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Potential round 6 picks: Josh Bell, C (Auburn....not the 3b picked by the Dodgers) Charlie Cutler, C (Cal HS) Jeremy Slayden, OF (GA Tech) Mark Wagner, C (UC - Irvine) Anthony Varvaro, RHP (St. John's) Somebody I've never heard of (when all else fails, pick the field.)

You guys do know there's a new thread for rounds 5-9, right?

BA ranked Kevin Roberts 133 overall.

Ex-Brewer draftee Stephen Kahn to the Royals. Hopefully, one of the picks between 5 & 9 is a catcher.

"I think I'm on the wrong conference call." The Wisconsin Tea Garden Party has only been postponed for another round....it must not be cancelled. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif Edit: Nooooooooooooooooooo! (Stupid Rangers!)

I had zeroed in on Teagarden half an hour ago....really hope he's our guy.

Hochevar's a Dodger....guess they had money to throw at him. (He didn't completely Nady himself.) Now....I just have to hope Teagarden falls about another 50 picks.

He won't be a Brewer, but the guy who I'm most interested to find out where he falls is Wade Townsend. His draft stock was falling, IIRC, when he was picked by the Orioles. After a year's worth of not pitching, if he doesn't get picked in the top 15....he could fall into the second round.

Well, they have 6 picks between the Brewers first and second picks. Sandwich picks are half the problem, IMO. I'd like to see some sort of system in which the net effect of free-agent moves are factored in. The Red Sox, for instance, lost a Class A Shortstop....and then signed a Class A Shortstop. Why do they deserve compensation for a lateral move (or, in actuality), an upgrade. Lose Derek Lowe....sign David Wells, net another sandwich pick. (Can't argue with compensation for Pedro, though.) I'd like to see a system that takes class differences into account when dishing out compensatory picks. Another change that might be worth making would be to allow teams to lose more than one first-round pick in compensation, if they receive first-round picks from other teams. Again, we'll look at the Red Sox: 23 (from Angels -- Orlando Cabrera) 26 (from Dodgers -- Derek Lowe) 28 Cardinals (from Sox -- Edgar Renteria) ----- 76 Padres (from Sox -- David Wells) All of the players involved were Class A players, and should therefore require first-round compensation. Considering the gains and losses, the ideal formula would weigh out the players involved in each transaction, and assign picks accordingly. Something like: 23 Cardinals (Renteria) 26 Padres (Wells) 28 Red Sox (Cabrera) ------ 76 Red Sox (Lowe) Because of MLB Draft rules, the Sox are essentially allowed to trade their second round pick for a first rounder. I can't complain too much about the Cardinals having the picks they do, seeing as how they lost two key starters (Renteria, Matheny) and brought in lesser players in return. Add in their natural picks in the first and second rounds....and that's how you get to six.

I can see a scenario in which Gordon falls to the Brewers, but it would take: - Arizona going for a pitcher - KC takes Upton - Seattle taking Maybin (or Tulowitzki) - Washington staying locked-in on Zimmerman Arizona is the lynch-pin for any scenario other than {Upton, Gordon, Tulowitzki, Zimmerman}. With 2 of their top 3 relievers (based on IP) carring ERAs hovering around 5, and a legitimate shot at a wild card....would they opt for a pitcher that could come in for the playoff push? Craig Hansen is out there...and there just might be something to the rumor that the D-backs are interested. KC still could go cheap and reach a pre-draft deal with a lower-ranked player....or they could avoid 3b altogether (with Mark Teahen & top prospect Billy Butler already at the position). Less likely than Arizona making a move, but can't be dismissed outright. Of course, even if all that happens, I can't see Seattle passing on Gordon....not with the way Adrian Beltre is earning that long-term contract. Therefore, I'll have to go with Cameron Maybin as my pick. He's not my favorite guy, because there's so much risk with HS players (outfielders & pitchers especially), but there's no denying "the kid's got potential." (Zimmerman would be the guy I'm pulling for, in hopes he could turn into a Jeff Cirillo - type.)

Click on the 'Draft' button to force a re-load. The text changed from "Coming This Evening! Our Final First Round Projection" to "Coming Soon! Our Final First Round Projection." Sounds like they're checking their sources on something... http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smokin.gif

My guesses: Tulowitzki, Braun, Maybin Gordon & Upton aren't likely to fall to 5. BA has rumored a pre-draft deal between the Nats and Zimmerman. Plus, you've already ruled out Romero.

A bit interesting that BA no longer says they'll have their final first-round projection up tonight. Could they have some last-minute info to check up on. Sort of reminds me of what happened last year, when the Padres wavered on their pick. Could there be a shake-up near the top of the draft again this year? Could Stephen Drew affect the top pick in back-to-back years?? We'll find out soon enough!

Jeter is so anti-clutch. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

From MLB.com: There's no place else to go if you want to watch or listen to the draft. MLB.com will provide live exclusive coverage of the first five rounds of the First-Year Player Draft, including features on many of the top prospects, analysis from Jonathan Mayo and former Dodgers general manager Fred Claire, as well as live interviews with players. Coverage begins at 12:30 p.m. ET on June 7. If that's not enough for you, tune into MLB Radio, which will provide every pick of all 50 rounds, plus analysis, on both draft days for the fifth consecutive year. Since the Brewers have all of one pick in the first round, sandwich round, and second round combined, I might allow myself to watch the video feed this time around.

If it makes you feel better, MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo Still predicts that the Brewers will draft Maybin. (Plus, the article's dated tomorrow....so he does have the advantage of writing it from the future. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif )

I really hope Tulo and Zimmerman are off the board when the Crew picks, because niether player hits with enough power for me. Brauns offensive numbers blow them away, and I don't see how either of them are more projectable than Braun. They do play this thing they call "defense" in major league baseball, right? It's hard to judge Braun's defense based on the past season, since Miami moved him from shortstop to third base. He committed a disconcerting number of errors early on, causing scouts to question whether he can actually stay at the position. His numbers look great for an infielder, but aren't quite as impressive for an outfielder (especially if Maybin is still available). Zimmerman and Tulowitzki, by contrast, top the "Best Tools" lists for arm strength from a position player (Tulo, with Zimmerman second) and Best Defensive Player (Zimm, with Tulo fourth). Also, as has been dissected in other threads, he hit below average with a wood bat last summer. Some scouts believe there is a hitch in his swing that will prevent him from producing similar results in the majors. Numbers (as of Saturday or Sunday...varies by team.): Braun - 207 AB, 82 H, 15 2b, 1 3b, 17 HR, 72 RBI, 32 BB, 38 SO || .396 / .479 / .725 / 1.214 OPS Tulo - 152 AB, 53 H, 12 2b, 1 3b, 8 HR, 29 RBI, 14 BB, 35 SO || .349 / .431 / .599 / 1.030 OPS Zimm - 234 AB, 92 H, 18 2b, 4 3b, 6 HR, 59 RBI, 31 BB, 14 SO || .393 / .469 / .581 / 1.050 OPS

Ssshhh....don't give them any ideas! http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif I've been holding off on posting a final 5 on this thread, but with the actual draft 2 days away, I don't think my thoughts are going to change that much: Upton Gordon Zimmerman Tulowitzki Romero Awfully tempted to go with Maybin 5th....but my sensabilities tend to side with the college lefty over the HS outfielder. I also can't help but wonder how many of games scouts saw him pitch in 2004, considering they drafted Prettyman from the same school.

When I hear about a great glove 3b with gap power I think of Burroughs, ugh. Can someone please tell me why this is not an accurate comparison? Because Burroughs has more potential than he's tapped into as yet. This isn't to say that he necessarily will (that's a debate in and of itself), but it's wrong to think negatively about another player who has a similar profile. The scouting profile could just as easily describe Jeff Cirillo, who would seem much more respectable, IMO. (Considering he was a second rounder when the Phillies took him, I wouldn't be shocked if Scott Rolen had a similar profile as well.) This is why I hate seeing HS players compared to All-Star / Hall of Fame - level players (e.g. Maybin and Griffey Jr.) While the athletic skills may be comparable, there's no guarantee that the prospect will produce at anywhere near the level of the "comparable" player. It's one thing to look at how their style of play and tools compare with current major leaguers, it's a completely different thing to compare their numbers. Consider it a continuum: On the one end, he turns into a career minor leaguer (0%); on the other end, he's Ken Caminiti (without the switch hitting and the roids: 100%). Scattered in between are guys like Burroughs (40%), Jeff Cirillo (75%), Rolen (90%), etc. [You can argue as to where they should be - I didn't exactly dig through the numbers - but the point is they could all have been slapped with that sort of profile coming out of HS / College.] The job of Jack Z and the scouts is to project how high on that continuum they think Zimmerman (and Braun for that matter) will reach. And to be right, of course. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

As I try to develop a critical eye for these sorts of things, I couldn't help but notice how far 'up' in the batters box Bruce was on the MLB Scouting footage. It's not an approach that I can remember seeing from other players; most major leaguers I've heard speak on the subject prefer to be as far back as they can in order to maximize their reaction time. As fastballs speed up, and breaking pitches tighten up, is Bruce's approach going to need adjustments down the road? (Tried to pull up Maybin's tape to get a comparison. There isn't one on mlb.com. They do, however, have tape on former Brewers draftee Jarrad Page; with all apologies to him -- since he's posted here a time or two IIRC -- I can't remember seeing one player get caught in a rundown and pop up a bunt on the same scouting film....especially when the film comes from multiple games. Also, the 350k videos are now up.)

That's what I call hitting with RISP! (Listening to Vin Scully over the net....so I'm a few seconds behind. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif )

Wow, this thread fell down the page quickly: Allan Simpson Draft Chat (6/3/2005) Q: dave from maryland asks: i hoping that the brewers take a college bat with the 5th pick like clement, bruan or possilby if gordon slips to milwaukee? A: Allan Simpson: The Brewers are very secretive when it comes to tipping their hand, but there's no question that Gordon or Ryan Zimmerman would be made to order for a team that is thin at third base. If they believe that Braun can make the grade defensively at third base, he could be the pick. But don't rule out Clement, either, as he fits an organization need, or Cameron Maybin--especially if the Brewers continue a track record in Jack Zduriencik's reign as scouting director of focusing on high school players. .... Q: Darron Wilde from Jefferson City, Missouri asks: What is your mock top five look like? A: Allan Simpson: It's the same top four as we had a couple of weeks ago: Upton No. 1 to the D-backs, Gordon No. 2 to the Royals, Tulowitzki No. 3 to the Mariners and Zimmerman No. 4 to the Nationals. As mentioned earlier, no one knows what Milwaukee will do at No. 5, but Maybin, Romero and Braun are three solid names for that spot. Not exactly earth-shattering...or even anything we didn't already know, but it is more coverage.

I can't imagine a play that Helms fans and Helms haters could both enjoy any more than the one we've just witnessed. 2-0 Brewers!

Just to post a slightly different mock draft, this one came from BA's Jim Calis during his weekly ESPN chat: 1. Ari--Justin Upton 2. KC--Cameron Maybin 3. Sea--Alex Gordon 4. Was--Ryan Zimmerman 5. Mil--Ryan Braun 6. Tor--Ricky Romero 7. Col--Luke Hochevar 8. TB--Wade Townsend 9. NYM--Mike Pelfrey 10. Det--Jeff Clement. That's a quick take based on the latest gossip. Long Beach State SS Troy Tulowitzki probably factors in there somewhere, but I'm not hearing him with a particular team other than Seattle, which may get the chance to pop Gordon. .... [When asked directly about the Brewers:] The latest names we've heard are Upton, Gordon, Zimmerman, Braun. Doesn't sound like they'll go for a Scott Boras client, which would rule out Pelfrey and Hochevar, who would be nice fits. Not sure how I feel about Braun over Tulo, but it's better than taking a HS pitcher. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif He did say later in the chat that he expected Braun to be drafted after Tulowitzki....which just leaves me confused. I'd post a link to the chat, but it's on the pay side.

Note: is it just me, or is the video only available in 56k. for a number of players. Random thoughts as I go through the videos: - Could they have put together a less-intriguing tape than Jeff Clement's? On defense, most of his throws come with him breaking the crouch before the ball gets there (a side effect of the ball coming from 1b instead of the mound). He does show decent arm strength, but didn't have any footage of blocking balls in the dirt (like catchers usually have). Looks good in BP, and shows a very compact swing, but most of the game tape is him taking pitches. (I only counted about two good swings the whole time.) - Like the footage on Nick Hundley. Decent option if he's there in the 4th round. He's fairly athletic (4.4 sec. to 1b, better than any other C I've seen thusfar), and seems to have a decent throwing arm. (Doesn't appear to be directly related to Todd & Randy Hundley, despite playing the same position....in case anyone was wondering.) - I just don't like the setup from Paramore (HS Catcher); with his shinguards almost parallel to the ground, he couldn't snap a throw if necessary. (When he does throw on the tape, he gets into a more traditional position to receive the ball, so it's more a matter of focus than anything else.) Although he shows good balance to get into that position, I'm not sure he could move laterally to block a ball. While taking issue with his setup, I can't do the same for his throws: the kid's got a quick release, and the throws appears to have some velocity behind them. - Teagarden looked fairly agile behind the dish....but I can't think of a player less likely to be a Brewer (that isn't a Scott Boras client). He's going in the first round....but not with the 5th pick. I started with catchers, because it's the position I used to play. (I'm not saying that anything I did is directly comparable to these guys -- there's a reason I'm not playing & they still are -- just that I have a better understanding of the fundamentals there than at any other position.) I'll get to another position or two later (hopefully they'll have added video on Zimmerman by then!).