Eye Black

According to Fangraphs updated ZiPS Projected Standings: ZiPS Projected Standings, NL Central [pre]Team W L GB PCT Div% WC% Playoff% WS Win% Cubs 32 28 — .533 27.6% 14.5% 42.1% 3.9% Brewers 31 29 1 .517 23.4% 13.7% 37.1% 3.3% Cards 31 29 1 .517 21.9% 13.7% 35.6% 3.1% Reds 31 29 1 .517 20.4% 13.3% 33.7% 2.9% Pirates 26 34 6 .433 6.7% 7.1% 13.8% 0.9%[/pre]

RoCo's above post is from over 3 months ago. Bravo on the season length prediction.

To expand that further the 6 games a piece for the NL Central teams would be: Brewers - Twins Cardinals - Royals Cubs - White Sox Reds - Indians Pirates - Tigers

I thought the 20 inter league games would be even (4 each against the 5 teams in the AL Central), but that apparently isn’t the case. The Brewers will reportedly play the Twins 6 times according to Jayson Stark (see below for excerpt from this ARTICLE).

From @MLBRandomStats (Jeremy Frank)... Hardest 2020 Strength of Schedules in NL based on 2019 records .534 Marlins .531 Padres .530 Rockies .523 Giants .515 Diamondbacks .509 Phillies .504 Mets .502 Pirates .497 Nationals .496 Reds .493 Dodgers .492 Braves .487 Cubs .482 Brewers .480 Cardinals It’s based on 10 games vs each divisional opponent and 4 vs each interleague opponent in opposite division (i.e. vs AL Central for Brewers). Jon Heyman reported the following regarding the schedules... Plan is for teams to play 40 games in division and 20 games interleague with their geographic counterpart (East vs. East, etc.) #MLB

From FanGraphs, By the Numbers: Evaluating the 2020 Amateur Draft Spoiler Alert: The Brewers ranked at the very top by a few different draft measures including “Value Added Versus Expected Pick” and “Draft Pick Value”.

Big bonus International pitchers are a rarity in general. Last year the top 15 International prospects were all position players. The year before there were two pitchers among the top ten International prospects, one of which was from Cuba. Among the top 60 International prospects over the past two years (2018 & 2019), only 11 were pitchers. Not saying they aren’t also avoiding them, but when there is so little supply of highly paid International arms it’s tough to make any definitive conclusions.

I have to give these athletic department social media teams credit, the graphics accompanying their student-athlete's free agent signing announcements have been very well done. GCU's second go around for Drew Smith which includes photoshopped Brewers uniforms is my favorite so far...

From Baseball America's JJ Cooper: Source tells Baseball America that MLB has sent a memo warning teams to not offer "exorbitant" amounts in the continuing education scholarship program when trying to sign undrafted free agents (limited to $20,000 bonuses). Given the perceived timing of the memo (today) I assume there were teams attempting to do this? Seems like a mess if those type of guidelines weren't already ironed out at this point.

From Baseball America's BA 500 Draft Rankings: 308. Drew Smith Grand Canyon, 2B Ht: 5-10 | Wt: 190 | B-T: R-R Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted Age At Draft: 21.8 The Nebraska native stayed in-state for his first three post-scholastic seasons, playing in just six games as a freshman at Creighton before heading to Northeast Community College for his redshirt freshman and sophomore seasons. Smith earned the 2019 Spalding National Junior College Athletic Association D-II Player of the Year award after hitting .465/.538/.897 slugging percentage at Northeast. His career at Grand Canyon got off to a bang when he went 7-for-14 in the opening weekend series against Oklahoma State. Smith is described as being a second baseman in the mold of former big league infielder Andy Stankiewicz, who happens to be his coach at GCU. He’s got a strong, stocky frame with no flashy tools but with a gritty-gamer approach. He’s a good contact hitter with plate discipline, taking good at-bats with a line-drive swing. Smith has below-average raw power, is an average runner and an above-average fielder at second base, and an instinctual defender with good hands. Smith could be taken in the top 10 rounds by a team valuing this profile and his performance.

For those looking for a little more information regarding this year’s process, on Sunday MLB teams will be allowed to begin signing undrafted players as free agents for up to $20K. While it’s not uncommon for players left out of the draft process to sign as free agents, this year is unique in the sheer number of quality players that didn’t hear their name called during the 5 round modified draft (a mere 160 selections in total). Many players will obviously exercise alternative options to remain in amateur baseball (barring unique opportunities such as NPB comes calling). Still, many good players will decide to sign as free agents and enter pro ball even during this time of great uncertainty for minor league development. When asked about the UDFA signing period beginning Brewers Scouting Director Tod Johnson admitted, "It will probably be an exciting Sunday." I’ve heard speculation on certain teams having advantages connecting with this free agent market (i.e. Reds connection with Driveline) and others with disadvantages (A’s initially balking at paying minor leaguers). Ultimately, I am not sure what factors will matter the most in signing these free agents. Hopefully the Brewers perceived thinness of the farm system will lead to some players viewing it as a good opportunity. We should begin hearing some names connected to the Brewers in the very near future.

We will use this thread to track all of the Brewers undrafted free agent signings. This first post will keep an updated list of the Brewers free agent signings among players that were draft eligible this year. Please use this thread to discuss those player signings including sharing any features or other information on the players. Another good resource is Baseball America's 2020 MLB Undrafted Free Agent Tracker: Agreements For All 30 Teams Brewers Undrafted Free Agent Signings Tracker [pre]Name Pos. School Height Weight TJ Shook RHP South Carolina 6'3 226 Drew Smith 2B Grand Canyon 5'10 190 Jason Munsch LHP Concordia (NE) 6'2 235 Brandon Knarr LHP Tampa 5'10 215 Evan Reifert RHP Cent. Missouri 6'4 200 Noah Campbell 2B/OF South Carolina 6'0 208[/pre]

From Jim Bowden (The Athletic) regarding Garrett Mitchell: The Milwaukee Brewers then drafted outfielder Garrett Mitchell out of UCLA at No. 20. Mitchell has the best overall tools of all the outfielders. He’s an off-the-charts runner and has been compared to Starling Marté of the Arizona Diamondbacks. There were some health questions surrounding him, as he has Type 1 diabetes. There is also a question of how much he’ll hit and what the game power will look like. However, the raw power is there and I think he’ll hit enough to make all the tools reach his maximum potential.

I just realized Garrett Mitchell played with Brice Turang when both were members of the Brewers Area Code Games team back in 2016 (Brewers prospect Je’Von Ward was a member of that team as well). A couple of related links, and team roster. Their is at least one other prominent member of the organization that once played for their Area Code Games team (Christian Yelich from years earlier). Will Sammon had an outstanding article for The Athletic which made me even more excited about Mitchell’s selection. Here is a small sample: It sounded like the Brewers would know. Mitchell, who is represented by Scott Boras, said he and his advisers fielded many inquiries from teams regarding him playing with type 1 diabetes. Some considered him a draft risk because of it. The Brewers didn’t have to be one of them. They had long been informed about Mitchell with scouts Corey Rodriguez, Josh Belovsky and Wynn Pelzer watching him and learning about him since his high school days at Orange Lutheran in California. Mitchell played on the Brewers’ Area Code and Fall League teams. They knew him. They knew what they were getting. “I can tell you wholeheartedly,” Mitchell said, “that I couldn’t be more excited to be with such a great organization, being around people that I have known since I was in high school, and feel so loved and welcomed and accepted with everything that comes with me — diabetes and all of that involved.” ............................... “It’s not that he can’t or he’s not good at what he does,” Mitchell said he heard. “But it’s going to come down to diabetes.” The questions were aired and speculated on, “Which teams want to deal with it? Who is comfortable with it?” Said Mitchell, “And I’m telling you, I couldn’t be more thankful that it’s the Brewers because, one, they know me and two, I’m going to work my butt off every single day.”

FanGraphs (Eric Longenhagen) draft recap for each team. Draft Odds & Ends: Milwaukee didn’t try to get too cute, taking two toolsy college players who fell below where they belonged on talent for superficial reasons, then grabbing three interesting college projects in Zavier Warren (a switch-hitting infielder who they announced as a catcher), Joey Wiemer (huge frame and bat speed, swing is rough), and Hayden Cantrelle (a switch-hitter who sprays line to line).

Based on things like the Narvaez signing and the plan to move Warren back to his high school position, I get the sense the Brewers place a very high value on offensive production at the catching position. While I agree that there are reasons to be skeptical, I think the organization could be banking on the eventual automated strike zone accelerating the developmental path necessary for the catchers.

I am aware immediate draft class rankings are mostly nothing more than click-bait, but they still get me every time. From CBS Sports, MLB Draft 2020 grades: Mets, Cardinals, Rays earn 'A' for solid hauls; Yankees, Red Sox among worst marks If you want to skip straight to the Brewers "grade" and analysis simply click the spoiler below.

ROUND 5 (151st overall): Hayden Cantrelle, SS (Photo: Louisiana-Lafayette Athletics) Height: 5'11 Weight: 175 B/T: S/R School: Louisiana-Lafayette Year: Junior DOB: 11/25/1998 SCOUTING REPORT: MLB Pipeline: Scouting grades: Hit: 40 | Power: 45 | Run: 60 | Arm: 70 | Field: 55 | Overall: 40 Cincinnati's best prospect since Ian Happ was a Cubs first-rounder in 2016, Wiemer offers some of the best tools in the 2020 college crop but little track record of doing damage at the plate. He has a big league body (6-foot-5, 215 pounds) and three tools that grade as plus or better, yet he's a career .264/.379/.408 hitter for the Bearcats and slugged just .354 with wood bats in the Cape Cod League last summer. Wiemer's bat speed, strength and leverage give him plus raw power from the right side of the plate, but he's still figuring how to translate it into production. He utilizes a big leg kick and he has an uphill, max-effort swing and timing issues that lead to a lot of groundball contact. He probably will need to overhaul his stroke at the next level, though he does show some patience at the plate. Wiemer has plus speed and an aggressive nature on the bases, showing a knack for stealing bags. He has well above-average arm strength and has hit 98 mph on the mound, though a lack of control undermined him when Cincinnati briefly tried to use him as a closer this spring. He has played left field for the Bearcats, though his quickness and arm would suggest he can handle any outfield assignment. Perfect Game: An interesting, toolsy middle infielder; Cantrelle gained a fair bit of publicity over his first two seasons on campus and added a very good summer 2019 on the Cape to his resumé. He’s an athletic, twitchy switch-hitter with good contact skills and speed, though he got off to a very rough start in 2020, which is important to note. He’s a talented defender in the middle infield and looks capable of playing both shortstop and second base, which aids in his overall utility profile, since the bat doesn’t look quite impactful enough at the highest level to be an everyday regular. Baseball America: The coronavirus shutdown came at an extremely inopportune time for Cantrelle. After two strong seasons at Louisiana-Lafayette, he looked somewhat lost at the plate in the early going this spring. Cantrelle was hitting .136/.320/.237 in 17 games. But there is reason to write that off as a rough month in an otherwise solid college career. After looking somewhat overmatched for much of the summer of 2018 in the Cape Cod League, he showed a much better approach and a more controlled swing in 2019. Playing shortstop and second base for Harwich, he finished ninth in the league with a .315 average. While he played more second base than shortstop with Harwich, Cantrelle projects as an average shortstop defensively in pro ball and an above-average defender at second. He has average arm strength but is an accurate thrower. He isn’t big, (5-foot-11, 175 pounds) but he is a plus runner. He swiped 28 bags in 32 tries as a sophomore and 19 in 21 attempts in the Cape last summer. From either side of the plate, the switch-hitting Cantrelle is a top-of-the-order table setter, but he shows 40 power from the left side. His righthanded swing is generally more of a contact-oriented approach. Cantrelle’s awful spring clouds his status, but he had a lengthy resume of success before that and teams like his baseball IQ. He lacks flashy tools, but a team who relies strongly on a player’s Cape Cod League performance could be enticed in the fourth or fifth round. FanGraphs: Hit-first, plus-running middle infielder has performed well on the Cape. Ryan Freel type with wide base of tools that are mostly above average other than fringy raw power, gap game approach. Prospects Live: A switch hitting speedster who likes to swing early and often. Cantrelle has a leadoff profile with an aggressive approach at the plate. He’ll swing a lot and he’ll miss a lot, but the most interesting part is that he walks quite a bit too. In 135 games at Louisiana-Lafayette he struck out 122 times and walked 90. At the plate he has quick hands. In looks that the Prospects Live staff got, it was noted that his power shows through more from the left side of the dish and that he will profile better defensively as a second baseman. He’s for sure a plus runner with the instincts to match on the basepaths. A slow start in 2020 saw his average well below the Mendoza line won’t do much for his stock, but there are some tools there for a team to get a guy that could sit atop their lineup. LINKS: Hayden Cantrelle has refined skills last 3 years (Baseball Prospect Journal / Dan Zielinski III) VIDEOS:

From Prospects Live: 83. Hayden Cantrelle – SS Age: 21 yr, Weight: 175 lbs, Height: 5-11 Hits/Throws: S/R School: Louisiana-Lafayette A switch hitting speedster who likes to swing early and often. Cantrelle has a leadoff profile with an aggressive approach at the plate. He’ll swing a lot and he’ll miss a lot, but the most interesting part is that he walks quite a bit too. In 135 games at Louisiana-Lafayette he struck out 122 times and walked 90. At the plate he has quick hands. In looks that the Prospects Live staff got, it was noted that his power shows through more from the left side of the dish and that he will profile better defensively as a second baseman. He’s for sure a plus runner with the instincts to match on the basepaths. A slow start in 2020 saw his average well below the Mendoza line won’t do much for his stock, but there are some tools there for a team to get a guy that could sit atop their lineup.

From MLB Pipeline: 118. Hayden Cantrelle SS, Louisiana-Lafayette AGE 21 BATS S DOB 11/25/1998 THROWS R HT 5' 11" DRAFTED 2017, 40th (1202) - NYY WT 175 Scouting Grades/Report (20-80 grading scale) Hit 50 Power 40 Run 60 Arm 55 Field 50 Overall 45 Cantrelle was a two-sport star at Teurlings Catholic High (Lafayette, La.), drawing college football interest as a quarterback and leading the Rebels to Louisiana state 4-A baseball championships as a junior and senior. A 40th-round pick by the Yankees in 2017, he became an immediate starter at Louisiana-Lafayette. One of just six NCAA Division I players to total as many as 25 extra-base hits and 25 steals in 2019, he hurt his Draft stock by batting .148 during the four-week college season this spring. A switch-hitter, Cantrelle hits the ball with more authority from the left side of the plate. He has the potential to bat near the top of the batting order with his knack for drawing walks and getting on base, and he also has plus speed and knows how to use it. He has some sneaky pop with 15-homer upside, though he needs to focus less on power and more on making consistent contact. With his quickness and solid arm strength, Cantrelle is capable of playing shortstop at an average big league standard. Teams wanting better defense may prefer him at second base, where he looked good during Cape Cod League play last summer. If he doesn't make enough offensive impact to hold down a regular job, his athleticism and versatility would lend themselves to a utility role.

From Perfect Game: 253. Hayden Cantrelle, ss, Louisiana-Lafayette (JR) S-R, 5-11/175, Lafayette, La. Previously Drafted: Yankees ’17 (40) An interesting, toolsy middle infielder; Cantrelle gained a fair bit of publicity over his first two seasons on campus and added a very good summer 2019 on the Cape to his resumé. He’s an athletic, twitchy switch-hitter with good contact skills and speed, though he got off to a very rough start in 2020, which is important to note. He’s a talented defender in the middle infield and looks capable of playing both shortstop and second base, which aids in his overall utility profile, since the bat doesn’t look quite impactful enough at the highest level to be an everyday regular.

From Baseball America: 138. Hayden Cantrelle Louisiana-Lafayette SS Ht: 5-10 | Wt: 175 | B-T: B-R Commit/Drafted: Yankees '17 (40) Age At Draft: 21.6 The coronavirus shutdown came at an extremely inopportune time for Cantrelle. After two strong seasons at Louisiana-Lafayette, he looked somewhat lost at the plate in the early going this spring. Cantrelle was hitting .136/.320/.237 in 17 games. But there is reason to write that off as a rough month in an otherwise solid college career. After looking somewhat overmatched for much of the summer of 2018 in the Cape Cod League, he showed a much better approach and a more controlled swing in 2019. Playing shortstop and second base for Harwich, he finished ninth in the league with a .315 average. While he played more second base than shortstop with Harwich, Cantrelle projects as an average shortstop defensively in pro ball and an above-average defender at second. He has average arm strength but is an accurate thrower. He isn’t big, (5-foot-11, 175 pounds) but he is a plus runner. He swiped 28 bags in 32 tries as a sophomore and 19 in 21 attempts in the Cape last summer. From either side of the plate, the switch-hitting Cantrelle is a top-of-the-order table setter, but he shows 40 power from the left side. His righthanded swing is generally more of a contact-oriented approach. Cantrelle’s awful spring clouds his status, but he had a lengthy resume of success before that and teams like his baseball IQ. He lacks flashy tools, but a team who relies strongly on a player’s Cape Cod League performance could be enticed in the fourth or fifth round.

I think the Brewers might have been drafting straight off Eric Longenhagen's draft board. Via FanGraphs: 82. Hayden Cantrelle, 2B, Louisiana Lafayette Hit-first, plus-running middle infielder has performed well on the Cape. Ryan Freel type with wide base of tools that are mostly above average other than fringy raw power, gap game approach.

ROUND 4 (121st overall): Joey Wiemer, OF (Photo: Cincinnati Enquirer) Height: 6'5 Weight: 215 B/T: R/R School: Cincinnati Year: Junior DOB: 02/11/1999 SCOUTING REPORT: MLB Pipeline: Scouting grades: Hit: 40 | Power: 45 | Run: 60 | Arm: 70 | Field: 55 | Overall: 40 Cincinnati's best prospect since Ian Happ was a Cubs first-rounder in 2016, Wiemer offers some of the best tools in the 2020 college crop but little track record of doing damage at the plate. He has a big league body (6-foot-5, 215 pounds) and three tools that grade as plus or better, yet he's a career .264/.379/.408 hitter for the Bearcats and slugged just .354 with wood bats in the Cape Cod League last summer. Wiemer's bat speed, strength and leverage give him plus raw power from the right side of the plate, but he's still figuring how to translate it into production. He utilizes a big leg kick and he has an uphill, max-effort swing and timing issues that lead to a lot of groundball contact. He probably will need to overhaul his stroke at the next level, though he does show some patience at the plate. Wiemer has plus speed and an aggressive nature on the bases, showing a knack for stealing bags. He has well above-average arm strength and has hit 98 mph on the mound, though a lack of control undermined him when Cincinnati briefly tried to use him as a closer this spring. He has played left field for the Bearcats, though his quickness and arm would suggest he can handle any outfield assignment. Perfect Game: A very physical, toolsy prospect; Wiemer was a pretty solid two-way prospect coming out of high school in the extreme southern part of the state of Michigan, and did have some two-way time at Cincinnati, but he’s viewed mostly as a bat for draft purposes. He’s got excellent size and athleticism for that size, with plus speed and a plus arm giving him enticing defensive projection, be it in right field or center field. Offensively he’s got plus righthanded raw power as well as bat speed, but he’s never shown that type of power in game situations, and scouts are wary of the hit tool projection as well. Regardless, a guy with Wiemer’s tools, physicality, and athleticism is always a sought-after commodity. Baseball America: Wiemer is a toolsy outfielder who raised his draft stock with a strong summer in the Cape Cod League but has consistently underwhelmed as a hitter with Cincinnati in the American Athletic Conference. Listed at 6-foot-5, 215 pounds, Wiemer has a collection of plus tools, including his raw power, arm strength and running ability. He hasn’t been able to successfully tap into that power at the plate, thanks to a noisy swing that has plenty of moving parts—enough that scouts have compared him to Hunter Pence. He has an open setup with lots of bat waggle above his head and a high leg kick, which all lead to timing issues. Over three years with Cincinnati, Wiemer hit .264/.379/.408 with 12 home runs and 35 stolen bases. When Wiemer is on base, he’s an instinctual and smart runner and his speed and arm strength (he’s gotten into the mid-90s on the mound) give him the ability to play all three outfield positions. Wiemer’s toolset is better than where he’s ranked, but the questions about his hit tool are significant. FanGraphs: Lanky athlete has huge tools (plus bat speed, raw power, arm strength and straightline speed) and is sorta like Hunter Pence, could jump into the first round with a loud spring, but some scouts have 40 or 45 grades on the bat, but there's a little bit of Hunter Bishop here as well. Also is into the mid-90's on the mound. LINKS: Bedford's Joey Wiemer selected by Brewers in 4th round of MLB Draft (ABC 13 video feature) VIDEOS:

The Brewers announced Zavier Warren as a Catcher.