Jenkins5

From the way it sounded during interviews, Melvin has no interest in meddling in MLB affairs, he simply get back to the thing he loves doing: being on the ground level. He is to the age where he just wants to do what he loves doing the most in a game he loves. He loves interacting with scouts, players, coaches while watching them all grow and develop. He has 40 years of baseball experience as well so it's not bad for a young GM to be able to reach out to him. Mark A gets a bad rep for not much reason. He makes final decision because it's his money on the line. I haven't heard from anyone that he tries to call the shots. 1) it's a business an every owner wants to be involved and know what's going on with their company. 2) he has every right to give final approval. He has gone through a rebuild when he got here and he is open to another just doesn't want a long 5-6 one. Not all owners like to take that kind of hit to their product. Overall he let Doug do whatever was best for franchise, that's what good owners do. To expect any owner invest that much money to be a blind sheep is fantasy.

So a good fastball that is now sitting in the 92-94 range topping 95/96 I believe is highest I have read and now the best breaking ball in Southern League. The way he has dominated since Mid May and the way his stuff has developed, he could be a Gallardo type frontline guy!

I really like Ray Montgomery but feel he will need to find a young, smart analytic, director of scouting to be his assistant GM if hired. Ray knows baseball and has a great eye for talent. He is your old school guy who just can sit down, watch kids play, and see what they someday will become. Essentially a Billy Beane type former player/scout GM. Baseball is changing though as Melvin said and if Brewers are going to evolve with the league, they need to bring in one of those type of guys to match up with Ray. Same as Billy did when he found Paul Depodesta.

Mike Girsch, the assistant GM for Cardinals would be another good outside candidate as well.

I'm a big fan of the Analytic movement. You look at Theo Epstein and Jeff Luhnow have done, and that's with simply playing high school baseball, going off to school and grad school, entering business world, then knowing someone to get your foot in door in baseball. Luhnow did great things in St. Louis based around analytics and has continue with Houston. One guy who is very interesting is Luhnows 30 year old assistant GM. Very impressive background!David Stearns! "The 2015 season will mark David Stearns' third with the Houston Astros. In his current role, David, 30, assists General Manager Jeff Luhnow in all baseball operations capacities including player evaluations, player transactions, and contract negotiations and helps oversee the Astros' scouting, player development, and analytics departments. Prior to joining the Astros, David served as the Director of Baseball Operations for the Cleveland Indians from 2011-2012. Stearns spent 2008-11 working in the MLB Office of the Commissioner, where he most recently held the position of Manager, Labor Relations. In that role, he assisted in the salary arbitration process, handling uniform player contracts and was a member of MLB's negotiating team for the recently completed Collective Bargaining Agreement. Before joining the MLB Central Office, David worked in the Baseball Operations Departments of the New York Mets, Pittsburgh Pirates and the Arizona Fall League. He is a 2007 graduate of Harvard University." I think you need to look at some of those young, smart, guys who have worked ways up for franchises who are being built the right way. To me that's St. Louis, Houston, Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Giants, Blue Jays (they have had strong system that has allowed them to be aggressive) Rays, Cubs, Rangers and a few others. What I don't want is a AJ Prellar who is an analytic guy who was prided on play development who then becomes GM sells off whole farm system to try to be George Steinbrenner....

Tyrone Taylor is really not been impressive this season, haven't really looked at his numbers until now but has .318obp .644 ops and what was really surprising is only 9 steals! I know he is young for AA but I was hoping for much more this season. I think he is now for sure behind Santana, Phillips, and Reed as a prospect IMO. Was really hoping he would fully breakout this season from near top 100 prospect to a top 50-75..... Not sure he is a top 150-200 right now

Well GMs focus much more on the free agents than they do drafting and developing.... A GM hires people he trust like Ray Montgomery and Nichols and let them do there thing while they focus on handling the major league roster. He has power and input in decisions, however, no GM in history could do their MLB stuff, developing players stuff, and drafting stuff. They simply find guys they trust and that mesh well with their long term goals. Analytic focus helps bring right players to MLB club in trades, free agency, and managing 25 man roster(GMs key focus) for player development, it sets benchmarks for players. If player A has sustained success while having a FIP around this, BB% around that, and other advanced metrics that show they are ready to promote, they move up. Otherwise they keep working at mastering level they are at. For player scouting, it focuses scouts to certain skills and ability. Instead of targeting your boom or bust Jake Gatewoods who make little contact or walk little, you target your Trent Clark, Maverick Phillips, Michael Reec, Garrett Cooper type guys who are professional hitters who get on base. So I will have to disagree that analytic framework and GMs are not useful. Or that the GMs job is to do and control every single aspect of the team and system. GM doesn't scout amatures in hs, college, independent ball. He doesn't often go scout other teams minor league players. He has people in place for those things

How about Santana? Kid is 6'5 230 and I heard a disappointing report by a caller on Bill michaels today from an individual who was in Colorado Springs for their last series. It sounded like he wasn't a fly energy, play making OF and wasn't making plays or getting to balls that the caller felt most guys would get. Now that is just one unprofessional scouts take and I've never seen him but his size, power, and etc. With our OF wave coming, it'd be nice his him or Roache had ability to slide down to 1st. Or at least Coulter. That or they hope Cooper is next Overbay... That's who I feel he compares very well with at peak of his ceiling

Hard to tell right now, Hader & Lopez are two young arms who are wild cards. Both are young for league, dominating AA, have grown at a pretty strong rate each season, have front line arm potential and very well could fit the bill. (Hader did have a rough one the other day though, happens) You look at lower levels with Kirby, Kodi, Ponce, Diplan, Williams, Diaz are all suppose to be guys they hope can develop into frontline guys as well.

Dumbfounded by the pure Segura hate. He is 25 years old, not like he is late 20s or 30s where his ceiling is topped out. He is not a can't miss, franchise star by any means but offensive SS/2b are not overflowing at the major league level. He is what he is. I believe he is a better 2B and his offense will play there or at SS just as much as Sardinas, Rivera, H. Gomez, Etc. There is no promising Arcia's bat will even be better than Segura's. Sergura was a very good prospect as well who was called up from AA and future seemed very bright. To consider him worthless at 25 is a over reaction. Name any player who has overachieved or even really just achieved on this team outside of Lind offensively....last year was rough for him, started out really slow, then he lost his child....not best situation in the world so I throw out the 2014 season. This year has been up and down but he is still cheap, under contract and at worse league average. There is zero reason to rush Phillips and Arcia or any of the other AA guys. Next year, will be awful, why waste the the service time? They can go to AAA all season, experience a lot of success and fully develop. No need to throw underdeveloped players into the fire on a failing team just to do it.... That approach nearly destroyed Gomez with the Twins and has wrecked many other careers as well. Let those kids go to AAA win a lot and come up together Santana is ready now, Reed is wishful thinking but probably need more time

It's criminal how little was accomplished with that much talent. Only if life worked out and we were in AL 2011 1b Hart 2b Weeks SS Escobar 3B Braun LF Brantley CF Gomez RF Cain C Lucroy DH Fielder Pitching..... Well Guess wouldn't matter as much with the runs we'd be scoring....

So when the last Power 50 was published, this was the state of our system..... If I was Toby, I woulda stopped as well.... Ha just look at the top 10 production compared to the 11-25 range. Top 10 Peralta Thornburg Schaefer Green Scarpetta Heckathorn Gindl Bucci Gagnon Richardson Scooter & Khris Davis were 11 and 12 Yadiel Rivera #15 Mike Fiers #19 Orlando Arcia #20 Jimmy Nelson #23 Martin Maldondo #25 Jason Rogers #unlisted I think in 7-8 years from now, a power 50 of our system from today would rival any others. We are deep and strong right now! Best it has been in a long while!

According to wtmj interview with Doug Melvin (link in link report) Hader sat 94-95 touching 97 the other night....from the left side I get extremely excited about that.

Nori Aoki doesn't hit for power from the Corner and I think he is pretty valuable. It think it's funny that so many people complain about Melvin because of his love for power hitters with lower OBP yet are not fans of high OBP guys who don't hit for power. In perfect world you scan develop up an OF of guys like Braun/Gomez/ Hart who all can hit for power, decent average, and good OBP. Most cases you have to pick between a Khris Davis power guy or a Michael Reed/Peterson type high OBP I personally have always been a power fan however, I have grown sick of it. Teams built for power go too hot and cold. You give up defense, you give up OBP, and give up speed. I'd almost like to see a more speed, high OBP, great defensive team. Good pitching, great defense, and guys with speed who get on base at high clip is a little better than power guys. Power rant over...apologizes ha Peterson is okay, he just hits. Think he is a very good bench OF to have. Doubt he will be an All-star like Scotty Po

Based on the last couple of minutes of that podcast (do yourself a favor and listen to the entire 11 minutes), we should join Joe Block (his tweet) and refer to Phillips as "Maverick" whenever possible going forward. See how easy? I haven't listened to this yet, but I did hear Joe taking about it during a brewer game over the weekend. In the name of all great BF.net nicknames, I wholeheartedly agree. Maverick it shall be Maverick Lasker let me down, glad I have a new Maverick to root for!

What I look for in a pitcher at the easiest possible definition is a guy when I see his name as going on the mound that day, I have 100% confidence we will be in a position to win that game. I had that with Sheets & Yo (unless pitching against Cards) as the best examples. I'm really starting to feel that way about Nelson and Jungmann, they have both been outstanding for past 2 months now! Peralta is not there yet but I'm always hopeful he will put us in a good position to win. Garza and Lohse.... I don't expect much. Really liking the future of our rotation and Pen. Next year we could have 5 homegrown pitchers (or acquired in trade as a prospect) which we have not been able to say since maybe the 90's? Peralta, Jungmann, and Nelson are a great building block for future. Now we just need to develop a true Ace.... Believe Riley Pint in 5-6 years will be that guy (#1 pick back in sights!)

Davies looked good! Nice debuts by all our recent new pitching prospects.

There is zero excuse for Santana to be sent back down again next year. I think outside of his K rate, he has shown there is nothing left for him to still prove in AAA. We are a rebuilding team, if he is in future plans, why delay? He dominates AAA, time for him to begin adjusting to MLB. He already used a option this year. Moreover, how do you expect anyone to improve when you have Wren, Reed, Taylor, Phillips, Roache, and Santana all sharing time in the OF? Phillips, Arcia, Taylor should all not touch MLB next season until July/August at earliest. Reed is older and getting his AAA experience in now. Wren as well. Guez would be extremely depressing.... Wasting opportunity for a guy in our future plans like Reed getting a shot. Peterson & Schaefer would still be above Guez, Long even as well

Agreed, he has to fall hard on his face pretty hard in spring training OR someone will need to star to steal the spot from him. Melvin and the personal group really likes him a lot. Garza can still bounce back. He already has been better since coming off DL. By season end, u believe he will have value again. Kind of like a 6 man rotation come September: Peralta Nelson Jungmann Garza Last two spots for Thornburg, Davies, Cravy, Wagner

http://www.minorleagueball.com/2015/2/3/7964711/california-league-profile-josh-hader Good write-up on him. Velocity depends on arm slot. 88-92 tons of deception (takes forever to see ball). If he raises arm slot, he can get it into mid90s.

From the interview with him about the game, it sounded like he used his slide a lot and it was going for strikes early in the count. I haven't looked at his advanced metrics at all on the pitches he throws but I'm also curious to know

At 20 he was California League Pitcher of the Year. At 21 he has been extremely good. Lefty with Sale deception arm slot. K numbers on a rise. This kid could be an absolute steal! He is only 21 and only getting better as he climbs the ranks! Potential is very high if he improves secondary offerings. Fastball is go to pitch with a pretty solid slider I believe. Not sure how his other stuff is

I believe Domingo Santana is what Demi will be in 4-5 years. They seem to be fairly similar. Demi has much more speed and Santana will walk more

Josh Hader.... Think we got a decent pitcher

Blazek and Smith are anchors in our bullpen, we have plenty of young arms to compete for spots who offer just as much as either of those two. Smith is a lefty so that'd be a plus but I like him out of the pen. Nothing wrong with having guys to close out games.... If that's what we want to do, I guess Jeffress needs to be thrown back in mix as well.