paul253

Thank you! Someone on Brewerfan that is actually, what's the term I'm looking for, a Brewer Fan! I figured this argument would come up eventually. If you think people who want to put the Brewers in the best position to obtain top flight talent, even it is at the expense of losing a few extra games, so be it. That's like saying the someone who wants to trade an established Major Leaguer for prospects isn't a real fan because that would be "quitting". Jose Fernandez was drafted 14th. Wainwright was drafted 29th. Miller 19th. Sale 13th. Cashner 19th. That's nearly half your list. I've never claimed you can't get a good player later in the round or later in the draft. All I said was that it is easier to find that talent early on. Do you disagree? The reason they lose the tiebreaker is because the Brewers have a tougher strength of schedule than those teams. Did something change? I thought the tie breaker was based on last year's record?

So did you want to see Mike Gonzalez or Burke Badenhop instead of Wooten-Kintzler-Henderson in either of these two games? I've already made suggestions as to what I would have liked to see them do. For instance, if you are so concerned about Lucroy wearing down behind the plate that you actually change his position a few times what harm would it do to give him a day off more than once a week? Are we afraid that we'll lose 92 games instead of 90 games? And if you are going to bring up Jimmy Nelson, why is it absolutely necessary to stash him away in the bullpen, pitching once a week instead of letting him start three or four games and saving 20 innings on Gallardo's or Lohse's arm? And why, when you have two young outfielders who are performing very well, can you not ever bring yourself to sit Aoki and let them both play at the same time? Is Aoki really going to increase his trade value in those 10 or 15 extra games? To be perfectly honest, yes I would prefer they lose these last two games. I'm not going to cheer every time the Mets score but the fact is winning the games is absolutely meaningless while picking 5 spots higher could mean a hell of a lot. I get it. You need to hit on draft picks. But would you not agree it is much easier to hit on draft picks when you are picking higher? There are only so many guys who profile as #1's and they go rather quickly. Sure you can hit on a later round draft pick but the fact is you are more likely to hit on guys earlier on. Just a quick look at the top 20 overall ERA leaders in MLB right now, starting with the lowest overall ERA (1) Clayton Kershaw: first round pick (2) Jose Fernandez: first round pick (3) Matt Harvery: first round pick (4) International free agent not drafted (5) not drafted (6) not drafted (7) Zach Greinke: first round pick (8) Madison Baumgarner: first round pick (9) not drafted (10) Cliff Lee: fourth round pick (11) Max Scherzer: first round pick (12) not drafted (13) Stephen Strasburg: first round pick (14) Adam Wainwright: first round pick (15) not drafted (16) not drafted (17) Shelby Miller: first round pick (18) Chris Sale: first round pick (19) Andrew Cashner: first round pick (20) not drafted 11 of the top 20 overall ERA leaders were first round picks. 8 were free agent signings, which leaves one guy who wasn't drafted in the first round. I realized ERA isn't the only factor in determining who the best pitchers are but you can't argue that success of the earlier draft picks. So again, to be brutally honest, losing the last two games and picking 3 or 4 spots earlier is probably going to much more helpful to the franchise in the long run than winning the last two games. Yes you have to hit on the pick but the earlier you pick the more options you'll have.

They are playing without Gomez, Ramirez, and Segura For the record, the only reason they are playing without Gomez is because he was suspended and the only reason they are playing without Segura is because he is hurt. They'd both be in the lineup if they were available. Look, I am not suggesting the Brewers lie down and intentionally lose. But they have young guys who need extended looks too. I can't understand why Aoki has to play every day. Why not let Davis and Gindl play at the same time a few games in a row? Why move Aoki to CF for the first time all year instead of letting Schafer get another start when Gomez was suspended? And apparently they are worried enough about keeping Lucroy healthy that they'll move him to first base every so often. But not worried enough, I guess, to let Maldonado play more than once every five or six days and give Lucroy a day off. And if you are going to bring up Jimmy Nelson why not let him start a few times instead of putting even more innings on Gallardo or Lohse's arm? That's the kind of stuff I mean. I just don't get why Roenicke has been playing this last month or so like he is challenging for the division. If the young guys win the young guys win. But 17 games below .500 with a month to go I just don't see why you still have to play Ramirez, Gomez, Lucroy, and Aoki every day.

We are now in a 4 way tie with Philly, Colorado and Toronto and lose the tiebreaker to every single one of these teams. It just bothers me that guys like Aoki and Lucroy are still playing every day. Like you said Soup, the Brewers have convinced themselves that a 70-92 year is so much better than a 68-94 year when in reality all it does is allow more talented players to be sucked up by other organizations in the draft. The difference between the 7 and 12 picks is pretty significant. I would not be surprised in the least bit if the Brewers win 3 of 4 against the Mets and draft after Colorado, Philly, Toronto, SF and the Mets. Also, does Johnny Hellweg pitch with a rabbit's foot in his back pocket? The guy walks four, hits two others, and throws a wild pitch in addition to giving up two hits and only manages to give up 1 run? Amazing. We had no business winning this game. I guess unlike us the Mets realize that they are better off losing.

I'm not going to defend anything any of the Braves players did. Especially McCann. How he was allowed to stay in the game is beyond me. That being said, one thing I cannot stand is players doing crap like what Gomez did. I don't know what, if anything, was said to him before he hit the home run but to sit there and stare at it is immature and uncalled for. I'd have said something too if I were Maholm or Freeman. The Brewers are 17 games under .500 at the time and the Braves are best team in the NL. I'm not sure why Gomez felt the need to taunt them.

http://btn.com/about/olympic-sports-on-tv/#hockey Just in case anyone is interested here is a link to hockey on the Big Ten Network. Looks like starting in January we're going to be seeing a lot of hockey. Wisconsin has 6 games on BTN. Hopefully Fox Sports Wisconsin picks up some games as well.

We are about two weeks away from the first year of Big Ten hockey. I'm pretty excited about this. It'll be nice to see teams like Michigan and Ohio St coming to Madison every year. Hopefully within the next decade or so we'll see some more expansion. I know Indiana and Illinois have club teams. Maybe a successful Big Ten conference will get them to consider building bigger arenas and moving up to D1. A strong hockey conference could help make up for their weak baseball programs. Also, Wisconsin is probably the pre-season conference favorite as. They've got almost everyone back and bring in a high scoring freshman from Minnesota (Minnesota's Mr. Hockey). Minnesota is always loaded but they lost a ton of guys. I don't know much about the other schools but Wisconsin is the preseason #3 in the College Hockey News top 10 poll. It should be a fun year.

Right now there are 5 teams within one game of each other. Milwaukee, Colorado, Philly, NYM, and Toronto. Giants are two games ahead of Milwaukee. I have a bad feeling about this. The Brewers play like crap the entire season then when draft pick position is on the line they look like a playoff team. Hopefully they lose 4 or their final 5 and keep that 7th pick. It'd be a real shame after all this to end up with 11 or 12.

Unfortunately I think the problem goes a little further than the manager. Exactly. If they fire Roenicke, Melvin will just hire someone who has the exact same philosophy as him, just like how he hired Roenicke after Macha was fired. The first question Melvin asks in managerial interviews is "do you feel young players who aren't can't miss prospects should get a chance to prove themselves?" If the answer is anything other than hysterical laughing the candidate is eliminated.

It's almost as if they want to take the Greinke trade and put it on the mantle as "evidence" of how smart and capable they are. That is a very good point. The guy has shown nothing at the major league level yet he continues to be allowed to start. In Nashville this season he had 81 walks in 125 innings. And it's not like he lost it this season. That's how he always pitches. The way Milwaukee treats its pitchers just baffles me.....and probably a lot more people.......and leads me to believe the organization hasn't got the slightest clue what they are doing. Our lack of success in pitching development right now is downright embarrassing. Our entire scouting department needs to go.

I didn't want to start a new thread on this but someone needs to explain to me what Roenicke sees in Johnny Hellweg right now. I get that the guy has potential but these are his numbers so far: 26.2 IP 38 hits 22 ER 22 walks 6 K's and a 2.25 WHIP. Opponents hitting .345 against him. The only way to describe these numbers is to say they are downright awful. I watched a little bit of the game last night and watching Lucroy try to catch Hellweg was like watching Lucroy try to catch a knuckle ball pitcher. It's like once the ball leaves Hellweg's hand nobody has any idea where it is going. Plus he seemed to be sitting in the 93mph range with his fastball, occasionally touching 95. Not bad but I thought he could get it up there in the upper 90's. The guy has no control whatsoever and he'll never make it as a major league pitcher unless his control improves drastically. Yet somehow he has earned another start. The same manager who briefly took Thornburg out of the major league rotation because of his Triple A numbers is giving Hellweg another start. I don't dislike Hellweg and I certainly want him to succeed because the lord knows that what the Brewers need. But if anyone profiles as a reliever right now isn't it him? Wouldn't he be more successful in one inning stints where he could let it go in the upper 90's and rely mainly on fastballs? Relievers have to throw strikes too but if he could focus on two pitches he may be able to learn to control them a little better. I don't know. I just don't see any way this guy can be considered as an option for the starting rotation next year.

Hart is not going to come cheap, that is the problem I have in signing him, even to a one year deal. As if on cue: http://www.jsonline.com/sports/brewers/corey-hart-would-be-very-generous-to-remain-with-brewers-b99102049z1-224489271.html

Not exactly sure what the Brewers see in him.

Don't worry Juan Francisco will be our first basemen. Forget the fact that he'll bat .210 while striking out every other at bat and playing little league level defense. He's got good power and that's all that matters right Ron and Doug?

I think at this point it's a given that they'll pick below Houston, Miami, CWS and CHC. I think it's likely they'll pick behind Minnesota and Seattle. So that puts them at 7. If they can somehow manage to stay behind NYM, Colorado, and Toronto I'll be ok with 7. If they pass all those teams and pick 10 or god forbid pass S.F. and SD and pick 12 I'll be awfully disappointed. But I think the likeliest scenario now is either 7, 8, 9 or 10. In that range Brandon Finnegan is a name that intrigues me. Hard throwing college pitcher who could also help with our lack of left handed pitching. Two above average pitches it sounds like (fastball and slurve) and a changeup that has some potential.

I like Thornburg a lot and love the fact that he is MAKING Roenecke keep him in the rotation because everyone here knows Roencke doesn't want him there. I'm hoping for a strong finish to the season and an improved BB:K ratio. Speaking of BB:K ratio I've been trying to figure out how Hellweg had so much success in Nashville with a ratio that was basically 1:1. I love the guy's potential but can't help but think he still needs to vastly improve his control if he is going to have any success in the majors. As far as 2014 I think Melvin would be foolish to sign anyone. If he wants to waste money his first move should be the release of Rickie Weeks. I think Lohse, Peralta and Gallardo are locks for the rotation and Estrada is a near lock. That leaves one spot for Thornburg, Hellweg, Nelson, Burgos, or someone else. Ultimately I think it goes to Thornburg. I think Fiers moves to long relief. That leaves a Nashville rotation of Nelson, Hellweg, Burgos, Jungmann, and maybe Pena?

I wouldn't mind taking a one year flyer on Johnson or Hudson. PLEASE no multi-year deals!

The Mets have a fairly easy schedule, with 4 against Miami coming up. They also play Philly and SF. SD's is brutal (Atlanta, Pitt, Arizona, LAD) and so is Minnesota's (TB, Oakland, Detroit, Cleveland). If I had to guess I'd say the Brewers best case scenario is 6th, behind Houston, Miami, CWS, CHC, and Minnesota. I think worst case scenario is those teams plus Seattle, MYM, and SF (who still has to play the Yankees and Dodgers 10 times) for the 9th pick. The last thing with need is a hot streak that pushes up past Philly, SD, and Colorado as well. That would be a terrible ending to a terrible season.

I'm curious if people would have accepted the Matt Garza package for YO. C.J. Edwards, Neil Ramirez, Mike Olt and Justin Grimm. Edwards looks to be the best of the bunch and is having a fantastic season in A ball. But he's a long ways away and needs to put on weight. Ramirez is putting up, I'd say, average numbers as a 24 year old in AA. Olt has huge power potential but is struggling big time. Is this year an anomaly or is he just not that good of a player? Grimm seems like more of a throw at this point as he has had zero major league success.

I suppose it doesn't hurt to ask, especially since Boston was down on him at the time. But Boston has a deep system, including some decent pitchers. I'm surprised Melvin couldn't work out a deal. Perhaps it was Middlebrooks or nothing, which would explain why nobody was interesting in trading with us at the deadline.

Aaron Nola from LSU looks like he has some fantastic numbers. Any word on his velocity? He could be a consideration for the second round or competitive balance pick.

I'll agree with Colby as well.....unless they take an outfielder. I know you want best player available but outfield seems to be the only position they are good at developing. On top of having Braun for 8 more years and Gomez for three more years, they also have Logan Schafer, Khris Davis and Caleb Gindl who are all major league ready. They have Kentrail Davis who looks like he can at least contribute. Then they have Michael Reed, Tyrone Taylor, Mitch Haniger and Victor Roache all in the lower levels. Outfield is already stocked and they don't need another one right now, especially with so many other holes to fill. If they take an outfielder with a top ten pick I will be severely disappointed. Though I personally am hoping for a pitcher, I'd also be ok with a shortstop (you can never have too many), third basemen (we have none) or even catcher (who knows what's going on with Clint Coulter). First base I guess I wouldn't mind but we've got so many names in the minors right now (Morris, Halton, Cooper, Giacolone) that I'd like to give it a year to see how they all play out. That Schwarber dude from Indiana looks like a beast though and I remember thinking when I was watching him in the CWS that I wouldn't mind having him on this team, but most publications see him being picked a little lower than where the Brewers projected pick is. Either way I think the only ways the Brewers can screw up this is to take pick a HS pitcher with no control or a low to mid ceiling college pitcher.

Can you imagine how the Brewers could turn around the state of their farm system if: 1) They trade Gomez 2) They have a top 6 pick I know people don't like the idea of trading Gomez, but other than Segura and Lucroy Gomez is the only guy who can bring back that prospect with #1 potential. I see Danny Hultzen pitched a few innings right before his team's season ended. If he is healthy I'd love to have him. Maybe a trade of Gomez for Hultzen and Carter Capps. Hultzen is a lefty and would immediately compete for a spot in the rotation.

I was very much opposed to him being switched to the bullpen after last season. But why not give him a minor league deal, switch him to the bullpen and see how he does in one or two inning stints? The Brewers have had success with hard throwing relievers (Axford, Kintzler, Henderson, etc). Let him focus on a fastball and an offspeed pitch and see how he does?

This would solve a major dilemna. And this also happens to be the perfect time not only to try Davis out at 1st base but also in RF like Roenecke indicated he'd be open to trying. Whether or not it actually happens is another question. Now if we could only find a taker for Weeks we could actually have a decent lineup next year. 1) Aoki 2) Segura 3) Braun 4) Ramirez 5) Lucroy 6) Gomez 7) Davis 8) Gennett