Posted by Steve
After missing a week, The Piggly Wiggly Scouting Report of the Week is back in all its glory. The lucky winner is Micah Owings of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Bill’s Scouting Report on Owings:
Bulldog
Awesome Stuff
Big Bat
Bulldog. Unless that happens to be the name of Bill’s bulldog, he’s talking about Owings’ competitive nature, toughness on the mound, refusal to give in, blah blah blah. I don’t know how the bulldog thing caught on. Dave Bush is often referred to as a bulldog. I think it’s along the lines of scrappiness and grit. You know that clip from a few years ago of Ned giving the pep talk on the first day of Spring Training? Well, I’m pretty sure he could have said, “We got your fighters; we got your gamers; we got your hard workers; we got your bulldogs,” and nobody would have thought twice about it. And why bulldog? Why not pit bull, doberman, german shepherd or mastiff? Or why not another animal entirely? Badgers and rhinos seem tough to me.
So, yeah. Apparently Bill is saying Owings is a competitor. I don’t see how that information is very helpful.
Awesome stuff. Ok, yeah, I guess. Owings was a high draft pick, and he was expected to be a good pitcher. He’s been pretty solid this year. Fine, I guess his “stuff” is “awesome.” Moving on.
Big Bat. Really? People needed this to be pointed out for the 945th time this season? Seriously, if there is one thing Micah Owings is known for, it’s being a pitcher who can rake. I guarantee that if you spent an afternoon at any MLB stadium asking people who Micah Owings is, the majority of responses would be, “Dude, that’s that pitcher who hits a buncha homers!” Why not tell us how to approach him– best to swing early, or better to work a count and wait him out? Does he induce grounders, or is he a fly ball pitcher? Anything like that would be more helpful then telling us that he is a good hitter at this point.
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So on a Brewers note, Rickie Weeks is heading to the DL with a sprained knee and Hernan Irabarren has been recalled. Rather than playing Counsell and Dillon at second, I really hope we see Hall there quite a bit. It will give Hall a chance to play more, and it keeps Dillon away from second base. Dillon simply does not have the range to play at second. I’d use Branyan/Dillon at third with Hall at second, giving Counsell a couple starts against tougher righties.
Of course this is the team that refused to play Corey Hart in center at all when Mike Cameron was serving his suspension, so I’d be surprised if this happened.
Anyway, sorry for littering the Scouting Report of the Week with some crap about baseball. What was I thinking?
