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Callis implied the Brewers would take Loewen over Weeks. Interesting...

With the ML Brewers looking more and more dismal, I may have to become a San Diego fan hoping that we get the #1 pick next year.

Updated May 14, 2003 at 12:00 pm EST Who's making power moves and who's showing signs of draftitis? We'll keep you updated on the top 30 draft prospects as they move in the weeks leading up to the draft. Remember, this isn't how we think the first 30 picks of the draft will fall. It's our ranking of the best prospects at a given moment based on what we're hearing from various scouts, coaches and front office executives. Player Trend 1. Rickie Weeks, 2B, Southern - An NL scout: "Whatever philosophy you believe in, Rickie Weeks comes out at the top" 2. Adam Loewen, lhp, Chipola (Fla.) JC - The (multi)million dollar question: Can the Orioles sign him before he goes back into the draft? 3. Delmon Young, of, Camarillo (Calif.) HS - Dmitri's little brother has been raking in games and private workouts for the Rays of late 4. Ryan Harvey, of, Dunedin (Fla.) HS - Bounced back from last fall's knee injury to become darkhorse candidate for No. 1 pick 5. Kyle Sleeth, rhp, Wake Forest - Trying not to get dragged down by a disappointing season for the Deacons 6. Tim Stauffer, rhp, Richmond - Four plus pitches with above-average command, but a rough start against North Carolina 7. Jeff Allison, rhp, Veterans Memorial (Mass.) HS -Quickly becoming the best prep pitching prospect by far, according to an AL crosschecker 8. Chris Lubanski, of, Kennedy-Kenrick (Pa.) HS - In a 10-for-11 doubleheader outburst, hit for two cycles in combined games 9. Michael Aubrey, 1b, Tulane - Defense might be a question, but some predict .500-.600 slugging in the bigs 10. Nick Markakis, lhp, Young Harris (Ga.) JC - Reds want to sign him, but price goes up as he deals on the mound and rakes at the plate 11. Lastings Milledge, of, Lakewood Ranch HS, Fla. -He's the classic high-risk, high-reward pick and has thrived in front of scouts against top competition 12. Andrew Miller, lhp, Buchholz (Fla.) HS -Inconsistency with delivery and velocity have knocked down preseason top prep pitcher 13. Marc Cornell, rhp, Ohio U. - Shaky health record and recent shoulder woes might be enough to scare top 10 teams away 14. John Danks, lhp, Round Rock (Texas) HS -Recovered from early outings without his best stuff and now could be first southpaw drafted 15. Ian Stewart, 3b, La Quinta (Calif.) HS - Outhomered by teammate Cole Garner, but has the bat scouts look for in the first round 16. Ryan Wagner, rhp, Houston - Dominating closer has two unhittable pitches and could break 40-year-old mark for K/9 17. Craig Whitaker, rhp, Lufkin (Texas) HS - After he hit 98 mph, his next start "looked like the Academy Awards" because everyone was there 18. Paul Maholm, lhp, Mississippi State - The 2003 version of Joe Saunders; Maholm has become the top pitcher in the SEC 19. Vince Sinisi, 1b, Rice - Earns comparisons to Lance Berkman, but Boras factor and sophomore status drives down his stock 20. Brad Sullivan, rhp, Houston - Has helped struggling team by playing first and second, but he's had bad luck on the mound 21. Eric Duncan, 3b, Seton Hall (N.J.) Prep - Hitting his way into the first round, often in front of New Jersey native Omar Minaya 22. Matt Murton, of, Georgia Tech - Having a down year at the plate coming off two big seasons in the Cape Cod League 23. Aaron Hill, ss, Louisiana State - Best player on SEC's best team is attractive to both performance- and tools-driven clubs 24. Ryan Sweeney, of, Xavier (Iowa) HS - Without a high school season, relies on workouts like the one at the scouting director's meetings in Texas 25. Matt Moses, ss, Mills Goodwin (Va.) HS - After not making the summer rounds in showcases, he could sneak into the middle of the first round 26. Brad Snyder, of, Ball State - Serious car wreck in June 2001 won't hamper his prospects in June 2003 27. Carlos Quentin, of, Stanford - An adjustment at the plate triggered a 26-game hitting streak that got scouts' attention 28. Conor Jackson, 3b, California - Delivered three homers and eight RBIs in big set with Stanford, though Bears were swept 29. David Murphy, of, Baylor - Like Hill and Murton, you get plenty of tools for scouts to like along with good performance 30. Jay Sborz, rhp, Langley (Va.) HS - Consistently 92-95 mph, touching 96 and mowing down the competition On The Bubble: Aaron Jensen, rhp, Springville (Utah) HS Jacob Stevens, lhp, Cape Coral (Fla.) HS Daniel Bard, rhp, Christian Academy, Charlotte, N.C. Brandon Wood, ss, Horizon HS, Scottsdale, Ariz. Tim Battle, of, McIntosh HS, Peachtree City, Ga. Jared Hughes, rhp, Santa Margarita HS, Laguna Niguel, Calif. Adam Jones, rhp/ss, Morse HS, San Diego Scott Maine, lhp, Dwyer HS, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. Dallas Buck, rhp, Newberg (Ore.) HS Dennis Dove, rhp, Georgia Southern Scott Baker, rhp, Oklahoma State Brian Anderson, of, Arizona State

ended Sunday. He if free to negotiate with the Brewers.

for subscribers...anything on the Brewers or affecting the Brewers?

you will probably hear Young compared to Eric Chavez. Not because of similarities in style, but because they may be the two most successful high school players in CA history. I believe Chavez is the only CA HS player that has won the POY award twice and Young will become #2 if he wins this year.

be happy if Loewen signs with the O's or not. I could also be very satified with Weeks or Young. If Loewen does sign with the O's, I see the real loser being the Tigers.

still in the playoffs or can we negotiate with Barnes? It will be interesting in the next two weeks to see if we sign any of our DFE's.

is BA's top 20. It is interesting to see that Loewen is at #3. Would the Brewers consider Young and Weeks better prospects? 1. Rickie Weeks, 2b/of, Southern University: Has a huge upside offensively; he just needs repetitions to work out his shortcomings on defense. 2. Delmon Young, of, Camarillo (Calif.) HS: BA's 2002 Youth Player of the Year has exceptional power and arm strength, and is mature beyond his years. 3. Adam Loewen, lhp/of, Chipola (Fla.) JC: Unsigned 2002 first-rounder remains Orioles property but his stock continues to rise as his fastball touches 96 mph. Remains under control to Orioles. 4. Kyle Sleeth, rhp, Wake Forest: Projectable 6-foot-5 Colorado native possesses mid-90s fastball and is 31-5 in his three years at Wake Forest. 5. Lastings Milledge, of, Lakewood Ranch HS, Bradenton, Fla.: Fleet center fielder has never hit less than .500 in four high school seasons, has plus tools across the board. 6. Andrew Miller, lhp, Buchholz HS, Gainesville, Fla.: Silky smooth 6-foot-5 lefty established himself as nation's best prep pitcher at Perfect Game showcase in January. 7. Jared Hughes, rhp, Santa Margarita HS, Laguna Niguel, Calif.: Six-foot-5, 220-pound right-hander surged to forefront among prep pitchers by showcasing 96 mph fastball in fall. 8. Brad Sullivan, rhp, University of Houston: Nation's strikeout leader in 2002 has command of four pitches, including a 90-94 mph fastball, sweeping slider. 9. Tim Stauffer, rhp, Richmond: Stauffer lacks ideal size, but is a proven winner, has command of three pitches and is a warrior on the mound. 10. Chris Lubanski, of, Kennedy-Kenrick Catholic HS, Schwenksville, Pa.: The fastest player in this year's draft has a pretty left-handed batting stroke that projects power down the road. 11. Ryan Harvey, of, Dunedin HS, Palm Harbor, Fla.: A potential first-rounder as both a pitcher and hitter, Harvey will miss most of '03 season after injuring knee in fall. 12. Michael Aubrey, 1b/of, Tulane: A pitcher and first baseman in college, Aubrey will take his sweet swing and power arm to right field in pro ball. 13. David Aardsma, rhp, Rice: Had a breakthrough season last summer on Cape Cod; a 0.68 ERA, 45 SOs, 12 base runners in 27 IP says it all. 14. Jeff Allison, rhp, Veterans Memorial HS, Peabody, Mass.: Allison is a fierce competitor with two plus pitches: a fastball consistently in the mid-90s and a sharp breaking ball. 15. Chad Billingsley, rhp, Defiance (Ohio) HS: Billingsley has command of three pitches, including a fastball that has been clocked at 96 mph and hard slider. 16. Landon Powell, c, South Carolina: Strong and durable at 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, Powell has plus power and excels in all phases of catching. 17. Jay Sborz, rhp, Langley HS, Great Falls, Va.: A 6-foot-4, 220-pound power pitcher, Sborz has only scratched the surface of his ability; he could hit 100 mph one day. 18. Matt Murton, of, Georgia Tech: Powerful slugger for nation's top college team has good instincts and solid but unspectacular tools across the board. 19. Ryan Sweeney, lhp/of, Xavier HS, Cedar Rapids, Iowa: Scouts are divided on whether 6-foot-5 lefty is a hitter or pitcher; he has big-time power potential and a 90 mph fastball. 20. James Houser, lhp/1b, Sarasota (Fla.) HS: Six-foot-5 lefty has command of three pitches-a 90 mph fastball with life, curve and change-and can swing the bat.

Here is a quote from a recent Washington Post article about Loewen: "Orioles officials believe their chances of signing Loewen are about 50-50, although the sides were nearly $1.5 million apart last year when negotiations fell apart." Also, today BA is doing draft previews on the NL Central and I am guessing that Colby is going to make his next selection on the T1 draft board for the Brewers.

Adam Loewen's team was knocked out of the juco playoffs, so the O's can begin negotiating with him. Secondly in AskBA, it was interesting to hear that Conor Jackson could fall into the second round because of a possible arm injury. Finally some information on Brandon Wood - As a HS Jr, he hit .443 with 18 doubles and 8 home runs. He is 6'3" and about 180-185 and many consider him the top talent in the state of AZ. He played in the 2002 Area Code Games and is described on one site as "lean, projectable infielder with twitch and a compact stroke at the plate." He is currently batting leadoff for his HS team and spent the summer working out with the likes of Nomar and Jason Giambi. He has at least 18 home runs in this his senior year. That is all I have.

Q: Peter Friberg from San Diego, CA asks: Last year Hermedia busted onto the scene late, any other late-arrivals? A: Josh Boyd: I don't think there are any that will be considered as high as Hermida, who went to the Marlins at 11 last year. He was not just a signability pick, either. Many thought he was the best hitter in the draft. SS Brandon Wood of Horizon HS in Tucson could qualify though, as the White Sox have interest in him with the 15th pick. He won't get past the Brewers in the second round. Bay Area HS SS Jason Donald is another fast riser, who could creep into the first round. Craig Whitaker has long been exposed to scouts, but is starting to get some serious, serious action from directors and crosscheckers.

Check out the nice article on Delmon Young on the mlb.com website. I believe it is the first in a four-part series about Delmon.

AS started 20 minutes early as he already had over 150 questions sent to him.

Q: Patrick @ brewerfan.net from Milwaukee, WI asks: Are there any specific names being associated with the Milwaukee Brewers? Are they still high on college pitching, and if so, is there an arm worthy of the #2 overall selection past Loewen? A: Allan Simpson: The Brewers targeted college pitching pretty much from the start, but I believe the only one they're really considering now is Loewen--if he doesn't sign with Baltimore. I don't see them taking Kyle Sleeth or Tim Stauffer in that spot--or even Marc Cornell, if he's healthy. The word now seems to be that they're on Delmon Young, but Young is squarely in the Devil Rays mix for No. 1.

Q: Jay from Madison asks: Who are the O's looking at with their first pick? Do you think they'll be able to sign Loewen? And is it certain that Loewen will be used as a pitcher -- not a hitter by whichever MLB team gets him? A: Allan Simpson: Well, let's get started here today. I'm 20 minutes earlier than scheduled but I've already got 150 questions on the board. We'll try and address as a wide a cross section as possible even if every questioned isn't answered, but I think it's appropriate that there is an Adam Loewen reference with the very first one. He's obviously the big wild card in this draft. First, I think it's 50-50 that the Orioles will sign Loewen. They have little or no chance of getting a deal done unless they raise their offer to at least $4 million--which is about what he could expect if he came back into the draft. It's also possible that $4 million may not get it done as there may be some hangover from last year's negotiations, when the O's lowballed Loewen throughout the negotiations. Whether the Orioles get Loewen done or not may impact their regular pick (seventh overall). It's hard to say at this point what they're looking at, but Michael Aubrey of Tulane is being mentioned. As for Loewen, he'll definitely go out as a pitcher.

begins at 1 p.m. CST today (May 9th). They have actually allowed people to submit questions most of the day.