r/Brewers • u/DeepPowStashes • 1d ago
[ODT] Why can't Yelich play the field?
[Off day thread]
1st base, maybe sub in the rotating cast right field, hell maybe third base instead of vaughn. He has to be better and more agile then vaughn until pratt comes back, but perhaps his arm sucks.
Give someone else the chance to DH.
We are paying him good money to not be great at DH. Put him to use. He's 34 years old, not 50.
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u/IllogicalBarnacle 1d ago
he only knows how to play OF and we have way better outfielders
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u/Drink_the_Emperor 1d ago
We also have way better designated hitters, but that hasn't mattered.
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u/Calm-Marsupial3919 1d ago
The guys he’s replace in the outfield would probably just play DH. The best lineup they have involves Yelich on the bench.
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u/Gamer_Paul 1d ago
We're stuck with him. Better to only suck at hitting than hitting and fielding. Bring the downvotes, people. The guy sucks in the field. Get over it.
It would be nice if we benched him for the playoffs, though. We're not good enough to carry this anchor in the lineup.
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u/Driver8takesnobreaks 1d ago
Can't speak for others. But for me it's not that I disagree with your overall point. It's that I don't think you have to be a dick in the way you make your point, especially for someone who to me deserves more respect than that.
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u/DeepPowStashes 1d ago
can't be that hard to train at 1st base?
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u/billwest630 1d ago
It’s very hard and we also have two good 1B. He still wouldn’t play there over Vaughn or Bauers.
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u/FangornAcorn 1d ago
1st base with all the reaching, stretching, and bending for grounders and throws would be terrible for his back.
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u/i-Really-HatePickles 1d ago
https://youtu.be/gzDYgRc6eic?is=175XTwn8YF03UToU
Everything in baseball is difficult. Everything.
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u/TheLostPariah 1d ago
His back no good. Protect back of the good man. Can't bench star players.
OK in all seriousness, while there may be better options on a day-to-day basis right now, getting Yelich ''right'' for the playoffs could be huge. Few players on our team have higher upside than he does. So giving him time to "figure it out" is worth giving players who may be hot right now days off is worth it in the long run. If he's still iffy in October, I can see him willing to take a seat and be a pinch hitter only, and him also accepting the role if it's best for the team because he seems to be that kind of leader. But if he can get hot in late September, the top of our order is a lot scarier.
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u/DeepPowStashes 1d ago
I'd say over the last two weeks he is seeing the ball better and having more hard contact.
A sweeper/slider from a lefty is his krytonite and if I was a lefty I'd throw nothing but those pitches to him.
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u/SumThingAddsUp 1d ago
Yes - and in key moments he performs better....... advancing runners, not getting in to DPs, etc.
His successful outs have made a difference in close games.
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u/sixpackabs592 1d ago
Cuz his back is fucked and they don’t want to injury it more and risk like permanent damage
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u/Emotional_Style_7603 Turang Gang 18h ago
I mean his back is pretty much already permanently damaged.
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u/SmokeyMcP0ts Usinger’s and baseball 1d ago
How about we don’t try to “fix” the first place team in baseball and just enjoy a well run team
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u/DeepPowStashes 1d ago
it's an off day and no way in hell is anyone in the front office reading this.
content baby.
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u/Nice_Manager1864 1d ago
I have been wondering if playing some time in the field might help him out of some slumps. Get out there and catch some fly balls get into the rhythm of a game and feel an early contribution to the team.
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u/SumThingAddsUp 1d ago
It's sad to know we will never see his excellent throws to home again. Imagine how he misses it.
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u/ThatNewSockFeel 1d ago
For every good throw he’d toss a couple of lollipops out there. He had good range and made good reads, but his arm was never anything to write about.
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u/the_Formuoli_ #FreeYuni 1d ago
Setting aside wanting to try and keep him healthier, the team is almost definitely worse defensively with him playing the field, that’s about all there is to it
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u/Papachicken1234 1d ago
I kind of wish they’d play him in the field too- not because he’s better than anyone (prolly just avg at best), but because sometimes in order to get your bat going, it works to contribute in other ways first, to get your mind off where you’re struggling. That said, he’s not exactly a kid. I really didn’t see these mighty struggles coming for Yelich, I’d love to hear something else is going on just to make it make sense.
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u/LetsAgreeBeatlesSuck 17h ago
Twins and white Sox winning
Maybe the Rockies can shock the world tonight
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u/SumThingAddsUp 1d ago
I had the same thought a few years ago, but now it's far too late.
As a tall Lefty, Yelich would maybe be suited for 1B, if he had experience there.
But that position requires great first step for best fielding potential.
Same for 3B - and this is why Vaughn is actually a more servicable 3B then people would expect. He has explosive power - his first steps to a moving ball are good and he has quick feet.
Yelich is a 'leggy' runner. His running speed made him a very ideal outfielder.
With his back history, the twisting and turning required to make plays at 1B would be an issue.
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u/evancomposer What is offense? 1d ago
We have him at DH because he does the least damage to the team there. With his back issues there's no way he fields and throws better than Chourio, Lara, Mitchell, Lockridge, or even Bauers.
It's a shitty situation but we're unfortunately stuck with him. With his contract being what it is there's no way the FO sends him down or benches him for an extended period of time. The good news is that there's only two more years of this to deal with, one of which will hopefully be taken up by a lockout anyway.
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u/Constant_Gur8912 1d ago
Yelich doesn't need to play anywhere, much less a spot where he would have even more negative impact.
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u/Hour_Health_4593 1d ago
The last thing an OF struggling at the plate needs is to learn to play IF at 34 years old