SoCalBrewfan

Actually Parker is pretty polished. He's more Gallardo than Rogers. Polished I can live with. It's these guys with a screaming fast but straight fastball, that would be great if they could only find the plate, or throw something other than a fastball. My post wasn't about anyone in particular, though it seems to match profiles of guys like Harvey in addition to Rogers. Aumont might be the guy that scares me most...he just seems like he was born with a Brewers target on his back. But I'm not an expert by any stretch of the imagination....

Given the way my preferences have played out in Brewers drafts, I think it's time for reverse psychology. So I really hope they draft an athletic but unpolished prep RHP, preferably with a smooth delivery and a big need to develop command and his secondary pitches.

The Thatcher movement seems significant...I'm among those who think the tea leaves say he'll pitch in the bigs this year. Capellan to the rotation...huh. Not sure how to read that at all.

Moustakas is sure intriguing, though BA says he's rocketing up people's boards...is there a question whether he will be there for the Brewers? Without a second rounder they should have spare money in the budget...except that they might spend it all on DFEs as they've got a great crop this year.

Of course, errors only tell a small part of the story for defense, particularly in the low minors...for those who have seen Gamel, how are his range / quickness and arm? My sense from what I've read is that most of the errors are throws, and that he's got a strong arm but needs work on accuracy, and thus maybe footwork? Players can improve defensively, so it's worthwhile to invest a few hundred games before shifting them...moves to less difficult positions tend to be irreversible.

Wait a sec, we brought in Cordero in the 8th? Is that legal? Yeah, I'm pleasantly surprised to see Yost break what I thought was one of his cardinal rules.

Good to see the "Overly Defensive Nerds for Sheets" crew representing here today. I don't know if that's directed at me, but please be polite regardless of your target.

Apparently Yost doesn't believe in all the stuff you read about Sheets not knowing how to win.

It should also be noted that there are plenty of other outfielders around, and having Gamel at 3b ensures that he'll get at bats. Since development is more important than winning in the low minors, it could well be that they've decided to punt 3b defense to get all these guys in the lineup. As it is the oufielders are struggling to get their share of playing time...

I'm not able to watch the game. Can someone remind me which team are the unproven upstarts who need to prove they belong, and which are the established winners?

Ah, the old 2-run sacrifice double play fly to the second baseman. Again Yost pushes just the right buttons. Wha?

Oh great, so now we have wrist, groin, and elbow discussion within a few posts For some reason I read the thread title as 'Brain injury' which would be really discouraging on top of all the other stuff.

The guy hasnt given up a run and we got the Bush looks terrible already. Get a clue. Hmm. Karma can really bite sometimes. Try being nice.

The extra 2.3 wins the Brewers have "stolen" could be the result of the team's use of dominating relievers in close games or it could just be dumb luck. I won't pretend to know which. Don't forget the impact of having a brilliant tactical mind in the dugout, pushing just the right buttons at just the right time.

I thought I remembered BA saying he was the best defensive infielder in the system a few years ago, or something along those lines. Are you thinking of Escobar here? I suspect so...everything I've seen has Hurricane as limited to 2b by his range and arm. I'll try to pull out an old prospect guide when I get the chance.

I understand SoCal. I wasn't trying to make a point with my post, except to say that their numbers are interesting so far. I hadn't thought much of any of these 3 outside of Helena. So it's putting them on the radar in my mind. Yeah, it's nice to see these guys off to good starts, and there's still hope for all of them to varying extents...Moss most of all in my mind because of his position, defense, age. If Palmisano can hit even a bit he has some potential value as well.

I have to say that it's interesting to see that through April, Sollman (the new youklis??), Palmisano, and Moss are putting up much better numbers than Fielder, Weeks, Hardy, Hart, or Hall did in Huntsville. It'll be something to continue following. Well, remember that Moss is four months older than Fielder, and that it's his second shot at AA. Not Fielder-when-he-was-in-AA, but Fielder right now as a mainstay of the major league lineup. (That's not a shot at Moss as I still like the guy...it's also fair to say that he has a bit more defensive value and that Fielder is a tough guy to match hitting numbers with.) Same but moreso for Sollman and Palmisano, both born in '82 as were Weeks, Hall, and Hardy.

I'd really like to see some long-term thinking on the part of the team with respect to the pen. Getting a look at Spurling is reasonable, I guess, but there's not a lot of evidence to indicate that he's part of the answer and I can't imagine he'll be around much longer. Dessens is well on his way to the Elmer's factory. So who can hold down roles in the 'pen long-term? That's particularly critical given that Cordero's free agency is imminent, with Turnbow signed through '08 and eligible for FA after '09. Capellan at one point looked like a future closer, or at least successor to Turnbow assuming DT moved into Cordero's role. If he is truly on the way out, what does that mean for the future of the 'pen? And what about Sarfate? Have they given up on him? Bray has a prettier ERA, but even more walks per nine. Spurling's numbers were actually not impressive either aside from his ERA. Their numbers have the Brewers about a game and a half better than expected,

There's several layers of things going on, too...the adjusted standings at BP suggest that the Brewers have played a bit better than their RS/RA would suggest, but also a bit worse than their record would suggest. Their equivalent runs scored and allowed are both a bit better than actual runs scored and allowd, so they've scored less often than raw hitting stats would suggest, and allowed more runs than raw opponent numbers would suggest. But we're still in the part of the season where it's difficult to separate fluctuations from trends. As N goes to infinity, 'things should even out,' but we're far from that point. While the Brewers have had some bad innings by the back of the bullpen, they've also had good health for the most part, so it's dangerous to assume that we will play the rest of the season without significant innings from bad pitchers. Knock on Kerry Wood here, but last year should illustrate how easily the rotation can break down and overexpose lesser arms. And it's inevitable that the guys who have played well will hit some rough patches, too...I'm guessing that Cordero will allow a run sometime before June 1. At the same time, there are positions where things could still improve, and the Brewers do have some ready-made solutions if the guys starting now don't work out...in particular Braun should improve the third base situation even if Koskie doesn't return, and there are arms in AAA with promise. Also at BP, three different simulations of the remainder of the season have the Brewers as most-probable winners in the Central. Their good performances against the division help quite a bit as well...several people here pointed to those division games as important in gauging the team's prospects. But of course there's a lot of baseball left to be played.

At what point does the Roque Mercedes thing come to an end?

Aquino and Estrada seem determined to make that Doug Davis trade look a little less lopsided.

Aquino can't throw strikes because Ben Sheets doesn't know how to win. ARGH!!!!

Personally I think Yost overmanaged...CV was cruising from what I could tell, and I'd be worried about Turnbow in particular lacking focus with a four-run lead. He seems like a guy who lives and dies with adrenaline. Hindsight is easy of course, but the record will show that I didn't like pinch-hitting for CV in the first place.

I always hate when people assume victories when games are far from over. I don't like the karma. 6 runs yes...4 runs??? Four runs in two innings would mean an ERA around 18. The worst pitcher on your staff should be able to manage that. Now the players and the manager ought not assume that the game is over, and hopefully Yost can do something about that, which I could imagine would be an issue for a young team. But a fan far from the action...why not?

I really ought to stop trying to understand Ned and his bullpen usage. You have the guy who barely made the team (Aquino) out there with the game on the line a couple of nights ago, and now you plug in your stud setup guy with a four run lead. Best I can figure it is that Turnbow is the Eighth Inning Guy, and must pitch the eighth inning or not at all. Aquino is a Middle Reliever, to be used exclusively in innings 5 through 7 which are the Middle Innings. (For whatever reason, I imagine Ned's thoughts on things to include lots of Capital Letters.)