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It is clumsy, and was trying to help create balance and incentives to win. So it was a reaction (over-reaction?) to teams tanking and owners not trying build competitive teams, as well as another way to penalize the super rich teams. Since the Brewers are a small market club and trying to win, it seems like a good system for us fans, we moved up a few slots a couple years back when we missed the '22 playoffs, and those extra slots meant more bonus pool in the 2023 epic draft, so I kind of like the system for that. But yes, there are a lot of rules, and some seem to be overly punitive. But I also don't worry about the LA/Chicago/NY/Boston teams getting penalized in the draft since every year they can sign FAs to create mini All Star Teams (just look at the last WS).

Or for those who are fans of Phish:

Or his prior injury limited him to just relief, and they valued Chad Patrick as a starter, along with Henderson, Rodriguez, MIz, and just felt it was a risk to take. But still Tyler Jay and Vinny Capra are on the 40 man. I mean I am sure they are quality players, but just don't seem to be way above average MLBers, and Smith could be a lightning in a bottle like Cousins, Topa, Feyereisen who could excel for a few seasons or become a valuable trade asset.

I hear ya. Briceno was a nice swiss army knife player, and meshed well (or so it seemed) with the guys in A ball. I still am sitting here wondering about maybe I didn't overvalue Shane Smith. Maybe the Brewers brass undervalued him? I don't know time will tell, but I just felt like he was one of those players who could shine with our organization. Oh well, as you stated (and @Jim Goulartthen responded!) - let's see what AAA Rule 5 pick up gems we may have unearthed and see if those guys can become keys to the Brewers success, particularly Peek.

OK. The other thing to consider. For so many years we have had prospects who we as fans thought so highly of, and probably overvalued, and some of those we worried could be selected in rule V draft, and most years these players weren't selected. This year, we had a RP who we thought highly of, but who is among 5-6 pitchers at the AAA level who could be MLB ready this season, and he was in that group, and was not only selected, but selected first, indicating that our prospects have a lot of value. We still have Misio, Henderson, Hunt, Yoho and Rodriguez that are AAA and all equal to or higher rated than Smith. AND the team protected Chad Patrick (who is a starter, so that is a difference) over Smith, so the team clearly values him more. My only critique right now, is if Smith was not going to be protected, could they have tried to deal him for another prospect?? Or did the brass really thing he was going to go unselected?? OK. maybe my vent really ends now? Or I guess maybe I will post more later.....

Sad. Confused. Trying to trust the model. But still very very sad. Shane Smith is not only a good pitcher, but a guy you completely root for. Still unsure how/why they would leave him unprotected, and keep Jay or Capra??? Anyway, I've vented. Now it's time to see what's next.

Yup. Austin Tatious pointed that out — momentary brain lapse. Excited to see what Meccage can do, and what we do with the extra pick for Levonas.

Yes they do fly by. That’s a fun video. Baez is a solid hitter so far in his career, and still young (he was a ‘22 signing I believe but is only 6 months older than Yophery). If he can play average 2B/3B his bat can take him up the chain. And young enough to still develop more power.

I think Chourio has set an unrealistic bar. Going from 2021 IFA signing to MLB deal winter of 23/24 to opening day kind up and rookie of the year candidate (in 3 years!) is so atypical. Luis Lara and Yophery Rodriguez are the last two high profile signings who skipped the ACL after DSL debut. Made will follow that path for sure. Even Chourio logged in a season at A ball but then made that jump to AA. Lara and Rodriguez while not as talented as Made are seemingly going a more conventional one level at a time path. I would love to see Made in the 2027 MLB roster discussion, but he has yet to play stateside, and those are not realistic expectations for a young kid who if he was born in the US would be likely a HS senior only this school year. This time last year he was not on the radar much (he was one of three higher dollar signees linked to the Brewers, but Quintana and Peña seemed to get more buzz than him). It will be interesting this year to see which prospects jump (like Made, Areinamo, Wichrowski, Yoho did last year), and which players drop down the rankings or have a struggling year (like EBJ, Guilarte, Wilken). Last year Yoho and Hunt nor Made were really discussed, and they made up 3/4 of the minor league players of the year awards along with Pratt.

Agree. A 4 year deal would have been something you can live with, but he was not going to settle for that, and obviously a team was willing to meet length and salary demands so good for Willy. And a top 40 pick to go along with two other picks in the 20s and 30s gives the Brewers key bonus pool money that they can continue to be creative with, and try to maximize the number of higher ceiling prospects. For all the talk of a downfall last year, particularly after the Burnes trade, it was all for naught. Too bad we couldn’t exorcise the playoff series demons to win a series for the first time since that magical ‘08 run. But I am so much happier as a fan having that type of “losing” streak, then the 1993-2006 losing season record streak, or the 1982 - 2008 playoff drought streaks. It would be fun to see a playoff run again, but so so much better than feeling like all hope is lost during the season year in and year out. Good luck Willy. Glad you are not in the NL Central.

OH great. I missed it in that thread. Thanks Mass Good news for the Brew Crew.

Yeah, any inside glimpse would be wonderful. From what I know - these relationships with players start at an early age, and some signings are dictated by 1) who they train with as the trainers/academies have relationships with certain teams 2) the relationships the scouts of the team build with local trainers or scouts 3) the ability of those scouts to see certain traits or skill sets that their organization may value including the mental and physical traits 4) finally how much money your organization has to offer. The Brewers have been bigger spenders of top ranked players (signing 2-4 of the top 30ish ranked players), so the money for IFA they spend is a key factor. But their scouts have found gems (think AFL star Baez who was a $10k signing presumably due to his size and lack of elite speed or defense). But the relationships they have developed (presumable due to key hiring and investment in resources to do so) is a likely factor. The Venezuelan scouting - not sure when that started - but it sounds like the classic Stearnsian "zig when other zag" approach of going to a volatile country and make inroads that maybe the Boston/LA/Chicago/NY teams were not as willing to do since they can get Asian stars and can sign the highest rated DR players. My personal hope is that this is due to some structural system in place, as opposed to being just due to one or a few individuals. (For example, how our pitching staff has typically been getting above average results for years even when we lost DJ as the pitching coach and then adding Hook; or how we have made some nice trades and FA pick ups with Arnold even after Stearns left; or how Murph was also able to find the right players and buttons after Counsell left). Other teams will see the Brewers recent success (2021 - current IFA signings) and will steal the individuals. As one of the key International Player Evaluation Director Luis Perez is no longer with the organization and likely stolen by another organization: As BA.com's Ben Badler wrote in his Top Prospect chat "They’re pretty fortunate that Luis Perez and Fernando Veracierto haven’t gotten plucked away from another org for an international director job given the success the Brewers have had internationally." Ugh, Thanks, Ben, way to jinx us 😉

The competitive balance pick, the QO picks for Adames, and the pick for not signing Meccage - plus the normal first and second rounders - is that how we get 5 of top 68? And essentially 6 of top 110ish.

Brenton is such an interesting guy. I watched his interview with JustBaseball (I think it was with Aram, correct me if I was wrong) last year, and reading this article I can still hear the crackle in his voice as he talks about these guys, and the positive vibe he has. Just listening to / reading his interview gets me so excited. I love the "you be you" approach he talked about last year and this year, and I love the line "we're data informed, but we're not data-driven". All sports are still so hands on and mental, that you can't just learn from a laptop, but incorporate those laptops into the batting cages or the one-on-one sessions. OK I am now officially pumped for next years minor league season, and the International FA signing day hasn't even arrived yet.🤩

I think that speaks to both the limited time he had to play in the minors after being drafted and the solid development of multiple hitters throughout the organization (Pratt, Made, Areinamo, Adams, Pena, Boeve) which is great to see, so there are many players who may take a backseat. I mean guys like Yophery Rodriguez would be in the running for #1 prospect if this was the organization depth of let's say 10 years ago, and guys like Payne and Wilken would automatically be top 5 based upon their draft status. But they get less attention than they could. Burke is a little behind the scenes for now. That's OK. IF he can hit well next year he will make a name for himself like some of those I just listed did the year and/or last.

I know it is a small sample size and the level of competition is variable, but seeing Hedbert have an OPS that is the same as a current MLB utility player (Monasterio) is encouraging to see if his prospect profile can have some comeback. If he can hit in A ball and move up to AA he can be in the mix as a future OF prospect that could profile as a 4th OF. Again a lot of ifs.

The other thing to keep in mind, is that the organization seems to value depth, both at position and with regard to skill sets. You don't find Jackson Chourio players every day, and the team won't compete with 9 Turang/Frelicks. You want to have bat to ball players, speed players, power potential hitter, as well as defensive flexibility. Having guys with one or more of the skill sets is key, as well as different players having different skills or combinations of skills to complement each other The other part of it is that competition will sort these players out, and some will become trade assets for more immediate needs. But in short I think Burke has a great chance to be the 1B of the future, but if he can't take that spot, we have Black, Boeve, Martinez as well as Wilken/Adams/Bitonti who all are in that mix as the Brewers future 1B.

I misread you quote - I overlooked the "If", and thought it was a statement and that you knew more. My bad - agree this would be a loss.

There is a need for a AAA catcher regardless right? Quero is coming back from injury, and then there is who, Darrien Miller whose defense is not up to par. With several pitching prospects in the upper ranks, we may need/want a vet or a AAAA type of catcher regardless of if he can be a MLB call up.

Do you know where he went? Released, or was he hired elsewhere?

Three pitchers with Brewers ties listed as ones to watch for the Rule 5 Draft in Baseball America. I will not list much details and will paraphrase to respect their premium content: Shane Smith, RHP - UDFA signing - highlighting his repertoire and that he profiles as reliever more. (I worry he will be with another organization this upcoming year sadly) Evan Reifert - former UDFA signing as well who was traded to Tampa for Brosseau. His stuff isn't as good, and he had a bad 2023 and bounceback 2024. Yujanyer Herrera - IFA for the Brewers and traded to Colorado as part of the Mears deal - reported that he had TJ surgery recently per their report. So while he was viewed by some (like me) as a big loss as a pitching prospect, this injury and his rule V status would have made it hard for him in the org. The TJ surgery was also confirmed separately on X:

Depth is pretty good as far as prospects, where there are multiple players who can be the future at that position, and competition is good, plus defensive homes are in flux. But in general I see 1B/DH - Black, Boeve, EMJ, Burke 3B/1B - Wilken, Adams, Bitonti SS/3B - Pratt, Made, Pena, Quintana, Guilarte, and Baez (3B/UT) 2B/SS - Areinamo, EBJ, DiTuri, Adamczewski OF - Y. Rodriguez, Lara, Payne, Anderson, ORae Catcher has Quero and a lot of question marks (Corobo, Ordonez are young; Miller is not great defensively, Rodriguez and Garcia are older for their levels) RHP - Miz, Henderson, Rodriguez, Knoth, Hunt, Meccage, Wichrowski, Letson, plus others LHP - Gasser, Kuener, I feel I am missing someone here RP- Yoho, S. Smith

Unless anyone has a suggestion, if you are already a subscriber it doesn't allow you to renew with this code (my renewal is due in January 2025), so it seems to be for new subscribers or those renewing about now. The digital subscriptions allows to read/access everything on the BA.com website, without access/delivery of any printed materials. It is good read for those who like the Draft, and follow prospects closesly

Did I miss it somewhere - is there a decision on Carlos D. Rodriguez? He would be slated as a minor league FA now that the season is over, correct? If so, did he re-up? Would he have to be 40-man designation?

I think Black is solid most of the time, so maybe an 80/20 proposition, so agree technically that he is not a 50/50. But some of the plays, I don't know if they are counted as errors, and with the crazy MiLB scoring systems maybe not, but he doesn't help his fielders out, and a few errors I witnessed are the types you cannot have a MLB player allow. And he may not make enough plays that offset it, so in that I side with Joseph that Black as a fulltime IF is a risky proposition, But his athleticism is definitely good in the OF. A back up 1B is reasonable, but his time as a MLB 2b or 3b is a ship that I think sailed away late '23