Joseph Zarr

Good insights, gents. Very nice. Thank you for sharing.

I could see someone nabbing Garabitos for the Double-A portion of the draft - assuming he is still rostered in Carolina. He didn't fare well in his stint with Nashville, but that shouldn't take away from how dominant he was for Carolina. He was an incredibly important piece for Victor Estevez out of the pen. He is a classic lefty finesse pitcher with size and a frame to possibly add some upticks in Velo down the line. His off-speed stuff gave hitters fits near every outing I witnessed.

Staying current: (12/2) - C Alex Jackson was outrighted to the Nashville Sounds from the Brewers

I'll chime in: I am completely unconcerned by Frelick's 'lack of power'. What he displayed from essentially the moment he returned from the Il in Biloxi is he makes ridiculously good contact. That will play as a lead-off at any level. And that is who he is: a true lead-off hitter. Rick Sweet spoke to this glowingly when he was with Nashville. I agree with you on the defensive commentary. The clear most talented defensive outfielders in the upper echelon of the Brewers farm are Mitchell and Wiemer. Due to his range and versatility, I'd go Frelick next. I'd personally place Chourio on a tier with Esteury Ruiz - the Gold Glove just didn't make sense to me given what I saw in 2022 (tho, admittedly, I place an decent emphasis on arm strength and accuracy and Chourio's arm is sinply average at best).

This is a Brice Turang post. Welcome to the Big Dance, young fella. Y'all are going to love watching him play. Hopefully, the bat evolution continues. He made big big strides in his hands last year and we started seeing a bit of power pop play. I'm excited - he's as steady as they come in the field.

Yup. Tho, Singleton just turned 31 so who knows what this means within the organization.

I guess this comes down to where you view his ceiling. Given I watched the majority of Cam's games this past season, I'd say his ceiling is a poor man's Nolan Arenado - quite a bit more than a utility player. I say this considering how fluid he is on the diamond - with his glove and his arm - and where I see his improvements at the plate and where he could go if he continues to fine tune his approach at the plate. I say 'Poor man's' in that he doesn't have that pedigree and he isn't quite the athlete of an Arenado. But, he certainly shares characteristics 'in the mold of'. But, make no mistake, Devanney plays with a smoothness and a grace and yet his arm is an absolute cannon. The bat development is the intriguing part - can he hit for more average? Can he start playing the oppo strategically? Can he continue to adjust to off-speed? All the questions you would consider for any potential-laden prospect. Time will tell. I would offer he's in an 'in-between' stage of his growth as a player. But, where he has gotten to now is quite a solid place to play from. And, naturally, I could be entirely wrong in my assessment. This is simply what I see. And as @sveumrulesalluded to: the Brewers may simply be reading the greater room.

I was wondering the same this am over coffee: Did they do this to prevent him from being scooped up in the Double-A portion of the Rule 5? I would gather you are spot on. It's kind of the only thing that makes sense at face value.

And in other Dec. 1st Transaction News: (Takes moment to catch breath) - LHP Adam Seminaris was assigned to the Biloxi Shuckers (as many of us predicted) - RHP Kaleb Bowman was assigned to the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (I'm excited to see this young man sling it in 2023) - RHP Henry Garrido was assigned to the DSL Brewers 2. Let's hope 2023 is more kind than Garrido's last stint in 2021.

@CheeseheadInQC: RHP Max Lazar was officially assigned to the Triple-A Nashville Sounds today ?

Do the Brewers need to trade Christian Yelich? No Would it be wise to trade Christian Yelich? Absolutely Can they trade Christian Yelich? I believe this answer is complicated

A German Brewer? You don't say. We sure have a Lag(er) jam at the catcher position but, I've always said: A German Brewer will cure what Ales you.

It's a rare moment where I mostly agree with @Robocaller. Tho, I would be remiss to say: I think all of Junk, Peguero, and Seminaris should freely sniff 20 and beyond. Taste the aromas. But, truth be told, from a prospect vantage point I think they mostly flavor the 20-30 range at this juncture. I don't think the Brewers brass see Junk as a prospect any longer, however. I think they see him as a roster addition. Peguero and Seminaris have more work to do to establish their place in the organization. At present day, until they show their skills and their ability to improve, I probably consider them organizational depth - and I definitely don't think this is a bad thing. I probably place Peguero in the yet to be finalized pool of AAAA call-up candidates. I probably place Seminaris in the pool of: "Prove it to me in the Southern League, first."

A few things I would say to this: 1) There are numerous examples of really good players going straight to the Majors from Double-A (not to mention, Devanney was tearing it up at Triple-A). The Atlanta Braves had two of them this past season. 2) I would say it's quite possibly much easier to hide a prospect you really covet as an end-of-the-bench developmental bat versus a bullpen arm you can only play when your being blown out. Devanney, imho, plays to this scenario as his defense is upper echelon as is his arm and he can give a home run threat in pinch hit situations. 3) Beyond the no-brainer top 5 or so prospects in a top 30, I actually find them relatively meaningless. This may be an unpopular opinion, and I know we compile our own Top 20 on site here at Fanatic and I mostly try to support the endeavor, but those non-elite high draft pick or int'l signing players are quite simply movable up and down that list as seasons play out. The sample sizes are simply much too small, typically. They overemphasize age. I find them a bit like the NFL Draft Industrial Complex. *** My main point with Devanney is and has been: The Brewers are an organization that lacks high end prospects at 3B (especially). Not only is Devanney a legit 3B prospect, he's a prospect who can slide over and very very competently handle SS. Why would you not toss out the COVID season and look at his two season where he flourished within legitimate off-season and in-season structure? We look to this past season and we see a bat that was red hot at Triple-A in a very intense playoff push. That checked a big reiterative box for me as I watched him in Biloxi all season to that point. He actually played better in a more competitive environment. Then, you couple the power; the gap power; the rbi capacity with truly top-tier defense and a cannon of an arm...it was just a no-brainer protection for me. And, to paraphrase 'The Dude': "Well, that is just, like, my opinion...man." He may certainly still slip through and I hope that is the case. If he is nabbed, I'll experience a bummed out moment because I'll have one less thing to look forward to when I watch the many Brewers affiliate games I do on a yearly basis. He is a defensive highlight waiting to happen. And, man, with a developing power stroke he was fast becoming 'must watch' for me.

I've been shouting from the top of the dugout for darn near four months in support of Cam Devanney. He has all the tools, today, to get spot play at the MLB level as a Rule 5 pick. I will be entirely unsurprised if he gets scooped up. It was quite simply a mistake to not protect him - there is sooooo much smooth and bourgeoning power to his game. All management and personnel staffs make oversights and errors. In my estimations, this was one of those. I say this having watched Cam's 2022 season from literally Game 1 in Pensacola. At this point, all I can do is hope he sneaks through. Sigh.

@CheeseheadInQC: After a rough first outing, Lazar has found something in two straight. Playing to your 'Maybe he starts in Biloxi' thoughts, he is getting work in overseas and it is his last year of team control (as we all know). Just giving you a heads up ICYMI.

This is the way mighty Grasshopper. Your post felt like a soothing sip of the finest wine. May we start the violins and search for more icebergs!!

At this point, from my let's make lemonade out of the Joe Barry giant sack of lemons (I mean, come on, we all know this was never a sensible hire) POV: I want Joe Barry to finish this season so he ensures we get as good and as high a draft pick as possible. These top 10 pick opportunities have historically not been the norm in Green Bay. I'd personally like as good an opportunity to roll those dice first and foremost. I agree with others: Matt LaFleur hiring anyone and assembling a coaching staff has a high probability of being an unmitigated disaster. However, I'm at the point now where I honestly may just view the entire Packers organization that way. I think of so many instances of failed decision-making, choking in the clutch, mistaken FA decisions, mistaken player positional choices, sticking with unskilled or failing players/draftpicks for far too long etc. that at this point I just want some type of clear cut advantage or better opportunity. We may completely blow the picks BUT picking higher is better. That's where my head is at today. ?

I think it's more a Christian Yelich sized contract problem not to mention tenure and multiple MVP's first-ballot HOF problem. And, hey, at this point does it really matter? J-Love looked fantastic which is awesome but at this stage of his career and health overall, A-Rod gives us our best shot at higher draft picks. Just trying to find a silver lining to an embarrassing season by near every measure.

Even by lofty Joe Barry-led defensive standards, allowing 363 yards rushing is a heck of an achievement. Stubbornly staying in base Nickel for near the entire game is also extremely impressive. We are currently picking 6-9 in the upcoming draft. I hope we keep him all aboard the coaching staff until season's end. Of course, the danger there is Matt LaFleur will most likely be hiring the next D Coordinator.

Man, I love Astudillo's game. He is such a fun player to watch. Of the many many Minor League games I watched last year, he and Jerar Encarnacion were the two players I wanted to watch more regularly. He is such a fascinating offensive talent. You probably wouldn't exepct it given his build and stature, but he is so crafty and just a through-and-through baseball player. He gave the Sounds fits when they played Jacksonville. Will he end up a career ML and Winter Ball journeyman or will he get a chance as a spot player in the Majors as he advances in his 30's? And, that is today's Minor League deep cut. ? There are just so many good journeyman Minor Leaguers. May they continue getting opportunities. May they not be forgotten while they still have their health and love for the game.

Completely agreed on Mendez. He will definitely be one of those fast track promoted studs it would appear. The hype is already real in scouting and prospect analysis circles. Before that extremely unfortunate crash into the right field wall, he was really on a tear. He has so many innate baseball tools and gifts to work with, it only makes sense to challenge his growth in the lead-off and OF spots at a higher level. Assuming they start Chourio at Double-A, who mans CF for Ayrault and the T-Rats? Cargo is a LF'er primarily - as is Bello. Will they try Mendez in CF - he was primarily RF in Carolina. Which randomly brings me to: What the heck is going to happen to start Joe Gray Jr's baseball year? Does he stagnate his Levels after such a ho-hum year as they look to get traction going again...providing CF security as he looks to get his feet on the ground? Not what he or the Brewers are hoping for but you can very easily make the case it is what is needed.

Good thoughts. I had honestly forgotten Nick Bennett - it's the off-season! ? For me, that again would indicate Lazar starts in High-A to grab his footing and establish a reason for promotion. It's important to remember, imho, he only pitched 39 innings last year. Yes, 39. I just don't see a single reason to start anywhere but Wisconsin. He grabbed a mere 6 starts in Wisconsin but those outings were essentially glorified piggy-back bullpen role outings. I believe his longest outings were a mere 4 IP. And, at that, maybe he did that 2-3 times? In my opinion, he's certainly further along than Israel Puello and has stuff that plays quite a bit better. But, after missing over a month of playing time and having to rehab with the AZB and Carolina clubs in August, while remaining in Carolina into September, I find it extremely improbable he garners organizational impetus to suddenly skip High-A. It just doesn't compute for me. He will turn 24 in June of 2023. I think he has plenty to prove. As a side note, I am very curious to see how and where Taylor Floyd starts 2023. His turnaround and reversion to his previous (to injury) dominant self was awesome to watch after he found footing in Wisconsin. Something absolutely clicked after his ump-induced meltdown versus Cedar Rapids in late July. I remember being so irritated by that umpiring performance - it was absolute Bush League late-night softball showmanship. And, it absolutely was the launch point to Floyd's incredible end-of-the-season performance. I sincerely hope he gets another shot to start the year in Biloxi. If we take in consideration his bullpen work on my birthday 7/24, Floyd appeared in 18 games to finish his season. 29 IP. He allowed runs in a mere 4 outings. Elevated ERA due to said 7/26 outing, additionally. 40 K: 19BB. He can absolutely build off this and I really hope he does. When he is on his sweeping off speed slider mixes so nicely with his delivery and higher-than-typical velocity given his submarine release. He would pair so nicely with Middendorf as unorthodox RHP's who have uncannily good stuff. I really hope they can dial both to their highest potential. I certainly don't forget, Floyd was striking out over a batter an inning in the 2021 AFL. He might just be a forgotten bullpen diamond in the rough. It goes without saying, 2023 will be a big year for the right-handed hurler.

Boy, do the Brewers have a treasure trove of capable catchers. After seeing Navarreto play so well for Nashville last year, and get the nod in the Playoffs, I'd certainly like to see him in a meaningful role to start 2023 in Nashville. Feliciano's defense really concerned me this past season - when it wasn't passed balls it was erratic throws into the outfield. That's a major concern for a once highly touted prospect. Hopefully, he bounces back in a big way. I would say, at this point, Darrien Miller and Wes Clarke are in the same category for me: extremely talented baseball players who happen to play catcher - in Wes's case, more as a spot fill-in kind of role whereas he seems to be slotted in the 1B and DH role quite a bit more often. I mean, Miller can bat lead-off - and do it quite well with his patient approach. I would personally like to see Miller given more shots at 1B. I would like to see him on a strength and muscle adding regimen to see if they can't take his natural upward sweeping swinging motion and work with him on launch angle. To me, he would be a natural position change candidate - I just don't think his arm and slow pop and release will ever play at higher levels. It's a shame I feel this way - he's just a likable player and young man in every regard. Maybe I'm just wrong. I'd be quite fine with that.