Harold Hutchison

No. He can be drafted again next year. No one can sign him now. OK. Maybe worth a pick like Rasmussen was...

If that makes him a free agent... could the Crew sign him?

On pace for 98 wins, which would be a franchise record. 43-22 since the start of June. If they keep up that pace (28-15), they will finish 100-62. A 100-win season sounds VERY nice...

This is a good point. The Crew needs to get Yelich with a good sports psychologist, they need to figure out if the back problems need some sort of medical intervention, AND they need to have him work on his swing mechanics. It isn't all one thing, it's likely a mix of things. That is the biggest priority of the 2021-2022 offseason.

He did real well early on, always was making some hit to drive runs in. Too bad about the injury.

My hopes: 1. Oakland - Let's give that Hollywood Beane a big L. 2. Yankees - A good vs. evil Series. 3. Red Sox - If only to just get them back to LOSING the Fall Classic 4. White Sox - The Crew can take the ChiSox. 5. Rays - Worried about the Trop 6. Astros - Just want to beat them, but more a sense of business. 7. Blue Jays - That offense frightens me.

Yelich 2020-21: 218/365/386 (107 wRC+) Average P 2021: 109/214/083 (-20 wRC+) Since Yelich broke his knee cap his hitting has been 7% better than league average & 127% better than the average pitcher. Yelich's average has been down. My guess? The swing change + COVID layoff of 2020 + back issues. If he ditches the swing change, and goes back to what he did in 2018-2019, I think he gets back to All Star form - maybe even sneaks in a MVP campaign or two.

Yes No, the answer HAS to be the Cubs. Beating Pittsburgh is a matter of business. Play the ballgame, that sort of thing. Beating the Cubs is always a pleasure, whereas losing to them is a source of agony/frustration. The Pirates are just a team. The Cubs are almost as evil as the Cardinals and Yankees, and only slightly more evil than the Dodgers.

So, what does the Crew do about first base in 2021? On the one hand, do they try to see if there is a change-of-scenery deal possible for Hiura? I'm sure there are some options on that front. Figure one of Tellez/Vogelbach should be dealt. Would it help to move Yelich, and go with an outfield of Taylor-Bradley-Cain in 2022? Or, perhaps the Crew can use Narvaez at first, and go with Feliciano/Pina at catcher.

totally... Maybe Urias is a long-term answer at first? He's certainly showing a power bat... Just spitballin'...

At this point, his bat is such that I'm willing to put him at third or short if that is needed. That bat will more than make up for just about shortcomings on defense.

I think Yelich can get back to MVP level. He still would have had over 30 HR if you extrapolate his 2020 stats over a full season, and he also drew 46 walks over that time. The OBP skills are still there this year, with a .372 OBP. The K rate is a concern. but if work on swing mechanics can help Narvaez, it should work for Yelich. The big lesson that needs to be taken from this by Yelich, other players, and the Brewers Organization is this: IF IT AIN'T BROKE, DON'T TRY TO FIX IT!

I hope it's nothing serious...

Yelich's problems are more likely to be fixable, given his OBP skills, his abilities on the basepaths, and I'd rate him as an above-average defender in left, and average in center and/or right. He's no Chris Davis. If anything, the solution is to get his 2018/2019 swing back.

Both are listed as 45 FV, so they are essentially ranked the same. The order within each FV tier just represents personal preference. Small has a much higher floor for sure, but most see his ceiling as a mid rotation starter. Quero has a lot more uncertainy as a teenager yet to play stateside, but also has the upside of a starting catcher, which is more valuable than a mid rotation SP considering the paucity of backstops leaguewide. Francisco Alvarez was a teenage catcher in rookie ball two years ago, now he's a consensus Top 50 prospect in MLB. I wonder if Small might be ripe as a Hader replacement in the "fireman" role. I could see him, Devin Williams, Ashby, Suter, Barker, and Luna as anchoring a shut-down bullpen. Matulovich and Cam Robinson have also looked good, and I wonder if Dylan File, Bettinger, and others might not slide to the pen.

Yeah, it really did bug me that the Crew has not given some of the guys like Barker, Hummel (traded), or even Otero shots. Calling up Barker would have been preferable to dealing Henry for Curtiss.

Hope it isn't serious for Martinez. I really think he broke out this year. An Eric Thames bat, plus speed/stolen base potential, and the ability play all three OF positions.

Burnes and Adames are tops on the extension list. Narvaez - I think Feliciano is the catcher of the future, and should be up soon. It probably is worth it to see if he can't be flipped with his control for some help reinvigorating the farm system over the offseason. We've dealt a LOT of good young players over this year to fill holes. Time to get some capital back. I'd extend Pina, though, he'd probably be quite cheap, and as a #2, not a bad choice. One other name: Luis Urias. Plays third, second, short. He's either an excellent fallback in the case Adames doesn't sign, or if he and Adames both extend, that's the left side of the infield locked down through 2030 (or a bit more).

It's a far cry from Gilbert Lara and Cristian Guerrero. Lots of road to travel for them, but so far, so good.

He could strike out the side in the 9th... We're just under 100 pitches, and the bullpen could use the rest.

Except there are a few key differences between Turang and Arcia. The question with Turang is will be develop power. Arcia developed it, he just couldn't utilize it much because of other issues. Arcia is also much more of a pull hitter whereas Turang is a spray line drives to all fields guy. I'm sure you could find more applicable negative comps as well, but his statistical profile from Biloxi seems much more akin to Wong or Adam Frazier or the recent version of Miguel Rojas than Arcia. That type of profile can play, especially when it is attached to a solid middle infield defender. Also, the Brewers started the year with three healthy shortstops on their full season minor league rosters (Turang, Hamilton, Zamora) and one who was injured (Pinero). A lot of guys have seen time at shortstop simply because someone has to play there. If Turang emerges as a Wong type of offensive profile at short, that would not be bad. But I think Wilson, despite the fact that his time at shortstop has been sporadic, but a .956 fielding percentage isn't too shabby for 25 games over his minor league career. He's had 55 games at second in that time. He's primarily a corner infielder, but looks like a very competent middle infielder who can handle the corner outfield spots as well (4 assists from right field in 28 games). His bat has far fewer questions than Turang's at this point.

Right now, Turang's statistical comp is Arcia. That's being generous, because Turang's OBP skills were far superior to Arcia's at those lower levels - so his relative drop is WORSE than the Arcia drop. If Turang ends up like Arcia, we will not even get 2.5 WAR over six seasons. I agree the Brewers need to take their chances with prospects. My point is that it's hard to argue that Weston Wilson isn't more deserving of that chance than Turang. Or what about Jamie Westbrook? How about David Fry, a huge bat that is highly versatile? For middle infield, my ballot has Korry Howell, Wilson, Valerio, and Cantrelle ahead of Turang. Plus, both Fry and Zavier Warren have seen some middle infield time (Warren's a shortstop they're converting to catcher. I'm interested in seeing if David Hamilton, Eduardo Garcia, Freddy Zamora, and Westbrook can really emerge as well. I also get that trading prospects, even a Cooper Hummel, a Garrett Cooper, or a Mitch Haniger, also comes with risks as well. It's why my bias would have been to call up Hummel when Vogelbach got hurt. It's what the Crew did successfully with Trent Grisham (who got turned into Urias). When it comes down to it, I think trading someone who profiles as a left-handed Arcia offensively is a smaller risk than dealing a Cooper Hummel, who struck me as a Mickey Tettleton-type offensively.

I don't see how this happens. Our current options for 2022: 1b: Tellez, Vogelbach, Hiura, Shaw, Peterson, and a wild-card--Yelich 3b: Urias, Shaw, Peterson, future acquisition DH: likely Vogelbach Given that our rotation will start to get pricey, as will our closer, I don't know how much we can spend on pricey free agents like Escobar. Any 3b help will likely be acquired in a trade or as a free agent signing in late January or early September For 2022, I see this lineup assuming Escobar signs an extension: 2b: Wong cf: Cain lf: Yelich ss: Adames c: Narvaez 3b: Escobar 1b: Tellez rf: Taylor bench: Pina ©, Urias (3B/SS/2B), Peterson (IF/LF/RF), Wilson (IF/LF/RF), Bradley (OF) I see Hiura and Shaw at AAA (the former could also be dealt in a change-of-scenery deal), Vogelbach I see ending up dealt in an Adam Lind-type deal (lottery tickets at the DSL/ACL level). Maybe they can also deal Bradley and Corey Ray takes that bench spot. EDIT: If Hummel were still on the Crew assuming a straight Escobar-for-Turang deal, I see him displacing Wilson as a (C/1B/LF/RF).

I know he's a consensus top 5. But let's look over the top 5 from 2016's mid-season poll (viewtopic.php?f=64&t=34472) - since I think five years is a good time to judge a prospects list: 1. Orlando Arcia 2. Lewis Brinson 3. Josh Hader 4. Luis Ortiz 5. Phil Bickford Only one - Josh Hader - is a significant contributor on the Brewers roster. Arcia was a good-field sometimes-hit shortstop. He got dealt to the Braves for two pitchers, one of whom was DFAed. Brinson was part of the package to land Yelich, so he was useful in that regard, but how has he done in the majors? Well, this year he cracked a .700 OPS. Ortiz pitched less than six innings in the majors in 2018-2019, and is currently laboring in the Texas Rangers' system. Brinson was DFAed, and picked up by the Dodgers. Let's look at who is on the roster from that top 25: Brandon Woodruff made that Top 25... at #13. Yet he's a co-ace of the rotation. Freddy Peralta, also in the Big 3, was at #16. Devin Williams, 2020 Rookie of the Year, was #19. Corbin Burnes was at #22. Brent Suter was at #26 in that poll. Tyrone Taylor was #30 Adrian Houser, our #4 starter was tied for #46 - and had fallen 27 spots. My top 5? - viewtopic.php?p=999759#p999759 1. Brent Suter 2. Josh Hader 3. Isan Diaz 4. Lucas Erceg 5. Phil Bickford Suter and Hader are both key parts of the Brewers bullpen. Diaz, like Brinson from the consensus top 5, was part of the package for Yelich. Erceg's best hope is to master the Brooks Keischnick routine. Bickford... well, he's with the Dodgers. I'll also add my note about Arcia in that ballot. 14. SS Orlando Arcia – The glove is there, but offensive performance at Colorado Springs raises questions. In addition, there's one other benefit you can get from the stats: You can see similarities from the past, and perhaps figure out if you're at a time to sell high. Looking at the numbers from both Arcia and Turang, I'm seeing both with a walk-rate drop from A+ to AA. I'm seeing what looks like offensive struggles at AAA (small sample in Turang's case). In the case of Turang, the OBP went DOWN 38 points in AA despite an eight-point rise in the batting average. Arcia saw his OBP go up ONE point when the batting average climbed 18 points. So, yeah, I'll stand by my decision to offer the D-Backs Turang for Escobar, even up. It keeps the guy I really liked (Hummel) in the system, where he could help at RF/1B in 2022 and beyond, I don't have to deal Alberto Ciprian (hence, keeping the lottery ticket), and based on the stats, there's a good chance such a trade is selling a left-handed Orlando Arcia high when the Brewers have multiple young SS types (Urias and Adames) on the roster already, a decent 2B in Kolten Wong for another 2 years, plus competent infield options like Weston Wilson and Jamie Westbrook at AAA. Plus, there's always the chance to extend Escobar for 2-3 years to lessen the blow of dealing a "consensus top 5 prospect."

#1 offseason priority - get Yelich back to his 2018/2019 swing.