Playing Catch

I presume the changeup was the pitch with which he ended the 4th? I've watched his strikeout clip over and over again, but THAT pitch was the one I was most curious about. Whoa.

Yeah, I guess. I always figured that for teenagers, athleticism/tools trump present value when projecting a future defensive home. I always read those question marks as simply being a reflection of the development risk associated with any prospect. I suppose he may just look that raw defensively, with poor instincts/hands. Perhaps I misjudge how much better a player can get defensively with reps.

This quote caught my eyes... "The biggest knock on Peña’s profile is his lack of fielding ability. He’s had five starts at shortstop this year and made four errors. He’s not a shortstop long term, but cleaning up his actions and fielding ability will be a point of emphasis as he advances." This was the first I've heard that he's not a shortstop.

It looks like he could play a capable SS, along with his superb defense at 3rd. Could give Bauers some competition as well(?) I mean, Fangraphs has him as a 20 hit tool... yikes. That has to be an error, correct? He probably would complement Durbin better than Capra.

Can never have enough pitching... or so I've been told.

If a guy's radial range at third is one-step (3 feet?) quicker than other 3rd basemen, and they are keeping more balls in the infield instead of the outfield, they are saving bases. They are probably making bang-bang throws to first. The 3rd baseman with one-step (3 feet?) lesser range may not reach the ball down the line, or the swinging bunt in front of them, to even attempt a throw to 1st. Accuracy of throws also matters. On the prospective 5-4-3 double-play last night, Durbin DID hit Turang perfectly. I agree with your thought that 3rd base is a reactive position where arm strength benefits the defense, but I'm skeptical that range isn't a significant factor in the quality of the defense. "Range" just means something a little different at 3rd than at short, or 2nd.

Anyone else see a lot of Freddie Freeman in Bitonti?

I'm not disagreeing with you, but am curious if you've read/heard anything about this?

I think it depends on his range, which is a lot harder for me to sense when I watch. Maybe even the great Arenado can't charge that ball as effectively(?)

I love how there is broad consensus that the Brewers will win today before the game starts, and that consensus collapses dramatically here after an inning or two.

I think bringing up Durbin immediately puts Ortiz on the hotseat later this season or next season as all the prospects have one more season under their belts and he'll have had plenty of opportunities to prove his MLB worth.

He played on some really bad teams, but had a really nice career.

From a front office perspective, I think this move says a lot more about Dunn/Capra than Durbin. I think I would've liked to see the platoon for maybe another week or two before making this move. Not because I feel strongly about giving guys a chance, as much as because I have a hard time believing the platoon could be THAT bad. But this move probably gives them a long look at the internal options before turning to the trade market. Similar to how the Priester move was probably discussed at length throughout the offseason, if Durbin falls on his face, and there is a summer drought on the farm (Boeve, Wilken, Pratt), the Brewers will shore up that position via trade. From a fan's perspective, I am really excited to see Durbin the Turbine (I also like, "Durbo") play. Last night was so fun to watch, with the fans so involved. It really makes me wonder how cool it would be if all the fans cheered during other at-bats. I like the personalized, "Let's go [Jackson]!" or "Let's go [Hoskins]!" I guess I like to hear it when fans seem to have a personal investment in how the AB goes. I think all of us had dreams of a lineup with Chipper Jones playing 3rd base for this team, but based on the options available, having another tough, pesky out with enough power to punish mistakes isn't the worst thing. From a poster's perspective, I've read bits and pieces here about Durbin's 3rd base defense, and I think that I may have even contributed to this idea that he's not good at 3rd. Are there any scouting reports that confirm these suspicions? I think we've read that he's a much better defender at 2nd, but have we read specifically about his defense at 3rd? We know his arm is probably a 40, 45, but does he have quick actions/internal clock that can make up for that? I thought he looked fine there last night, although his arm probably cost them a couple of outs at first. One on the ball he had to charge from deep, and on the effort at a double play that only secured the out at second*. *edit to correct

Yeah. I was being cheeky. To be fair to evaluators, there's no shortage of guys that mimic Maddux in the minors.

I can't remember ever being this optimistic about MLB outcomes for an A-ball team.

Just not enough Manuel Rodriguez talk around this place. 16 IP - 19 K - 4 BB. How quickly will this youngster (19 until August) gain recognition beyond these threads if his stuff takes a step forward?

He's 25 until November. He wouldn't be the first Top 100-type prospect that came up as a high-floor defender/ballplayer, and developed into an above average bat. Now, obviously, he wouldn't be the first one to fade into the background as a platoon-only, utility guy, either, but all-stars gotta come from somewhere. Why not Turang?

IIRC, he credits his own maturation into a professional. Like, he simply decided to start taking things more seriously, and to listen to his coaches/try to improve. Or am I imagining that interview?

You know the Brewers face Reese Olson tomorrow, correct?

@Brock Beauchamp needs to add some kind of shared forum from all the team sites where we can debate this sort of thing with actual Twins fans.

Freddy has been awesome so far. But I don't have to tell you that if the Brewers are 10 games out on July 1st, and he's pitching well, he could net a significant return. I would also argue that any of Hoskins, Haase, Payamps, and Peguero could easily perform well enough to be of interest to teams that need someone of their skillset. But my thought wasn't necessarily about maximizing each player's value, as much as providing MLB opportunities for those players I listed (Henderson, Garcia, EMJ, Yoho, Black, Durbin and Quero). I am guessing there are a number of guys in the front office that are as eager as I am to find out what those players can do in the big leagues.

Hopefully! If there IS a catcher there, said catcher will need plenty of game reps before moving him off the position. Probably years' worth. I was daydreaming about EMJ, and thinking that the Big club probably wouldn't be affected THAT much, in terms of regular season record, if they did some spring cleaning with the roster. Out with the old, in with the new... Trade (or Release) - Freddy, Rhys, Bauers, Haase, Payamps, Peguero. I would think, collectively, you could get back some decent prospects for those guys. Promote - Logan Henderson, Deivi Garcia, EMJ, Quero, Yoho, and Durbin/Black.

I tend to go with the idea that if you warm up your closer, you put them in. But if Megill sits down last night, and Payamps gets a ground ball double-play to end the game, you think to yourself, "Nice! gave Megill another day. Got Payamps an opportunity to turn things around. Won the game, great!" If 100 represents league average, I'd give Murphy a 90 on that decision. I thought it was the wrong decision at the time, but I don't mind the aggressive thought process. He was trying to steal an inning, there. It just failed and they lost the game. He would never acknowledge this publicly, and perhaps not even within the coach's offices, but I think that sometimes Murphy likes testing his players a little bit by introducing unpredictability. The closer role is a mind game. Megill needs to come in and do the job, even if it didn't go according to plan. If he's going to be trusted with that role, he needs to do the job even when it isn't set up perfectly.

It's early, and the Brewers aren't the only team that doesn't have a 3rd baseman.

There are about a dozen good 3rd baseman in the world, then a big drop-off. The void is filled with utility players. We all kinda knew this going into the off-season.