Harold Hutchison

I'm not opposed to Seager. I just want to see if I can get some good value in the deal - and I view value as something akin to: Brewers get: 3B Kyle Seager LHP Justus Sheffield RHP Justin Dunn Mariners get: SS Orlando Arcia OF Tristan Lutz

Even when he slumped, Morrison took walks and has plenty of power. The big question is how well he makes contact. And as a lefty, Miller Park should be pretty friendly for him. Not a bad depth signing.

Interestingly, I had Feliciano and Henry in my top 3. The big difference here is I see Nottingham as #4, and Fry as #1. Both Dillard and Martinez were on my list, and Dillard was tops. I went with Aguilar more for the walks he drew at AA (and over his minor-league career). For me, second base isn't as deep as it could be. Then again, with Keston Hiura, it's locked down for the foreseeable future. I'll just note that you and I have picked two of the same three SS. The big difference, I went with Devanney on the stats, and have Garcia at #3 due to the ankle injury. i had Erceg tied with third with Eddie Silva. Picked Aaron Familia due to good numbers in the low-low minors. Weston Wilson was my "proximity" pick - and largely because he seems to have put it together more than Erceg. Four of the six I picked were listed here. If I were doing it by trios, it would likely be: Hummel/Ray/Taylor (proximity/talent); Lutz/Bello/Segovia; Gray/Cipion/Mercado. In this one, there can be a credible case for many. I went with dominating stats for File/Lazar/Zavolas. On the left-handed side, Kelly is my #4, simply because the surer route to the majors for him is as elite relief pitcher. You can make a lot of credible cases in the bullpen for the right side. I went with Olczak with some residuals from his 2018. Castaneda's AFL performance rocketed him up in my eyes, and McCarville's run (https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=mccarv000kee) was eye-popping. Your three are easily in my top eight. On the left side, I had Perdomo and Andrews, albeit Andrews was 1 and Perdomo 2. as for QTC, he was #4, did well, but I want to see how his arm holds up post-Tommy John. Mediavilla's numbers (https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=mediav000mic) caught my eye. He's had two sub-1.00 ERA seasons as a reliever (2018 and 2019). Career WHIP 0.640.

Yost had the misfortune of being the manager when Milwaukee was rebuilding from its nadir. The talent wasn't really there until 2007-2008. By then, he'd used up the reservoir of good will. I think if he'd had the 2015-2019 Brewers, he'd be doing as well as Counsell. He won two AL pennants and a World Series with Kansas City, and part of me will always wonder how 2011 would have gone if he'd still been managing the Crew.

I've followed the following managers really well: Kuenn (1983ish) Lachemann Bamberger (2nd time around) Trebelhorn Garner Lopes Royster Yost Macha Roenicke Counsell It's a good run of the Brewers over the last 35-40 years. The three best managers the Crew has had over the time I have been a fan were Counsell, Yost, and Trebelhorn. Trebelhorn with the late 80s-early 90s Crew did quite well, given the fact he had to patch together a supporting cast for Molitor-Yount, and for a large part saw Higuera on the DL. Yost, I think is underappreciated. Yes, he drove us crazy, but after that 2002 season, he managed to take a team that had real downgrade at shortstop and improved its win total by double figures over Royster's performance. If anything, his enthusiasm for Milwaukee was the start of the on-field turnaround. He won me over when he said, "Milwaukee is it for me." Since 2003, there has been more success than not. Counsell, I think, is almost a perfect fit. He's got the baseball smarts, he manages the team well. I don't think there have ever been times where players have been on bad terms with him or the organization, aside from Tyler Cravy. But most importantly, he loves Milwaukee. In a sense, he has that same enthusiasm for the Brewers Yost had. That makes a difference, especially for the players. That sort of attitude filters down. My biggest problem with this is the same one I had with Stearns's extension: It's not long enough.

I think it's the opposite. Out of respect to a veteran and everything he went through, Brewers let him go early instead of letting him hang around then likely cut him in April where he may have to scramble for a job. This way he had plenty of time to find the right spot. A prove it year in a pitchers park is a great fit for him. Agreed. And that good will may help the Brewers later. The same probably applied for Travis Shaw and some of the others.

I think File is going to be a very huge asset in Milwaukee's rotation - probably as early as 2020. Small, Lazar, Sunitsch, and Zavolas have all flashed dominance. Ashby has a power arm, and just needs to cut down the walks...

I think this is a part of it. There are players coming up soon who seem likely to help - some of whom are dismissed for lack of being a top-X pick. Cooper Hummel, I think, could be a decent OF/1B/emergency C on the bench for the Crew - albeit, I think his constant improvement over the last three seasons makes it possible he could displace Smoak in 2021. Turang's OBP skills are impressive - even when he struggles with the bat as he did in Carolina. Feliciano looks like a potential all-star catcher, bumping Narvaez to 1B or the trading block. Pitching-wise, I think Dylan File could be the next Woodruff - a TOR-type pitcher. And if the Crew needs bullpen help, we'll be reading that they have selected the contract of Drew Rasmussen, Clayton Andrews, Luke Barker, Quintin Torres-Costa, or Jon Olczak. Maybe all of them.

It’s kind of interesting as last year could be one of those “all things go wrong” type years. Yet we still were in position to win the wild card game. No knebal No Wahl Burnes didn’t cut it Shaw was horrific Aguilar was a shell of himself Cain injured all year Moose missed time with injury Arcia was worst hitter in the league JJ was DFAd Albers was our best reliever not named hader for a stretch Spangenberg/Saladino were getting meaningful September at bats Opening day started DFAd Counsel is one of the best managers in all of MLB. Glad he’s on our team. This. ALL of this. One extremely smart decision. Keeps him through Yelich's option year.

Agreed. This was a mess largely of the Brewers' own making. They needed to option him to the minors and keep him there. This was a year for him to rebuild, and to come back in September. Instead, they did what they did, and as such, they had to non-tender over the season.

Generally agreed, and the Brewers have developed and will continue developing starters to their staff. Woodruff, Suter, Nelson until he unfortunately got injured - I still hold out hope that at least one of Burnes or Peralta will primarily be an effective starter for them. To me the strength of the Brewers' system over the past couple years has been how they've added a bunch of pitching depth - developing pitching is a numbers game more than anything else, and Stearns' group seems to have a focus on that after taking over a system that was basically devoid of pitching talent just 4 seasons ago. Plus, they've been competitive 3 of the 4 seasons Stearns has been GM operating how he has been going. I'm all for continuing that trend. Exactly. The numbers also provide options for trading to fill holes.

Per Baseball-Reference, Kahle DHed 23 games, caught in 19, and had single games at 1B and 2B. https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/MIL/milwaukee-brewers-organization-batting.shtml (This is the organizational depth chart).

Exactly. As a starter, he's got some potential, but he's only going about 3 IP per start. Now, that, IMO, is putting him in Hader "fireman" territory in the majors.

Brewers get: 3B/SS Eduardo Escobar LHP Robbie Ray Diamondbacks get: SS Brice Turang OF Tristan Lutz https://www.baseballtradevalues.com/trades/trade-20791/

I highly doubt MKE gets him where they got him if that was the case. Most reports state that he needs to create secondary pitches because they aren't close. His arm talent being the real deal is widely known. Guy's a freak. But he's basically FB only with a slider that needs a lot more than polish. He was picked 65th overall. Initial results from the Arizona Brewers Blue looked very promising. A 1.6 BB/9. Even if you count the one start in Wisconsin, he had a 2.6 BB/9. He could be a TOR/ace starter, and trying to develop him as one is a gamble. The sure thing? Make him a relief pitcher - maybe even Hader's successor.

Last year there were 11 players that hit 20 home runs as a SS. In 2018 there were 6. In 2016 & 2017 there were 9 each season. SS that project to hit 20 HR don't typically make it until the 15th round of the draft. In three seasons (626 PAs) using a metal bat against Colonial Athletic Association pitching he only hit 20 HR. https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=devann000cam In 220 ABs between Arizona Brewers Blue and the Rocky Mountain Vibe, he had 7 HR and 12 doubles. That translates to 17 homers and 30 doubles in 550 ABs. He drew 28 walks in 260 PAs and went 17-for-25 in SBs. Now, with the Vibe his slash was .246/.348/.456 - an .804 OPS - in 114 ABs. For me, the question will be how he adapts to full-season pro ball in Wisconsin. Maybe he goes to Carolina if the Crew decides to start Turang in Biloxi, but I think he's the starting SS for the Timber Rattlers.

Devanney was 22 in rookie ball. When Stokes was 22 he was already in AA. That is a HUGE difference rendering any similarities mostly moot. Yes, Turang's big edge was that he was two levels higher at A+...while also being three years younger & with scouting reports which got him picked 21st as a teenager instead of 463rd as a college senior. I did say that if Devanney did well in 2020. A lot remains to be seen. Still, if he posts a good year, then a steal at pick 463 is a good thing and makes the farm system much better. Turang could hit .300, walk 85 times a year, steal 30 bases, and hit 10 homers. Devanney might hit .260, but he will still generate walks, but he'll be a 20-25 HR player st shortstop. For the college bats drafted after the 10th round, the first full season as a pro will say a lot. Ronnie Gideon flamed out, David Fry and Cooper Hummel did well enough.

The hard part about catcher is the number of folks. Fry, Feliciano, and Henry got the edge for being in full-season ball. Nottingham is 4th, Kahle 5th (mostly due to DHing). First base... I feel Dillard could really move up with his OBP skills, and there is something about Martinez in particular that I like. Aguilar is a god of walks, and he has some pop and can also play center. He's a Ben Gamel/Eric Thames hybrid. Devanney... I think he's going to be good. A huge steal. In a way, he's like Troy Stokes was - good OBP skills, power, some speed. How well he hits for average is the big question, but at shortstop, I think he's arguably a more complete offensive package. Turang's big edge is he was in A+ and still racking up tons of walks. If Devanney does well in 2020, I may vault him past Turang at the position. The Biloxi Crew - Hummel and Wilson - are both underrated, I think. Hummel's BrewCrewBall profile has me convinced he will break out big in 2020. It's better to have players start out with too much plate discipline rather than to have to try to develop it. Sunitsch took the top spot for not allowing walks. He's also, at times, put together dominant streaks. He had one in Carolina for 2019, and one with Wisconsin in 2018. He's also durable - pitching more innings than Ashby in 2019. QTC is an interesting case. He'd be #4 on my lefty relievers list. The reason Mediavilla made the top three was that even though he had a very small sample at a low level, the sheer dominance catches my attention.

Barker... looked him up. Probably just a hair behind McCarville. I kept myself to three at each position. Barker's definitely top five.

He shouldn't be one anymore. He's already age advanced and behind not only Feliciano but Henry and Kahle (who got bumped past him at years end). Open the path for a kid and see if he can stick at 1b or 3b. He's going to be a very old catcher if they keep on this path by the time he gets to the bigs. Clancy, what is your fascination with guys who don't swing? High K High BB power guys seem to be your vice. Also seems to benefit them if they are playing at a level where they are older than their competition. After Grisham got promoted to AAA the bats in Biloxi were boring. You seem to like half of them and they all seem like AAAA guys at this point. Also how is Andrews like Hader? Last question first: Andrews is averaging over an inning an appearance, and he is posting some very good K/9 numbers. He also gives up less than one home run every nine innings. To me, it looks as if he could be that "fireman" reliever who can get you to the closer. In one sense, he is more valuable, since he also swings a good bat and can play the outfield. As for the high-walk guys... they get on base. Cooper Hummel, for example, walks once for every 5.5 at bats. Yes, his 2019 points to a 3TO type of profile, but OPS has gone up from .749 to .807 to .835 in the 2017-2019 profile. I think could put it together and do very well in the majors. I liked his OBP skills, but really think I will jump him up int he top 25 voting based on this profile from BrewCrewBall (https://www.brewcrewball.com/2019/11/25/20982116/milwaukee-brewers-cooper-hummel-prospect-interview). I actually tend to be more about high-walk guys who have another tool, not necessarily power. For instance, Brice Turang is someone I like with a high walk total, but he doesn't have power, he has speed (44-for-51 in SB over his career). He could lead off, or at worst, he can walk. This guy struggled to reach the Uecker line in Carolina, but still had a respectable .338 OBP. That sort of thing and his speed makes things interesting out of the #8 spot of the lineup. Now, Cam Devanney is old for the level and a college player, but there is a complete package offensively there, at least in the small sample size. Thomas Dillard was about average for Wisconsin, but he was a walk machine with decent power. Yeah, the K totals are high, but he also has speed to go with the power (8-for-8 in SBs).

Fry's defensive breakdown is as follows: C: 66 games, 62 starts + 9 games, 9 starts in the AFL 1B: 28 games, 25 starts 2B: 1 game SS: 1 game 3B: 21 games, 20 starts LF: 3 games 2 starts CF: 1 game RF: 3 games, 2 starts As for Sunitch-Ashby-Small, here's why I went the way I did: Small had a very small sample - 21 IP. It was a dominant 21 IP, but for the sake of prospect discussion, Ashby and Sunitsch are more advanced, and I ranked them ahead on that basis. 2020 could see Small rocket past them. Ashby had a 3.50 ERA in 126 IP during 2019, with a 1.278 WHIP, 4.3 BB/9, 9.6 K/9, giving up 5 HR Sunitsch had a 4.09 ERA in 136.1 IP during 2019, with a 1.350 WHIP, 2.8 BB/9, 9.6 K/9, giving up 8 HR So, from what I see, Sunitsch eats a few more innings, and he walks fewer batters. It's not even close. This trend also holds up through 2018. Career K/BB ratio is 3.00 for Sunitsch, 2.61 for Ashby. Sunitsch's K/9 also went up big from 2018 to 2019, jumping from 6.5 to 9.6. So, the improvement by Sunitsch and the lower walk total are why I put him ahead of Ashby. It was close, though.

Woodruff, Houser, Burnes, Peralta, Lauer All five already on the 40-man.

Who do you all think the top Brewers prospects are by position? We do a top 25 list overall, but you do have eight positions to fill on the field, and you have to construct a pitching staff. Some thoughts on my end: C: 1. David Fry; 2. Mario Feliciano; 3. Payton Henry There is quality and quantity for the Brewers behind the plate. Jake Nottingham cannot crack the top three, and Cooper Hummel moved to the outfield. Fry has the best bat, Henry is the best defender, and Feliciano is a happy medium it seems. 1B: 1. Thomas Dillard; 2. Ryan Aguilar; 3. Ernesto Martinez Dillard is a switch-hitter with power and OBP skills. Aguilar developed a decent hit-for-average tool while keeping his OBP skills and power. Martinez intrigues with OBP skills and power, rebounding from a rough 2018 after a very promising 2017. 2B: 1. C.J. Hinujosa; 2. Felix Valerio; 3. Yeison Coca Second base may seem set for the next five years thanks to Keston Hiura, but Hinujosa seems to have a decent hit-for-average tool. Valerio looks to be a promising replacement. Coca has speed and can draw walks, but can't hit for average... yet. SS: 1. Bryce Turang; 2. Cam Devanney; 3. Eduardo Garcia Turang was solid in his first full year, and drew 83 walks. Even struggles in the Carolina League at 19 can't keep him from the top spot. That said, a close eye on Cam Devanney for his first full professional season is warranted. He has a complete offensive package - and could eclipse Turange. Garcia's third on potential, but how does he rebound from a broken ankle? 3B: 1. Weston Wilson; 2. Aaron Familia; 3. Lucas Erceg/Eddie Silva (tie) Wilson has put together a good offensive package of OBP skills, power, and baserunning. Familia shows a lot of promise - OBP skills are there, and he comes off a good season. Erceg and Silva are tied, but Silva showed OBP improvement, while Erceg has yet to put it all together. Corner OF: 1. Cooper Hummel; 2. Micah Bello; 3. Joangtel Segovia Hummel is probably the best offensive prospect in the Brewers system you haven't heard of. Bello has flashed power and speed, but the hit-for-average tool needs work. Segovia has hit for average, but the OBP skills need work, and he hasn't shown power. CF: 1. Tyrone Taylor; 2. Tristan Lutz; 3. Corey Ray Taylor has restored his prospect status after suffering injuries. Lutz has a very intriguing offensive profile, alebit needs consistency. Ray just has to put it all together and keep healthy. RHSP: 1. Dylan File; 2. Max Lazar; 3. Noah Zavolas If there is one pitcher in the Brewers system who could be a home-grown TOR, it's File. Lazar could be as good, if not better, but is a long way off. Zavolas seems to be a right-handed Suter, who could make the Domingo Santana trade a big win for the Brewers. LHSP: 1. Scott Sunitsch; 2. Aaron Ashby; 3. Ethan Small Ashby has the higher draft status, but Sunitsch quietly posted the same K/9 ratio as Ashby, but walked fewer batters while pitching 10 more innings. Ashby did better at avoiding the gopher ball, and is a close second - just needs to cut down on the free passes. Ethan Small's initial season looks promising. RHRP: 1. Jon Olczak; 2. Victor Castaneda; 3. Keegan McCarville Olczak posted a second solid season. Castaneda did solidly in Wisconsin, then dominated the AFL as a starter. McCarville's initial posting of a 1.72 ERA and 0.955 WHIP is promising. LHRP: 1. Clayton Andrews; 2. Angel Perdomo; 3. Michael Mediavilla Andrews looks like another Hader with a decent bat and the ability to play the outfield in a pinch. Perdomo brings pure heat. Mediavilla - 0.92 ERA and 0.661 WHIP says it all.

I think so - he's the best of the guys in the AA rotation - 3.24 ERA, 6.18 K/BB ratio, and only 9 homers given up last year. I think that plays well, and he could probably rocket into the majors in 2020. Yeah, Bettinger has a slightly lower WHIP, but he gave up more homers and walked 50% more batters than File while pitching 2/3 of an inning less over the 2019 season. File has a good four-pitch mix, and I think he could be a #2 starter.

Should the Brewers look into buying some independent league teams? For instance, the Milwaukee Milkmen - buy that team, and the Crew could have another avenue or two where they could find players.