Wisconsin Radio Network

Wisconsin News and Sports

You are here: Home / Archives for Manny Pina

Brewers deal for starting catcher

By

After losing free agent Yasmani Grandal to the Chicago White Sox, the Milwaukee Brewers made a deal today to acquire his potential replacement.

The Brewers sent minor league pitching prospect Adam Hill and a Competitive Round B draft pick to the Seattle Mariners for left-handed hitting Omar Narvaez.

Hill was acquired from the Mets last year in the Keon Broxton trade.  He went 7-9 with a 3.92 ERA in 26 games at Class A Wisconsin.  The Competitive Round B selection comes after the second round in 2020 that the Brewers were assigned this week.  That pick is currently the 70th overall selection in the draft.

The 27-year-old Narvaez played in 132 games with Seattle last season, hitting .278 with 22 home runs and 55 RBI.  He had a .353 on-base percentage, a .813 OPS and a .516 slugging percentage.

Narvaez is considered to be an offensive catcher and hit .289 against right-handed pitching last season.  Against lefties, he his just .227.  Narvaez hit 20 of his 22 home runs against right-handers.  Those numbers would suggest a potential platoon at catcher with right-handed hitting Manny Pina under contract for next season.

Defensively, Narvaez threw out just 18% of runners attempting to steal.

Narvaez still has three more years of contractual control and is projected to make about $2.9 million in salary arbitration this offseason.

 

Grandal signs four year deal with the White Sox

By

The Milwaukee Brewers will be looking for a new starting catcher after last seasons starter, Yasmani Grandal, agreed to a four-year deal with the Chicago White Sox worth $73 million.  It’s the largest deal in White Sox history.

Grandal signed a one-year deal with the Brewers last season, worth $18.25 million.  He gets the same figure with the White Sox per season, but a four-year deal instead of just one.

Grandal played in 153 games with 124 starts as a catcher.  He hit .246 with 28 home runs and 77 RBI.  His 109 walks were second in the National League.  Grandal finished with a .380 on-base percentage and .848 OPS.

The Brewers have Manny Pina but the 32-year-old is considered primarily as a backup.  It will likely leave them searching for catching help in free agency or through a trade.

 

Brewers make moves to clear space for 2020

By

Chase Anderson File Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI

The Milwaukee Brewers exercised club options for $8.5 million on pitcher Chase Anderson and $7.5 million on first baseman Eric Thames on Monday.  They traded Anderson to the Toronto Blue Jays for minor league 1B/OF Chad Spanberger.  They payed a $1 million buyout to Thames.

The Brewers also exercised an option on catcher Manny Pina for $1.85 million for 2020.

The moves clear around $15 million off the books for the coming season.

Anderson went 8-4 with a 4.21 ERA over 139 innings last season.  He spent four seasons with the Brewers, going 38-27 with a 3.83 ERA in 118 games (112 starts).

The 24-year-old Spanberger has hit 59 home runs in 305 minor-league games, including 13 homers and [Read more…]

Brewers fall to Diamondbacks in series finale

By

Christian Walker clubbed a two-run homer in the first inning off of Zach Davies to lead the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 5-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park on Sunday.

Eduardo Escobar added a solo shot for Arizona, which avoided a three-game sweep.  It also put an end to the Brewers three-game winning streak.

Robbie Ray fired five shutout innings to earn the win in his return game from the injured list, improving to 11-7 for the Diamondbacks.  Archie Bradley got the final four outs for his seventh save.

Manny Pina  homered in the seventh and Ryan Braun knocked in the other run in the eighth on a sac-fly for the Brewers.  Zach Davies allowed four runs in four innings to take the loss, falling to 8-7 on the season. [Read more…]

Reds start early, cruise to victory over the Brewers (AUDIO)

By

The Cincinnati Reds scored four runs in the first inning and five more in the fifth on their way to a 14-6 win over the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park on Tuesday night.

Eugenio Suarez went 3-for-4 with a homer and three RBI, Jesse Winker homered and Phillip Ervin hit a three-run triple as the Reds built up a 9-0 lead.

Tanner Roark picked up his sixth win, giving up two runs over five innings, helping the Reds win three of their last four.

Manny Pina was 2-for-2 with a home run and four RBI for the Brewers.  Zach Davies allowed seven runs in four-plus innings to take the loss, he fell to 8-3.

The Brewers are 9-19 against sub-.500 teams over the past month and a half but manager Craig Counsell said, “Who we’re playing doesn’t matter.  You’ve got to play a good game to win.”

The Brewers will try to salvage the final game of the series this afternoon.  Jhoulys Chacin gets the start for the Brewers.  Lucas Sims gets the nod for Cincinnati.

AUDIO: Craig Counsell asked about the teams struggles against sub-.500 teams :18

AUDIO: Zach Davies on giving up 4-runs in the 1st inning :13

Peralta leads Brewers to sweep of Cincinnati

By

Freddy Peralta bounced back from a shaky first outing and tossed a gem in Cincinnati, leading the Milwaukee Brewers to a 1-0 win over the Reds on Wednesday at Great American Ballpark.

Peralta allowed just two hits over eight innings, striking out 11 and walking nobody as the Brewers swept the three-game series.  It’s their fifth straight win, improving to 6-1.

Alex Wilson worked the 9th inning and earned the save.  he allowed a lead off walk to Tucker Barnhart, then retired the next two hitters.  With two outs, Matt Kemp singled to put runners on 1st and 3rd before Wilson got Eugenio Suarez to ground into a force at second to end the game.

Peralta dominated with his fastball.  Of the 100 pitches he threw, 84 were fastballs and 72 of the 100 pitchers were strikes.  None of the 24 outs were recorded by a ground ball.  He threw his fastball high in the zone all day and dominated with it. [Read more…]

Brewers send Kratz to Giants

By

Erik Kratz knew his only way onto the Milwaukee Brewers regular season roster this season was going to be through an injury to one of the two catchers in front of him, Yasmani Grandal or Manny Pina.

When all three made it through Spring Training healthy, the Brewers traded Kratz on Sunday morning to the San Francisco Giants for minor-league infielder C.J. Hinojosa.

The Brewers filled Kratz spot in the 40-man roster by signing reliever Alex Wilson, who pitched with Detroit last season.

The 24-year-old Hinojosa split time between the Giants advanced A and Class AA levels.

Kratz was originally acquired by the Brewers last May 25th in a minor-league deal with the Yankees.  He served as Pina’s backup to start with, but [Read more…]

Brewers set catching rotation

By

 

Craig Counsell

Milwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsell unveiled his catching rotation plans for the upcoming season and barring injury, veteran Erik Kratz is the odd man out.

The Brewers aren’t expected to break spring training camp with more than two catchers, but the 38-year-old Kratz gives them insurance if something were to happen with either starter Yasmani Grandal or his top backup Manny Pina.

“It’s a tough spot for Erik; we understand that,” Counsell said on Wednesday.  “He made a very meaningful contribution. Acquiring Yasmani kind of put us in that spot.

Grandal started 110 games and played in 135 games for the Dodgers last season.  Manny Pina made 84 starts for the Brewers while Kratz started 54.

The Brewers first official workout with pitchers and catchers was cut short on Thursday by rain.  There is more precipitation in the forecast today.

Brewers get Free Agent Grandal on a one-year deal

By

The Milwaukee Brewers got some offensive catching help when they agreed to a one-year free agent deal with free agent Yasmani Grandal on Wednesday.

The deal is for one season and will pay the former Dodger $18.25 million, which makes him the highest-paid player on the Brewers roster in 2019.

Grandal struggled against the Brewers in the NLCS last season, but is still considered one of the top players at his position in the game.  It’s also an offensive upgrade after the Brewers split catching duties last season between Manny Pina and Erik Kratz.

Grandal hit .241 with 24 home runs and 68 RBI in 140 games last season.  In seven seasons, he’s a .240 lifetime hitter with 113 home runs and 339 RBI.

Grandal is considered one of the better catchers at framing pitches, but he’s committed 43 passed balls over the last four seasons.  That tops the majors.  He hit .139 in 14 postseason games last year.  He was 2 for 11 with six strikeouts and committed three passed balls against the Brewers in the NLCS.

The Brewers will surrender their third-highest draft pick as compensation for Grandal.  The Brewers have already given up a Competitive Balance Round A pick to Texas for reliever Alex Claudio.

 

Brewers meet with catcher at winter meetings

By

The Milwaukee Brewers have both of their catchers back for the upcoming season, MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy reported the Brewers met Monday with free-agent Wilson Ramos at the Winter Meetings in Las Vegas.

The 31-year-old Ramos was named to the American League all-star team before being traded from Tampa Bay to Philadelphia.  He hit .306 with 15 home runs and 70 RBI in 382 at bats.  He’s considered a better offensive catcher than Manny Pina and Erik Kratz.

Ramos also reportedly met with the New York Mets.

The Brewers don’t have as much flexibility in their budget, but GM David Stearns said principal owner Mark Attanasio is open to expand the payroll if the right opportunity comes along.