The stache

At this rate, Wacha should be a Brewer in about 14 years. Mark your calendar, guys.

Meanwhile, Michael Wacha, who was drafted in the first round last year for the Cardinals, is throwing a perfect game against the Royals in the fifth. Tonight is his Major League debut.

Great. This team can't do anything right. Three guys come up with men on second and third, and don't even get a sac fly to bring one in.

I don't blame Paul Molitor at all for leaving Milwaukee. Nothing says "we want you" like a low-ball offer. Bando was a fool. Molitor should have retired as a Brewer, but if he had to leave, I'm glad he got a ring.

Lucroy 10 for his last 37 (.270). Oh please, Yuni. Really need a big hit here. Please please please!

Ugh, please tell me we're going to drive in one of these two guys.

Why are we not sitting Braun? He's the franchise, and by having him in there with an injured thumb, he could really be risking permanent injury. It's not like we're going to make a run the way we're playing. Give him a few days off, or a week off, and let him get healthy. Because Braun, right now, is one of the only things keeping me interested, and people coming to the park.

My goal right now, pebadger, is just to see them win tonight, or tomorrow. I don't want to match the April 1970 Brewers low mark of 5 wins. 5 and 22 would just be too much.

It's good to see Logan Schafer have a good game. I really like him, and want to see him do well. Hell, I like all the players on this team. There's not one Nyjer Morgan on this squad. Nobody I find grating. I just wish this team were playing better.

Kyle Lohse has given up four home runs through four innings? Hello, April 1970 Brewers, here we come. But at least RRR has said he's "tired or losing" publicly. So are we, Ron.

So, his contingency plan to back up two oft injured player was a player that had just missed the entire season with a knee injury. Good to know.

We've scored 84 runs in 25 games, and have allowed 135. So, again, we're scoring 3.36 runs per game. We're allowing 5.4 runs per game. For the 25 games in the month of May, we're being outscored by more than 2 runs per game.

Yes, we are. It gives me no joy to say it, but we are that bad. The Twins were 19-38 before facing us these last three games, and they're feasting on us. This marvelous Twins team that had lost 11 of it's last 12 games is suddenly beating us into submission. We're scoring 3.36 runs a game for the month of May. We've failed to score more than a run in 9 of 25 games. We've scored 1 or 2 runs in 12 of 25 games. Think about what I just said. This team was the top scoring team in the National League last season. Yet in nearly half of the 25 games we've played in May, we've failed to score more than 2 runs.

The Milwaukee Brewers are in the 43rd year of their existence. In the very first month this team played baseball, back in April of 1970, the Brewers were 5-15. 5 wins is the fewest in any month in the history of this team. The Brewers in May of 2013, with an extra seven games, are thus far 5-20 with two games to play. If we don't win either one of these two remaining games, we will tie a record for fewest wins in any month. And we will easily set the worst winning percentage of any month in team history. So, leaving behind this train wreck of a Major League roster, let's look at our minor league system. Of the top 20 prospects the Brewers have, according to MLB.com, we might have one player that's a full time starter, Hunter Morris, and there's questions about his defense. Our sixth best prospect, Scooter Gennett, is a substitute on most any other Major League roster, not a starter. Our #1 rated prospect, Tyler Thornburg, is 0-6 with a 6.66 ERA and a 1.71 WHIP at AAA Nashville. What about the other positional players, you say? Well, there's Khris Davis, who can really only play left field. But he's just a little blocked there by somebody named Braun. So, first base is a possibility? Well, he's blocked by the aforementioned Morris. Clint Coulter? He's going to have a really nice bat, but again, where does he play? I think Stevie Wonder could tell you he's not a catcher, and trying to make him a catcher could stunt his growth as a hitter (just ask the Seattle Mariners how that project of making Jesus Montero a catcher turned out as he's riding the bus back to AAA). Victor Roache? Impressive power, probably a 70 power tool on the 20-80 scale. He's at least an average fielder with a good arm and glove, but he doesn't have a lot of speed. And he's got some holes in his swing (that may be worked out). He's possibly our right fielder of the future. But as bad as some other teams have it, their minor league talent is simply better than ours. The Florida Marlins are dreadful right now. But look at their young talent. Jose Fernandez is going to be a stud pitcher for years to come (if the Marlins don't ruin his arm by having him up too early). Christian Yelich (12), Jake Marisnick (64), Justin Nicolino (66), and Andrew Heaney (75) are all top 100 prospects, and Marcell Ozuna soon will be. And I know that prospects don't always pan out, but that's 4, possibly 5 of the top 100 prospects in the game, in the Marlin system, not including Jose Fernandez, who was #8 a week ago before he fell off the prospect list (as he'd pitched in enough innings to qualify for rookie status). The Brewers have zero top 100 prospects, and the one we just had is getting lit up like a Minora. So, let's reflect. Third worst record in the majors, about to have the worst monthly record in the 43 year history of our franchise, and a minor league system completely devoid of impact players. But you're right. It's not as bad as it seems.

You also failed to mention Archie Bradley, who is smoking batters at AA. Bradley's the #23 prospect in baseball, and at his line this year is 6-1 with a 1.01 ERA, 80 K's in 62 2/3 IP vs 26 BB. His WHIP is 1.12, and opponents are batting .198 off of him. Don't forget the DBacks drafted and developed Trevor Bauer, too. He's going to be a stud in Cleveland.

Who could have predicted that Jean Segura would be leading the National League in batting, have 8 home runs and 13 stolen bases a third of the way into the season? Who could have predicted that Carlos Gomez would be leading the team with 10 home runs, be batting over .330 a third of the way into the season. There are surprises on both end. We've had the top half of our lineup batting over .300 the whole season. As far as the pitching rotation, I think every single preseason publication I read had the Brewers in 4th place precisely because of rotational issues. Gallardo is not an ace. He's a good #2 when he's on. We had a #2 to start, and no clear #3. Estrada is a 3/4, Fiers and Peralta are 4's at best, while Peralta has upside to be better. Before signing Lohse, this rotation was in serious trouble. Throw in Gallardo's awful start, and we were doomed to play well below .500 ball if any of our offensive cogs were not firing. No Aramis Ramirez or Corey Hart meant real trouble. As far as the who could have predicted Corey Hart and Aramis Ramirez would be hurt? A lot of people. Corey Hart is hurt a lot. Make no mistake, he's one of my favorite players on the Brewers, but he's out quite a bit. He missed 13 games last year (not bad). He missed 32 in 2011. He missed 17 in 2010, and 47 games in 2009. You're seriously surprised he's hurt again this year? Aramis Ramirez is going to be 35 in June. He missed 13 games in 2012 and 2011 (again, not terrible), 38 games in 2010, and 80 games in 2009. So, who could have predicted they'd be hurt? A good GM should have had at least a decent contingency plan in place in the likelihood that these guys did get hurt again. Instead we had Alex Gonzalez and Yuni Betancourt, who are barely Major League players. When they did get hurt, 1/4 of our lineup turned to crap.

At some point back in a prior discussion, one of my posts was "what prospect has Melvin hit on since Ryan Braun in 2005". That's just been my jumping off point, so to speak, for prospect talk. 8 years since 8, if you will. But thanks. I tend to get a little more worked up in game threads (for good or bad, I'm just a passionate fan, and when I see dumb things happening, things that a five year old could see as dumb, it irritates me to no end), but when we're done losing, I can be a little more rational, and do my research. Here's Baseball America's Top 100 Prospects from prior to 2009: http://img826.imageshack.us/img826/828/2009bbaprospects.png

The Brewers could learn from the Yankees and Mariners in that regard, splitterpfj. Look at what's happened to Jesus Montero. He just got shipped back down to AAA. I think all the focusing on catching did stunt his offensive production. Zunino is the future of that franchise behind the plate, Montero should stick to first, or DH. That team is in desperate need of offense.

I didn't see he'd been traded, I updated my comparisons.

Ya, I saw that they called up Michael Wacha, who they drafted last year. He is the comp pick for Pujols. The Cardinals kick our butts up and down the block from top to bottom as an organization.

You are right about the record. I miscalculated, and had the Twins ahead by a few games. The Brewers have won 7 more games over that span. But if you look at the return the Twins have gotten for the money they've spent, both at the Major League level, and in the minors, I'd be willing to bet the Twins are way ahead. As to the correlation between draft position and talent, do you want me to do a year by year comparison as to who the Twins and Brewers have both drafted since 2005? Because over a seven year span, Milwaukee having 7 wins more than the Twins breaks down to one extra win per season. Given that, Milwaukee should have a comparable level of talent, no? Let's look at first round picks (ignoring any compensatory picks) 2006 Twins 20th, Brewers 16th 2007 Twins 28th, Brewers 7th 2008 Twins 14th, Brewers 16th 2009 Twins 22nd, Brewers 26th 2010 Twins 21st, Brewers 14th 2011 Twins 30th, Brewers 12th 2012 Twins 2nd, Brewers 28th Average draft position Minnesota Twins 19.6 Average draft position Milwaukee Brewers 17 Now obviously, it's not that cut and dry. There are varying levels of talent from one year to the next. One year, the draft might be loaded, the next, it could be relatively thin. But over the period from 2006 to 2012, the Brewers have on average had first round picks 3 slots higher than the Twins (when rounded). Now, let's look at the players that have been drafted (again, no compensatory picks): 2006 1st round, 20th pick. Minnesota selects: Chris Parmelee 2006 1st round, 16th pick. Milwaukee selects: Jeremy Jeffress push. neither have made a significant impact in the Majors 2007 1st round, 28th pick. Minnesota selects: Ben Revere 2007 1st round, 7th pick. Milwaukee selects: Matt LaPorta Revere last season hit .294, scored 70 runs, stole 40 bases for the Twins. LaPorta hit .247 with 11 HR and 53 RBI last season for the Indians. Revere had a good season for the Twins before being traded. LaPorta never played for the Brewers. 2008 1st round, 14th pick. Minnesota selects: Aaron Hicks 2008 1st round, 16th pick. Milwaukee selects Brett Lawrie Lawrie hit .253 with 11 HR and 48 RBI last season for the Blue Jays Hicks at AA New Britain hit .286 with 100 runs scored, had 21 doubles, 11 triples, 13 home runs and stole 32 bases. In the long run, I do not know who will be the better player. I do know that Lawrie will never benefit the Brewers again, and Hicks single handedly won the game against us tonight, robbing Carlos Gomez of a home run, and hitting one himself. 2009 1st round, 22nd pick. Minnesota selects: Kyle Gibson 2009 1st round, 26th pick, Milwaukee selects: Eric Arnett This isn't even close. Arnett just had season ending knee surgery in February. At age 24, last season, he was still stuck in high A ball where he was 1-0 with a 3.56 ERA. Arnett is not even rated as a top 20 prospect in the Brewers' system. Gibson is a top 50 prospect in baseball, 4-5 with a 2.82 ERA 53:17 K:BB ratio, a 1.07 WHIP at AAA Rochester. He is Minnesota's #4 prospect. The 6'6" 210 lb right hander has a plus fastball, slider and changeup. Huge advantage to Minnesota. 2010 1st round, 21st pick. Minnesota selects: Alex Wimmers. 2010 1st round, 14th pick. Minnesota selects: Dylan Covey Wimmers was the 10th rated prospect in the Twins' system at the end of 2011, but has been rehabbing after Tommy John surgery. The Brewers didn't even sign Dylan Covey, and he's pitching for the University of San Diego. So, again, we get nothing. I expect Wimmers to be a back of the rotation guy for Minnesota, 3/4 upside. As for who the Brewers could have had in that first round: Christian Yelich, Kaleb Cowart, Jesse Biddle, Zach Lee. All four of them would have been our #1 prospect as all are top 100 in baseball. Cowart is #61, Biddle is #55, Yelich is #12 and Zach Lee is #72. 2011 1st round, 30th pick. Minnesota selects: Levi Michael 2011 1st round, 12th pick. Milwaukee selects: Taylor Jungmann I know little about Michael. He's the #20 prospect in the Twin system (shortstop). Jungmann had the pedigree in college, winning the Dick Howser Award as college baseball's best player (think baseball's Heisman Award). Jungmann should put this in the win column for the Brewers, but I'm not making an assumption until I see both play longer. 2012 1st round, 2nd pick. Minnesota selects: Byron Buxton 2012 1st round, 27th and 28th picks. Milwaukee selects: Victor Roache. Buxton simply has far greater upside than Victor. Roache has plus power. Buxton is a five tool star, and would likely have been #1 if the Houston Astros didn't think they couldn't sign him. Overall: clear win for the Twins. Yes, Buxton was a #2 pick. Well, the Brewers had a #7 pick, and couldn't even sign their guy. Hicks and Gibson should also be long term contributors for the Twins. Both have star potential. The Brewers took the "safe" route with Jungmann. He might have a higher basement, but he has a far lower ceiling. Roache could stick in right field with a solid average arm. Can you point to anybody the Brewers have drafted in this seven year period, at least in the first round, and say they have clear "star potential"? Jeffress, LaPorta and Lawrie were sent shipping, and we got a half season of C.C. Sabathia, a year and a half of Zack Greinke, and a year and a half of Shaun Marcum, for them (and Alcides Escobar, Lorenzo Cain, Michael Brantley). Neither Arnett or Covey will ever contribute to the Brewers. Jungmann is a starter with 4 upside. I think it's clear to say that though we have had on average a slightly better draft position than Minnesota, they have done a better job selecting talent.

Seriously? From 96 wins two years ago to 12 games under .500 with the worst pitching staff in baseball, and one of the worst overall farm systems of all Major League teams. Oh, and no first round pick in this year's draft. Under what stretch of the imagination could this franchise possibly be on the right track? I've said my peace, but I will leave this discussion for now with one last thought. Again. Doug Melvin has been in a management position in Major League Baseball for over a quarter of a century. In that time, his teams, the Orioles, Rangers and Brewers...have won a grand total of one playoff series. Not one World Series championship. Not one league championship. One playoff series win. His last two seasons as GM of the Texas Rangers, they had the worst team ERA in baseball. I'm pretty sure that after 26 years on the job, there's enough empirical data to formulate an accurate assessment of the man chiefly responsible for the direction of this franchise. This is a man that has time and time again shown that he cannot get the job done. He is an incredibly poor judge of pitching talent. For every one good move he makes, there are at least four bad ones. For every Jean Segura-for-a-two-month-rental of Zack Greinke trades, there's a signing of Jeff Suppan, or Eric Gagne, or Jason "wet noodle" Kendal, or bringing in Jim Edmonds at age 40. There are more I'm probably not thinking of. But he's had a long time in the Major Leagues, and his teams have accomplished nothing. If Doug Melvin was going to do anything, he'd have done it by now. He is a stop gap, and a bad one at that. It's time to move on.

My thinking as well. Even after our incredible run to close out the 2012 season, I didn't have high expectations that we'd contend for the division, or even a playoff spot this season. And that was fine with me. I'd love to win the World Series year after year, but the realist in me is completely content with a competitive team that is fun to watch, so long as I feel we are building towards something. So, while there were certain elements of last year's team that made me nuts, overall, I really enjoyed watching the Brewers play. I was entertained, and ultimately, isn't that why we all watch the game? When we added Kyle Lohse, I took it as a sign that maybe management thought we were closer to a playoff spot than originally anticipated. In retrospect, now it looks more like a desperation move, and an ill-conceived one at that. Lohse is not a difference maker, and in signing him, we've taken on a substantial contract for three years, forfeiting our much needed first round pick this season to do so. So when I read other posters saying that "we have a plan", with all due respect, I'm just not seeing it. We are very lucky that Jean Segura is playing as well as he has been. We are also incredibly fortunate that Carlos Gomez is finally starting to live up to his incredible potential. Where would if both these guys weren't playing absolutely lights out baseball? We're 12 games below .500, and it's not even June. What happens to this team when they start to come down to Earth?

If we actually develop our own pitchers and everyday guys why would we want or need to make a Sabathia or Greinke type trade? I'm not even sure if Gennett is a full time player in the Majors, and he's our 5th or 6th best prospect. He's a nice hitter, but doesn't really provide any power or base stealing ability. And his OBP at least right now is purely a product of his batting average. His defense is average. I've wanted to bring him up for a while to see if we could catch lightning in a bottle with him, maybe get a bit of an offensive boost while he was hot with the bat. But he's cooled considerably, though still around the .300 mark.

Thank you