qrk10000

This truly is a very, very good day. I sure missed the Brewers all winter.

Thanks again, Jim, for always being on top of this stuff. You truly set the standard for Brewers minor league transactional coverage and it simply cannot be found anywhere else. Keep up the great work.

And that seems to be just about every talent evaluator in baseball except those with the Brewers organization. Many people in baseball felt that Rickie Weeks would not be able to cut it defensively at second base and should be moved to center field. And for half of a season, they were right. However, he finished strong and now many of those same people believe he has the tools to be a fine defensive second baseman. I believe that Ryan Braun will follow in his footsteps. He'll probably struggle for a year or two but eventually his raw athleticism and help from the Brewers coaching staff will help him turn the corner. He may not be a gold glover, but he should develop into a competent third baseman. Fans and experts alike just need to give a chance. Defensive ability is rarely what gets these kids signed and to the majors. From day one they are pushed to show off what they can do with their bat and whatever they contribute with the glove is normally secondary or a bonus. There are rare exceptions when you have a shortstop that is absolutely stunning in the field, but that truly is an exception. I believe the reason for this is that defense can be taught while pure hitting ability is something you either have or you don't. Don't get me wrong, players can always tweak their stance or swing, but that is where it ends. That is why it is so hard to turn strikeout prone guys like Jenkins and Branyan and Weeks into players that can draw walks. It is just not whom they are. Hitting is what makes these players millions and separates them from those of us on church league and bar league baseball teams. I think Braun has the potential to be a great offensive force in the majors and with a little time and coaching, will have an adequate glove to go with it. Hopefully by 2008 he will have a chance to do that with the Brewers.

clearly superior? kinda funny that you say clearly when you qualify your statement with "IMO" and "with an unbiased eye" Rios may be better now, but the difference is pretty minimal...BTW, Corey Hart will prove to be an above average defensive player in his career... and he's already with the team...i dont think you should ever trade for a player who might be just a slight bit better than what you've already got...some think the grass is greaner...others, eric young...i say we are pretty good already.. Pogo, regardless of what they did at the minor league level, Rios put together a fine season at the major league level in 2006 (and it could have been even better if he would have stayed healthy for the full season), something Hart has not done yet. I like Corey and I think he deserves to start in 2007, but until he plays a full season he is still a prospect. From March to June, Rios was incredible and he finished very strong too once he came back from his injury (.OPS of 977). You can argue that he struggled in July and August but he was coming back from an injury and sometimes that takes awhile to return to form. If we could get Rios without giving away the whole team, I would be all for it. An outfield of Hart, Hall, and Rios could be very productive.

Very well said, JoePepsi. I have never been a big fan of his but you make a heck of argument.

I agree with Pogo. Why would the A's trade a guy that proved he can pitch at the major league level for an unproven minor leaguer and a lousy outfielder? It definitely would take more than that to get Blanton.

Unless Miller asks to leave, no. You don't go about trading guys who take hometown discounts if you're the Brewers because you'll need those discounts going forward. Pissing off Miller means you'll have greater trouble signing others. I like what Miller has done here and think he has been a good signing but I hardly consider what he signed a "hometown discount". He was paid pretty well for someone who may now be surpassed offensively by Henry Blanco. I am all for shipping Miller if it meant adding a decent minor leaguer or two. Rivera would do just find as a backup.

I didn't realize that Durham had such a great season in 2006. His power has certainly increased over the years. If he would have played a full season, he might have hit 30 homers. $11 million, though...wow.

I completely agree Pogokat. It certainly would not be the "sexy" move that most fans want to see, but it would strengthen the outfield and give us a consistent leadoff hitter (unless the Brewers were looking for speed). This is a very realistic idea.

Absolutely beautiful game. Santos was incredible. It was nice to see our guys draw a lot of walks too.

Many people only are looking at the five or so threads that exist on brewerfan.net and don't dig into the actual message board. That is why if they don't see something on there (i.e. Ginter) they may post a new thread. That should be expected.