Jenkins5

Great little video on Zamora. I really like the pick and moxie he has. Tools are are exciting defensively and the bat seems solid! Also I don’t think it sends any type of message to Turang. One, he is a full year younger than Zamora. He was 19 in Carolina which is notoriously unfriendly to hitters. League average slash was .243/.322/.682 and Mudcat’s were .221/.312/.660. In his brief sample he slashed .200/.338/.620 in 207 PAs. Not sure how many 19 year olds walk into that league & really hit well. Lastly. The draft sends no messages to anyone. It’s not NFL or NBA. Impact takes 3-6 years and you know every year your team is going to bring more talent in at your position. Draft, International Signings, Free Agents, Trades. Minors are all about depth. If you are a minor league player who doesn’t think their team is going to continue to bring in high quality competition for you or take it personally that they would do that with you there..... you are simply not a kid who will make it to the bigs.

Good write up on him: Link: https://lastwordonbaseball.com/2020/06/09/freddy-zamora-2020-mlb-draft-profile/

Bitsko was very intriguing at 20 however I mentioned it early in trend pre-draft that now I just cross off all high school arms in first round. Brewers don’t seem to value them as highly due to the risk they come with. We have seen year after year them pass on very talented young arms in first. Once Seid passed away, starting with Montgomery and now Stearns analytics led by Johnson it has seemed to become a trend. Moreover, you can see it in international signings. In Stearns era they have yet to really shell out big bonuses on young pitchers and invest heavily in bats. They spend very modestly on pitchers in that market. Think come 2nd round is where you start to see those arms start to come into view. Could very well be wrong though. Just my observation

ESPN compared him to Trea Turner. Obviously the upside is always less if you go college over high school, but I think they took the top player left on their board. I’m happy Hey! I’ll take it! Now we have two Trae Turner’s! Turner has been my favorite Como for Turang since drafted!

Completely different. Mitchell has dealt with it his whole life almost. He has it completely managed. Covey literally had zero clue about until he had his physical. It was a bomb just dropped on him & life alternating. He went to college, learned how to manage it and still became a big league pitcher. Sure in his first 3 full seasons he has been pretty darn bad but that has more to do with his pitching than his diabetes. I’ve coached many kids with type 1 and for most, it is just a way of life for them. Would never even know if it wasn’t for paperwork & conversation with parents. It’s really amazing to see the maturity & responsibility they possess to not let it impact or control their lives. I have feeling Mitchell fits in that category. Kid has been living with it since 3rd grade & became high school all-American, one of the most elite athletes in his sport, and a 1st round pick. Medical staff will be there monitoring it with him to make sure.

He was project top 10 talent. Zero chance he signs below 20th slot money. Hopefully he signs at or not too much over.

I’ve read reports that his arm may be the biggest cannon of any none pitcher. Seen it anywhere between 60-80 grade. Match that will 70-80 grade speed & elite tracking. Even if his hit tool only lets him hit .240ish he will still be able to deeply impact the game. Not to mention damage he can do when on base. Mitchell is a triple machine. He is a threat go first to third on any hit. Easily go 1st to home in anything towards the gaps. He is just an electric athlete. Best part is he appears to be very coachable & continues to make adjustments to improve at the plate

Based on Brewer trends my thoughts: I’m expecting a College Arm in First with the depth there. Brewers don’t seem to value young arms highly both in draft (1st round) or internationally (big bonus signings) so an arm like Kelley, Bitsko. Or Montgomery don’t seem likely even if on board. Crochet seems like one they’d be high on. Drafted by them once, big frame, throws mid to upper 90s, and has some of best spin rates in class. Wilcox & Jarvis seem likely. Jarvis would seem close to Small pick last year. Cavalli & Mlodzinski come with more question marks but higher ceilings. College Catcher has been very high priority for Brewers recently, if Bailey drops, he could def be the guy. Dingler has the defense you are looking for but bat is going to be question. I don’t see him at #20. High School bats. In first they like professional hitters. If Ed Howard is there at #20, I’d pounce on him. Hassell is one of the best pure hitters in draft. Hitting probably will not not be an issue for him has he progresses however other tools are average across board. Soderstorm is one of my favorites. He is great athlete for a catcher but his bat is most exciting. Even if he has to move off catcher to 3rd or OF. If his bat blossoms way it could, it’d be a good pick. Crow-Armstrong is great defender and athlete but not sure bat has enough polish to it to go at #20. Walker is a little risky. Like Gray Jr. has all the tools & ceiling to be a great prospect with big bat but contact issues & K’s could be a problem. In the end I will say Bailey, Wilcox, or Soderstorm will be the pick

kick me. One of my most vivid memories at the ballpark from growing up (around 11-12), my dad walking me down by the bullpen when Leskanic was warming to go in. I just remember him saying, “just listen” The pop was so loud. “That’s what 100 mph sounds like” I was in awe watching because to that point in my life I had never seen a guy up close throwing upper 90s like that.

Went back trend is more from 2015-2019 drafts. 2019: 7 of 8 were 7.0 or higher 4-9.0, 3-8.0, 1-5.0 2018: 8 of 9 were 7.0 or higher 7-9.0, 1-8.0, 1-4.0 2017: 9 of 10 were 7.0 or higher 5-9.0, 1-8.0, 3-7.0, 1-4.0 2016: 5 of 7 were 7.0 or higher 2-9.0, 1-8.0, 2-7.0, 1-6.0 1-NA 2015: 6 of 8 were 7.0 or higher 1-9.0, 3-8.0, 2-7.0, 1-6.0, 1-5.0 Before that much more all over the board. Just think it is an interesting scouting trend that can be used to assess fit with Packers and part of what they are looking for. Of course it doesn’t include what they do on field. We know Packers also care a lot about versatility especially on the line. They also value length on perimeter. As for the trade down, depending on how the board falls. There are some guys I’d jump on if there at 30 but most may be off board by then. Mims & Jefferson at WR & Queen & Murray at MLB are 4 that could still be there. If any are, hard to pass on. Other than that Houston trade would be great to do!

You are correct. Got that mixed up. If you go back further To 2012 when Gute took over as director of College Scouting & then 2016 as Director of Player Personal. Packers have continued to put high value on RAS. He was one of TT’s top guys. I got some free time so I’ll get the trend down on paper & type it up. I’m fascinated by this revelation

When talking Tackles we are pretty safe to assume Thomas, Wirfs, Wills, and Becton will be off board by then. All are high RAS guys as well. People are all over the board after the top 4 tackles but it is a deep class. Ezra Cleveland is a guy I could see Packers loving. He has the 9.93 RAS which is incredible. Great size at 6’6 310. Great fit for outside zone. He’s been flying up boards lately which makes me think 30 is not a stretch. Or a trade back into early 2nd. However, he does give off Spraggs vibes to me which cools my interest. Like Spraggs he is a fantastic athlete (Spraggs was 9.73 RAS) but like Spraggs a big knock is he struggles verse power. He really needs to improve in that area. This OT class is very fun to study & follow with lot of options. In Day 2 a lot of options. Niang is a 1st round talent but injury & not testing hurt stock. Strong & athletic kid. Prince Tega Wanogha another really good athletic tackle who injuries knee that cost him senior bowl & Combine. Then Covid cost him a pro day. All that could drop him down to Packers. Believe he would have tested very well. Basketball background & very smooth. Saahdiq Charles Has had off field issue & did not fully participate in combine & no pro day. Missing 6 games due to suspension hurt but has high ceiling & is consider strong in mobility & working in space. High RAS options Austin Jackson (9.47), Matt Peart (9.03), Jack Driscoll (8.89), H. Adeniji (7.82), and I. Wilson (7.23) I really like Austin Jackson and think in 2nd round that would be a solid pick. Wilson is a big boy at 350lbs but moves very well for size. Tough to see him fitting in an outside zone offense though.

One really underrated aspect in gaging prospects for Packers. Gute is very high on players with high Relevant Athletic Scores (RAS). He has actually only drafted three players who had sub par scores (Jamaal Williams, Cole Madison, & Jace Sternberger). It scales 0-10. Out of 28 picks 16 scored 9.0 or higher 5 scored 8.0 to 8.99 3 scored 7.2 to 7.99 3 scored 4.55- 5.24 1. Couldn’t find JK Scott 2017 King 9.95, J. Jones 9.29, M. Adams 7.89, Biegel 8.83, J. Williams 4.55, D Yancy 9.07, A Jones 9.22, K Amichia 9.8, D Mays 7.69, M Dupree 7.2 2018 Alexander 9.54, J. Jackson 9.27, O Burns 9.73, J Moore 8.84, C Madison 4.59, Scott NA, MVS 9.27, EQ St. Brown 9.84, J Looney 9.75, K. Donnerson 9.89 2019 R Gary 9.95, D Savage 8.35, E Jenkins 9.34, Sternberger 5.24, K. Keke 8.02, K Hollman 9.27, D. Williams 8.17, T Summers 9.71 I never knew or thought about it until I was debating about Higgins & my buddy informed me, he simply isn’t a Gute guy. He isn’t the kind of athlete he targets. Higgins is a 4.2 RAS I believe. So went back & researched a lot on it & it is clearly a strong trend for Gute. So now when I go through & do my rankings & projections I mostly only look at guys over 7.5 RAS. Helps narrow down the field of who I think they will be high on. With 90% of his picks being over 7.2 ( two lowest 7.0’s were 7th round picks, M Adams was a 7.9) Id expect that to continue.

High school kids should flock to Juco this year. With few rounds, Seniors could return, less juniors & Redshirt Sophomores will be on way out, and college teams will just be crowded. There is little reason to sign $20k bonus unless you are a senior & just done with college. Can go to Juco to build up stock with more opportunities to play and decide next season based on draft stay or transfer.

Looked through the numbers of guys Gute has brought in at WRs to get the best feel for his type. Granted most were brought in pre MLF but Funchess confirms his type a little more. 6’3 and taller 205 in weight. 78 wingspan, 33 1/2 arms, 9 1/2 Hands is a low end body type profile. 40 times are not a huge concern. Vert helps but not all were big leaders. Overall, he loves catch radius and size/length that goes with it. They raved in camp last year about living big slots & hyped up Allison for that role. This list isn’t my wish list but guys who fit the profile best based on body type. I’d love a smaller speed guy like Reagor or Hamler or a all around guy like Jefferson personally but just going of the type... a list of guys who fit. Sheppard is only WR who is nowhere near the body type. Adams was TT but well built & a leaper. T. Higgins, Clemson 6’4 215 D. Mims, Baylor 6’3 207 B. Edwards, South Carolina 6’3 212 M. Pittman Jr, USC 6’4 223 C. Claypool, Notre Dame 6’4 238 D. Peoples-Jones, Michigan 6’2 212 A Gandy Golden, Liberty 6’4 223 V. Jefferson, Florida 6’2 200 J. Jennings, Tennessee 6’3 215 G. Davis, UCF 6’2 216 I. Hodgins Oregon St 6’4 210 C. Johnson Texas 6’6 222 On the list I’d say my top 10 would be 1. Mims 2. Higgins 3. Peoples Jones 4. Pittman Jr 5. G. Davis 6. Claypool 7. V. Jefferson 8. B. Edwards 9. C. Johnson 10. Gandy Golden

Looked through the numbers of guys Gute has brought in at WRs to get the best feel for his type. Granted most were brought in pre MLF but Funchess confirms his type a little more. 6’3 and taller 205 in weight. 78 wingspan, 33 1/2 arms, 9 1/2 Hands is a low end body type profile. 40 times are not a huge concern. Vert helps but not all were big leaders. Overall, he loves catch radius and size/length that goes with it. They raved in camp last year about living big slots & hyped up Allison for that role. This list isn’t my wish list but guys who fit the profile best based on body type. I’d love a smaller speed guy like Reagor or Hamler or a all around guy like Jefferson personally but just going of the type... a list of guys who fit. Sheppard is only WR who is nowhere near the body type. Adams was TT but well built & a leaper. T. Higgins, Clemson 6’4 215 D. Mims, Baylor 6’3 207 B. Edwards, South Carolina 6’3 212 M. Pittman Jr, USC 6’4 223 C. Claypool, Notre Dame 6’4 238 D. Peoples-Jones, Michigan 6’2 212 A Gandy Golden, Liberty 6’4 223 V. Jefferson, Florida 6’2 200 J. Jennings, Tennessee 6’3 215 G. Davis, UCF 6’2 216 I. Hodgins Oregon St 6’4 210 C. Johnson Texas 6’6 222 On the list I’d say my top 10 would be 1. Mims 2. Higgins 3. Peoples Jones 4. Pittman Jr 5. G. Davis 6. Claypool 7. V. Jefferson 8. B. Edwards 9. C. Johnson 10. Gandy Golden

This time last year I was saying Burnes will be our Ace. This year I still believe same thing. I’m a Burnes homer though so even if he bombs again, next spring I’ll probably still sing same song. There is just too much potential in that guy.

Facepalm... One bullpen and one starting seems like a safe bet for what will happen with those 2. If one of these guys blows out an arm and needs TJ when shifting from pen to rotation later in the season...you may as well just ban me because I will not stop being upset about it on here. Hmmmm never knew that was that big of an issue going back and forth. I’ve managed to watch baseball for a long time now & that really was never crossed my mind. I’ve said, if Mark Rogers blows out his arm again because they refuse to let his fragile arm pitch out of pen, I’ll lose my mind. But never have I thought about two guys with no previous injury now being at risk to blowing out arm from swinging back and forth. Really depends on how they use them. April is a month you see guys only going 5 innings a lot anyway. If you have odd man out pitch long relief and keep them stretched out a bit it’s not a problem. Keep them pitching 2-3 innings on a good schedule. Now if they sit there, 1 inning here and there, then problems could come.

Depth is good. So I get that. Lauer injury just proves that but since I personally want Woody, Houser, Burnes, & Peralta in rotation....I’d still would have been fine with it. Burnes ceiling imo isn’t much different than Woody’s. He’s a frontline guy potential, just needs to pitch at MLB level and make adjustments as he grows. Sadly, he will prob have to sit in AAA. Lot of talk about Anderson. If healthy he is pretty effective. He’s a solid pitcher who will get outs. Will he stay healthy, who knows. If I was a betting man, I’d take the under on him starting 17 games based on history. Not a guy you look forward to seeing on mound or guy you see is pitching and say confidently “oh we should be good tonight.” However, he will compete and more often than not, give you a chance to win. Burnes & Peralta get me excited to tune in. That is only thing that I don’t like about signing is that it kicks a guy I really enjoy watching out. If I take away that bias, think him & Lindblom are solid guys in this rotation. Interested to see what arms start knocking on door and present depth options. Think most of us were predicting a Hader/Burnes type summer last year for Brown. Come up in July to help bullpen Then compete for job this spring. That bombed and Brown was nowhere near the guy we expected him to be last year. Hopefully he bounces back. Trey Supek could be a guy by mid season if he continues to make adjustments he has after each call up. He shows struggles early after mid season promotions but when he comes back & repeats, he rolls. He had his learning struggles in AAA last year. So could see him coming out very strong.

Clark is one of the best at what he is asked to do. I don’t think you need to slide him out to DE. Yes it could work just fine but seems unnecessary. You could just sign a DE to fix DE over signing a nose. Javon Hargrave, Jarron Reed, Quinton Jefferson, Shelby Harris all could be good options. Or try to bring in Leonard Williams or Gerald McCoy. Options are just as good at DE as they are at NT. Hargrave kind of has had similar path as Smith. Role has grown every season. Grades out very well. Rated Top 10 in pressures for interior DLs last year.

Rotation that I want to see as a fan due to my homegrown bias is Woodruff Houser Lauer Burnes Peralta. All controllable arms. Believe Burnes, Peralta, Houser offer the higher ceilings over Lindblom Anderson and Lauer. Since we spent money on Anderson & Lindblom I’m sure they get the nod. As a fan I’m excited when Woody, Burnes, Peralta, and Houser on mound. I enjoy watching them. The other three will do and probably be fine but still are just guys to me. You want to develop your own arms, you have to deal with some ups and downs. Give them the opportunity to truly develop. Not all arms hit ground running.

1. B. Turang 2. T. Lutz 3. A. Ashby 4. M. Feliciano 5. D. Rasmussen 6. E. Small 7. C. Ray 8. Z. Brown 9. A. Kelly 10. T. Supek 11. J. Nottingham 12. J Gray 13. L. Erceg 14. D. Williams 15. E. Garcia 16. P. Henry 17. H.Perez 18. C. Rodriquez 19. B. Webb 20. M. Bello 21. M. Lazar 22. P. Bickford 23. J. Ward 24. T. Dillard 25. D. File

I really can’t say much on if a DSL kid is worth being ranked so high. My whole opinion on them is small blurbs, size data, small sample sizes, and occasional videos. All these sites have more access to scouts and ability to find out a little more on these kids. So they must of heard something worth being excited for. Could just be pulling names out of a hat. Who knows. Maybe we have a Soto or maybe we have an Arizona flame out. Overall we need to hit on some of these DSL kids and hope some picks start to blossom. Turang, Lutz, Feliciano, Ashby, and Small need to have big years. They are all going to be in AA or Carolina (Turang & Small to start) which is usually the year prospects are made (unless high pick with a over valued name).

Yeli just cemented himself a nice statue at AmFam! When you consider inflation and importance of paying early, this is huge! The note above it it on the head as well. This deal means more to fans and city than anything. When you hear guys like Yount, Braun & Yeli say they want to be here and will risk leaving money on table to be here is special. Around sports, people think of Wisconsin & Milwaukee as a place to stop & leave for something bigger and better. Nice when players change that narrative a bit. As for the deal. Yeli is a really good ball player. I think he has enough natural ability to hit the ball like Braun that he will continue success into his 30s. He isn’t a guy you need to worry about physically as much in terms of athletically (such as when considering Fielder for example). He will need to stay healthy and hopefully more so than Braun but even Braun has played enough each season to be a very productive bat for the Crew. Yeli gives you a little more athletically than Braun which adds good value as well. Overall, deal is great on three fronts. Yeli is still going to make a ton of money. Brewers are keeping an elite player we figured would leave in FA or by trade in next few years. The state and fan base wins because this is a victory for small market Wisconsin Pride!

I love Burnes and think it will be hard to find a bigger Burnes homer. Last year absolutely did not change my mind. He still was K’ing nearly 13 per 9 and had 3.37 xFIP. Homeruns literally killed him. In career never gave up over .9 HR per 9 but last year had an insane 3.12 per 9 last year. To me I think he can still be the best homegrown arm since Sheets. Think overall stuff is better than Gallardo. Woodruff & Nelson in mix but I really believe in Burnes whole arsenal. He attacks hitters, usually commands all pitches well, and has the stuff factor. Guy whipped a 94 mph slider for strike three to end today. If he truly fixed what was wrong with his fastball, he could really be something for us. Still young and only 80 innings of mlb experience. Growing pains can happen. I know many don’t share my hope and enthusiasm but just way I feel. One of the pitchers I really enjoy watching on this team every time he on mound. Sadly, I don’t think he makes rotation with them adding the three arms for staff and way Houser pitched. Not to mention how Peralta threw ball in winter. He will need dominant spring to force their hand.