ramssuperbowl99

Thanks guys. Appreciated.

Disagree if the deferred money is without interest. I'd much rather pay Ramirez that money when a dollar is worth less.

Current Payroll:C – Jonathan Lucroy ($400k)C - George Kottaras (estimated $800k)1B – Mat Gamel ($400k)2B – Rickie Weeks ($10M)SS – Alex Gonzalez (estimated $3M)3B – Aramis Ramirez ($12 M)LF – Ryan Braun ($6M)CF – Carlos Gomez (estimated $2M)CF - Nyjer Morgan (estimated $2M)RF – Corey Hart ($9M)UTIL OF - Logan Schafer ($400k)UTIL IF - Taylor Green ($400k)UTIL SS - ? ($400k) Total - $45.8 M Fairly reasonable total for what I think is a solid lineup. No blatant overpays - in fact, there aren't any really bad contracts for 2012 at all here. SP – Zack Greinke ($13.5M)SP – Yovani Gallardo ($5.5M)SP – Shaun Marcum (estimated $6M)SP – Randy Wolf ($9.5 M)SP – Chris Narveson ($400k)SP - Wily Peralta ($400k) Total - $35.8 M Wolf is the only real overpay here. Greinke is expensive, but you get what you get. Gallardo and Marcum are bargains. Narveson and Peralta couldn't be cheaper. CL – John Axford ($400k)SU – Francisco Rodriguez ($13 M)RP – Jose Veras ($2.5 M)RP – Kameron Loe ($2.8 M)RP - Marco Estrada ($400k)RP - ? ($400k)RP - ? ($400k) Total - $19.9 M K-Rod is the blatant "ZOMG" here. Without his contract out bullpen takes up a mere $7M of our payroll (and Axford provides more value than that on his own!). This is why K-Rod needs to be traded and the Brewers need to hope that Zack Braddock and Mark DeFilice come back to form. Grand Total - $101.5 M Wow. Big number here. Bullpen is partially responsible, but what it really is are the extensions from the young guys we kept around (Weeks, Braun, Hart, Yovani) combined with a couple free agents or trade acquisitions (Wolf, Greinke, Marcum, Ramirez). Pretty shocking, no? Big ups to Mark A for biting the bullet on the $100 M mark. EDIT: And, as if to laugh at me, Tom Haudricourt invalidates my calculations:Haudricourt Tom Ramirez's 3-year, $36 million deal will have some deferred money in it to try to help #[/s]Brewers[/b] with payroll in 2012. EDIT #2: So does Doug Melvin, apparently.Haudricourt Tom Melvin, on where #[/s]Brewers[/b] already are with 2012 payroll: "We've stretched it well beyond where we wanted to go."

Interesting math for 2012: Casey McGehee + Yuni Betancourt + Prince Fielder = 6.3 WAR Aramis Ramiez (3.6 WAR in 2011) + Alex Gonzalez (1.1 WAR in 2011) + Mat Gamel (estimated at 1.5 WAR) = 6.2 WAR

You may not care, others here may not care but it doesn't really matter what we think. All that matters is what MLB thinks and MLB thinks players deserve suspensions for stuff like this. Which is why I'm hoping that Braun gets found innocent.

http://steroids-and-baseball.com/ Read and learn BF.net File me squarely under the "I really hope he's not suspended but couldn't give a care what he puts in his body" group

This organizational philosophy brought to you by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Aram turned down a guaranteed $15m for 2012 from the Cubs. He's not signing a 2 year deal for $20m unless the market completely collapses. I'm assuming that you are talking about arbitration. As I said, I'd kick in few few million per year in incentives as well. He also got $2 million from the Cubs to go away. If that's not good enough, he can take his talents elsewhere. I've went back and forth on this guy, and I've decided that I wouldn't go more than two years. If Melvin won't go two years on guys like Hinske or JHJ, why should he go three or even four years on Ramirez? Much more risky if you ask me, especially when I'm not convinced that anyone will give him three years.Because Ramirez is better than JHJ or Eric Hinske and it's not even close? That's almost like saying, "If the Cardinals were only willing to give Rafael Furcal 2 years why did they offer Albert Pujols 10?"

People who are expecting a legitimate prospect are kidding themselves. Robbie Erlin or Koji Uehera? This would be like the Brewers taking Chris Davis for Wily Peralta. In reality, we might be able to squeeze a mediocre reliever prospect or a low level guy they don't like out of them if we throw in some cash considerations. But that's it.

Do we actually know anything about this guy? I can't find anything so far.

This. Scooter is one of those guys overrated by scouts because they see a great hit tool and forget that he isn't that great at getting on base.

As for Thornburg's innings, I don't think IP is a great way to evaluate pitchers' workload - it's more of an approximation that we have to use since better data isn't always available. Thornburg threw several outings in excess of 130 pitches as his season wound down, and often pitched on short rest. That can be far more damaging than throwing 30 more IP spread throughout the season. Further, the Brewers' handling of TT after he signed was evidence they clearly thought he was overworked. He pitched sparingly on very strict pitch counts. And while Roy Oswalt and Tim Lincecum come to mind, they are really the only workhorses I know that are TT's size. In general, small size like that tends to limit the player based on the sheer physics of throwing a baseball that hard. I hardly think my opinion on this is controversial. That said, Thornburg is an impressive prospect who would probably find his way into the Top 150 of overall prospects. He's dominated his level, smoothed out his motion, and demonstrated absolutely outstanding velocity. Further, his mechanics seem to work for him. However, when provided with two players of similar upside, I'm going to take the one who has a more traditional frame. That's really the reason I have Bradley and Jungmann over him. It's certainly close and I wouldn't criticize someone who went with Thornburg as the 2nd best prospect in the system. As for Scarpetta, you're right. It was Peralta that had TJS and came back from it. Thank you, that's noted. When I saw Jungmann he was 91-93 with good run. Is it possible that you saw him on a back night or did I just see him amped up?

1. He's a terrible hitter. 2. He's a terrible defender.3. Yuni doesn't have a prime. There might be a period on his aging curve where he sucks marginally less than the rest of his career, but that is not a "prime".

While there are many "make or break" prospects for the Brewers in 2012, no one is up against the clock more so than these two. Personally, I think we are going to end up with at least one outstanding bullpen arm out of the two. Scarpetta's stuff would be particularly wicked out of the 'pen.

2. It mostly just has to do with the fact that taller people weigh more and, in general, you sacrifice the quick lateral movement a SS needs for the power that comes from an extra inch or two in your frame. It's not even really about being "fat", as plenty of guys are too big for the position and ripped. You just don't have the agility to get to grounders that shorter players do. It's the same reason NFL corners tend to be shorter, if that helps. 3. I didn't see him at A+, I saw him at AAA so I can't speak to any adjustments he made. That said, his pitch recognition is fine, but, and this might sound blunt, he just can't hit. He doesn't have the bat speed. He's not going to hit for power. I don't think he'll make enough solid contact to be anything more than an empty .220-.240 hitter. Even with his great defense, that's pretty much just a backup catcher, which are a dime a dozen. That's why I'd take a young guy with upside for a more prominent role over him, and that's why he's not on the list. As for the two first rounders above Thornburg, it's because Thornburg is short, has violence in his delivery and was overworked to hell in college. I think he's a huge injury risk, and if I told you to list the aces that are Thornburg's height and weight, you'd name Tim Lincecum. That comparison is about as valid as the Dustin Pedroia - Scooter Gennett (read: not at all). Thornburg won't be able to pitch 200 IP a year in the big leagues for an extended period of time, whereas a guy like Jed Bradley or Taylor Jungmann has the frame to be a workhorse. Further, the main reason someone would rank Thornburg ahead of Bradley or Jungmann is that he's had success already and is closer to the majors. That said, I'd expect Bradley and Jungmann to debut for High A and move quickly, so that's not as big of a gap as you might think. Ultimately for me, upside wins out. Thornburg might be a mid rotation starter who is hurt a bunch and a good pitcher when he's healthy. Bradley might be an ace. Jungmann might be a consistent, 200 IP workhorse #3/#2.

Kotsay played CF in 1885, why can't he do it now?

BUT WHAT WILL WE DO IN CF!?!?!?!?

1. While Gennett did slug .400, his ISO was .106 and most of his slugging came from his BA. Not the kind of thing that scream power projection. 2. The tallest shortstops that I know of are Derek Jeter, who is terrible defensively, and Troy Tulowitzki, who is a freak of nature. Most SSs are on the 5'10" to 6'0" range, so when someone like Yadiel Rivera or Orlando Arcia is 6'2" or 6'0" at a young age, you have to wonder about their ability to play the position long term.3. I don't think he can hit. Long swing, not much power, and honestly reserve catchers are a dime a dozen. Give me the guys with a chance to be full time catchers any day. (I'm also really into upside, hence no Kjeldgaard, who has an equally long swing as a corner OFer and isn't going to hit as he moves up the ladder.)

Thanks, I appreciate it. There are two rotations that I think are noteworthy when looking at Milwaukee's MiLB system. Here they are: Rotation 1: Peralta/Thornburg/Bradley/Jungmann/LopezRotation 2: Perez/Gomez/Rizzo/Dicent/Peguero The first one is the top 5 pitching prospects we have in the system. The 2nd one is a LA rotation. It's pretty amazing that the Brewers have essentially reconstructed an entire LA program in 2-ish years without breaking the bank on any one prospect. That is a huge kudos to their scout team. What remains is to begin moving these prospects to America and getting them in the AFL as soon as possible. While this is hardly easy, SS controversies like "who will be our AFL SS - McFarland or Arcia" are the kind of thing prospect nuts dream of. What also is critical is to continue mining Canada for everything its got. Jalen Harris in the 41st round could be the steal of the century if his tools develop I think they might. Nick Bucci has already proven the Brewers have a proven eye up north-ey. Ultimately, 2012 is a make-or-break year for many Brewer prospects. If we get some big time breakout seasons, we'll be a top 10 system. If not, we'll need more outstanding drafting like 2011 to ensure that there will be great, cheap beermakers in the future.

Just to keep everyone anxiously awaiting a P50 update from climbing up the walls, I present to you my (made in China, knock-off) Power 50. 1. Wily Peralta, RHP, AAA, 22 years old In June, I wrote this about Peralta, “What has stopped Peralta is inconsistency, and while he has steadily risen through the minor league ranks, he has yet to really dominate any of them. It’s becoming more and more likely that this is the real Wily Peralta, and a back end starter or dominant bullpen arm is his future. He still has plenty of time to figure it out, but he needs to dominate minor league levels before he can force his way into a major league rotation.“ Almost as soon as I wrote it, Peralta took the next step. His velocity on his fastball went from sitting in the low-90’s with good life to being anywhere from 93-98 mph while maintaining that life. The increase came from Peralta tweaking his mechanics and becoming healthy from a hamstring pull that he suffered early in the season, meaning it may not be a flash in the pan. The mechanical tweaks also helped him improve the command of his secondary stuff, a mid-80’s slider with nice 2 plane bite and a low-to-mid 80’s changeup with good fade and improving arm action. Suddenly, Peralta went from a guy with a nice fastball and inconsistent secondary pitches to a guy with a near overpowering fastball and a solid 3 pitch mix. His frame isn’t ideal, at 6’2”, 240 pounds. However, he kind of fits the Chad Billingsley mold of a guy who will eat innings. For what it’s worth, scouts don’t question his durability despite the fact that he had Tommy John Surgery as a young guy. While Peralta hasn’t had a Tim Lincecum type season in the minors, his ERA’s in Huntsville and Nashville (3.46 in 120 IP and 2.03 in 30 IP) in combination with his strikeout rate (147 in 141 IP) solid walk rate and good ground ball inducing ability makes him an impressive pitching prospect. He’s had success at a young age, his stuff is quite good, and there is no reason he couldn’t start 2012 in Milwaukee’s rotation. As far as the overall prospects in baseball go, he’s somewhere in the 40-60 group, and he has solidified himself as the best prospect in Milwaukee’s system by far. Ultimately, he could be a #2 starter, but the more likely outcome is that he settles into the #3 spot. 2. Jed Bradley, LHP, Arizona Fall League, 21 years old Bradley has all the makings of a frontline starter and is a possible top 100 overall prospect. He has the size and frame from the left side which scouts love, and at 6’4”, 225 pounds he is expected to be a 200 IP MLB workhorse. His stuff is also praised, with a fastball that has touched the high 90’s but generally sits 91-94 mph, which is outstanding for a lefty. He has developing off speed stuff, highlighted by a nice slider and changeup, the latter of which features nice arm action. His mechanics won’t need any major tinkering, and aside from getting used to pro baseball and perfecting some of his secondary stuff, Bradley has a very short to do list before being major league ready. The major concern with Bradley, and the only real reason he was available at #15, was his decreased velocity before the draft. This isn’t terribly unusual, as the man has pitched a great deal of innings between the Cape Cod league and being the Yellow Jacket’s ace, so it’s likely he hit the wall. Bradley will make his Brewers debut in the Arizona Fall League, which typically resembles somewhere between High A and AA ball. This is indicative of the Brewers’ faith in Bradley and his advanced repertoire. While seeing Bradley whether Bradley can regain his velocity will be the most interesting thing (early results in that regard are positive – he was up to 94 mph in his first start), if Bradley performs well, he could start in the pitching friendly Florida State league and be ready for the Big Leagues as early as 2013. His ultimate upside is going to be dependent on how his velocity comes out, and whether he can maintain it throughout 200 IP seasons on a regular basis. If he can, he could be a very good #2 starter in the Drew Pomeranz type mold. 3. Taylor Jungmann, RHP, Unassigned, 21 years old Jungmann, a 6’6” RHP from Texas, was the Brewers’ top pick in the most recent draft at 12th overall. He has nice velocity on his fastball, touching 94-95 mph with some regularity and flirting with the upper 90’s early in the season. Near the end of the year, the wear and tear of more than 140 college innings cut his velocity down to the 91-93 range, though the life and cut on his fastball was still impressive. He also has the physical build of an ace, as he worked hard over his 3 year career at Texas to take his rail thin 180 pound frame to a healthy 225 pound frame. Personally, I think he has 10 to 15 pounds of muscle to still add (google a picture of him – he’s a rail!), and therefore even a little bit more projection in is sheer velocity. Despite his nice fastball and his dominant college seasons, Jungmann has some concerns. The most blatant downside is that he doesn’t quite offer the same potential as Bradley since he failed to miss enough bats and rack up the strikeouts we would expect from a true college ace. The reason is that his secondary stuff comes in as merely passable, with a fringe changeup and breaking ball that are going to need some polish at the major league level. The Brewers have often improved their players’ changeups, so maybe they feel they can do the same with Taylor. If that happens, he shoots up prospect lists, but until then, he’s going to be a Robin to someone else’s Batman. Further, he has the ideal size, but I question his ability to go 200 IP a year because his mechanics are a little goofy. Specifically, he kind of throws across his shoulder and throws his head out to whip his arm across. The Brewers elected to not put Jungmann in any leagues, including the AFL, because of the innings he pitched. I believe he has been assigned to an instructional league and he should be able to get some rest before resuming next season. I’d anticipate the Brewers will either send him to High A Brevard County or send him all the way to AA Huntsville, though it depends on how much tinkering they do with his mechanics. Jungmann’s innings are already built up, his fastball is solid, and with a solid winter of instruction and refinement of his secondary stuff, he has a legitimate chance to be a Brewer in late 2012 or early 2013. 4. Tyler Thornburg, RHP, High A, 22 years old Thornburg, a 22 year old righty out of Charlston Southern, was a Brewers’ 3rd rounder in 2010. While his stuff was never a question, his durability was – his size (5’11”, 185 pounds) is far from ideal and he struggled with some nagging problems during college and during his first season in rookie ball. While some organizations essentially penciled him in as a reliever, the Brewers believed in his ability to develop a changeup as a true third pitch and start in the big leagues. Thornburg’s first 2 pitches were never in question. His fastball touches 95 with regularity and even registered a couple of 98’s on the Brevard County gun later in the season. While it doesn’t have great life that velocity means it is going to register a ton of swings and misses, and so far has been effective at suppressing his home run rates. He also throws a 12-6 curveball which serves as his primary strikeout offering. Recently, the reports on his changeup are that it is improving, giving him an offering to get lefties out and renewing hope that he’s a starter long term. Thornburg has found a way to give his stuff a downward plane, as his over-the-top motion has the same arm action as Tim Lincecum (the comparisons stop there, however). Unlike Lincecum, he doesn’t have a smooth delivery, but rather has a small hitch that gives all of his pitches some deception to them and helps to compensate for a relatively straight fastball. Tyler started off absolutely destroying the Midwest League, posting an absurd 1.57 ERA (backed up by a 2.82 FIP), striking out nearly 10 per 9 and registering a nice 7-0 record in his 12 starts. He continued this success in the High A Florida State League after a midseason promotion, posting a 3.57 ERA (3.32 FIP) while striking out more than 11 guys per 9 in 12 more starts. He sits poised to start 2012 in AA Huntsville, where his ultimate upside might be more discernable. His major weaknesses right now are less than optimal control and command (3.2 BB/9 in Low A and 4.37 in High A), and averaging only 5.2 IP per start despite being dominant when he did pitch. If Thornburg wants to become something more than a #4 type starter, he needs to get deeper into games by walking fewer and develop more groundball ability. (I’m going to mention this more than 1 time in these write-ups, but a cutter would do Thornburg wonders by giving him a 4th pitch that he can get grounders on and throw consistent strikes with.) Thornburg could be ready as soon as 2013 as a starter, but more than likely will see his first action as a Brewer out of the bullpen, where his stuff profiles as a shutdown, good luck, late inning reliever. 5. Taylor Green, 3B, AAA, 25 years old Green started out 2011 a footnote that only diehard Brewer fans noticed (unless you read my 2011 farm report where I stuck him in my “5 more” category #smug). After an incredible season, I think every Brewer fan, even the casual ones, all know who Taylor Green is. This season in AAA Nashville, Green hit an otherworldly .336/.413/.583 with 22 HRs and an outstanding 55/72 BB/K. At 25, he’s hardly a spring chicken, but production like that is just impossible to ignore. He came up to the big leagues in September and showed good slap hitting ability in 37 PAs, hitting for an empty .270 average. Clearly he was adjusting to the caliber of pitching, as he didn’t walk and didn’t hit for any notable power. That said, he’s major league ready and should be in the plans of the Brewers for the start of the 2012 season at 3B. It’s been a long road for Green to get here. He was a draft and follow out of Junior College in 2006, then hit poorly in the Pioneer League. Following 2 great years in low A and high A, he hurt his wrist and missed essentially all of 2009 rehabbing. In 2010, he held his own in AA but didn’t show much power. Now, completely healthy, we are starting to see why Green was the Brewers MiLB Player of the Year in 2007. From a scouting perspective, Green is hardly toolsy. He’s 5’11”, 200 pounds and kind of stocky. He has a contact-based swing where he keeps his bat in the zone for a long time and displays a careful eye at the plate. He’s got some, but not outstanding, bat speed and can connect occasionally giving him average power. His arm and his range are average at 3B, and while he won’t make mistakes at 2B, I hardly expect he’s going to get significant playing time there. Ultimately, Green is the kind of player that scouts miss. He doesn’t wow you with any one tool, but gets the best out of his average tools and is one of those guys who seemingly can be an average to tick above average regular in spite of no overwhelming physical gifts. One area that does offer some upside is his platoon ability – Green OPS’d 1.078 against righties this year but only .741 against lefties this season in AAA. As for a final prediction – Green has made tremendous strides and has forced himself into the Brewers’ 3B plans in the future. He is the kind of guy you can stick near the top of a lineup and watch him get slap hits and walks. While he won’t steal bases and he won’t hit more than 20 HRs annually, he will play defense, take pitches (and be annoying to pitchers in the process), hit .290 or so, OBP as much as .370, and score a ton of runs because of the guys behind him. If his defense improves and he can stick at 3B, he is the kind of guy who can quietly post 3 win seasons. 6. Jorge Lopez, RHP, AZL, 18 years old Lopez is essentially the exact opposite of Taylor Green, and it’s funny they are right next to each other on this list. (I also seriously debated switching them, and in my opinion they are more or less interchangeable.) Green is old, maxed out physically, producing at a high level and ready for the big leagues. Lopez is young, has ridiculous amounts of physical projection left, hasn’t really done anything from a production standpoint and needs a long time to be ready for the bigs. Specifically, Lopez was taken in the 2nd round of this years’ draft by Milwaukee, but the general consensus was that he could have gone much higher than that. BaseballAmerica ranked him the 35th best player available, and in that regard is was a quiet steal for Milwaukee. What scouts don’t see in Green is so present in Lopez. He’s 6’4”, 165 pounds soaking wet and absolutely rail thin. He throws about 88-91, usually on the lower end of that scale, but with good movement. His motion is effortless right now, coming off a slightly higher than three-quarters arm slot and his control of the pitch is good. The velocity in itself is amazing, because there is clearly at least another 2-3 mph in that fastball based on his athletic ability, youth, and frame. Right now he has a curveball that can flash plus but often is below average because he’s still learning how to throw it and a changeup that is basically a show-me pitch. He pitches to both sides of the plate, gets nice run on his fastball, and generates grounders effectively. It’s really tough to put a grade on his secondary pitches, because the Brewers haven’t really had a chance to work with him yet. He might come out throwing a slider, cutter, and knuckle-curve for all we know, but the fact that he has decent feel for a curveball is a big plus. Athletically, Lopez is insane. In fact, if athleticism on the mound was a tool, he’d grade out as an 80 right now and would certainly have the best overall tool in the Brewers system. In fact, not only was he considered the best high school baseball player in Puerto Rico this year, he was also the top volleyball prospect in the territory. Think about that for a second. Ultimately, Lopez is probably going to either be a top of the rotation starter or not make the big leagues. His athleticism and the potential in his right arm is just crazy, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see the right mechanical tweak getting Lopez’s velocity up to the 92-95 mph range with that same movement. With all of these young players, however, Lopez also just might never figure it out. Tough to know right now. All we do really know is that we need to keep our eyes on this kid, because he could be a potential future stud. It’s worth noting I see a significant drop off in talent after these top 6 guys. While I won’t say I expect these guys to make the big leagues, I’d imagine these guys would rank in the top 10-15 in most if not all systems in baseball right now. If they miss the top 10, it’s not by much. Afterwards, these guys are top 20 players for a little while. 7. Cody Scarpetta, RHP, AA, 23 years old Scarpetta is a frustrating prospect, as he has all the stuff you could want in a pitcher, but hasn’t ever put it together. In fact, you can think about him as a year older and a year behind Wily Peralta on the development curve. His control has been his issue throughout his career, and with walk rates of 4.71, 4.71 and 4.69 as he’s climbed the ladder it just hasn’t improved. It all starts for him with throwing the fastball for strikes and maintaining his mechanics. Now, that is something that can be improved – ask Wily Peralta, who had the same problem then figured it out after spending a little time in AA. Stuff wise, Scarpetta has the nice fastball that sits in the 92 range and can touch 96. His out pitch is a great curveball – it’s the best in the system and has been for some time, probably rating somewhere around 65 on the 20-80. He’s got a changeup, but it’s a show-me pitch that he mostly uses to set up his other two offerings. Physically, he’s got an imperfect, but okay 6’2”, 250 pound frame, so he’s a Chad Billingsley type player. Unfortunately, he’s not that great an athlete on the mound, which probably has a lot to do with why he’s struggling to throw strikes. Further, he’s got some durability issues, as he’s already had Tommy John Surgery and frequently has been put on the MiLB DL in his career. So, to sum it up eloquently, we’ve got a guy with good stuff, no real 3rd pitch, durability issues and command troubles. That spells reliever to me, and because of Scarpetta’s time on the 40-man, the Brewers are going to have to appeal to send him to the minors for another year or risk losing him in the Rule 5 draft. It’s expected that appeal will be successful, so you can anticipate that Scarpetta has one last shot at “figuring it out” between AA and AAA this season. If the command improves, he can be a mid rotation starter who alternates between brilliance and pull-your-hair-out frustration. If not, he’ll be a very good reliever who should set up and might be able to close. 8. Mat Gamel, 1B, AAA, 26 years old He’s not technically a prospect, having surpassed the minimum AB requirement, but I consider him here because he hasn’t really had a full time shot at the big league level. Gamel has been stuck in AAA for 2 years now, and has shown master of the level going .310/.372/.540 with 28 HRs at 1B this season. He’s got a nice lefty stroke with some good pop out of his 6’0” 200 pound frame and should be a well above-average defender at 1B (he was a converted 3B because his arm was comically inaccurate). He’s had a tough time in minimal big league appearances over the past 2 years, mostly just coming up to DH during interleague play. With more extended ABs, I’d expect him to get more comfortable in the big leagues and control the zone much better. At 26, he’s starting to max out his potential, but might have the ability to put together some 2 win seasons based on his ability to hit for both average contact ability and pretty decent power. The key for him is going to be working counts and simultaneously limiting strikeouts, which he demonstrated the ability to do in AAA by posting a career low strikeout rate and an 8% walk rate. Being a 1B really hurts Gamel’s value, and the organization already has shown some disdain because they don’t believe in his work ethic. Melvin and co. did not reward him with a September callup this year and Don Money recently came out and publically criticized him, questioning if he has what it takes to be a major league ballplayer. In this regard, it wouldn’t shock me if the Brewers bring in someone outside the organization to take over for Prince Fielder and essentially leave Gamel out in the cold during 2012. If they don’t and Gamel does finally get his shot, expect a fringe average bat at 1B, above average defense, and ultimately 1-2 win production. While that’s not superstar potential, it’s still cost-controlled hitting from the left side of the plate and Gamel is still a valuable piece who should be in the Brewers’ plans in some form or another in 2012. 9. Michael Fiers, RHP, AAA, 26 years old I cannot believe I’m ranking him this high. I really can’t. But when, in 10 starts at AAA, you go 64.2 IP, 8-0 with a 1.11 ERA while striking out 9.6 per 9 and walking 3.1 per 9, I’m basically forced to rank you highly. That goes double when the first half of the season was spent in AA, the peripherals were actually better and the ERA was 2.6. Fiers has always been an afterthought to most scouts, simply because the guy doesn’t have elite (or even good) stuff, but if “know-how-to-pitchery” was a tool he’d have an 80. Fiers was drafted in the 22nd round as a college senior from Nova Southeastern University, wherever that is. He was great in relief for Helena, posting a 35 K/BB (!), and then splitting his first full pro season between High A and AA in 2010. He’s got a nice frame of 6’3” and 200 pounds but what sunk him in the draft and in scouts’ eyes was a lack of velocity. He’s 88-92 mph, but has a fair bit of deception and some good movement that comes from his overhand delivery that might make you think of Josh Collmenter. He also throws a mid-80’s slider that is probably a 40 on the 20-80 scale, a good looping curveball, a great changeup (55 on the 20-80) and a cut fastball. As you probably guessed based on the sheer amount of pitches he’s throwing, keeping guys off-balance is key for Fiers and he does a great job of it. Every pitch comes from the same arm angle and action, he commands most of his pitches pretty well, and as a result the sum of his stuff plays better than the individual pitch grades. He’s not an ace or a mid-rotation type starter. He’s not who the Brewers should be building their organization around. But he’s a solid #5 starter who is 100% major league ready and could contribute as a long reliever immediately. If he can find some additional velocity coming out of the bullpen, he might be a dynamite reliever. While comparing anyone to Shuan Marcum is foolish, since Marcum has a true 75 pitch in his changeup and crafty righties are always a long shot to make the majors, Fiers pitches the same way. 10. D’Vontrey Richardson, CF, High A, 23 years old Richardson is a classic ‘tools’ guy in CF. A premium athlete who was a Florida State option-based quarterback, he’s a 70 runner with a 70 arm who never had a chance to develop baseball skills before signing with Milwaukee for $400k. He’s 6’1” 210 pounds despite his impressive speed, has great bat speed, and has some pop in his wrists. While the bold predictions of 25-25 HR-SB seasons are probably a thing of the past, the FSL likely sapped a fair bit of his power. The major improvement Richardson needs to make is reducing strikeouts by improving his pitch recognition, and he did so this season. His K% went from 28% to 18% despite dealing with nagging injuries. While his walk rate also dropped a fair bit, his average increased from .234 to .284 and his OBP stayed the same. That’s the kind of improvement we need to see from D’Vo consistently before we can more accurately assess his ultimate role in Milwaukee. Richardson has a laundry list of things to improve upon. First off, 70 runners are supposed to be effective basestealers. And, well, Richardson has been caught more often than he’s successfully stolen bases thus far in his MiLB career. If he learns how to efficiently steal bases, he could be a stud and post 25 steals a year. Next, he needs to get more comfortable at the plate and establish his strike zone recognition. This should simultaneously lower his strikeout rate and allow him to showcase some of his impressive power. Richardson is going to start next season in AA, and it will be a make or break year for him. While he’s 24, he’s lost a couple years to football and is a couple years behind in development. If he can adjust and become less mistake prone, the sky is the limit. If not, we might have to start thinking about him as a defensive replacement or 5th OFer. He’s got nice contact skills, impressive BP power, great bat speed, potential to be a great defender, and can move on the basepaths. He just needs to cut down the errors. The Brewers’ patience here could be really rewarded. 11. Scooter Gennett, 2B, A+, 21 years old Ryan ‘Scooter’ Gennett was a 16th round draft pick of the Brewers back in 2009 and was aggressively assigned to Low A Wisconsin out of the gate in 2010. He rewarded the Brewers, hitting an impressive .309/.354/.463 with 9 HRs and 39 2Bs (!) in 118 games. This season was a bit of a letdown for him, while he hit .300 in the notoriously pitcher friendly FSL, the doubles power that made him an attractive prospect at 2B more or less vanished (he only hit 20 in nearly 140 games), and his triple slash line of .300/.334/.406 suffered as a result. Now, don’t get me wrong, hitting .300 in a crappy hitting high A league in your 2nd season in pro ball is nice, but really there isn’t too much else there in that line. That said, his full-season stat line doesn’t tell the full picture, because in the 2nd half he hit .333/.356/.480 and has wowed scouts this far in the Arizona Fall League. Supposedly, this is not just a lucky spike either, he’s made adjustments throughout the year and has successfully adapted to the next step in the ladder. Scooter is the kind of guy that needs to prove guys wrong. At 5’9”, 165 pounds, he’s not going to show any really overwhelming tools that are going to make scouts think he has a shot at being a big league regular (much less a star). While the contact tool probably grades out at 65, he’s error prone at 2B, and has a bunch of 35’s and 40’s rounding out his skill set. Now, scouts are always going to be drawn to a guy with a 65 hit tool, and that might make Scooter valuable to another organization with a vacancy at 2B, but his lack of defensive ability puts the Brewers in a bit of a bind. Specifically, he’s pretty much stuck on 2B. He’s not a SS since he doesn’t have the range, and he’s not a 3B because he doesn’t have the arm. That means he’s going to probably be stuck behind Rickie Weeks for the foreseeable future. Scooter is yet another guy who has a chance to make a name for himself with a big AA season. While I’d hardly say a 22 year old in AA is in a make or break year, if he comes out hitting like he did in the 2nd half he might draw the kind of trade consideration from another club that could prompt the Brewers into dealing him for a useful piece. The other thing he can do to improve his stock as a prospect is command the zone better and draw more walks. While moving up the ladder and decreasing your K rate is tough to do at the same time, Scooter certainly has the contact ability to get it done. 12. Logan Schafer, CF, AAA, 25 years old Schafer was always kind of grouped in with “one of the many Brewers OFs who either can’t hit or can’t defend enough to be big league regulars” group. That’s still probably true, but he’s done a ton for his stock this season. First off, the good – his glove is great and could be average or a tick above in CF, and ridiculous in either corner. That alone makes him a good option as a defensive replacement. Second, he walks a bunch, doesn’t strike out much, and should hit for some average in the big leagues. Splitting his time evenly between AA and AAA, he hit .296/.364/.386 in AA and .331/.401/.521 in AAA. Now, he basically has no power to speak of, only hitting 5 HRs this season (all of which came in AAA). He can hit some doubles and triple (27 combined in 130 games) and he’s not a bad basestealer (18-8 SB-CS this year), but really he’s a slap hitter. Unfortunately for Schafer, he’s a lefty and Nyjer Morgan is under contract for 3 more years. That really limits his ability to a 5th OFer, pinch hitter and defensive replacement. That said, if he can keep the strikeouts down and the plate discipline intact, he’s got a shot to OBP .350 at the big league level and could be a potential 2-3 win player. If not, he’s got a chance to be an outstanding backup OFer. 13. Nick Bucci, RHP, A+, 21 years old Bucci was drafted as a 17 year old out of Canada in the 18th round by the Brewers, who have constantly shown an interest in him. They assigned him to the Pioneer League as an 18 year old, where he had marginal success in 12 starts (4.5 ERA but 3 K/BB). They showed even more aggressiveness with him before 2010, placing him in low A as a 19 year old (which is completely uncharacteristic of an organization that is quite slow promoting pitchers). Bucci took the next step up the ladder this season to High A despite a 5.1 BB/9. This season he threw 150 IP in his age-20 season in the Florida State League while striking out 7 per 9 and walking 3 per 9. His ERA of 3.84 was backed up by his FIP, giving him a very impressive performance and lining him up for a campaign at AA next season. From a scouting perspective, Bucci still has a decent bit of upside left in his frame. Starting the season he was in the 89-92 mph range, but a velocity spike has put him now in the low-90s consistently and renewed hope that he can miss bats at the big league level. He also mixes in a slower curveball and a changeup that needs more work, but each pitch got more swings and misses as the year progressed. Based on his size (6’2”, 180 pounds), his effortless motion, and his young age, you wouldn’t be that crazy to project another mph or two in the fastball. All in all, 2012 is the year where Bucci shows what he’s made of. You’d have to think he’d be a good option out of the bullpen without too much more development simply because he’d be likely to be in the 93-95 mph range. If he shows he can play in AA at 21, you might be able to project him as a middle of the rotation guy. Otherwise, you might see him more at the back end of a rotation. 14. Caleb Gindl, OF, AAA, 22 years old Gindl is the kind of prospect who could easily be a part of the Brewers plans in 2012, as this past season he demonstrated that he’s about as close to MLB ready as you get. This season in 126 AAA games, he posted a triple slash line of .307/.390/.472 with 15 HRs. The OBP really stands out and reflects one of Gindl’s biggest strengths, as during full season ball in his career his walk rates are 10.9%, 12.3%, 10.3% and 11.7% as he’s worked his way up the ladder. He also has a decent amount of pop, posting a career minor league ISO of around .160 and reducing his strikeouts below the 20% mark. The problem with Gindl is a lack of ceiling, both literally and figuratively. The little smurf is 5’9” and about 200 pounds with a left handed swing that makes you think more of a doubles hitter than someone with real power. Without the frame to generate elite bat speed, Gindl probably doesn’t project to hit for enough power to be a full time corner outfielder. However, his defense at either corner is fantastic – he has both the arm and the range to be above average in right field. His ultimate projection depends, as on one hand Gindl’s walk rate, potential OBP and defense means he’s going to produce a ton of value that might not be readily visible to scouts. On the other hand, I doubt he hits for enough power at the MLB level to justify a full time starters’ role, as a great deal of his slugging ability came from hitting in the Western States of the PCL (which are generally launch pads). Further, those of you who know the 22-24-26 role look at Gindl’s production in AAA at such a young age and would expect him to be an above average starter in the big leagues. His final projection is probably somewhere in between, and he might be able to put together a couple of 2 win seasons. Immediately, he represents a huge upgrade over Mark Kotsay as a 4th OFer and pinch hitter. 15. Hunter Morris, 1B, A+, 23 years old Morris is the kind of guy who can just drive you nuts sometimes. A 2nd round pick and projected RF by the Boston Red Sox out of high school, the Brewers drafted Morris in the 4th round of the 2010 draft out of Auburn. The pick was generally praised, and the Brewers rewarded Morris’ early signing by giving him 71 games in Low A Wisconsin. All in all, he kept his head above water with a wRC+ of 103 and a triple slash line of .251/.306/.436. This season, they brought him up to high A Brevard County where he responded by hitting a team record 19 HRs during the full season. Unfortunately, the positives stop there, as his triple slash line of .271/.299/.461 pretty much shows exactly what Morris can and can’t do. He’s got great power and a sweet power stroke off of a 6’4” frame, but he just cannot take a flipping walk. This season he walked 3.4% of the time and struck out 15.8% of the time. Urgh. Worse yet, scouts question his strike zone discipline so while I might have been able to chalk it up to a young guy learning how to hit at a tough level before, you have to wonder if Morris is ever going to OBP enough to be an effective 1B. Regardless, he’ll likely start 2012 in AA, and if he can develop some command of the strike zone, he could develop into a nice left handed power bat that the Brewers need. If not, he’s more of a “pop off the bench” kind of player. 16. Santo Manzanillo, RHP, AA, 22 years old Santo Manzanillo essentially came out of nowhere in 2011 after posting some middling years in his earlier history with the organization. Really, it’s a pretty simple scouting report. You’re looking at a guy who was injured early in his career and has just now regained his velocity (and is still in the process of learning how to control it). There’s some great upside here though, and he sneaks into the top 20 based on one thing and one thing only – he throws 98-100 mph. Yep, he approaches Mach Strasburg. The fact that his ERA has gone from 9.2 to 5.8 to 1.8 in the past 3 years shows you not only how raw he was, but how much improvement he’s made. At 22 and in AA, he’s right on track and, if he shows some improvement in his secondary pitch (a high 80’s slider that is either completely wicked or really hittable), he’s got all the makings of a potential closer. How good he’ll be is ultimately going to be determined by his command development and that slider, but he has the 75+ fastball out of the bullpen and that alone demands the attention of Brewers fans. In fact, if he develops right in instructionals, he could be ready as soon as mid-2012 to be the successor to K-Rod. 17. David Goforth, RHP, Helena, 23 years old Goforth was a really nice pickup for the Brewers in the 7th round of the 2011 MLB Draft, as Keith Law ranked him the 96th best prospect available. A college senior, Goforth’s stock dropped because he’s exclusively a bullpen arm and doesn’t offer the everyday upside or elite IP ability of some other prospects. That said, the guy can chuck a baseball. At 6’0” and 190 pounds, he’s not super tall and his delivery has a great deal of effort, but when you can touch 99 mph with regularity and hit triple digits every once in a while, who cares? He compliments that with a cut fastball that’s about 88-92 mph, and can more or less throw a changeup and curveball. Obviously, command of the offspeed pitches is his problem, as is the fact that he simply can’t throw a breaking pitch. Early pro results were mixed, as Goforth gave up a fair bit of hits, but struck out more than a guy per inning, walked just over 2 per 9, and gave up some HRs. A 3.5 FIP isn’t bad, but I kind of expected a dominating performance from a college pitcher who throws so hard. That said, velocity is really important and Goforth has plenty of it. He should move quite quickly through the system, probably ending as high as AA this next season and offering setup or closing potential down the road depending on how his command improves and if he can develop a slider or refine his curveball. 18. Yadiel Rivera, SS, 19 years old, Helena Rivera, a 9th round pick in 2010 out of Puerto Rico, was a classic tools pick by the Brewers. He started his career in the Arizona Fall League where he looked as raw as his projections, OPSing under 600. The Brewers had a complete lack of true shortstops in low A ball this season, so they let Rivera fry there until the Pioneer league started, when they demoted him. In Helena, he showed pretty impressive pop out of his wiry, 6’2” 175 pound frame, hitting 14 doubles, 7 triples (!) and 8 dingers in just over 70 games. Unfortunately, he’s still learning how to recognize pitches and work counts, as he hit just .248/.285/.406 while walking only 14 times and striking out 91. He did, however, add 7 steals. From a scouting perspective, Rivera screams upside. He’s a true SS provided he doesn’t grow another 2 or 3 inches, with amazing range. He routinely makes plays that awe scouts, and, unless you consider Martin Maldonado a prospect, Rivera has the best defensive tools in the system. Therefore, he doesn’t really have to hit all that much to be a useful piece, but this is where he really gets tantalizing. He has a good swing and the type of frame that, despite being skinny, generates nice pop. When he fills out a little bit more due to a nice workout regimen, I expect him to hit for good power. He’s got fairly strong wrists and some bat speed, so there is hope that he might be able to improve his pitch recognition and become a complete SS prospect. As it stands, he’s probably due for another round in Wisconsin, and we’ll be able to see how quickly he’s improving. If he hits there, even if it is a pedestrian kind of line, he’s going to skyrocket up this list. 19. Michael Reed, CF, AZL, 18 years old Some people might think it’s aggressive to rank an 18 year old toolsy CF who was a 5th round pick this highly, but I really think the Brewers got a steal with Reed. He signed for $600 grand instead of going to college at Ole Miss, and some really thought Reed would be a 1st rounder in 2014 if he progressed like expected. Scouting reports on Reed are mixed – if you saw him on a good night, you saw a supplemental round or 2nd round pick with plus speed, a plus raw power, and good contact ability. If you saw him on an off night, you saw everything but the hitting ability, which concerned you. Of what there is no doubt is that he’s got the tools to defend anywhere in the OF, as his speed is great and he’s touched 90 from the mound. Further, his 6’0”, 210 pound frame, good speed, and left handed stroke offer insight as to his athleticism. What remains to be seen is whether he’ll walk and whether he’ll hit. Through a small sample of Arizona League play, Reed struggled in a small sample, and likely he’ll be back to Arizona (though he could wind up going to Helena). Reed’s ultimate potential is tantalizing, and therefore Brewers fans need to keep an eye on him and his progression. If he learns to hit and walk, he’ll move quickly and play a lockdown CF. 20. Orlando Arcia, SS, DSL, 17 years old I’m going out on a limb here, as ranking a 17 year old who has yet to play ball in the states this highly over our 3rd round pick (a college pitcher) seems kind of insane. But man did Arcia play this season. As a 16 year old SS, he posted a line of .294/.386/.459 with 6 HRs, a walk rate of 12% and a K rate of 8%. He also managed to swipe 13 bags with only 4 CS. While the line is impressive enough on its own, the fact that the DSL is one of the most pitcher friendly leagues in existence makes it even more insane. Further, Ben Badler likes him and thinks he’s got solid tools across the board and has a chance to stick at short. Jon Sickels even heard that his defense was quite good at SS, and while his 6 foot 165 pound frame might mean he’s only a couple inches away from outgrowing the position, he could play a very good 3B. Arcia’s ceiling is going to be more accurately determined when we see how he does in full season ball. I have virtually no doubt he’s coming stateside this season. The Brewers made a big time statement when they stuck former stud SS prospect Alcides Escobar in Helena as a 17 year old, and they might do the same with Arcia. 21. Andrew Gagnon, RHP, Helena, 21 years old Gagnon was the Brewers 3rd round pick out of Long Beach State this season. There is a fair bit to like here, as Gagnon has a nice fastball that is 90-93 and touched 94 in school, a low to mid 80’s changeup that is an average pitch, and a curve-slider mix. Unfortunately, the two breaking pitches have blended into each other thus far in his career, and while Gagnon was a young college pick (only 20 years old on draft day), I have to wonder if he really is only going to be able to throw 1 breaking ball in the big leagues. That means it might make sense for him to develop a two-seam or cut fastball to keep a nice 4 pitch mix. In Helena, Gagnon was really hittable in a limited sample, with a BABIP of .462 and a strand rate of 50% killing his ERA. His FIP was a much more respectable 2.94 mostly based on a nice strikeout rate near 13. Ultimately, his 6’4”, 200 pound frame gives him mid-rotation upside if everything breaks right and there is no doubt that his nice, clean motion and size give him 200 IP a year potential. He won’t be an ace, but a potential #4 starter is a nice piece, and we’ll know much more as he starts next season in Low A Wisconsin. 22. Kentrail Davis, OF, A+, 23 years old Kentrail’s 2011 season can really be summed up by 1 word – disappointment. After clobbering the Midwest league to end an injury riddled full-season debut, hopes were high. The University of Tennessee product was praised for his contact ability coming out of school, and people were expecting him to hit .300 in the big leagues and hit for high averages in the minors almost in his sleep. While he was only 5’9” and kind of built like Caleb Gindl (with a similar lefty stroke too), scouts really thought he might have 20 HR pop in his wrists. So far, everything looks wrong. Davis went into High A FSL for a second time after dealing with a hamstring pull in 2010. Healthy this year, Brewer fans expected more. Instead they got a line of .245/.317/.361 while watching him post a 5% drop in walk rate from his first FSL go around and not significantly changing his strikeout rate. Further, the power that we thought might show up manifested in 8 HRs. Really the only positive on the year was that he stole 33 bases. Expectations on Davis need to be changed, and changed dramatically. Beforehand, we were wondering if the guy would hit enough to play RF and run enough to take over once in a while in CF (as he’s not a pure CF). Now we’re wondering if he’s going to be seeing a High A for the 3rd time, and we’re starting to see that the guy who was supposed to have a great hit tool above all else just plain isn’t hitting. Davis needs to demonstrate to the Brewers that he can still make consistent contact and establish both average and power before he can really be considered back in the Brewers’ full time plans. He’s got the talent to do it, no question (and that’s why he’s still in the top 25). We all saw what he was capable of in college. I just don’t know if he will. 23. Eric Arnett, RHP, Helena, 23 years old Here he is, the 2009 1st round pick who has been a major disappointment so far in is minor league career. Here’s something else that might surprise Brewer fans: 3.63, 3.51, 5.67, 3.82, 3.16. Those are Arnett’s FIPs so far in his minor league career. He lost his stuff in 2010 based on complete inability to repeat his mechanics and a velocity drop, but came back healthier this season. He’s 89-94 with his fastball, he’s got a nice split finger, his slider is getting swings and misses and he’s learning to throw that slider for strikes. I know he’s been extraordinarily hittable thus far in his minor league career and has struggled to get guys out, but he doesn’t walk batters, he strikes guys out and thus far he’s kept the ball on the ground. Further, physically, he has everything you could want as his frame is a near perfect 6’5”, 230 pounds. While he’s not going to be an ace, if his defense can start helping him out a little bit and he can start pitching to his FIP, he’ll move quickly through the system. I’m actually eager to see him at Low A this next season. 24. Max Walla, RF, Helena, 20 years old Walla, a 2nd round pick in the 2009 draft out of New Mexico, finally started putting together some of his ability on the field this season. Playing 69 games in right field for Helena, he hit .285/.374/.411 with 22 XBHs. It’s a huge step forward for Walla, who has spent the past 3 seasons in rookie ball striking out too much to be effective. While his 25% whiff rate isn’t exactly ideal, he dropped his K% 10 points while walking more this season. From a scouting perspective, Walla can hit. He’s 6 foot, 200 pounds with a ton of pop in his wrists and great bat speed as a lefty. While the frame doesn’t scream power, his batting practice sessions were absurd – in one high school workout he was thrown 60 pitches and put 38 of them out of the yard. A former competitive swimmer (woot!), Walla has a ton of strength in his compact frame while should allow him to hit for average and power. Further, while he’s not a great runner, his arm (which touched 90 in high school from the mound as a lefty) and his route running mean he should be more than capable of playing right field in the big leagues. All that’s left for him to do is continue improving his pitch recognition and playing up to his tools. This season Walla went from a guy who just doesn’t look like he can figure it out to a guy who is now a solid sleeper candidate for 2012. If he plays well in full season ball, he’ll find himself much higher on this list come 2012. 25. Nick Ramirez, 1B, Low A, 22 years old Ramirez was the Brewers’ 4th round pick this year and signed quickly, allowing him to get nearly 60 games in before the minor league season ended. A 6’3”, 225 pounds, the frame and the raw power are obvious, and he showed it in Helena hitting .369/.383/.689 with 8 HRs and 9 2Bs in just 23 games. The Brewers saw he wasn’t being challenged and brought him up to Low A Wisconsin, where he hit .197/.248/.350 in 36 games (but did have 15 more XBHs). There are two problems with Ramirez that cause me to downgrade him from where you might expect him to be – the first is that he doesn’t walk. Scouts were critical of his pitch recognition in college and it translated as he posted a walk rate under 5% in pro ball while striking out nearly 5 times as often as he walked. The second is that hi

No Martin Prado is incapable of playing RF because he's never done it in his career and he doesn't have the arm.Just because someone has never done something in their career doesn't mean they can't do it. Everyone has never done something until they actually do it. The arm comment actually makes sense and I don't know why you didn't just use that in the first place. On the other hand, Morgan played quite a bit in RF this year and he has a noodle. I'm not saying I want Prado or even that I'd like to see Hart gone but given the choice between Reyes and someone else in RF or Hart and someone else at SS, I'd take Reyes. All of this is assuming a reasonable contract of course.I don't know who the "someone else" is, but I'd be hesitant to trade a 4 win player making $9 M to sign a 5-6 win player who will make $17 M+. There is too much uncertainty here - what are we getting back for Hart? Who would we sign in RF (I see no one valuable on the market)? Who would we sign in SS if we traded him (Barmes would be a great sign IMO)? That said, looking at Hart as anything but a part of the Brewers core is silly. The only reason you trade him is if you get a GREAT deal for him.

No Martin Prado is incapable of playing RF because he's never done it in his career and he doesn't have the arm.

Career games for Martin Prado in RF - 1 Career games for Casey McGehee in RF - 0 Neither are RFs. And the Twins you mentioned aren't really RFers either. Kubel's ankles don't work and Cuddyer is terrible there.

inb4Gamel+Fiers+Gindlshouldgetitdone

Martin Prado is literally not a RF. He's played 1 game their his entire career. It's like suggesting sticking Casey McGehee in RF. Kubel can't play RF either, he's had major surgery in each ankle and has essentially been limited to a DH since. Cuddyer is not really a RF at this point either. His DRS puts him at -16 during his past 2,000 innings and his UZR is in agreement. Combine that with Hart is unquestionably a better bat an you have a substantially worse player. And, FWIW, Cuddyer isn't getting a 1 year $5 M deal - he's clearly getting more than that in terms of both salary and years. In fact, I'd expect him to be more expensive than Hart in terms of total value. And find those stats that say Cuddyer is a better player than Hart. Please do. The only thing I ask is that you need to use at least a 600 PA sample size - so no 2, out, RISP BA on sunny Wednesday's with the teams #1 pitcher on the mound type useless, unpredictive crap.