Brewers vs Giants: Phillips debut

[Prickle]

Ultimately Sogard has a long track record of not being good so while it is nice that he has done so well as a Brewer it doesn't mean he will be productive going forward. Riding the hot hand makes sense but Villar is the more talented player and if they are serious about being playoff contenders the guy that will have to be producing as we move to August/September. Any sign that Villar gives that he is about to break out then they have to play him.

Yes, just because Sogard has been playing so well lately, doesn't necessarily mean that he will continue to play well moving forward. But on the flip side.....just because Villar has been playing like sh*t lately, doesn't necessarily mean he won't continue to play like sh*t moving forward. See how this works?

So, Sogard's history says he's nothing more than mediocre. Fair enough. But Thames doesn't have a long track record of being good. Neither does Shaw. Should we bench them for lesser players because their career stats suggest they're nothing more than mediocre? And it's not like Villar has a long track record of success; he had one great year. There have been countless players throughout history who have had one flash-in-the-pan year, and never returned to form. I'm not saying that this is Villar's fate (I certainly hope not), but it's not like he's had some long history of success to suggest it isn't. If we erased his 2016 season from our memories, and took both he and Sogard at face-value based on this season alone, there's not a single person who'd say Villar is the better player right now. Higher ceiling? For sure. But I just don't think he's earned the extremely long leash he's been given. Keep in mind, it's not like Sogard has just been outplaying Villar by a little - he's been outplaying the majority of players in MLB for a month now. He'd be playing everyday for every other team in the league right now, which is why I find it hard to swallow that he's not even an everyday starter for the friggin Brewers.

So, I can't say I totally agree with the idea that the Brewers will need Villar to produce in order to contend this year. Would it be nice? Heck yeah. Would it help their chances? Of course. But if they are serious about being playoff contenders, they will play the guy that gives them the best chance to win each day, not the guy they desperately "want" to play well, despite his struggles. I wish Villar was playing like he did last year too.....I think we all do. But he isn't, and hasn't for 2 1/2 months now. The offense has been quite good despite him, and even if they continue to hit this well, it will be the bullpen that ultimately destroys any postseason aspirations.

[Prickle]

Sogard sits versus a lefty and everyone loses it on Twitter. Brewer fans are the best.

Baseball fans in general love to think that the "hot hand" is way more real than it is...either that or they just aren't familiar with Sogard's career history.

This isn't to say that the "hot hand" is a 100% throwaway. Sometimes a pitcher has his sinker going or a timing hitter is really locked in on said timing...but 9 times out of 10, a hot streak is generally down to the ball just happening to find green grass way more often than it should for a hitter or the guy has just faced a bunch of favorable competition (splits, stadium, garbage opponent).

And some baseball fans seem to think that a "hot hand" is less real than it really is. Baseball is a very streaky game. Very few MLB players are consistently great all season long - most do their damage in bunches. The great players simply have more (and longer) "hot" streaks and less (and shorter) "cold" ones. But even mediocre players can have great months, or even seasons - it happens every year.

Now, no one is saying he's a great player, but again, how does Sogard's career history have any relevance here? Of course he hasn't hit .400 over his career; no player has. So we should just discount what he's been doing the last month? If you're downplaying his "hot hand" as nothing more than some sort of stroke of luck, then you haven't been watching the games. The guy has been putting up quite possibly the best at-bats in the entire league for a month straight now; he's earned his results. Walks have nothing to do with "balls just happening to find green grass." He's simply not swinging at pitches out of the zone, and barreling up on just about everything he does swing at. Is the production sustainable? Obviously not to this extent, but for a team that strikes out at the rate the Brewers do, they should be doing everything possible to keep a hitter like Sogard in the lineup every single day.

Right now, he's the best hitter on the team. I find it funny how people can so easily justify him not being in the everyday lineup.

[Kerb Hohl]

Sogard sits versus a lefty and everyone loses it on Twitter. Brewer fans are the best.

Baseball fans in general love to think that the "hot hand" is way more real than it is...either that or they just aren't familiar with Sogard's career history.

This isn't to say that the "hot hand" is a 100% throwaway. Sometimes a pitcher has his sinker going or a timing hitter is really locked in on said timing...but 9 times out of 10, a hot streak is generally down to the ball just happening to find green grass way more often than it should for a hitter or the guy has just faced a bunch of favorable competition (splits, stadium, garbage opponent).

And some baseball fans seem to think that a "hot hand" is less real than it really is. Baseball is a very streaky game. Very few MLB players are consistently great all season long - most do their damage in bunches. The great players simply have more (and longer) "hot" streaks and less (and shorter) "cold" ones. But even mediocre players can have great months, or even seasons - it happens every year.

Now, no one is saying he's a great player, but again, how does Sogard's career history have any relevance here? Of course he hasn't hit .400 over his career; no player has. So we should just discount what he's been doing the last month? If you're downplaying his "hot hand" as nothing more than some sort of stroke of luck, then you haven't been watching the games. The guy has been putting up quite possibly the best at-bats in the entire league for a month straight now; he's earned his results. Walks have nothing to do with "balls just happening to find green grass." He's simply not swinging at pitches out of the zone, and barreling up on just about everything he does swing at. Is the production sustainable? Obviously not to this extent, but for a team that strikes out at the rate the Brewers do, they should be doing everything possible to keep a hitter like Sogard in the lineup every single day.

Right now, he's the best hitter on the team. I find it funny how people can so easily justify him not being in the everyday lineup.

Like I had said in previous threads, Sogard may have made a few adjustments to be a .700 OPS-type hitter but baseball is a "streaky" game because that is what statistics in short bursts do as they even out over the long haul.

Yuni Betancourt once hit 8 HR in just over a month with a near .900 OPS and then finished the season below his norms.

I'm giving Villar the entire season to see if he can show even close to what he once was. That's All Star/high trade value-worthy.

Eric Sogard is just a utility guy. Maybe he's our long-term utility guy but that's it.

And you're right, I have not been watching the games. I know that he's been putting up good at bats but that's what **** utility hitters do. They fight off 10 pitches and pester pitchers. Then they finish the season with a .260/.310/.330 slash line.

Miller Park will help Sogard. His homer yesterday would have been a double in Oakland, if that.