9
2B 215 211 4 Don Money 8
3B 38 33 5 Jim Gantner 4
HR 160 154 6 Paul Molitor 10
RBI 524 508 16 B.J. Surhoff 13
SB 102 83 19 B.J. Surhoff 11
BB 290 269 21 John Jaha 22

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Jonathan Lucroy

Stat Next Personal Milestone Career thru 2012 2013 Total Needed to Achieve Player’s Best Season
R 150 115 5 30 46
H 300 285 13 2 114
TB 500 421 21 58 168
2B 50 42 0 8 17
3B 10 5 1 4 4
HR 50 28 2 20 12
RBI 150 143 9 2 59
SB 15 10 0 5 4
BB 100 69 4 27 29
Stat Next Team Top 50 Milestone Career Total as a Brewer thru 2012 Needed to Achieve Next Team Top 50 Milestone Holder Current Holder’s All-Time Position
R 175 115 55 Matt Mieske 50
H 331 285 33 Scott Podsednik 50
TB 518 421 76 3-way tie 49
2B 61 42 19 2-way tie 50
3B 9 5 3 4-way tie 50
HR 34 28 4 3-way tie 48
RBI 159 143 7 Lyle Overbay 50
SB 25 10 15 2-way tie 49
BB 126 69 54 Glenn Braggs 50

—

Rickie Weeks

So far this season, Rickie Weeks has surpassed Greg Vaughn for 12th place in total bases in Brewers history. Next up on the list is Gorman Thomas.

Weeks has also tied Ben Oglivie for 6th place on the all-time franchise list for Walks with 432.

Weeks collected the 1500th total base in his MLB career with a double on Friday, April 19th against the Cubs at Miller Park.

Stat Next Personal Milestone Career thru 2012 2013 Total Needed to Achieve Player’s Best Season
R 650 608 9 33 112
H 1000 867 12 121 175
TB 1500 1481 15 0 302
2B 175 164 4 7 32
3B 40 30 0 10 7
HR 150 130 1 19 29
RBI 400 377 3 20 83
SB 125 116 2 7 25
BB 450 427 6 17 78
Stat Next Team Top 50 Milestone Career Total as a Brewer thru 2012 Needed to Achieve Next Team Top 50 Milestone Holder Current Holder’s All-Time Position
R 621 608 4 Ryan Braun 6
H 950 867 71 Corey Hart 13
TB 1635 1481 135 Gorman Thomas 11
2B 172 164 5 Gorman Thomas 15
3B 33 30 3 2-way tie 5
HR 133 130 2 Richie Sexson 14
RBI 385 377 5 Rob Deer 21
SB 126 116 8 Ryan Braun 5
BB 440 427 7 Don Money 5

—

Norichika Aoki

Aoki began the season tied for 41st place in stolen bases with Craig Counsell, but has surpassed Geoff Jenkins, Rob Deer and Dante Bichette in the team’s all-time rankings, and is currently tied in 35th place with Pedro Garcia and John Jaha. Next up, Sixto Lezcano who has 34 steals as a Brewer.

Stat Next Personal Milestone Career thru 2012 2013 Total Needed to Achieve Player’s Best Season
R 100 81 9 10 81
H 200 150 18 32 150
TB 500 225 28 247 225
2B 50 37 4 9 37
3B 10 4 0 6 4
HR 25 10 2 13 10
RBI 100 50 5 45 50
SB 50 30 3 17 30
BB 100 43 7 50 43
Stat Next Team Top 50 Milestone Career Total as a Brewer thru 2012 Needed to Achieve Next Team Top 50 Milestone Holder Current Holder’s All-Time Position
R 175 81 85 Matt Mieske 50
H 331 150 163 Scott Podsednik 50
TB 518 225 265 3-way tie 49
2B 61 37 20 2-way tie 50
3B 9 4 5 4-way tie 50
HR 34 10 22 3-way tie 48
RBI 159 50 104 Lyle Overbay 50
SB 34 30 1 Sixto Lezcano 34
BB 126 43 76 Glenn Braggs 50

—

Martin Maldonado

Martin Maldonado collected the 100th base of his career on Monday, April 8th with a 5th inning single off of Edwin Jackson.

Stat Next Personal Milestone Career thru 2012 2013 Total Needed to Achieve Player’s Best Season
R 50 22 1 27 22
H 100 62 4 34 62
TB 100 95 6 0 95
2B 25 9 2 14 9
3B 5 0 0 5 0
HR 25 8 0 17 8
RBI 50 30 3 17 30
SB 5 1 0 4 1
BB 25 17 0 8 17
Stat Next Team Top 50 Milestone Career Total as a Brewer thru 2012 Needed to Achieve Next Team Top 50 Milestone Holder Current Holder’s All-Time Position
R 175 22 152 Matt Mieske 50
H 331 62 265 Scott Podsednik 50
TB 518 95 417 3-way tie 49
2B 61 9 50 2-way tie 50
3B 9 0 9 4-way tie 50
HR 34 8 26 3-way tie 48
RBI 159 30 126 Lyle Overbay 50
SB 25 1 24 2-way tie 49
BB 126 17 109 Glenn Braggs 50

—

Carlos Gomez

Gomez drove in the 200th run of his career on Sunday, April 7th.

A solo home run on April 19th moved Gomez into a four-way tie at 48th all time in Brewers history.

Stat Next Personal Milestone Career thru 2012 2013 Total Needed to Achieve Player’s Best Season
R 300 291 8 1 79
H 500 482 17 1 149
TB 1000 741 27 232 208
2B 100 83 2 15 24
3B 25 22 1 2 7
HR 50 44 2 4 19
RBI 250 198 5 47 59
SB 150 130 1 19 37
BB 125 107 1 17 25
Stat Next Team Top 50 Milestone Career Total as a Brewer thru 2012 Needed to Achieve Next Team Top 50 Milestone Holder Current Holder’s All-Time Position
R 175 147 20 Matt Mieske 50
H 331 232 82 Scott Podsednik 50
TB 518 389 102 3-way tie 49
2B 61 41 18 2-way tie 50
3B 11 10 0 4-way tie 40
HR 34 32 0 3-way tie 48
RBI 159 99 55 Lyle Overbay 50
SB 77 71 5 Cecil Cooper 14
BB 126 52 73 Glenn Braggs 50

—

Yovani Gallardo

With his first appearance this season, Gallardo tied Dave Bush for appearances as a Brewer. With his third, Gallardo tied Dan Kolb at 154 games with Milwaukee. Up next, is Scott Karl at 155 games.

***Gallardo’s made the 150th of his career on Sunday, April 7, 2013.***

Stat Next Personal Milestone Career thru 2012 2013 Total Needed to Achieve Player’s Best Season
W 75 69 1 5 17
G 175 151 4 20 33
GS 150 148 4 0 33
CG 5 4 0 1 2
SHO 5 3 0 2 2
IP 1000.0 916.1 22.1 61.1 207.1
K 1000 936 15 49 207
Stat Next Team Top 50 Milestone Career Total as a Brewer thru 2012 Needed to Achieve Next Team Top 50 Milestone Holder Current Holder’s All-Time Position
W 81 69 11 Bill Wegman 6
G 155 151 0 Scott Karl 39
GS 156 148 4 Jaime Navarro 10
CG 5 4 1 4-way tie 37
SHO 4 3 1 2-way tie 15
IP 944.0 916.1 5.1 Jerry Augustine 12
K 1081 936 130 Teddy Higuera 2

—

John Axford

John Axford’s first three strikeouts in 2013 pushed him ahead of Pete Vukovich on the all-time list in Brewers history. Axford has since broken a three-way tie in 36th place with Bob Wickman and Shaun Marcum. In 35th place is Bill Parsons with 280 K.

Axford’s eight games played in 2013 have now moved him all the way up to 18th on the all-time Brewers list of games played. This year he has broken his tie with Ray King (206), and surpassed both Chris Bosio (212) and Teddy Higuera (213).

Stat Next Personal Milestone Career thru 2012 2013 Total Needed to Achieve Player’s Best Season
W 25 15 0 10 8
G 250 206 8 36 75
SV 125 106 0 19 46
IP 250.0 208.2 7.1 34.0 73.2
K 300 264 9 27 93
Stat Next Team Top 50 Milestone Career Total as a Brewer thru 2012 Needed to Achieve Next Team Top 50 Milestone Holder Current Holder’s All-Time Position
W 17 15 2 2-way tie 50
G 212 206 4 Derrick Turnbow 17
SV 133 106 27 Dan Plesac 1
IP 331.0 208.2 115.0 Gene Brabender 50
K 280 264 7 Bill Parsons 35

—

Chris Narveson

Stat Next Personal Milestone Career thru 2012 2013 Total Needed to Achieve Player’s Best Season
W 50 26 0 24 12
G 100 95 2 3 37
GS 75 63 0 12 28
CG 5 0 0 5 0
SHO 5 0 0 5 0
SV 5 0 0 5 0
IP 500.0 394.2 2.0 103.1 167.2
K 400 326 0 74 137
Stat Next Team Top 50 Milestone Career Total as a Brewer thru 2012 Needed to Achieve Next Team Top 50 Milestone Holder Current Holder’s All-Time Position
W 28 26 2 Skip Lockwood 32
G 132 90 40 2-way tie 50
GS 70 62 8 Don August 33
CG 3 0 3 11-way tie 45
SHO 1 0 1 28-way tie 36
SV 4 0 4 2-way tie 49
IP 396.1 385.1 9.0 Lew Krause 41
K 321 314 7 Ricky Bones 29

—

Marco Estrada

In his first start of the season, Estrada struck out eight hitters. Those sent him flying past Mike Fetters and then Chuck Crim into a tie at 41st on the Brewers’ all-time list with Lary Sorensen. With his next 13 strikeouts over two starts, Estrada overtook Ben McDonald (256) and sits one shy of Pete Vukovich in 39th place.

Estrada’s four strikeouts on April 19th against the Cubs moved him ahead of Vukovich in 39th place, and past the tied Shaun Marcum and Bob Wickman, into sole possession of 37th place on the all-time list.

Estrada picked up his 10th career Win on Monday, April 8th against the Chicago Cubs.

Stat Next Personal Milestone Career thru 2012 2013 Total Needed to Achieve Player’s Best Season
W 15 9 2 4 5
G 100 94 4 2 43
GS 50 32 4 14 23
CG 5 0 0 5 0
SHO 5 0 0 5 0
SV 5 0 0 5 0
IP 500.0 262.1 24.0 213.2 138.1
K 300 263 25 12 143
Stat Next Team Top 50 Milestone Career Total as a Brewer thru 2012 Needed to Achieve Next Team Top 50 Milestone Holder Current Holder’s All-Time Position
W 17 9 6 2-way tie 50
G 132 79 49 2-way tie 50
GS 43 31 8 3-way tie 48
CG 3 0 3 11-way tie 45
SHO 1 0 1 28-way tie 36
SV 4 0 4 2-way tie 49
IP 331.0 242.1 64.2 Gene Brabender 50
K 273 244 4 John Axford 36

—

Mike Fiers

Stat Next Personal Milestone Career thru 2012 2013 Total Needed to Achieve Player’s Best Season
W 10 9 0 1 9
G 50 25 3 22 23
GS 25 22 1 2 22
CG 5 0 0 5 0
SHO 5 0 0 5 0
SV 5 0 0 5 0
IP 150 129.2 7.1 14.1 127.2
K 150 137 1 12 135
Stat Next Team Top 50 Milestone Career Total as a Brewer thru 2012 Needed to Achieve Next Team Top 50 Milestone Holder Current Holder’s All-Time Position
W 17 9 8 2-way tie 50
G 132 25 104 2-way tie 50
GS 43 22 20 3-way tie 48
CG 3 0 3 11-way tie 45
SHO 1 0 1 28-way tie 36
SV 4 0 4 2-way tie 49
IP 331 129.2 194.0 Gene Brabender 50
K 215 137 77 Gene Brabender 50

—

Burke Badenhop

Stat Next Personal Milestone Career thru 2012 2013 Total Needed to Achieve Player’s Best Season
W 20 16 0 4 7
G 250 217 8 25 66
SV 5 2 1 2 1
IP 350.0 313.0 5.0 32.0 72.0
K 250 232 6 12 57

—

Tom Gorzelanny

Gorzelanny appeared in his 200th MLB game on Sunday, April 14th.

Stat Next Personal Milestone Career thru 2012 2013 Total Needed to Achieve Player’s Best Season
W 50 44 0 6 14
G 250 193 9 48 45
SV 5 2 0 3 1
IP 750.0 735.0 7.2 7.1 201.2
K 600 568 6 26 135

—

Mike Gonzalez

Stat Next Personal Milestone Career thru 2012 2013 Total Needed to Achieve Player’s Best Season
W 20 17 0 3 5
G 450 434 8 8 80
SV 75 56 0 19 24
IP 400.0 394.1 3.2 2.0 74.1
K 500 451 5 44 90

—

Okay then. Is there anybody else you’d like to know more about? Leave their name in the comments!
—

* – If a milestone is achieved on a given day I’ll update ASAP but if not then I can’t guarantee updating every day.

Doug Melvin Interview Transcript – Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Doug Melvin, General Manager of our beloved Milwaukee Brewers, was on the radio this afternoon on AM 1250 WSSP in SE Wisconsin for a few minutes talking about his off-season plans.

Here is a transcript of the interview (which you can listen to by clicking here):

On speculation connecting the Brewers to certain players (i.e. Josh Hamilton, Zack Greinke):

“Well, I don’t think those are the names that were gonna be involved with. I think this is gonna be a year we’ll take a look at the free agent market, but more than likely I don’t anticipate us being actively involved in free agency. We may try to find different ways to improve our ball club. We do like the current club we have. We were 36-23 with the third best record in the National League after August 1st with some of the young pitchers we brought up. We do have most positional guys back so I wouldn’t get too excited about those kinds of names. I think a lot of it is speculation. It often makes sense. This is the time of year when those kind of things happen.”

On having young pitching after years of waiting for some and if he may have to trade some of it away to acquire a proven starter:

“We feel right now there’s probably a better chance we’re going to hold onto our young pitching. We saw Mike Fiers come up last year. He struggled a little bit later (in the year). We saw Mark Rogers and Wily Peralta both come up with the power arms they showed us in the past. We had Tyler Thornburg. We’ve got Hiram Burgos who’s going to be added to the roster, had a very good year. We’ve had Taylor Jungmann who’s probably going to be at Double-A. We’ve got John Hellweg who’s pitched very well in the Fall League and was just picked by the scouting bureau as the best player on that Phoenix ball club. So, we do have some depth with our pitching. Jimmy Nelson we like; we’re very high on him. Nick Bucci (too) so. We’ve got a chance to have, out of 10 starters in Double-A and Triple-A, we have a chance to have 8 to 9 of them they’re gonna be legitimate prospects we think will pitch in the big leagues. The big league pitchers? It’s time to give Wily Peralta, time to give Mark Rogers that opportunity.”

In discussing fan support following a rough first half and the resultant decisions surrounding trading away Zack Greinke:

“Who’s not to say that if we kept Zack Greinke that we might’ve got back in this thing. You have to make some tough decisions sometimes. When a shortstop was included in a deal for Zack, we just had to make the decision at that particular time. … It’s a credit to Ron, the coaches, the players that they didn’t give up and it’s something that we can learn that in baseball you can be six, seven, eight games out and that can be made up in two weeks time. So, it’s a lesson we all can learn that sometimes you gotta be a little bit patient. It is a long season.”

Asked if there is any way Zack Greinke can be back in a Brewers uniform:

“I don’t know. I’m sorry but I don’t think that’s gonna happen. As much as Zack liked it here and enjoyed it here, there’s a couple clubs that are gonna get heavily involved with him. He is no doubt the number one pitcher out there…from the starting pitching standpoint. I think he’s gonna do very well but I would expect that we may get a phone call from his agent but I think in the end it’s going to be difficult for Zack to come back here to Milwaukee under the amount of money he’s probably gonna be offered.”

Asked if he would like to add a veteran starting pitcher and if any free agents intrigue him:

“Yeah, there’s a few names out there. Obviously we’re gonna lose Marcum and we’re gonna lose Greinke so we’ve talked about adding a starting pitcher. We do have to add to our bullpen too. Edwin Jackson’s another name that’s been out there.  I don’t know where he’s headed or what his thought process is. We do have an opportunity; we can go with the current guys we have. The tough part with that is that any kind of injury, then you really tap into not having the depth that’s needed over the course of 162 games. Going with the younger guys and Yovani, Marco Estrada, Mike Fiers, Rogers, Wily Peralta, Chris Narveson will be back and be healthy. The part of that is you really cross your fingers that everybody’s going to stay healthy and everybody’s gonna produce. So you would like to have a veteran that you could put out there in the rotation that could eat up a couple hundred innings, but you also want quality innings. In the past, we’ve had the Jeff Suppan, Randy Wolf. They both came in here when we didn’t have the younger pitching and they gave us innings and that but obviously you’d like to get the quality. Pitching takes a long time to develop.”

On Manny Parra and fans growing impatient:

“He’s on the roster now and we’ll wait and see. I can’t indicate at this time, but…there comes a time when changes of scenery do help players and that happens sometimes. That’s what we’ve talked about before and if you look at Manny’s numbers and break them down, the numbers are there. You’d like to see more consistent performance, so you know, there’s a possibility. Manny right now’s on our roster at this time and we’ll wait and see.”

On arbitration, bullpen changes:

“I think you’ll probably see three to four new faces out there. I think John Axford, Jim Henderson, I think Brandon Kintzler pitched well enough that he can step in and perform in one of those roles. We would like to maybe try to get a left-hander but we also want a left-hander of quality if we can otherwise we’ll just stay right-handed. But I can see where you could turn three or four names over in that bullpen. Also with the starting pitchers there’s going to be one of those guys that will lose out (on a rotation spot) and will probably go to the bullpen and be a long guy.”

On Axford sticking as closer in 2013:

“I’d like to think that John can. As I said in the press conference at the end of the year, he had two months where he had more than one blown Save. He does strike out people. His strike out rate is still one of the best in the game. His walk rate was too high this year and he needs to get that back down. I do like having a closer and a guy in the bullpen that’s gonna strike people out. I think that’s important. That’s why I like a closer that’s gonna get strikeouts so I lean a little bit towards (Axford) but they also have to reduce the walks. We’re confident, in John, the stuff is still there but gonna have to improve on his command and control.”

On how he feels about the hitters:

“We look at it and we feel pretty good about the ball club we put out positional-wise. Offensively, it’s a pretty good ball club. It fits both what Doug Melvin looks for and what Ron Roenicke looks for. I’m a home run and doubles guy and Ron likes the aggressive style. We fulfilled both those (philosophies) leading the leagues in home runs and also stolen bases we were first or second. We were very aggressive on the bases scoring runs, second in the league in sacrifice bunts. We scored runs in a lot of different ways. I do believe with our ballpark we’re always gonna be a team that’s gonna rely on the home runs just because of the facility we play in and that. But I’m pleased with the positional aspect of our game. I think I’m more than pleased in the fact that Maldonado coming on the scene we’re very set at catching. Having a young shortstop in Jean Segura, being young up the middle with catching, shortstop, Rickie bounced back, and then Carlos Gomez in center field. Carlos is a five-plus guy so we’ve gotta determine is Carlos is here over the long haul or is he here for (only) one more year.”

On Alex Gonzalez possibly returning:

“We’ve gotta make that decision yet. Alex is a free agent so he could test the market too. When it comes down to asking players, when you’re a free agent, he’s gonna want to know his playing time. How much time is he gonna play or do we view him as an extra guy and are we going with Segura. We have to answer that question. Jean is playing winter ball right now and is hitting almost .400 and he hit very well the month of September for us. We’re pretty high on (Segura) at this point. We can go with Jean Segura. We just want to make sure that is the right thing to do. Alex would love to return to us but it’s probably going to be about playing time. ‘Are we the right fit for him?’ And if you do bring Alex back, what impact does that have on Jean Segura? We haven’t made that final call yet. Right now we’re probably leaning toward Segura and just letting Jean do the job because we do think the resources are going to be needed for pitching.”

On Josh Hamilton again:

“No. There’s nothing going on. If he wants to sign that “Andre Dawson” contract…that $500 thousand contract that Andre Dawson did for the Cubs. I think it’s about time a player did that so I’m waiting for that one.”

On any off-season proclamation like he did in 2010 before acquiring Greinke and Marcum by stating he was going to go get some pitching:

“I don’t have any right now. I gotta go check the piggy bank.”

—

Alright, Brewer Nation. What do you think of what the GM had to say today?

Milwaukee Brewers 2012 Team Awards

Every year the writers who cover the Milwaukee Brewers all season long get together, so to speak, and cast ballots for five team awards.

The awards are under the following five categories:

  • Team MVP (not limited to just hitters)
  • Best Pitcher (in any role)
  • Best Newcomer (someone not on the team last year)
  • Unsung Hero (given to someone who didn’t necessarily get a lot of credit for the job that they did)
  • Good Guy (a true “media” award because this is for someone who is good in the community, clubhouse, etc but also was very helpful and gracious with the media)

Last year I took part in a Brewers blogger balloting in which several of us who actively and consistently write about the Brewers voted for the same awards. I’m not sure what it says about me, but my top choices in each category were the same as the collective credentialed media.

This year, we’re doing the same exercise as a Brewers blogosphere (some time soon) but I figured I’d get my ballot posted on my blog in the interest of transparency and disclosure. (Many BBWAA members would do well to follow suit on their personal MVP and Hall of Fame ballots.) I’ll also, naturally, explain my reasons behind my choices because what fun would it be without something to argue?

The balloting is such that we choose three men for each award and the votes, when tallied, are worth more points for higher positioning.

Team MVP: Ryan Braun, Aramis Ramirez, Corey Hart

This is easily an award that belongs to Ryan Braun as I believe that he is deserving of no less than second place in the National League Most Valuable Player voting. His statistical output speaks for itself and he carried the team through many stretches of the season.

Aramis Ramirez takes second place for me because of what he was able to do both at the plate and in the field. Yes he started slowly at the dish like he tends to do but his finish was fantastic. He more than made up for the lost production from Prince Fielder and contributed much more on defense than we were led to believe he would. (For instance, he led the league in barehanded assists this season.)

Corey Hart gets my third place vote because while several players could have fit here Hart did something he was very much against in switching positions when a desperate need arose. He posted very good numbers despite being absent more than once. Him gutting out a painful lisfranc tear in September certainly didn’t hurt his case.

Best Pitcher: Yovani Gallardo, Marco Estrada, Zack Greinke

Make no mistake about it: Yovani Gallardo keeps taking steps toward ace-hood. His fourth career (and consecutive) 200+ strikeout season, another season of over 200 innings pitched, 16 wins including a fantastic run of effectiveness and success following the trade of Zack Greinke. Milwaukee needed Gallardo to step up and he answered the bell.

Marco Estrada found a strikeout tendency not before seen, slashed his walk rate, started a career-high number of games, pitched a career-high number of innings, struck out a career-high number of hitters, posted career-bests in ERA+, WHIP, K/BB ratio, and was a welcome addition to the rotation once Chris Narveson suffered a season-ending shoulder injury.

Zack Greinke didn’t pitch an entire season for the Brewers. This is true. He made 21 starts for the Brewers in 2012. But you know what? Shaun Marcum made 21 starts, Randy Wolf made 24, Fiers 22. Given the results that he posted while here, and given that the bullpen didn’t exactly inspire me to vote for anybody in it for this award, the nod goes to the 2/3 of a season Greinke posted.

Best Newcomer: Aramis Ramirez, Norichika Aoki, Mike Fiers

This award had much more competition than I initially thought it would. Ramirez being second in my MVP list as a newcomer really makes him a shoe-in here.

Aoki overcame early struggles with both playing time and drastic changes to his personal preparation routine to step in as a starting outfielder and eventual every day lead-off hitter. He was productive and posted multiple double-digit hitting streaks over the course of the season.

As for my third place vote, I chose Mike Fiers (though I’m not sure if he technically qualifies because he pitched for the team briefly in 2011) for both what he was able to accomplish throughout the early portion of his schedule but also for the longevity on the roster this year over other worthy newcomers like Jim Henderson, Martin Maldonado, Travis Ishikawa and even Jean Segura.

Unsung Hero: Martin Maldonado, Jim Henderson, Mike Fiers

Maldonado came up from Triple-A Nashville when Jonathan Lucroy went down with a freak hand injury and was lost for a month and a half. With George Kottaras both physically unable (due to a hamstring injury) and truthfully lacking the skills to be the everyday catcher, Maldy overcame a poor start at the plate in the minors and outperformed even the most optimistic projections at the plate. His receiving, throwing, and handling of the pitching staff didn’t get enough credit though which is why he wins this award for me. Maldonado not only was instrumental in handling Fiers when he first came up but he really seemed to get the most out of everybody he caught.

Jim Henderson is here because despite his average results his arrival helped to stabilize the bullpen. He wasn’t always on top of his game, and he blew a game or two, but adding another live arm to the back end of the ‘pen was a key to righting the ship for the 24-6 run where the bullpen finally performed as it was capable of doing.

Finally, I gave a vote to Fiers in this category as well for the fact that Fiers arrived amid a time of uncertainty and really performed exceptionally well until he simply ran out of gas. And judging by the reaction too many fans gave at Miller Park on the day of Fiers’ last start, it appears that his early efforts were forgotten and therefore he is plenty unsung.

Good Guy: John Axford, Rickie Weeks, Martin Maldonado

Struggling at a couple of points during the year, Axford never ducked the media…well, other than the time he had to excuse himself due to his wife going into premature labor but he still left an epic note. Axford answered his naysayers, dealt with the criticism, fielded the questions, and was always willing to own up to his failures and struggles.

Rickie Weeks, the team’s nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award, was active in the community and a locker room leader. He too struggled mightily, though for a much more sustained time, and never blew off the reporters and writers who sought his comment on the situation. Weeks never once made excuses or even used the viable ones that were readily available.

Third place here goes to Martin Maldonado. This is a completely personal choice because he was nice to me and took time out after a game to briefly chat with me after a game just as he promised to do. He was very kind and I appreciated he and his wife stopping to talk.

Braun, Axford Celebrate Fan Appreciation Weekend By Purchasing Tickets For Brewers Fans

Ryan Braun and John Axford are offering a big “thank you” to Brewers fans by purchasing 5,000 tickets to the final game of Fan Appreciation Weekend on Sunday as the Brewers face Houston at Miller Park.

By purchasing these tickets, Braun and Axford, on behalf of all Brewers players, are showing their appreciation to fans for the incredible home field advantage they have helped create all season long.

“Brewers fans are without a doubt the best in baseball and we wanted to show them that their support has not gone unnoticed,” said Braun. “They make Miller Park the best home field advantage in the game.”

The Brewers have won 19 of their last 22 games at Miller Park and are 46-29 overall at home this season—a .613 winning percentage that is tied for sixth-best in Major League Baseball.

“The fans have been a tremendous part of our recent turnaround,” said Axford. “It’s always great to play in front of a raucous Miller Park crowd. This is just a small gesture of our appreciation.”

The 5,000 free tickets will be available EXCLUSIVELY at Brewers.com/fanappreciation beginning at 10 a.m. CT TODAY. Fans will only be responsible for paying a per order processing fee—there will be no other costs for the tickets. The maximum per person is four tickets.

The Brewers will distribute Rally Towels to everyone at the Sunday game, as well as the games tonight and tomorrow. In addition, all fans in attendance Sunday will receive a Scratch-Off Card with prizes including everything from 2013 game tickets to a game in a Miller Park suite.

Tickets for all games of Fan Appreciation Weekend and the final three regular season games are available at the Miller Park Box Office, online at Brewers.com or by calling the Brewers ticket office at (414) 902-4000.

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