Post by Commissioner Erick on Sept 24, 2023 11:51:01 GMT -5
St. Louis Cardinals (2-1) @ Milwaukee Brewers (2-1)
STL: Josh Hagey (0-0, 0.00)
MIL: Roy Montgomery (0-0, 0.00)
Cardinals 3 Key Stats:
.970: St. Louis OPS: The Cardinals lead the league in OPS after dispatching the Reds 2-1 to start the season. They only scored 15 runs in the three games, but the OPS shows the team is getting on base and slugging the ball. In fact, the Cardinals had a .623 slugging percentage—more than a 100 points clear of second place—and eight homers. However, with runners in scoring position, their OPS dropped to .493 and they didn’t hit a single homer. That should normalize with time. The question will be whether their performance was indicative of an elite offense, or a terrible Reds staff.
1.1: Nomar Mazara’s WAR in 2029. We’ve seen this story before: St. Louis taking on the superstar Mazara, in the hopes of elevating the Cardinals to a World Series title. St. Louis acquired the Dominican in 2029, only to see Mazara have a disappointing year, following a rough 2028 in Texas. His average and ability to get on base had dried up, and he was a negative defensive player. Mazara didn’t play at all in 2030, aside from a spectacular, award-winning WBC campaign that led his country to a championship. This year, he’s back on a team again, but only had a .231 OBP the opening week, and is carrying negative WAR. It will be fascinating to see if history repeats itself.
68.4: Jung-Hoo Lee’s career KBO WAR: Lee comes from good bloodlines, as his father was an excellent player named the “Son of Wind.” Lee runs as swift as the wind on a gusty day, and is as powerful as the wind during a hurricane. “The Grandson of Wind” has blown over to the United States after a Hall of Fame career in his home country, and is off to a successful start with St. Louis, with three hits in seven at bats, including a homer. Korean fans will be tuning in to see how Lee fares, even if he’s only scheduled to bat against lefties.
Brewers 3 Key Stats
4: Runs allowed by Milwaukee this year: The Brewers took on a powerful Cubs team and shut them down, working two shutouts, and losing a 4-3 affair on Saturday. The Brewers’ classic three aces were all exceptional, and it will be up to Roy Montgomery to keep the vibes going. Not as spectacular as Milwaukee’s Big Three, he had a solid rookie campaign limiting walks and BABIP reasonably well, leading to a strong WHIP. He gave up some extra base hits to lefties though, limiting his upside. Only 25, there’s reason to believe he can improve, and taking on the club with the highest OPS in the early going will be a good challenge.
88: Games for Nick Rollins last year: Milwaukee simply hasn’t gotten Rollins on the field for enough games. He struggled early on with his lack of playing time, but put it together last year. With 21 homers in half a year, and a .907 OPS. He’s a good fielder and such a powerful bat at Second Base, bur he just can’t stay on the field. Noah Campbell is no longer around to spot him, so the Brewers would really appreciate if Rollins could stay healthy for even 120 games this year.
2: Homers for Micah Fortune: A ninth round pick in 2025, Fortune has been thrust into the lineup with Mike Perches on the IL. Fortune hit .331 for Colorado Springs last year, and .313 for Double-A Biloxi the year prior, so there’s talent there. Still, he’s beaten out Steve Eckroat to get the at bats in Perches’ absence. So far, he’s made the most of it, with a pair of homers to help the Brewers take a series in Chicago. He’ll be one to watch to see if his bat holds up.
Questions for the GMs:
For Tim Lentz, you went back to the well with Mazara. What makes you expect he’ll be better in 2031 than he was in 2029?
What are you expecting from The Grandson of Wind this year?
Will Aaron Walace be activated off the IL today?
For Luke Grimmelbein, will David Meeks be activated off the IL today?
Why did you go with Fortune and not Eckroat as your Right Fielder?
How comfortable are you with your infield backups for when Rollins eventually gets hurt?
TRIVIA: Nomar Mazara had 1.5 WAR for the Dominican Republic during the last WBC, giving him the most position player WAR in a single tournament. Who has the most career WBC position player WAR for the Dominican Republic?
STL: Josh Hagey (0-0, 0.00)
MIL: Roy Montgomery (0-0, 0.00)
Cardinals 3 Key Stats:
.970: St. Louis OPS: The Cardinals lead the league in OPS after dispatching the Reds 2-1 to start the season. They only scored 15 runs in the three games, but the OPS shows the team is getting on base and slugging the ball. In fact, the Cardinals had a .623 slugging percentage—more than a 100 points clear of second place—and eight homers. However, with runners in scoring position, their OPS dropped to .493 and they didn’t hit a single homer. That should normalize with time. The question will be whether their performance was indicative of an elite offense, or a terrible Reds staff.
1.1: Nomar Mazara’s WAR in 2029. We’ve seen this story before: St. Louis taking on the superstar Mazara, in the hopes of elevating the Cardinals to a World Series title. St. Louis acquired the Dominican in 2029, only to see Mazara have a disappointing year, following a rough 2028 in Texas. His average and ability to get on base had dried up, and he was a negative defensive player. Mazara didn’t play at all in 2030, aside from a spectacular, award-winning WBC campaign that led his country to a championship. This year, he’s back on a team again, but only had a .231 OBP the opening week, and is carrying negative WAR. It will be fascinating to see if history repeats itself.
68.4: Jung-Hoo Lee’s career KBO WAR: Lee comes from good bloodlines, as his father was an excellent player named the “Son of Wind.” Lee runs as swift as the wind on a gusty day, and is as powerful as the wind during a hurricane. “The Grandson of Wind” has blown over to the United States after a Hall of Fame career in his home country, and is off to a successful start with St. Louis, with three hits in seven at bats, including a homer. Korean fans will be tuning in to see how Lee fares, even if he’s only scheduled to bat against lefties.
Brewers 3 Key Stats
4: Runs allowed by Milwaukee this year: The Brewers took on a powerful Cubs team and shut them down, working two shutouts, and losing a 4-3 affair on Saturday. The Brewers’ classic three aces were all exceptional, and it will be up to Roy Montgomery to keep the vibes going. Not as spectacular as Milwaukee’s Big Three, he had a solid rookie campaign limiting walks and BABIP reasonably well, leading to a strong WHIP. He gave up some extra base hits to lefties though, limiting his upside. Only 25, there’s reason to believe he can improve, and taking on the club with the highest OPS in the early going will be a good challenge.
88: Games for Nick Rollins last year: Milwaukee simply hasn’t gotten Rollins on the field for enough games. He struggled early on with his lack of playing time, but put it together last year. With 21 homers in half a year, and a .907 OPS. He’s a good fielder and such a powerful bat at Second Base, bur he just can’t stay on the field. Noah Campbell is no longer around to spot him, so the Brewers would really appreciate if Rollins could stay healthy for even 120 games this year.
2: Homers for Micah Fortune: A ninth round pick in 2025, Fortune has been thrust into the lineup with Mike Perches on the IL. Fortune hit .331 for Colorado Springs last year, and .313 for Double-A Biloxi the year prior, so there’s talent there. Still, he’s beaten out Steve Eckroat to get the at bats in Perches’ absence. So far, he’s made the most of it, with a pair of homers to help the Brewers take a series in Chicago. He’ll be one to watch to see if his bat holds up.
Questions for the GMs:
For Tim Lentz, you went back to the well with Mazara. What makes you expect he’ll be better in 2031 than he was in 2029?
What are you expecting from The Grandson of Wind this year?
Will Aaron Walace be activated off the IL today?
For Luke Grimmelbein, will David Meeks be activated off the IL today?
Why did you go with Fortune and not Eckroat as your Right Fielder?
How comfortable are you with your infield backups for when Rollins eventually gets hurt?
TRIVIA: Nomar Mazara had 1.5 WAR for the Dominican Republic during the last WBC, giving him the most position player WAR in a single tournament. Who has the most career WBC position player WAR for the Dominican Republic?
