Harold Hutchison

Stress fracture is not as bad as, say, a Tommy John. Hopefully, he is ready to go by June.

My thinking is that Woodruff, Burnes, and Houser are the top three. Peralta and Suter lead the rest. Not just looking at these vets... Dylan File and Alec Bettinger are charging up. I think one, if not both, could take a rotation spot THIS YEAR.

My thinking is that Woodruff, Burnes, and Houser are the top three. Peralta and Suter lead the rest. Not just looking at these vets... Dylan File and Alec Bettinger are charging up. I think one, if not both, could take a rotation spot THIS YEAR.

We're forgetting another center fielder on the roster: Christian Yelich. In his last year in Miami, he played 155 games in center. He had 12 starts in center in 2018, and an inning in 2019. Between Yelich, Cain, and Garcia, the Brewers have three guys with CF experience starting in the outfield. Taylor had nine games in center in 2020. I think CF is covered on those grounds... so if the Crew wants to pick a corner OF guy for the 4th OF slot, they should feel good about it. Their backup CF either slides over from left or right.

We're forgetting another center fielder on the roster: Christian Yelich. In his last year in Miami, he played 155 games in center. He had 12 starts in center in 2018, and an inning in 2019. Between Yelich, Cain, and Garcia, the Brewers have three guys with CF experience starting in the outfield. Taylor had nine games in center in 2020. I think CF is covered on those grounds... so if the Crew wants to pick a corner OF guy for the 4th OF slot, they should feel good about it. Their backup CF either slides over from left or right.

(Raises hand) Would love to get media guides for the whole Brewers history... Or at least get some from my favorite seasons.

Here's my list of sleepers: OF Cooper Hummel - He has experience behind the plate, but in 2019, his wRC+ was exceeded only by a couple of guys named Grisham and Hiura. I think if Narvaez/Garcia struggle, he could spell one or both of them. He's also an option at 1B or DH. I think he could be good. C/IF/OF David Fry - He just hits. I really think he could make Payton Henry a trade asset. SS Cam Devanny - Brice who? In 2019, he flashed great OBP skills, power, and hit for a decent average. If the Crew decides to go bat-first at short, Turang could be on the block. 1B Ernesto Wilson Martinez - He had always flashed awesome OBP and some power. OF/1B Ryan Aguilar - I always thought his speed/OBP skills were interesting as a bench option. My concern has been his lack of a hit-for-average tool. UT Weston Wilson - I see a Hernan Perez with less speed, but more power and OBP skills. LHP Clayton Andrews - I see him as Toolshed 2.0, a very good reliever and outfielder/pinch-hitter/pinch-runner. LHP Quintin Torres-Costa - If not for his 2019 Tommy John, he'd have been in the 2020 bullpen. LHP Scott Sunitsch - As a starter, he's matched the more vaunted Ashby in some metrics.

Don't mind the signing - the offensive floor is a little lower than if they had brought in the 2007 NL Rookie of the Year to handle third, but Shaw still gains about 100-150 points of OPS over Sogard. Limiting exposure to LHP is crucial, and he does offer positional versatility having played 3B, 2B, 1B, and LF in the majors.

If they're desperate for a third baseman... Ocho's available... He'd be an upgrade of over 150 points of OPS... Just sayin'...

I think Ray doesn't make it until September, and he's likely to be a left-handed Keon Broxton. In regular/semi-regular playing time, Broxton did have excellent splits in the traditional platoon. If Ray does that, he will be a productive player, not too shabby in his first 3-4 years, but the Crew would be best served to deal him after he does very well his first year.

Here's mine. I really couldn't move many due to the lack of a minor-league season. So, adjustments are primarily due to graduations/releases/free agent departures (Supak). I think Michael Mediavilla's (https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=mediav000mic)departure is going to hurt. How Stearns and Company desicded to let a guy with a 0.640 WHIP and sub-1.00 ERA over his career go just boggles the mind. Here is the list: 1. Cooper Hummel, OF/? (2) - The only two hitters in the Brewers system with higher wRC+ in 2019 were Hiura and Grisham. Could be asset at OF, but would be nice to see what he can do at 1B and C (where he played in the minors). - https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=hummel000coo 2. David Fry, C/IF/OF (3) - The bat has held, versatility a huge plus, did well in AFL in 2019. - https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=fry---002dav 3. Dylan File, RHP (4) - Could be the starter to break out in Milwaukee from AAA. - https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=file--000dyl 4. Aaron Ashby, LHP (5) - Still a very impressive arm, but Sunitsch beat him in some peripherals in 2019. - https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=ashby-001aar 5. Mario Feliciano, C (6) - Huge breakout in 2019, but can he draw walks? - https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=felici000mar 6. Scott Sunitsch, LHP (7) - Had a lower BB/9 ratio than Ashby, and matched Ashby in K/9. - https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=sunits000sco 7. Weston Wilson, IF/OF (8) - Versatile and added drawing walks. - https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=wilson001wes 8. Ethan Small, LHP (9) - Very good start, but only 7 games in 2019 - https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=small-000eth 9. Clayton Andrews, LHP (11) - Looks like a poor man's Josh Hader with a side of Brooks Kieschnick. - https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=andrew003cla 10. Alec Bettinger, RHP (12) - Could be a solid 3.50-4.00 ERA guy. - https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=bettin000ale 11. Noah Zavolas, RHP (13) - The Brewers got a right-handed version of Brent Suter in the Domingo Santana trade. - https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=zavola000noa 12. Max Lazar, RHP (14) - Lazar could be an ace, but needs to make it higher up. - https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=lazar-000max 13. Cam Devanney, SS (15) - Has power and OBP skills. Hit for decent average, too. - https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=devann000cam 14. Bryce Turang, SS (16) - Showed good OBP skills, but 2019 struggles at Carolina cause to worry. - https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=turang002bri 15. Thomas Dillard, OF/1B/C (17) - OBP skills in abundance, power... but low average. - https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=dillar002tho 16. Jesus Parra, 3B (18) - Like Dillard, good OBP skills, power, but struggles to hit for average. - https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=parra-001jes 17. Quintin Torres-Costa, LHP (19) - Came back from Tommy John surgery for AFL, could be another poor man's Hader. - https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=torres000qui 18. Ernesto Wilson Martinez, 1B (20) - Did okay with Rocky Mountain Vibe. - https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=martin004ern 19. Ryan Aguilar, OF/1B (22) - Added a hit tool to go with OBP skills, speed and pop in 2019. - https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=aguila000rya 20. Luke Barker, RHP (23) - Didn't get shelled at San Antonio. - https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=barker000luk 21. Garrett Mitchell, OF (unranked) - No playing time to judge - what will layoff do? - https://www.baseball-reference.com/redirect.fcgi?player=1&mlb_ID=669003 22. Gabriel Garcia, UT (24) - Draw walks, has power, gets plunked, but can't hit for average. - https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=garcia005gab 23. Angel Perdomo, LHP (25) - Made MLB, but still profiles as a left-handed Derrick Turnbow. - https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=perdom000ang 24. Aaron Familia, 3B (26) - Some power, but outstanding OBP skills. - https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=famili000aar 25. Korry Howell, SS/OF (27) - Speed and OBP, also versatility. - https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=howell000kor 26. Zack Brown, RHP (29) - Baby seals meeting Canadian fishermen in the Arctic had better 2019s than Zack. - https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=brown-002zac 27. Victor Casteneda, RHP (NR) - 2019 showed promise in the pen, and a dominant run as a starter in the AFL. 28. Freddy Zamora, SS (unranked) - No playing time last season, and not just because of COVID. - https://www.baseball-reference.com/redirect.fcgi?player=1&mlb_ID=668965 29. Hayden Cantrelle, SS (unranked) - Speed is a plus, a switch-hitter, and versatile. - https://www.baseball-reference.com/redirect.fcgi?player=1&mlb_ID=676463 30. Thomas Jankins, RHP (30 - Didn't get killed at AAA, but not overpowering. - https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=jankin000tho 31. Anthony Bender, LHP (31) - Made a rapid rise, but need more than 36 innings. - https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=bender000ant 32. Corey Ray, OF (32) - Was 2018 the fluke? Got 40-man spot. Left-handed Keon Broxton - not bad, but wish for more. - https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=ray---000cor 33. Tyrone Taylor, OF (33) - Made the majors, and was kept over Stokes in 2019. - https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=taylor000tyr 34. Lucas Erceg, 3B (34) - Time is running out after 2020 pause. - https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=erceg-000luc 35. Payton Henry, C (35) - Has better OBP skills than Feliciano, but could be odd catcher out between him, Feliciano, and Fry. - https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=henry-000pay 36. Francisco Gonzalez, IF (36) - Switch hitter, speed, doesn't strike out. - https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=gonzal015fra 37. Oscar Castenada, RHP (37) - Could be an intriguing option if he can jump from DSL to Arizona. - https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=castan002osc 38. Alex Hall, C (38) - Clock is ticking on prospect from down under. - https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=hall--000ale 39. Jhonnys Cabrera, C (39) - There is an interesting bat, but a long way from DSL to MLB. - https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=cabrer000jho 40. Tristen Lutz, OF (38) - Not sure a .754 OPS from 2019 will cut it - will pause hurt more? - https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=lutz--000tri

For Wong, playing half his games at American Family Field should boost his offense. Hiura... maybe he is slated for first. not the first time you fix one position by moving a player from another one. How many times did Molitor move in his career? He was a 2B, then made moves to CF, 3B, and 1B to fill holes in the lineup before he settled in as a full-time DH. I wouldn't feel the Crew is FORCED to trade Hiura... but they DO have the option of making a deal if someone blows them away. Hiura-for-Otani, but Otani at first, maybe?

Yep. Now my best hope for an offensive upgrade at third base is you-know-who coming back, combined with Craig Counsell *SOMEHOW* recoveringn from his mysterious amnesia about what position the 2007 NL Rookie of the Year played...

The character stuff is what it is, but Schilling is pretty objectively a top dozen pitcher at worst over the last 40 years. If 80 WAR & the best K/BB ratio in the post-integration era plus an 11-2 record with a 2.23 ERA in 133 postseason IP isnt enough to get into Cooperstown we might not ever see another pitcher inducted. Here is how I would group the pitchers I have seen in my lifetime... (INNER CIRCLE) Randy | 4135 IP | 75 ERA- | 73 FIP- | 176 K%+ | 99 BB%+ | 105 rWAR | 110 fWAR Maddux | 5008 IP | 76 ERA- | 78 FIP- | 100 K%+ | 57 BB%+ | 123 rWAR | 117 fWAR Pedro | 2827 IP | 66 ERA- | 68 FIP- | 168 K%+ | 78 BB%+ | 90 rWAR | 84 fWAR Nolan | 5386 IP | 90 ERA- | 83 FIP- | 183 K%+ | 146 BB%+ | 89 rWAR | 107 fWAR Clemens | 4916 IP | 70 ERA- | 71 FIP- | 150 K%+ | 88 BB%+ | 142 rWAR | 134 fWAR comments: Randy the best all time combo of stuff/peak/longevity/hair, Maddux the ideal "pitcher", Pedro had the highest highs but couldn't last, Nolan the template for everything to come & all the nonos, Roger prolly the best ever but dinged for various blemishes (NEXT TIER) Smoltz | 3473 IP | 81 ERA- | 78 FIP- | 130 K%+ | 83 BB%+ | 80 rWAR | 80 fWAR Schilling | 3261 IP | 80 ERA- | 76 FIP- | 139 K%+ | 62 BB%+ | 81 rWAR | 80 fWAR Halladay | 2749 IP | 76 ERA- | 78 FIP- | 109 K%+ | 62 BB%+ | 71 rWAR | 65 fWAR Mussina | 3562 IP | 82 ERA- | 79 FIP- | 121 K%+ | 61 BB%+ | 82 rWAR | 81 fWAR Glavine | 4413 IP | 86 ERA- | 94 FIP- | 84 K%+ | 93 BB%+ | 88 rWAR | 67 fWAR Brown | 3256 IP | 78 ERA- | 78 FIP- | 109 K%+ | 75 BB%+ | 73 rWAR | 77 fWAR Pettitte | 3316 IP | 86 ERA- | 83 FIP- | 104 K%+ | 84 BB%+ | 62 rWAR | 68 fWAR Sabathia | 3577 IP | 86 ERA- | 87 FIP- | 114 K%+ | 89 BB%+ | 69 rWAR | 67 fWAR comments: Smoltz is Schilling, Finkle is Einhorn. Halladay's peak gets him the next spot for me. Moose over Glavine on the basis of FIP. Kevin Brown allowed the lowest HR9 of the last 40 years among all SP, which seems kind of significant given the era. I'd vote for Andy & CC both, Sabathia a higher peak but Pettitte the postseason edge. Really, looking at this, there is no statistical justification to exclude Schilling, who also has an iconic post-season moment (the bloody sock) to his credit. Would be interesting to look at some of the counting stats - making milestones (3000 K) would likely be the difference. Looking at Sheets in terms of the sabremetrics, he's not far off from the inner circle, and definitely in the inner tier on the ERA-/FIP-/K+/BB+ levels. The big difference is the IP - he's about 2000 short. Same arguably goes for Higuera. Same can be said for some of the "just missed" guys, too.

Last year, I felt the Crew should look to the Mets and try to acquire Jeff McNeil. In many ways, he reminds me of Christian Yelich in Miami - lefty hitter, some power, high average, and in a pitcher-friendly park (one MORE pitcher-friendly than the Marlins' home field). I think that a Hader-for-McNeil and two of the Mets' Top 30 prospects (Carlos Cortes and Joander Suarez) would be a good idea. McNeil would nail down third base for a bit. The two prospects would also be nice for the system. Cortes is a nice-hitting 2B, while Suarez could be a good pitcher down the road.

Depending on the amount the Crew has left, why not go for it? First base is a bit of an issue.

I think in the mock offseasons after 2019, Kim was one of the players I wanted to get somehow. This is someone the Crew should have gone after, especially given some of their KBO involvement and that they brought Thames over.

I'm hoping a couple of the guys they cut come back. Michael Mediavilla had some good numbers in 2018 and 2019...

Hmmm... I'd offer a six-year, $51 million deal - $8.5 million a year, buy out two FA years. His bonus wasn't that high... a guaranteed $51 million might lock down the rotation for a while, and if a team needs a starter, and the Crew needs to re-tool...

this. Houser proved he is not a starter, and we continue running him out there, something is definately wrong. Give Freddy a shot, he won't be worse than Houser, and if he isn't ready yet, put him back in the bullpen. Freddy is 24, he's a kid... He tried the rotation a couple years ago, failed, but he's so young, he deserves another shot. In 2019, around this time, we thought Burnes was done as a starter. Then 2020 happened, and he was dominant in the rotation. Not saying Houser's Burnes, but I would not bet against a rebound. He just saw a teammate pull it off. Right now, Burnes and Woodruff 1-2 in the rotation. Peralta and Houser are probably in the mix with Lauer, Suter, File, and Lindblom.

I actually agree with every single point/question here. My answers: 1. For 2021, in the rotation, but a short hook for a bullpen move. 2. I think he can. 3. Lauer, probably. 4. For 2021, keep Williams, if he gets through with minimal/no DL time, deal him. 5. Trade Hader/Urias to the Mets for McNeil/Davis. 6. This is the big what-if for this year - we'd have seen File, Andrews, Torres-Costa, and Hummel (among others) make debuts at some point in a full 2020 7. For the long term, this is the BIG question.

I was all about a Hader for McNeil/Smith deal last offseason, and I still am this year. Solves a LOT of problems. After this season, I think Hader/Urias/Lindblom for McNeil (3B)/Davis (1B) makes a lot more sense. A McNeil-Hiura-Yelich-Davis 2-3-4-5 in the lineup is hard to beat. Puts Garcia at 6, Narvaez at 7. Means Arcia sticks around, but if he can put up a .734 OPS, he's not bad in the 8 hole - he gets a 4-year, $16 million deal. Keep Gyroko, Sogard, and Taylor as the core of the bench with Nottingham as the #2 catcher and Hummel as the backup corner OF who could also be a #3 catcher. For pitching, sign Bauer to a one-year deal. Here's how the 26-man looks: cf: Cain 3b: McNeil 2b: Hiura lf: Yelich 1b: Davis c: Narvaez rf: Garcia ss: Arcia pitcher bench: Nottingham, Sogard, Gyroko, Taylor, Hummel rotation: Bauer, Burnes, Woodruff, Lauer, Houser bullpen: Peralta, Suter, D. Williams, Rasmussen, Knebel, Torres-Costa, Andrews, Yardley

I gave Devanny a relatively high ranking in my Top 25 ballot for the preseason. He's got power and OBP skills... I wonder if he could vault the list at shortstop, or if he's learning a new position to speed his rise.

2020 autopsy: Offense never got on track after the lengthy COVID layoff. Pitching took a step up. How much was from other failures to get on track after the COVID layoff? Not sure. My sense? With Yelich, Hiura, and Cain the only solid options, the Crew needs to find some help on offense. Could some of it come from the farm (Hummel, Taylor, Ray?)? Who can the Crew get/retain on the free-agent market? The Brewers are really going to wish they'd kept at least one of Grandal/Moustakas. Is Gyroko willing to return on a decent deal? Pitching could be good and mostly home-grown. Burnes, Woodruff as the 1-2 punch, then Houser could rebound (he was solid in 2019). Dylan File was looking poised for a breakout when COVID shut down the minors. The bullpen looks to be capable of shutting teams down. Some questions: 1. Is Peralta a fireballing relief ace, or a contributor to the rotation? 2. Can Houser replicate the Burnes rebound from a bad second year to awesome third year? 3. Will Lauer and Lindblom rebound? 4. Is Devin Williams going to be healthy, or should the Crew "sell high" now? 5. Long-term with Hader, or make a deal? 6. How will prospects rebound from no 2020 minor league season? 7. What will the farm look like in 2021?

I don't think Wiemer was a guy who would have been drafted in this condensed draft had he not already tentatively agreed to a way under slot range beforehand. He knew that and he's getting more than he would had he been a UDFA. Not saying Weimer can't adjust but that swing looks like he'll be striking out 40% of the time once he advances past A-ball if he's trying to tap into his power. Cantrelle seems like a much better prospect at this point. Edit: This assessment is purely opinion based solely off watching video of them hitting. Looks like Wiemer had pretty good K/BB at Cincy. Not much pop for a big guy at this point though. I'd imagine they'll want that to change. Wiemer could also be converted to a relief pitcher if the bat never really comes around... Or he's the next Toolshed.