MLB Network has released its lineup of spring training games, which includes over 150 contests in 2013.  That’s about what they had last year, and it remains a remarkable thing that viewers have access to that much spring training action, provided they get the MLB Network.  The Milwaukee Brewers make five appearances during spring training on the network, and while some teams have more exposure, five ain’t bad.  In fact, Fox Sports Wisconsin is only airing five games itself, with some overlap with MLB’s coverage of the Brewers.  A couple things are a bit disappointing, however.  The Brewers will not appear on TV during spring training until Monday, March 11 versus the L.A. Dodgers.  There is radio earlier of course, but that means the first glimpse on TV is over two weeks off.  Secondly, the Brewers are not scheduled for TV during either of the two games slated to feature the design of the team’s YOUniform contest winner.  I’m sure they’d like to get people to come out to Miller Park for the March 30 exhibition game, but it seems they should’ve found a way to bring the March 22 game to a broad viewership. 

In the past, MLB Network has improvised and sometimes aired additional games that were not on the original schedule.  This also could mean one of the currently scheduled broadcasts gets bumped off or changed.  So, an earlier Brewers spring training game could pop up; it’s possible.  The Brewers’ spring training TV appearances look like this at present:

MLB NETWORK (Eastern Time)                                       

Monday, March 11 vs. LAD, 9pm                                          

Wednesday, March 13 vs. ARI, 11pm                             

Monday, March 18 vs. LAD split squad, 10am

Monday, March 18 vs. CLE, 4pm*                             

Wednesday, March 20 vs. LAA, 9am                                                                                                

FS WISCONSIN (Central Time)

Monday, March 11 vs. LAD, 3pm

Wednesday, March 13 vs. ARI, 9pm

Tuesday, March 19 vs. LAA, 3pm

Sunday, March 24 vs. SD, 3pm

Friday, March 29 vs. CHW, 7pm

*Note: MLB Network’s Brewers coverage other than the March 18 game vs. Cleveland is not a live telecast, and thus would have been recorded earlier in the same day or the day before its broadcast. 

In any event, despite the gaps here and there and the unfortunate exclusion of the YOUniform games, there will be a decent chunk of Brewers spring training on TV to warm up for the season, as well as a TON of games featuring other teams.  Personally, I’m looking forward to checking out the beginning of game action on Saturday afternoon, and after that I’ll probably check out teams that intrigue me until the Brewers show up.  I will watch the Houston Astros play the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday (DVR’d, not at 7am!) to check out the Astros’ new looks.  Other than that, games showcasing rival teams like the Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds, Minnesota Twins and Chicago Cubs will peak my interest. 

Additionally, the ‘30 Clubs in 30 Days’ series has already kicked off, and the Brewers edition is set to air on Tuesday, February 26.  Finally, some stuff going on for real!       

Welly welly well, Mike Carp was dealt to the Red Sox for a PTBNL or cash, which likely proves the Brewers decided not to match or exceed that meager return for the former-Mariner first baseman/DH.  The Brewers had basically said as much Tuesday, indicating they’d try to fill the first-base hole internally.  What the Brewers seem to be looking for, in between the lines, is a stop-gap platoon solution for first base until Corey Hart returns healthy.  If the Crew had wanted a more permanent solution for first base, they probably would’ve gambled on Carp at that low price.  Instead, their reluctance to make a major transaction at first base implies that they’re fine (for now) going with a mix of Taylor Green, Bobby Crosby and Alex Gonzalez at first base to start the season.  The final piece to that platoon puzzle, though, could and should be Sean Halton, who put up some good numbers as Nashville’s first baseman in 2012.

If the organization doesn’t want to rush Hunter Morris and prefers to keep him up in the big leagues once it’s decided he’s ready, wouldn’t Sean Halton, already 25 years old, be the perfect way to get from the season opener until Hart’s ready?  Halton could also be used if Hart is traded this season, until Morris is truly ready.  Barring a preseason trade or pickup or Lyle Overbay’s return via a release from the Red Sox, Sean Halton is the most logical choice for these interim times at first base.  Halton, the 13^th-round pick of the 2009 draft from Lewis-Clark State College in Idaho, is 6’ 5’’ and weighs over 250.  He has moved quickly in the Brewers’ minor-league system and now has four professional seasons under his belt.  He’s played over 100 games in each of the last three years, posting a career-high 17 homeruns with the Sounds last year along with a slash line of .274/.354/.497.  Halton is certainly no speedster but he can play a decent first base while Hart is out and he is capable of putting up some respectable RBI numbers with simple base hits, doubles and the occasional homer.  He also can take a walk but probably strikes out too much (nearly 20 percent of the time).  But unless a vastly better option turns up, why not go with the current modus operandi and let the kid play some first base?  Let’s see what Halton’s got, assuming he can hit enough in spring training to be evaluated at all.    

Halton has already been told to dig in at the major-league camp for now, but apparently he’s considered to have little chance of starting the season with the Brewers.  What I don’t get is why Halton would be only a ‘long-shot at best’, as Tom Haudricourt terms it.  He would come cheaply, and would compliment Green as a lefty-righty platoon combo at first base.  Let’s face it: using career shortstop Alex Gonzalez at first base may be nice to get him some playing time and get his bat in the lineup, but it doesn’t sound like Gonzalez is too thrilled about it; plus, even though Bobby Crosby has played a bit of first base in the majors, he’s probably better suited as the team’s super-utility guy to back up the infield as a whole, not to see significant time at first base.  Installing Halton as the starter at first base would negate any concerns about bring Morris up too soon or at an ill-timed moment.  Additionally, if Halton flops to open the season, they can always send him to Nashville to get at-bats, albeit with Morris getting the bulk of time at first base in Music City.  I totally understand wanting to see Hunter Morris open the season with Milwaukee, but in the reserved, patient manner in which the Brewers have been conducting themselves lately, it would seem imperative to avoid that temptation and instead let a guy like Halton play first.                     

(Hunter Morris; Jordan Megenhardt/MLB.com)

In January I posted about Corey Hart’s injury and what it meant for the Brewers. I wrote a lot about how Mat Gamel would once again take the role as the starting first-baseman with the absence of Hart. Even though I really wasn’t a huge fan of Gamel because he really didn’t prove much with his short stints in Milwaukee, I was still optimistic about his future with the team. That optimism went out the window early Monday morning when Tom Haudricourt reported that Mat Gamel would miss the entire season with a torn ACL.

It really shouldn’t surprise anybody that Gamel is again sidelined with an injury because he’s had a worse injury history than Ben Sheets, but this is probably the worst possible time for him. He had that second opportunity to prove that he can be counted on as the future first-baseman of the team. However, after this injury it’s doubtful we’ll ever see him back as a starter after two straight ACL injuries.

With Gamel on the mend, the Brewers have a few options when it comes to first base. The sexy pick has to be minor-league prospect Hunter Morris, who has been a part of the Brewers’ farm system since the team drafted him in 2010. Morris has been solid in his first two seasons but really shined last year with AA Huntsville when hit 28 home runs with 113 RBI. Now, it is extremely concerning that he had 117 strikeouts and a below average .357 OBP but he’s the best in-house first-base option that the team currently has.

While Morris is a viable and attractive option for that first-base position, the Brewers are still looking at some outside options. One of those options is now former Seattle Mariner Mike Carp. Carp had an up-and-down stint with the Mariners; he showed that he could be a good power hitter but also struck out more than you’d really like to see, yet he wasn’t as bad as a guy like Mark Reynolds.  While his power is useful, what stands out to me are his above-average defense and a solid .654 OPS in 2012, which is about the same as Gamel’s career average.

I like Carp as a player and think he would be a solid fill-in for Hart. I will have to give the edge to Morris because he’s a homegrown talent that is deserving of that opportunity. Starting him for those first two months could backfire in the face of the Brewers organization but he should at least get that chance.

(Mike Carp)

Here at The Brewers Bar we can’t compete with the great daily coverage of the Brewers’ spring camp at Maryvale provided by sites like Brew Crew Ball, Reviewing the Brew or the JSOnline.  What I can tell you about, however, is the original 1982 AL Champion Brewers ring up for auction on eBay, and you can buy it now for ‘only’ $4000.  You could also make an offer, as two people have done already.  There is free shipping!  According to the description, the ring was previously owned by Bill Haig, who was the Brewers’ Vice President of Broadcasting, starting in 1980.  From eBay:

Bill Haig, a major figure in Wisconsin sports broadcasting, worked with the Milwaukee Brewers, the Milwaukee Bucks, the Green Bay Packers, and University of Wisconsin baseball and football teams during his long career, and was inducted into the Wisconsin Broadcasters’ Hall of Fame in 1997.

The 1982 Milwaukee Brewers took home the franchise's first and only American League Pennant and offered one of the most dramatic post-season performances in Major League Baseball's history.    

Owning this ring would surely be a paramount part of a boast-worthy Brewers collection.  Haig’s name is on one side of the ring, which also features nice depictions of the ball-and-glove logo and the American League logo.  Given that the Brewers are unlikely to go back to the AL any time soon, and taking into account the legend of the brilliant but failed 1982 team, this ring could appreciate significantly in value in the coming years.  Granted, that is a lot of money.  At least you can take a look and dream, right? 

Tuesday brings a report that former Brewers reliever Kameron Loe has signed a minor-league deal with the Seattle Mariners, and there are indications that he’s already in camp with the team.  Loe was plucked out of semi-obscurity by Brewers GM Doug Melvin back in 2010 and posted decent, if inconsistent, innings for the Brewers.  The right-hander intimidated on the mound with his huge six-feet, eight-inch frame and power sinker.  When he was on, he seemed to mow through batters without a problem.  That’s the way I’ll choose to remember Loe.  He was a guy that proved to be a convenient scapegoat, but his .363 average ERA over three seasons with the Brewers and ability to be a rubber arm out of the bullpen eating up innings were valuable.  Perhaps if he’d been used better, or performed a little more consistently, he’d still be in Brew City.  Good luck in Seattle, Mr. Loe.