950opsLHcatcher

118. It's draft day-esque. Edit: There were 120 at one point.

Maybe this Venezuelan experience will help him not to get drafted. He hasn't been pitching that well against what I would assume to be closer to MLB-caliber competition. With a non-power arm like Woolard's, you really have to know he could handle MLB hitters fairly effectively, otherwise there'd be no reason to take him at this point in time.

Scutaro was also in the Wickman deal.

Back when things weren't so good, Kane Davis was our #26 prospect (according to BA) going into the 2001 season. Ouch. Top 10 prospects in 2001: 1. Ben Sheets 2. Nick Neugebauer 3. Dave Krynzel 4. Cristian Guerrero 5. Allen Levrault 6. Jose Mieses 7. Kade Johnson 8. Mike Penney 9. Horacio Estrada 10. Brandon Kolb Double ouch. In fact, out of that top 30, only Sheets (1), Krynzel (3), Johnson (7), and "Will" Hall (21) remain. Yes, it was once that bad. Going back to that projection, Davis effectively replaces Liriano at AAA.

You're either too old or you get paid too much. What can you say?

Looks like Hardy will get some Mexican League AB's after all - he just got down to Los Mochis and will begin playing with good 'ol Sugercane Growers shortly. Former Brewers Jeff Cirillo and Bronswell Patrick have seen playing time for Los Mochis, but even if either is still there, they would have been gone before JJ was drafted.

About the only thing that stands out to me there is the non-protection of Vanden Berg, and to a lesser extent Ramirez, Segura and Alliston. Since the Brewers really seem to be rah-rah about the hometown player thing and since Vandy is a borderline prospect, I would have thought he was a no-brainer. I'd protect him over Zuniga (or, would have signed Zuniga later), Borders, Eure, and possibly Scarborough. If pressed, I also would have kept Ramirez and Segura over Borders and Eure. Edit: I'd also like express my joy that Ramirez is in AA, if only for show. Yay! Also good news about Mega Thomas.

Uecker told me last week.

I have various reasons to believe that Palmisano will not be going to Huntsville to start out '05, some of which can't really be talked about. I will say that he didn't wow anyone in Beloit, and his defense still needs some work below the AA level. As of right now, I'd be very surprised to see him in Huntsville on opening day. He'd have to have a very strong spring to do that.

I just got done with my very-early roster projections for the 2005 season, and I have Kade in AA with Vanden Berg, Alvarado in A+ backing up Palmisano, and TBDs backing up Moeller in Milwaukee and in AAA (I just read about the Mark Johnson signing). I think Kade might get a shot in AAA with some team sometime, but he might be better served moving out from behind the plate to concentrate on hitting. His defense is nothing special, so if he ever has a chance to get to the big leagues, he'll have to prove something with his bat.

The Brewers are far from done signing catchers. By my estimation, they need to sign/trade for at least three catchers to compete for spots in the bigs/AAA. My guess is that they'll bring in one more guy to compete with Moeller in Milwaukee (outside of Mark Johnson), and then one more minor league free agent for AAA. On a related note, how has Kade Johnson deserved a promotion to AAA? I think that not only is his spot in AAA not reserved, but that his spot in the organization is not reserved.

Yah, I've noticed that to, though usually it doesn't go back to November first, just back about 12 hours or so. It's uber-annoying.

if you have the ability to draft a good SS like Tyler Greene that possibly projects to hit in the .770 OPS range, would you take him over a guy like Jeff Clement that could hit in the .850 range as a first baseman? That's a good question. To put it in terms of MLB players, would it be better to have Khalil Greene/Rafael Furcal or Phil Nevin/Brad Wilkerson? Just on the face of it, the shortstops appear to me more valuable. Greene (.795 '04/.781 career) and Furcal (.758/.751) ranked 6th and 9th respectively among shortstops in OPS this year, and they are both average-to-good defensively (though Furcal is known to be erratic with a strong arm). Nevin (.859/.837) and Wilkerson (.872/.838) ranked 9th and 12 respectively among first basemen in OPS. Wilkerson is above average defensively while Nevin is average or slightly less than average. Assuming Tyler Greene hit 770 and played good D at the major league level, he's in the top third of shortstops, though far below the first four or five (roughly 60-70 OPS points below the median of the top five guys). His defensive skills with a 770 OPS would make him the 8th best MLB SS this season. Assuming Jeff Clement hit 850 and played average D at the major league level, he's among the middle third of MLB first basemen, and clearly not close to the top tier (roughly 130-140 OPS points below the median of the top five guys, or twice as much as T. Greene). Clement would have to put up a 900 OPS to be in the same value-range offensively as T. Greene, and even then he'd still be farther off the pace of the top tier guys than Greene would. Clement also wouldn't be as valuable defensively as Greene because Greene plays the position almost on the opposite end of the defensive spectrum as Clement, and he plays it well. If Clement plays the easiest defensive position adequately, that adds almost no value to his game. His defensive skills combined with an 850 OPS would make him the 13th best MLB 1B this season. So, I'd take Greene. Edit: I also want to add that first baseman don't vary very much in OPS in the middle of the pack. A 20-30 point swing in OPS changes where a first baseman stands a lot, especially since defense isn't a really big issue most of the time. For example, an 875 OPS would push Clement up to 9th (surpassing Wilkerson). Pushing T. Greene to 800 moves him up only two spots, and possibly a third. I think this also proves my point about a good SS vs. a good 1B. There is a bit of dilution in the first baseman pool for guys that hit between 830-900. And going back a few years, a first baseman with an 850 OPS is anywhere from low top-third to low middle-third. A 770 OPS shortstop is always top-third, sometimes middle top-third.

I only mentioned the HS kids because Jack Z. still runs the draft. If a reach college player were substited for the HS player, would it make sense in the same scenario?

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With a bunch of (it appears to a layman to be more than usual) college guys not signing, would it make sense for the Brewers to reach for a HSer they know they can sign sort of cheaply in round 1, and then grab a falling college guy in round 2? Say, for example reach for Lyman or Volstad in the first and hope that Kahn, Townsend, or Verlander fall to the second?

The strangest thing for me about tonight's game was that I looked at Ben's pitching line and wasn't shocked. It's not that I expect that out of him every time, but he is capable of that every time. Good grief, he's good. Any guesses on how much he makes next season? $7.5 mil sounds about right to me. He did set a new career high in wins tonight, too. Go Ben! If the Brewers can just find one more Davis-caliber pitcher and figure out a thing or two in the bullpen, this could be an excellent staff next season. This is good, because the offense needs a huge overhaul, and that's going to cost Attanasio a lot of money.

This has nothing to do with any players, but I got this nice email from Rick Wiley at the Daily Star: Toby, The Arizona Daily Star should have contacted you to get permission to publish the photo of J.J. Hardy that appeared in the newspaper on Aug. 31, 2004. We have discussed the matter with the employees in question and reiterated our policy about using images from outside sources. I appreciate the offer to let us use the image for free, but the Daily Star pays for freelance photography. We'll send you a check for $25, which is a standard fee for a photo that is used as a small head shot. The published size was about 1 x 1 1/4 inches. I'll send along a tearsheet with the check. Again, I'm sorry for the inconvenience. If you have any questions, please contact me at the number below or reply to this e-mail. Thanks for your patience. Sincerely, Rick Wiley Visual Team Leader/Photography Arizona Daily Star Tucson, AZ I really appreciate that they owned up to the mistake. Everyone go buy a copy of the newspaper!

That's actually a pretty good idea, starting Johnson and Hendrickson.

They better get back to me tomorrow, or they shall feel more of my wrath. Wrath!

The editors of the Arizona Daily Star are now feeling the full extent of my wrath.

Two on and no out for the D'Backs in the bottom of the ninth. They only need three to tie.

They used my damn photo! www.azstarnet.com/dailyst.../36666.php www.brewerfan.net/fullArt...icleId=137 ----- Tucsonan working hard to return to diamond By Jack Magruder ARIZONA DAILY STAR PHOENIX - J.J. Hardy spends long, grueling afternoons in the Milwaukee Brewers' training facility on a dual mission. One part of his program involves weight and cardiovascular training, but that is not why he is here, sopping in sweat, while most other players in the Brewers' system are finishing their seasons. Hardy's principal job these days is to coerce his left shoulder into forgetting about an operation that took place 14 weeks ago. It is not easy. Hardy turns. He twists. He pulls. He shoves, keeping his body in top physical condition while returning his shoulder strength to normal. And while the rehabilitation work is rigorous, another stinging reminder of a season Hardy would just as soon delete presents itself when he walks into the clubhouse for treatment. Posted in plain sight are the statistics of all the teams in the Brewers' organization, from the major leagues on down, updated daily. Hardy is not listed among those he would be playing with, hanging out with, learning his trade with, because of the shoulder injury that sidelined him in May. "That kind of makes it tough," Hardy said. "So I haven't been watching too much 'Baseball Tonight' or any of that. "I've been keeping my mind off it. Keeping my mind focused on what I have to do. I don't want to see all my buddies up in the big leagues and what's going on with the Brewers and thinking, 'That could have been me.'" Hardy blocks those moments out as quickly as they come, determined to regain the form that makes him one of the top prospects in the Brewers' system and a prime candidate for the major leagues next season. He just turned 22, and a full recovery is expected after Dr. Lewis Yocum performed arthroscopic surgery to repair the front and the back of the left labrum, using dissolvable staples on the back side. The injury is similar to the one suffered by Diamondbacks first baseman Richie Sexson this season, and it happened about the same way. Halfway through a swing in a game May 8, Hardy's front shoulder popped out of socket. He doubled over in pain but then managed to pop it back in place. He had been shut down for two weeks in the spring because of looseness in the shoulder. Hardy, playing for Triple-A Indianapolis, wanted to continue, perhaps because he had gone 4 for 4 two nights earlier and was hitting .277 with four home runs in only 101 at-bats. The medical staff said no, of course, and surgery was performed May 27. After two weeks of rest, rehabilitation began. "It's eating him up that he can't be out there," said Scott Martens, Milwaukee's assistant director of minor-league operations. "He got off to a great start. Even the balls he was making outs on, he was hitting ropes. He had the makings of a great year. Any time a player is coming back from surgery, there is going to be rehab involved. "But one thing about J.J. - he is not afraid to work. You don't have to ask him twice. You can't ask for a better guy. He's a quality individual on and off the field." Hardy and former UA right-hander Ben Diggins did have some lighter moments in June after the UA beat Long Beach State to make it to the College World Series. Josh Alliston, also rehabbing with Hardy and Diggins, attended Long Beach State. "We had some pretty good arguments," Hardy said with a laugh. Martens embraces the consensus view that Hardy has a certain future in the major leagues following his selection in the second round of the 2001 draft out of Sabino High School after a prep career that included a spot on the 2000 U.S. Junior National team. "For one thing, you look at his athletic ability. He has it all. He's a great defensive player with range and a great arm," Martens said. "Offensively, you look at his walk-to-strikeout ratio throughout the minor leagues. It's been outstanding. For him to make the adjustments he's made in the time that he has made them indicates the kind of guy he is." Hardy hit .279 with 26 doubles and 12 homers at Double-A Huntsville in 2003, where his walk-to-strikeout ratio was at the top of the scale. He walked 58 times while striking out only 54. There are only a few major leaguers who have more walks than strikeouts. The end of the Southern League season was hardly the end of the season for Hardy, who was one of a select few chosen to play with Team USA during the Arizona Fall League in its exhibition series, a series dominated by Team USA. From there, Hardy made the U.S. team that attempted to qualify for the 2004 Summer Olympics through a tournament in Panama City, Panama. The United States, which had not lost a game in pool play, was eliminated in the single-elimination quarterfinals by a Mexico team that had struggled in its pool. The final was 2-1. "Some of the guys on the team were in shock," Hardy said of that loss. "We just never played like we did in the Fall League." Hardy also played in the 2003 Futures Game, a showcase for top young players during major- league All-Star festivities, and his ascent may not be far off. Craig Counsell is Milwaukee's starting shortstop this season, having been obtained from Arizona in the deal that sent Sexson to the Diamondbacks last winter. But Counsell's contract is up after this season, which might create an opening for Hardy, and decisions must be made, both by Counsell and the Brewers. Hardy, meanwhile, hopes to be swinging a bat and taking some ground balls by the time the Brewers' instructional-league team finishes next month. If Hardy continues to heal on schedule, the Brewers are considering sending him to winter ball for the second half of that season to get him some at-bats "to make up for some lost time," Martens said. Regardless, Hardy is expected to be 100 percent by the time spring training starts in February, Martens said. "Spring training will dictate where he goes," Martens said. Brewers general manager Doug Melvin, assistant general manager Gord Ash and field manager Ned Yost have a history of making decisions on baseball ability, not age. "If a player comes in and has a great camp, they are going to give him every chance" to make the major-league roster, Martens said.

These are two of the most pitiful lineups I've ever seen. If any pitchers get on a roll, this could be a long one. Cheese sandwhich anyone?

Why hasn't Alan Zinter been put in? Zinter. Ginter. Same game. Madness!