splitterpfj

I didn't post here when this happened, but I should have. I've been through too many of these, with young people, and for some reason, there have been a few in the last year. I'm sorry to hear it, I didn't know him beyond the site, but he seemed like s likable guy.

Sardinas is a guy who can keep himself in the lineup. He can play multiple infield positions, he runs well, and he's a switch-hitter - this is a guy who will start for a while in the major leagues, IF, he hits enough. If he can add a little bit of power, or if he can raise his OBP some, he's a starter, if that doesn't happen, he's a skilled bench player. He reminds me of Craig Counsell in this regard - you can see what he does well, and you can see what he does not - will there be enough there to start for 5-6 years, or won't he? Sardinas should offer enough all-around game to bring value to his team, he doesn't have to be a difference-maker on offense, he just can't be a liability.

I still like Atlanta for guys like Aiken and Matuella. The Braves made moves to get themselves, if you will, more "cap space" for the draft - they've got early picks, and the cash to pay them with. Maybe Atlanta bypasses those two particular players, but they are a team that is well-positioned to gamble on a risk/reward guy.

I agree with what Rosenthal is saying in that article, both Milwaukee and Cincinnati are behind the three other teams - on the field, and in the minor leagues. That's the problem, right there, it isn't just that both teams are hoping guys will bounce back, etc, it's that the teams they're chasing have more coming than they do...a double-whammy. I would absolutely field offers on anyone the Brewers have right now, that doesn't mean you have to trade everybody, but there's no reason not to look for the best deal, no matter who it is. You would think Gomez, Lucroy and Segura have the most value, so go ahead and prioritize. Gomez should have his most trade value during this season, because he's only signed for one more. In theory, he should go first. Lucroy could wait until next winter, because he's still controlled for multiple seasons beyond that, I wouldn't expect his value to fall much, if the offer isn't there during this season. Segura is a different category for me - if he'll sign an extension, I'm fine with him staying right here. Even if he won't, I think the team could wait a full year before they get serious about dealing him. Segura's both young and good, and he plays a position that can be tough to fill - there will be demand, now or later. I'm fine with the team signing him, or keeping him here until Orlando Arcia is in place.

Hi Bikeage77- I founded this group, not expecting much at all....and found out, it was a big deal. https://www.linkedin.com/grp/home?gid=76277

One thing I like to watch for, as is happening right now with Garrett Whitley, is the northern kid who comes on late, because scouts were all over the south first, before the northern states really got their seasons going. Those kids can fly under the radar, and at times they fall beyond where they should have gone for that reason. My best example of a kid who went through that would be Mike Trout. Look at Trout, right there with any player in baseball now, and he was picked 25th overall in 2009. He's from New Jersey, and I honestly think scouts just hadn't seen as much of him as they had some other players, so he got by some teams. I'm not saying Whitley is Trout, but I am saying this happens sometimes. In Mayo's mock, he's got Brady Aiken near the end of round one, and Mike Matuella not in the first round. On the other hand, he's got a few high schoolers moving up fast - guys who weren't being called first rounders a month ago. You can just see how fluid the draft process is, a guy has a couple of bad games on the mound, and down he goes, another guy has two good weeks, and up he climbs.

jdbrew, that's exactly it with Sardinas. Scouts like the D, the versatility, the speed, etc, but is there enough in his bat for him to be a regular in the big leagues, or is he destined for a career as a utility player? He's got to be smart at the plate to be a starter, to get the most out of his talents, because he won't hit many mistakes into the seats.

i actually hope the Brewers are at least on the fringe of the race in early July, just so I can watch the beautiful irony that is watching the team's most dedicated fans getting angry because they aren't losing enough. Such wonderful theatre.

It doesn't matter what the standings say - it's always fun to beat the Cubs.

Here's some stuff on Harris. http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/missouri-state-righty-jon-harris-shows-first-round-ability/ http://m.mlb.com/video/v82575583/draft-report-jon-harris-hs-pitcher Harris has risen fast in the projections you see online, even a week ago I would have told you he had a 50/50 chance of being there when the Brewers pick, but now I don't think he will be. He looks like he's in the top ten picks now, with a chance to crack the top five. It's a very fluid year, and very hard to predict. With this many injuries, and the lack of a clear cut top five, top ten, etc, players have more room than usual to move up and down. Dillon Tate has pitched his way from late first round to the discussion for the first pick overall, and Harris has now had a similar rise. Forget consensus this year, AZ still doesn't know who they want at #1.

Austin, when it comes to getting guys signed, the most important factor is, you have to KNOW that it will take to sign the guy before the pick. I know the Brewers love Kodi Medeiros' potential, but I also think he was available for a little less money than some of the other guys they may have taken in that spot. Monte Harrison had the leverage of a football scholarship to Nebraska, so he was going to be more expensive - so you see how things played out....a little more here, a little less there, but you can't do that if you don't know the math going in. To answer your question, yes, teams very often spend less on picks in rounds 6-10 for example, using that money to make sure they get those first few guys signed. You see a lot of college seniors going in those rounds now, because they have no leverage - sign, or go look for work. This year, the Brewers are set up almost exactly the same as they were last year - their first pick is in the middle of round one, then they have a Competitive Balance Pick after the first round, just like last year. I don't know the draft strategy the new Scouting Director will employ, and this year's draft does not have as much top end talent as last year, but if the Brewers want to, they can do things the same way this year. Milwaukee has not messed with injured guys at the top, but it's a new man at the helm this year, and like I said, there's not as much impact talent at the top this year, so this might be a time to take a chance on someone if they're available. My guess is, Brady Aiken and Mike Matuella will both be picked ahead of the Brewers - they're both coming off recent Tommy John, neither will pitch this season - Matuella also has a back condition he'll have to manage. If you're looking for the talented arm to gamble on, that may be Kolby Allard. Allard is a high school kid who absolutely would have gone ahead of the Brewers this year, but he had a stress reaction in his back, and he was shut down. If he makes it to the Brewers' pick, that's the guy I could see them taking a shot at, if they think he'll be healthy going forward, of course.

I posted that back in November - Jones got hurt, so cross him off, but I still think the rest of these guys are right in the range where the Brewers will pick. Trenton Clark is listed as the Brewers' pick in some mock drafts I've seen, but I think he's moved up ahead of Milwaukee's pick. Daz Cameron was sliding back towards the Brewers, but now he looks like he may be back ahead of the Brewers too. There are wildcards in play - skilled pitchers the Brewers wouldn't have had a shot at, but they're rehabbing injuries. Another catcher, Tyler Stephenson, may play himself as high as the Brewers' pick.

Take a look at the trade the Cubs made with Oakland last year - Hammel and Samardzija for Oakland's best two prospects at the time, and Dan Straily. Addison Russell is already in Chicago, and outfielder Billy McKinney is in High-A, with a .949 OPS at the moment - that's the kind of deal that we're all hoping for. If Kyle Lohse gets going, the Brewers can offer Gomez and Lohse, for a package like that one. Gomez is a stud, on a nice contract, who is signed through next year. Lohse, is a good, dependable pitcher, who is signed through this year....as I said, this hinges on Lohse's performance. I have no idea if LA would have interest in Gomez, since they have Pedersen in that spot in the first place, but supposing they did, my compare for that deal is Gomez and Lohse for Pedersen and Grant Holmes. Holmes is an excellent prospect, who is years away, as was McKinney - Russell was an elite prospect at the time, as is Pedersen now, the difference being Pedersen is already in LA, not nearing MLB. Gomez and Lohse have to play well, and LA has to want Gomez out there for this idea to work, but even if it's not LA, this is the sort of deal that may be possible later in the season. The Brewers are saying they won't deal Lucroy, and they probably won't move Segura, which makes Gomez easily the primary target for other teams, and of course the Brewers would deal Lohse, since he's a pending free agent on a team that needs to get younger now. Root for Lohse, and heck add Aramis, Parra and Broxton to the list - someone who gets hot and fills a need for the rest of the season somewhere. If the Brewers have that second piece they may get two top prospects, if they don't the offers may be one top prospect and some maybes. If it's the latter, I hope the Brewers keep Gomez until the winter, and then try again.

This site became a really big deal for me. I found it by accident in about '03, and I became a member in '05 I think. I started a thread doing a "Hall of Fame Trial" for Bruce Sutter, and then Jim Rice, then I think Andre Dawson - just a baseball nerd having some fun. "BillScottCanRake" sent me a PM, asking me if I'd do Hall of Fame Trials as a series of articles for the site, which I had not considered - so I did. Before I knew it, I was interviewing people like Rollie Fingers, Brooks Kieschnick, and Frank Catalanotto, and now I have friends all over the business of baseball. Thanks Brian, and everyone else who contributed and built the site before I got here, I got things from this place that I never would have thought to look for.

There's no way Carlos will finish this season in Appleton if he continues to play well, he's got the brass talking - and why wouldn't he? I doubt they're in a huge rush to promote him, but I'd be surprised if he doesn't head to Brevard for the second half of the season.

This article touches on some interesting points. Yes, this year's draft is a tough read, because of all the injuries, and because there's not a lot of separation this year - not a lot of, "gotta have him" types. I mentioned in another thread, the Braves became much more interesting as they continued to add bonus pool money. They have three early picks this year, and plenty of cash to pay them with. If they want to, that's a team that could definitely take a chance on a guy like Aiken, if he's available to them. They could pay a "high risk/high reward" player, and still have two picks to go the, "safe route" with. Houston, with their two early picks, is sitting pretty too, because, again, of the bonus pool money assigned to those picks. In baseball's unnecessarily complex draft process, the slotting money is a huge deal. Last year, having that extra early pick from the Competitive Balance Draft, gave the Brewers the opportunity to take some riskier, more athletic guys than we had grown accustomed to. The Brewers had enough chips on the table to go for guys like Gatewood and Harrison, who they knew they had to pay, and they knew were both projects with enough raw skill to hope for a true stud in five years. I think this draft offers a good number of middle infielders, and I think it's deep in pitching too, I would bet at least 20 of the 26 first round picks are pitchers, shortstops, or second basemen. If you're a catcher, a corner infielder, or an outfielder having a strong season right now, you're in great shape!

When the Brewers took Coulter, they said he had power in his bat, and a strong arm - those are his strengths. They tried him at catcher, which didn't work, so they've moved him to right field - ok, take it from there. This is a very young player who isn't even out of A-ball yet, learning and growing are what the minor leagues are for - relax, and let the young man do his work. The idea is to maximize his strengths - get the most out of what he does best, and work on the rest. He's in right field, because he can throw - now work on reading the ball off the bat, etc. Coulter's ticket is hitting for power, that's why the Brewers wanted him. Don't assume you know he'll be a 20 homer guy, or a 25 homer guy, etc - you don't know, he's still working, and at his age, that's not a problem. Maybe he keeps getting better and he's a 30 homer guy, maybe advanced pitchers find something they can exploit and he's a 20 homer guy, prone to streaks and slumps - we don't know yet. Right now, there's nothing that says Coulter can't be a perennial 25 homer type, with league average defense at his position - OH, to have a lineup full of such problems! You have to let the young guys play before you write about, "always", and "never" - there are two full steps ahead of where Coulter is, still in the minor leagues, before we even talk about Milwaukee, and he's still a very young man - let him play, and be a fan, he's a good prospect who may very well help your favorite team win ballgames.

The Brewers don't have to trade guys by tomorrow night, and they don't have to trade everyone they've got, there's no shot clock in May. I think the Brewers should listen on every player they have, and play it like they did with Gallardo. The team got more young talent back for Yovani than most of us thought they would, so they were smart to make the deal. If they get a good offer on a guy, make the decision, yes or no, and keep moving. There's no reason not to move guys, but there's also nothing that says they have to wrap this up by the weekend. Trades because fans are upset? No thanks. Good trades that make the organization better going forward? Yes, when the right offer is made - tomorrow, next month, or next winter.

SoupTown, that was an impressive rant. I heard "silent rage of the common man", bordering on, "righteous indignation"...very nice. I think the boss was caught by surprise by the humiliation that was April. I think they had a plan, but have now been forced to very seriously consider a change of course, reaching well beyond this season. It's only the beginning of May, there's time for the guys to recalibrate and proceed, hang in there.

If you really want to have some fun - make the baseball draft ten rounds, with the remaining players becoming free agents. If that happened, teams wouldn't waste picks on players they have no chance of signing, or on some employee's kid, and a lot of kids would actually improve their chances of reaching the big leagues. Agents know the strengths and weaknesses of each organization when it comes to player development, and they also know the depth charts of each organization. If a kid plays second base, but he gets drafted by a team that is deep at his position, he's in a bad spot, he has to change away from his best position, or hope for a trade, etc. If they were free agents, those kids would be placed with teams who need what they do, and who would invest themselves in developing that player, rather than just signing him for a few grand, and telling him how lucky he is.

BCD, the overall talent this year is ok, but the obvious, GIVE ME THAT GUY picks are light at the top of the draft.

Riddle me this... This year's draft has an unusually high number of players who have a first round grade, but who are currently injured. So, GM, would you rather the Brewers take the risk-reward guy, or bypass the medical issue, and take the guy they are more comfortable with as of today.

The Brewers try to pick the kids who can handle the mental side of being overmatched in a case like this, to get them out there, playing pro ball. We have no choice but to hope they guessed right. It worked out with Coulter, they chose not to do it with Devin Williams - someone gets paid to make the call, I hope they didn't find him on Craigslist.

The team is on pace to be what, 70 games below .500? Honestly, even if they recalled the entire AAA roster, it can't get worse that that - that's historically bad baseball. The Brewers should be better, to some degree, but I'd be disappointed if they weren't checking to see what sort of return some of these players would bring, particularly the players who are only signed through this season. I didn't expect the return the Brewers got for Gallardo, I thought they did very well in that deal, so you never know - ya gotta ask. Those who want a major rebuild will hope for trades of Gomez and Lucroy, but with both guys out right now, it isn't in the cards, even if the team decides they're ready to look at that. I think Lohse makes the most sense to be dealt, if he pitches well in his next few turns. In Kyle's case, trading him sooner than later makes sense, because, as a pending free agent, his trade value will decrease as the season gets shorter. If the trade comes soon enough, the Brewers should get a prospect with a realistic chance to make it.

39, tell me something I don't know about Brandon Nimmo, in the NYM chain.