And That

If the Brewers ever have Braun at 3B, Weeks at 2B and Fielder at 1B this year, there will be putrid IF defense at that point. This is why I'd rather have Hall in the IF and Weeks in CF. We can't do anything about Prince's D at first, but we can put Hall at either 2B or 3B, and/or Koskie at 3B and/or Graffy or Council at 2B, with Hardy at SS.

when you put the cutoff at recent first round picks you do leave out Yo I think there's a huge difference between 1st and 2nd round selections, just based on signing bonus alone. Teams are wise to catch falling guys in round 2 (like Yo and sort of, Hardy), and pick wisely in round 1. Heck, even Neugie wasn't as much of a waste as Gold due to his 2nd-round selection.

he has more potential than anyone else on the farm... And yet Yovanni Gallardo is going to have so much more success. The Brewers' insistence on drafting HS RHPs in the first round recently has boggled me. What has it gained them? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. The only thing that J.M. Gold, Mike Jones and Mark Rogers have done for the Brewers is get their surgeons well-trained in shoulder surgery. Honest to God, I'm not holding out any hope for Jeffress.

By the way, I'm curious how you decided to place Y. Perez where you did. I have to say I am surprised at how high he landed. Like I said in the comment, his defense and speed make him very valuable. He has been a good hitter in the past also, though I am a little worried because he hasn't hit much in the past two years. In a way, he reminds me of a more athletic Ronnie Belliard. Sort of stocky, but quick. Unlike Belly, Yo2 can play SS well. If Counsell and Graffy hadn't both been resigned, Perez may have had a shot at making the big club (though a long shot). As it is, I fully expect him to be the starting SS in either AAA or AA. Where he ends up might depend on whether Alcides Escobar ends up repeating Brevard or getting pushed with Iribarren to AA.

Everything Sarfate's been doing lately points to 7-8th inning man, not long relief. However, Dennis may just have to make the club, much less secure a late-inning spot. He still has starter durability, so that's why I think he might be a guy Yost goes to for a few innings at a time, at least at the beginning. I wholeheartedly agree that Dennis profiles better as a 7th-9th inning guy, but he may not be able to get there this year at the outset.

Corey Thurman now up to 205 innings for the year, first year back after injury issues -- you'd have to add up several prior seasons to reach that total: I really hope Corey Thurman gets a long look in the big league rotation next year. We were lucky to be the team to sign him after his injury issues. He still has the chance to be a very good pitcher in the bigs. If he would have eligible for the Power 50 this year, he wouldn't have been too low.

he looks like a potential number 5 starter. His stuff appears to be better than that, and he was rushed to AAA, so there's hope that he'll become middle-of-the-rotation caliber, but he'll have to prove it. I agree with all of that, and I believe his talent will prove itself over the long term. Last year he looked bad overall. However, there were times I'd watch him, and he seemed to be just in control. I'm not going to look up the game logs to back me up, but as he got more starts, he seemed to do very well early before falling apart. I remember one game where he was cruising into the 4th/5th inning, and then just fell apart. He has the stuff to overcome this, it is just a matter of if he can (or, like Wes Obermueller, if he can't). I rate him more highly than most others because of his delivery and stuff. I think he'll be a really solid pitcher someday, maybe sooner than later. He got jacked around in AAA after being demoted last year, but ZJ held his own overall. I'm saying he'll be anything more than a #3-type starter, but that's better than most other minor leaguers project to.

We've been playing the Singing Dogs' version of "Jingle Bells" all day for two days and people get angry about it. C'mon, it is SINGING DOGS!!!

Despite the tools, Braun is still inadequate at the hot corner. His footwork is bad, and while he has plus arm strength, his throws lack accuracy. Ka-ching.

Which is? He'll be traded for a spare part, maybe a reliever of similar contract. Not knowing what that spare part is, I can't include it, but Brady Clark is, at best the 6th best OF on the team right now (if you count Hall).

You're missing one B.Clark. He's not there for a reason.

For a quitter you sure do post a lot. I've been saying this about you for years.

I have just one quick question for you, you mentioned you?re an accounting and I was just curious where you work at? I?m a junior at Marquette majoring in accounting and trying to get a feel for some of the local firms in the Milwaukee area. Thanks in advance. Well, I'm a senior at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, and I have a year left of school after this so I can get my Masters of Science in Accounting. I can't speak for the locally owned firms there, but I'm pretty sure I'll be working for KPMG in the near future. They have the best audit practice of the Big Four as far as I'm concerned, though if you're more of a tax guy, I would go to Ernst & Young or PWC. Deloitte has always come off as somewhat creepy to me, but it could just be the people up here. The main reasons I am personally considering KPMG is that I have a number of friends who work there and love the people/atmosphere, they have ~5 weeks paid vacation a year to start out with, excellent new-parent benefits, paid training in Orlando, and an awesome local forensic practice (which is the field I want to get into). Everything except the local forensic practice is offered more or less by the other Big Four, but I feel KPMG is a great fit for me, and it seems like a great place to work. If you have any other questions, feel free to send me a PM here on ezBoard.

Toby, are you resigning because of a sex scandal or something? You been hitting on the Brewerfan.net male interns again? Brad has been making advances to me for about 3 years now. Like, "You should put that Braun up higher, he wears tight pants. Kind of like..." I won't complete that sentence.

That's sig material right there It would have been even better if I would have proof-read it. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

One other name I didn't include was Luther Hackman, frankly because I wasn't sure whether or not he was Brewers property. If the Brewers do indeed have Hackman under contract, he'll be the AAA closer and a darkhorse bullpen candidate. Edit: Additionally, I'm assuming Balfour will be put on a rehab assignment in AAA.

Only one player is conspicuous by his absence, and that is Ben Hendrickson. Yah, either Ben is going to make the big club (unlikely right now) or be on someone else's team. Right now I'd put the odds of Hendrickson being Brewer property in April at around 10%, which is why I didn't put him on any of the rosters. outside of Inman, Welch, Garrison, and Parillo, there isn't much there. Depending on how much you trust them not to have capsular shift surgeries, Rogers and Jeffress are there below AA as well. Roque Mercedes could potentially have a bustout 2007, and I like Roberts, Romero and Kretzschmar as relief prospects. However, I agree with your point. This is the weakest A-ball pitching we've had in quite some time overall.

If Jeff Cirillo signs with the Minnesota, I am going to cry. I would have to cheer for a Twins player. Bullcrap.

Wahpepah got lost in the shuffle. He had a tough season in A+, but I have a gut feeling he'll move to AA anyway... maybe as a reliever. Do options get in the way at all? I'm thinking specifically of Nix and Rivera. I take options into account without a doubt. However, who would claim Nix or Rivera to keep on the 25-man? Nix would be outrighted for the first time, so he'll be in AAA if he doesn't make the 25-man (which i have a lot of trouble thinking he will). Rivera is more questionable, but he might take the assignment considering Damien Miller's tenuous health.

Thank you for all the kind words, everyone. It's been an honor to be your minor league pusher over the years. I still remember doing my first Power 50 on the ESPN board randomly one day... Patrick (colbyjack) got really interested in it, and it took off from there. I know somewhere floating around there's a copy of the first Power 50. If I still have it, I'll post it for all to enjoy. Corey Hart was most def pretty high on it. He's my biggest success story. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif Yovanni Gallardo is the real deal. I've been high on him since the beginning, and I stand by him. I wouldn't champion it, but if he started in Milwaukee next spring, he could easily post a 4 ERA w/180 innings pitched. He's the most likely candidate in the system to replace Ben Sheets, if he should ever leave the Brewers. Yo's a special kid. For those who haven't seen him pitch, even his ultra-simple delivery will amaze you. The Brewers should have drafted someone other than Mark Rogers. I've held to that since he's been drafted, and I really think I've been borne out on it. And this is not a "hindsight is 20/20" thought, or a "we should have drafted Homer Bailey" thought - I wouldn't have been in favor of Bailey either - but have the Brewers not learned that HS pitchers are a 1 in a thousand shot? The Brewers are unwise to be gambling their draft budget on HS pitchers. Ryan Braun has proven he can hit, tho he hasn't proven he can play defense or draw walks consistently. He has exceeded my expectations offensively, though he still has a giant hole in his swing right under the hands (remember the "loop hitch"?). His defensive capabilities will make him either a solid big leaguer or a standout. Will Inman will be the Brewers' top prospect at this time next year. I love him even more than Gallardo, to be honest. As long as Will Inman stays healthy, the Brewers will have a potential #1/#2 bulldog in their organization. I won't let the cat out of the internet bag too much, but Pogokat (hey, let's start all calling him Brad, as that is his name) will be involved with the Power 50 next year. There will be a few more organizational projections before April. I enjoy doing those - it is the OCD/accountant/Radiohead-fan in me. Everything needs to be in its right place. Thanks again to everyone who have been with me over the years. I know I've had a lot of weird opinions and made some controversial statements about some players, but all this has been out of love for the Milwaukee Brewers. I love the organization with all my heart, and will continue to. Go Brewers.

From Bambis Bombers in the other thread: Oakland picks up Josh Alliston the 2nd round of the Rule 5 Draft Mass Haas may fold this into the transaction thread later. Not really much interesting here, unless you are looking forward to a scintillating battle between Mike Huggins and Mike Carlin for a AA roster spot. I liked Josh Alliston. Hard thrower, just injured a lot.

Locking this to consolidate Rule 5 goins' on.

"Multiple teams have contacted Doug Melvin about trading Prince Fielder, an impending free agent after the 2011 season. The Brewers general manager is said to be interested in a deal with an undisclosed team offering at least seven mediocre roster-filling players in return. Word is that team is the the Kansas City Royals, who would not deny the rumor. Expect Runelvys Hernandez to be a cog to the deal, with an Opening Day start likely in his future."

Trwi7, follow the link in dpapo's post a few above yours. And, yah, I think I could deal with losing a second round pick. How likely is it that we actually sign Jason? I have to think it is very unlikely, but it's nice to be mentioned, I guess.

I did this pretty hurriedly, so I could be missing a name or two, but this is the gist of it. Of course, things will change a lot between now and April Milwaukee Starting Catcher J. Estrada Backup Catcher D. Miller Starting First Baseman P. Fielder Starting Second Baseman R. Weeks Backup Middle Infielder C. Counsell Starting Third Baseman C. Koskie Starting Shortstop J. Hardy Backup Utility Fielder T. Graffanino Starting Left Fielder G. Jenkins Starting Center Fielder B. Hall Backup Outfielder K. Mench Starting Right Fielder C. Hart Backup Outfielder G. Gross Starting Pitcher #1 B. Sheets Long Relief D. Sarfate Starting Pitcher #2 C. Capuano Middle Relief #1 G. Aquino Starting Pitcher #3 D. Bush Middle Relief #2 J. Capellan Starting Pitcher #4 C. Vargas Middle Relief #3 D. Turnbow Starting Pitcher #5 C. Villanueva Righthanded Setup M. Wise Closer F. Cordero Lefthanded Setup B. Shouse Nashville Starting Catcher M. Rivera Backup Catcher J. Closser Starting First Baseman B. Nelson Starting Second Baseman C. Crabbe Backup Middle Infielder C. Barnwell Starting Third Baseman R. Braun Starting Shortstop Y. Perez Backup Utility Fielder V. Rottino Starting Left Fielder D. Anderson Starting Center Fielder T. Gwynn Backup Outfielder K. Bibbs Starting Right Fielder L. Nix Starting Pitcher #1 Z. Jackson Long Relief C. Spurling Starting Pitcher #2 Y. Gallardo Middle Relief #1 S. Bray Starting Pitcher #3 C. Thurman Middle Relief #2 C. Demaria Starting Pitcher #4 T. Dillard Middle Relief #3 M. Meyers Starting Pitcher #5 S. Hammond Righthanded Setup A. Zumwalt Closer G. Balfour Lefthanded Setup M. Stetter Huntsville Starting Catcher L. Palmisano Backup Catcher C. Corporan Starting First Baseman A. Heether Starting Second Baseman H. Iribarren Backup Middle Infielder O. Chavez Starting Third Baseman J. Eure Starting Shortstop A. Escobar Backup Utility Fielder C. Kuzmic Starting Left Fielder B. Katin Starting Center Fielder C. Fermaint Backup Outfielder T. Ezi Starting Right Fielder S. Moss Starting Pitcher #1 M. Parra Long Relief D. Johnson Starting Pitcher #2 M. Jones Middle Relief #1 G. Simpson Starting Pitcher #3 R. Hinton Middle Relief #2 B. Stanczyk Starting Pitcher #4 D. Bradley Middle Relief #3 M. Yeatman Starting Pitcher #5 S. Narron Setup #1 J. Valentine Closer J. Thatcher Setup #2 J. Lewis Brevard County Starting Catcher A. Salome Backup Catcher C. Medlin Starting First Baseman N. Yost Starting Second Baseman K. Holmberg Starting Third Baseman M. Gamel Backup Utility Fielder G. Rodriguez Starting Shortstop M. Bell Backup Utility Fielder S. Sollmann Starting Left Fielder M. Brantley Starting Center Fielder D. Ford Backup Outfielder R. Crew Starting Right Fielder L. Cain Backup Outfielder F. Parejo Starting Pitcher #1 D. Miller Long Relief/Piggyback R. Lluberes Starting Pitcher #2 M. Rogers Middle Relief #1 J. Cordero Starting Pitcher #3 S. Garrison Middle Relief #2 L. Pena Starting Pitcher #4 W. Inman Middle Relief #3 K. Roberts Starting Pitcher #5 D. Welch Setup #1 D. Renkert Closer J. Alliston Setup #2 P. Ryan West Virginia Starting Catcher A. Bouchie Backup Catcher N. Corredor Starting First Baseman B. Rowe Starting Second Baseman T. Green Backup Middle Infielder R. Barba Starting Third Baseman F. de la Cruz Starting Shortstop B. Brewer Backup Utility Fielder T. Festa Starting Left Fielder C. Errecart Starting Center Fielder C. Gillespie Backup Outfielder C. Caufield Starting Right Fielder S. Chapman Backup Outfielder Z. Clem Starting Pitcher #1 B. Parillo Long Relief/Piggyback R. Mercedes Starting Pitcher #2 M. Kretzschmar Long Relief/Piggyback B. Kjeldgaard Starting Pitcher #3 S. Fergusen Middle Relief #1 R. Malave Starting Pitcher #4 A. Rivas Middle Relief #2 B. Wright Starting Pitcher #5 M. McClendon Setup #1 S. Palazzolo Closer C. Toneguzzi Setup #2 J. Romero