Harold Hutchison

I've seen the link. But in the case of Braun, I think the defensive shortcomings remain irrelevant when he is 64 points above Beltre, and over 100 points better than those third basemen NOT named Beltre. Lucroy's .837 OPS only comes in about 20 points higher than the best NL shortstop (Henley Ramirez), not even a third of the 64-point differential between Braun and Beltre. To even match that 64 points, there are two other shortstops as well (Peralta and Castro). Lucroy's offensive stats don't warrant that sort of extraordinary move, especially when he is the second-best offensive catcher in the majors (only Posey is better). Furthermore, even if Segura slumps, there is Orlando Arcia to handle short. Or Yadiel Rivera The Brewers don't have a lot of third base options, either in the immediate farm system (AA/AAA) or free agency. I'm not sold on Gatewood, and Lara's four to five years away if the Brewers are lucky.

Braun played third in 2007, and won NL Rookie of the Year while doing so - Lucroy, to my knowledge, never played shortstop.

[sarcasm]Yes, all the time.[/sarcasm]

I'm assuming you did watch him play when he was lining up at 3B, but every time you post about Braun to 3B I swear it's like you got the Men In Black memory-wipe regarding his defense... like it never even existed. Assume that Braun returns to his 2007-2012 form, and posts a .943 OPS. That comes in 64 points higher than Beltre, and no other third basemen are within 100 OPS points of Braun. When you take the two players whose 29 homers lead major league third basemen in 2014, Braun's OPS exceeds theirs by 145 and 148 points respectively. Looking at the top three RBI leaders among third basement, you get the same 145, 148, and the #3 trails Braun's OPS by 219 points. With that sort of offensive differential, quite frankly, I think Braun's shortcomings on defense become irrelevant - or at least warrant a lot of leeway. I'd felt that way before, given his offensive performance. Looking at the disparity between Braun and the other top third basemen... in my mind, moving him back to third base is even more of a no-brainer.

No. Just no. Stop it. If Braun is back to his 2007-2012 form, it means an average OPS of .943, and an average of 34 homers and 107 RBI. Adrian Beltre is the only third baseman in the majors who even comes close in terms of OPS, and he is still 64 points behind in OPS, not to mention being short by 15 home runs and 30 RBI. Josh Donaldson is the only third baseman (29 HR, 98 RBI last year) who would come close in terms of the homer and RBI totals. Donaldson's OPS was 145 points lower than Braun's 2007-2012 totals. In the 2007-2012 seasons, Braun's OPS was 70 points higher than Aramis Ramirez's. If he takes over, that's an undeniable offensive upgrade at third base. In fact, should Braun be back to form, he will regularly be among the top third basemen in OPS, homers and RBI for years to come. That opens up right field - so if the Brewers make a run for Justin Upton in free agency. Then take Acria or Segura and use them with Victor Roache as the centerpiece to make a trade for either a first basemen (if the decision is to keep Lucroy behind the plate) or a #1 starter (if Lucroy moves to first). Offensively, that is a 2016 lineup that can have its way with the pitching staffs of the Cubs, Cardinals, and Pirates...

Um, what? Last year there were only 17 MLB players that put up an OPS over .850 and only 1 of them was a 3B. All MLB 3B put up a .715 OPS last year. So why should we settle for average? Why not get way above that average if possible?

Of course... if Braun's back to his 2007-2012 form, he could always move back to the hot corner. There are some outfield prospects, and enough to make things interesting... As Ironhide said in the original Transformers, "It's an option..."

c: Maldonado 1b: Lucroy 2b: Gennett ss: Segura 3b: A. Ramirez lf: Davis cf: Gomez rf: Braun bench: C Weisenburger, 1B M. Clark, OF Parra, CI G. Rogers, OF/IF L. Jiminez, 3B/SS/2B H. Gomez rotation: Lohse, Peralta, Garza, Nelson, Fiers bullpen: K-Rod, Broxton, W. Smith, Jeffress, Knebel, Cotts, Wooten DL: J. Henderson, A. Lind

I'd say that qualifies as a "Bold Prediction" Look at Weisenburger's OBP skills (36 walks in 293 PA). Those alone are very impressive. He also threw out 39% of runners trying to steal. You want to fix first base if Lind's not good to go? Move Lucroy there, and have Maldonado and Weisenburger split time behind the plate. Maldonado may get the majority early on, but Weisenburger may be much better for the short term.

I hope Garfield can put things together on the offensive side. But until then, McCall and Weisenburger are better options.

Honestly, I do not think that Lind's back is the end of the world. It's a huge downer, and it means the Brewers will be seeing a lot more Lucroy at first, but it's not the end of the 2015 season if the Crew decides to give Adam Weisenburger some serious reps behind the plate.

I think Peralta does have "ace" written all over him. To me, I want to see what Tyler Cravy and Tyler Wagner do. Cravy could be up in 2015 (I figure he's the 8th starter, behind Jungmann and Thornberg). In 2016, it could very well be that the Brewers have Peralta, Lohse, and Cravy as a 1 and a pair of 1.5s, with Jungmann, Thornburg, Nelson, and others competing for the last two slots.

Record: 93-59 Playoffs: NL Central Champs, win NCLS and World Series MVP - Braun - he returns to for, Surprises - Adam Weisenburger forces his way to MLB roster with OBP skills and defense behind the plate, Brewers have Lucroy move to first full-time and contending for Rookie of the Year; Hector Gomez proves to be a decent starter at shortstop; Matt Long takes the 4th OF position from Parra Disappointments - Lind never gets on track after injury, and Segura remains closer to the 2014 version than 2013, forcing the Brewers to turn to Hector Gomez; Broxton struggles and K-Rod has off-field issues. All-Stars: Lucroy, Gomez, Braun, Gennett, Lohse, Peralta Bold Predictions: After Aramis Ramirez has a hot April, he misses two weeks in May with an injury. Jason Rogers takes over at third base and becomes NL Player of the Month in May. Parra and Matt Garza are then traded to the Dodgers along with Jake Gatewood, Jed Bradley, Jorge Lopez, and David Goforth for Zack Greinke. Aramis Ramirez is later traded to the Mets for RP Jeurys Familia, who solidifies the Brewers bullpen. Scooter Gennett wins the batting title, while Ryan Braun takes the home run and RBI titles. Gomez and Braun both have 30-30 seasons. End of the season 25-man roster: 2B: Gennett C: Weisenburger RF: Braun CF: Gomez 1B: Lucroy 3B: Rogers LF: Davis SS: H. Gomez Pitcher Bench: Maldonado, Long, Herrera, M. Clark, Schafer, Segura Rotation: Lohse, Greinke, Peralta, Fiers, Nelson Bullpen: Familia, K-Rod, Knebel, Smith, Jeffress, Willis

It's gold and can catch balls anywhere. If it were me I would put him at 3rd. Forget the gold, he has a canon. Let's have the only LH throwing 3rd baseman in the league. In the voice of Marty Riggs in leathal weapon (Mel Gibson): You want to get nuts, come on let's get nuts Gerardo PArra at third would make Ryan Braun look like a Gold Glover at the hot corner. That said, Don Mattingly once played third base in the `80s...

If Lind is hurt, put Lucroy at first full-time, Maldonado behind the plate, with Adam Weisenburger as the second catcher.

For me, Jungman will be nice, but the Tylers (Cravy and Wagner) are the ones who are really exciting. They could give the Crew a couple of excellent starters for about five years... until it's time for the free agent market to kick in.

Sorry, hadn't heard he was gone. Real life had me busy. Replaced him with Segovia, and making some adjustments.

Kodi Medeiros had 9 appearances and posted a 7+ ERA. Not quite enough for a spot on my ballot. As for Gatewood, he had over 200 ABs. I'm willing to be convinced, but I'd like to see more from a first-round pick than a .528 OPS at rookie ball. Right now, based on their numbers, I don't think they earned a spot on my 25-player ballot for this spring. I'd be happy if they proved me wrong.

Kid doesn't even need the power to be a star. He has All Star potential with his defense potential and pure hitting ability. Best prospect the Brewers have had in years by far. If he shows he can hit he will shoot up prospect rankings really fast. Remember he is just out of high school. He already has some very mature skills and just needs to cut down on the strikeouts. Just needs to refine his game like most kids fresh out of high school. As I said... I see his worst-case scenario as being another Juan Pierre (http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/pierrju01.shtml). Not bad, but I would like to get more than that. For me, the big question will be, can he develop more power, and become a player who can post a very high power-speed number, like Carlos Beltran (http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/beltrca01.shtml)? If that is the case... the Crew's looking at a huge star who would be ready to take the torch from Ryan Braun as the face of the franchise.

I love the speed and OBP. That said... I counted only ten extra-base hits in 180 at-bats. I have to admit that I am a little skeptical on that front. I'm willing to be proven wrong - and I think that Harrison looks to be a Juan Pierre-type leadoff hitter at the very worst. Of course, if the power DOES develop...

Okay... joining the likes of Jeff Picker, Chris Cody, and Jeff Housman in a Sports Jeopardy category known as "clancyphile sleepers" is Greg McCall, a left-handed hitting catcher drafted in the 9th round of the 204 draft. In 96 PAs, he posted an .840 OPS, fueled by a .325 batting average. I rated him much higher than Cameron Garfield, whose bat just is not satisfactory.

1. C/1B/OF Clint Coulter - love the impact bat. Not sure moving him from catcher was a good idea 2. SS/3B Gilbert Lara - The sky is the limit 3. CF Tyrone Taylor - CF of the future, or trade bait? 4. SS Orlando Arcia - Good field, but can he hit in the majors? 5. RHP Taylor Jungmann - Could be a regular in the rotation in 2015, depending on trades. 6. RHP Tyler Cravy - Very good half-season, can he recover? 7. RHP Corey Kneibel - Could be the closer for the Crew in 2016 8. OF Michael Ratterree - A 3TO offensive profile. 9. CF Monte Harrison - Speed and OBP - the next great Brewers leadoff hitter. 10. RHP Tyler Wagner - Dominating numbers at Brevard County 11. 3B/1B Jason Rogers - Good power bat. 12. LHP Jed Bradley - could work his way to the rotation in 2017 13. C Greg McCall - Probably the best catching prospect in the Brewers system outside Coulter 14. OF Joantgel Segovia - Hits for average, has superb plate discipline. Will we see power? 15. SS/2B Yadiel Rivera - OPS improved from A+ to AA - could he be a utility player? 16. 1B Nick Ramirez - Could he be an option at 1b? 17. OF Victor Roache - A very awesome power bat, but can he put it together? 18. LHP Joan de la Cruz - Left-handed power arm - can he move up the system quick enough? 19. RHP Mark Williams - Could be dominating bullpen arm for the Brewers. 20. 3B/1B Taylor Smith-Brennan - Another possible 3TO bat that plays third. 21. RHP David Goforth - Possible bullpen help - notched 27 saves at AA 22. OF/IF Matt Long - Good OBP skills, decent pop, and speed could make him interesting utility player for the Brewers despite age. 23. 2B Christopher McFarland - Speedy second baseman who can make contact. 24. C Adam Weisenburger - Superb plate discipline, threw out 39% of baserunners. 25. IF Hector Gomez - Could help as a utility infielder Some other notes: * Cameron Garfield's not on my top 25 because a .572 OPS at Brevard County tells me his bat won't cut it in the majors. I'd have preferred to see the Brewers trade him instead of Shawn Zarraga, whose bat and OBP skills offered much more, while he also threw out 34% of baserunners trying to steal. * Jorge Lopez also didn't rate compared to other prospects. I am just not impressed with a 4.59 ERA at Brevard County. * D'Vontrey Richardson looks like he's flamed out. * Kyle Wren has speed, but not enough OBP skills for me. * Jake Gatewood's bat has not impressed me. A .528 OPS at the Arizona Rookie League is just not a good sign. Additional thoughts: * Matt Long could be a steal. Seems to have a good bat, and can play all three outfield positions and second base. Honestly, why NOT trade Parra for some help elsewhere, and use Long as the 4th OF? * Tyler Cravy and Tyler Wagner - the Tylers - could be some dominating prospects as starting pitchers, given their numbers. * Clint Coulter's move from catcher could be a mistake. With Cameron Garfield flaming out, it means that the Crew needs to either keep Lucroy behind the plate, or look hard for another option. Between his move and trading Shawn Zarraga, the Brewers have gutted their depth at catcher, IMO. * Shortstop is a worry. I'm inclined to keep Lara at short, especially if his bat is as good as the scouting reports say. * Ratterree, Roache, and Smith-Brennan all look like 3TO-type bats. * Arcia and Yadiel Rivera are short-term options for shortstop... come 2016, the Brewers may need to be willing to put one of them there is Segura doesn't rebound. BALLOT EDIT: Was unaware Kentrail Davis was gone.

Of all the things to complain about with regards to the Brewers... Carlos Gomez becoming one of the best CF in baseball ranks super-low on the list. Now, when the front office lets Gomez get away via free agency... THEN we can complain.

This is not a case of time softening memories. I was kinda in favor of keeping Braun at third from the get-go, even with the .895 FP and the three errors every two weeks. Probably the most vocal about keeping him at the hot corner. Maybe the defense was a small minus, but the bat of the 2007-2012 Braun is a plus the size of Cleveland. In any case, it'd have been easier to find an outfielder who could deliver an .850 OPS than it is to find a third baseman who does that. And Braun's OPS over those six years was .943. The Brewers took a heavy offensive downgrade at third base.

Braun was one of the worst defensive 3B in the history of the game. Assuming his 3 year average for offense he would be a below average player once you add in his defense at 3B. If anything he is a future at 1B but playing him at 3B is a complete waste. The 2013-2014 Braun would be a waste. However, the 2007-2012 Braun would still, I think be one of the best overall third basemen in the majors. In 2007, he had 26 errors in 112 games. That's one error ever 4.3 games. If he goes back to the 2007-2012 form, how is that suddenly something that can't be lived with? It comes down to whether or not you can deal with three errors every two weeks from what was the best bat at the hot corner in 2007. I think that's more than acceptable.