MKE81

I know it's not likely, but do you have an actual reason for "knowing" this? At the time of the trade he wasn't their number 2 prospect. I don't recall exactly where he was, but he wasn't even in the top 100 at the time and he was #10 in their organization coming into the season. Generally in the media, Brinson, Ortiz and a PTBNL was looked as an underwhelming return for Lucroy and a good swap for Texas, let alone throwing in Jeffress in a market that showed a lot of teams overpaying for relievers (case in point Smith bringing back a similarly ranked pitcher in Bickford PLUS a young, recently highly ranked catcher all on his own). I also don't understand the "if it was Mendez, he'd be a Brewer already" argument. It's been mentioned many places that the PTBNL may have been due to a time constraint, possibly preventing physicals from being performed in time. If Stearns then had the option to wait til the end of the season to choose a player, how awful would it have been for him to take Mendez right away and then he ends up hurt from a pre-existing condition that may not have shown up in an examination? I just don't see how some people are so sure without having any inside information. The best I can guess is it's to prevent themselves from being disappointed if/when it's not him. Again, I don't expect it to be him, I'd be thrilled if it was, but I'm also not going to be disappointed just because I'm allowing myself to acknowledge the possibility it could be him. It's just a little irritating that people with no inside information have taken such concrete and, frankly kind of condescending, stances on it. https://twitter.com/MLBRosterMoves/status/771456024674914304 Heres your proof, I believe its pretty concrete. Im pretty sure no MLB team cares about those online rankings us fans see. Mendez was going to rise, it was obvious with his play. I'm just spitting the obvious and if it irritates you well im sorry but i could care less tbh, its the internet. Except you had zero proof when making your previous remarks so, no, it wasn't "obvious" given guys like Rosenthal said it's a legit prospect potentially similar to the others received. Almost everyone on here said they'd love for it to be Mendez but he most likely isn't an option. Literally almost everyone said that. Nobody is surprised by this news about Mendez. Guys like Jurado, Payano have Top 100 talent and that's what Stearns will go after

This board is so over reactionary. Bradley is 26 and finally had some success at AA. He's also been in the rotation with ATL and hasn't seen that in 1.5 years with us. How is this any different than Houser with us last year? Bradley is going to continue to get rocked starting next year and his WHIP at AAA is almost 1.4 in his 3 starts. People thinking this is a black eye and we "lost" a strong prospect need to come back to reality

May? No. It is true. It's not a debate. There's a reason protocol is in place including shipping a sample within a specific time period from collecting it. "Nothing happened to the sample and he followed all protocol if a FedEx was not open. However one was open so Braun got off the hook". Somehow you continue to fail to comprehend that the collector didn't follow protocol and the chain of custody. If he followed protocol then it would have been shipped instead of sitting in his house for the next day or two (can't recall exactly when he did ship it). Furthermore, this collector has admitted to doing this previously (ie not following the chain of custody). So Braun absolutely had every right to target the chain of custody and the collector based on his prior actions. It also doesn't matter if Braun knows he's guilty or not. When the collector doesn't, and hasn't, followed the chain of custody then why should he keep quiet and take his punishment while a person continues to not properly do his job? Knowing he can win his appeal and still play why would he say "I'm guilty"? After he won his appeal, why would he say "I'm guilty"? The real problem here is people actually caring how entertainers conduct themselves. I don't care if Braun is the biggest POS in the history. Entertain me, be a good teammate (which he is) and help your team win. Regarding him not being a Top 20 offensive player - below are overall rankings in NL and MLB BA - T7, T14 OBP - 17, 24 SLG - 8, T14 OPS - 10, 16 OF only rankings in NL and MLB BA - 2, 4 OBP - 5, 6 SLG - 2, 4 OPS - 2, 4 So the offensive numbers show he's a Top 2-3 OF in NL and Top 5 OF in MLB. As an overall position player he's Top 10 in NL and Top 15-16 in MLB. This season isn't some magical year for Braun. This is pretty close to his career norms across the board and he's done it for a long time now. I still have no idea how people say he's a below average LF. He has enough speed, takes good routes the vast, vast majority of the time, makes the plays he's supposed to make, has a very solid arm and is extremely accurate to all bases. He has always played a solid LF and still is. WAR, defensive sabermetrics are a complete joke - and one of my friends who writes, on occasion, for FanGraphs has shares the same sentiment. Braun can be traded and teams do want him. It's a matter of how Stearns is willing to structure it and what he wants in return.

I know it's not likely, but do you have an actual reason for "knowing" this? At the time of the trade he wasn't their number 2 prospect. I don't recall exactly where he was, but he wasn't even in the top 100 at the time and he was #10 in their organization coming into the season. Generally in the media, Brinson, Ortiz and a PTBNL was looked as an underwhelming return for Lucroy and a good swap for Texas, let alone throwing in Jeffress in a market that showed a lot of teams overpaying for relievers (case in point Smith bringing back a similarly ranked pitcher in Bickford PLUS a young, recently highly ranked catcher all on his own). I also don't understand the "if it was Mendez, he'd be a Brewer already" argument. It's been mentioned many places that the PTBNL may have been due to a time constraint, possibly preventing physicals from being performed in time. If Stearns then had the option to wait til the end of the season to choose a player, how awful would it have been for him to take Mendez right away and then he ends up hurt from a pre-existing condition that may not have shown up in an examination? I just don't see how some people are so sure without having any inside information. The best I can guess is it's to prevent themselves from being disappointed if/when it's not him. Again, I don't expect it to be him, I'd be thrilled if it was, but I'm also not going to be disappointed just because I'm allowing myself to acknowledge the possibility it could be him. It's just a little irritating that people with no inside information have taken such concrete and, frankly kind of condescending, stances on it. I think you're correct regarding the Mendez already on our team take. It doesn't make any sense to select him immediately when all the risk is held by TX for an injury allowing Stearns to select someone else at that time. I'm still hoping for Jurado, Payano or Matuella - who can't be ruled out just because he was shut down. Adding any one of these pitchers adds another legitimate arm to the system and I'd personally rate any one of those guys between Bickford and Ponce. This is why I'm hoping it's a rotation arm and not a position player because it's an easy opportunity to add that quality arm plus the only position players I'd prefer would be Guzman and Morgan. I like a few other position players but prefer an arm over those guys. I wouldn't be surprised if Mendez was an option. I also wouldn't be surprised if he wasn't.

2017 season is to get some young guys ready for the future and experiment in the process. 2018/2019 is where all the big prospects will be up by. 2017, using the players currently in the org, I'd have an infield consisting of Carter, Villar, Arcia, 3b (stop gap cheap veteran free agent OR Cecchini/Perez) with Rivera as backup as well given his versatility. Perez can backup 1b when Carter gets a break. OF of Braun, Broxton, Santana. With Broxton flashing, Brinson almost ready and Phillips up the following year this is Santana's only time to show if he's part of the future or not so he needs 500+ AB if healthy. Even if Brinson is up you still have Broxton as 4th OF or trade bait and I'd strongly look at Reed/Wren as another backup OF while dropping Kirk. C should be 2 of Maldy, Pina, Susac. I'm partial to more offensive catchers than defensive unless the defensive guy is extremely strong at controlling the run game. Nelson, Hader, Davies, Peralta, Chase, Guerra, Garza and potentially Lopez, Jungmann as main guys for the rotation. Hader needs to be in the rotation if progresses during Spring. If you get enough in a trade to part with Garza, Nelson, Peralta, Chase you take it. Jungmann, Suter can fill in (Suter potentially in the pen too). The rotation is a work in progress for 2017 as the following 1-2 years you're looking at Hader, Ortiz, Davies, Woodruff, Bickford, etc etc not to mention anyone acquired via trade or free agency depending how things change moving forward. But 2017 is experimental and a work in progress. The pen should have Barnces, Magnifico, Knebel, Thornburg for sure. Suter I'm fine with as a lefty plus can eat up multiple innings (he's not a main stay rotation guy). Add a lefty and round it out with someone else. Torres has been solid so no problem keeping him. I'd trade Scooter only if you get a good offer. There's absolutely no way Villar, or anyone else in this IF, should be playing 1b full-time other than Carter. And until there's 3OF that are ready to take over the Of spots there's nobody else good enough to push Braun or Santana to 1b anyway. It's easier for a SS (Villar) to transition to 2b than 3b. You're still covering ground, playing up the middle so somewhat similar read off the bat, turning DPs. 3b is straight reactionary and a completely different viewpoint and angle off the bat. Villar's skill set is built more for 2b. And he should be part of the future until Diaz is ready or until you receive a trade offer you can't refuse. A power LH bat isn't needed. Nice to have if can contribute but not required unless that person is going to be here for 4 years. Within 2 years after next season you're potentially adding Brinson, Phillips, Ray, Diaz to the lineup (3 lefties with pop).

Yes but lets look at this issue with Jeffress specifically. Because if we compare this situation to the Sabathia trade there is no reason to start panicking. That trade was not done last minute and the player we gave up didn't depend on anything specifically tied to Sabathia. I only see two issues here: 1) If the player we get depends on whether or not Jeffress gets in trouble.<> Very unlikely if even possible. 2) It depends on how many games Jeffress appears in.<> In this situation it doesn't really even matter because they are activating him tomorrow and the likelihood of some lengthy suspension is very unlikely. It would also be pretty dumb if Stearns agreed to take a player based on how many games a reliever plays in. What he does after the trade is not our problem. This trade was also for two players not one so it isn't like all the value they get is from Jeffress. From everything I have heard the only reason there is a PTBNL is due to the fact they didn't have time to iron out the last player(likely due to physicals). In my opinion Stearns is now just using the system to his advantage and waiting till the end of the minor league season in case one blows out an elbow or ACL. I think people are trying to over complicate the PTBNL just because there are multiple names. It probably consists of who Stearns wants and two lesser guys in case doomsday happens with the first player. Honestly I don't even think the player he wants really has injury concerns. He just has the luxury of waiting in case something does pop up. 100% Stearns knows who he wants and always has. Like you said, playing it to his advantage in case that person suffers an injury. He has scoutimg reports on everyone he needs to they're not evaluating anything else unless they're following an injured player's recovery.

The return for Scooter should be secondary. The huge advantage to him no longer in the lineup is the significant upgrade defensively with Perez in there. I could definitely see Stearns keeping Scooter hoping he builds on this year a bit then flips at the deadline next year. That allows Perez to sit in the super utility and play the role as main backup IF while being the 5th OF as well (Braun, Broxton, Santana, maybe Kirk again). Regardless, Scooter needs to be moved in the relatively near future and being 26 having a nice bounce back season someone will be willing to take him during his arby years since he's controllable for another 3yrs. Perez needs to start full time as soon as Scooter is traded to increase his value then flip him. He can be a contributor on a good team in the super utility role and isn't a FA until 2021. Regarding LH bats. My view is it's great to have if they're good players and make an impact otherwise it's pointless. You don't acquire LH bats just to have them. If you have 9 Braun's you're not losing. Villar, Phillips, Ray, Diaz, Erceg, Clark - all can hit so it'll be great to have.

I agree about next year. Liked Perez last year enough to see how he progressed this year but he far exceeded what I did expect regarding power and stolen bases. I think Scooter should be traded with Villar sliding to 2b and Perez at 3b. If Rivera can progress to be adequate offensively off bench you have a new backup that can play all 3 spots with great defense. There would be plenty of versatility. Something Scooter offers none of

Santana has proven he has an awesome bat? He's a .224 hitter with 131Ks and a slugging percentage under .400 in 312 career ABs. That's awesome?? He has a ton to prove. He appears to have a decent eye at the plate but he needs to make more consistent contact and hit with more power than he's shown thus far. Brewers may get there, but I'm not seeing this glut of OF. They should have held on to Davis another year at least. His value is much higher now. Briggs, glad you included Santana's career numbers without putting anything into perspective. Obviously his 0-17 stint in 2014 as a 21yr old doesn't affect those overall numbers one bit (heavy sarcasm). Par for the course anything Davis related though. Santana's ability is clear as day, you choose to ignore it. He just needs to stay healthy, which will allow for progression. And no, he doesn't NEED to hit for more power. He'll hit 20HR+ over a full season. The combination of his on-base skills and above average defense/plus arm, while still having power, makes him a solid player contributing in a variety of ways. Unlike Davis who only contributes in one way. Additional points, one doesn't have a "decent eye" at the plate when your OBP is 115pts higher than your BA (same as last year with us too). I don't expect him to keep that high of a difference but his entire minor league career his OBP is 92pts higher than BA so he can definitely be in that 80-100 difference area - which is something you wish every player to have. It's easy to argue against Davis' value being "much greater" this year because his only tool is power. 2013-2016 his HR/AB ratio has been 12.4, 22.8, 14.5, 13.36 (he's been consistent in that regard outside of 2014 - his first full season). His OBP is worse because his walk rate has dropped significantly from last year and is still down from the previous year, his K rate is similar to last year (10K pace difference) and he's DH half the time because he's still a defensive liability (ie arm) and he's now a year older. How exactly has his value gotten "much better"? If you take away the HRs this year you're left with Davis slashing 196/245/490. He's literally useless when he doesn't hit a HR, which is 93% of the time then factor in being a defensive liability. That's the type of all-around player you're drooling over for our NL team. Take away Santana's HRs and 97% of the time he's slashing 214/335/610 being 5yrs younger while contributing defensively. That's a difference of 90 OBP and 120 OPS - that's not just "sometimes" that's 97% of the time. For comparison purposes lets look at Braun's 2015 (all star) season. Take away HRs and 95% of the time he's slashing 247/327/643. Santana will only get better so his numbers will improve. I'll gladly take someone who hovers around Braun's 2015 season vs a Davis type any day. Just food for thought. You're not objective nor willing to comprehend the Brewers organizational situation heading into this year. Santana is a better all-around player than Davis other than his power tool. He's 23yrs old and a RF due to his plus arm. He needs to be played there to see what he can do if he's going to ultimately be part of the future or not (Davis was never part of the future). Having him play CF, which he'll never play for anyone in the future, solely so Davis can play LF is terrible management, which is why it didn't happen. Braun/Santana in the corners hence acquiring Broxton, Kirk, Flores for CF while backing up corners. So, no, we shouldn't have kept Davis this year because there was nowhere for him to play until Santana got injured (nobody has a crystal ball). Regarding the prospects, people need to stop staring at the box scores and developing an opinion based solely on that. Watch them play in person or video of them and you'll see their talent. Brinson's defense alone makes him an every day CF and his other tools will play just fine. Phillips is league average offensively at very minimum with very good defense and a cannon arm. Ray we'll get a better read on as he progresses out of BC. Clark has excellent on-base skills, understanding of the strike zone and hits line to line. One can assume both of them will be corner OF (most likely LF) given the other talent in the org. Broxton is flashing right now so there is a wealth of talent in the OF and half of them will be traded, whether it be as a prospect or as a MLB player with some experience. If everyone gets somewhat close to reaching their potential I personally would keep Clark/Ray, Brinson, Phillips and trade Braun (only if you get an offer you can't refuse), Santana, Broxton and one of Clark/Ray. It's a great situation to have. Ray had a slow July adjusting to pro ball and this month he's raised his BA by 32, OBP by 57 and OPS by 285. He's making the adjustments you'd expect him to make.

Weeks wasn't a 300/380 hitter due to the combination of injuries and exactly what TheBrew07 said. He's a fastball hitter. When he was forced into the leadoff spot and became insanely patient and worked counts he looked at an unbelievable amount of fastballs down the middle that he would have swung at any other point in his career up until then. It's much easier to hit a fastball than a curve/slider and when you put yourself in a position of constantly having to fight for a walk or hit a curve you're not going to reach your potential. Nobody should be shocked by Broxton's performance due to his talent; we've all seen him flash in spring. Lowering his hands is also allowing for greater whip so he's going to increase his already solid power output over his career. Also makes it easier for him to take the ball opposite field. As long as he takes walks he'll steal 50 bases while hitting 20HR.

Hader's only had 3 rough starts out of his 12 at AAA with 2 of those 3 being at home. His overall numbers and 4.79 ERA are bloated solely due to those 3 poor starts. Those other 9 starts his line is 51.1 IP, 34H, 15ER, 20bb, 70K - 2.63 ERA. It's also good to see that his last 6 starts (split equally between home and road) he's posted a line of 34.1 IP, 23H, 11ER, 11bb, 47K with a 2.88 ERA Needless to say he's been quite impressive for a 22yr old at AAA

This is what sold me on the idea originally. Matuella has almost as much upside as any pitcher in the minor leagues, Brewers' system, Rangers' system or otherwise. The injury risk is definitely there, and the inability to downplay that risk is what might make Matuella available. It's important to remember that taking on risk is not the same as being foolish, as long as the risk is justifiable and well thought out. Given what the Brewers already got from the Rangers, why not take on some risk and take a shot at increasing the return beyond what you'd otherwise be able to get? Mendez has had injury issues of his own, FWIW, if he's even available. Absolutely. In this specific trade Matuella's worth the risk. But maybe Stearns doesn't want that risk. I think it's safe to say almost everyone wants Mendez but he's most likely not an option. Gut says Matuella but head says Payano (hasn't pitched in 6 weeks) as I'm assuming the reason they didn't agree on a player is didn't have time to dig into medicals, which I could be wrong about. I just hopes it's a pitcher. And I hope Stearns doesn't wait around and makes the decision the end of the first week in September so we can discuss further

I understand the cause for concern over his injury issues, which are legitimate concerns, but saying he's got to be the least wanted prospect just doesn't make sense. The guy was in serious conversations as the 1-1 talent then had TJ before the draft, which cost him over a year. He first hit the mound on June 17 this year then shut down after that, most likely for precautionary reasons given he doesn't require surgery. He will still be 22 the first two months of next season where he'll be starting in A. IF he stays healthy he'll be moved to A+ because of his college experience and stuff. If you think it'll take 5+ years to reach the MLB level (age 27+ years) for someone who dominated college his final 2 years then I don't know what to tell you. His ceiling coming out was a #1-2 if can manage the rotation workload otherwise it's a dominant closer (what did those just fetch on the market?). He's absolutely worth the gamble given Brinson is a long-term CF solution and Ortiz is a #2 ceiling. We got 2 studs already. And at Duke he went 57.2 then 58.1 heading into his Jr year (pitched in sloppy conditions for half his starts limiting his output). Not sure about the relevance of his college innings given he was projected 1-1. Additionally, the other 2 top pitching arms that draft - Brady Aiken (2yrs younger and zero college experience also having TJ same time as Matuella) and Dillon Tate (46.1 IP in college career and 0 as a starter). I'm not saying it absolutely should be him I'm saying it makes sense it could be him given the circumstances. What also makes sense is not naming who you want in case some freak injury happens then it's on the Rangers and you can roll with your next best.

"but not Gallo or anyone of that ilk". Not sure if that refers to the overall or system ratings given Gallo has been a Top 10 overall the past 2yrs. Nobody else has an elite ranking like that. Mendez was just put in the Top 100 for the first time mid-season this year and no other prospects are Top 100 as of today, or most likely at the start of next year (maybe Jurado sneaks in), so you'd think everyone is an option to be on that list to choose from outside of Gallo (and probably Mendez). Matuella makes sense given both team's were swapping medicals before the deadline and they ran out of time on the 3rd player hence making it a PTBNL situation. Allows 2 months to keep an eye on his recovery and if they don't like what they see then go with their next best choice. 3 IP since being drafted and shut down with elbow strain means he very well could be the guy. Gut feeling is it's him. If not him, I think Payano since he's 21 dominating A ball. He's been buried on the prospects list below Tate, Ortiz, Mendez, Jurado, Matuella with the Rangers pitching coaches/minor league directors speaking highly of his talent and how he flies under the radar because of the "names" ahead of him. That his talent is that of a top pitching prospect in a lot of org's

Don't put Braun and Santana in the same sentence. Santana's highly suspect at this point. I think the point was not so much to bring up untested rookies, but that there has to be more serviceable OF out there than Elmore or Flores or Wilkins to plug into a lineup on occasion. Why not try a Wren? He's not really a top prospect but maybe you have something there. Now's a perfect opportunity to find out. You're telling people not to put Braun and Santana in the same sentence when you drool over Khris Davis? Him saying Braun and Santana will be back very soon joining Broxton means exactly what he meant it to mean - same as me before him. Those 3 are the best OF on the roster. And no, Santana isn't "highly suspect". You believe he is solely because he doesn't hit 30HR like your boy kHRis, which is why I don't understand your love fest for Wren when you have as much pop as him. Having Wren up for a few games is completely illogical and it's not even close to the perfect opportunity to find out what he has because he'd only be playing MAYBE 5 games - you already have guys like Kirk, Flores, Perez, Elmore on the roster filling in for that reason, as already stated. When Braun and Santana are back they're joining Broxton and those 3 will be the OF the rest of the season barring injury. The other dudes will barely play. Wren will compete for a backup spot next year with Reed. but once Brinson is ready then Broxton is moving to the 4th OF spot. Phillips up the year after most likely too. Wren isn't going to have opportunities unless a few guys go down for extended periods of time.

That's what you end up with on a team that's tanking. Nate Schierholtz was starting RF for Cubs for a couple years. Darwin Barney was their starting 2B. It'll probably get worse before it gets better. You could probably get better OF out of the Atlantic League. Why not sign a Caleb Gindl? Reality is Braun will be back this weekend worst case, Broxton is set in CF now and Santana will be up very soon. It sucks that Elmore is out there but it's only for a few games. When Santana is back it's a nice OF situation with Kirk, Perez, Flores backing up. At least Braun should be able to DH this weekend. Would have been nice to at least have Broxton/Santana in OF together with that happening but not sure if Santana is up this weekend yet or not

Exactly and if he doesn't work out as a starter he could flourish as a reliever. How many successful relievers post nearly as many walks and strike outs? Kodi certainly has time on his side so the end isn't nigh, but let's not bury our head in the sand and pretend everything is alright either. Beware of low arm slot pitchers, only the most athletic make it work enough to be starters and while they are filthy with that arm angle, they are most definitely the exception. I sincerely hope Kodi can turn it around, the system definitely needs some legit lefties. How many relievers have the same mentality, preparation and routine as starters? This isn't physical, it's mental. I understand the logic of keeping guys in the rotation until they absolutely need to be moved to the pen but I don't subscribe to that at all. He's definitely young for A+. But his results haven't been good since he was drafted (did some good things in A though). But changing his entire mentality, approach, preparation/routine by going to the pen could change things. His report coming out was he very well could end up in the pen - similar to Hader except he's been very good in the rotation so makes sense for him to continue that route (similar to Thornburg as well). Was also cited as extremely athletic too. He's had 2.5yrs of performing in the rotation and is at A+ and hasn't gotten it done. If he's in the pen he could be up at 22-23yrs old. As great as it would be to have that lefty SP come through I'd rather have a dominant pen guy vs a guy that might not make it in the rotation. I do think they'll have him repeat A+ in the rotation and see how that works given his age. If he struggles then he'll be moved to the pen similar to Magnifico. Someone recently posted a link about the Brewers always thinking Lopez would be a reliever, which is actually the first time I've heard of that. Makes sense given his track record, outside of AA. 94 with strong curve will play well in the pen similar to Thornburg. Kodi is in that same boat. Hitting 94-96 out of pen with plus slider would be outstanding and would move him quicker through the system. Guys like Hader, Ortiz, Bickford are all coming up within the next 1-3yrs (Davies already up) and still have Nelson, Peralta who will be traded eventually for young talent. Woodruff, Ponce are ahead of Kodi then mix in Diplan, D.Williams, Peralta, Perrin all at same level as him too. Burnes is catching up although I think he ends up in the pen anyway (I think Ponce ends up there too but at least he's been solid in rotation). The org isn't short on quality arms although we could always use more (ie PTBNL from TX). Don't need to force him and keep working with him for another 2-3yrs in rotation before pen. Give him through next year as that's 3.5 seasons in rotation then.

Josh Morgan doesn't get much love on here for a possible selection. I like him a lot. Hits for good avg, high on base with solid OPS for a middle IF. Can play 3 spots too so offers versatility. Still only 20 in A+ having a nice season and developing some pop. Walks almost at same rate as K. Strong consistency shown even when advancing levels. A guy like him helps MLB teams win and feel he's overlooked (similar to Payano in this regard)

Yah except JJ Hardy was actually hitting decently in the minors when we called him up. Arcia on the other hand was having a pretty bad season considering he was in a hitters paradise. He was hitting 265/324/766, 10 doubles, 1 triple, 2HR, 18rbi, 4SB in the month of July. He wasn't exactly struggling when called up. Outside of a down June, he's been 281/324/739, 14 doubles, 4 triples, 6HR, 41rbi, 12SB in 288AB the other 3 months of the year so how is that "bad"? I don't care if he's in CO because HE'S 21 and has NEVER been known for his bat to begin with. He's still performing just fine with the bat given he's 5.5 years below his competition level. It will take him a couple years to really get comfortable while he continues to grow into his body adding strength with his body filling out. I see a player that's very realistic to be a 280/340/750 guy while playing GG defense at the most critical spot. His oppo approach is already strong, which is a huge benefit for him and his age. He's up so he can get 2 months worth of MLB games and get adjusted to the level of competition, lifestyle, etc for when he takes over full time next year. It's preparing him and giving him a head start. People can cite his 170/259 numbers with the Brewers but based on how he's swung the bat he could just as easily be 250/328+. Jericho, regarding your "you could play the 'he's always been young for his level' card" comment. He hasn't just been young. He's been 3.5 - 5.5 years young. That's a massive difference. Using average numbers across the board - he's Hardy with less HR power but will hit more doubles, triples, steal many more bases and have a higher BA/OBP with similar or better OPS. He's Simmons but better across the board offensively in literally every category. He's Escobar with more doubles, fewer/similar triples, more HR, steal similar bases and have higher BA/OBP/OPS. He's Crawford over the past 3 years if you average everything out (with fewer HR but many more SBs). What is there not to like? I don't get it.

It makes sense for Erceg to start in A+ next year, unless he's terrible this final stretch, with Gatewood (3b) and Gideon (1b) in Appleton. I've never been a fan of Gatewood and think he has a very small chance of ever making it to the MLB level so I don't really care what happens with him.

Not difficult to imagine given this board. I remember getting laughed at before the season for saying Braun was much better across the board than Alex Gordon (outside of defense). Talent is talent regardless of whatever fantasy people choose to drum up to align with their thoughts. I've also consistently said you don't trade Braun at all unless you get an offer you can't refuse. If that doesn't happen he retires a Brewer as his athleticism will allow him to play LF during that span. But he could always transition to 1b at end of career since never had an issue picking it, just couldn't throw it accurately.

This is totally correct. We get excited about new things - it happens every poll. Plus we often get taken with small sample sizes of data. If Lucas Erceg was hitting .250 it's highly questionable he'd be at #12. I look at Orimoloye - people went nuts for him after doing well in Arizona last year. The love wore off pretty quick after another 130 ABs and a .225 BA. I think Brinson would have been the #3 prospect except for his recent tear at AAA. You could even see it in the voting. The voting was opened on Monday, August 1. Brinson's rankings from voters gradually got better over the next week - which coincided with his excellent play at Colorado Springs. Of the first 12 voters, only one person had him ranked #2 or better. Of the last eight voters, all of them had him at #1 or #2 on their lists. So the new guy lit things up for a week and squeaked past Hader for the second spot. On the entire first page of voting Brinson was either 2 or 3 outside of a few or so who had him 4, 6, 7 (which I personally believe should never have been the case given he's a Top 20 overall across the board even with him struggling at AA - injury could have been major piece to the reason). He was going to be #2 or 3 regardless of his hot start. His overall ranking puts him #2 to begin with. I had him 3 because Hader is a lefty starter who destroyed AA after destroying AFL but thought hard about Brinson going there too. Erceg hitting 250 of course would change his voting because he's new so he's going to be more performance based vs potential. But anyone who's seen him swing and play some defense understands his numbers are there for a reason. He looks the part of a hitter who knows what he's doing at the plate and has made some nice athletic plays at 3b so you see the potential too. Everyone knows Demi is athletically gifted but when you don't perform you don't know what to expect. Reality is the new draft picks and new trades are better prospects than the Demi's of the world who were competing with who for these spots 6 months ago??? I understand a previous poster not ranking Kirby or Kodi based on results, especially since Kirbys been injured. I have Kodi ranked late teens only because he's 20 and has the stuff to be very effective in the pen (which I think e should be in) and Kirby ranked at bottom because he'll end up in the pen and due to his age/experience/stuff he can move quick through the org in a pen role and be effective.

There is no nose dive. They also didn't play the second half of this game very well and put up 5 still. The players appear unmotivated? You must be watching a different game. They're all playing with the same effort since day 1. The lineup is the same every day with the only difference being Kirk in the OF depending who's pitching. As long as Broxton is getting CF 5 out of 7 games I personally don't care (which he is). Maldy has been the backup for a while now and now moves up to the starting role. Giving him a 10 game leash is a slap in the face and a horrendous decision given he's earned his chance to show as a starter, especially in a season that's already lost. Some people want a manager that is emotional, others don't and others (me) could care less about how much fire is shown during a game by the manager because the amount of fire shown doesn't equate to more wins. This board is just whining about everything lately. And regarding the comment about how his personal batting stance means you question his ability to teach the game - take a deep breath and think about that for a second. What an absurd remark. Anybody can stand however they want - it's called being comfortable - because when the pitch comes his stance is exactly where every other players is and that's what matters. He just wasn't as naturally gifted/talented as others. That has nothing to do with his intellect and coaching ability. If you can't see the cultural shift from the beginning of last year to this year then you're blind

Yeah guys, listen to everybody else on here and stop judging people. (Even though those same people will turn right around and judge every player in the Brewers org)

Not only does Jeffress not have the track record of Chapman/Miller he's also nowhere near as talented. Jeffress is still very, very good though