Fear The Chorizo

Not concerned with Turang at the plate at all...he wont ever hit 20HR annually, but he will improve his OBP and slg a bit better with time to more than justify starting him at shortstop and keeping his speed towards the bottom of the lineup. Let him keep developing and don't part time role him alongside a slew of veteran journeyman infielders.

I think it's solely because the AAA team has a heap of guys who play 3rd on occasion, and the Brewers probably don't want to lose any of them as AAAA filler at this point of the year and want Black to get everyday playing time at 3rd defensively. He's just fine down in AA for a bit longer - the bat is likely MLB ready right now, but his glove isn't. I think he may also be a potential significant trade chip as part of some tentative trade discussions if the Brewers are going to go big at the deadline, and keeping Black right where he is maximizes his value because he's not on the 40 man roster.

If they don't catch the injury bug and get key guys back like Gary and Stokes at a reasonable time during the year, their schedule alone is going to have them competing for a playoff spot. If Love plays well winning the division is a definite possibility. Even if he plays poorly early on but shows signs of improvement with playing experience, I think they're good enough to muddle through a 6-8 win season and set themselves up for a big offseason with the cap relief that's coming. I'm looking forward to this season more than previous years - and it's not because Rodgers is gone...they've now got a young team that also still has alot of veteran talent at key positions.

Agreed - I think the best scenario for the Brewers between now and the deadline is for those two clubs to tread water in the standings by beating each other up. If either of them really gets on a roll and makes up 3-4 games in the standings for the division lead before the deadline, they could turn into last minute buyers. Longterm, both could benefit from selling at the deadline, too - I'd rather see them stand pat or do some sort of confused buy/sell retooling at the deadline that doesn't make them dramatically better now or in the future.

seeing a 175-lb dripping wet 19 year old rope lasers off and over the wall to right field is so fun...Chourio doing that in AA is fairy tale-level stuff.

To be fair, at least this take was from a couple weeks ago - seems like the AS break and taking part in some of those festivities with the futures game may have gotten him going just a smidge. As others have said, his hitting approach at the plate is unicorn-like for a kid in AA. Given his 'meh' 1st half based on the standards he set for himself across 3 minor league levels last year, if Chourio winds up anywhere close to an 0.800 OPS at the end of this season as a teenager his lofty prospect status isn't going anywhere. My gut tells me by year end his OPS will be well above 0.800.

I'm surprised 5 other posters got a word in before this showed up on a Rockies trade rumor thread here. Count me out on a Raptor reunion

This can all be true, but it's not as cut and dry anymore. With the reduced total in minor league teams organizations have under their wing and slight changes to the length of minor league control teams have over signees before they have to add to 40 man rosters, there has been a shift to improved prospect talent playing a full year or more in AAA and it not being mostly a haven for AAAA players. The combination of the lost minor league development seasons due to the COVID year and these rule changes are both improving the overall talent level across AAA. Pitching-wise, I'd still agree that AA has more talented arms organizations are trying to develop into starters, but AAA bullpens tend to resemble what hitters will face in MLB because organizations keep their veteran reliever backup options there. Factors like the league and competition organization's affiliates face, state of a team's farm system overall, etc. currently determine if AA or AAA currently has more MLB-caliber prospects playing in it. I also think there's value for just about every prospect to get some experience at the AAA level to get accustomed to playing in stadiums with at least a bit larger fan attendance and "brighter lights" than alot of high A and AA ballparks that at times resemble regular season college baseball crowds. Specific to Black, I don't think it matters what level he's in provided he's playing everyday defensively to see if he can develop into a viable MLB thirdbaseman - right now AA is perfect for him because of that.

And he stunk offensively - he was the wrong guy to bring in for this roster. How did his DH numbers rate compared to the 8 guys with more PAs in 2022?

The Brewers philosophy has been to rotate a few different bat first players into the DH role. There's a big difference between bat first options that produce a low 0.700's OPS AT BEST even when attempting to rotate them in platoon advantages, and having a premium offensive player taking those ABs consistently. I get that the Brewers can't have players at every position making $10M+ in salary as part of their payroll limitations and that's going to always limit quality veteran offensive depth - but I actually think the Brewers SHOULD be one of the teams paying a professional hitter like JD Martinez a decent chunk of $ to be a lineup centerpiece that the Brewers can then fill in with platoon options at defensive positions to try and maximize offense out of those other spots. They paid Cutch almost $9M to be 2022 DH and he had one of his worst statistical seasons offensively with the Brewers, in large part because he was leaned on too heavily against RHP and wound up playing half the season in the field as a 35 yr old. They're paying Winker a similar amount to perform even worse offensively after the offseason trade. The problem is that the Brewers are picking the wrong bat-first veteran players in the offseason and wind up being stuck with them too far into the season before cutting bait and giving other options extended opportunities. As the rest of their roster construction leans heavily on defensive flexibility, the Brewers aren't in the same boat as other teams who might collectively have better (and more expensive) offensive players across their MLB rosters that would be viewed as decent everyday DH options if they weren't also considered starting caliber defensive players.

If you want to score more runs, having an everyday DH deserving of everyday at bats is better - if a regular position player starter needs to be off their feet to stay fresh, they should get a few extra games off compared to what they already get while also being a quasi DH. I get that a guy like Yeli needs time out of the OF to stay healthier - and yeah giving him a couple dozen plate appearances at DH makes sense over the course of a season. However, giving him substantially more than that then gives a 5th OF option like Taylor substantially more plate appearances as a corner OF, which in the long run negates any positive offensive impact keeping Yelich in the lineup when he's not in the field and probably makes the lineup worse in the long run. Now, if the Brewers were to consider moving Yelich into the fulltime DH role while improving their other outfield options if and when Frelick leaves no doubt he's ready in the next 1-2 seasons or Mitchell can stay healthy enough to start in center and shift Wiemer to a corner OF spot, I'd be all for it. That isn't a good option for the rest of this year, though.

Disagree strongly to this assessment, simply because Cutch wound up OPS-ing 0.700 and also played alot of OF last season, Yelich is a borderline GG leftfielder this season, Tellez is considered to be a good defensive 1B but is best suited with a platoon mate even at that position so he doesn't face LHP too much, Contreras is an offensive catcher but that doesn't make him an everyday DH option at this stage of his career (he's DH'd this season a decent amount because their primary DH option sucks), Renfroe is a good RF, and the other players you listed were either picked up off the scrap heap for peanuts or frankly not given enough of an extended shot as the team's primary DH (Hiura specifically). If they just don't want anything to do with giving Hiura an extended shot (like another full season, not a month) to be their DH, then they need to acquire someone who would fill that role on an everyday basis because they're an established MLB hitter who doesn't require a platoon mate. Then, if plus offensive contributors to their positions like Yelich and Contreras need a day off in the field but can still hit, that's when you have them fill in as DH if there's a platoon advantage or your regular option needs a day for whatever reason. The fact that there are 10 players who have gotten at least 20 DH PA for the Brewers in less than 2 regular seasons is the problem - if the Brewers prioritized that position there should be just a handful, because their production would preclude any other players from getting put in the order with much of any frequency. Bringing in Winker was a marginal attempt at this, but he appears to be damaged goods and frankly shouldn't be on this roster anymore.

While this is a very likely scenario that could happen based on the Brewers' m.o., I think it's also a point of significant frustration with alot of fans/posters in the Brewers viewing the DH as more of a role filled on a platoon-lite basis by position players who commonly are on the roster to begin with due to defensive flexibility/veteran 40 man depth compared to being bat first/glove optional players. I think it leaves an offensive black hole in the everyday lineup that could be more readily filled by the Brewers identifying 1 hitter to be their DH fulltime, which shouldn't be too hard to accomplish with a 26 man roster.

From a pitching standpoint, one thing that stands out with the Brewers is they seem to be aggressive in getting MLB-caliber arms up to MLB - particularly if they entered pro ball after college. Woodruff, Burnes, Ashby, heck even Peralta wasn't down in AAA too long before his callup in 2018 as a 22 yr old. They gave Small a similar shot last year and he fizzled...but guys like Gasser and Misiorowski probably aren't going to log a ton more minor league innings before their initial call up, and Uribe is already getting broken into the bullpen. Conversely, the Brewers have largely been hesitant to bring up hitting/position player prospects quickly at the expense of DFA-ing marginal MLB veterans. The offseason moves to pave the way for Turang, Mitchell, and Wiemer to see regular MLB playing time this season were largely financial ones but also solid baseball decisions - frankly all 3 had earned their shot through steady progression through the upper minors. This organizational approach is good for 40 man roster planning in the offseason and headed into opening day, but I think it makes things very difficult to make in-season changes internally in hopes of improving MLB offensive production. Once minor injuries inevitably show up at the MLB level, the Brewers quickly cycle into having bottom of the 40 man veterans getting a ton of starts in the majors while they wait on guys to heal up on uncertain timelines because adding any talented prospects or other minor leaguers whose onfield performance deserves a MLB opportunity means losing the veteran roster filler. I'm guessing there's going to be substantial roster churn at the trade deadline depending on any trades and/or MLB promotions that require prospects to be added to the 40 man.

Wondering what the Brewers' innings goal is for Misiorowski this season....would be ecstatic seeing him getting a handful of AA starts and winding up with about 75IP across three minor league levels for the year. Thinking there's a legit chance he's in Milwaukee at some point in 2024 as a reliever after getting some innings logged as a starter between AA-AAA to start next season, ala Burnes and Woodruff

Not to mention proof that solid state batteries are a viable option (both economically and performance) for much more widespread EV use - one thing that's always been a big issue with solid state batteries is they're not great in climates with large temperature fluctuations, namely cold... I personally think the automotive industry should push hard into hydrogen fuel cell options for personal vehicles and leave EV as a more niche segment. When considering ramifications of scaling various technologies to fit global demand, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are really the only current option to significantly replace ICE vehicles without creating a bunch of unintended environmental and power grid capacity problems. Once the technology is fully developed to utilize hydrogen as a fuel, I think the infrastructure changes (both nationally and globally) could happen much more easily than what it would take to support a 50%+ fleet of battery-powered EVs on the planet.

Ruiz wasn't the centerpiece - Gasser was....and the closer the Brewers got from San Diego actually outperformed Hader for most of the remaining 2022 season because Hader sucked most of August. Gasser will make that trade worth it on his own compared to 1.5 seasons of Hader at about $18M in total salary, the fact they were able to turn Ruiz into Contreras and Payamps is some special gravy. Ruiz is 24 yrs old and holding his own as a rookie - way too soon to label him an awful ballplayer when his batting average is over all other Brewers with a qualified amount of at bats besides Yelich and Contreras. Ruiz lacks power and is still learning to play outfield (he was a 2B/IF for most of his minor league career), but Oakland is the perfect place for him to figure out how to play outfield. When the trade was made the debate was about how the Brewers were able to make the deal with their 4th best high minors OF prospect - reality is that due to injuries and inconsistency, Wiemer is the only one of the three (Wiemer, Mitchell, Frelick) that has arguably outperformed Ruiz this season...and that's entirely due to his hitting power and more developed outfield defense. If Mitchell could stay healthy I think he's the best of all of them, but the one consistent thing with him is he can't seem to stay on the field. I think Frelick will be an everyday major leaguer but he's not as close to making a MLB impact as what many assumed at this point last season. I'm glad they've kept Wiemer up to let him sort through MLB growing pains at the plate - really like what he could become as a right fielder even though he's been really good defensively in center.

If I'm a high school pitcher with enough projectable talent that doesn't get drafted as high as I'd like for a big enough signing bonus, I'd think long and hard about going to a juco instead of a 4 year university so I'd be draft eligible the very next year instead of having to wait 3 more drafts to potentially get my name called again.

So, of all these HS draftees picked in rounds 11-20 (not just for the Brewers, but for many teams), if they don't sign now they'll all next be draft eligible three, 4, or 5 years from now depending on how their collegiate careers go. Each of those draft years will also be filled up with a fresh group of high school talent along with other college players that may have developed into draftable players who weren't picked while they were in high school. There are no guarantees with injury, development, and timing for most of these guys planning to wait for the next time they're draft eligible. Particularly for high school pitchers that aren't considered top 200 talent in a draft year, it actually makes alot more sense to sign a professional contract now than roll the dice on improving their draft stock years down the road when the draft itself has been pared down to 20 rounds.

Not all of them - but it wouldn't surprise me to see more than half of them sign...there are more prep arms that go off to college and wind up going undrafted 3 years later than those who dramatically improve their draft stock. In these rounds all it takes is 1 unlikely signing turning into a quality prospect to make the risk worth the reward. Guessing the Brewers opted to load up on these guys in hopes they get some of them signed rather than using picks on guys they could wind up signing as UFAs anyway

Do MLB teams still incentivize high school draftees to pay for their college education after the fact if they do sign? Not that it would appear to matter to Mr. Letson, as I kind of doubt he has a plan to earn a degree in 3 years, lol.

gotcha - I guess one item I did do this past winter was keep the garden area largely cleared of snow, so the soil could be exposed as much as possible to the elements...hearing that their larvae can't withstand extended stretches of soil temps below 15 degrees got me motivated to shovel snow across a little extra area where they would've largely laid eggs in my yard last year. It also seems this year like we've got a much larger number of birds around that might be helping to keep their numbers down. I've tried traps before, but found they just seemed to attract more of them...but it is satisfying to empty out a bag of them every now and then.

May I ask where you live? Here in MN we've been hammered the past few years with Japanese Beetles chewing on our garden bean plants - this year I think I've picked 2 off the plants and didn't really do anything special...thinking the long winter we just had did a number on their larvae, although I probably just jinxed myself and a week from now I'll be picking them off by the bucketfull to feed our neighbor's chickens, lol

Or, how about just everyone pay it back? Teachers are far from the only positions with high demand/low supply, so I don't think they should get preferential treatment for loans they may need to take out to get a 4-yr degree. I grew up in a rural part of WI where teacher salaries weren't great - but even then their benefits were what incentivized that position in a community they could still comfortably live in on those salaries if they stayed within their financial means. I've also lived around Chicago and Minneapolis, and the teachers I knew at various public school districts all made more than me plus had insanely good benefits and time off compared to my position in an engineering consulting firm as a licensed P.E. I know there are parts of the country and districts where it's damn hard to be a teacher - both mentally and financially. Hell, I know I'm not cut out for that type of job and I'd be a terrible teacher. But, the same can be said for jobs across all fields, public and private sector. I'd also argue a big part of the current student loan problem isn't a glut of elementary school teachers somewhere in the panhandle making $35K a year with $100K in student loan debt - it has alot more to do with students taking out years' worth of pricey loans to attain advanced degrees in universities beyond a bachelors program that accumulate to balances over what their financial means will be in the career path and the geographic location they've chosen to live and work in. Finally, from 2002-2022, the total consumer price index increased 65%, while average tuition increased between 134% (private) and 175% (public in-state) on average over that same time period. There needs to be reform at the university level to restructure costs to solve this problem, or frankly the higher education system we currently know will collapse - it's already pricing out a huge chunk of the country, and eventually there will be a tipping point. One may be structuring tuition amounts at universities based on earning potential of undergraduate degree fields. For example, if a liberal arts major or social worker with a 4 year degree isn't expected to make as much as a computer engineer right out of school, their tuition costs to obtain that degree shouldn't be as high upfront.

I think just about any broad student loan forgiveness policy change/update needs to utilize university endowments as sources of forgiveness funds, or push to tie further tuition growth directly to a baseline inflation figure - until the main sources of ballooning student loan debt are held accountable (skyrocketing tuition due in large part to university largesse and excessive administrative costs, and large loans provided to students seeking degrees whose typical jobs don't pay close to the amount of salary needed for them to readily repay them without it severely handcuffing them financially for decades), this problem will only keep getting worse. Public sector student loan forgiveness policy will drive people insane, and frankly that sort of thing should also be eliminated - a big reason it started out in the first place was to dampen the effect of rising tuition costs at universities by incentivizing students to take out larger loans upfront than they otherwise would, particularly for fields where you don't need to attend a 4-year university at $25K+ in tuition annually to get a degree and ultimately a job.