Jim Callis' NL Central comments

[mikechamp]

RA is what you see for that.

Their offense isn't bad at all, and I do think his ERA (and RA) will go up some. I just don't think it's going to explode. I mean, league average was 4.49 last year and he was at 4.12. In fact, the 4.00-4.25 range is where he's been since '03 (except for '05, when he was better). So an additional .4 runs puts him right around league average. I don't know. I have a hard time looking past his track record. It's soooo long at this point.

I thought RA might be the acronym, but wasn't 100% sure. So thanks for that.

And I can buy that rationale. Makes sense to see a slight bump, but still respectable. He's a pro, and he steps into Doug Davis' role of proven veteran.

But the other half of the equation is what perplexes me. They won't have Carlos Lee for half a season, and if Soup goes to league average, their offense will have to be that much better to simply improve upon last year's finish. Slight bumps for Fielder, Hardy, Weeks (if healthy), Hart. IMO, Hall had a max potential year, and I don't mean that to sound negative.

But those combined bumps don't make up for the loss of Lee, or if they do, they certainly don't surpass it. I just don't see where their offense is coming from.

IMO, Sheets is truly the key to their season. If I'm a Brewers fan, that's kind of scary. Just ask the cubs what it's like to be in that position.

[Jake]

What was Soup's regular season record last year?

[JL21]

What was Soup's regular season record last year?

12-7, after 16-9 and 16-10.

[Jake]

What was Soup's regular season record last year?

12-7, after 16-9 and 16-10.

Better than I thought. I still don't see this team wining the WS. As for the division, well, anyone can.

[Phyrkrakr]

The Brewers' rotation, though, is pretty stout. I didn't realize what they'd put together until I saw the P-D baseball preview. Granted, it's all contingent on Sheets' health, but....

-Sheets, healthy, approximates Carpenter
-Soup is Soup
-Capuano is a burgeoning work horse with a solid arm and a few years of good numbers now
-David Bush: I don't know much about his arm, but his numbers look like he's on the verge of becoming good to very good.

And then Claudio Vargas is their #5, and isn't bad at all for a 5. That's a pretty solid quartet at the top end.

But yeah, World Series is a bit zealous.

Sheets, if healthy, is at least Carp good, possibly even better. If he can throw 180-190 innings, he could challenge Carp for best pitcher in the division. Last year, even though he threw only 106 innings, he still had 116 strikeouts vs. only 11 walks. Let me say that again in bold: Sheets, in 106 innings, had a K:BB ratio of 116 to 11 But, of course, the injury bug is the big deal for him. His success the key to their success and his success is completely dependent on his health.

Bush has control issues from what I've heard, but he still throws some smoke and had a fair amount of success, especially as a presumed fourth starter. Any time a rotation has a fourth starter with an ERA+ over 100, they have a good rotation.

Capuano has seen his WHIP and walks go down the past two seasons, while he's still kept his K rate high (about 175 in around 220 innings the last two seasons). As the presumed number two guy, he has to repeat his success of last year in order for the Brewers to contend. I don't know if he'll win 18 again (like in 2004), but it's definitely within the realm of possibility.

Claudio Vargas is perfectly serviceable as a fifth starter, but last year was the first time he cracked 25 starts and 150 innings. His career WHIP is around 1.43, which is plenty good to get by as a fifth starter.

Finally, Supp will be Supp. He's the only starter over 30 and brings a veteran, winning presence to the rotation. He's been there and done that and will be a great clubhouse presence for them.

As far as everything else Callis said, he's a moron. It seems like he chooses "trendy" picks for his playoff teams, and, considering that only three of the eight teams that he picked were in the playoffs last year (and two of his eight were below .500 last year) it's like he's making picks intentionally to be controversial. Coincidentally, both of the below .500 teams he picked are going to win their respective central divisions. Frankly, I don't see it, despite the Brewers making definite improvements.

[JL21]

The Brewers' rotation, though, is pretty stout. I didn't realize what they'd put together until I saw the P-D baseball preview. Granted, it's all contingent on Sheets' health, but....

-Sheets, healthy, approximates Carpenter
-Soup is Soup
-Capuano is a burgeoning work horse with a solid arm and a few years of good numbers now
-David Bush: I don't know much about his arm, but his numbers look like he's on the verge of becoming good to very good.

And then Claudio Vargas is their #5, and isn't bad at all for a 5. That's a pretty solid quartet at the top end.

But yeah, World Series is a bit zealous.

Sheets, if healthy, is at least Carp good, possibly even better. If he can throw 180-190 innings, he could challenge Carp for best pitcher in the division. Last year, even though he threw only 106 innings, he still had 116 strikeouts vs. only 11 walks. Let me say that again in bold: Sheets, in 106 innings, had a K:BB ratio of 116 to 11 But, of course, the injury bug is the big deal for him. His success the key to their success and his success is completely dependent on his health.

Bush has control issues from what I've heard, but he still throws some smoke and had a fair amount of success, especially as a presumed fourth starter. Any time a rotation has a fourth starter with an ERA+ over 100, they have a good rotation.

Capuano has seen his WHIP and walks go down the past two seasons, while he's still kept his K rate high (about 175 in around 220 innings the last two seasons). As the presumed number two guy, he has to repeat his success of last year in order for the Brewers to contend. I don't know if he'll win 18 again (like in 2004), but it's definitely within the realm of possibility.

Claudio Vargas is perfectly serviceable as a fifth starter, but last year was the first time he cracked 25 starts and 150 innings. His career WHIP is around 1.43, which is plenty good to get by as a fifth starter.

Finally, Supp will be Supp. He's the only starter over 30 and brings a veteran, winning presence to the rotation. He's been there and done that and will be a great clubhouse presence for them.

As far as everything else Callis said, he's a moron. It seems like he chooses "trendy" picks for his playoff teams, and, considering that only three of the eight teams that he picked were in the playoffs last year (and two of his eight were below .500 last year) it's like he's making picks intentionally to be controversial. Coincidentally, both of the below .500 teams he picked are going to win their respective central divisions. Frankly, I don't see it, despite the Brewers making definite improvements.

So.... you agree?

I wanted to say that about Sheets but given Carp's recent track record, I also wanted to avoid hyperbole. But no arguments here. He's got it in him to be better than Carpenter.

[Phyrkrakr]

So.... you agree?

I wanted to say that about Sheets but given Carp's recent track record, I also wanted to avoid hyperbole. But no arguments here. He's got it in him to be better than Carpenter.

I agree that the Brewers have improved, but I don't see 83 wins taking the division again. If it takes 90, that's still a 15 win improvement. I don't think a healthy Sheets does that for this team. Oh, and I'm expecting Prince Fielder to regress some, as well, even though he's on my fantasy team.

So, I agree that Sheets = Carp, generally speaking. Brewers winning the division? It'll be close, but they'll fall short.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

The Brewers' rotation, though, is pretty stout. I didn't realize what they'd put together until I saw the P-D baseball preview. Granted, it's all contingent on Sheets' health, but....

-Sheets, healthy, approximates Carpenter
-Soup is Soup
-Capuano is a burgeoning work horse with a solid arm and a few years of good numbers now
-David Bush: I don't know much about his arm, but his numbers look like he's on the verge of becoming good to very good.

And then Claudio Vargas is their #5, and isn't bad at all for a 5. That's a pretty solid quartet at the top end.

But yeah, World Series is a bit zealous.

Soup is Soup..... but with a much worse infield defense behind him.

And you won't stop hearing about Samardzjia if you keep reading Jim "cubs fan" Callis' comments. He answers at least 2 questions about him/Pie/Veal every week. I'm serious. Go back and look it up.

Callis is at the mercy of the people asking him questions. Ask him something if you don't like the topics he covers. There's a lot of Cub fans that are heavily interested in the minor league system, and I know a lot of them like to get through in chats BA does.

[Socnorb11]

The Brewers' rotation, though, is pretty stout. I didn't realize what they'd put together until I saw the P-D baseball preview. Granted, it's all contingent on Sheets' health, but....

-Sheets, healthy, approximates Carpenter
-Soup is Soup
-Capuano is a burgeoning work horse with a solid arm and a few years of good numbers now
-David Bush: I don't know much about his arm, but his numbers look like he's on the verge of becoming good to very good.

And then Claudio Vargas is their #5, and isn't bad at all for a 5. That's a pretty solid quartet at the top end.

But yeah, World Series is a bit zealous.

Soup is Soup..... but with a much worse infield defense behind him.

And you won't stop hearing about Samardzjia if you keep reading Jim "cubs fan" Callis' comments. He answers at least 2 questions about him/Pie/Veal every week. I'm serious. Go back and look it up.

Callis is at the mercy of the people asking him questions. Ask him something if you don't like the topics he covers. There's a lot of Cub fans that are heavily interested in the minor league system, and I know a lot of them like to get through in chats BA does.

There are plenty of Cardinal fans that are heavily interested in the minor league system also, but we don't need Callis to repeatedly re-assure us that Rasmus is a stud and Garcia has mega potential.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

The Brewers' rotation, though, is pretty stout. I didn't realize what they'd put together until I saw the P-D baseball preview. Granted, it's all contingent on Sheets' health, but....

-Sheets, healthy, approximates Carpenter
-Soup is Soup
-Capuano is a burgeoning work horse with a solid arm and a few years of good numbers now
-David Bush: I don't know much about his arm, but his numbers look like he's on the verge of becoming good to very good.

And then Claudio Vargas is their #5, and isn't bad at all for a 5. That's a pretty solid quartet at the top end.

But yeah, World Series is a bit zealous.

Soup is Soup..... but with a much worse infield defense behind him.

And you won't stop hearing about Samardzjia if you keep reading Jim "cubs fan" Callis' comments. He answers at least 2 questions about him/Pie/Veal every week. I'm serious. Go back and look it up.

Callis is at the mercy of the people asking him questions. Ask him something if you don't like the topics he covers. There's a lot of Cub fans that are heavily interested in the minor league system, and I know a lot of them like to get through in chats BA does.

There are plenty of Cardinal fans that are heavily interested in the minor league system also, but we don't need Callis to repeatedly re-assure us that Rasmus is a stud and Garcia has mega potential.

Then don't complain about the questions Callis fields.