Harold Hutchison

I'm guessing it was $6M or so. I bet that's what Lewis signs for. Maybe $6.5M. If McKay is a tough sign... could he slip? EDIT: Guess he didn't.

True, but as I said, I want to try to fill holes in-house first. I see no reason to trade off a Cordell for a "proven" middle reliever when we have a Brent Suter or Wei-Chung Wang who might be just as good numbers-wise. If we need a bat off the bench, why not see if Cordell can be the answer, instead of giving up a Jon Perrin or Cody Ponce? I have less worry about flipping a Ryan Aguilar for a piece, because Ryan Cordell or Garrett Cooper are people who could probably contribute as a backup at first base. I personally think of this as more akin to blackjack. The Brewers know roughly what they have, and what the other teams have, and if you are skilled enough at counting the cards (i.e., evaluating the prospects), they can make the right bets (decide when to double down, or split up both the aces).

I'm not inclined to trade prospects this year. If anything, the Brewers need to use this run to see which of them are for real. Then, they make trades over the winter. Of course, if someone blows Stearns away with an offer...

I was impressed by the numbers he posted in his first year of pro ball. He struggled this year, but in his 11 games prior to today, he's posted a 1.008 OPS, and he added a homer and double today before the rain delay. He had a rough stretch from April 12 to May 19. He may need to adjust to full-season ball, but I don't think his numbers last year were a fluke. I'm not sure when the next vote is, but he could still be in the top ten if he keeps hitting like he has been the last 12 games.

Meanwhile, Wisconsin in a rain delay, but Ronnie Gideon has homered and doubled... and in his last ten games prior to this, he's posted an OPS of .989. I recall reading he had hardly played in college. I wonder if he needs to adjust to being a full-time player.

Santana can't play CF. He's just passable in RF. Wren makes a lot of sense until Brinson passes the Super 2 cutoff. Wren is a contact hitter who works counts and takes walks which will play off the bench late in games. Plus he can steal a base which fits in with Counsell's style. Is Wren on the 40-man? If not, might not make sense to call him up. Reed might do the same things for the most part.

Does how much he weighs matter if he pitches like that? My thinking: No.

The Crew may have been a little too quick to send Suter down. If Milone doesn't get any better, it may be time for Suter to go back to Milwaukee. Surprised Wang's in the pen, though... you'd think they'd keep him in the rotation. He's done well there the last couple of years.

Baseball Mogul 2017: Prior to 1979, I swing a deal with the Angels. They got: RHP Lary Sorenson, OF Mark Brouhard, and LHP Jerry Augustine Brewers got: RHP Nolan Ryan Yeah, I just teamed up the Ryan Express with Mike Caldwell. This game got it right. The AI Angels GM *IS* as dumb as the historical Angels GM. But I should have given them Gantner... EDIT: They took Gantner and Sorenson for Ryan. I just traded a sell-high starter and a good-field no-hit second baseman for NOLAN RYAN.

Ryan Cordell's now a RHP? I know he's played RF, LF, CF, SS, 3B, and 2B over 2015 and 2016, but I didn't know he was headed for a "Toolshed" status...

I think my choice would be Garrett Richards over Eric Arnett as a first-round pick.

Have we forgotten Brooks Kieschnick? The Brewers made a two-way player work in 2003-2004. Otani wouldn't be much different in general terms. For instance, Otani could be in the rotation as a starter and play first base the other days. The DH is always an option for AL parks. Pinch-hitting is a plan, too.

I've liked Ghelfi as a catching propect. Really think he will benefit by not playing his home games in Brevard County...

Tomorrow, Pittsburgh's GM could offer us Tyler Glasnow, Mitch Keller, and Austin Meadows for Arcia. Would you seriously pass up three Top 100 prospects because "Arcia is our shortstop" instead of deciding to bolster the system even more and making one of Villar, Perez, Cordell, Rivera, or Orf work? There are always options, and nothing is ever certain in baseball.

1. Too soon to tell 2. Overreaction at this point in time 3. Too soon to tell - he did have a broken wrist. 4. Too soon to tell 5. Too soon to tell - but that is a good thing id Davies rights the ship 6. Overreaction 7. Overreaction - his bat is such that I'm not gonna sweat errors.

There are options, though. Villar could go back to shortstop if need be (indeed, I feel his presence mitigated AGAINST calling up Arcia given his struggles at Colorado Springs). Hernan Perez could play there, too. In AAA, there is Ryan Cordell, who saw stints at SS in 2015 in the minors, Nate Orf, and Yadiel Rivera.

So... can we show Brian Anderson up a little with this Top 25? I don't like being viewed as "nobody."

1B Ronnie Gideon UT Weston Wilson C/IF Gabriel Garcia OF Michael Reed

Left-handed Doug Jones.

1. LHP Brent Suter - His floor is as a very solid late-inning reliever. Question is, what is the ceiling, closer, or somewhere in the rotation? 2. 3B Lucas Erceg - Just dominated and will climb fast. 3. 2B Isan Diaz - Will he be what Rickie Weeks could have been? 4. 1B Ronnie Gideon - Awesome power bat at first base. 5. LHP Josh Hader - Can he overcome Colorado Springs? 6. CF Lewis Brinson - Five tools, top talent 7. RHP Jon Perrin - Went from Wisconsin to Biloxi. Moving up fast. 8. RHP Luis Ortiz - Two plus pitches mean great promise. 9. LHP Wei-Chung Wang - Former Rule V pick could be a steal. 10. IF/OF Ryan Cordell - Can play all four IF positions and all three OF positions 11. 1B/OF Garrett Cooper - Shades of Lyle Overbay, but more versatility. 12. RHP Brandon Woodruff - Dominated at AA and A+ 13. OF Michael Reed - Spring training showed a return of OBP skills, .951 OPS. Will get a LOT of ABs as AAA 4th OF due to Cordell's versatility and the DH rule in AL parks. 14. RHP Marcos Diplan – Have to love a 3.09 ERA, and almost 10.25 K per 9 innings. 15. RHP Freddy Peralta – 3.65 ERA, 10.65 K/9. 16. OF Troy Stokes - Quietly showing OBP skills, speed, and gap power. 17. OF Trent Clark - Awesome OBP skills, but can he boost his average? 18. OF Corey Ray - High pick, but starting at Brevard County was a mistake. 19. C Mitch Ghelfi - Switch hitter did solid in Wisconsin and Brevard County 20. C Jacob Nottingham - For a 21-year old at Biloxi, not bad. 21. OF/C Clint Coulter - Amazing what getting out of Brevard County does for a hitter. 22. OF Brett Phillips - Flashed power at Biloxi. Looks solid. 23. C Gabriel Garcia - Plays catcher and some IF positions, posted .893 OPS in Arizona. 24. UT Wes Wilson - Shows hitting and versatility (Spent time at seven positions). The new Hernan Perez? 25. SS Mauricio Dubron - AA shortstop, but there's a lot of depth at SS and as a result, 2B as well. 26. 3B/1B/SS Jacob Gatewood - Has power and versatility, but contact and OBP skills must improve 27. SS Gilbert Lara - Not seeing production 28. OF Demi Orimoloye – OBP skills improved, but other numbers are down. 29. RHP Cody Ponce – Peripherals look good, but only four innings a start is not good. 30. C Mario Feliciano – Hitting for average, but would like more OBP skills 31. OF Monte Harrison – He just looks overmatched, based on the stats. 32. OF Joantgel Santovia - High-average hitter, no pop 33. C Nathan Rodriguez - Worth a look 34. 1B Moises Perez - Flashing a 3TO bat in the DSL 35. CF Jesus Lujano - OBP skills, some speed. Intriguing DSL project. Ortega and Devin Williams are off the ballot due to their TJ surgeries. Bickford's off for his 50-game suspension. Michael Reed returns to my ballot with a very good spring training - and shouldn't be counted out. Every team needs a Brady Clark 4th OF.

I never paid much attention to them... mostly to the stats the players put up.

Whether he felt justified or not... I think Cravy has arguably made himself some clubhouse poison - and I'd probably be looking to deal him in Stearns' place. This was unprofessional, and it does reflect on him. Especially since he is, at most, a 10th or 11th man on a pitching staff. I can find players similar to him without the drama.

The dubious wisdom of cutting Perry so soon aside, I think that Perry's hamate injury had a bit to do with his departure as well. I don't think Brad Nelson ever really recovered from his. That said, my benchmarks are a .370 OBP and a continued power rate. If Gideon keeps up his XBH and OBP performance, he will be the steal of the 2016 June draft even if he looks like Bear NT Eddie Goldman (who weighs in at 320 pounds).

IF Gideon hits a homer every 13.176 ABs and deliver a .370 OBP, he can weigh 300 pounds for all I care.

If he goes through, a minor-league deal wouldn't be a bad thing, IMO. I have a distinct Turnbow vibe from him.