MKE81

Lucroy looks 100% healthy; is swinging the bat very well. You'd think someone would pull the trigger and offer what Stearns wants

Santana is off to a great spring start but he obviously won't replicate those numbers during the regular season. That being said, he's a massive upgrade over Davis, as I've stated before. Yes, I used the word massive because he's a better all-around hitter and defensive player (arm included) by far. Liriano has struggled offensively and he's solely a corner OF if you've seen him run around this spring. Broxton or Flores should start in CF (both should make team). Walsh is struggling BA wise but he still has a great approach every AB and has a high OBP while being able to play multiple positions. 222/360 off bench is much better than the 222/280 we're accustomed too. He should be kept. Wilkins has earned a spot thus far but you'd need another IF off bench and keep only 1 backup OF for that to happen (assuming they keep 12 pitchers). Sounds like they want to keep 5 OF so it'll be interesting to see who that 5th OF is as Braun, Santana, Broxton, Flores seem locks as of today. I can see them keeping Liriano just for the potential and pop off the bench since that will be lacking big time and that can give him the advantage over EY and Presley, both of whom you know what you're getting at 30yrs old and it's nothing great. And as a 5th OF you can take a chance on someone like Liriano. Flores can dip into 1b as well so that hurts Wilkins chances too. So then you're looking at an IF who can play SS as well since there's no backup there. Rivera has earned it but not sure they want him platooning instead of playing every day in AAA. Perez is the other guy then. Santana, Scooter, Braun, Lucroy, Carter, Hill, Villar, Broxton. Broxton/Flores can always slide into 2 hole as well. If Santana isn't going 4 then it must be Lucroy otherwise they'll walk Braun all day to face Carter/Hill.

Agree. Which means TX should trade for Norris if they don't want to give up something good in return for something good. Not saying Norris isn't good but he's no Lucroy

Yes the number of OFs is insane when putting this together. I'll definitely be tinkering with mine - I also based it off of what I saw when watching these guys practice last week. I happened to see 15+ of the guys in the Top 30 on most scouting sites

1 - Orlando Arcia 2 - Brett Phillips 3 - Josh Hader 4 - Trent Clark 5 - Jacob Nottingham 6 - Jorge Lopez 7 - Isan Diaz 8 - Zach Davies 9 - Michael Reed 10 - Cody Ponce 11 - Kodi Medeiros 12 - Keon Broxton 13 - Yadiel Rivera 14 - Ramon Flores 15 - Gilbert Lara 16 - Devin Williams 17 - Adrian Houser 18 - Garin Cecchini 19 - Rymer Liriano 20 - Monte Harrison 21 - Demi Orimoloye 22 - Colin Walsh 23 - Damien Magnifico 24 - Tyrone Taylor 25 - Clint Coulter

Garza also has the best track record of everyone in the rotation. You can point to last year as to why there is little interest in trading for him but one can easily point to the 4yrs prior where he has a 3.63 ERA so not sure why people continue to be short-sighted when it comes to these things (ie khris davis final 2 months vs his entire body of work hence him being traded for a better, younger Santana). He's 32 he's not 36. I'm not saying he's going to be a world beater this year but I see him getting back to the 3.8 ERA area and someone will trade for him. Peralta won't be around long-term with the young group coming up and neither will Chase, who's 28. Davies is already better than Chase. Davies has a great mound presence and pounds the zone - he doesn't care who's standing in the box. You can visibly see it and also feel it by the way he pitches. Chase is an average #4-5 whereas Davies is a good #4-5. With Davies, Lopez, Hader ready between now and next year those 3 spots will be opened up. I'm assuming they're keeping Nelson, Jungmann (if he proves end of last year was solely just a tired arm). That's as it stands now if Stearns adds other top arms that are close then some of this changes. Davies starts in AAA for the sole reason he has options, is young, needs to pitch every 5th day - it makes the most sense. They'll work on moving Garza, Peralta and Chase throughout the year and when that happens, combined with any injuries, you'll see Davies stepping in right away. If 2 spots open due to injury/trade I'd assume you'd see someone like Cravy as opposed to Lopez/Hader as those dudes need to continue to develop as they haven't pitched in AAA yet. There's no rush on them this season.

I attended a handful of games over the past week before flying out yesterday after catching that game. As far as the OF goes Santana obviously looks really good. Flores is the next best OF I think. Very good approach and understands the zone; will hit line to line and has some pop. His speed appears to be average, which would be a concern in CF if a regular there this year. He also played some 1b and seems to be serviceable there. Liriano is struggling at the plate and absolutely shouldn't play CF; he has to be slower than Flores. Solid enough arms from both those guys though. Broxton looks pretty solid. I think he should start in CF, at this point, as his defense there is plenty good. Offensively he'll be average but he has some tools though - speed, solid arm, good defender, some pop but he's not going to kill it. Kirk shouldn't make this team. You know exactly what you'll be getting with him; he won't pleasantly surprise you. EY has played well and I could see him being a 5th OF but I just don't see them keeping him over Flores/Broxton given age. Liriano I could see them keeping for a bat off the bench and sub in a corner spot. Moving to the IF. Hill is like Kirk, you know exactly what you're getting from him at this point. Looks solid defensively at 3b and should be ok offensively. I feel like hit bat is too long and heavy for his size. Just looks like it slows his swing speed down. Villar looks good at time and not good at other times. His contact isn't consistent and he should be batting 7-8 in lineup. Rivera has played well; looks very sharp defensively and offensively has continued to develop after last year. He's playing as if he should have a spot but if he's not going to get a good majority of ABs then there's no point in stunting his development in a platoon role when he can play every day at AAA seeing as how last year was when things started to click for him. Walsh, like Flores, understands the zone and has strong plate discipline. He made a great play at 3b in one game but has kicked a couple thus far too. I like him and think he should be on this team. Carter you know what you're getting. Wilkins has looked strong at the plate and seems serviceable at 1b as well; better than Carter. It'll be interesting to see what happens to him at the end of spring if he continues to play well. Lucroy has looked really good and in top form. Maldy's been solid (for him). Just based on yesterday's game, there's a gap between Chase and Davies. Davies is a more polished pitcher. He pounds the zone. Their hitters looked foolish at times whereas against Chase they were barreling up. Davies should make the rotation but if they put him in AAA to come up with Lopez, Hader or earlier due to an injury/trade I understand that move. But Davies is absolutely a solid big league SP.

20 something year olds are playing because they get paid a boat load of money. If they played for fun most would have gone to college then put their degree to work while playing local amateur ball. As a "kid" you played for fun? You mean it wasn't a job when you were 11yrs old? Obviously!!!! You were a kid not an adult paying bills and having responsibilities. As fans we are paying for entertainment. Absolutely. Which is why I don't understand why people who hold your opinion care if players use roids or not. People who have the "act like you've been there" mentality believe a player shouldn't show boat/show up anybody else. This has nothing to do with showing emotion and celebrating a HR that makes 40,000 people lose their minds. They respect their opponent so they consciously choose not to be disrespectful and/or arrogant. Boom. Roasted. Huh?

So a still photo allowed you to draw the conclusion that this kid stares at his phone for 3hrs straight and also has zero knowledge of the game? If today's technology was available in 1980 people would be doing the exact same thing. I'm sure this kid wouldn't have exponentially increased his knowledge of the game if he was watching this pitch then bat flying at his face. He probably would have sat there like a deer in headlights - and if that happened what would your response be then? Fans who pay attention get drilled all the time by balls and bats. HE'S A KID. They don't have the attention span adults do. He just as easily could have been watching his favorite player in the field to see how he's moving defensively and setting up in position, which means he's not watching the pitch nor the bat flying at his face. But because he happened to be looking at his phone instead EVERYTHING changes even though the outcome wouldn't have. And I have no problem sitting directly behind a net because it's never an issue unless you actively focus on the net, which some people can't help but do.

Anyone who thinks Yadiel Rivera is "too old" for the future is out of their mind. He's the same age as Santana, Lopez, Davies, Reed, Houser. He'll be playing AAA at age 23 along with Lopez, Davies (maybe), Reed, Houser. And if they all stay the course they'll be playing at the MLB level at age 24. That means they hit their prime in their 4th MLB season. Rogers is different given he's hitting the "prime" age now. He will have fewer productive MLB years vs someone like the others. That's a huge and major difference when it comes to age of players. However, would you rather take player X who makes it to the MLB level at 27 but has 6 great years vs player Y who makes it at 24 but is an above average role player for 10yrs? Age matters but there are a lot of variables in play.

Agree. Olt had a good 100AB stint at AAA 2yrs ago I think but hasn't been good at the upper levels for his career (AAA and MLB). Cecchini is 3yrs younger and more upside plus he's the starting 3b in AAA. He'll be given a chance to turn it around this year otherwise Stearns will be looking for a 3b of the future again next year.

Morales will make this team. I'd rather have Nolin over Pena.

Good signing. There are still uncertainties in the pen so this adds another veteran lefty who should be pretty solid. Would be good to have Smith, Morales, Nolin in pen with Morales strictly on lefty/lefty matchups, Smith as closer and Nolin as multi-inning guy who can spot start. Personally, I'd rather see someone like Nolin spot start vs Thornburg. I think Thornburg needs to strictly stay in the pen role in order to maximize his effectiveness. I'd roll with eight relievers keeping Jones. His power arm and potential are too difficult to ignore and hand back to MN plus he's a year younger than Pena. And if Smith is traded then still have two lefties

Who cares. Look, I love dogs but why people still talk about Hank is beyond me. It was a great story saving that dog from a life of garbage and now being spoiled rotten having fun. But who cares at this point. Nobody's daily life is affected if Hank is dead, alive, an imposter, etc

The vast majority of trade proposals involve TX and I don't see him going there. He's going to a team that most haven't thought about.

Actually people do laugh at jokes like this. And Phillips most likely has below average intelligence so I'm sure that contributes to him laughing so hard at grade school jokes

the person who didn't do their job (again)?

How so? If Braun basically repeats his 2015 performance in 2016, which is certainly not impossible and may even be likely, his contract looks even better next offseason. Figuring in deferred money, he's being paid about market rate this year ($15 mil), and he might be paid less than market next year. With the thumb and back there is no way he will play even at 2015 levels for the entire balance of his contract. Maybe the next two years but certainly not all 5. Im not a doctor but in the no ped era, players get worse as they get older, not better. Therefore every day we have him, is a day less of production to the market. Sweet logic. Players get worse as they get older. So Trout will never perform equal to or greater than last year. Got it. Good to know that Braun is a worse player tomorrow than he is today. Braun will have better numbers this year than last year. His final 2yrs he'll still be a solid player because he was never an above average player to begin with - he was elite. Big difference

Of course they have guys you want because you think Braun's value is much lower than what it actually is. You think his contract is much worse than it actually is. He was a legitimate All Star last year and had his health issues corrected. Outside of his suspension he's played in plenty of games and produced mightily in that span. In an age where guys are signing massive annual contracts until they're 38-40yrs old his ends when he's 36. Guys are still productive at that age. His annual dollar compared to others that signed in FA this year is competitive and his contract will look better and better as the years go by. Unless there's a "can't say no" deal on the table over the next 3yrs there's absolutely no reason to trade a forever franchise player like Braun. And he's not a declining asset until his performance actually declines. And I agree with a previous poster regarding the OF logjam. There isn't one corner OF prospect that is good enough that forces you to trade Braun. Davis was traded for several reasons but a big reason was Santana. That's not the case at all with Braun.

Maryvale is a terrible neighborhood. Our family travels there annually for spring training and we've never had or seen any issues at the park. The complex is fine but the area it's in is terrible. The complex is the farthest thing from a dump. The Cubs built a new complex 2yrs ago and we've been there. While it's nice it's extremely overrated. Other than aesthetics I'm not sure how other stadiums amenities are so much better than Maryvale. I can literally stand in the middle of the cross-hairs between 4 diamonds and watch all the workouts - get souvenir balls from players, quickly chat with players/coaches as they move from one field to another, stand 5' from bullpen sessions and BP cage. Where else can you get this experience? People should stop focusing on NEEDING to sit in a luxury ballpark to watch a spring training game and instead focus on making spring training a great "experience". The players have everything they need at Maryvale. You might have just read Tulo commenting how Salt River was a luxury resort resulting in player's not focusing on what they're there to accomplish. I hope the Brewers stay in AZ though

Carter wasn't much worse in his PCL-infused plate appearances either. I would not call Jesus Montero's career dead, but Carter has at least shown a pulse in the majors. Seattle has been a nightmare for a lot of accomplished hitters. Most of Montero's career AB's were as a 22 year old. Put him in a hitter friendly park, and he'll likely blossom. Carter on the other hand is so contact challenged as to have a ceiling so low the Astros non-tendered him. Montero can also be one of those guys that hits well at AAA but the light switch goes off at the next level. Carter will give you 35HR (if healthy) even being contact-challenged. Neither is the future 1b so I don't see the point in adding Montero

I understand the benefits of a newly built stadium but one thing that was addressed last year in this thread is accessibility. If the Brewers can keep that same player accessibility it's a win/win for the team and fans. I've been to every AZ stadium except 2 and Maryvale has by far the best player accessibility and it's not even close, especially for the minor league players. You're standing within a couple feet of all the pitchers throwing bullpens in the facility, watching everyone take BP standing directly behind the fence, can stand next to the dugout and listen to the inside chatter, can talk to the players as they move from one field to another. This is exciting especially given all the talent in the farm system now. Yes, the neighborhood sucks. But the complex is nice. And I've never gone to Maryvale where it's been a sellout. You can always get tix, maybe outside of a few games though. And you can sit next to the dugout for $18. It's a nice cozy stadium. I hope they stay in AZ and keep the accessibility factor for the newly built stadium

Outstanding

He goes by Brett or Maverick. I call him Phillips. Girl Scout cookies are delicious

And all everyone wants to discuss is his power, even though he's averaging 29HR per 500AB with 64% being SOLO. Every run matters but if a decent majority of your power doesn't produce runs than its not as great as it appears on the surface. And he doesn't produce a lot of runs outside of HRs either. Santana, using last years stint with us, would have hit 25HR in 500AB. Back to Davis' arm, id be curious to see the numbers comparing his run production vs how many runs he's essentially giving up because of his arm, which allows so many extra bases to be taken putting much more pressure on the pitcher and defense. No doubt this year it would have been worse given what the Cubs, etc were doing vs him 2nd half last year. 78mph on competitive throws is literally comical