Mid-Season Grades

We're already halfway through the baseball season so it's time to grade the brew crew. I've graded each player on the team.




Rotation

Ben Sheets A- - Sheets has had a strong season so far and was elected to his third all-star team. He got off to somewhat of a slow start and his strikeout numbers were down but he's really turned it on in the last few months. He's 10-4 at the break and it looks like he'll easily set a career high for wins.

Chris Capuano D+ - It's been a pretty disappointing season for Cappy. He got off to a really good start and then began to slip. Then he got hurt and hasn't done well since he returned from the disabled list. His ERA currently stands at 4.78 and with Cappy I expect something more like 3.78. He'll need to improve in the second half.

Jeff Suppan D+ - When you're a starting pitcher and you're making $12 million a year, the richest contract in Brewers history you're expected to have better than a 5 ERA. Suppan looked well worth the money in the first two months of the season but since he's been absolutely horrible. No expected Suppan to be a Cy Young pitcher but an ERA in the high 3's or low 4's would be nice. He's not even performing at his career averages right now.

Dave Bush C - Overall Bush has pitched pretty well this season, his downfall however has been the big inning. He does fine the entire way and then just explodes. Lately he hasn't been doing much of the exploding. I think he's performed better than his 4.86 ERA would indicate.

Claudio Vargas C+ - Vargas has been pretty good for a #5 starter but has been lucky at times. Many have been calling him the magic man because of his ability to leave runners on base. He's 6-2 with a 4.52 ERA. The ERA is about what I expected. He'll need to improve though if he wants to keep his spot in the rotation because Yovani Gallardo is too good to be left in the bullpen the entire 2nd half.

Bullpen

Francisco Cordero A - Cordero has been fantastic this season closing games for the crew. He leads the National League with 27 saves and has a 2.86 ERA. Through the first two months of the season he was practically untouchable. Recently he's been giving up a few runs here and there. Hopefully it's nothing to be concerned about.

Derrick Turnbow B - Turnbow is quietly turning in a pretty decent year. I think some of the fans expect too much from Turnbow after he gave us that 1.74 ERA season in 2005. He struggled in 2006 but for the most part has been solid this year. He seems to give up his runs in bunches. When he's on though, he's dominant. Turnbow has only allowed 24 hits in 38.2 innings pitched and has struck out 48. That's a pretty nice strikeout per innings ratio. He has an ERA of 3.49.

Matt Wise A- - Matt Wise has been solid. He just goes out there and does his job. I'll take a setup man with a 2.87 ERA any day.

Brian Shouse B - Shouse has done a good job in his left handed specialist role . In 35 appearances Shouse has a 2.95 ERA.

Carlos Villanueva A - Villanueva has been just amazing. He's definitely a starting pitcher but he's just so valuable in the bullpen. He flat out knows how to pitch. He's thrown in 60.1 innings and has a 2.83 ERA. Villanueva is also 6-0.

Yovani Gallardo A - You can't expect much more than what Yo's done since receiving the call. He was dominant in his outings as a starter. His ERA stands at 3.38 ERA and he will be used in the bullpen to keep his arm fresh for the stretch run.

Chris Spurling C+ - Spurling has a nice looking 3.25 ERA but he is not that good. He's been pretty lucky. None of his numbers really stand out besides his ERA, it's just that the base runners he's allowing haven't been scoring yet. Unfortunately, in the 2nd half I believe they will and his ERA will balloon.

Outfield

Corey Hart A - I thought Corey Hart would do well. When I say well I mean average production for a corner outfielder. He's done better than that, he's the total package. Hart does it all, he hits for average, power, and can steal bases. When you compare his production to Aaron Rowand, who was an all-star the numbers are very similar. If he hadn't been platooning with Menchkins in the early going the Brewers might have had five all-stars.

Geoff Jenkins B- - For the most part Jenkins has been solid but he's fallen off recently. He still hits for decent power and a respectable average. I really hope the Brewers make a run this season because if they don't Jenkins might not have another shot, at least not as a starter.

Bill Hall C - Billy had a tough time making the transition to centerfield and that may have hurt him at the plate. His power is down big time from last season but he still has a decent average. When he returns from the DL the Brewers will hope for big things from Hall.

Kevin Mench D+ - Mench is not nearly worth the amount of money he makes. He's walked TWICE the ENTIRE season and one of the walks was intentional. Ignore his .278 average, his production hasn't been that good. Mench was also considered a power hitter before coming to Milwaukee and he currently has 5 home runs. I don't think there's any question anymore that he's simply a role player. As a role player he's okay.

Tony Gwynn B+ - Gwynn has done much better than anyone could have expected and has been a solid player off the bench. In the 1st half of the season he put up a .297 average with a .354 on base percentage.

Gabe Gross D - Gross is batting .200 but has managed to put up a .330 OBP despite the terrible average. He gets so few AB's I think it's hard for him to get going. He's a very capable player but on this team he just doesn't get the playing time he should be.

Infield

Prince Fielder A+ - Prince has turned into a king this season. He leads the National League with 29 Home Runs and became the first Brewer to be voted a starter in the All-Star game since Paul Mollitor in 1988. I didn't even know what the Brewers or what baseball was in 1988. If there was a 1st half MVP for the NL it would be Prince. He's been unbelievable.

Rickie Weeks D- - I hate to give Rickie such a low grade but he's just been very disappointing. He's been battling the wrist injury and it seems to have really taken its tole on him. Lately all he's been doing is striking out. Weeks is batting only .222 with 5 home runs in 222 at bats. Hopefully he rebounds in the second half otherwise some people will begin to wonder if he was worth drafting.

J.J. Hardy A - Nobody expected J.J. to hit as many dingers as he has. 18 Home Runs and a pretty good average at .280. Not to mention his amazing defense. Hardy earned a very well deserved all-star selection for his stellar play.

Ryan Braun A+ - When you look at Ryan Braun the word professional comes to mind. He just looks and acts like a pro out on the field. He's a rookie but acts like he's been there before. Braun has a quiet confidence and has been mashing at the plate. Braun is batting .350 with 11 dingers and and 32 RBI. The NL Rookie of the Year race will definitely be an interesting one between Braun and the Astros' Hunter Pence.

Tony Graffanino D - Graffy has been a disappointment. Last year he was very solid pickup at the trade deadline and did a bang up job. This season he has just been below average.

Craig Counsell D+ - He's been slightly better than Graffy but is still only hitting .239. He has shown good discipline at the plate drawing a good amount of walks though.

Catchers

Johnny Estrada B- - Estrada came over in a big off-season trade that sent Doug Davis to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Johnny can hit, there's no denying that, but his ability to draw walks is Shrek like. Estrada is hitting .293 but his OBP is only .311. When he's hitting I love Estrada, when he's not he's worthless because you know he won't walk.

Damian Miller A- - Damian "Wheels" Miller, also known as Jake Taylor has been on fire in recent weeks. Damian is an old banged up catcher and he can still play at a high level. Miller is batting .312 with a .356 OBP. You can't ask for anything more from your backup catcher. Not many teams have a backup catcher that outperforms their starter.

Overall

I had high expectations for the crew and they've lived up to them. I thought this was definitely a first place team and they've proven it. The Brewers are currently 49-39 and have a 4 1/2 game lead over the Cubs for 1st place in the NL Central. The Cubs have been hot lately but I think the Brewers are too good to let their lead go. The Crew started off on fire but then had a horrible month and then started playing well again. Overall I'd give the crew an A- for the first half of the season. Well done, now lets get to the World Series!

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