TooLiveBrew

No matter how many times objective analysis concludes that the Brewers' system is pretty bad, & that the Brewers need to change their approach in order to remedy that, the same laundry list items of excuses are repeated. It just spins this kind of discussion around & around without getting anywere, and it's odd to me that some people simply make the choice to ignore the facts on this topic. The 'Stache has been making some outstanding posts on the state of the farm system recently, which are largely outstanding due to all the research he does. For anyone who feels like people are being too harsh or whatever with regards to the Brewers' system, I recommend searching out any of The 'Stache's recent posts on the system -- either in the MiLB or MLB forum. He has repeatedly taken the time to educate himself & come to well-informed conclusions, and he 'shows his work' so the reader gains from the time he bothered to take in making the posts.

Brad, excellent write-up(s). It's always easy to argue individual placements on prospect lists, but it's hard to ignore the quality job you've done.

Gennett, Halton Power Sounds Past I-Cubs, 6-1 Seidel Earns First Triple-A Win With Solid Outing Nashville Sounds http://i.imgur.com/p5tpqY2.jpg Scooter Gennett celebrates with Hainley Statia after hitting his first home run of the season (Mike Strasinger / Nashville Sounds) NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Scooter Gennett belted his first home run of the year and Sean Halton smacked a grand slam to power the Nashville Sounds to a 6-1 win over the division-rival Iowa Cubs on Thursday evening at Greer Stadium. Chris Narveson made the first start of his rehabilitation assignment with Nashville as he recovers from a sprained middle finger on his pitching hand. The southpaw worked two scoreless frames, allowing a game-opening single before retiring his next six batters faced. He threw 12 of his 22 pitches for strikes. The Sounds grabbed a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning. After Josh Prince drew a leadoff walk from Iowa starter Brooks Raley, he raced all the way home from first on Stephen Parker's RBI double to right. Gennett (3-for-5) doubled the home team's advantage to 2-0 in the third when he belted his first home run of the season, a leadoff solo shot to right off Raley. R.J. Seidel (1-2) followed Narveson to the hill for the Sounds and turned in a stellar outing to earn his first career Triple-A victory. The right-hander allowed one run on six hits over 5 2/3 frames while striking out five. Raley (4-4) took a quality-start loss for the I-Cubs. The southpaw allowed two runs on six hits over six innings of work. Halton gave the Sounds some breathing room in the seventh when he crushed a grand slam to left off Cubs reliever Marcus Hatley. The bases-loaded jack was the outfielder's fifth roundtripper of the year and plated Gennett (single), Hainley Statia (walk), and Khris Davis (walk) to up the lead to 6-0. The I-Cubs got onto the board in the top of the eighth when Brian Bogusevic's two-out single plated Darnell McDonald to make it a 6-1 game. The Sounds will look to secure their first winning series of the season when the teams wrap up the four-game series with a 7:05 p.m. finale on Friday evening. Right-hander Johnny Hellweg (3-4, 3.99) will make the start for the Sounds and face Iowa right-hander Yoener Negrin (0-1, 2.73). Nashville Box Gennett: 3-5, HR, RBI, SB Statia: 1-3, 2 BB Davis: 2-3, BB, SB, E (fielding) Halton: 1-4, GS HR, 4 RBI Prince: 1-3, BB Parker: 1-3, 2B, RBI, BB [pre]Narveson: 2.0 IP 1 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 1 K 22 TP (12 strikes) Seidel: 5.2 IP 6 H 1 R 1 ER 1 BB 5 K 91 TP (59 strikes) WP[/pre] Nashville PbP The I-Cubs were none too fond of the strike zone tonight -- in the 6th, it appears a checked third-strike call opened the floodgates: Iowa Top of the 6th -Brett Jackson strikes out swinging. -Iowa Cubs center fielder Brett Jackson ejected by 3B umpire D. Reyburn. -Iowa Cubs Manager Marty Pevey ejected by 3B umpire D. J. Reyburn. -Dave Sappelt grounds out, third baseman Stephen Parker to first baseman Sean Halton. -Brad Nelson strikes out swinging. The arguing carried over into the home half of the 7th, but before the decisive blast: Nashville Bottom of the 7th -Pitching Change: Marcus Hatley replaces Brooks Raley, batting 9th. -R. J. Seidel grounds out, pitcher Marcus Hatley to first baseman Brad Nelson. -Scooter Gennett singles on a soft line drive to right fielder Darnell McDonald. -With Hainley Statia batting, Scooter Gennett steals (8) 2nd base. -Hainley Statia walks. -Iowa Cubs catcher J.C. Boscan ejected by HP umpire Chris Segal. -Defensive Substitution: Luis Flores replaces catcher J. C. Boscan, batting 8th, playing catcher. -Khris Davis walks. Scooter Gennett to 3rd. Hainley Statia to 2nd. -Sean Halton hits a grand slam (5) to left field. Scooter Gennett scores. Hainley Statia scores. Khris Davis scores. -Josh Prince grounds out, shortstop Brent Lillibridge to first baseman Brad Nelson. -Stephen Parker walks. -Pitching Change: Hisanori Takahashi replaces Marcus Hatley, batting 9th. -Anderson De La Rosa pops out to first baseman Brad Nelson. Nashville Gameday

Just make sure you redeem your voucher within an hour of the start of the game. Dumbest. Random. Rule. Ever. I didn't realize that. I agree it's a dumb rule as far as the consumer is concerned, but they probably save a ton of soda/syrup with that rule, and in turn don't have to buy as much for supplying the $15 sodas or whatever gaudy price they actually charge.

Yay for the bear! Happy that it was put out of its misery?

I realize I haven't been following the Brewers' farm system all that long, but this is the most pro-new-stadium message I can recall seeing from any City of Huntsville representative.

From that second article: "Sale was suspended for 50 games on Aug. 27, 2012, after testing positive for Methamphetamine and an Amphetamine." Meth? Holy crap. Combining that with his recent grace in the strip club... to quote a famous young Skywalker upon seeing the Millennium Falcon for the first time... "What a piece of junk!"

While I agree that it's unlikely that kind of deal will occur, I certainly don't think it's idiotic to entertain the notion of potentially trading any player. I mean, in Braun, a team would be netting one of the top 5(?) hitters in the game, who happens to be signed for essentially the rest of his career at really reasonable rates. You never know what some GM out there might be willing to part with to add him. I understand where you're coming from (& agree it's unlikely), but I don't think calling the idea "idiotic" is really productive. If a team offered a package loaded with blue-chip prospects, hitting or pitching, the Brewers might wind up being idiotic for not moving Braun. It's certainly an idea worth disussing in this forum.

One thing I'm genuinely concerned about wrt Melvin's job security is that Attanasio us drinking the koolaid on 'don't listen to the experts, we have talent in the farm system.'. Don't get me wrong, we do, but the company line in recent years has been basically that the experts are just overlooking a rich depth of talent.

Sounds Edge I-Cubs For 4-3 Win Lowe Makes First Triple-A Start; Hensley Debuts As Sound Nashville Sounds http://i.imgur.com/GUFSSXk.jpg Skipper Mike Guerrero waves Caleb Gindl around to score the game's first run (Mike Strasinger / Nashville Sounds) AUDIO: Josh Prince's Two-Run Double AUDIO: Gindl's Two-Run Double AUDIO: Game-Ending Double Play NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Nashville Sounds held on to an early four-run lead Wednesday night at Greer Stadium to defeat the visiting Iowa Cubs by a 4-3 margin. The Sounds put two runs on the board in the first inning via outfielder Josh Prince's double down the left-field line. The hit scored Caleb Gindl, who singled on a grounder into right field, and Stephen Parker, having reached base on balls. Gindl, who finished two-for-four, added two runs in the following inning with a double off the side of the left-field wall. The two-out rally was spurred by starting pitcher Johnnie Lowe's first career hit: a double to dead center. Scooter Gennett, scoring the second run in the second inning, reached base with a single. The Sounds second baseman has now reached base safely in 42 of his 46 games. Lowe kept the I-Cubs hitless through the first three innings and finished after four, allowing two runs on two hits, walking two and striking out six in his first Triple-A start. His two runs came in the fourth inning on back-to-back RBI-hits from Dave Sappelt and Brad Nelson. The I-Cubs added a run in the fifth, attacking Clay Hensley in his Nashville Sounds debut. The right-hander, added to the Nashville roster on Monday, started with a walk and allowed a double to pitcher Nick Struck. Logan Watkins drove in a run with a single to center. Hensley recorded a groundout and was relieved by Travis Webb (1-2), who prevented any further damage to pick up his first win of the season. Frankie De La Cruz and Michael Olmsted both logged scoreless innings out of the Sounds bullpen. De La Cruz pitched the sixth and seventh innings, allowing just two hits to Iowa, while Olmsted fired two strikeouts in a hitless eighth. Rob Wooten finished the game on the hill for Nashville to collect his seventh save of the season. After allowing two singles, Wooten collected a bunt from Watkins and got the runner at third for the first out and capped it off with a game-ending double play. The Sounds play game three against the division-rival Iowa Cubs (Cubs affiliate) at Greer Stadium Thursday night at 7:05 p.m. LHP Chris Narveson is scheduled to make a rehab start for Nashville, opposite Iowa's LHP Brooks Raley (4-3, 4.53). The Sounds will be wearing retro blue uniforms for Burger King's Throwback Thursday, where fans can enjoy $2 beer and select concession items. Nashville Box Gennett: 2-4 Gindl: 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI Parker: 0-1, 3 BB Prince: 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI Hunter Morris: 1-3, BB Lowe: 1-2, 2B Olmsted's scoreless appearances streak is now up to five games. Nashville PbP Wooten's ten-pitches-of-terror frame: Iowa Top of the 9th -Pitching Change: Rob Wooten replaces Michael Olmsted, batting 8th, replacing shortstop Blake Davis. -Defensive Substitution: Hainley Statia replaces pitcher Michael Olmsted, batting 9th, playing shortstop. -J. C. Boscan singles on a line drive to center fielder Caleb Gindl. -Offensive Substitution: Pinch-hitter Darnell McDonald replaces Casey Coleman. -Darnell McDonald singles on a line drive to left fielder Josh Prince. C. Boscan to 2nd. -Logan Watkins grounds into a force out, pitcher Rob Wooten to third baseman Stephen Parker. J. C. Boscan out at 3rd. Darnell McDonald to 2nd. Logan Watkins to 1st. -Brian Bogusevic grounds into a double play, second baseman Scooter Gennett to shortstop Hainley Statia to first baseman Hunter Morris. Logan Watkins out at 2nd. Nashville Gameday

Can anyone else report in on this thunderstorm system? It's just now arriving in the Fox Valley. I'm excited... I love summer thunderstorms.

Figaro started in 108 of his 129 MiLB appearances (including the past two seasons in Japan). He'd also made four MLB starts in previous seasons prior to last night's start. I think at this point it's simply a case of 'why not?' when you consider giving Figaro a shot. Never a good sign for where your MLB team stands. For whatever (imo misguided) reason(s), the club just doesn't seem interested in calling up Jimmy Nelson... who's really the only viable guy to start in the bigs from the minors at this point imo. Maybe Hellweg... maybe Pena, but both of those guys have walked so many batters that you can't necessarily trust their ERAs as indicators of probable MLB success.

Crap, this post was perfect!

Did anyone ever say his job was safe & sound? I think people just disagreed with you that he would be fired imminently.

My thoughts exactly. I've saved that .gif -- no idea when I'd ever use it, but it's saved.

Sounds Drop Series Opener To I-Cubs, 6-2 Nashville Sounds http://i.imgur.com/XvlSdpO.jpg Stephen Parker (Mike Strasinger / Nashville Sounds) NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Iowa left-hander Chris Rusin held the Nashville offense in check and the Cubs belted a pair of homers in a 6-2 victory over the Sounds on Tuesday evening at Greer Stadium in the opener of a four-game series. Rusin (4-4), who retired 13 consecutive batters at one point, allowed one run on six hits over a season-high eight innings to pick up the victory. The southpaw struck out eight batters and threw 72 of his 97 pitches for strike on the night. Third baseman Stephen Parker (2-for-4, two doubles) staked the Sounds to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning with an opposite-field, two-out RBI two-bagger to left-center off Rusin that plated Scooter Gennett, who had opened the frame with an infield single. Iowa responded in the second with a pair of unearned runs against Zach Kroenke that resulted from a throwing error by shortstop Blake Davis. Both runs in the frame scored on sacrifice flies, off the bats of Edwin Maysonet and Luis Flores, as the visitors grabbed a 2-1 advantage. Red-hot Nashville first baseman Hunter Morris (2-for-4) extended a couple of streaks with a leadoff single in the bottom of the second. He has hit safely in a season-best eight straight games (11-for-29, .379) and has reached base safely in his last 19 tilts. Iowa extended the lead to 3-1 in the fifth when Rusin helped his own cause with an RBI single up the middle that brought home Flores. Maysonet, the former Sound, swatted his fifth home run of the year in the top of the sixth, a two-run shot to left-center that chased Kroenke. The blast stretched the Iowa lead to 5-1. Kroenke (2-7) took the loss for Nashville after allowing five runs (three earned) on seven hits over 5 2/3 innings of work. Iowa first baseman Brent Lillibridge added another Cubs roundtripper in the seventh when he led off with a solo shot to left-center that struck the guitar-shaped scoreboard. The I-Cubs have homered in 11 straight games. Morris closed out the scoring in the bottom of the ninth with a two-out RBI single to right off Eduardo Sanchez that plated Parker, who had doubled earlier in the frame. The teams continue the series with another 7:05 p.m. meeting on Wednesday night. Right-hander Johnnie Lowe (0-0, 4.71) will make his first start of the year for the Sounds and face Iowa right-hander Nick Struck (3-3, 5.93). Nashville Box Gennett: 1-4 Davis: 1-4, E (throw) Parker: 2-4, 2 2B, RBI Morris: 2-4, RBI Blake Lalli: 2-4 Mike Olmsted didn't register any strikeouts, but worked a perfect inning to extend his scoreless appearances streak to four games. Kyle Heckathorn gave up just one hit over 2.1 innings, but it was a solo HR; he didn't walk anyone & struck out three batters. Nashville PbP Nashville Gameday

Blue Jays-related: http://i.minus.com/iirwJYG9wslDF.gif

#MILAddingGreatContentToTheBroadcast #MILEngagingTheKidsOnSocialMedia #MILDidYouKnowRockKindaSortaHasATwitterAccountForFantasyCamp

The Sounds have been absolutely shut down tonight. Not fun.

One of the mantras of this front office regime is that they want players to "master a level" before being promoted. So I guess maybe after the draft would be a good guess as to when Nelson finally gets promoted.

The Rangers have Mitch Moreland (current OPS: .877) at 1B, Adrian Beltre (.833 w/top-tier defense) at 3B, and Lance Berkman (.834) at DH. Now, if Berkman can't stay off the DL (not unlikely), or Moreland hasn't actually taken a nice step forward as a hitter this season & regresses heavily (always possible), that could change. But for now, I don't see how either Aramis or Corey would make sense for them. I think at this point, we have to root for Yovani to recover his form both for the sake of the Brewers' 2013 W-L record, and also for the good of the future of the franchise in terms of his potential trade value.

That #72 pick is the competitive balance pick the Brewers were awarded in MLB's first Competitive Balance Lottery last July: MLBTradeRumors has an interesting piece titled, "How Valuable Are Competitive Balance Draft Picks?" The article shares the pick order & numbers... 34. Royals 35. Marlins (from Pirates) 36. Diamondbacks 37. Orioles 38. Reds 39. Tigers (from Marlins) 69. Padres 70. Rockies 71. A's 72. Brewers 73. Marlins (from Tigers) ... and also takes a cursory look at what kind of approximated value can be assigned to these picks. Definitely worth a read.

Most recent was on May 18th @ STL. Fell behind 2-0, won 6-4. Also, after falling behind 2-1 v. LAD on the 21st, they scored four in the 5th & won 5-2. Not saying the offense hasn't been a problem, but I think you're being overly harsh.

I wanted to bump this thread -- re-reading some of the draft day discussion of the Jungmann & Bradley picks is interesting.