Thundercat32

wibadgers, yeah those are excellent numbers from Odorizzi. I'm going to keep an eye on him for sure. Here's a thought I had with the Braves trade rumors circling out there. Let me know what you think about this. Atlanta is looking for an outfielder since Heyward is coming off the DL and McClouth has been a disappointment. They're targeting Bautista, Willingham, and Hart. I think I'd be in favor of moving Hart there for a pitching prospect, and if I can move Mat Gamel there as a replacement for Chipper Jones to get a better pitching prospect then I do that. I hear the Braves have high hopes for Edward Salcedo, a young SS prospect who they think will eventually move to 3B. So i don't know if Gamel interests them, but if so thats a deal that makes a lot of since, particularly if you can pry loose Julio Teheran their #1 pitching prospect or Arodys Vizcaino a 19 yr old pitching prospect with big upside kinda like Perez.

dlk9s, hey whats up bro. Good to know somebody here right off the bat... Thanks for the welcomes fellas and hawing thanks for the inside tip on the lingo. I think I could go on and on about the Smoak trade and the reasons not to do it, but ultimately it comes down to a disagreement in philosophies and timing. Do you strengthen your playoff chances this year at the expense of really hurting your playoff chances for years to come? I'm a guy thats usually against it. However, I did think it made sense for the Mavericks to trade Devin Harris for Jason Kidd. Dirk was getting up there in years and Devin wasn't necessarily fitting in with the offense. I agreed with that trade b/c it was time to strike while the iron was hot. The Rangers are in a completely different stage as a team. Unlike the Mavericks they haven't been the to Championship game they have little to no playoff experience. There's nothing to suggest this is their year. When you really break it down its a team of guys who are running really hot right now (the team's BaBip is tied for 5th right now in the Majors) who isn't quite as good as their record indicates beating up on the weakest interleague schedule of anyone in the league. Now they have Cliff Lee maybe they are as good as their record indicates, but I still don't think they're favored over the Yankees. I just think they picked the peach of the tree before it was ready. In 2 years, I think they would be favored over the Yankees a declining 38 yr old Jeter, 37 yr old A-Rod, and likely retired 43 yr old Rivera. Sure they're the Yankees and retool at will, but even for them thats a tall order of superstars to replace. In Jeter and A-Rod's case they're both probably still at that point they're good enough you can't cut them, but not good enough to win titles anymore. Meanwhile you have Josh Hamilton, Nelson Cruz, and Ian Kinsler all in their very early 30s dominating, plus more seasoned players in Elvis Andrus, Neftali Feliz, Julio Borbon, Derek Holland, (Justin Smoak). Also you have Michael Young who's 36 but able to contribute as the DH, and you have guys like Martin Perez who are hopefully up and having terrific rookie seasons. It just doesn't make any sense from that perspective, which I think is the correct perspective. Plus, unlike Jason Kidd you're not likely to resign Cliff Lee. So you put all of your eggs in one basket and hit your opponent when he's strong and not at his weakest. How does that make sense? Insomniac, first off I can relate lol, secondly thanks for the info on Tim on the 1250 postgame show. I really hope that isn't the guy I was hard on, I'd feel like a jerk. Well, I now have a pet project this week which is to look through the sabremetric numbers at my disposal and try to make heads or tails of whether Hart is running like God right now or whether this is something he might legitimately be able to maintain. My big concern with him is he's such good friends with Braun I'd hate to upset Ryan. Still hopefully they all know this is a business and you have to make decisions that are in the business' best interest. We'll likely have to come to the same realization with Prince soon.

wibadgers, what I've read so far leads me to believe the top prospect is Brett Lawrie and then it drops off substantially. Although, thats not considering we have top prospects Alcides Escobar, Johnathan Lucroy, and Zach Braddock already up with the big club this year. From there the guys that impress me the most are (in order) Eric Arnett, Lorenzo Cain, Mat Gamel (I'm very skeptical he's nothing more than a journeyman big leaguer, but he's a more known commodity so he gets the nod over others), Amaury Rivas, and I might throw in Jeremy Jeffress, but he reeks of lost cause. Of course you also have to factor in this year's first round pick Dylan Covey, but thats going to take some time. So make a case to me for the other guys, b/c really no one else is screaming I'm a unique talent. At least not at first glance. Edit: Oh also, about Jon "Wonderboy" Daniels GM of the Rangers. I'll give him credit he did pull off the biggest heist in Major League history with the Teixeira trade, but every other move he's made has ranged from down right atrocious to highly questionable. And yeah maybe I have a soft spot for Doug Melvin, because he lead the Rangers to their first ever playoff appearance. I also like him, because he use to come on a local sports show called the Hardline and really came across as an all around good guy. That said, if the next Billy Beane is waiting to take over the reigns for the Brew Crew, too bad so sad Doug Melvin. 2nd Edit: Whoops, maybe I should wait til the Brewers sign Covey before I start signing his praises

I agree it makes it more likely Prince will test the free agent waters first. However, history shows some Boras clients are traded while with their team and under contract see A-Rod. Now true that was to the Yankees and it doesn't appear the Yankees need Prince's services, but Edwin Jackson is a Boras client and he's hot and heavy on the rumor mill to be dealt. So I don't know thats necessarily true.

Just purely from an On Base Percentage standpoint WeeksFielderHartBraunMcGehee would make some sense. Fielder's OBP is the highest, but you don't want him leading off. He leads the majors in Walks so why not let him get on base for the other big bats in the lineup? Hart is less of a singles hitter than Ryan so you like that with Prince's speed (or lack thereof). The rest of the lineup is pretty subpar so I'm not sure it matters a great deal what order they are in, but I might go something like Edmonds/LucroyLucroy/EscobarPitcherGomez/Escobar *depending on who your CF'er is for the evening/afternoon. I'm guessing if Joe Inglett ever plays its at 2B to spell Rickie, but if he's in at OF he probably deserves the 2 hole and then you just push everyone down a spot.

Hello Brewers Nation, I just responded to the Cliff Lee to the Rangers thread and shared my thoughts on that deal. That trade has landed me a Brewers fan. Just briefly, I grew up with the Rangers rooting for them as a kid from 88-94. Then Major League Baseball gave all of the fans the finger with the strike year '94 and I got into basketball and never came back until my best friend a devoted Rangers fan got me hooked again during the 2008 season. Getting back into baseball has been like being a little kid again. The Rangers have been alot of fun to watch and root for since '08. The young talent on that team is phenomenal. However, trading Justin Smoak is an unforgiveable sin in my book. I would say its akin to trading Ryan Braun in his rookie season to a division rival for 3 months service of whoever their top pitcher was at the time. Sure its great for those 3 months, but what about the next 10 years? In my view the Rangers do things the wrong way and to put it bluntly just aren't that smart from the GM to the Manager to the way the players themselves approach the game. They're one of the most undisciplined teams at the plate. They just don't do any of the little things it takes to win. Now I'm sure some of you are thinking to yourself, and you think any of this is going to improve becoming a Brewers fan? Well first of all, my Dad's first date with my Mom was at County Stadium back in 1974 I do believe. My Dad's favorite baseball player is Robin Yount and I was born in Hartford, Wisconsin. I still have relatives in the Green Bay area (although I'm not converting to a Packers fan, but hey Go Tony Romo amirite? lol) I have ties to the Milwaukee area and have always secretly rooted for the Brewers and followed them to some degree from afar. Ok, so I need help getting caught up. Since Friday I've taken a crash course in all things Brewers. I'm familiar with the 25 man, the 40 man and some of the Power 50. I'm up to speed on the current pressing issues.... what do you do with Prince? to trade or not to trade Corey? what about Rickie (and how does Lawrie factor into all of this)? I'm aware of the team needs. I know pretty much everyone wants to lop off Macha's head and roll it right into Lake Michigan. Obv, I've heard about Bob Uecker's health concerns and surgery. Get well soon Bob! Here's where I could use some help. I know the games are broadcast on WTMJ. I listened to Bill Michaels and Davey Nelson do yesterday's post game show. Then I listened to some old archived Bill Michaels tailgater pregame shows. I like Bill he pilots the show well, although he's not the most insightful, he's still very knowledgable. Then I listened to Tim & Sparky on 1250AM Sportsradio Milwaukee on the Ussinger's post game show. I don't remember which guy it was, but one of them I thought was a super generic goofball. He just kept saying things like the whole goal is win the World Series and we gotta get some pitching in here. I was thinking to myself geez, Einstein wanna tell me something I don't already know? The other guy was really good tho. I heard an archived interview with Anthony Witrado on Bill Michaels' show. I thought he was kinda meh. I don't know I could be spoiled here Dallas is a top 10 market, maybe top 5 so all of the media personalities are usually very experienced by the time they take the air. It would make sense Milwaukee would have more people newer to the business. Or then again maybe I'm just use to the guys I've grown up with. But I really don't think thats the case. Evan Grant who is the former beat writer of the Rangers for the Dallas Morning News and now covers them basically on his own is just OUTSTANDING. And of course the radio voice of the Rangers, Eric Nadel is a 32 year veteran and a local legend. I'm an online poker player by trade, so that lends itself to very long hours and the need for audio entertainment. I'd love to find some podcasts to listen to on Brewers baseball. So far Google searches have turned up dry. Although, I did find this site. I think it'd be a great idea for this site to start a podcast. Maybe the forum members could contribute from week to week so its not such a huge undertaking. Seems like a good revenue stream. The only other thing I'd like to mention. I read Moneyball last fall and really have gotten into sabermetrics since. I have ALOT to learn, but I'd love to talk to some Brewers fans who are knowledgeable of sabermetrics and can bring me up to speed there. I'll give you an example. Last year I was very excited about Scott Feldman's future possibilities. Then I got into sabremetrics and learned he was really just extremely lucky last season and he was very unlikely to ever repeat that kind of season again. I have a feeling something similar is going on with Corey Hart this season, although I haven't checked the statistics just yet. On the whole some sabermaticians can be really snobby and quite geeky, but it is a fantastic tool. It can help you take a better look at things like, is this guy really this good or is he just very lucky? On the flip side it can give you hope for players that are struggling or it can pretty much confirm yeah this guy stinks! Ok sorry for the long winded post, but I'm just so excited. Getting to start from scratch with a whole new team, a team from the city I was born in. It just makes me feel like an 8 yr old kid all over again. Go Brew Crew! Thundercat32

*read the quoting guidelines, but I think the entire message should be quoted to allow me to respond to each (excellent) point. Hello Brew Crew Nation, I have officially joined your ranks. I live in Plano, TX (a suburb of Dallas) and was a HUGE Texas Rangers fan until the Justin Smoak/Cliff Lee trade. I'm going to create my own thread, b/c there is a lot of guidance/info I'll need that I don't want to backlog in this thread. I can just say imagine how upset I would have to be to just abandon ship on the Rangers while they're in first place and headed to the playoffs over one trade. I've followed every pitch since the 2008 season and I'm very familiar with the Rangers farm system. Justin Smoak is absolutely untouchable in my opinion. Everyone here in Dallas thinks this is some kind of major victory for the Rangers. The Rangers have been awful for so long, no one paid attention to whats been developing over the past 3 seasons. The Cliff Lee trade was a sheer panic move of the highest order! I think its fair to speculate it was ordered from Nolan Ryan/Chuck Greenberg fearing they may no longer be involved with the team after this season and they wanted to make every effort to go out on top. I can't be a fan of a team who's management is so short sighted. Lueke and Lawson are both who cares prospects, in the sense you have no idea what they may or may not become so if you can trade for a proven commodity by all means do so. Beaven was the #7 overall pick in 2007 and has some serious chops as a minor league pitching prospect. He's definitely far from inconsequential, but I'd still be a Rangers fan if the deal only included these 3 and say Chris Davis. Beaven doesn't bother me, because you are acquiring Cliff Lee for a playoff run and there's a slim chance you're able to resign him. Plus if you don't you'll receive a high first round supplemental pick for Lee and be able to acquire a talent comparable to Beaven. The same can't be said for Justin Smoak. Justin Smoak shouldn't even be at the major league level yet. He should still be tearing up AAA for the Oklahoma City Redhawks. People in Dallas have been ignorant enough to say good we didn't need his .209 BA clogging up the lineup anyways. Good riddance to Baseball America's #13 overall rated prospect? I think the general populous in the DFW area (Dallas/Fort Worth) are so thirsty for a playoff appearance they don't care what they gave up. A few quick facts on Smoak, he's 2nd amongst all rookies in Walks with 38 (and didn't arrive in Arlington until April 23rd). He's tied for 57th in the Major Leagues in P/PA (Pitches seen per Plate Appearance) at 3.96. While he's batting .209 his BaBip (Batting Average on Balls put In Play) is .237 while the league average is .298. So he's had a boatload of hard luck hitting line drives right at somebody, or flyballs to the alleys that don't drop in, seeing eye singles that don't see so well, you get my point. Lastly, its this cut & dry. A guy like Smoak you have to make a player evaluation on right now, b/c the trade is happening right now. Either you think he's just another prospect or you believe he's a bonafide superstar in the making and you cloak him with the untouchable label. I'm willing to say it right now and stand by it. Justin Smoak is the next Mark Teixeira. How you could even dream of trading him for half a season of Cliff Lee is beyond me. Especially considering this is the same GM that traded Adrian Gonzalez and Chris Young for Adam Eaton and some Japanese guy who I can't even remember his name right now. And he made this trade for a team with a sum total of 1 playoff victory in team history. What in the wide, wide world of sports makes you think this team is ready for a World Series push? I mean you can make an argument for it. Will you ever have Vlad hitting like this again? As brittle as Josh Hamilton is don't you have to take advantage of the year he's having now? I've heard all of those arguments. Here's my retort, so in game 7 of the ALCS you're going to send Neftali Feliz in his first full season in the majors to go out and shut down Derek Jeter, Robinson Cano, and Mark Teixeira? Elvis Andrus is ready this year to lead off for you vs the top 3 arms from every playoff team under pressure he's never experienced before? And lastly a team with one of the worst road records of any playoff contender is going to go into a series vs the Yankees, Red Sox, Twins or Tigers where they likely won't have home field advantage and come out on top? Its like the drug czar in Bad Boys said "I can't work with that kind of stupidity". So Brewer Nation please welcome me with open arms. I am a native son having been born in Hartford, WI. Also, the Brew Crew has always been my favorite National League team (that is after the realignment of course).