stands"With 17 days left before the first official workout with Pitchers and Catchers Reggie Jackson Jersey , it’s time to check in on how the Diamondbacks off season has been going.A week after the world series ended Zach Buchanan of the Athletic wrote:Hazen’s goal is to improve a roster that finished a disappointing 82-80 last season, that was the most expensive in franchise history, that is getting older and that is losing several key contributors to the open market. He wants to do it while simultaneously safeguarding the organization’s future. Oh, and that roster needs to be a bit cheaper than it was a year ago.After the recent signing of Wilmer Flores, Hazen also indicated that they were most likely done withposition player and rotation additions to the team but they will still look to add a bullpen piece or two.More thoughts on that later.....It’s important to note that this is a snapshot in time. There is still much to be determined and much we do not know.A lot can and will change. Of course we can never know which players will stay healthy and who will get hurt.We have little inkling of what moves, trades, or signings may still occur with this front office.They run a very tight ship when it comes to leaks.And try as we like, projecting even healthy performance is very difficult and can only be approximated. However we have to start somewhere, and what follows isa decent BASELINE to help us understand the team and how the off season moves have effected the organization to date. The individual player projections are a combination of the rate from Steamer and ZIPS projections, and are applied to my own playing time projections. In a few cases a player projection may not have been available from one of the systems.I made a few minor technical or subjective adjustments where needed, but no large impacts resulted from those. Salary figures are actual and confirmed numbers for all arbitration eligible and guaranteed contract players.Pre arb player estimates are based on service time, league minimum, and will be within 10-20K depending on time on the MLB roster. So with those caveats and explanations, lets take a look at where they stand.Topline Summary firstLast year the team opened the season with approximately a 130M payroll, and ended around 140M.So barring any last minute surprises, the team will have accomplished the goal of coming in a bit cheaper than last year.The wins projection is based on total WAR projection + replacement level wins, and suggests a .500 team.So the improvement part of the goal is not looking so great, which shouldn’t be too surprising. They have added some decent young players, but there have been no “marquee” additions to replace the losses ofPaul Goldschmidt , AJ Pollock , or Patrick Corbin .PITCHING STAFFRotation: The first thing you might note is that the above projection is based on good health and few missed starts for the top 3 starters.Zack Greinke is not only the highest paid player on the team, but he also has the highest projected WAR total of any player on the team, hitter or pitcher. I’m showing new additions Luke Weaver and Merrill Kelly getting 24 starts each, and they are projected to be above replacement but slightly below average.Taijuan Walker is not expected back before June or July, and I presume his innings will be protected, so his innings projection is very conservative.Replacement Starters willmost likely be some combination of pitchers such as Jon Duplantier, Taylor Widener or Taylor Clarke.Of course if/when there are injuries and depending on the severity,we could see a lot more innings go to replacement starters. Bullpen:EDITHat tip to ubersnake for alerting me to the info on Roster Resource regarding player options. Correcting the article based on that info. Last year the team had limited flexibility due to an almost all veteran bullpen in which most of the relievers wereeither out of options, or having guys that they were unlikely to “rotate” using minor league options. The notable exception was Silvino Bracho of course.This year, while Archie Bradley and Yoshihisa Hirano still have options, it seems unlikely either of them would ever be sent down just to “give them a break”.Andrew Chafin and Matt Andriese both still have an option as well. They could possibly be swapped out for someone like Yoan Lopez or Robby Scott down the line at some point in the season.Mike Hazen has indicated that he will probably add a bullpen piece or two. Who he adds, and what kind of options and flexibility he might have remains to be seen. POSITION PLAYERSFor the position players http://www.athleticsfanproshop.com/authentic-khris-davis-jersey , I did not use generic “replacement” players, I inserted actual player names and projections.Of importance:1.) I have no idea who is going to get hurt, so I am projecting good health for the most part for the obvious starters.However there is very little chance that the D-backs actually have 7 guys qualify for the batting title. (502 PA)In fact in team history, the most they’ve everhadwas 6, which happenedjust 3 times, in 2001, 2005, & 2010.With 88 batting title qualifiers in 21 years, the average is just barely over 4.So the chances of having 7 are remote.But for the sake of this exercise, I simply did not feel comfortable randomly picking guys to be injured. 2.) There is a very interesting roster conundrum brewing.Lets assume the team opens with 12 pitchers and 13 position players,(8 starters and 5 bench players.)The 8 starters are fairly obvious. How do you make out the bench?The team is committed to carrying 3 catchers again, so there will be 2 catchers onthe bench. Now we are down to 3 open bench slotsJarrod Dyson is signed, and assuming he is healthy and ready to go on opening day, the 4th outfielder slot is his. So now we are down to 2 bench spots.I can’t imagine the team does not carry a utility infielder, and in my playing time projections, I assigned that role to Illdemaro Vargas.I am open to suggestions as to who else might fill that role in 2019, but it seems pretty clear to me that it’s Vargas.Torey likes him a lot and I just don’t see other MLB ready options at this time. Which leaves us just one spot remaining. Socrates Brito and Christian Walker are both out of options.If the team wants to carry Walker to platoon with Lamb and be a RH Pinch Hitter, then there is no spot for Brito.As I mentioned in comments section of previous articles that would mean he is either traded or DFA’d, and only able to be kept in the organization if he clears waivers, which seems somewhat unlikely.Brito could get a reprieve if Dysonis not quite ready to open the season after recovering from a second groin surgery.So it could be we won’t know the answer to this question until the very end of spring training. And again, injuries WILL happen. It’s pretty unlikely that every player gets through spring training unscathed. So we’ll see.Finally, I’ll leave you with one more chart. This is the position player playing time projection.The way this works is first I project the starters at each position and estimate games started. Then I start to fill in games started for all positions from players other than the starters.Total games started are then multiplied times the PA/GS, which are higher for players likely to bat near or at the top of the order vs. lower down. After that I need to come up with 260 Pinch Hit Appearance and another 70-80 “Substitution”PA’s to account for those PA’s that occur when a player enters the game as a defensive replacement and later gets a PA, or stays in the game after pinch hitting and bats again. These are based on historical norms. SUMMARY:By now if you have followed this to the end you probably see an obvious problem. While the team win total is projected to be around 81 wins, that’s based on almost no major injuries and pretty much a best-case scenario with regards to health and DL avoidance. In order for this team to reach a high 80’s win total, and have a shot at the wild card, not only do they need unprecedented team health, but they are going to need more than a few breakout or career year performances above what is projected here without any major negative regression seasons to counterbalance those career years. In other words, if everything goes perfect, nobody gets hurt and they get career years from half a dozen guys, they might make the playoffs. Maybe.But if they have any key injuries, the depth just does not appear to be there to keep the team above .500 Glenn Hubbard Jersey , let alone competing for a playoff spot.The off season isn’t over yet.Maybe they do something really surprising, but I’m not counting on it.They got cheaper. And notably have not traded any minor league prospects away as they continue to build the farm. But I am hard pressed to see where they got better. Moustakas’ return may test Counsell’s ability to keep some players happy, productive."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Brewers Rumors and SpeculationConversation StartersWPA Game RecapsTransactionsLatest NewsConversation StartersMilwaukee Brewers show faith in Craig Counsell’s ability to handle the challenges of a deep MLB rosterNew,56commentsMoustakas’ return may test Counsell’s ability to keep some players happy, productive.CSTShareTweetShareShareMilwaukee Brewers show faith in Craig Counsell’s ability to handle the challenges of a deep MLB rosterRichard Mackson-USA TODAY SportsAsk any coach or manager and they will tell you that having more talent is never a bad thing. A team’s leader will believe he can make it work. Some succeed; many fail. There’s plenty of evidence that shows the defending NL Central champs have the right person at the helm for such a good problem to have.The re-signing of Mike Moustakas is a clear indication the Milwaukee Brewers believe manager Craig Counsell has the mental strength and soft skills to flawlessly handle the club’s MLB depth. There are a handful of challenges that come into play when you have “too many” proven players to plug in every day, man their “regular” position, or find enough at-bats.Milwaukee could have stuck with a plan to use Hernan Perez and Cory Spangenberg at second base to start the season. Then maybe call up top prospect Keston Hiura when they thought he was ready. If he wasn’t, maybe they swing a deadline deal for a bat. In the end, they saw an opportunity for a fair deal on Moustakas, and decided that he was best for the team right now. In a world where advanced statistics are widely used and most teams have the same analysis at their fingertips, it seems human management is the most important skill in an MLB manager’s repertoire (and, of course, bullpen use). If the human element is the deciding factor in managerial success, the Brewers continue to show they feel great about their guy.Counsell proved for much of 2018 that he had a plan for his full roster, even when new faces showed up mid-season and forced him to make some major adjustments. No matter how one viewed Counsell’s use of certain players, positional changes, or pitching strategies, you can’t argue with the outcome: 96 wins, division champs, and a win shy of the World Series.But 2019 is a brand new beast, as Counsell has addressed this spring. The addition of Moustakas is a positive on the surface, adding to the already-robust lineup that included five All-Stars with new starting catcher Yasmani Grandal in tow.With the return of Moose (a two-time All-Star himself), it could mean Travis Shaw losing playing time like he did in the playoffs, or it could force him back to second base if the team doesn’t like how Moustakas looks at the pivot while in Arizona. It also creates more question marks for guys like Eric Thames, newcomer Cory Spangenberg, Hernan Perez, and even Jesus Aguilar – all depending on how the season progresses.All of those impacted when it comes to playing time, a major league spot, or positional flexibility, could feel a bit sore about their situation. Craig Counsell will need to monitor and navigate those feelings over 162 games. Counsell can draw from his 16 MLB seasons where he played all over the infield, mostly in the utility role.The skipper also has credibility as a two-time World Series champ. That can go a long way in convincing 30+ pro athletes to adjust roles and change their thinking for the good of winning games, division Rickey Henderson Jersey , and the Series. It’s a challenge that David Stearns and Mark Attanasio believe Counsell is perfect for – and he understands everything that goes into it.Stearns and Counsell are counting on the Brewers’ flooded roster to be more pro than con.Benny Sieu-USA TODAY SportsFirst of all, guys want to play as often as possible. Whether you’re in Little League or the big leagues, the goal isn’t to sit on the bench – it’s not nearly as fun. Many of these players are accustomed to playing 6 straight games or 9 out of 10. That routine often keeps them in a groove and playing better than when they see sporadic time. Some players can’t handle the part-time gig throughout a season. Domingo Santana and Jonathan Schoop were good examples of that last year.The lack of expected playing time can cause egos to flare up, create animosity between players and the manager, and even develop into a season-long feeling of distrust. All of these things can have a major impact on individual and team performance, as well as chemistry. And yes, chemistry does exist to some extent in any team sports – especially one where you spend so much time together. I’ve been a part of teams that had plenty of talent, but cohesion problems.Many players not only want to be on the field, they want to be put in a spot they feel comfortable and in the best place to succeed. Players seem to have mostly embraced extreme defensive shifting by now, but putting guys in multiple positions or moving them to an altogether new position can generate hostility toward the manager or the organization.If a player struggles to learn a new position or successfully make the transition to a “utility” role, it may also impact his offense. Especially for guys in arbitration or with contracts soon expiring, they could view the team as “messing with their earning potential.” If you couple that with less playing time, certain milestones and numbers used to negotiate salaries are affected even further.As we’ve seen with free agency the past two offseasons, player value and their subsequent salaries are a major consideration right now. Hence, it can be an extremely difficult sell to convince players to willingly accept such changes. As much as we all believe in statistics, a player’s mental state can definitely affect his performance.Sure, most players will say that winning is the ultimate goal and that the team comes first. I believe them (at least a majority of the time), but athletes want to feel like they’re contributing on the field. They want to be out there fighting with their mates, competing with the best, and proving they deserve that spot on the diamond (and a bigger salary)鈥ll while leading the club to a championship.Therein lies one of the positives of this double-edged sword called depth: competition. As much as athletes thrive on the battles on the field, there can be a benefit to players needing to fight for playing time. A perceived threat can bring out the best in people and dissuade complacency from setting in. Win that job every day!Still, this can also be a challenge for the manager as he has to find a way to ensure it doesn’t turn into a net negative, producing more selfishness and rifts between players. Again, back to the chemistry, it certainly looked like part of the 2018 success was the cohesiveness the Brewers had throughout the marathon of a season. A large part of that should be a credit to Counsell and understanding how to talk with players and have everyone going the same direction.Only time will tell. We will have our questions about Counsell’s moves from now through (hopefully) October – it’s part of the game. Many will wonder if the Moose-Shaw big lineup is better in the long run, and if any of the regulars will be negatively impacted by additional days off, movement around the diamond, or the possible tension in the air – if there is any at all.One this is certain: the Brewers’ organization is 100% behind Craig Counsell and his ability to be the ideal maestro for a team with high expectations - and perhaps more MLB talent than the fan base has been accustomed to in Milwaukee.