CheezWizHed

I've never seen any Star Trek movie (nor do I plan on it). But I've seen and love the Star Wars movies. BTW, Darth Vader gets darker after Episode I. Watching II and III help you understand I better. And everyone hates Jar-Jar. I have never danced with the devil in the pale moon light.

Is he worth a 40-man roster spot though? Yes. Because even after claiming him, we still have one extra spot open. If it gets to the point where the 40-man is full and you need an extra spot, you always have the option of waiving him, exactly like the Cubs just did.

F-Mart? Even for ESPN, I'm surprised at how bad that is. Well, a waiver claim is the MLB version of a blue light special... http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

I expected them not to be drafted so high. I'm thinking your draft expectations may be a bit high. Ramirez - Just drafted this year. Smoked Rookie ball (as he should, since he is a 21yo college player) and struggled at A-ball. This is not unusual. Next year will show more about him than anything he did this year. Morris - Played last year at A-ball, this year at A+ and hit well, not great, but not bad. If you were expecting either of those to be the next Prince Fielder (a high 1st round pick), you are fooling yourself. They are decent players drafted in the 4th round. You generally don't find all-stars in that round. Nelson - Much has been said about Nelson when he was drafted. Many people much more knowledgeable about scouting were quite disappointed. And unfortunately, Nelson has lived down to those expectations. He struggled at A-ball after being a college pitcher. But he showed some signs of improvement (something Arnett has failed to do) in the second half of last year. Walla - Was 20 last year in Rookie+. Sure, one would hope he would move a little faster, but its not uncommon for HS players to take a little while. Being 21 at A-ball is also not out of the normal. What is more disappointing to me is that he hasn't shown the power that he was drafted for. But again, like Nelson, started to show some life later in the season. I will be watching him at A-ball closely. Matt Miller - pretty much has been as advertised when drafted. Throws hard, but straight. Not much on the secondary pitches. Will probably be a reliever. Probably has lasted longer as a SP than some people thought. Cam Garfield - Garfield was also 20 last year. He started at A-ball, got injured and finished at Rookie+. But to me, it seemed like the light-bulb went on last year. He struggled the first two years, but was also young for his level (18 at Rookie+, 19 at A-ball in the previous two years). If he had not been injured, I think we would be talking about him much higher on the prospect list (say top-20). He will probably be my pick for break-out player of the year. Injuries seem to be the only thing holding him back. Again, it seems that your MLB draft expectations are too high. Nelson, Walla and Garfield "should" be expected a bit more than they have given as 2nd round picks, but its really not all that unusual either. Morris, Ramirez and Miller are about average (IMO) as 4th and 5th round picks. I think we tend to "dream" a bit when we read these draft bios (I know I do) about these guys becoming all-stars or solid MLB starters or whatever. But often those expectations are unfair to load on these kids' shoulders. edit-Add a bit more: For example, go look back at the 2004 draft (I picked that because most of those guys are either at MLB, AAA, or out of baseball, so name recognition is easier): http://www.mymlbdraft.com/2004/round1 See how many guys you recognize out of the first round. There are some, but is a low percentage. Then keep going down in rounds. Not only are there less recognizable names, but generally the talent level gets lower. In this case, Brandon Boggs was the only name I recognized in the 4th. There are probably others I don't know, but there are not any Justin Verlanders (1st round) or Yovanni Gallardos (2nd). Occasionally you find a Mike Piazza in the 49th round, but that is the exception, not the rule.

Maybe I read too much into the comments but from AndThat in the draft forum (emphasis added): Goforth showed mid-90s velocity and thrived in a set-up role as a freshman in 2009, striking out 36 in 35 innings. He was a draft-eligible sophomore last season and imploded when he moved into a part-time starting role, with an 8.41 ERA. He couldn't throw his secondary pitches for strikes, but remedied that in 2011 when he added a cut fastball. Goforth's four-seamer still has plenty of giddy-up, at times reaching 97 mph even when he starts. He can throw strikes with the cutter, which sits 88-92 mph and gives him a power pitch with life. His four-seam fastball tends to flatten out. He still throws a curveball and changeup on occasion, but his approach is mostly to overpower hitters. He's thrown a lot more strikes this year thanks in large part to the cutter, and should be able to pitch mostly off his fastball and cutter as a pro reliever. A 31st-round pick a year ago, Goforth should go out in the fifth-round range this season. Found it herealso: 7) David Goforth, RHP, Mississippi: Inconsistent in college, very effective at times with fastball that can hit 96 along with a curve, cutter, and changeup. Projects more as a reliever in pro ball, good ceiling. Of course, they said pretty much the same thing about Thornburg...

The list is obviously heavily weighted towards scouting reports of the players. Thus Jungmann and Bradley ranking so high already. And JB's beloved Scooter not making the list for being too small. Sorry JB, but your man-crush has been evident lately. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

Well, I was about to say Goforth was a bit high, but I see that I had him at #28 also. In a normal year, draft picks that late normally don't make the P50 (but I guess this is the U50). Has a good arm, but was a 7th round draft pick and profiles as a reliever. His height probably doesn't help matters either. And Rogers is still up there, as he still has a good chance of being a good MLB RP, plus he has succeeded at that level (limited). The only reason he is in the 20s is his injury problems. I think this user-driven top 50 shows just how reliant we are on stats & familiarity with players Agreed (and freely admitting my infatuation with Maldonado and Khris Davis flies against the "scouting" on their bats). I've also admitted that I do my P50 based on "probable impact to the MLB club". A high ceiling player at the rookie level that is highly likely to flame out and not reach the MLB ends up being lower than someone like Maldonado that is highly likely to at least become a backup catcher in the bigs. (Of course, looking at my list I might not have done that 100%...) Other people go completely on ceiling of the player. There is no wrong way to do it, because its all for fun anyway as we pretend that we are MLB GMs.

I didn't vote Just like in politics, if you don't vote, you can't complain. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif Seriously, you could have just posted a top 15. I thought Gennett ended up in a good spot (of course, I had him ranked 8th, so...). And being right behind Green works for me. Both are similar: neither are can't miss prospects, not the greatest defense, OK power (though Green seems better here). Since he isn't a top tool player, he is going to have to prove himself at AA (especially in power) before he jumps up higher for me.

Another thing, as long as we're on this: the whole birther thing is itself racist If Obama's father had been a blonde, blue-eyed Swede and the rest of his history was the same, the Republican party would have questioned his qualifications just the same. It wasn't his race, it was a question of where he was born and thus if he was qualified for the office of President. If he was born outside the US and one parent is NOT a US citizen, it comes down to some very technical details to make him qualified for President. Politically, I'm a conservative and I thought that whole thing was a joke and overblown. But it had far more to do with being a Democrat, than racism.

The thing to remember about MLB drafts (rather than NFL drafts) is that if you can hit on 2 or 3 MLB players in the whole draft, you had a successful draft. I thought I've read somewhere that somewhere around 50% of 1st round pick make a MLB roster (or something like that). Not sure what more you expected out of Morris and Ramirez (both 4th). Both have the same major flaw in not taking walks, but both also have good (not great) power. Gagnon was just drafted. Nelson and Walla have taken a while, but are starting to show some promise from their 2nd round draft positions. Miler will probably end up as a RP but still throws in the mid-90s. Arnett is really the only real bust you've listed. But, we all knew that our system isn't loaded with prospects, unfortunately. Just seeing last year's draft impact on the system can show you how fast it can turn around. Positives from our system: 1) We have some SP prospects at the AAA level (Peralta, Thornburg, Scarpetta and Fiers + Rogers?). Who knows if Peralta or Fiers will make the MLB roster, but its nice to have talent waiting to help. 2) Lots of DSL help coming. Maybe its because our system is down that so many of these guys look good, but I don't remember ever having that many (probably) make the jump to the main land. 3) Sleepers: I tend to be overly positive on some players, but there are a number of guys that have looked really bad so far (or small improvements) or for some reason, just gone underneath the radar as a prospect. Guys that I can see breaking out this year: - Bucci: Already came out of the "fog" a little last year, but I think he continues his progression at AA to becoming a top-5 prospect. - Kentrail Davis: Seems to hit anywhere but Florida. At AA, I think he reestablishes himself as a Gindl-like prospect. - Nelson: Its taken a while, but it was starting to click at the end of last year. Probably won't ever be a high-end SP, but I think he starts moving forward prospect wise. - Maldonado: No one seems to like the guy as a prospect, but I still see a Blanco-like player in him. - Meadows/Merklinger: Those LHPs... Always ranked pretty low, but at least one is going to make a decent LOOGY. - Garfield: Injuries keep nagging, but if he can stay healthy, he was doing pretty well at A-ball and was still young for the level. - Prince/Wheeler: one of these guys will bounce back and become a utility player. 4) New guys we didn't see much of: - Reed - Has all the tools for CF - McFarland - signed above slot (probably a 3rd round pick level). Might start pushing Rivera for our best SS prospect. - Keller - I think he had an injury last year never pitched for the Brewers. But sounds like a higher ceiling guy that slipped in the draft. - Gagnon - Like Nelson, I think he might take a little longer to develop than we would like (esp for a college guy), but the upside is there. Sure, not all of 3 or 4 will pan out like I think (or would like), but they are positives. Thanks for the work you put into this! It actually was kind of fun. I learned a lot about Excel. Drat! I just outed myself as a geek...

That same article talks about how he and Pie use slurs back and forth between each other and are very good friends. It also contains quotes from another player (blanking on the name right now edit - Adam Jones) who is not Caucasian saying Scott is NOT racist: Adam Jones, who is black, says it doesn't bother him because he knows Scott is a good person and the words do not come from a bad place. If it bothered Pie, who is a dark-skinned Dominican, it might be a different situation. "He's not a redneck racist; his beliefs are his beliefs," Jones says. "Their relationship is uncanny, and Pie ribs him just as much. I don't think Luke means any racist thing by it. Trust me, if I see racism, I'll say some s---. Quickly. More of the article talks about his ties with the Hispanic community. I can't say its an interaction I'd use with my friends, but it doesn't mean he is racist. Look past the newspaper quotes (if you care) or just assume you know him based on a quote or two... edit -found article.

Anyone who knows about steroids or has used knows you will have spikes. In size, weight lifting numbers, or something like homeruns. Well, I can't tell if his head got any bigger, but his hair sure did! http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

A few more interesting facts: 15 total entries. Averaged 37 prospects per entry. 1st Place votes: - Peralta: 31 - Thornburg: 1 - Bradley: 1 80 prospects in total received votes. Largest gaps between prospects happened - between #6 Taylor Green and #7 Scooter Gennett - between #19 Khris Davis and #20 Jimmie Nelson

Final results are here. If someone doesn't have a number in front of their name, they were tied with the previous person. 1 Wily Peralta 2 Tyler Thornburg 3 Jed Bradley 4 Taylor Jungmann 5 Caleb Gindl 6 Taylor Green 7 Scooter Gennett 8 Jorge Lopez 9 Cody Scarpetta D'Vontrey Richardson 11 Nick Bucci 12 Logan Schafer 13 Santo Manzanillo 14 Yadiel Rivera 15 Michael Fiers 16 Orlando Arcia 17 Kyle Heckathorn 18 Kentrail Davis 19 Khris Davis 20 Jimmie Nelson 21 Drew Gagnon Max Walla 23 Mark Rogers 24 Brooks Hall 25 Amaury Rivas 26 Ruben Ozuna 27 Hunter Morris 28 David Goforth 29 Michael Reed 30 Nick Ramirez 31 Chris McFarland 32 Eric Arnett 33 Osmel Perez 34 Eric Farris 35 Tyler Roberts 36 Brock Kjeldgaard 37 Martin Maldonado 38 Alan Williams 39 Brandon Kintzler Danny Keller 41 Daniel Meadows 42 Mike McClendon 43 Cameron Garfield 44 Austin Ross 45 Tommy Toledo 46 Dan Merklinger 47 Rob Wooten 48 Matt Miller 49 Mike Walker 50 Gian Rizzo

Plus moving Ramirez to 3B might not sit 100% with him also.

The only major move I can see happening is if they can trade KROD. Otherwise, I would guess there might be another bench player or some NRIs.

I would think Rogers is still a prospect. He was just awarded another option year, too. So he could pitch at AAA this year, which has to help his odds a bit. If he can stay healthy, at worst, he is a good RP and at best, a #2-3 SP. With "healthy" being the operative question... I'll post the final results Monday morning (back to my original timing), since we did have a couple more chip in their posts.

Be the Marlins. Sign people to huge deals, win the WS, then have a fire sale. (not sure if that should be in blue or not...)

If you look at last year alone, both pitchers are remarkably similar. Zambrano had more walks, Volstad gave up more hits. Their WHIP, ERA, ERA+, K/9, HR/9 were almost identical. Main difference is that it was Zambrano's worst year since he debuted at age 20. First full year over a 4.00 ERA. If he was 32-34, I might think this was an age-related slip, but he was only 30, so I would bet he will bounce back. Especially with a new club and pitching in the "honeymoon" period. Volstad has put up 4 seasons that were very similar to what he did last year. Yes, he is young and could/should improve, but right now, his improvement has been pretty flat. I would also point out that while Zambrano put up half of his numbers in Wrigley (where a pop-fly can become a HR). Volstad pitched half of them in Florida, which is much more pitcher friendly. If I'm going to bet on who will be better this year, I'd have 10-1 odds on Zambrano. If I'm rebuilding for the future, I'll take Volstad and three more years of control.

Seems like a win-win scenario. Zambrano wasn't going to pitch for the Cubs anymore and they got a serviceable SP in return. Although, if he gave up 1 HR per 8 IP in Florida, that could blow up in Wrigley... Zambrano is clearly the better pitcher (at least this year). And players like him (Randy Moss, Latrell Sprewell) tend to do well in the first year with a new team. And the Marlins are obviously pushing the chips into the center of the table this year...

Isn't there a 25 game ban for "banned substances" rather than the 50 game for PEDs? Generally that means recreational drugs, but perhaps in this case, they can use that due to the nature of what Braun actually took (since it wasn't really a PED either).

Looks like things have slowed down here. I'll give it a couple more days this week as people get back to "normal" schedules after the holidays. If no more come in, I'll post the results this week.

Since the Brewers are in Milwaukee, you'd have to make them the Wauwatosa Brewers of Milwaukee Well, sure now they are. But after the "big announcement" that the 'Tosa city board has annexed Miller Park... http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

But Wauwatosa is so much more fun to say. Its like the TV announcers that always seem to fit in "Sheboygan" somehow into GBP broadcasts... http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif West Milwaukee Brewers of Wauwatosa = WMBW - sounds like a radio station West Allis Brewers of Wauwatosa = WABOW, which sounds like a cool shirt! http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

The Milwaukee Brewers of Wauwatosa has a certain ring to it...