paul253

In all, we need high quality prospects, regardless of position. Picking for need is a luxory only teams with strong systems can afford. At some point in the future the Brewers will likely trade for a SS. We need to get some talent in the system to do that. While I agree with the best pick available idea, if there is a shortstop available who isn't a reach you have to take him. CJ Cron may be able to mash it but that doesn't help if we have nowhere to put him. When Prince leaves after this year, we already have 3 legitimate options to replace him at first....Gamel, McGehee and Hart. That doesn't even mention possible free agents like Derek Lee, Lance Berkman, and Carlos Pena. At shortstop Jose Reyes is a free agent but he'll command huge amounts of money. The majority of the other FA shortstops are mid 30s below average offensive guys. We have literally no prospects in the minors at shortstop and have to hope that someone like Rivera develops into an option three or four years from now. First base is 10 times easier to fill with a quality player than shortstop. The problem I have with drafting someone like Cron is that he is pretty much limited to left field or first base. Left field is Braun's until he doesn't want it anymore, which could be 8 or 9 years. First base is much, much easier to fill than shortstop. You can pretty much just take your best hitter and move them there and they will be adequate enough. The Brewers had to claim someone who was in AAA all year just because they didn't have enough guys capable of playing shortstop. I just feel like if we draft Cron, we'd be drafting him as a trading chip. Someone like Lindor could be an every day player at a premium position for half a decade. Even if something happens and we stumble into a better shortstop option, shortstops are usually able to convert to third base pretty easily. With a little work they can move to second or center field too. I just hate to use a top 15 pick on a thumper who can't move off of first base when the system is weak in every position except outfield. I know you have to go best available, but unless Cron is far and away the best available I'd rather Milwaukee go in another direction. In this draft I can't see him being far and away the best available.

I'd wet myself if we got Lindor and Gray.

I think we need two high ceiling pitchers. We just don't seem to have any prospects in our system who are capable of that #1 starter status. I thought Peralta and Rogers could possibly be there but both seem to have taken a step back this year. I don't know if we can get a #1 potential with our picks but I definitely think we can get two #2s. Between Barners, Guerrieri. Gray, Bradley, and Jungmann I think you take two of them if possible. I'd be ok with Swihart though I don't think the Brewers will want to pay him. I'd be ok with Baez as well.

Hey Colby. I was wondering if you could tell me how Javier Baez compares to Brett Lawrie when he was drafted. They both seemed to have big bats without a set position, though it looks like both will end up at third base. I remember quite a few people thought Lawrie was a steal when we got him and they turned out to be right. If we got Baez at 15 would that be considered a steal?

I actually wouldn't mind Baez. He'd probably end up moving to third base, but third base is still a pretty premium position. I just hope they avoid taking an outfielder with one of those first two picks.

If we can trade Wolf for a SS that'd be ideal. You'd probably have to pay some of the salary, but you'd get most of Wolf's and all of Bentancourt's money off the books. Of course this implies we'll have a starter ready to step in for Wolf. So far, Rogers, Rivas and Peralta have been pretty disappointing.

I can't see a lot lot of turnover on next year's roster. Fielder will obviously be replaced by Gamel. Hawkins will probably be gone. Counsell will probably be gone. I am holding out hope that Schafer or Komatsu will be the every day CF with Morgan and Gomez as the backups. They'll need to sign a utility infielder (Adam Everette? Infante?) and then maybe someone with some pop who can play first and third base (Wes Helms? Eric Chavez?). Another reliever or two as well. Ideally Peralta will step up the rest of the season and be able to hold down the #4 or #5 spot in the rotation, allowing Wolf to be traded to save more money. Just a side question. There will be a new CBA next season right? If there is a change to the draft compensation rules does that affect who we sign or trade?

It's a tough call, but with how poorly they are playing on the road I think I'd have to take it. St Louis has some guys (Lohse, McClellun) pitching way over their heads and I'm not sure they can keep up their pace.

http://www.baseballameric...review/2011/2611794.html The 10-15 prospects in order are 10 Taylor Guerrieri 11 George Springer 12 Sonny Gray 13 Matt Barnes 14 Jed Bradley 15 Josh Bell Not that rankings ever have anything to do with how the draft turns out, but I am excited to see so many talented college pitchers that may be available. A couple of shortstops are listed in the top 22 (Lindor, Michael and Baez) but there seem to be questions as to whether or not Michael and Baez can stick at shortstop. I noticed that Baez is just killing it in HS (.771 average with 22 home runs) In the related chat someone asked Callis is Michael would be a reach for the Mets at 13 and he said it wouldn't be that much of a reach but he's not sure Michael can play SS. I hope the Brewers don't use a pick on someone like that.

I noticed recently that an animal has been digging a little hole and burrowing underneath my garage. I'm not quite sure what kind of animal it is but my guess would be either a squirrel or a chipmunk. I have two questions. 1) Is this going to cause any damage to the garage? I know it's a cement floor so I assume as long as it's underneath the cement it can't cause too much damage??? 2) How do I get this thing to stay out? I tried filling the hole with mothballs and the thing just threw the mothballs aside. Then I put some poison pellets that I had laying around in the hole but that didn't seem to work either. The pellets were designed for mice so I'm not sure if it would even work against bigger animals but I thought I'd give it a shot. The two suggestions I got were to smoke it out with a smoke bomb and to shoot it with a pellet gun. I don't particularly feel like taking the time to hunt and kill this stupid thing (plus I don't have a pellet gun). Does anyone have any suggestions about how to keep this thing out? Maybe something I can put in the hole that would keep stop it from continuing to go in there?

It's simple, really. You allow players to declare for the draft. Once they are drafted they are ineligible to play college baseball. I don't understand why the same rules the NFL and NBA use can't be used for the MLB draft. I actually think the NBA should do their draft more like the MLB. Allow HS kids to enter, but if they don't they have can't declare until they are 21. I am sick of all these one and dones in college basketball. I hate the fact that these kids have so much power and make so much undeserved money as the next guy, but I think a hard slotting system would be an adequate solution. I can't emphasize this enough though as something I want.....there needs to be a major overhaul of the draft compensation system. WAY too many picks being handed out for losing players and there is no consistency.

I'm sorry but what a bunch of losers. Seriously....you get up at like 5am on a Tuesday morning to go hoard a bunch of cheap little lawn ornaments with the grand idea of turning some huge profit? They probably took the day off of work to do this too. I assume the idea of this was to get some prizes out to the kids and instead all these losers go out and grab as many of these things as possible. Get a life. The Brewers should invest more in just giving out rewards like this at elementary schools.

Sadly that would require inter-league play every day of the season (or two teams having a day off every day). Yeah I know...or expansion. I'm not advocating that but I wouldn't mind seeing the western half of the country get a few more teams (San Antonio and Portland would be my choices). Couldn't they also rework off days though so that one team from each league has three days off in a row a few times a year and then fewer one day breaks?

There is more and more talk that Lindor may slip to 13th or later. If he would fall to the Brewer's I would be pumped. Not exactly sure why his stock is falling, but everything I hear says the sky is the limit for this kid. I'm just wondering where you heard this from? I was under the impression his stock was going up and that Seattle might take him at #2 over Rendon.

1) Fix the draft! All players are eligible, not just North American pkayers. Hard slotting to prevent mega bonuses. Major overhaul of the way compensation picks are handed out. 2) I like the idea of going back to a 154 game schedule but that would involve owners losing 8 games worth of revenue 3) As much as I'd love to see the DH go away I don't think the union will ever accept that. 4) I'd also love to see them even up the divisions so all of them have 5 teams.

Nice to see Morris get the bump up to Huntsville. He was hitting well in BC and deserved it. I look forward to following the Huntsville box scores even more now (I am also checking out Komatsu's line). Hopefully Khris Davis isn't too far behind.

Weeks always looks to draw walks. He doesn't swing at crap. Fielder has hardly pulled the ball this year. Saying things like that makes it hard to take you seriously. Weeks doesn't swing at crap? Are you serious? He leads the team in strikeouts this year, led them in K's in 2010 as well and is constantly swinging at pitches out of the strike zone. With this new Fox Trax thing on FSN you can see every time he swings at a ball out of the strike zone and it happens a lot. And no, I don't think he looks to draw walks. If he were looking to draw walks then he wouldn't swing as often as he does. In general, if there is a pitch that he thinks is a strike, he'll swing at it. As far as Fielder goes, teams have been using the shift against him for years. There has to be a reason for that.

Yeah I couldn't believe it myself. When is the last time a Saturday night game has not been on TV?

Ha well I didn't mean to start an argument. The point is the Brewers lineup is filled with guys who don't seem to have a whole lot of strike zone discipline. The best way to get a rally going when you aren't hitting to draw some walks. Fielder will draw some walks, as will Weeks. But they aren't looking to draw walks, which is why they swing at so much crap. And they swing on counts that, if you want to work the count, you wouldn't swing at. 2-0, 3-1 counts. Why not take a pitch and make the opposing pitcher work a little bit. Another problem is everyone seems to want to be a dead pull hitter. Weeks, Gomez, Fielder, McGehee, and Bentancourt always try to pull the ball, so when they get a pitch on the outer half they roll a week little ground ball to the infield. It's just very frustrating watching players with the same weaknesses they had 2 or 3 years ago.

How about because Weeks, Bentancourt and Gomez swing at just about everything. I'm surprised opposing pitchers even throw them strikes. All three of these guys will get themselves out. Pretty tough to score when 1/3 of your lineup does that.

If he can stick at SS would Milwaukee consider taking him? It seems to be what they'd be looking for. A college player, probably a little cheaper and more signable than a HS arm? Assuming he can hit he could move up rather quickly with nobody blocking him.

I'm not high on Alex Meyer. I would rather have a guy like Daniel Norris. Would Levi Micheal be too much of a reach at 15?

It's really frustrating watching the Brewers have the same type of at bats over and over again. Swing at the first pitch. Swing at pitches out of the strike zone. Opposing pitchers have more 6 and 7 pitch innings than I'd care to see. I think the Brewers need to be less aggressive and take more pitches as opposed to swinging at everything! The Brewers really need Njyer Morgan back.

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It was either on this thread or another where I raised concerns about the Brewers, for lack of better terms, cheaping out with their second pick and not taking the BPA. If someone like Guerrieri is still around at 15 and we pass because we don't want to fork over the extra million bucks or so I'm gonna be mad. This draft is as important as any draft in recent memory because the system is so bad and the draft is so deep. You can't pass up on the most talented player because you don't want to pay what it takes to sign him. Most people seem to think that this is the last draft before some sort of hard slotting is instituted so it'll probably be cheaper to sign players next year. Plus they didn't spend first round money last season. If ever there is a year to draft two high ceiling HS arms, this is it.