Milwaukee Brewers 2008 Grades

Yeah, yeah, I know. Every blog and news outlet dishes out grades a few days after the season comes to a close. Well, let's see how the BTB grades the team compared to others.

Jason Kendall (C+)
I'd give him an A for the way he handled the pitching staff and became a friggin' jugs machine at throwing out baserunners. He'd get a D for trying to set the team record for soft flair's to the right fielder. I just don't know why the team didn't give him more days off. Hardly his fault, but still confusing.

Prince Fielder (B-)
The big fella never found that ability to carry the team until it was nearly too late. But he may very well have saved the season with the September he put together, because nobody else on the team amounted to anything down the stretch. His power numbers dropped off drastically from last season and we are left to wonder if he's more of a consistent mid to upper 40's HR guy or a mid 30s HR guy. He's still looks like a DH every time he fields his position. He may have been smarter to sign the long term deal the team had on the table than to refuse it.

Dick Weeks (D)
Still a liability in the field, still can't hit a curve ball. The only thing he does with consistency is take pitches, but I'm not sure that's what you want from the second overall pick in the draft. I still don't think he's a natural leadoff hitter and wouldn't give up on him until he's at least been tried in the 6 or 7 hole for an extended period of time.

J.J. Hardy (A-)
Everyone thought J.J. would put together a .250 type of season, saying there's no way he'll hit like he did in April/May 2007 again, that was an aberration. Maybe that's because it was easier to say he'll regress than maintain what is becoming incredible production, both at the plate and in the field for a SS. He is without question one of the main cogs of this team.

Bill Hall (F)
Started the year as the everyday 3B to great fanfare. Finished it hitting only vs. lefties and still didn't do that well. When the horrific Pittsburgh lefties are thrown out of the equation, Hall struggles to hit .250 vs. lefties, and flat out cannot hit righties, to the tune of a .174 average. Yuck. Is far from a heady glovesman either. He fails. When you enter a straight platoon with Russell Branyan and Craig Counsell, that should tell you something.

Ryan Braun (A)
Outfield errors, or lack thereof are kind of a joke. Just because a guy doesn't get his glove on the ball, he is saved an error. But for Braun to register 0, yes, 0 errors in his first season manning LF after being unable to field 3B, is downright impressive. I'll admit that I expected him to bat much higher than .285, but a line of .285/.335/.553 along with a team leading 37 dongs, 106 RBIs and 14 SBs, is NOT a sophomore slump. I've never seen as complete of a hitter as him in a Brewers uniform.

Mike Cameron (B-)
Call me naive, but I think having a plus defender like Cammy was a major influence on Braun in his first year out in the OF. Cammy wasn't the amazing gold glover from years past, but he made very difficult plays seem routine with ease, time upon time again. At the plate? Well, he was Mike Cameron, and his power numbers were actually up. Still strikes out looking far too often, but is still a very serviceable ball player and will be the most interesting offseason decision as far the free agents (within reason) are concerned.

Corey Hart (C)
Did he do anything after the All-Star Break? The answer is no. He hit an awful .239 after the break with a horrific 5 dongs. Drew only 27 walks all season long. Coupled with him being a certified, official T-U-R-D Turd, he'd look great in Yankee pinstripes next season. His second straight 20/20 season saves him from being downgraded even further.

Mike Rivera (Inc.)
Has a player on the everyday, active roster from game one through the postseason ever received an Inc. before? I don't think so, yet that is what Rivera has to get. If you judged him by his whopping 62 ABs, then he gets an A+. Going .306/.377/.435 while barely playing is amazing. I hope he's brought back to back up Kendall in 09, as there's no need to rush Salome or Lucroy to the Majors.

Gabe Kapler (B+)
"The Chisel" teams up with "The Maytag Man" Mike Rivera to form possible two of the best back-ups in the league. Batted over .300 and nearly slugged .500 while serving as the top back-up to all three outfield positions. NOBODY saw this coming from a guy that was managing in the Red Sox minor league system a year ago. With the way Corey Hart morphed into the human unclutch machine down the stretch, who would have thought that Kapler's injury would wind up hurting the team more than Braun's?

Russell Branyan (B)
3TO carried the Brewers through the month of June, then heroically went on the DL to let the team he so valiantly nurtured make the playoffs on their own without the guidance of their chivalrous leader. This young Brewers squad will thank Mr. Branyan for years to come for his deeds.

Craig Counsell (C-)
To use a very cliche business term: He is what he is. He's a tremendous glove at any position in the infield and he bats around .230, while rarely even swinging before he has two strikes. Could hit HRs with regularity at Haelfaer Field, but not many other places. He remains a very valuable asset to have on a bench as a defensive replacement and lefty bat to spell a guy now and then, but he shouldn't be starting everyday like he did in Sept/Oct.

Ray Durham (B)
He should have been the everyday starter at 2B from the day he was acquired from SF. But alas, Ned's man crush on Dick blocked him. Had an OBP of .369 and BA of .280 as a Brewer, which were slightly down from what he did in SF, but not by much. While not being a gold glove candidate at 2B, he also didn't make people wonder if the ball was more likely to wind up in Prince's mitt or in the 5th row of the field level when throwing to first.

CC Sabathia (Scrumtralescent)
"I cannot describe your performance, so I am forced to make up my own word.....scrumtralescent"

Ben Sheets (B)
Poor Benny. If only he could put it all together at the same time. The simple fact is, injuries aside, the Brewers don't make the postseason if not for Benny this season. But one has to wonder if they'd still be alive and kicking if he didn't fade out and get injured again at the end of the year, you know, that time of the season when a team really, REALLY needs its ace? I maintain that this guy should be a closer, not a starter.

Manny Parra (B-)
Ran out of gas at the end of the year, but for a rookie, had a very solid season. Even endured getting the tar beat out of him by an anger management issue big boy. Plus, he didn't get hurt. People quickly forgot that this guy was seemingly a lost cause just a few years ago due to arm injuries. Will start the 2009 season as either the #2 or #3 in the rotation starter. Plus, he made me 20 bucks when I bet some Claudio Vargas apologist fool that his ERA at the end of the year would be under 5.00.

Jeff Suppan (F)
4 years, $42 million for that? Chant it with me Brew Town, G-A-S-C-A-N, GASCAN, GASCAN! At this point, I'd welcome trading him back to Dave Duncan just to rid him of our roster. I hope that damn gascan of his burns the facial hair right off his face.

Dave Bush (B)
Considering where he was as a starter in April, being sent down to Nashville, coming back because of Yo's injury, being tossed (foolishly) into a home/road platoon...yet was as reliable as an option on the bump aside from CC in August, September and October. I for one, will not simply gloss over the fact that is was Dave Bush that registered the Milwaukee Brewers first postseason W in 26 years. In fact, I'll never forget it.

Bullpen tomorrow