Eye Black

Watching guys whiff at Hader's high heat is a thing of beauty.

Never heard of it, but it sounds miserable.

The Braves offer for Quintana included SS Ozzie Albies (Link) so if the Brewers were seriously in the mix I have to assume their offer included at least one of Hader or Brinson. Just speculation, but I would guess that Corey Ray was in the mix as well.

Manaea would be a great target too, and probably could be had for the same as Gray; he has more control left, but less track record of success. The A's match up ridiculously well with the Brewers as a trade partner. They need a replacement now for Rajai Davis, could use a long-term replacement for Joyce, and are likely shopping 33-year-old Jed Lowrie and trying to sell high on 30-year-old Yonder Alonso. To fill those needs the Brewers have Ray (centerpiece of the deal, long-term CF solution), Cordell (short-term CF and long-term RH platoon for Olson), Dubon (replace Lowrie), Cooper (if they trade Alonso, another RH platoon for Olson), and long-term OF prospects (Harrison, Orimoloye, Z. Clark, T. Stokes, Lujano, Abreu), where they wouldn't have to give up a lot of pitching. I'm hesitant to give up Phillips because of the LH bat, would much rather give up Ray, but if including Phillips means sending less pitching to Oakland then I'm fine with it. If the Brewers have to give up one of the big four pitchers I'd prefer it be Ortiz (long term conditioning concerns), but then Manaea would have to come back in the deal. Based on reports it seems the Brewers were close to giving up what it was going to take to acquire Jose Quintana. If the Brewers were willing to deal the assets for Quintana, I have to wonder again if the next best option would actually be A's LHP Sean Manaea who could help not only this year, but also anchor the staff for the highly anticipated years ahead. As Louis Ely points out the teams matchup fairly well as potential trade partners. If the Brewers believe in Manaea's talent and health he would be an outstanding pickup, and the loss of significant prospects would be mitigated at least partially by the 5.5 years the Brewers would have Manaea under team control.

The CSN Chicago White Sox Podcast from yesterday is an interesting listen. They speculate that the Brewers may have been the team that was primarily in contact with Rick Hahn leading up to Quintana's start on Friday night. More concretely if you go to around the 7:30 mark they discuss when things heated up on Sunday which is also apparently when the Cubs started to get seriously involved, and at the 9:00 minute mark they mention that they know without a doubt that the Brewers (and Braves) were at the finish line or "the five yard line" to use a football analogy.

From Ken Rosenthal...

Cubs are reportedly still showing interest in a Sonny Gray deal. They must really be afraid of the Brewers!

It seems like ever since Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer took over the Cubs' operations (beginning in the off-season of 2011) they have focused on stockpiling their system with position players. For years the prevailing thought was that they were going to acquire and develop as many hitters as possible through the system and then just either make FA signings or trades for pitching when the time came. That theory has certainly seemed to play out as for the second year the Cubs have used their surplus of hitting prospects to add a significant pitching piece, and this time one that they can control through 2020. I am not certain if it was quite as calculated as it has seemed (and yes I realize Dylan Cease was also a key prospect in this deal), but it has felt predictable for quite some time that inevitably the Cubs would use the surplus of hitters to add a significant rotation piece and now that has happened. I do think this was a good move for the Cubs to bolster their rotation over the next 3-4 years, and overall it seems about right to me in terms of acquisition cost considering Jimenez and Cease are still a couple of years from the majors.

Tyler Webb also appeared in the most recent Baseball America Prospect Handbook, he was listed as the #30 prospect in the Pirates organization (who held his rights following the Rule 5 draft). Here is the Baseball America Prospect Handbook scouting report... Also, an interesting albeit meaningless side note... according to Tyler Webb he had never attended a professional sporting event of any kind (i.e. MLB, NFL, etc.) when he was called up to the Yankees earlier this season. It has to be an strange feeling when the first time in your life you are present at a Major League Baseball game you are suited up for one of the teams.

Baseball Prospectus published an article that analyzes the Top 50 Busted Prospects of the draft era. In most cases it is a prospect that had initial success and was built up with a lot of hype, but failed to come close to those star expectations. Brewers representatives on the list include Nick Neugebauer, Matt LaPorta, and Mat Gamel. Do you agree that those are the biggest busts the Brewers have had based on success and expectations as a prospect? Who are your top 5 Brewers busted prospects? The disclaimers listed in the article go as follows...

Here is my stab in the dark... Team Brewers will trade with: Marlins Player(s) Brewers will acquire in trade: Dan Straily, Jarlin Garcia Player(s) Brewers will trade away in return: Corey Ray, Mauricio Dubon, Freddy Peralta, Cody Ponce, Mariano Feliciano

Of course if the Brewers also throw in Chase Anderson and Isan Diaz I would assume they could net Jean Segura?

I probably didn't give Brandon Kintzler enough credit during his Brewers stint, but I have to admit that it is neat to see a guy that twice was drafted in the 40th round make an All Star Game appearance.

You are correct that it doesn't count against the draft bonus pool. Without knowing the exact details of the failed physical it is difficult to assess his value. It is interesting that the Orioles didn't make the minimum 40% offer which would have prevented Jack Conlon from becoming a free agent, but they weren't going to get the 4th round pick back regardless since it is unprotected. They did the kid a huge favor as he is now possibly looking at a deal in the millions. I am really curious to see how this plays out. Also agree that it would be great to see the Brewers take a shot if they have less concerns about the medicals.

I wanted to start a friendly contest in the spirit of the fastest post All Star Game trade announcement in Brewers history occurring on July 12, 2011 with the Brewers acquiring Francisco Rodriguez (and cash) for what ultimately turned out to be PTBNL's Adrian Rosario and Daniel Ray Herrera. The rules are pretty simple, just try to predict the team and players in the next trade the Brewers will make that involves major leaguers and/or prospects. Let the guessing begin. Team Brewers will trade with: Player(s) Brewers will acquire in trade: Player(s) Brewers will trade away in return:

Some recent reports on Troy Stokes, Jr. are listed below. From Fangraphs, Eric Longenhagen's Daily Notes for 7/10: Also a good Troy Stokes, Jr. article from last month appeared on BP Milwaukee written by Kyle Lesniewski, Stoked for Carolina **** So moving on to my question... now in his 4th season in the organization, are we underestimating the present talent and future potential of Troy Stokes, Jr.? The former 4th round pick wasn't among the top 30 vote getters in our pre-season Brewerfan.net community prospect rankings, although I would guess he moves up somewhat in our mid-season vote. It seems that Stokes, Jr. has a legitimate shot to develop into major league outfielder, even if it is ultimately in a backup role. I attended a Mudcats game in which he not only hit a , but he also hit a line drive that went just foul down the left field line that is one of the hardest hit balls I have ever seen in person. His hard contact ability was on full display. He has a quick and compact swing with what appears to be above average bat speed. He also possesses the speed element of the equation to make the power/speed combination intriguing. One fair criticism does seem to be that he is very pull heavy. Still, he has some exciting tools for a player that just turned 21 years old this past February. By comparison age wise to some of his Carolina teammates he is one year and four months younger than Corey Ray while Troy is also younger than Lucas Erceg, Jake Gatewood, and Monte Harrison. I know many of the other Carolina prospects have more protectable frames, but the 5'8" Stokes, Jr. seems to be holding his own among a heralded group of prospects. There is certainly more to prospect development than stats, but it is notable that so far this season 34 of his 79 hits have gone for extra bases including 4 triples and 13 home runs. He currently has an .817 OPS which ranks first on Mudcats roster ahead of even Jake Gatewood. The speed has also translated on the base paths where he has 18 stolen bases on the year. Is Stokes still being mostly underestimated or is he now emerging out from under the radar?

Final: Burlington 7, Wisconsin 4 Burlington Breaks Tie in Eighth to Beat Wisconsin Bees top Rattlers 7-4 on Sunday By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers The Burlington Bees continue to have the Rattlers number as now more than 1/4 of their wins this season have come at Wisconsin's expense. Even after a tough late innings loss it is worth checking out Chris Mehring's game story which is insightful as always. *** AUDIO via the Rattler Radio Soundcloud: "Chris Mehring and Kyle Lobner discuss the Rattlers' 7-4 loss and have audio from Carlos Belonis, Carlos Herrera, Drake Owenby, & Matt Erickson. *** *** Wisconsin Box Score Offensively Carlos Belonis led the way for the Timber Rattlers recording three hits including a double. As noted in the game story Joantgel Segovia extended his hitting streak to 11 games. The Rattlers did finish a perfect 4-for-4 on stolen base attempts... Wisconsin Game Log RHP Carlos Herrera came on to pitch in the 4th inning and lasted 4.0 innings. It was the 19-year old Herrera's first ever outing in A ball and it started with a clean 1-2-3 inning including a strikeout. For the outing he gave up three earned runs overall including solo home runs in the 5th and 6th innings.

The most definitive answer I have seen to this question was provided by colbyjack in post #122 of the Draft Pick Discussion Thread, LINK. The part of colbyjack's post pertaining to Hiura's arm is copied here... The "event" he is referring to is a Perfect Game showcase event. Based on that it isn't likely we ever see him on the left side of the infield.

Looks like they included eight recently drafted players. I would guess that at some point down the road Keston Hiura passes a few of those guys. #30 - Hunter Greene #31 - MacKenzie Gore #39 - Royce Lewis #40 - Brendan McKay #41 - Kyle Wright #53 - Alex Faedo #97 - Jordon Adell #98 - Adam Haseley And since that was fun, here are the players taken in the 2016 MLB Draft that are listed (let me know if I missed anyone)... #9 - Nick Senzel #21 - Cal Quantrill #27 - A.J. Puk #36 - Blake Rutherford #46 - Mickey Moniak #55 - Ian Anderson #62 - Kyle Lewis #77 - Riley Pint #87 - Jason Groome #79 - Matt Manning #99 - Austin Hays Probably worth noting that among the second list Orioles 2016 3rd rounder Austin Hays was the only non-1st round pick from last year that was included in the BA top 100 (unless I missed someone else).

If I could pluck a pitcher out of the A's starting rotation it would be LHP Sean Manaea. I realize the A's aren't likely to trade a good young LHP that they control through 2022, but if the Brewers are going to give up a haul of talent Manaea would provide the best combination of both short term and long term benefit. Again, I would assume the A's wouldn't be interested in entertaining a trade for Manaea unless the Brewers went overboard with the offer. As bad as the current A's are, they do have a decent looking rotation for the future. Two of their current young starters were acquired in trades and have since increased their value significantly. Manaea was acquired from the Royals at the trade deadline in 2015 in exchange for Ben Zobrist and the A's also acquired recently called up rotation arm Paul Blackburn this past off-season in a trade with the Mariners for Danny Valencia. Both offer examples of receiving good surplus value via trade.

The Brewers have once again acquired International signing bonus slots from the Orioles, this time for the current signing period. Per MLB Trade Rumors the Brewers have acquired multiple slots from the Orioles in exchange for RHP Aaron Myers. The Brewers have also signed Vitor Watanabe a player out of Brazil who it appears will be joining one of the Brewers DSL teams. A few links regarding Watanabe... Tweets with photos of the signing (Tweet Link #1 and Tweet Link #2) Also, below is a recent article on Watanabe that was translated using Google Translate.

According to MLB Trade Rumors: "With the team set to be sold at some point in the near future, the Marlins appear to be lining up for some significant moves at the deadline. As Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports, the Fish appear to be targeting a few organizations in particular as they look to shop their biggest contracts. Marlins scouts are taking a hard look at the systems of the Yankees, Red Sox, Brewers, Rockies, and Cubs, per the report." I am definitely in the "stay the course" camp, and I certainly don't want to get in a bidding war for a 33 year old 3B with the Red Sox, but I wonder if Martín Prado would serve as a much better version of the Hernan Perez role for the second half of the season? It would be the rich-man's version of the Jerry Hairston move from 2011. Based on splits Prado would serve as an upgrade at 3B versus LHPs as compared to Travis Shaw. He also has the versiatility to play 2B as well as the corner OF spots. He is signed through 2019, making $11.5 million this year and owed $28.5 million over the following two years. Eating the salary might keep the prospect cost down some, but I guess the Brewers would need to believe they had a longer term role for him or they would have to look to move him in the off-season. I also recognize that the fact Prado just recently came back from a hamstring injury isn't ideal, but might also be something that keeps his trade value down slightly. Admittedly, I haven't looked up to see what no trade protection Prado may carry. Thoughts on whether adding another impact bat in Prado down the stretch could be worth it, as well as the likely cost in prospects?

A right hand hitting Wade Boggs. High BA, high OBP, doubles power. That is the ceiling. I think Jose Altuve is a better comp than Boggs. Well if you combine the credentials of a HOFer and an Astros All-Star second baseman, then just throw in a pre-swing leg kick and you could have a slower version of Craig Biggio. Seems like that would be a pretty good ceiling for Hiura. It is fun to dream on what could be even if reality is likely to get in the way at some point.

Was it the radio or TV broadcast? Doesn't look like anything official has been announced yet.

Of the first round draft picks the Brewers have made over the past several years, Keston Hiura is my favorite by a comfortable margin. Like with any high selection the potential to disappoint relative to draft expectations is fairly high. Still, Hiura appears to possess the ingredients to become a very good professional hitter. Some of those abilities include overall approach, bat speed, hit/contact tool, gap power and ability to elevate, etc. It isn't all that difficult to picture Hiura's bat being special as a professional. I won't put any timeline on how fast or slow his progression through the system may be, but I hope he ultimately develops into a cornerstone bat for a Brewers team that becomes a perennial playoff contender.