jjfanec

Braddock still has not pitched since the 7th. Any word on why? This has me nervous because with his medical issues in the past a prolonged absence like this does not look good.

Do you want the Brewers to bunt anytime they get someone on base? I see bunting when down by one, but early in game I guess I just dont think it is that advantageous. Now I know tonight is perfect night for the we need to bunt more crowd, with the double-play balls, but I have heard from many on this board that statistics show the bunt is not as effective as just letting a guy swing away.

At the same token I would rather have Kendall or Counsell get on base and stay there than the 33% of the time that Pierre gets thrown out trying to steal. I don't know the statistics but I would rather have a guy at first than in the dugout because he just got thrown out. I dont need someone to steal a ton of bases in front of Braun and Prince.

While we may only a few top end guys like Peralta, Braddock, and Scarpetta, we also have a lot of guys who could be valuable as the 4/5 type spot in a rotation. With the cost of pitching we can save our team a bunch of money if a couple of guys like Anundsen, Butler, Rivas, and Cody can become back of the rotation types. You also then have guys like Arnett, Odorizzi, Fredrickson, Rogers who could help the team in a few years. There is not a ton of top end talent but if we can have Yo, Parra (if he can figure it out), then some of these guys to fill out the rotation, and maybe a young pitcher from a JJ trade we should be able to keep from having to pay for guys like Suppan and Looper.

All I was saying is that they are similar because they are both single's hitters with low slugging. The difference in singles to walks really is not a big difference. Each gets you to first base. I guess Pierre has a little more value since singles have better RBI potential. To me the only difference between the two if walks and singles can be looked at as at least being very similar, is the overall speed of Pierre. His stolen bases are what set him apart but to me they are not that different. Pierre is only better at this stage in his career this season. The three season before they were almost the exact same. Pierre's BABip just happens to be .30 points higher than his usual so his average is inflated. That said if Pierre could play good CF and did not have his terrible contract I would not mind having him at all.

No, he really is not. You cannot just look at average. Pierre has obviously been better this year. But look at their OPS over the 3 before this year. Pierre has been .655, 685, and .717. Kendall has been .651, .610, and .709. Kendall is a better OBP guy than Pierre and they slug near the same so they are similar outside of Pierre's triples and steals, but considering one is a catcher and the other can barely play CF so would almost have to be a corner OF there is reason to say Kendall is better and more valuable.

And...Katin just struck out for the second time tonight. Pretty much giving us a good snap shot on his season. He can hit a ton but he can also miss a ton. I am with DHonks in Katin needing time in AAA and hopefully he improves like Cruz.

Katin pretty much lived up to the quotes from the article so far. Tremendous power and too many strike outs. Although the bomb he hit makes it sound like he made up for the strike outs. I dont want to see him called up this year but I think another year of seasoning in AAA could really help his plate discipline and make him a part of this teams future. Rushing him to big leagues seems like a bad idea to me. The benefits he can bring the Brewers outweigh the positives his development can have by staying in AAA.

How it seems like interviews with special guests (ie Obama) or players always happened when Brewers were participating in All-Star game festivities. During Prince's derby at bat Pujols is interviewed, the event took forever could they not have waited a little while and found some time for that. And then Obama was in the booth during Braun's first at bat. He had very little to add to baseball and I would not have cared but it made Braun's first at bat an after thought.

As a player whose value has been debated here quite often I think his own comments and Money's comments can add to the discussion. These quotes are from an article in the AAA thread on this page. Sounds like he knows what is keeping him from moving up and now it is just a matter of fixing the problems. His own comments and Money's comments make me think the Brewers want to keep him down in AAA for a while and not rush calling him up when he has a lot to work on. On a positive note he has walked 5 times in the last 7 games after having walked just 11 in the previous 73.

For more insight into Katin here is part of an article linked and posted in the minor league thread. Looks like he knows what his issues are but like FVBrewer said I think Katin right now is more of a player to include not a player who can get much of anything on his own or with a fringe prospect. He could probably help get a guy like Ray Durham, as Ford and Hammond, were not great prospects. Ford struggled to get on base negating his speed and Hammond was a low ceiling guy.

I have not seen them linked to Morneau, maybe before he signed a 6 year deal in 2008, but not lately. They have been linked to Mauer who is a free-agent after the 2010 season. I guess I dont think it is that comical to think most players want to come and play for one the best run and best producing teams in baseball. Now obviously they cannot get everyone like they might talk but it would not be far-fetched to see them land Mauer and Prince, because they could have the money, and if either guy gets traded Boston has the prospects to trade and have shown with trading Hanley for Beckett they are not afraid to do it.

David Ortiz is locked up until 2010 so I am sure Boston would love to replace him with Prince. They also have Mike Lowell signed through 2010. Youkilis can play 1B or 3B so that gives them so real flexibility at 3rd, 1st and DH in the 2011 which is Prince's last year here unless he signs long-term.

What attitudes have you seen underlying a lot of the posts in this thread. Attitudes about Prince, the Brewers, other posters? Also I just looked at some of Bostons contracts to see how that would fit them being interested in Prince. David Ortiz is locked up until 2010 so I am sure Boston would love to replace him with Prince. They also have Mike Lowell signed through 2010. Youkilis can play 1B or 3B so that gives them so real flexibility at 3rd, 1st and DH in the 2011 which is Prince's last year here unless he signs long-term.

Many of those who felt like Cruz would do nothing in the majors were not just fans here but scouts. I remember people here defended Cruz's game for a while but the continued knocks on his swing (being way too long) finally changed some people's perception. But were people really that wrong on Cruz since it took him until 28 to blossom into a ML hitter even though he had been given chances like 300 AB's and he was waived as a 27 year old. The only mistake you can say the Brewers made was not claiming him when the had the chance a little over a year ago. Until then putting him the trade was very good because they trade a guy who got waived a few years later. Back to Katin I would be more excited about him as a future starter if you could show many players we would consider successful whose OBP was around .310 in the minors. It just seems to me that major league pitchers would eat that player alive. Even he at best maintained his current .314 OBP while jumping up a level (which is highly highly unlikely) he would not be extremely valuable. Instead of facing guys at the level of Sam Narron, Chase Wright, Nick Green, etc he would be facing MLB talent pitching. GM's recognize this and look at more stats than just those that show up on tv when a guy comes up. I think Katin has a little more value than some here give him, but way less than a couple here give him. Look at it this way. Our RF is struggling, or back up guys were really struggling for a while, Nelson got DFA, and yet Katin did not get a chance even those he was very hot in May. If we can keep him in the minors for another year to learn plate discipline he could become valuable, heck he has walked 5 times over the last 7 games. To put that in perspective he had walked just 11 times in his previous 73 games.

Way to go Prince! Solid line drive ground rule double to opposite field for the NL lead. Braun hit his right on the nose as well.

You had to know Obama would come in the booth when Braun was up. This inning has been quite the Obama love fest. I am not sure of the announcers even know what is going on in the game. I dont know if they even mentioned David Wright when he was batting and when he got his hit.

Nelson Cruz has found success at 28 years old. Everybody missed on him because he was placed on waivers after spring training when he could not make the Rangers roster at 27. Anyone could have had him. We could have had him back last year because in 2007 in over 300 ML at bats he had an OPS of .670. I am happy that he turned it around but there is no way you can make it look like the Brewers messed up trading him without saying every team messed up in regard to him including the Rangers. Katin is good trade bait but the holes in his game keep him from being someone who could net a big-time player. He is already 26 years old and has walked just 16 times this year in AAA. With plate discipline he could become a very good player. Just like Cruz actually. But like Cruz it may take Katin a couple years to refine his game past being simply a power-hitter. If he is what it takes to land someone that can better or team this year and maybe next he is a great piece to put in a trade because the reality is he probably wont be able to be more than a reserve OF'er until he becomes more patient at the plate. Cruz was not a throw in either. He was a piece needed to get Mench, which was poor evaluation of talent on Melvins part but it is not like Cruz as like Zach Jackson last year in the CC deal.

Again this has been pointed out by so many people but most everyone who wanted to trade Prince did not want to trade him because of weight concerns, production disappointment, or dislike for him as a player. It had to do with the fact that1. He seems to be someone who will be very hard to sign long-term (see his agent and amount big hitters like him get) 2. One issue to a lesser extent is in the long-term his body-type does not seem to be one that will age well. He did a good job getting fit this year and I have never had too much of a problem with his physical condition but how many guys built like Prince succeed into their 30's without the benefit of the DH. His defense is not maybe just a little below average but what will it be like toward the end of a long term deal even if he did sign. 3. And maybe the most important. We do not have a lot of young high impact arms outside of Yo. None of the pitchers we look at as potential top-end guys are above A+ ball with the exception of Braddock but his is on a pitch count. To get good young pitching you need to trade a valuable player and Prince is the right guy for a trade. AL teams will value him because of the DH availability in the future, and teams like Boston and New York could lock him up long term. As a result we could get a very very good package for him that could fill a couple holes on the team.

Wasn't there a rumor that Bailey was going to be traded for Jermaine Dye this off-season? Has Bailey improved his stock that much that he would go from netting just one year of a good player like Dye to netting a top prospect under control for many years and another prospect?

Yep, the more I see what the Blue Jays are asking the more I say we should stay out of it. If rumors of what they are asking are true we probably would have to give up our three best prospects (maybe we could keep Gamel) our top pitching prospect (since we dont have one that would be considered an A guy) and then one more guy. Way too much in my mind for a year and a half of even a great pitcher like Halladay. I was willing to give up an A and B with limited upside and then a young arm for CC last year but I just cannot see giving up two more A's which would cripple our system

How on earth does Ian Kinsler keep getting passed over? I know Carlos Pena is having a good year but Kinsler has been great and Pedroia another 2B is whose was vacated. Coaches picking their own players frustrates me.

I was wondering about this the other day. I wonder if Gennett and Howell are not just back up plans for guys like Davis but for the Sheets picks that did not happen. Do you think the Brewers had money saved to draft the two picks for Sheets and once he did not garner any picks they drafted guys like Gennett, Howell, Hall, and others who might sign over slot because they had a little "extra" money. They could also do it as a way to get the value of those Sheets picks without actually having received them.

Yeah too bad he hit that home run and sac fly tonight as well. Sure it would have been nice to get another run but he had a couple good at bats today and his two rbi's are the difference tonight. You have been pretty hard on hardy lately and rightfully so, but tonight he had a very good night.

Maybe Prince should have Looper pitch to him for the home run derby