For most Brewer fans, they have been waiting for this moment since a young Ryan Braun made the team out of spring training. They thought it would be Matt LaPorta, the now Cleveland Indian. Today Brewer top prospect Mat Gamel has been called up to help a struggling bench.
The best hitter in the first half of 2008 throughout all of the Major Leagues hit .329 last season with 19 homers and 96 RBIs for AA Huntsville. That was with his right elbow bothering him most of the year. Though those power numbers seem something to get excited about; I would still remain cautious. Gamel hasn’t been called up just yet to take the place of Bill Hall. It seems that Ken Macha plans on using Gamel as a designated hitter and pinch hitter at least for now.
General Manager Doug Melvin sees this as a good plan. With an Interleague match up against big Rival Minnesota in the wings; and the need for pinch hitting help (The Brewers are hitting just a bit better than .100 for the season) Gamel will slowly be implemented into play to see how he reacts.
“Our pinch-hitters are barely batting .100. We can’t keep doing that. We’re going into St. Louis this weekend, a big series. Instead of bringing Gamel in when we get to Minnesota, we thought while we’re going on this road trip it’s a good time to get his feet wet. I didn’t give Ken any orders. He doesn’t have to play him (before interleague play). We did this four years ago with Prince and it worked out well. He got his first taste of the major leagues. After interleague play, we’ll re-evaluate and see where we are.”
Manager Ken Macha stated as well that Gamel might get a start at third before they head to Minnesota, but that it is highly unlikely. Gamel is teh best hitter in the Brewers system, becuase he has power to both sides of the field, is a gap-to-gap type hitter, and can maintain a high average. Once accustomed to this league, it seems inevitable that he will hit 20+ homers a year. Beyond being a good hitter, Gamel knows the strike zone very well. He reached in 53 straight games last year. Most importantly Gamel is mentally tough; something he is going to need in the next upcoming weeks. One of the major issues holding Gamel back full time is his inability to be consistent defensively. His poor footwork at the hot corner often leads to wild throws and rushed mechanics. In 131 games last year, he commited 32 errors (Sound familiar Braun Fans?). There has been talk of moving him in the outfield, but Gamel seems to be doing well in the field thus far for the AAA Nashville Sounds. Gamel has recorded 8 errors, but most of them came earlier in the season. Giving him a chance to work with infield coach Willie Randolph might just be enough to give Gamel the defensive knowledge to field at third base everyday in the future. Randolph, who worked with second baseman Rickie Weeks this spring training, is one of the best in the game at teaching the defensive side of things.
Either way Mat Gamel can rake. So far this season he is hitting .336 in 33 games with 8 dingers, 11 doubles and 31 RBIs. This isn’t the first time the Brewers called up Gamel. He appeared in two games last season for the men in blue and gold.
My advice would to do the same thing Doug Melvin and Ken Macha are this weekend. Evaluate his performance at the DH spot against the Twins and see if he does well as a pinch hitter. If his bat continues to shine, he will at least be platooning at third base and bringing in a good amount of at bats. There is no doubt in my mind that Gamel is ready; so if you have confidence he is going to remain on your roster, then pick him up. This could be a good way to replace Manny. Granted he isn’t no Manny Wood, but he could get the job done.
Other MLB Notes:
Nolan Reimold finally gets his shot in Baltimore: Reimold has been tearing the cover off the ball at AAA Norfolk. He will fill in for an ailing outfield that includes food poisoning (Felix Pie), a weak shoulder (Luke Scott) and a bad hammy (Adam Jones). Reimold is hitting .394 with 9 homers and 27 RBIs in 31 games. Manager Dave Trembley is still unsure on how he will use Reimold:
“I haven’t thought that far ahead,” Trembley said. “It depends on the status of Jones and Scott. If neither one of them are able to play, he’ll be in the starting lineup. I’ll know more about that [Thursday].”
Dodgers Get a New Outfielder (Well Sort of):
A player to watch has to be Dodger outfielder Juan Pierre, who will get a secondary life with the suspension of Manny Ramirez. Pierre is hiting .426 in limited time so far this season. He is surely going to add stolen bases to your cause, but could provide some nice doubles power as well. Pierre is owned in 32% of leagues.
FanSided
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