Thundercat32

I work in the Food Service industry now, and I'm learning about different cheeses from all over the world. Of course, one of the most often mentioned places is Wisconsin. I figured I'd post here & see if any fellow Brewers' fans work in a creamery or Dairy farm and would be willing to share some information with me. In particular, does anyone here have a Master's Mark certification? Thanks

I'd like to see the Brewers sign him too. But, A) The Rangers are going to have him travel with the team for the rest of the year as soon as he's medically cleared to do so. B) He's tight with his Rangers' teammates. Who's still around, outside of Braun, from his time in Milwaukee for him to still have any ties with on the team? I'm more concerned about Prince at this point than the fans. He's taken this pretty hard, as anyone would, and if traveling with the Rangers & staying close to the teammates he feels closest with will make him feel the best, then I'm all for it.

They broke into the local sportsradio station, here in Dallas, for Prince's press conference. It was a difficult, yet touching, listen. Not since 2-3 months into his Detroit Tigers days have I heard, or for the most part thought myself, anything other than he's overpaid/under-performed. Even the first 2-3 pages of this thread are mostly about whether he'll collect on the rest of his contract or not. Little to no mention of his heart or character. I have a different perspective than most here. I was born in Milwaukee and always had a soft spot for Milwaukee/Wisconsin sports teams in my heart since I was old enough to remember. They were always my "2nd favorite team". Then, I got fed up with the Rangers in 2010, and I jumped into the Brewers' organization headfirst. I knew of Prince Fielder & co, but I didn't know much about them. I started looking up Youtube videos, I got the MLB package & started listening to Brian Anderson & "Rock", I started posting here. The first thing that jumped out at me is how much fun Prince looked like he was having. The guy was bigger than life! It makes me very sad that a 32 year-old is forced to retire from a game that he loves so much (listen to the press conference, you'll hear it in his voice), and a game that he made so much fun for so many others. The entire Rangers' team was in attendance for his press conference. Prince has been a literal disappointment in virtually every way since coming to Texas, and yet every member of the team was there for him. That speaks volumes. It demonstrates that the little fluff pieces on the MLB network/Fox Sports Wisconsin weren't just for TV; it shows that those interactions with teammates were real. His teammates love him! Most of all, I'm sad for his boys. Prince knows better than most big leaguers how great it is to go to the ballpark with your dad (and he's a real-life major leaguer!), and now that experience is over for them. So, let's squash the contract talk in this thread. Prince Fielder was a true ambassador for the game. He has true heart, and his name is deserving of far better than that from Brew Crew nation.

You can ask a girl out, take her to a nice dinner, and if she doesn't put out, then you can make a decision about whether asking her out or not was a good decision. That's a time when results orientated thinking is okay. When you put money into a stock, it was either a good or bad idea when you made the decision not after the fact. This is an excellent strategy the Brewers are deploying. Whether Brinson lives up to his potential or not is irrelevant. If they stay with this strategy, it won't be long before they do hit on a big-time, franchise-altering player. Trading away pieces of the future for guys like Jonathan Broxton & picking up retreads like Kyle Lohse was never the answer. This much is clear now.

I understand your point, but I don't know that we can be so dismissive. Look at all of the money & other attempts the Angels have made to put a winner on the field. Their one accomplishment? They drafted Mike Trout 25th in the 2009 draft. Now, he's kept them in the worst spot you can be, mediocre for a half-decade, but without Trout the Angels are the joke of baseball. If Brinson is a difference maker, the way Wil Myers has turned out to be, or even approaching Mike Trout-level (hey it's fun to dream!), then this is far from "isn't a huge deal". The same goes for Gilbert Lara. He may end up being a bust, or he may be the next Carlos Correra. We're a small-market team that has to take boom-or-bust risks to have a chance at anything meaningful. The mere fact the organization is starting to realize this---is a huge deal! Edit: For what it's worth, this is the same principle for why I was so keen on trading Lucroy after his MVP-worthy 2014 season. We had a "Go Big or Go Home" draft that year with 3 top 50 picks. We took boom-or-bust players with Kodi Medeiros, Jacob Gatewood, and Monte Harrison. That's the perfect time to move Lucroy for 3 more big boom-or-bust potential players. The real value in boom-or-bust players is collecting several of them, within a short time frame so they'll have the same window for their arbitration clocks & maturation process, which increases your odds that you hit on at least one or two and hopefully more.

Barrett astin is pitching great in AA---unfortunately, the Brewers traded him for Jonathan Broxton in 2014 #facepalm

Without question Guerra has been helped by Lucroy's catching this season, which is a thing of the past. His peripherals, per Fangraphs, are 4.17 xfip, .242 babip (.297 league avg this season), and a microscopic 8.6% hr/fb rate, which is factored into the xfip, but is flat out unsustainable at Miller Park. So is his 77.1% left on base percentage. His 3.10 walks per 9 ip ranks 31st worst out of 95 qualified SPs. We could do (and have done) a lot worse than Guerra, so I'm not trying to knock the guy. But, let's all realize he's no building block for the future. Even if he were, the guy turns 32 in January.

I respect Heyman when it comes to baseball rumors. But, I don't place a lot of value in his personal views on talent acquisitions. I give it more credence than some buffoon like the Mad Dog, but Heyman is essentially Tom Verducci, who has gotten worse & worse since he started sharing air time with Harold Reynolds.

Reviewing the '13 draft, the first thing that stands out to me is we had no first round pick. In fact, we didn't select until pick 54; and you said yourself that you think Devin Williams still has a chance to have a productive career (which would be a sane, logical conclusion given his young age). I'm not familiar with Tucker Neuhaus and Barrett Astin's history since they were selected, but the next selection Taylor Williams didn't come until pick 122. That's the very end of the 4th round territory. The bulk of this draft was 5th round & later. So, no 1st round selection, only 1 pick in the first 71 picks, and only 3 guys taken before the end of the 4th round. I'd say the chances of no one making the majors is probably pretty good given those parameters. But, let's hold our horses a little longer & see what becomes of Devin Williams & co.

Not sure if you mean hitting his spots or limiting walks, but for the latter he has walked 1.23 BB/9 since start of July. Over his last 13 starts in high A he walked 2.06. MLB average is over 3 and he hasn't been at that since rookie ball. While every prospect could sharpen their command, Woodruff hasnt been bitten by walks too often. I don't mean anything by it myself. I was just quoting his mlb.com prospect profile; they mentioned his command. Walk rates, and especially K rates, in the minor leagues don't say a lot. They're only revealing when they're negative. That 3-2 backdoor slider Woodruff is throwing 2-3 inches off the plate for strike 3 right now, will be ball 4 when he's a rookie with the Brew Crew. So, I'm inclined to believe a scouting service if they say he has a command concern (which granted what minor league pitcher can't improve their command?). Still, I trust the scouts over the minor league #s b/c the minor league umps are down there for a reason & the big leagues play different. Like Woodruff is facing Kris Bryant 3 years from now when he's coming fresh off an MVP season. Bryant's "strike" zone will be vastly different from what Woodruff is use to seeing now.

Nearly every report we've read this season indicates Woodruff's velocity is still 95-97. That makes sense. I haven't done as much research on him. Still has to reign in the command or otherwise it won't matter if he throws 107. Lol

Fwiw, Joey Gallo has insanely high K% rates. Never a season below 26%. Most over 33.3%, and a couple over 39%. The guy has a hole(s) in his swing. Brinson instead of Gallo might be the Rangers doing us a tremendous favor. If we had acquired Gallo, who's the hitting instructor in this organization that's going to instruct the young man how to fix this hole(s) in his swing?

I see a lot of folks slotting Woodruff into future rotations. It's not crazy, but his mlb.com prospect profile says, "The Brewers believe he'll be able to refine his command enough to remain a starter. If not, Woodruff has the stuff & strong ground-ball rates to get outs coming out of the bullpen." Woodruff's velo dropped from 97 mph in college to low 90s now. He doesn't have one outstanding pitch. He has two project-able major league average pitches. Strikeout rates mean very little in the minor leagues (they're only noteworthy, if they're not there). So, I don't see a guy who's a safe bet for the rotation. I see a guy who is a fringe back end of the rotation, long relief arm. At least that's how his profile reads to me. Those in the Woodruff's a potential starter camp, any other reasons why you feel he's on that curve?

Yeah, I misread the article (it's 1am & I've had a few cold ones!). But, I edited my post & corrected my error. Cliffs: Drug suspension much less likely. Concern for Jeffress previous drug use not completely eliminated if I'm the Rangers.

You are overemphasizing Jeffress' substance issues. Jeffress failed his last drug test in 2009. By his own admission he was using to deal with epilepsy. The Blue Jays made him get treatment, found a better medication for him and subjected him to extra drug tests. By all accounts the marijuana use is far in the past with Jeffress. I agree with the rest of your assessment on this trade, but it's been over 7 years since his last drug test. I feel like he has that under control. He knows what will happen if he fails another test. Absolutely NOTHING will happen if he fails another drug test. MLBPA does NOT suspend players for testing positive for marijuana. Schlitz001, I agree with you. It does seem to be an issue in Jeffress' past; however, do you think the Rangers highlighted that concern as a negotiation tactic? I would if I were the Rangers. It does hurt his value and makes the two top pitching prospects for Jeffress pretty much a pipedream. Baldkin, Eh, I quoted an article, and then had to make an edit because I read the article wrong & cited the wrong paragraph. It seems like you are right in terms of expectation, but incorrect in terms of the letter of the law. Also, apparently players can still be suspended for marijuana, under the JDA, if they are convicted of possession by a court of law; although, there again players who have been convicted of marijuana use have yet to be suspended (though, I don't know of a player with Jeffress' past who has been convicted, yet). Here's the article, if anyone's interested: http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/marijuana-and-the-joint-drug-agreement/ I do agree this new information boosts Jeffress' value. However, it doesn't eliminate completely the chance of a lengthy suspension for Jeffress; also, given his previous poor judgement (which is how it would be spun if he were to fail another drug test or caught with marijuana in his possession), I don't think the possibility of Jeffress using another substance can be ruled out, either. He certainly carries more risk than another reliever with a clean drug use record. So, it's still a consideration if I'm the Rangers.