Rating the 2011 Brewers

My friend @MilwaukeeBrian asked a number of us who follow the Brewers and write for PocketDoppler.com to offer thoughts on how the team's players fared this past season. Brian asked us to rate players on a 10 scale, with "1" being the low end; he'll add the scores and post the average score. I expect that article to appear later this week, but I thought I would breakout my takes to own my perspective aside from my colleagues:

John Axford    9.5 -- Hard not to give him a 10, but he did blow a couple of saves early.
Marco Estrada    6 -- Filled in well early when Greinke was hurt, and late when Narv cut himself. Mediocre out of pen.
Yovani Gallardo    8.5 -- Often brilliant, but also had periods when he disappeared.
Zack Greinke    8 -- Missed the opening month, took a while to get on track, then outstanding.
LaTroy Hawkins    6 -- Some good innings in low leverage relief.
Kameron Loe    5 -- Best when the stakes were low. Inconsistent.
Shaun Marcum    7.5 -- Carried the staff early, solid in the middle, crashed at the end.
Chris Narveson    6.5 -- Solid #5 starter, but a #5 for a reason.
Frankie Rodriguez   8.5 -- Nearly airtight in setting up Ax.
Takashi Saito    7.5 -- Missed a lot of time with injury, but when given the 7th inning role, usually responded.
Randy Wolf    7 -- Some bad stretches, but a plus #4 starter. Bonus points for his Game 4 NLCS start.


George Kottaras    5 -- Decent back up catcher. Wolf gives him a 10, but the rest of us see a player limited offensively and defensively.
Jonathan Lucroy    6.5 -- Is becoming a good backstop, but took a beating behind the plate that seemed to impact his offense.


Yuni Betancourt     4.5 -- Not as bad as I expected, but below average in the field & at the plate. Bonus .5 for August and playoffs.
Craig Counsell    3 -- Still gave them good defense, but it was painful to watch him hit. Thanks, CC, but it's time to retire.
Prince Fielder    9 -- The team's emotional center, played every day and produced. Subpar defense and AWOL in NLCS.
Taylor Green    4 -- Love his promise and approach, but didn't see what I thought I'd see (albeit in very limited action).
Jerry Hairston Jr.    6.5 -- Exceeded expectations as deadline acquistion. Good postseason diminished by critical errors at 3b.
Casey McGehee    3 -- Kept waiting for him to break out. He never really did. Offered little at the plate or in the field.
Rickie Weeks    8.5 -- Outstanding season ruined by injury. MKE needs more guys with Rickie's heart.

   
Ryan Braun    9.5 -- MVP caliber season sullied by disappearing act in NLCS. Glad he's shut up about shadows at The Keg.
Carlos Gomez    6 -- Made a real impact defensively. Plays hard. Needs to get on base more to be difference maker.
Corey Hart    7 -- Quietly had impressive offensive season. Speed all but gone. Subpar defense costly in NLCS.
Mark Kotsay    6.5 -- Some key hits, nice fill-in when Braun hurt. Defensive liability. Gave them more than I expected.
Nyjer Morgan    7.5 -- Decent defense, several big hits, better than expected offensively. Jolt of energy sometimes double-edged sword.


Zach Braddock    2 -- The talent is probably there, but it was lost in off-field emotional issues.
Frankie De La Cruz    3 -- Glad he got his shot. Hope he enjoyed it as I doubt he will be back.
Tim Dillard    3 -- He wiggled off the hook late in a tense mid-season game, otherwise I didn't see much to be excited about.
Mat Gamel    2 -- Don Money's less than glowing comments combined with consistent underperformance in MLB makes me wonder if Mat is AAAA.
Josh Wilson    3.5 -- A couple of big hits, even a little pop, mediocre defense. He didn't hurt the Brewers but I don't want him back.


Ron Roenicke  8.5 -- People are going to rag on the decision to go with Marcum in Game 6 of the NLCS. But what were the options? Narveson also got lit up that night. Starting Gallardo on three days rest after he got blasted for four in the first inning of his previous outing didn't seem any wiser. There were no good moves to make, yet he had to made a move: In other words, he was in Zugzwang, so I feel a good deal of compassion for him. However, he did lead a team that won a team record 96 games, its first NL division flag and advanced to the LCS for the first time in nearly three decades. Not bad for a first year skipper.

Doug Melvin  9 -- Bold moves to eschew trading Prince in favor of upgrading the rotation and shrewd decisions to bolster the bullpen (e.g. K-Rod, Saito) coupled with acquiring Nyjer Morgan made this stellar year for Melvin. Moreover, it also proved to be astute to deal for Jerry Hairston, Jr. But Yuni Betancourt was more often a weight around their neck than he was a benefit, and thin bench left RR with few desirable options. Still, the bottom line was very good. Melvin would certainly get the blame if the season went badly, so he should get some credit when things go well.