YoungGeezy

It starts next off season and will help the teams like us who develop these really good players and they bail at first chance like Prince. Teams that don't develop players and trade for big name guys like Yankees will no longer get a ton of early picks. So for Greinke we would get nothing.

I would not consider trading Ax. Way to cheap for production. We tend to forget our budget is a major issue. We can't take on a 13+ million dollar contract over a what 500-800k contract. I get the sell high but way to cheap, even though first couple Arby years he won't break the bank. KRod would not except Arby from us unless there has been zero contact for a team wanting him to close. Take the picks and run with the 40+ save close whos dirt cheap

I like it, it has that mean hockey player look. Much more fitting for beast mode than the pretty boy fo-hawk we are use to seeing from him. Needs to grow out the beard more though. Its no shave November, he has to get with his Wisconsin duties lol

It would still take more than Green to land Drabek. He is still extremely promising and young. A rough first season happens

Enrique Cruz available? http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

Amen! Great non-sign

Ha much as I'd like to see Arcia in Helena I have a feeling they will send him to Arizona to get use to the states and continue to work on him physically. He is very young and physical from the pictures I have seen he needs to develop a little. I have a feeling McFarland could start in Helena. Physically he is ready, he is already a strong 6'0 200. He had top 3-5 round talent and to steal him away from a very strong commitment from a powerhouse like Rice makes me believe he will be placed there (plus with Arcia and Ra Ra Jenkins playing SS at Arizona don't see room.) If it was not for Yadier Rivera I could actually have seen him make the Scooter jump but no need. I have a lot of hope for McFarland even though in the end I see him at 3B as his power continues to grow. Plus he will already be 19 by start of the season. Early SS projection AAA Maysonet/Statia AA Prince A+ George/Shaw A Rivera R+ Chris McFarland/Draft pick R Arcia/Jenkins

I think the two players have the most to gain this season may be Bucci and Gennett. Both will start in AA at the age of 21 (Gennett 22 in May Bucci 22 in July) which is really young for the League. If they come out and and really perform well, people nationally will start to take note. It is easy to forget just how young Bucci is and has much more potential he has. By age (birthday prior to Sept. 1, season ends) (If there is no (month) that means they turned prior to season start) 27 Fiers (June) 26 Merklinger, Rivas, Rogers 25 Bowman (May), Burgos (August) 24 Seidel, Howell, Arnett, Anundsen (May), Heckathorn (June), Ross (August), Scarpetta (August) 23 Thornburg, Goforth, Ruiz, Toledo, Miller, Peralta (May), Nelson (June), Cravy (July) 22 Neives, Jungmann, Lasker, Bradley (June), Hall (June), Gagnon (June), Bucci (July) Stosh Wawrzasek (August) Next real prospects after Bucci's age show just how advanced he is for his age 21 Lorenzo (July) Dicent (August) 20 Sosa, Saba, Montano, Schaub (May), Keller (July), West (July), 19 Pierce, Lopez, Ortaga (June), Perez (July) Peguero (August) 18 Rizzo, Gomez (April) Bucci as of right now is on the similar path as Pealta where he can hit AAA by the age of 22/23. Most the guys his own age are recent draft picks, or guys who are still in rookie to A ball. Every year his overall stuff has gotten better. More velocity, more command, the abilty to throw more pitches in more counts, and his movement has gotten better. How he does this season in AA at the age of 21 could really boost his stock.

I am all for Gonz and have been extremely disappointed that he is the only SS we have not been linked to what so ever. I'd take his defense over nearly any other FA and his bat is not great but nor is Furcal, Barmes, Yuni, and etc. Reyes and Rollins are the only ones who offer both O and D, the rest are very one-side.

When I really look through our system this is a really defining year for our system prospect-wise. The last 2 years we have talked about being young and not knowing what type of prospects we have but know that 2009/2010 draft classes will be hitting AA, the defining level for a prospect. This year can change a lot. If thing workout right we will have a much better system overall with reliable prospects along with having some fuel for possible trades if need be. If you look at AA the team should be an exciting one that can define us. If spring goes good it should be headlined by: Hunter Morris Scooter Gennet Khris Davis Kentrail Davis D'Vontray Richardson Josh Prince (I still have faith in while many have written him off almost completely) Shawn Zarraga (still only 23 when season starts) Tyler Thornburg Nicholas Bucci Kyle Heckathorn Evan Anundsen Santo Manzanillo (to start maybe AAA) Then outside chances of Taylor Jungmann Jed Bradley Austin Ross Chris Dennis Manny Ruiz (I really like if he finds some control) plus some guys like Andre Lamontagne, Eric Marzec, Casey Medlin With this group I am excited to finally see what kind of real prospects they are. Then lets not forget some young guys who will finally be out of rookie ball that could start to make more of a name for themselves in Wisconsin Tyler Roberts Yadier Rivera Cam Garfield (think he starts in BC) Max Walla Kenny Allison (watched him in rising star game and Lo Cain just could get out of my mind) Ruben Ozuna (good healthy spring I think he could make it, they were very aggressive with him in 2011 til injuries, Seid has expressed much love for him.) David Goforth Drew Gagnon Tyler Cravy (Outside of ERA, everything is pretty wow about him, kind of frustrating haha) Guys can help themselves in A+ like: Jimmy Nelson Nick Ramirez Eric Arnett (hopefully finally clicks and can move quick) Cody Hawn Brooks Hall (hoping he can get some K's and groundballs) however they are older so AA will be their biggest jump but this season is a big stepping stone Then lastly you look at all this young talent who may explode once rookie ball gets going. We finally loaded up on young kids and it will be interesting to see who starts to jump out and seperate, Arizona was rough for must but it is a tough transition from high school to pro ball Jorge Lopez Michael Reed Chris McFarland Joel Pierce Dustin Houle Dustin Keller Jalen Harris Hitaniel Arias Jose Garcia Orlando Arcia Malcolm Dowell Will West Carlos Sosa and the list goes on with young talent with a lot of potential While these guys do not have much impact on our overall system (trade, top prospects, etc) because it is just rookie ball but because they are young it will give us a lot of excitement for the overall health of the system. Really I wish it was Spring already because this is going to be a huge season for our system. What are all your thoughts?

I think the thing I don't understand is why do you showcase Meadows for every scout in baseball in the AFL then don't protect him when he throws really well(outside of walks). To me that makes no sense and think someone will take a shot with him. Bad deciding not adding him in my opinion

Except Scooter can't even play 2nd, how in world he can he play SS? Just because he is small doesn't mean he can play SS. SS is the second hardest position in baseball behind catcher and everyone wants to move a guy who does not have that the great of an arm, not a ton of range, and that great of of fielder there? Trust me, if he had a hope or prayer of being a SS, Melvin, Ash, Nichols and the rest would have given him an opportunity to fail. I think they realize just as much as us that we lack SS depth but they realize Scooter just plain and simple is not a SS. I think Prince will jump back on the scene this season in AA, then we have Rivera who has Escobar type flash in the field (please god let him stop growing!!!) and real power potential once he fills some major holes in his swing. Arcia will most likely be in the states and will keep getting better. We'll see where McFarland plays (2B,SS,3B, or CF).

Kjeldgaard makes sense. I read that MILB write up on our top players last season at each position and it seems like Nichols and Cole like him a lot. For his size and power he is actually a pretty athletic guy. He is older but he is also still developing as a hitter after starting out as a pitcher. Every year he has got better. He k's waaaay to much much but he is kind of that Russell the Muscle type hitter. He will swing and miss a lot but if he makes contact your in trouble. Always liked Gindl, hopefully he can prove a lot of people wrong but not sold on him being better than Hart at any point in his career. Once he starts hitting 25 HRs a season and driving in a bunch of runs I could change my mind. I see him as a .260 to .270 hitter who will hit 10-15 HRs and drive in some runs but I don't see All-Star potential. He could be very servicable though. He never has been a guy who just goes on tears, usually he is consistantly good but never has wow moments

Quick note/question. If you struggle to handle 2nd, how in the world will you handle SS? When Weeks was really bad at 2nd should we have moved him to SS? When Lawrie couldn't handle 2nd so well should we have moved him to SS. Even Gamel or Braun when they struggled at 3rd, should we have moved them to SS? Just because he is small and played SS in high school (which most 2b, 3b, even many OF's played SS in high school because they are the top athlete and fielder on their own team) doesn't mean they can handle playing it at a higher level. Eric Farris is a sick at 2b but is not all that great at SS. Gennett does not have a rocket arm, and he is not loaded with range. If you watched in in Appleton, you weren't sitting there like wow, this kid needs to be a SS. More likely you are sitting there like wow, this kid need a lot of work if he is even going to handle 2nd base. SS is the second hardest spot on the diamond. You can't just throw him there because he is small and "should" be able to play there. If he stood a chance I highly doubt the Brewers wouldn't gave him ever opportunity to fail there. He just is NOT a SS. When it comes to him as a prospect, I do not think he is overrated nor am I worried about his walks unless he was striking out at a high rate along with the low bb's (not the case). He is 21 and can improve his base running, he is a decent athlete. He will never be a guy stealing like crazy or stretching out hits but he can cut out the mistakes a bit. Defense will continue to improve at 2nd base and hopefully get up to Weeks level (not great but not a complete liability out there) Really when you have that great of a hit tool the other stuff will not worry you as much as long as he gets them to average. He is not the complete package but still a good prospect.

Briggs has never looked at Greinke's stats outside of ERA. If he'd look at all of them and more importantly some advanced stats, he'd notice that Greinke was by far our best pitcher. He lead the team in almost every possible catagory. So if he is worth nothing and not important to the team, I guess Yo is really not important. Also it is a terrible decision to make the Greinke Marcum trades a trend. Developing pro prospects is kind of important. We can't do that if we need to clean our whole house every 1 to 2 years by trading for more pitchers. Frontline guys are not cheap. Keeping Yo and Greinke give us 2 Aces and will gives us 2 out of 5 games that we can be confident that we have a chance to win. You don't get that with Wolf, Narvy, Peralta, Fiers, etc

I think their is no possible argument that every Top Brewer list shouldn't have: 1. Peralta 2. Thornburg I think people still just want to hate on him because of his size. I know everyone is hoping and praying Jungmann and Bradley are saviors but until they really get out there and show it, Thorny shouldn't have to take a back seat to them. Bradley needs to be higher than Jungmann. BA bases rating on projectiability usually and Bradley tops Jungmann in in most projectable areas. I hope Jungmann proves me wrong but what guy are we getting? The guy ranges from 88-97 mph, his secondary stuff is not great, and mechanics are a little worrisome. Bradley sits 91-94, has 4 pitches he can go to in any count, is a south paw, and his mechanics are consistant and clean. I'd put them 4. Bradley 5. Jungmann Usually I'd put Green in at three but Scooters stock is soaring right now so it makes it a tough decison. We will learn a lot about him this season in AA, hopefully he comes out like Lawrie and kills it. One way or another Green and Gennett are at 3 or 6 for me. Green more than showed that last season that he belongs up top. My gut as of today still goes: 3. Green 6. Gennett Schaefer has been outstanding and has plenty of tools to me he slides in at 7 7. Schaefer Scarpetta is extremely fustrating but that mid 90 fastball and that flithy curveball still gives me a lot of hope. Hopefully he finds command eventually 8. Scarpetta Lopez is talented but im not about to start throwing Arizona rookie league guys out there. Once he gets to A ball or is really exceling in Helena then im all in but not just because of a few innings, draft position, and potential he is still a ways from. If we add him lets start adding Yadier Rivera, Orlando Arcia, Michael Reed, Osmel Perez all as top prospects. They are all very raw but project really high. Nelson had a season that was always one inning from being really good. He has tools to work with and you can see why the brewers liked him but he still needs to improve in a bunch of areas. Outside of groundballs, there isn't much to brag about. Heckathorn is another guy who usually gets a bunch of love but that pounding in AA has me a little nervous of how good he will be. Then you have Fiers who has just been lights out as a closer and a starter since the first time he took the mound. He doesn't have the stuff to die for like a Scarpetta but he just knows how to pitch. From what I have heard and seen he hides the ball amazingly (Collmenter like) and could be a solid back end guy. 9. Fiers Then last if we want to go off pure talent and potential, Richardson needs to make the top 10. He has continued to get better and show more and more flashes of what he could be. It would be nice if someone in the organization could teach how NOT to be the worse base stealer in the world but that will hopefully improve. It is also to important to remember he has now had 2 years in his who life of focusing just on baseball. This will be his third off-season with no football to worry about and will hopefully taske another huge step forward in 12' like he did in 11' 10 Richardson Not to far off what they had but I prefer this much more 1. Peralta 2. Thornburg 3. Green 4. Bradley 5. Jungmann 6. Gennett 7. Schaefer 8. Scarpetta 9. Fiers 10. Richardson

Broxton is #1 target for me. Street has been a favorite of mine since he was lighting it up as a 3rd baseman/ Closer for Texas in their powerhouse days. Rogers and Braddock would make up the dream 8th inning if potential met results. But not banking on it.

Well Saito, KROD, Yuni, need to get going and sign quick! I don't see us offering any of them (Yuni and Saito would say yes.) except KRod since he does not want to be back and pitching set-up

I guess it only takes one dumb team (usually the Nationals) to pony it up but his agent is kidding himself if he thinks there is a market for a 5 year deal for him 3 with a 4th option I think is most likely.

Sorry about that, read it wrong

Jimmy Rollins is the guy no one mentions that I'd love to sign. Reyes of course is the dream but won't happen. Rollins is by far #2 option. Haven't heard the numbers he has been said to want though.

I would think it would take 3 seconds to get a GM to trade Headley for Thornburg or Peralta but no way do I give up a huge piece of our pitching future for just about any 3B not named David Wright! We need more pitching, not less As far as Headley. Sure I'd love to add him but as was mentioned it wouldn't really be a wise move salary cap wise, we need to utlize the minimum salary guys and if we spend bigger money it should be on players like Greinke or Fielder or a big free agent like a Reyes type I disagree. Pitching is much harder to find than hitting. GM's don't like to trade top pitching prospects for a middle of the pack 3rd baseman. (He fits in as the 12-16 best 3rd baseman in baseball) Why trade your top pitching prospect(s) for a pretty good hitting, solid defensive player (nothing great just solid). If your going to dip into the water, man up add a few more prospects and get a top guy. We can find another Headley, we can't just grab another legit pitching prospect off a tree.

Lol, His AA ETA is most likely not even until 2015, maybe mid 2014. People are not thinking very logical with maybe the Brewers most raw pitcher in the system. He is not anywhere near the polish of Yovani coming out of high school. He will not break Spring in Appleton and unless he flats out dominates in Helena he will not be promoted (2012). 2013: He will start in Wisconsin, pitch there for a full-season unless he is making what Thornburg did look silly, we will not be promoted. 2014: Start in BC, pitch full-season there unless he is looking like the greatest pitcher in Brewer history. 2015: He makes it to AA and will be sped up if he is performing. It is raw for the Brewers to push a raw young arm fast at the lower levels and if people are expecting them to treat Lopez like Yovani, be ready to be frustrated. He in all likely will have the similar path as Bucci and the other high school arms. If he takes off in AA in 2015, we could see him in in 2016 but more likely in 2017.

Peralta, Thornburg, Gennett to me need to be untouchable this season unless it is for some big time player. One, 2013 we are going to have holes in the rotation so they are much more needed either to compete or be used in a Greinke type deal. Two, right now they are really our system. This is a big year where many of our prospects are FINALLY going to be in AA which makes or breaks them as a prospect. Plus how good will Bradley and Jungmann be? By 2013 we will have a much better feel for what we really have in the system and hopefully many set up and make them more expandable. I just don't think Headley is worth it. He is good but I rather keep Thorny and have Green/McGehee stay at third. McGehee will bounce back, I don't think we need to panic so much. McGehee/Green I think will be fine. Why waste a prospect?

I couldn't disagree more. You don't push for a 22 year old who had only what 7 starts higher than A ball to be in your rotation if you don't feel he is special. Literally they made that job his to lose which he ended up doing. Outside of the games, RR made it seem like he was thriving all camp. As long as he keeps a handle on his command he has a chance to help now (not be ace like but slot in very well at the bottom) Not too many other high GB, High K, power arms floating around in our system. I think he will get great experience this season and be ready to breakout in 2013. He has really proved he can pitch. Thornburg i think is a little further back because his third pitch still needs a bunch of work and his command still needs to be more consistant. Rogers needs to be done starting (he is a closer/set up man) and is out of options so he has to make a big splash in ST. Fiers is the closest to being able to contribute but is a bottom of rotation type of guy.