Harold Hutchison

His upside is probably Jody Reed. Perez is not an apt comparison, as in addition to the terrible plate discipline, Perez always had more power potential. Reed's OBP/doubles type of bat couldn't be a bad thing... but I'd hope Smith can show the kind of versatility that Perez had. Not that a Jody Reed in his prime would be a bad thing... it's just you have Hiura at second (hopefully for a decade-plus - I really hope a long-term extension gets finalized sooner rather than later).

Could Smith be a Hernan Perez with plate discipline?

Not Gage Workman?

I liked Olczak, too. He'd slipped, but looked to be a cheap bullpen option. Mediavilla is going to be one big "what if" in my mind... I saw those numbers, and they were eye-popping across the board. If he catches on somewhere... he'll be a good one.

I was thinking more along the lines of a #2 hitter... ss: Turang cf: Mitchell lf: Yelich 2b: Hiura ...

Any hopes for the second round pick? I'm kind of pulling for the Crew to draft one that got away: Gage Workman, switch-hitting SS/3B. Insurance for Turang not getting any power, or a good replacement for Erceg in the prospect pipeline...

Not hurt at all. OK, you lose Arcia as an option against lefties (As an aside, I ended up with a Sogard/Arcia platoon at short for 2020 in Baseball Mogul... worked surprisingly well. Sogard has 117 starts, hit .308/.378/.444 for an .822 OPS; Arcia 44 starts at short, .290/.363/.404 for a .767 OPS).

Actually, take that 60ish hit tool, the defense, and speed... I see a Lorenzo Cain/Scott Podsednik type. Gap power, defense, lots of steals... Don't mess with the swing. Take it, and maybe see what his OBP skills are like. If he draws a ton of walks.. so much the better.

I hope the Crew can get some of those players back when all this dust settles. Mediavilla was really looking like a great one - I had him way high on my Top 25 ballot.

At this point, I say write off 2020, players get 50% pay for the season, contracts automatically extended for a year (since the season was cancelled through neither the fault of owners or players), and just come back for 2021.

1. Yelich 2. Narvaez 3. Woodruff 4. Hader 5. Hiura 6. Knebel 7. Houser 8. Peralta 9. Feliciano 10. File 11. Lazar 12. Rasmussen 13. Braun 14. Suter 15. Urias First-round add-ons 16. Clayton Andrews 17. Lauer 18. Cooper Hummel Second-round add-ons 19. Lutz 20. Bettinger 21. Lauer Contingencies (if player in the 18-21 range is drafted) 22. Ray 23. Burnes

For the 2016 list, Arcia was a starter for most of 2017, 2018, and 2019 - glove-first, with some hot streaks at the plate. Lopez and Phillips turned into Moustakas, who did very well in 2018 and 2019 for the Crew. Nottingham may or may not make it. For 2017, Brinson and Diaz turned into Yelich. Dubon turned into Black and Pomranze - and the latter helped stabilize the Crew's pen in 2019. Ray's still got a good shot. Ortiz helped get Schoop - whose grand slam won a key game in the Brewers' playoff push in 2018. Let me look at the numbers, and make a judgement as to who will do well. You'll find some good players along the way.

We're looking at left field... and here, it gets very interesting. 1. Ryan Braun - Let's just lay it out - 10 years as the primary starter, franchise's all-time leader in HR. Four playoff appearances, one MVP, one HR crown, 2 30-30 seasons, additional 20-20 seasons. 2. Geoff Jenkins - Was co-Mr. Brewer before Ryan Braun emerged, and held left field down for eight seasons. Injuries cost him - from 1999 to 2003, never appeared in more than 135 games a season. 3. Ben Oglivie - Was the primary left fielder for six seasons, and was with the team in some capacity for three more. Three-time all-star. Honorable Mentions: Greg Vaughn was a very close fourth, but Oglivie gets the nod based on higher OPS and higher OPS+ in the less-offensively-oriented 70s and 80s. John Briggs was a slugger for all or part of five seasons, and the primary LF for three. Carlos Lee gave the Crew two solid years.

I may well do a Top All-Time Bench with about eight to ten players who'd be the All-Time Brewers Bench... and some of the honorable mentions may end up there.

The Brewers have seen memorable years from shortstops - for both good and bad reasons. But here are the best who have manned the position. 1. Robin Yount - Manned the position for 11 seasons, and posted two of the best offensive seasons at the position in franchise history, including the 1982 season. Nobody has even come close since the start of the 1985 season. 2. JJ Hardy - In four-plus seasons as the primary shortstop, Hardy had flashed some real potential. What could have been? From 2011-2014, he would hit 86 homers, and rack up three Gold Gloves, a Silver Slugger, and an All-Star game nod. Granted, he was traded for Carlos Gomez. 3. Jose Valentin - Like JJ Hardy, he posted some good years with Milwaukee (was acquired in the Gary Sheffield trade), but like Hardy, may have been traded too soon. From 2000-2004, Valentin had an average of 27 homers a year, and also showed versatility later in his career. Honorable Mentions: Consistency was hard to find for many Brewers shortstops. Dale Sveum's 1987 season was memorable, but 1988 saw a drop-off and then a career-altering injury. Pat Listach won Rookie of the Year in 1992, and faded away. Jose Hernandez was a 2002 All-Star and had a solid 2001 at the nadir of Brewers fortunes. Bill Hall took over shortstop in 2006 after JJ Hardy was hurt and had his best, but saw part-time duty and a lot of time at other positions other years. Jean Segura was amazing in 2013, but slumped after personal tragedy, then rebounded after a trade. Mark Loretta was the primary starter in 2000, but saw a lot of part-time duty in other years (as well as time elsewhere on the diamond). Orlando Arcia's 2018 postseason was amazing, and his defense was spectacular, but the bat's never really been consistent.

You have to wonder about the contracts as well... a lot of teams expected a full 162 games from players... to only get half that is a mess...

Got 96% on the Top 50 home run hitters... I only forgot Briggs and Hisle.

Ramirez, like Sal Bando, was clearly on the tail end of his career. Really, only the first year was good, in my opinion. He's probably behind Harper in terms of the honorable mentions...

Now, we come to the hot corner. 1. Paul Molitor - Really the only choice to be the best of all time. Yes, he's the #3 second baseman, but for six years, he held down the hot corner, and in 1982 helped take the Crew to the World Series. To note his importance there, when he missed just about all of 1984, Milwaukee lost about five wins' worth of production. 2. Jeff Cirillo - Cirillo was, arguably the best pure hitter on the Brewers of the 1990s. After a trade before the 2000 season, he would do well in Colorado before the wheels fell off in Seattle - then he returned to Milwaukee and returned to form. 3. Don Money - If he played in today's MLB, Don Money would be considered a highly valuable player. He held third base down in the 1970s, being acquired from the Phillies. While best known as a third baseman, he played all over the field, but he held down the hot corner for five years. Think Hernan Perez 30 years before Perez's versatility was such an asset. Honorable Mentions: Ryan Braun only had one year at third, but he only won Rookie of the Year that season, and the move from third may have been premature, given the Crew's on-and-off struggles at the position since 2008 - from that year through 2016, Braun's WAR was never exceeded by the incumbent third baseman; Sal Bando held down the hot corner for three seasons as the primary starter before ending up a part-time player - after he became an exec, he'd make one of the most infamous free agency decisions in Brewers history; Travis Shaw had two great seasons before a very rough third year; Tommy Harper had one season as a Pilot and two as a Brewer, and in those three seasons set the still-standing club record for stolen bases one year and posted a 30-30 season in another.

Sheffield later admitted he played bad to get out of Milwaukee. Weeks simply lost a lot of time to injuries. Two completely different scenarios...

Put it this way... not getting an extra 2-3 years was a killer, especially with the revolving door some years. Yuni as the primary 1B? Mark Reynolds? Chris Carter?

Hiura could easily bump Weeks if he plays like he did in 2019 for another five to eight years...

Behind Henry Blanco, who was an offensive black hole, and just ahead of Paul Bako.

Now, we move to second base. 1. Rickie Weeks - Arguably the best second baseman in Brewers history. Always a force in the lineup, was able to get on base, and could also steal bases. Injuries put a huge crimp on what could have made him the best without question. 2. Fernando Vina - While Weeks was arguably a complete offensive package, Vina was more of a typical leadoff guy. He hit for average, got on base, and had speed. He was the primary 2B for four years, and missed a lot of time in 1999, then was dealt in an ill-advised deal to the Cardinals. Had he stuck around, he'd easily have been second on the list. 3. Paul Molitor - Yes he was primarily a third baseman before moving to DH, but the Ignitor and Robin Yount were an excellent DP combo from 1978-1980. He would have easily been the best had he not moved from this position. Honorable Mentions: Ron Belliard posted three solid seasons at second base. Ron Theobald had two years as the Brewwers second baseman, and posted a .342 OBP with more walks than strikeouts. Scooter Gennett had three okay years with the Crew, before he was allowed to walk. Jim Gantner was the primary second baseman for nine years, but never really managed much on offense.

I'd probably agree with Luc and Nilsson at catcher, each, though catches about 60-70 games, plays another 70-80 at first... Surhoff is also on the 25-man as a utility player, playing some catcher, some third, and in the outfield.