Harold Hutchison

Which now makes the question of Lucroy even harder to answer... Do you insist on trading him if he keeps getting the most out of the pitchers? Can Maldonado, Centeno, or Weisenburger do as good or better?

I'm thinking he can hit .300 and steal 30 bases a season, while contributing 30-35 doubles, 10 triples, and 10-15 homers a year while stealing 30-35 bases a season. I'd love to get both Arcia and Lara some weight training with Robin Yount or some good trainers. If Arcia did that. he'd become something special.

So you think 1 prospect is worth a former CY pitcher having a career year, one of the better young CFs in the game, a MLB utility guy, and a questional MiLB catcher? Futhermore why would the Brewers want a 31 year old Greinke and his salary/contract, another utility IF, and a probably never will be MLB C? Also, why would the Dodgers want to give up MLB pieces when they are chasing a World Series and looking add more MLB impact pitching for the 2nd half? I swear you post crazy stuff just get everyone else's dander up. If we were trading Arcia with the Dodgers we'd be looking at getting back either Corey Seager to be our 3B or Julio Urias to be our ace of the future in a straight up deal. Seager is still playing SS for them in AAA so I don't see them swapping SSs with us but they would shift him to 3B if they brought Arcia into the fold which makes Urias the only realistic Arcia target with LA. 1. I was explaining that IF Arcia were to be traded, my price would be VERY steep. My preference is to keep him, but a trade is not out of the question if someone is willing to overpay. 2. I named two other prospects I would want in some Arcia-involved deal, Ballenger and Seager. 3. I try to think outside the box.

Orlando Arcia, Jorge Lopez, Michael Reed, Jorge Ortega, Wei-Chung Wang, Victor Roache, Damien Magnifico

Syndergaard is awesome. The problem is that the Brewers aren't going to the World Series in the next 2-3 years, so then you are only getting 3 years of Syndegaard on a playoff contending team. This team needs a full & complete rebuild, top to bottom including the front office. No way do I trade Arcia for a pitcher. I think it is easy to say no now, but in 4 years everyone will be crying how we have no ace. That or when we trade the farm for one or spend millions in FA to have one. I guess I see where trading our top prospect is hard, but I don't think you can downplay having an ace for 6 years on the cheap and 3 years while contending. Syndergaard could easily become the greatest pitcher in Brewer's history. That being said they are both incredible talents and it is nice to have one of them. Which is why I am against a one-for-one swap. It would take multiple players for someone of Arcia's caliber. Also, if San Diego is calling, who not go to LA or San Francisco, and get a bidding war started?

It all depends on the price Arcia fetches. If trading Arcia and a couple of spare parts (Lohse, Gennett) to the Dodgers would net the Brewers Zach Greinke and/or Clayton Kershaw at a huge discount, plus prospects like Corey Seeger (21-year-old UT with a .863 OPS in AA/AAA this year), Cody Bellinger (19-year-old 1B posting a .810 OPS at A+), Austin Barnes (25-year-old C with an .869 OPS), and Enrique Hernandez (23-year-old UT in the majors with a .754 OPS), I make the deal.

Arcia would require a very steep ransom... For instance, the Dodgers would have to cough up a package starting with: RHP Zack Greinke SS Enrique Hernandez C Austin Barnes OF Joc Pedersen That would be a bare minimum for a package of Arcia, Scooter Gennett, Carlos Gomez, and Lohse. Honestly, the Dodgers would probably need to cough up Cody Bellinger and Corey Seager as well, unless they were willing to cover at least 75% of Greinke's salary. EDIT: I think Arcia is going to be a huge star. That said, with Lara in the system, Luis Sardinas in AAA, Jean Segura doing decently, and Yadiel Rivera turning into an Alcides Escobar-type - I am willing to trade Arcia if a team will overpay, but the above trade package is a minimum price.

After the Dodgers game, I'm thinking Jungmann is a legit MLB starter easily. That said, the Brewers seem to have a half-dozen rotation prospects, counting Jungmann who were at AA or giher: Taylor Jungmann - who may well be a #1 Tyler Cravy - posted some quality starts - and got some bad luck. Brent Suter - 1.94 ERA at Biloxi, only ONE HOMER ALLOWED ALL SEASON!!!! Hobbs Johnson - 3 HR allowed in 78 IP, and decent K and BB rates Jorge Lopez - looks like he put it together Tyler Wagner - 2.87 ERA at Biloxi That's in addition to Tyler Thornburg, Jimmy Nelson, and Wily Peralta.

Uh... is it too soon to start thinking of Taylor Jungmann as a #1 starter? Jungmann, Peralta, Nelson... that looks like the start of a very beautiful rotation. Figure Suter competes for next year with Thornburg, Cravy... and it's hard not to feel excited. Now, if we can just get them some run support...

LaPorta and Lawrie arent' busts for the Brewers. LaPorta brought Sabathia over, and that got the Brewers in the `08 playoffs. Lawrie brough Marcum who was a key contributor in the 2011 rotation. Odorozzi helped bring Greinke for the 2011 season and part of 2012, and Greinke was eventually flipped for Segura, Hellweg, and another pitcher. Yeah, the drafts have been rough. But Jungman's looking like a #2. Coulter's going to be a nice option at first or in left field. Roache looks like he's got some power. But some drafts have not worked out - and I recall a number of picks in rounds 3-10 have not worked out over the last decade or so. For the Brewers, they need to hit on those as much as they need to hit on first-round and second-round picks. Look at 2008: Three second-round picks - and none made the majors. Cutter Dykstra is more famous as Jamie-Lynn Sigler's hubby. In 2009, it's even worse: None of the picks in the first six rounds have been impact players. The best in that draft is Khris Davis, and he's been okay in left. Tyler Cravy and Mike Fiers will be the steals of that draft, though, but still, to miss on all the picks in the first six rounds has to hurt. Now, 2010 is a different story, Nelson and Thornburg look like hits. Yadiel Rivera may also help, but beyond that... the first ten rounds look very bare. In 2011, the Brewers already have a hit in Jungmann, who's looking like a #2 starter. Jorge Lopez looks like he is putting it together. Michael Reed looks like a younger version of Brady Clark: Good OBP, and a bit of doubles power (plus about 10-15 homers over a full season). Nick Ramirez looks like he can fill in at first base for a year or two until Clint Coulter comes up and either takes first base or moves Braun there. Goforth looks like he'll help in the pen. This draft could be one of the more productive ones since 2005. And Adam Weisenburger is probably our best catching prosepct in the system. The 2012 draft... Coulter, Roache, and Tyler Wagner all look good. Tyrone Taylor may be able to replace Logan Schafer as a 5th outfielder. Brent Suter, though, looks like a huge steal (2.00 ERA at Biloxi screams steal). Still... kinda so-so. The 2013 draft is looking pretty dry. Taylor Williams has been hurt this season. That said... Hobbs Johnson's looking like a 14th-round steal, but that's it. 2014's draft... well, Meideros looks good. Gatewood... I'm still not sold on. I had been high on McCall in the pre-season. but he's struggled this year. Harrison's in the same boat. But it will take time.

I think that the ultimate thing to remember at this forum is that we are all Brewers fans, and we want the team to do well. That doesn't mean that we're not going to have passionate disagreements about what ought to be done, or where prospects rank. It means we're going to think that some folks should get playing time, others should be benched. Are the Brewers an 82-88 win team who needs a few tweaks, or do they need a major rebuild? We've had disagreements in the past. I've even been alone in a few arguments in the past (keep Braun at third, move him back to third). But let's just keep in mind we're all Brewers fans, and we all want to see that day when the Brewers hoist a World Series Champions banner at Miller Park.

Glad your crystal ball is clear on how good the Brewers will be in 2017. Mine can't see beyond next week. There's a lot of successful pitchers in the big leagues who had doubters. Almost any pitching coach will say that the key to success for any pitcher at any level is fastball command. If you have that, you can get hitters out. It would appear that not only can he command his fastball but that he can get his other pitches over. If guys are getting themselves out early in counts, he's not going to accumulate too many strikeouts. Of course pitching against big league hitters might require an adjustment in his approach, but if the skill is there to throw it where you want, that can be learned too. Ortega's numbers are intriguing... and he did slip off my top-25 ballot (wasn't sure about his Rookie numbers, and I did kinda miss on Tim Dillard, who also racked up CGs at Brevard County, but never became a starter). My worry is that the Brewers make the same mistake with Ortega they made with Dillard - move him from the rotation to the bullpen, and wreck his shot at being a good starter.

The low walk rate tells me he's got control down pat. Maybe he can be taught to induce ground balls. Otherwise, he could be something we try to get some other team to bite on.

Kirby's not a Brewers prospect until he signs the contract, IMO.

1. SS Orlando Arcia - SS of the future for the Brewers 2. SS/3B Gilbert Lara - Bat looks to provide an impact. Only question is where? 3. RHP Taylor Jungmann - Posting a 2.43 ERA in Milwaukee. The Brewers hit gold here. 4. OF Michael Reed - Speed, OBP, and some doubles power. The 2016 leadoff hitter for the Brewers 5. OF Trent Clark - Looks like a dynamic offensive bat 6. RHP Tyler Cravy - Brief taste of the majors showed promise. 7. OF Clint Coulter - Holding his own at Brevard County 8. RHP Tyler Wagner - Could contend as a bottom of the rotation starter for the Crew in 2016 9. LHP Brent Suter - An even 2.00 ERA at Biloxi tells me the Brewers could have a 31st-round steal on their hands. 10. LHP Kodi Meideros - Showing something in Appleton, but what? 11. OF Monte Harrison - Which Monte Harrison is for real, the promising speedster of 2014, or the one who was overmatched in 2015? 12. SS/2B Blake Allemand - Could be a valuable utility player on the bench. 13. OF Demi Orimoloye - Could be another power bat. 14. OF Victor Roache - The power is there... some OBP is there. 15. RHP Jorge Lopez - If the improvement from 2014 in Brevard County is for real, he could shoot up the list. 16. RHP Cody Ponce - Small sample looks promising. 17. LHP Hobbs Johnson - Allowing only one home run every 24 innings pitched. 18. RHP Corey Knebel - Flashing some closer potential 19. RHP Damien Magnifico - Actually closing at Biloxi and doing well 20. OF Omar Cotto - Small sample size showing some flashes. 21. IF Yerison Pena - Flashing some offense and versatility in the DSL. 22. OF Troy Stokes - Could new-found power and OBP at Helena be for real? 23. IF Yadiel Rivera - While Arcia and Lara have more ceiling, Rivera just raised his batting average by almost 30 points from 2014 24. OF Joantel Segovia - Some OBP and speed still, but the lack of power is worrisome. 25. C Adam Weisenburger - Cannon from behind the plate (53% of would-be base-stealers caught), and good OBP skills. Worth a look behind the plate. Notes: * As I feared, catcher is gutted. Weisenburger is the best option now. * Meideros has proved me wrong in a good way, but I think Brent Suter looks to be better. * Some of the other prospects I favored didn't make the list now. Some was due to the 2015 picks, but also because some other players look better this year. Tyrone Taylor, Greg McCall, Michael Ratterree, and Taylor Smith-Brennan all dropped off enough. * Gatewood may or may not earn his way on my list, but right now, he is on the bubble.

I don't dispute that, in theory, and in practice, I'm open to doing that sort of thing at times. For instance, Adam Weisenburger is a catcher I'd like to see get an extended look in September (maybe with trying Lucroy at first). He guns down 50% of would-be base-stealers and he is putting up a .370ish OBP on a .240 batting average at Biloxi. That being said... I'd probably err far more often on the side of offense. And the better the offense (say, .900 OPS and 30+ homers), I may just come to the conclusion that the good offense stays at a given position (say, third base), and I worry about other holes in the lineup. Reed's an interesting question. No doubt, he is an OBP machine with speed and what appears to be some gap power (22 XBH in the Southern League). While's he's mostly played right field, he's played enough center field in the minors (64 games total from 2012-present, with 116 putouts, 6 assists, and 3 errors) that I'd be okay putting him in there, especially if he is at the MLB minimum. A case of sacrificing defense for OBP/speed? Yeah, I probably am. But Reed's speed and OBP skills have me very intrigued...

I just didn't get it, period. What did Jim Gantner provide that was worth starting him at second for 140+ games a season?

Maybe you are looking for that stopgap, though, until the CF of the future arrives. Parra's an option, but Michael Reed in Biloxi looks to be a much cheaper alternative for that purpose.

They tried that approach already. Just getting guys and sticking them wherever doesn't really work. I think they haven't. See the decision to move Braun from third. I agree Arcia is a stud, and he can bump Segura to second base, but even in a good year, Segura's offense looks very average. Kinda sounds a bit like the 2010s answer to Jim Gantner, and back in the late 80s, I wasn't very thrilled with Gantner at second. In 1988, I'd rather have put Sheffield at shortstop and moved Dale Sveum to second. That would have been enough to make up the two games the Brewers missed the playoff by that year. Maybe they'd have caught lightning against the A's... maybe not. But I think that Jim Gantner starting at second base and posting a .658 OPS is a huge mistake, and I don't think anyone can seriously argue that a Molitor-Sheffield-Sveum-Brock infield would not have been a better option for the Brewers on Opening Day 1988. Right now, the Brewers could give Michael Reed a shot in center - he's proving to be an OBP/speed machine. Adam Weisenburger is an OBP/defense machine at catcher - and an exception to my usual preference (well, he draws walks and guns down half of the would-be basestealers). Nick Ramirez looks like he could be a cheap option at first. So what would it hurt to try to trade Lind, Lucroy, and Gomez for some impact bats? Give me the bats. I can live with errors if they can produce with their bats. You can't win if you can't score runs. * - And to head off the consternation... yes, I am openly committing some kind of Brewer fandom blasphemy by saying I'd have had Gantner on the bench - if he was even on the roster at all. I just look at his career numbers, and wonder why, oh why, he was allowed to start at second base for so long, and not be replaced.

Okay, but to win a game, you need to score runs as well. The Brewers offense is looking pretty darn anemic most of the time. Nice defense means we lose 3-1 or 4-2. Thanks, I'll pass. Just get me some darn good bats.

My fixes: 1. Revise the draft pool - allow teams to not be penalized until they exceed it by 25%. Exceed it by 25-50%, their first round pick the next year is dropped to the end. Exceed it by 50%-75%, the first round picks for the next two years go to the end of the line. Exceed it by 75% or more, the team's first round pick the next year is forfeited, and the first-round picks for the two following years go to the end of the line. If multiple teams "qualify" for having their picks moved to the end of the line, they will be ordered by how much they exceeded the pool by in the previous year. For instance, a team who exceeded the cap by 34% will draft ahead of a team that exceeded by 45%. If a team has exceeded in consecutive years, they will go behind teams who exceeded only the previous year. So, if two teams have exceeded by 27%, but one had exceeded in a prior year, the team who exceeded in two years straight drafts after the team who only exceeded the previous year. 2. High school seniors are automatically in. The DFE process gets re-instated, and a major-league team has a drafted player as their property for two years in JUCO, or three years if they go to college. A team that does not sign a pick in its first five rounds will get a "comp" pick at the end of that round. Players who finish JUCO are automatically in as well, as are all college juniors. 3. Allow teams to trade picks in the June draft, and to trade for the rights of players. Maybe that talent wants to hold out for the Yankees. Could help spread some of the talent wealth, by making the Yankees give up something for that prospect... (say two years' of first round picks, or a prospect).

At what point does that happen? Assume two shortstops are involved in 673 chances over the course of a season. Shortstop A posts a .753 OPS and makes only 15 errors. Shortstop B posts a .950 OPS, but makes 50 errors. Which would you put out there every day? I'd find the extra 200 points of OPS very hard to pass up, even if there were 35 additional errors over the course of the season. As the primary third baseman for the Brewers in 2007, Braun's OPS was 1.004. In 2008, Bill Hall's OPS was .689. That sacrifice of offense - 315 points of OPS - meant the Brewers had only 17 errors from their primary third baseman, as opposed to Braun's 26 in 2007. A net reduction of 9 errors. I feel a little underwhelmed by that exchange. I think it's much more of a given that the Brewers could have made a deeper post-season run by keeping Braun at third, trading Hall (maybe getting CC Sabathia from Cleveland at the start of the season for Hall and LaPorta), and signing Milton Bradley as a free agent (Bradley posted a .999 OPS in 2008). In 2008 the Brewers replaced the Jenkins (.790 OPS in LF) and Braun (1.004 OPS at 3B) combo with Braun in LF (.888 OPS) and Hall (.689). They could have had Bradley (.999) and Braun (.888). I think it's obvious which combo would have been better.

I think it is time to lay some philosophical cards on the table. I believe a team should try to maximize its best bats on the field. For instance, in 1988, I think there was really no excuse for keeping Jim Gantner at second base. The 1988 Opening Day Lineup I'd have sent out: 3B Paul Molitor SS Gary Sheffield CF Robin Yount 1B Greg Brock RF Rob Deer 2B Dale Sveum DH Joey Meyer LF Glenn Braggs C BJ Surhoff Then, of course, there has been my lengthy advocacy that Ryan Braun should have stayed at (or been returned to) third base. When there is a player who is that good offensively, I think he deserved a long leash at third base. In other words, if I had the choice of a very plus offensive bat with defensive shortcomings versus a slick fielder who was league average at the position, I'm taking the plus bat virtually every time. Score enough runs, defensive shortcomings are not going to kill the team's chances.

I would argue that we're not looking at the total number of errors. It is more accurate to loot at the net errors. Let's take, for instance Jean Segura's 2013 season, when he was an All-Star. His OPS was .752, and he made 15 errors. I think that an OPS roughly 200 points higher (the notional .950 OPS I postulated earlier) would be worth the extra 35 errors a season (or, about one every five games). And yes, yfinn6, I thought the Brewers should have kept Braun at third base. When someone has lead the league in slugging, and posts an OPS that tops 1.000, maybe they deserve some slack over any defensive shortcomings they might have.

Adam Weisenburger is a Southern League All-Star, showing very good OBP skills, and a good arm (threw out 52% of would-be base stealers).