Playing Catch

It ensures the Yankees sell out at least one game featuring the Brewers.

Questions off the top of my head... 1 - (40-man related?) What will Ernesto Martinez Jr. need to do in Spring Training to make the MLB roster, and how great would it be to see him be/become at least a serviceable left-handed 1B/DH/pinch-hitter/runner? 2 - Is the MLB roster young enough and potent enough to allow the Brewers to be more patient with their prospects? Is there any organizational benefit to "fast-tracking," prospects? 3 - My perception is that the Brewers are breaking into the enviable category of elite draft/develop organizations. Is this perception (A) accurate? (B) shared among the scouting community? Does this give an artificial "bump," in the faith that scouts have that prospects will reach their potential? If they are "elite," how long before the league catches up? 4 - Do you expect statcast-like data to become available to AA-ball, A-ball, rookie-ball soon? 5 - What free (or inexpensive) advanced data websites do you follow? 6 - Are there personal eye-test or stat-related indicators that each of you have that make you fall in love with, or mitigate your enthusiasm for, a prospect? Not sure how related these are to your initial pod's outline, but I'll send more as I think of them. Looking forward to the series!

So there's at least a couple of examples out there. That's good. I don't know where to find some accessible advanced stats, but in looking at the tiny AAA sample from his 2024 season on Fangraphs, it looks like he has elite "plate discipline" numbers across the board except on Z-Swing%, where his 57.7% wouldn't even come close to cracking the top 126 top MLBers (against commensurate competition). He just doesn't get guys swinging often enough. They just sit up there looking for a walk. I wonder if the org has toyed with the idea of going the Burnes route, and having Misiorowski learn that primary-pitch, firm cutter, and use the 4-seamer as a swing-and-miss pitch. Just scrap the change altogether, and limit the breaking balls to 0-2, 1-2 counts.

I mentioned this in another thread, but I'm not 100% sure that is true (I'm more like 85%, LOL). Yelich and Hoskins played a lot, in spite of their defensive qualities. There is NO doubt that the Brewers value defense. I just don't see evidence where a clearly superior bat was eschewed for defensive reasons. Maybe. Or maybe he's so untalented in the dirt that the Brewers have no choice. IMO, Black's biggest issue IS the bat, as it's not good enough to play ahead of other 1B/DH options on the roster, or on the waiver-wire.

Can anyone think of another top prospect that was able to halve his BB% from age 22 to say, age 25? Because I think that is close to what he would need to do in order to be a good MLB starter, let alone reach his ceiling.

What's a best-case/worst-case season(s) for this guy? How good is he?

This has been an issue for awhile now. The developmental program stopped developing. My pet theory as to the loss of dominant OL play is recruiting. I think that in the last say, 6 seasons or so, the Badgers have pulled in better recruits. But my uneducated guess is that many of those recruits get more stars because they can project as athletic pass-blockers -- not a bad thing, but perhaps a different body-type/skillset. It is baffling to me that say, 6 years ago, or so, The Badgers OL could be counted on to convert a 4th and inches nearly every time. That dried up completely, so much so that in recent seasons, I find myself hoping for an end-around or pass in those situations.

There were 87 free throw attempts, which really affected the scoreline*. UW with 47 FTA. Only 22 turnovers total, UW with 9. This will probably be the winning recipe for this team. Shoot/score well enough to make up for the lack of interior defense and rebounding. People will remember Tonje's performance, which was great, but for me, the game was about bench scoring. McGee, Amos, and Janicki went a combined 6-10 from behind the arc. It is really important that Amos and Janicki keep scoring, because I fear they would be liabilities otherwise. I'm not sure what Winter has shown to earn more minutes. Although, Arizona's bigs are BIG. That's obviously a tough matchup for the Badger's frontcourt. As for the ongoing question of McGee's coming off the bench, I think the current rotation is correct. I think the starting backcourt will continue to smooth out the offensive flow as the season goes on, and I think the bench NEEDS McGee's quarterbacking to get good shots. *(One can quibble with the refs involvement in the game, but do we, as fans, really want to see two teams getting mauled on their way to the hoop every possession with no calls? That turns a fair, 103-88 game into a 53-51 slog with 40 turnovers. It's a tough game to officiate as both teams want to invite contact, and one team wants a volleyball match underneath the hoop. It's tough because Arizona is active and handsy, looking to create breaks, and UW holds and tugs through screens, and uses hips and knees to knock guys offline, looking for defensive rebounds. Two physical styles, two different styles. The game can either be physical and fair, or physical and dubious. Speaking for myself, I don't enjoy watching deep, athletic, undisciplined teams slap and slash the ball on an endless, mindless quest for the turnover, and then getting away with it because refs don't want to impact the game.)

What would Hoskins cost as a FA this season?

I'm not convinced he's gunna hit. His swing looks goofy to me, and most of his hitting value is derived from taking a bunch of walks. His power isn't such that pitchers are going to worry about it. Pair all of that with his defensive shortcomings, and you don't really have anything more than a lefty pinch-hitter/pinch-runner that you'd have to replace in the next half of the inning.

This is very true, and you are correct. My point was more about the possibility that it was about dedicating a roster spot to Rea at all, regardless of salary. In other words, if he was making the minimum, would they go with him? Even with all of his innings pitched, his total fWAR was 0.9, so he was barely above replacement level with any given start.

With those moves made, it's hard not to think of all those new 40-man spots.

So great. I love those two players.

Really? I have a hard time believing that any team ever, anywhere, would voluntarily pay a guy more money out of good will --- unless it was part of a longer-term contract negotiation.

I don't know why I care about this, but I love it.

I was surprised by this move, like many others, but what evidence do we have that this has ANYTHING to do with salary?

But what's the rush? The MLB team doesn't exactly have a ton of holes for the next couple of seasons. We all acknowledge the current Adames-sized hole in the infield, but most of the other slots are filled, and will most likely remain so. If there is a Chourio-level prospect, there is always room to promote. But otherwise, there's no hurry. Let them take a full-season at each stop, if necessary. That just means the FA clock starts later, and the Brewers can enjoy more of their peak performance.

I've posited before that the Brewers are beginning to garner significant trust from the larger scouting community. While that is no doubt deserved, I also wonder if that trust provides an artificial "bump" in their opinions of Brewers prospects.

Shouldn't you post your Attanasio meme?* Having a higher/lower payroll means almost NOTHING in terms of determining the competitive motivations of a franchise. This has been demonstrated over and over again across the baseball landscape. Becoming a younger, more athletic team will result in a lower payroll. It's that simple. Hypothetically, the Brewers could "cut payroll," by trading Hoskins for peanuts, filling the roster with players that cost half as much, and still be a better team on paper according to many here who accuse the team of being cheap. *But seriously, and this isn't directed at you, Turbo, but I don't believe there is any evidence that this organization does anything on the cheap. In fact, if anything, it is the opposite. Attanasio has continued to invest in this organization in oodles of ways. This is NOT to suggest that they don't have financial parameters that they work with --- that is true in every commercial organization.

He'll only be 32. Playing for another contract. If one had to put $100 on having to pick "career average year," or "repeat of 2024," where would you put your money?* *granted the Brewers would be staking $14M on the gamble (or $18M depending on how you look at the $4M buyout).

Could be similar to when Cleveland had Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez.

I'm dumb. I guess I missed this. I thought the Brewers were only guaranteed to be at AmFam through 2030. I suppose there are ways out of leases that have to do with the stadium falling into disrepair --- not an insignificant risk with such a unique roof. I don't think the $500+$150 Million will be enough to cover the costs through 2050. But yes, kinda silly to talk about moving with such a deal in place. This doesn't change the fact that the next CBA will need to address revenue disparities if the Brewers want to remain competitive.

Meh, I saw an interview with him once on MLB Network, and his personality turned me off. No biggie.

Wow, Brewers ALL OVER the place... the good place (Di Turi, Quintana, Bitoni, Jose Anderson, Black, Baez), and the passive place (Luke Adams is really passive, Boeve and Wilken too). If Adams, Boeve, and Wilken just get a bit more aggressive, perhaps they can really unlock something.

Did they sign Malamazian?