Tedaldtada

Twins got a big arm for a mediocre-ish OF. I like it for MN, but it is mutually beneficial. Is Span that much better than Aoki? Harper's arm needs to be in CF or RF.

With that, my minor league coverage for 2012 is complete. I had a lot of fun doing this and I hope my style wasn't too abrasive or tough to read. I honestly do not know if I will be back in 2013 as this was a huge commitment (seriously, we should buy Mass Haas a house or something) to do it right. I really am optimistic about our youngster's chances moving forward. I think there is a lot to like, and with one or two breakouts next year, it could get even better. More importantly, most of the guys we report on seem like great people. Good luck to all of them in their winter training and see you next spring! Go Brewers!

2012 AFL Recap Pitchers Jimmy Nelson: 22 IP 22 H 2 HR 14 BB 23 K 4.91 ERA 1.64 WHIP 1.6 GO:FO .262 BAA Considering the context, it was a fine AFL season for Jimmy. What I mean is, in a very tough hitters league after a long season, Jimmy pitched well. He finished t-8th (w/ Bucci) in strikeouts averaging slightly over 9 K/9. Some of his old wildness returned as he walked far too many, but that is somewhat manageable when you do not give up a ton of hits and keep the ball in the park. He induced GO's at a decent rate too. His stuff was still pretty electric showing a 92-96 FB and a mid-80's slider with good movement on both. Depending on how the rotations are sorted out in the minors, I would expect Jimmy to spend he 1st half of the season in AA before seeing time in the PCL and possibly the majors. I would argue that he is our top pitching prospect right now (w/ Hellweg), if you do not count likely MLB rotation member Wily Peralta. Nick Bucci: 18 IP 26 H 2 HR 9 BB 23 K 9.00 ERA 1.94 WHIP 0.88 GO:FO .325 BAA Just looking at that stat line is pretty depressing. Did he just decide to throw strikes (11.5 K/9), results be darned? Reports I heard suggested he was having trouble locating is stuff within the strike zone, seemingly suffering from a case of Dave Bush-itis. His stuff is still there working with a 90 FB-80 CH-70 CB repertoire. His FB was even clocked up 92 a few times. That is Marco Estrada-esque. After a season full of injuries and rehab assignments, do not be surprised if Bucci is back to his old self again in 2013. Kyle Heckathorn: 13.1 IP 17 H 2 HR 6 BB 9 K 6.75 ERA 1.73 WHIP 0.76 GO:FO .306 BAA Heckathorn started off well enough but 4 of his final 5 outings in the AFL were disasters including recording 0 outs in his final outing. This is simply a case of a guy not living up to his pre-draft scouting report. Hecky sat 92-94 all fall, which is at least a grade below where he was in college, but his control is much better than advertised. Still, if he can get back to getting GO's (as he has done in the past including in AA in '12), he could be a valuable stretch man in the pen. And if he can develop an out pitch (hello cutter!), he could be more. The AAA pen is in store for Kyle next season. Johnny Hellweg: 13 IP 11 H 7 BB 8 K 2.08 ERA 1.38 WHIP 3.50 GO:FO .239 BAA It was a great AFL for Hellweg. One could quibble with his K rate, especially in the high minors, but he is a ground ball machine. His stuff was fantastic as well sitting 96-98 with a severe downward plane and knuckle-breaking movement to both sides of the plate. The exciting part is that there may be a tick or two more in there as his frame is far from filled out (6'9" 210 lbs). So what do we do with this guy? Is he a bullpen stud or do you see if he can start? I vote for start, but he needs to be more consistent in that role. What a fantastic trade.

The Show 12 is great, I just wish the online portion was less choppy. Still, there may not be a better one player feature than 'Road To The Show' (RTSS). You gotta go into 'the vault' and get the real minor leaguers though.

I have a cabin on a Bass Lake!

I would think some team may think they can fix Kyle Heckathorn and is 92-94 FB but he was awful in the AFL.

I would think some team may think they can fix Kyle Heckathorn and is 92-94 FB but he was awful in the AFL.

They really blew that one tonight against Charlotte.

2012 AFL Recap Hitters Josh Prince: 25 G 89 AB's .404/.491/.573 8 2B 2 3B 1 HR 15:14 BB:K 10/14 SB Surely the Phoenix Desert Dog's MVP, Prince enjoyed a 25 game coming out party in Arizona. One of only 2 AFL players to qualify for the batting title AND hit over .400, Prince constantly was squaring up pitches. With a 30.5% XBH rate, he was hitting them with authority as well. Even more impressive is that Prince was able to stay scorching hot despite learning a variety of new positions. With experience at no less than 5 defensive positions, Josh is one of the early favorites to make the Brewers' bench out of spring training. More likely, he will spend a year in AAA. He will be 25 heading into next season, making him another one of the many Brewers late bloomers that Bruce Seid has a knack for finding. Josh finished 1st in AVG, 1st in OBP, 2nd in SLG, 1st in OPS, 1st in H, 1st in 2B, t-2nd in 3B, t-4th in HR, 2nd in RBI, 1st in R, 2nd in TB, 1st in BB, 9th in K, 1st in SB, and 2nd in CS on the Phoenix team. Josh finished 2nd in AVG, 3rd in OBP, 6th in SLG, 3rd in OPS, 1st in H, t-5th in 2B, t-7th in 3B, t-32nd in HR, t-15th in RBI, t-1st in R, 2nd in TB, t-5th in BB, and t-2nd in SB in the AFL. Just a dominating performance for the young utility player. Hunter Morris: 21 G 86 AB's .256/.305/.360 6 2B 0 3B 1 HR 7:20 BB:K 2/2 SB The Southern League MVP cooled off a considerably in Arizona, but most of the reports I read were supportive of his capabilities as a major league hitter and fielder. Morris hit cleanup almost exclusively, and flashed his sweet, but not explosive swing, on a regular basis. He struck out in 23.2% of his AB's, but also walked about 7-8% of his PA's. This really is Hunter's final hurdle. He could thrive with a walk rate approaching 10% and his K rate around 18-20%. And with a stache like that, the world is his oyster. http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/components/events/winterleagues/common/milb_mugshot_validator.jsp?winurl=http://mlb.mlb.com/images/players/mugshot/offseason/ph_519051.jpg&milburl=http://www.milb.com/images/players/mugshot/ph_519051.jpg If I had compare Morris to a current ballplayer(s), it would be some sort of Adam LaRoche-Lyle Overbay hybrid with a line like .285/.325/.450. In other words, he could be a better fielding Mat Gamel, which has plenty of value. Brock Kjeldgaard: 7 G 26 AB's .385/.455/.846 10 H 0 2B 0 3B 4 HR 3:10 BB:K 0/1 SB Brock has two above average (70+) tools. His power and his arm. Unfortunately, everything else grades out poorly, including his durability. His 4 HR's finished 2nd on the team in only 7 games. On the downside, he struck out 38.5% of the time completely negating his ~10% walk rate. An injury forced Brock out of playing time for the majority of the AFL season which is too bad because he was producing in spite of his inability to make contact. I would be surprised if Brock ever makes a MLB impact. Khris Davis: 15 G 53 AB's .226/.348/.264 12 H 2 2B 0 3B 0 HR 10:11 BB:K 0/0 SB I was expecting Davis to be our best hitter in the AFL but he never got on track. There are signs of a good hitter in these numbers though including a nearly 16% BB rate. I fully expect Khris to challenge for a MLB bench next spot next spring. Like Kjeldgaard, Morris missed a good portion of the AFL season with an injury but he should be ready in Feb. I'll cover the pitchers in the coming days.

Phoenix 4 Scottsdale 3 (11/9) Box Score Hunter Morris went 1-4 with a 2B and Josh Prince scored a run pinch running. Kyle Heckathorn got lit up and earned a blown save by giving up a homer to 3-hitter David Adams. Game Log Gameday ***** Salt River 11 Phoenix 5 (11/10) Box Score Josh Prince was 1-4 with a 2B and a BB. He struck out twice and committed his 2nd error in the AFL while playing LF. No Brewers pitchers were part of this massacre. Game Log Gameday ***** Phoenix 6 Peoria 4 (11/12) Box Score Josh Prince went 2-3 with a 3B and a BB. He also committed his 3rd error (2nd in as many games) while playing LF. Nick Bucci got the start and let at least 1 run leak through in all 3 of his IP. He finishes with a 9.00 ERA in the AFL. Johnny Hellweg got the save with a scoreless 2 K, 1 GO inning. Game Log Gameday Hellweg got Billy Hamilton to ground out and K'ed Rymer Liriano looking. Nice. ***** Peoria 8 Phoenix 1 (11/13) Box Score Jimmy Nelson gave up 4 runs in as many innings. He finishes with a 4.91 ERA in the AFL. Kyle Heckathorn gave up 5 H and 3 R before even recording an out. He was not given a chance to get that out as he was yanked. Game Log Gameday Jimmy is clearly gassed here in mid-November. He hit 93 a few times with his heater but was mainly 90-91. That is at least a full grade below where he was working all year (94-96). Hecky was working 91-93 with his FB. ***** Phoenix 7 Surprise 0 (11/14) Box Score Josh Prince (leadoff, RF) went 2-5 with a 2B and stole his 9th base. Hunter Morris (cleanup, 1B) went 1-3 with a BB. Game Log Gameday ***** Phoenix 8 Mesa 3 (11/15) Box Score Johnny Hellweg finished the season with a scoreless inning. He fashioned a sparkly 2.08 ERA in the AFL with some of the best stuff on the circuit. Game Log Gameday ***** That does it for the AFL. Phoenix finished in last place in the West division. I have to think a more effective Bucci and Nelson may have turned the tide, but it is what it is. Look for a an AFL wrap up post from me in the coming days.

AFL regular season wrapped up today. Championship is Saturday, and our boys fell short. I'll be getting the last weeks worth of recaps up by the end of tomorrow. In general, the Brewers kids held their own quite nicely.

When you consider the money and the fact that Johnson is in the last year of his deal, this looks a lot better for Miami. The true superstar in Miami is Stanton. If one of the prospects becomes an all-star and one or two more turn into 2.5-3.5 win players, Miami wins. Reyes is horribly overrated.

Phoenix 3 Surprise 1 (11/2) Box Score Khris Davis was 0-4 Game Log Gameday ***** AFL East 8 AFL West 4 (11/3) Box Score Hunter Morris (1-3) got the start at 1B hitting 4th. Johnny Hellweg got the last out for the West. Game Log Gameday ***** Phoenix 6 Surprise 5 (11/5) Box Score Josh Prince was 0-4 with a BB and 2 SB (8). He was picked off as well. Hunter Morris went 1-4 with a HR (1). Khris Davis was also 1-4. On the rubber, Kyle Heckathorn gave up a HR and another hit while allowing 2 runs in 2 IP. Game Log Gameday Hecky was working 90-93 with a FB and cutter. His offspeed stuff was all around 83-84. He gave up a HR to Bryce Brentz on a 3-2 slider after starting 0-2 on him. Morris smacked his HR off a 93 MPH FB. ***** Peoria 13 Phoenix 6 (11/6) Box Score Josh Prince with another huge game, even on D where he chucked out a guy on the bases. He finished 2-4 with a 2B and a BB. Hunter Morris was 1-4 with a 2B and BB. Nick Bucci got rocked in this one. He gave up 6 runs while recording only 4 outs. I talked briefly with Bernie Pleskoff, a former MLB scout now working for mlb.com, regarding Bucci. He described Bucci as too hittable and struggling with command. [sarcasm]He clearly did not factor in Bucci's nickname.[/sarcasm] I'd look for both things to change as Bucci moves farther away from his injuries from 2012. Game Log Peoria Bottom of the 1st Billy Hamilton walks. With Jeudy Valdez batting, Billy Hamilton steals (7) 2nd base. Jeudy Valdez called out on strikes. With Rymer Liriano batting, Billy Hamilton caught stealing 3rd base, catcher Jake Realmuto to third baseman Yordy Cabrera. Rymer Liriano walks. Nick Franklin doubles (4) on a line drive to right fielder Kevin Kiermaier. Rymer Liriano scores. Nate Freiman singles on a fly ball to center fielder Christian Yelich. Nick Franklin scores. Zach Collier doubles (3) on a line drive to right fielder Kevin Kiermaier, deflected by first baseman Hunter Morris. Nate Freiman to 3rd. Travis Mattair strikes out swinging. Peoria Bottom of the 2nd Vinnie Catricala doubles (2) on a line drive to left fielder Josh Prince. Dan Rohlfing singles on a line drive to center fielder Christian Yelich. Vinnie Catricala to 3rd. Billy Hamilton singles on a bunt ground ball to first baseman Hunter Morris. Vinnie Catricala scores. Dan Rohlfing to 2nd. Jeudy Valdez pops out to shortstop Nick Ahmed on the infield fly rule. Rymer Liriano singles on a line drive to center fielder Christian Yelich. Dan Rohlfing scores. Billy Hamilton to 3rd. With Nick Franklin batting, Rymer Liriano steals (6) 2nd base. Nick Franklin singles on a ground ball to right fielder Kevin Kiermaier, deflected by pitcher Nick Bucci. Billy Hamilton scores. Rymer Liriano scores. Pitching Change: Lenny Linsky replaces Nick Bucci. Nate Freiman grounds into a double play, third baseman Yordy Cabrera to second baseman Grant Green to first baseman Hunter Morris. Nick Franklin out at 2nd. Gameday If Bucci does find his command, his 90-80-70 repertoire could prove effective. His FB was actually up to 92 at times along with a low-80's change and a low-70's CB. ***** Peoria 8 Phoenix 0 (11/7) Box Score Josh Prince was 1-4. Jimmy Nelson got the start and he was roughed up similar to Bucci the day before. Nelson managed 13 outs but gave up 5 R (3 ER) while being to hittable and wild. Game Log Gameday ***** Mesa 4 Phoenix 3 (11/8) Box Score Josh Prince went 1-4 with a BB and a CS. Hunter Morris was 0-4. Johnny Hellweg got the final 6 outs allowing 2 H and 1 ER with 0 BB and 1 K. Hellweg has been the most impressive Brewers pitcher by far. Game Log Gameday ***** I would like to add that Pleskoff is pretty bullish on Hunter Morris. He lauded his sweet, line drive swing and above average D. On Josh Prince, "#AFL12 #Brewers Josh Prince opens the game today with another base hit. He has this hitting thing figured out. Centers the ball with ease."

I'm going to catch up on the box scores today. Stay tuned.

Phoenix 5 Salt River 2 Box Score Josh Prince was on base 5 times in 5 trips. 3-3 with a 2B and 2 BB including a bunt hit to lead off the game.. He was also caught stealing and picked off. That has been happening a lot lately to Josh. Hunter Morris was 0-4 with a Sac Fly. Jimmy Nelson started the game. He worked around 5 walks to post a scoreless outing over 11 outs. Kyle Heckathorn relieved in the 4th and finished with 4 scoreless outs himself. Game Log Gameday

Scottsdale 6 Phoenix 2 Box Score Khris Davis (0-1 3 BB) and Hunter Morris (1-4) hit 3 and 4. Nick Bucci started. He was fantastic until he ran into 4h inning trouble. 3.2 IP 4 H 4 ER 4 R 2 BB 6 K 1 WP 3:1 GO:FO The peripherals were decent, especially the K's and GO's. Game Log Gameday

Mesa 7 Phoenix 5 Box Score Hunter Morris (2-4 2 2B) and Josh Prince (1-4 HR BB OF Assist) had big games. Khris Davis was 0-4 before being pinch run for in the 8th. Johnny Hellweg came on to pitch the final two innings. He was not his best. 2 IP 2 H 2 R 1 ER 3 BB 1 K 3:0 GO:FO. Game Log Gameday

Salt River 9 Phoenix 2 Box Score Josh Prince (0-4) and Hunter Morris (1-4 2B) were the only Suds Boys to see action on Monday. Game Log Gameday

Surprise 6 Phoenix 1 (10/26) Box Score Jimmy Nelson and Kyle Heckathorn were the first two Arid Land Canines to appear and they promptly gave up all 6 opposing runs in just 4 IP. Both guys had been fairly un-hittable up till then. Luckily Johnny Hellweg saved some Brewers face with a nice scoreless 9th inning with a K. What a superb trade to land Segura, Hellweg and Pena. Just an obvious move now that you look back. Hunter Morris went 1-3 with a BB. Khris Davis was 1-4 hitting behind Morris. Game Log Gameday Nelson is just a beast of a power pitcher. I can see how he is dominant when his FB is at it's peak (95-97 MPH). Today the FB (and a cutter) were sitting 92-94. He supplemented that with a mid-80's breaking ball and what appears to be a devastating change. He got Red Sox masher Bryce Brentz twice with the change up. In the first AB, Nelson started him with a FB strike and called-strike change. Brentz then flailed at the very next pitch, a change up, for the K. In his second AB, Brentz managed to work the count to 2-2 before again swinging at and missing the change up. A swing and miss change is a big deal for a power pitcher like Nelson. If you like the way Wily Peralta pitches, then you should like Jimmy Nelson. Heckathorn was all over the map on Gameday. They basically could not tell what the heck-athorn he was throwing. My best analysis is he was sitting 92-94 with a FB, 84-86 with a cutter, and 84-86 with a slider. The slider was a swing and miss pitch when commanded. Hellweg was simply amazing. He sat 96-98 with a FB and a cutter. Then, he came a few times with a 83-84 slider. That is nasty. Throw strikes my man, and you will find success with that arsenal and pitch plane. Phoenix 8 Scottsdale 8 F/10 (10/27) Box Score Josh Prince, the king of Arizona, went 3-6 with a 2B. Khris Davis hit 3rd, and finished 2-4 with a BB and a SF. Brock Kjeldgaard managed 3 PA's before being removed due some lineup shuffling. He finished 0-1 with a BB and a SF. Game Log Gameday

Salt River 6 Phoenix 3 Box Score Hunter Morris was 1-5 with 3 K and his 3rd E on the AFL season. Josh Prince is seeing beach balls in the box right now. On Thursday, he went 2-5 with 2 2B. Josh is from Sulphur, LA. [sarcasm]That stinks I would think.[/sarcasm] Lacking any type of discernible noxious stink, besides the smell of white hot fire, is Prince's line in the AFL. No one is predicting stardom from this kid, but he is likely just another example of a long line of solid, unheralded Brewers prospects that find ways to contribute at the MLB level. It is kind of the Brewers way now. Churn out productive big leaguers year-after-year, receive little national credit, rinse, repeat. Guys like Josh Prince, Logan Schafer, Mike Fiers, Khris Davis, John Axford and even the Corey Hart's of the world were never followed with much fanfare (besides here!) yet success just seems follow. I was ready to give up on Prince after his disastrous 2010 season. Whoops! Many of the uninformed still see the 2009 class as a total bust. But this is not the case. Hiram Burgos and Khris Davis were the 6th and 7th rounders. Scooter Gennett in the 16th. Mike Fiers in the 22nd! We still have some guys to dream on in Cam Garfield (2nd), Chadwin Stang (8th), Brooks Hall (4th) and Max Walla (2nd). Add in likely big leaguers RP Kyle Heckathorn (1S), UT Josh Prince (3rd) and 1B Sean Halton (13th) and you have a very solid class. I don't even know what category to put Kentrail Davis (1S) and Eric Arnett (1st) in. Is there a star? Doubtful, but you cannot rule out some above average production from Fiers, Burgos, Kh. Davis or Gennett at this point. Not bad considering Mike Trout was robbed from underneath us and we were drafting at the end of each round (albeit with a few suppy picks). Bruce Seid has been much maligned, but it is totally unfair. I, for one, am very happy with the looks of our system right now despite what Keith Law and the legion of anonymous scouts spew. My point is that ramssuperbowl1999 is right to be snarky with these national prospect pundits and go underdog farm system! Game Log Gameday

Phoenix 7 Mesa 7 F/10 Box Score Hunter Morris went 1-6 with dropping his average all the way to .279. Josh Prince scored a run and nabbed his 6th SB after being inserted as a PR. Game Log Gameday ***** Phoenix 15 Surprise 1 Box Score Simple, remove the Southern League MVP, score 15 runs. I just want to remind all that nothing much can be learned from AFL stats, good or bad. The scouting reports are much more important in this context. The main reason; look at that motley crew of pitchers the Surprise team trotted out today. These are not top prospects folks. Josh Prince (3-5 2B BB), Khris Davis (2-5 BB), and Brock Kjeldgaard (4-6 CS PO) were simply unstoppable. You can find Josh's and Brock's name plastered all over the hitting leader boards at this point. Very impressive, yet informatively worthless. Nick Bucci started for the Desert Pooches and he was dandy. 4 IP 5 H 1 R 1 ER 1 BB 6 K 1 HR 2 WP 3:2 GO:FO. Game Log Gameday The HR Bucci gave up was on a 90 MPH cutter. His FB sat 89-92 all 4 innings. He showed an 80 MPH change and slider along with a mid-70's CB.

Phoenix 10 Mesa 6 (10/19) Box Score Nic Bucci: 3 IP 4 H 2 R 2 ER 0 BB 3 K 3:0 GO:FO Kyle Heckathorn: 1 IP 0 H 0 R 0 BB 1 K Josh Prince: 1-4 BB SB Hunter Morris: 1-5 2B Khris Davis: 2-4 BB Game Log Gameday ***** Phoenix 12 Peoria 11 (10/20) Box Score Josh Prince: 3-3 2B 3B 2 BB 2 CS 1 Pickoff Khris Davis: 2-4 BB Brock Kjeldgaard: 1-5 HR (4) Game Log Gameday ***** Phoenix 5 Scottsdale 1 (10/22) Box Score All four Brewers hitters in the same lineup? Cool! Josh Prince: 2-4 Hunter Morris: 3-5 SB Brock Kjeldgaard: 1-3 BB Khris Davis: 0-3 Kyle Heckathorn: 1.2 IP 1 H 0 R 0 BB 1 K WP 2:2 GO:FO Jimmy Nelson: 2 IP 0 H 0 R 0 BB 4 K 1:0 GO:FO Johnny Hellweg: 2 IP 2 H 1 R 1 ER 2 BB 0 K 4:0 GO:FO (Plus a saving 1-6-3 DP) Game Log Gameday Curse the Gameday velocity gods!

Planning on getting everyone updated today!

Phoenix 2 Surprise 2 Box Score Hunter Morris went 2-4 with a BB to break out of a cold spell. Jimmy Nelson started and went 3 innings. He gave up 2 H 1 R 1 BB and 2 WP with only 1 K. Game Log Gameday No velo's today. Color me unimpressed.

Surprise 7 Phoenix 3 Box Score Santo Manzanillo is not off to the best start in the AFL. He failed to complete an inning for the 3rd straight time while allowing a bunch of runners and runs. Gameday had Manzanillo sitting 93-94 on his 4-seam, 89 on his 2-seam/cutter and he even mixed in a 90 MPH slider. That velocity is down a full grade at least from where he was in 2011. Josh Prince led off and went 1-4. RF again for Josh. Brock Kjeldgaard and Khrush Davis hit 4-5 in the order and went 0-7 with a BB and a HBP. Hunter Morris got a breather after his 4 K day. The Brewers gang has been playing good D thus far with 0 errors that I have noticed. Game Log Gameday