Brewers News, Transactions, Trade Ideas - Collins NL Player of Week

[ReasonablySober]

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[coolhandluke121]

I like it better when we are under the radar

Hard same.

It depends. I don't really believe in jinxes or anything, but if I thought that their success depended on having extra motivation due to being overlooked or anything like that, I would agree. However, I don't believe that, despite the prevailing narrative that they're playing with a chip on their shoulder. I think it really is just about the skills and strategies that they're employing, being ahead of the curve in exploiting rules changes as usual. And those rule changes were made with the goal of promoting exactly this brand of baseball, which is far more enjoyable to watch IMO. More importantly, it's sustainable for the Brewers because this run is based on their innate skill sets and not just a hot streak.

Basically, this is a reincarnation of the 1992 team that made me fall in love with sports in the first place. If extra publicity for the Brewers leads to more of this brand of baseball all over the majors, I'm all for it.

[ReasonablySober]

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Collins has been terrific defensively in left field, which helps. He’s tied for the league lead in FRV for left fielders with Steven Kwan, who’s played more than 350 more innings at the position. Of course, to say that Collins is a great left field defender is damning with faint praise. The thing that’s actually kept this undersized, unfancied, too-old-rookie, limited-power corner outfielder in the lineup is a concept worth throwing a dollar in the Moneyball swear jar for.



Here’s a full list of National League hitters with 200 plate appearances and an OBP higher than Collins’, as of August 5: Will Smith, Ketel Marte, Kyle Tucker.

Collins is elite in one aspect of hitting: strike zone judgment. I don’t know if he’s even good at any other part of the offensive game. But he’s been average enough everywhere else to make his one standout skill, well, stand out. As a result, this rookie nobody heard of before this season has been one of the most valuable players on the team with the best record in baseball.

Fun article.

[MVP2110]

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[ReasonablySober]

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WHOA. I'd been confused on this for a while. Fangraphs had his free agency year as 2028, but he also had four years of service already. Spotrac has him listed as a Free Agent in 2027.

That would be incredible if he's actually a 2028 FA.

[MickeyDavis]

I wonder where McCalvy gets this info. This is his second year of Arby. Next year is 3.

[ReasonablySober]

I wonder where McCalvy gets this info. This is his second year of Arby. Next year is 3.

He must be a Super 2 with this being his 2nd arb year. So he'll get four years of arbitration.

[Eeavers57]

I wonder where McCalvy gets this info. This is his second year of Arby. Next year is 3.

He must be a Super 2 with this being his 2nd arb year. So he'll get four years of arbitration.

I think McCalvy is wrong. He's not super 2 eligible and 2024 was his first arb year (3.25 mil).

Spotrac has it as FA in 2026 as well, and they are normally pretty accurate.

[ReasonablySober]

I wonder where McCalvy gets this info. This is his second year of Arby. Next year is 3.

He must be a Super 2 with this being his 2nd arb year. So he'll get four years of arbitration.

I think McCalvy is wrong. He's not super 2 eligible and 2024 was his first arb year (3.25 mil).

Spotrac has it as FA in 2026 as well, and they are normally pretty accurate.

Would love a further explanation from him.

[ReasonablySober]

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[Eeavers57]

He must be a Super 2 with this being his 2nd arb year. So he'll get four years of arbitration.

I think McCalvy is wrong. He's not super 2 eligible and 2024 was his first arb year (3.25 mil).

Spotrac has it as FA in 2026 as well, and they are normally pretty accurate.

Would love a further explanation from him.

Doing the Lord's work. This is what I got:

"He was optioned long enough between the Sox and brewers that he won’t accrue enough service time to reach 5 full seasons of service time after this season. That means he won’t have 6 full seasons of service time at the end of 2026. He needs 6 full years of mlb service time to reach free agency.

This has always been the case, but no one really noticed because we didn’t think Vaughn would be tendered a contract until like 2 weeks ago. Places like fangraphs and spotrac don’t update their service time calculations mid season."

So yes, at the end of 2026, he won't be at 6.000 years of service so he gets another arb year in 2027.

[ReasonablySober]

I think McCalvy is wrong. He's not super 2 eligible and 2024 was his first arb year (3.25 mil).

Spotrac has it as FA in 2026 as well, and they are normally pretty accurate.

Would love a further explanation from him.

Doing the Lord's work. This is what I got:

"He was optioned long enough between the Sox and brewers that he won’t accrue enough service time to reach 5 full seasons of service time after this season. That means he won’t have 6 full seasons of service time at the end of 2026. He needs 6 full years of mlb service time to reach free agency.

This has always been the case, but no one really noticed because we didn’t think Vaughn would be tendered a contract until like 2 weeks ago. Places like fangraphs and spotrac don’t update their service time calculations mid season."

So that would mean McCalvy is right. Dope.

[ReasonablySober]

I obviously don't expect Vaughn to keep performing like a right handed Barry Bonds, but even if he comes back down to earth and is a typical Brewers 3 win player it would be such a massive boon.

[ReasonablySober]

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[ReasonablySober]

I think the wildest thing about this Brewers season is that they've got the best record in the league in the best division. They're four games up in a division where the fourth best team is .500 at 58-58. The other five fourth place teams:

Tampa: 57-59
Minnesota: 54-60
LAA: 55-60
ATL: 47-66
Arizona: 54-61

They've got the best run differential in the game in the best division. This team is a monster.

[Eeavers57]

I think the wildest thing about this Brewers season is that they've got the best record in the league in the best division. They're four games up in a division where the fourth best team is .500 at 58-58. The other five fourth place teams:

Tampa: 57-59
Minnesota: 54-60
LAA: 55-60
ATL: 47-66
Arizona: 54-61

They've got the best run differential in the game in the best division. This team is a monster.

Also want to add on to this - I don't know how many of you watch the broadcasts and/or pay attention, but they always show the graphics when the points in the game 'hit' to count to the below stats...

Brewers are 56-10 when scoring 4 or more runs in the game and are ~55-4 when leading after 7 innings. All of this is absolutely insane.

[Ron Swanson]

They're an absolute juggernaut on par with any of the great RS teams in recent years outside of like, the 2022 Dodgers, and it's still weird to type that out. I get the reluctance to say that they should be clear WS favorites, but that's the kind of respect that the numbers say they should be getting.

[ReasonablySober]

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Upon arrival, Priester recalled, he received a series of specific but simple instructions. The team wanted him to focus on pounding his 94-mph sinker down and away to generate groundballs. He needed to learn to spot his 92-mph cutter for back-door strikes. A lack of control in the running game was not acceptable. The little things, he was told, count around here.

“Those little things keep the game simple, keep the game fun, keep the game loose,” Priester said. “And you realize you’re only one simple play away from doing something great.”

The Brewers also had a ready-made replacement when first baseman Rhys Hoskins injured his thumb last month. Milwaukee called up Vaughn, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2019 draft, whose career had sputtered with the Chicago White Sox. Vaughn was languishing in the minors in June when Brewers pitcher Aaron Civale, after being moved to the bullpen, asked to be traded. Soon after, Arnold exchanged Civale for Vaughn, who remained in Triple A until Hoskins went down.

“Just getting him in a different environment, with a different level of pressure, we thought would be a good change of scenery for him,” Arnold said.

When Vaughn received his promotion, the staff provided marching orders, just as they did for Priester. If he did not swing at strikes, he would not stick around. The message left little room for interpretation, which is one of Murphy’s hallmarks.

[MickeyDavis]

This team REALLY needs a couple of playoff series wins. Another quick bounce will be a huge gut punch. Last years team was 93-69 and dominated the division and all anyone remembers/talks about is the meltdown vs. the Mets.

[MickeyDavis]

I think the wildest thing about this Brewers season is that they've got the best record in the league in the best division. They're four games up in a division where the fourth best team is .500 at 58-58. The other five fourth place teams:

Tampa: 57-59
Minnesota: 54-60
LAA: 55-60
ATL: 47-66
Arizona: 54-61

They've got the best run differential in the game in the best division. This team is a monster.

That's really crazy