Official Goat of the Game

Brewers Mid-Season Report Card

After finishing their three game series with the Twins, the
brewers are officially halfway through with there schedule and
are 44-37. Currently in 3rd place and 4.5 games back of the Cubs
in the NL Central, and 2.0 games behind the Cardinals in the
Wild Card race.
Here are my midseason report cards for all current/former
brewers this year:

The hitters (avg., HR, rbi)-

Russell Branyan (.279, 11 HR, 18 rbi)- Since being called up in
late May Russell has brought some offensive respectability
and stability to third base. Has played a meaningful part in
teams recent surge. Grade: B

Ryan Braun (.287, 20 HR 58 rbi)- Bat has not had a sophmore slump, and has so far been playing left field fairly well with no errors yet. Still doesn’t always take the best angles, but in time that should be corrected. Won’t be long when you think of him as one of the best players in baseball. GRADE: A

Mike Cameron (.219, 12 HR 28 rbi)- Mike’s glove has been every bit as good as advertised, however his bat to this point has been a major disappointment. His .291 OBP is just plain bad, not to mention all those multiple strikeout games. Hopefully he has a second half turnaround in him, but right now there are lots of people wondering why Gwynn Jr. is not not playing center yet. GRADE: D+

Craig Counsell (.242, 1 HR, 8 rbi)- Helped the Brewers thrive during the Rickie Weeks DL stint and still is a very capable bench player. Never looks sexy at doing anything, but is still good at doing the little things that win ballgames. GRADE: C+

Joe Dillon (.228, 0HR 4 rbi)- Has been hard luck at getting at bats, but his .353 OBP and patient approach at the plate suggests that his average should get better. Not as bad as numbers suggest. GRADE: C-

Prince Fielder (.271, 16 HR 42 rbi)- Prince’s average has dipped 21 points on the recent road trip, but from the start of May til this roadtrip had been more like Prince of last year. Has been a slight disapointment in the HR and rbi department, but another tear should correct that. GRADE: B

Gabe Gross (.209, 0 HR 2 rbi)- Before being traded to the Tampa Bay Rays was having people question Yost for continuously playing Gabe every night. Gabe has had some dramatic play, but all for the Rays. GRADE: D

Tony Gwynn Jr.(.200, 0 HR 1 rbi)- Has shown flashes that he can be a productive centerfielder and leadoff hitter, but an injury and Gabe Kapler are keeping Tony from staying in the majors. Grade: Incomplete

Bill Hall (.216, 10 HR 28 rbi)- The move back to the infield has not helped back to his 2006 form where he had 35 HR and 85 rbi’s. To make matters worse since Hall supposedly asked for/demanded a trade and has seemed to play worse if that is possible. More than likely in his last season as a Brewer. GRADE: D

J.J. Hardy (.259, 6 HR 26 rbi)- After a horrible start batting in the seventh spot right ahead of the pitcher has seemed to stabilize . Playing gold glove caliber defense. Must continue to improve offensively for this team to contend. Grade: C+

Corey Hart (.292, 14 HR 51 rbi)- Is one of the most underrated outfielders in the NL. Has hit thirteen of his fourteen homeruns after May 15. Is clutch with RISP. Has potential to be a 30/30 guy. GRADE: A-

Hernan Iribarren (.143, 0 HR 1 rbi)- Has too few at bats to make a reasonable judgment on. Probably a year or so away from actually contributing. GRADE: Incomplete

Gabe Kapler (.309, 5 HR 22 rbi)- Has went from also-ran spring training outfielder/feel good story to who fans want to unseat Cameron in centerfield this year. Bats good in about every situation and rarely makes a mistake. Not many fourth outfielders better this year. GRADE: A-

Jason Kendall (.268 1 HR 24 rbi)- I think its safe to say Brewers fans are glad we let Estrada go to sign Kendall. Also a pleasant surprise in throwing out 21 of 46 (46%) baserunners. Rarely get bad at bats. GRADE: B
Mike Rivera (.325, 1 HR 8 rbi)- Makes the most of his at bats when Kendall gets rare days off. Fairly good at mowing down basestealers, 4 of 13(31%). GRADE: B-

Rickie Weeks (.214, 7 HR 22 rbi)- Still has not come around as a leadoff hitter. Has the tools to be something special. But having a low average and high strikeouts for a leadoff hitter is a recipe for not being on this team for too much longer. GRADE: D+

Pitchers(Win-Loss, ERA)

Dave Bush (4-7, 4.94 ERA)- Just flat out stunk to start the year and ended up in the minors. But after Gallardo’s season ending injury has steadily improved. Took a no hitter into the 8th inning on June 19th. Maybe he is finally starting to get it. GRADE: C-

Mark DiFelice (0-0, 3.95 ERA)- Looked like he wasn’t cut for the big leagues against Boston, but settled down and gave Ned some innings to keep the bullpen from being burned up. Heading to AAA but had a meaningful time here. GRADE: C

Tim Dillard (0-0, 5.40 ERA)- Looked promising his first few appearances, but two blowups, one which almost cost the Brewers a game, landed Tim back in the minors. GRADE: Incomplete

Eric Gagne (1-2, 6.98 ERA)- Probaly the biggest bust of all the Brewers offseason free agents. Has 10 saves and 5 blown saves. Once Gagne comes off the DL he will be a setup man. GRADE: D

Yovani Gallardo (0-0, 1.80 ERA)- Started the season on the DL, looked solid coming back, but torn his ACL in a collision with Prince and is likely out for all of 2008. GRADE: Incomplete

Zach Jackson (0-0, 4.91 ERA)- called up in mid May, made a couple unimpressive appearances and sent back dow to AAA. GRADE: Incomplete

Seth McClung (5-3, 4.25 ERA)- A pleasant surprise. Started out barely making the roster as a reliever, moved his way up the ladder in the bullpen, and now is starting. Continueing to get better as a starter. Hopefully he doesn’t wear down. GRADE: B-

Guillermo Mota (2-5, 4.06 ERA)- Almost reminds of the 2007 Derrick Turnbow, but not as wild. Guillermo will just have a lights out one outing, and the next one looks like a gascan the next. Nervous every time he goes to the mound. GRADE: C

Manny Parra (8-2, 3.95 ERA)- From May 20th to now, Manny has been on fire picking up wins seven of his last eight starts. Has to cut down on his high number of walks but is doing a fine job of stranding those baserunners or gettting the next hitter to hit into a double play. Darkhorse Rookie of the Year candidate. GRADE: B+

David Riske (0-1, 5.09 ERA)- Started out the season on fire, but then ran into tough times, and then an injury and is fighting to keep his ERA under 5.00. Brewers need him to get back to 2007 form to contend. GRADE: C

Ben Sheets (9-2, 2.83 ERA)- Ben is setting himself up real good for free agency having probaly his best first half as a Brewer. Ben will be in the Cy Young race if he keeps up this pace, and the Brewers could find themselves in the postseason as well. GRADE: A

Brian Shouse (3-0, 1.88 ERA)- Shouse continueing to be one of the more valuable arms in the bullpen. Can pitch about every game, and has left many inherited runners standed. GRADE: A-

Mitch Stetter (1-1, 2.93 ERA)- Was a good second lefty out of the bullpen til mid May, then had a couple bad outings and got demoted to AAA. Has returned back from Nashville and has looked to have found his groove again. Hopefully Mitch can keep
Shouse from being worn down (if thats possible). GRADE: C+

Jeff Suppan (4-6, 4.05 ERA)- Suppan is more or less living up to his billing. He eats innings, has a .500 record, but seems to pitch best when it matters more. Unfortunately for the money he’s getting the Brewers should probaly get more. If the Brewers don’t make the playoffs with Suppan, this is a waste of a contract. GRADE: B-

Julian Tavarez (0-1, 8.59 ERA)- It didn’t take long for Brewers fans to see why the Red Sox cut him. Looks like a pitcher on the brink of retirement. Looked shaky his time here before he was let go. GRADE: F

Salomón Torres (4-1, 2.62 ERA)- Once Gagne went down with an injury, Torres took the closers role and hasn’t given it back since. Has yet to have a blown save since taking over this roles. One of Doug Melvin’s offseason gems. GRADE: A

Derrick Turnbow (0-1, 15.63 ERA)- Has had control issues all year and looks to have totally lost it. Sent back to the minors to try to become a starter. Probably never seeing him in a Brewer uniform again. GRADE: F

Carlos Villanueva (3-5, 5.43 ERA)- As a starter looked shaky, couldn’t get through the order a second time. As a longman in the bullpen though Villy looks to have found his niche. If he keeps pitching as he has coming out of the bullpen his numbers will look respectable by the end of the year. GRADE: C

Coaching-

Ned Yost this year has not made the mistakes he has made in the past few years. Ned has stuck with the hot hand and for the most part not burned the bullpen. I’m not baseball smart enough to know which ones Ned may have won for us, but I know enough to know Ned has only had a few games where there are highly questionable decisions. Being 44-37 at the middle of the year, 3rd best in NL, with no Gallardo is quite impressive. GRADE: B+