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Just wanted to throw this idea out there. Since we all know the Brewers are without their second-round pick, they could have additional cash to spend on later picks (unless the DFEs sign for too much). Austin Jackson is a HS outfielder who has committed to Georgia Tech to play basketball. Colby's Scouting Report places him in the second-to-third round range, but his college commitment along with the possibility that he may eventually be lost to the NBA suggests he could fall to Milwaukee's early 3rd rounder. "He has made it clear that if he is drafted high enough, he will go play baseball," said Omar Washington, his summer league coach. "They are playing the scout game with him, trying to get teams off him so they can get him for less." Source: BA article (free side) on two-sport prospects Without an obvious candidate for the Brewers second pick (the guy I wanted last year, Jason Jaramillo, currently sports a .851 OPS as a catcher in A-ball), I thought I'd at least throw out a name. Anone else see someone interesting who could be there in the 3rd round?

It's not that Corey Patterson is the ideal major-league ballplayer. But for a first round pick to hit Patterson's status, he'll have to: 1) sign (Maybin is a HS player, after all) 2) reach the majors, which sets him apart from all too many players 3) perform up to the level of an everyday starter Sure, Patterson has his share of warts, but he is still a 5-tool guy who has a chance to be special if he finally puts everything together. That potential was what kept him near the top of BA's prospect lists all those years. If you're considering someone like Maybin, you are drafting more on that potential than anything else. If the scoutable tools fall in line with the one between the ears, there is a chance to get the next Griffey or Guerrero. The odds, however, tend to favor a Patterson-type; not everyone grows into a league MVP, after all.

Am I the only one who reads this, and starts to wonder / worry about plate discipline? Vlad is a pretty good player to be compared to (reference my earlier comments about comparing any HS player to Griffey, Jr. -- still applies), but one thing he can't be called is a patient hitter. "He has some things to work on, for example, he's a free swinger who chases a few pitches." "Maybin has more of a slashing, free wheeling type swing than your normal power stroke but there's no mistaking the power in his wrists and his bat speed." It's great to call him the next Griffey, or the next Vlad....as long as no one holds you accountable for that comparison. The truth of the matter is that any team would be fortunate if Maybin turns into the next Corey Patterson (who himself drew comparisons to Griffey, IIRC). Compare him to Patterson, however, and though he still projects to be a solid player, he doesn't merit nearly the "hype"-factor. Considering Maybin probably won't be a Hall of Famer before hitting age 30, which comparison is more apt?

Under the guidance of scouting director Jack Zduriencik, the Milwaukee Brewers have used the "best available player" approach in making first-round selections in the June draft. With hopes of returning to a competitive mode at the big-league level as soon as possible, the Brewers also must consider drafting for "need." This year, there's a chance the two philosophies could merge when they make the fifth pick in the draft June 7. The Brewers certainly are aware of what they need most in their organization at this particular point in time. "We're probably more position player-challenged than pitcher-challenged," said assistant general manager Gord Ash. "Some of our pitchers are starting to blossom. "We're short of catching and we're short at third base. Those are the positions where we have the least depth." It just so happens that this year's draft features some highly coveted college third basemen. Nebraska's Alex Gordon is a left-handed hitter with power whom many scouts consider one of the best to emerge at his position in several years. Virginia's Ryan Zimmerman also has wowed scouts with his superior fielding ability and budding power, and is projected to move quickly to the majors. Ryan Braun of Miami is another collegiate third baseman of note but not rated at the same level of Gordon or Zimmerman. If Gordon slips to the fifth spot, which is unlikely, the Brewers almost certainly would select him. Word has it that the Washington Nationals, who pick just ahead of Milwaukee, have Zimmerman in their sights. Justin Upton, a high school shortstop / outfielder from Chesapeake, Va., and brother of Tampa Bay's top prospect, B.J. Upton, is considered a sure bet to be taken first by Arizona. The next two teams in the draft order are Kansas City and Seattle. The Mariners signed free-agent third baseman Adrian Beltre to a five-year deal last winter and shouldn't be in the market for a third baseman. And there have been rumors that the Royals will watch their budget and select a player who won't cost so much to sign. Most of the top-rated pitchers are in the college ranks, such as Tennessee's Luke Hochevar, Wichita State's Mike Pelfrey and St. John's closer Craig Hansen. But each of those pitchers is represented by agent Scott Boras, whose clients always take a long time to sign - if they sign at all - and usually at top dollar. Two of Boras' first-round clients from the 2004 draft - right-hander Jered Weaver (picked 12th by Anaheim) and shortstop Stephen Drew (14th by Arizona) - have yet to sign and could re-enter the draft. Their availability would shake up this year's first round even more. "We did a study of (Boras') clients and the study told us a lot of the highly touted pitchers he represents never really materialize," said Ash. "So, the battle you're going to fight is not really worth it. "It doesn't help if you draft a pitcher and he doesn't sign and report." There are some high-quality college catchers available as well, including Southern California's Jeff Clement and Texas' Taylor Teagarden. Neither is considered a potential top-five pick, however. "When you draft that high, you still have to get the best player you can get," said Brewers general manager Doug Melvin. "You can't make the mistake of drafting a catcher because you need one, but he's the 25th-best player. "There are some pretty good third basemen in the draft and we could use a third baseman. We'll have to analyze that when the time comes. And pitching is always attractive. You can't count them out." While uncertain about how the picks above them will unfold, the Brewers have shown keen interest in Cameron Maybin, a high school outfielder from Asheville, N.C., whom some have compared to Ken Griffey Jr. at that age. In the previous five drafts directed by Zduriencik, the Brewers have taken high school players in the first round four times. The one time they didn't go to the prep ranks was in 2003, when Southern University second baseman Rickie Weeks was a no-brainer with the second pick. Zduriencik plays his draft cards very close to his vest, but it would be no shock if the Brewers go for Maybin with the fifth pick. "You know with high school picks, they're all four or five years down the road," said Melvin, who says he is not feeling pressure to pick players closer to the majors under new owner Mark Attanasio. "We still have to stay with our plan and make the right decisions on draft picks. We're not going to go outside the box and do something that doesn't make sense for us." The Brewers have no second-round pick this year, having forfeited it to Oakland to sign free-agent catcher Damian Miller. That makes it more important to do the right thing with the first pick, not to mention Nos. 3, 4, 5, etc. Other players who have drawn the Brewers' interest include Long Beach State shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, who could be moved to third base, as well as California State Fullerton lefty Ricky Romero and Miami right-hander Cesar Carillo. www.jsonline.com/sports/brew/may05/327672.asp If this were the NFL, I'd wonder if they were smokescreening. Since it isn't, it requires a few thoughts: - Is it wrong to hold out hope Seattle opts for Maybin (in the hopes that one of the third basemen falls to us)? - Interesting that they'd study Boras clients like that....I wonder how they went about setting a control group. - It's wrong to compare a player at any age to Ken Griffey, Jr. (unless you mean Griffey circa 2005...in which case that's just being mean) - You probably don't make a comment about catchers like that if you consider Clement anywhere near top 5.

Come on Brady. Bad Chad managed to advance the runners. And, amazingly enough....just not striking out allowed the Brewers to score an extra run. Good approaches this inning. 4-0 Brewers

Now Laird, where?s that guy now? AL Rookie of the Month, April 2004 Of course, by May, he had torn a ligament in his thumb, and was out 3 months. By the time he got back, Rod Barajas had stolen his starting role. This year, with Sandy Alomar having been signed, Gerald Laird will probably spend most of the year in AAA. Still, though, I'm not sure he's the guy you want to question Beane for having drafted (& followed). [i would question how wise it was for Boras to hold Drew out for a year, keeping him away from any sort of formal competition for most of that time, and in essense keeping him off the 40-man roster for a whole year (burning an option year that would have otherwise forced him into major league service a year earlier). If you really believe that Drew is going to be even an average major leaguer, odds are he'll make more money on the back end of his career than he's holding out for. Then again, I've decided that it's easier not to question Boras decisions in the Draft Forum.]

I'm pretty sure Colby has already listed his rankings (under the 'draft' tab on the top of the page), but I can add in how BA ranks them: Tulowitski Greene Braun Pennington Lowrie As to where they're drafted, there's one major hitch in the process: agents. Tyler Greene is a Boras guy, which may result in him dropping below the other four. Also, my gut instinct is that the late riser (Braun) will be drafted higher than his ranking (which is probably more NFL draft thinking interfering with MLB projection). Even if that turns out to be true, however, I don't see him jumping past Tulowitski.

Colby - I could pretend that I've actually seen either of them pitch, but you'd probably start to see through that pretty quickly. I do have some tangible reasons, though: Most pitchers over 6-6 (Pelfrey's 6-7) struggle with their mechanics; I can think of one major exception, but there are more Jeff Juden's than Randy Johnson's. (I just did a quick check on that adage, of all the MLB pitchers over 6-6 carrying a K:BB ratio greater than 2-to-1, they're all either: (a) rookies with an insignificant # of innings pitched, or (b) Randy Johnson.) Plus, Hochevar has more pitches in his bag (although you and BA disagree over whether he has a change up), and has a teriffic background and makeup. I like that, not unlike J.J. Hardy, both of his parents were professional athletes. Plus, the guy lives and breathes baseball; he built himself a pitching mound as an 8th grader! Admittedly, though, my two main sources of info are BA and you. BA likes him more than anyone else in the draft other than (the one player I have actually seen play,) Alex Gordon. (I caught part of the extra-innings game against Texas last weekend; just my luck, he was walked twice.) I doubt Luke will be a Brewer, because of the quality options at a perceived organizational need (3b, since DM wants to keep Weeks at second) and his choice of agents, but I do like the guy.

Personally, I'm a believer in the 16 true outcomes 1.) walk 2.) strikeout 3.) HR 4.) triple 5.) double 6.) single 7.) HBP 8.) Foul Out 9.) Fly Out 10.) Line Out 11.) Ground Out 12.) GIDP 13.) Fielder's Choice 14.) Reach on Error 15.) Sacrifice 16.) Catcher's Interference 16TO

Overbay (v. lefties tonight) 0-4, 3 k's. Of all the things I could have gotten right today, why did it have to be this?

OUCH! When getting hit by a line drive sends you airborne, that is a hard hit baseball. I just hope he's not going to be seriously injured.

1.) Upton 2.) Gordon 3.) Hochevar 4.) Zimmerman 5.) Drew 6.) Clement 7.) Romero I went 7 deep, which should leave me covered if the team wishes to eschew Boras clients entirely. A good deal of the ranking still hinges on Rickie Weeks' ability to play second base. If he can hold the position, then Zimmerman / Gordon become more interesting, and I'm more willing to take a chance on Clement (thinking he has all the tools to play 3rd if he struggles behind the plate). If I'm less sure about Weeks up the middle, Drew is a decent hedge (with the thinking that he could end up at either 2b or 3b as needed). I think Maybin would be a decent pick as well, but there's much more of a risk / reward dynamic there, and I have to discount him slightly based on the expectation that he'd take an extra 1-2 years to go through the system as compared to the players I've named. (And yes, I think Drew could be signed with a bonus slightly above slot money for the # 5 pick, roughly $3 mil. I realize Colby and I disagree on that point, and we'll leave it at that.)

Lineup prediction: Clark, cf Spivey, 2b Cirillo, 3b Lee, lf Jenkins, rf Miller, c Helms, 1b Hardy, ss [pitcher] Overbay gets the day off against the lefty, and Helms gets his first start of the year. (Of the position players, Helms & Magruder are the only ones who haven't started a game yet....and I'm guessing Magruder plays a corner OF spot - probably right - on Wednesday.)

Yeah fellas, I know things slip sometimes, but i'm really going to have to start cracking down on repeat offenders. Oh, [expletive]!

Since this was a point of contention in the "strategic proposal" thread, do you remember where you read it? (Moreover, is it linkable?)

Apparently, though, you're right for not listing his time with the Colorado Rockies. "They say you can't please everybody.... and last night, all those people were at my show." - Mitch Hedberg http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/frown.gif

I'm sure most of you have already picked up on it, but the major league forum is on the way back. Brian, would you rather we hold off on posting there until we get the go-ahead, or is it already safe to go back into the (proverbial) water?

Do you think leverage really plays as big of a factor with Scott Boras clients? Maybe not with Boras clients, but leverage means everything to Boras himself. Rarely do clients with first round grades get more than one shot at the MLB draft; Boras gets ~ 5 chances per year. There are only two reasons why he can push for greater-than-slot value for his players: 1) MLB teams can't trade draft picks / drafted players 2) Holding out and re-entering the draft is a viable option. Until J.D. Drew refused to sign with the Phillies, option # 2 wasn't viable, as long as the player stays out of school. Once a college junior leaves his program, he was going to sign; the only question was when. Since then, it's become at least a possibility that these players might hold out a full season and re-enter the draft. It's been done. Ask BA (3/9/2005) suggested that Stephen Drew would be signed by the end of the month. Well we're there now, and he still isn't suiting up for the D-backs. Does that mean that another team is offering more if he goes back into the draft? As they get closer to the deadline, the threat of losing the individual player (Drew or Weaver - with whom the Angels have cut off negotiations) becomes more and more real, and the alternatives (sandwich pick) becomes relatively less desirable. The more often a Boras player gets to the cutoff date and returns to the draft, the more credible the threat. Even if those players make less money in the following year's draft, Boras himself more than makes up for those losses from the players who do sign their first time around. It's the repeat player advantage that gives Boras his edge....and if it means losing a million or two for a few kids along the line, no skin off his back. As is, Drew and Weaver fell to the 15th and 19th picks in 2004. Sure, they both had top 5 talent, but the Boras factor dropped them to the bottom half of the first round. Will their draft stock be improved or hurt from sitting out a full season? (Is there a player I can't think of who held out a season and was drafted in a higher slot the following year? First rounders....not DFE's.) They're not going to make more money as redrafts, and while I believe that Boras does a disservice by holding these players out, I'm not the one asking him to negotiate my deal. So, if Drew does fall back into the draft, and the Brewers offer him below-slot money for the fifth pick ($2.2 million, based on the Rogers deal last year), but higher than that of the 15th pick (~1.6 million), it's better than watching the player end up in freefall, and the potential of falling out of the first round altogether. It may depend on what other teams offer up to Boras, but remember that half the league has already passed on the guy for the offering price. Given that no player has sat out two seasons after leaving his college team (IIRC, Harrington was coming out of HS), the threat of sitting out another season is much less credible.

The reason that I see the Boras guys as potentially willing to settle is that, after sitting out their senior years, they've lost what leverage they had. Correct me if I'm wrong, but only one of the three is in school right now, and he (Townsend) isn't playing for his college team. Traditionally, college seniors sign for less money than high schoolers or college juniors, as they don't have the option of going back to college. As long as the teams that drafted them in 2004 still have control over their rights, they have built-in leverage, as the team will generally prefer a first-round talent to a sandwich pick. Once the player is returned to the draft, however, the potential payoff from holding out falls off. It's either sign with the second team, or spend another year playing independent league baseball, and watching your status fall off the table. Ask Matt Harrington if that sounds like a good idea. Since J.D. Drew is the poster boy for this sort of holdout, I ran a quick search on his draft history. He went to college instead of signing with the Giants out of high school in 1994. In '97, as a college junior, he was selected with the Phillies....and opted for the St. Paul Saints instead. In '98, he signed as the 5th overall pick by the Cardinals for a $7 million bonus, down from the $11 million he demanded from the Phillies. If J.D. Drew would sign for less money, despite dropping from the 2nd to the 5th pick, why is it so difficult to imagine Stephen Drew settling for $2 million instead of 3, when he'd actually end up moving up the draft board in doing so? Agreeing to this sort of deal beats being selected in the late first / sandwich round (given the risk of selecting a player who didn't play that season). Wherever these three players are selected, odds are they'll sign for less than they were asking for in '04 (assuming they all end up back in the draft, that is). It sure beats the alternative....

Just to point it out, last year the Mariners spent nearly $2.3 million in bonus money on their third round selection, ss Matt Tuiasosopo (sp?). Of course, they had forfeit their second (to KC for Ibanez) and first-round (to MN for Guardado) picks. It's an interesting discussion, but I have a hard time believing that Mark A. is going to be sold on the idea of signing a lesser player to spend more down the line. The notion of 'going cheap' on an early pick sounds too Selig-esque, IMO. That said, there are a few wild cards in play in this year's draft, starting with the players who went unsigned from the first round last year. Stephen Drew (via Boras) rejected $3 million from the D-Backs as the 15th pick, but his decision not to return to FSU would normally suggest a further loss of negotiating power. That said, we all know the Drew family has a certain history of holding out. A deal for under slot-money at 5 may be workable (if such a deal could be made before the draft....I'm not sure where tampering rules factor in here) for both sides. (IIRC, J.D. Drew was the fifth pick in the draft when the Cardinals selected him in 1998.) Jered Weaver is even more likely to be available with the Brewers pick. Wade Townsend will be there as well, but I'd rather not get a guy that most scouts project as a reliever. While College Seniors are generally considered more signable, these players carry more risk (as none of them are playing for their old teams, AFAIK), and could sign at a discount. Of course, the main danger in selecting a Boras client in the first round is that any 1-2 rounder who falls to the Brewers' next pick will likely have the same agent. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/devil.gif Of the current year's draft class, Ricky Romero would strike that interesting compromise of being good enough to be a high-mid first rounder, but probably not good enough to warrant the fifth pick. (Then again, I can always find an excuse to advocate signing the best college lefty in the draft. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif ) Considering BA ranks Zimmerman 5th in their mid-season collegiate rankings, he might not sign for much of a discount. Regardless, I don't see the Brewers cutting corners on Mark A's first draft pick.

If this is anything like the Tigers' GM announcement ending negotiations with Verlander, I'm sure Weaver will be signed next week. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

I absolutely love this feature....thinking back to all the times I've tried to come up with this info on my own to build pitchers in video games. For my own reference, where will the permanent (ie., non-forum) link to the page show up? One suggestion I might have is to include a second symbol for pitches that a player has used, but has since abandoned. You could argue that Sheet's changeup fits into this category, but I remember that he used to throw both the 2-seamer and the 4-seamer prior to 2004. Also, just to add to the page....Capuano throws a Cutter (or at least he used to).

I believe that Nelly has a song titled "#1" ...can't say that I know this is the song you're talking about, but odds are that it is. ...I just wish that I didn't know it. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/eyes.gif

...I just took a survey on the site, and received a $2 credit for player sponsorship. Looking at the list of $2 players.....or more aptly, looking for anyone I've ever heard of....I picked out someone to point to Brewerfan.net. The Sponsorship should show up in the next day or two. Why do I get the feeling that the above link is going to be the only reason his page is pulled up over the course of the next year...?

remember all the names from the Wickman / Sexson trade? To Milwaukee: Richie Sexson Kane Davis Paul Rigdon To Cleveland: Bob Wickman Jason Bere ...at this point, I'm trying to remember how Steve Woodard got to Cleveland, and resisting the temptation to Google the transaction until after I post. Did I miss anyone? [Edit: answering my own question with a link to One of the Player's Baseball-Reference profile, which names all the players in the deal.]