Matt Breen

Done.

To me this is a great sign that the club thinks Freddy is primed to step up his game. If they weren't pretty sure of the guy, this would not happen. Nice for Freddy as well. Sets him for life - no matter the outcome - which is huge for a young guy. Happy to have him on board for a while.

Everyone, voting is open. Have fun. Please let me know if there are any mistakes regarding players who have departed the organization or joined it. Also, please refrain from criticizing others lists. I WILL DELETE POSTS THAT ARE PURPOSELY ATTACKING ANOTHER POSTER'S SUBMISSION. Ask questions. Offer suggestions. Don't be a jerk. This is for fun.

Greeting, we would like to invite everyone to take part in the 2020 Pre-Season BF.net Fan Community Top 25 Prospects voting. Voting is now open. You need to submit on this thread your top 25 Brewer prospects. Feel free to list any resources or news that you feel might help people with their voting. Voting concludes on March 18. You can change your votes at anytime through that date. RULES 1. Submit your Top 25 prospects, in order, by end of day on March 18, 2020. Put the player's full name to avoid any confusion. I appreciate it you would number them. Also, please list your players from #1 to #25. 2. You MUST submit 25 prospects. If there are only 10 or 15 or whatever, your list will not be included. 3. You are encouraged to go beyond pick #25. This way if a player you vote for is released or traded, or you list someone twice, or whatever, we can just bump up your next player. 4. Rankings are determined by total points. The top prospect gets 25 points, second prospect gets 24 points, etc. 4. As noted above, if you submit your list and want to change something, just add the change to the thread via the edit function. I'll accept changes up to the deadline. 5. Within a week or so after the deadline, we'll publish the new BF.net Community Top 25. Eligibility guidelines Rookie eligibility is determined by the same standards as MLB: “A player shall be considered a rookie unless, during a previous season or seasons, he has (a) exceeded 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched in the Major Leagues; or (b) accumulated more than 45 days on the active roster of a Major League club or clubs during the period of 25-player limit (excluding time in the military service and time on the disabled list).” - Players graduated from list: Trent Grisham (and then traded) - Eligible players with ML experience: Aaron Wilkerson, Jacob Nottingham, Bobby Wahl, Devin Williams, Eric Yardley, Tyrone Taylor - Ineligible players: Ray Black, Eric Lauer, Josh Lindblom, Ronny Rodriguez, Luis Urias Players no longer in organization - Trent Grisham (graduated and then traded) - Nate Orf (free agent) - Cam Roegner (released) - Troy Stokes, Jr. (waived) - Andres Melendez (traded) - Nate Griep (waived) - Adam Hill (traded) We will add any other names here if someone is dealt or released or there is an error. New players in organization to consider - RP J.P. Feyereisen (acquired in trade with Yankees) - RP Eric Yardley (acquired off waivers from Padres) - IF MarK Mathias (acquired in trade with Cleveland) - OF Hedbert Perez (International FA signed last summer) - OF Luis Medina (International FA signed last summer) We will add any other names here if someone is acquired. Prospect Rankings Here are some pre-season reports. We will add more if they are made available. MLB Pipeline: http://m.mlb.com/prospects/2020?list=prospects Brew Crew Review Top 30: https://brewcrewreview.podbean.com/e/brew-crew-review-podcast-101-our-top-30-brewer-prospect-rankings/ Prospects 361 Top 15 Brewers: https://prospect361.com/nl-team-prospects/milwaukee-brewers/ CBS Sports Top Brewers: https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/milwaukee-brewers-top-prospect-list-2020-brice-turang-and-tristen-lutz-lead-the-way/ Razzball Top 10 Brewers: https://razzball.com/top-2020-prospects-milwaukee-brewers/ Prospects1500.com Top 50 Brewers: https://www.prospects1500.com/nl-central/brewers/milwaukee-brewers-2020-top-50-prospects/ Baseball Prospectus Top 10: https://www.baseballprospectus.com/prospects/article/56507/2020-prospects-milwaukee-brewers-top-10-prospects/ Fangraphs Top 100: https://blogs.fangraphs.com/2020-top-100-prospects/ Previous Polls BF.net 2019 Mid-Season Top 25 - viewtopic.php?f=64&t=38964 BF.net 2019 Pre-Season Top 25 - viewtopic.php?f=64&t=38282 BF.net 2018 Post-Season Top 25 - viewtopic.php?f=64&t=37894 BF.net 2018 Mid-Season Top 25 - viewtopic.php?f=64&t=37395 BF.net 2018 Pre-Season Top 25 - viewtopic.php?f=64&t=36597 BF.net 2017 Post-Season Top 25 - viewtopic.php?f=64&t=36082 BF.net 2017 Mid-Season Top 25 - viewtopic.php?f=64&t=35723 BF.net 2017 Pre-Season Top 25 - viewtopic.php?f=64&t=35089 BF.net 2016 Post-Season Top 25 - viewtopic.php?f=64&t=34747 BF.net 2016 Mid-Season Top 25 - viewtopic.php?f=64&t=34472 BF.net 2016 Pre-Season Top 25 - viewtopic.php?f=64&t=33867 BF.net 2015 Post-Season Top 25 - viewtopic.php?f=64&t=33436 BF.net 2015 Mid-Season Top 25 - viewtopic.php?f=64&t=33032 BF.net 2015 Pre-Season Top 25 - viewtopic.php?f=64&t=32447 BF.net August 2014 Top 25 - viewtopic.php?f=64&t=31859 BF.net May 2014 Top 20 - viewtopic.php?f=64&t=31355 Please note that we reserve the right to throw out ballots if we feel that the voting was done without following the rules or spirit of the exercise. Thanks for participating!

I am just kind of enjoying how the whole thing isn't going away. It was a bush league thing to do. Let the franchise stew in the crap of their own making a bit more. Their championship will forever be tainted in the eyes of many. Not officially, but people won't forget. I'm waiting for the 'cheater' chants to follow the Astros around the league this year. Perhaps I'm wrong, but I'm betting some of the players (the position guys such as Altuve, Bregmann, Springer, etc.) get it thrown in their face for a while. I just wish McCann was around for it.

The right time to trade Yelich is if you when the club feels it cannot contend for a playoff spot. This is especially true if the team thinks they are more than one season away from contending. A great player is wasted when he makes a 70-win team a 75-win team. The Brewers have Yelich under control through 2022. Three more years. Thus, the Brewers have to make honest assessments of their situation each year at the deadline, and each off season. If, for instance, the Brewers go in the tank this year, and at the deadline (or after the season) the club's braintrust determine we are 2-3 years from being a decent club, well that is the time to make a move. Otherwise, as long as we are fighting for the playoffs, keep the guy as long as possible. He's a huge difference maker. All this changes if the Brewers sign Yelich to an extension - but we won't go there in this post. Just keeping it to the original thread question.

BTW, here's a nice take someone did on Twitter - it's a roughly 2 minute video of Danny Farquhar pitching for the White Sox. The guy who made the video narrates the sequence, and points out the 'bangs' and so forth - so you can see exactly how the system the Astros set up worked. The interesting thing is that Farquhar figured out something was up - and changed the signs with the catcher (striking out the batter who didn't know what was coming). That day, there were 41 recorded 'bangs' during the game. But over the next three games - the final three for the Astros in the regular season in 2017 - there were only 2 recorded bangs as they realized they had been figured out.

Here's the guys website: http://www.signstealingscandal.com It's really sad as this seems more and more like the Astros really gamed the system. The Athletic did an in depth dive and found some really astounding numbers. They went from striking out 8th most in the history baseball - to a team that struck out the fewest of any team in baseball - all within one year. Logically, there are some reasons for the drop. But a drop that high is historic. https://theathletic.com/1573075/2020/01/31/does-electronic-sign-stealing-work-the-astros-numbers-are-eye-popping/

I'm good with the DH. In the course of one year (2017) Chase Anderson pull an oblique muscle while batting, Junior Guerra pull a calf muscle running to 1B on a sacrifice bunt attempt, and Jimmy Nelson fell and torn his labrum rounding first base. All of this happened batting or running the bases. In the case of Nelson, it was devastating. Guerra and Anderson each missed almost 2 months due to their injuries. We missed the Wild Card that year by one game. Having those three guys all season may have gotten that extra game or two to make the playoffs that year (and who knows after that as we saw last year with the Nats). In the end, I'm okay with having awful hitters go to the plate several times a game. There's a certain fun to it - but ultimately it usually nets very little for a team - and the consequences can be really harsh.

1-year deal and a club option. At 70, Baker will be the oldest manager in the big leagues. https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/28594178/sources-dusty-baker-astros-reach-2-year-deal

Dude, you are one of the best posters on this site. I love what you do. And without screaming or hyperbole or belittling others. Thanks so much. PS - in Betts' value, do you account for the fact that you would be able to net - at minimum - a comp pick for him? Just curious.

I think the NL Central is wide open. Cubs, Brewers, Reds and Cards are all viable contenders. I think Milwaukee has more 'wild cards' than the other teams - meaning more uncertain players (things like can Cain rebound, can Urias be a quality starting SS, can Burnes or Peralta emerge as a viable starter, etc., etc.). We just have a lot of situations like this on the team. I think more than other clubs. Every team has their question marks. I think the Cards and the Cubs are your clubs that are more predictable - but that's just on paper. You never know. Depth is often a key issue when involved in a melee like this. You have the inevitable casualties of attrition, and having guys step up can make a huge difference. That's why a good farm system is really helpful. Or the ability to add payroll (something the Crew might be able to do during the season).

Even with Castellanos, the Reds are a bit of a crap shoot. They have a lot of slightly odd parts that may or may not work. The defense doesn't look very good. Moose at 2B. Senzel in CF. Where does Castellanos play? It might all gel just fine - but then again, it might not. The club needs a couple of guys to rebound, including Joey Votto and Raisel Iglesias. I love Votto, but he really was not good last year. Was that a fluke? We will find out. Also, the club needs guys like Senzel and Winker to emerge as first-tier starters. They are good, young hitters with a ton of promise and tools, but they still have to end up producing. And what is Aristides Aquino? I personally think his start last year was a fluke, but we shall see. The rotation is really nice, but relief pitching is just okay (if Raisel Iglesias rebounds that's a huge deal). They lack depth here (but have a few nice guys at the back end - which is good to have). I don't think the Reds have any big prospects on the horizon, but I could be wrong on that. All in all, it's like I said, kind of an odd bag of stuff. They need a little luck, but could be very good (of course, a lot of teams can say that). Their rotation is really good, and a core of Votto, Suarez, Castellanos, Moose, Senzel, etc. is pretty good. Should be an interesting year.

The Twins designated right-handed reliever Ryne Harper today. Was a 30-year old rookie last year - threw 54.1 innings, 50K, 10BB, 3.81 ERA, 3.66 FIP. Post says he doesn't throw hard, but still had solid results. Not sure if anyone knows anything about him. Might be an okay arm to add for cheap. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2020/01/twins-designate-ryne-harper.html Interesting (but useless) fact - he's never started a game in 10 years of pro baseball.

Baseball Prospectus' Top 10 Brewers: https://www.baseballprospectus.com/prospects/article/56507/2020-prospects-milwaukee-brewers-top-10-prospects/ Pay content, but they do list the top 10 guys outside the paywall, but without any reports on them. 1. Brice Turang, SS 2. Tristen Lutz, OF 3. Aaron Ashby, LHP 4. Ethan Small, LHP 5. Mario Feliciano, C 6. Carlos Rodriguez, OF 7. Corey Ray, OF 8. Zack Brown, RHP 9. Antoine Kelly, LHP 10. Devin Williams, RHP However, Brew Crew Ball has a full list w/reports: https://www.brewcrewball.com/2020/1/22/21076527/milwaukee-brewers-top-20-prospects-baseball-prospectus-list Next tier of guys: 11. Drew Rasmussen, RHP 12. Micah Bello, OF 13. Nick Kahle, C 14. Payton Henry, C 15. Joe Gray, OF 16. Cooper Hummel, OF 17. Eduardo Garcia, SS 18. Braden Webb, RHP 19. Je’Von Ward, OF 20. Lucas Erceg, 3B

The Brewers had no prospect land in Baseball America's Top 100 list for 2020. Turang and Lutz were in the next 100, but no specific number. https://www.brewcrewball.com/2020/1/23/21078365/milwaukee-brewers-land-zero-prospects-on-baseball-america-top-100-list

Ahh, this is peak schadenfreude. Gives me the warm fuzzies. Unfortunately, he's not playing anymore, so he can't be heckled incessantly.

I had forgotten that Brian McCann - Mr. Unwritten Rule of the Game - caught all 7 games of the 2017 World Series. I love how guys like this just try and hide in the background when stuff like this comes up on their watch. https://stream.org/mlb-cheating-scandal-brian-mccann/

Good signing for Atlanta. I'm not sold on Ozuna long term (his inconsistent bat is worrisome), but for one year, he's a nice addition to a club that expects to contend.

I'm not sure what more punishment the league could impose. More draft picks? Perhaps. Doubling what they lost would have been good in my book. More money? Can't. The league can only fine a team a maximum of $5M. Personally, I wish the team would have to fork over gobs and gobs of money for all of this. But that can't happen according to league rules. Having the Astros write out a $100M check to charity or whatever would have been cool. Strip them of their title? Tempting. Not sure about that. Trying to 'revise' history usually makes no one happy. But it would be kind of fun to take away their WS trophy and watch them lower their banner. But maybe that's just me being petty. The tough thing is that you don't know what the actual outcome would have been. If you look at the 2017 season, Houston actually had a better record on the road than at home - .654 Winning % on road vs .593 at home. Ban them from future post season play? Not happening. Way too much money involved in the game to do that. And it really hurts the Astros fans more than anyone. What I'd actually like to see is the names of all the people involved. Publicly out them all. Let the world know who did what (just saying 'many of the position players were involved' isn't good enough as it might wrongfully implicate some people). Add in coaches and employees. It would be a start. Next, tell every person involved in the scandal - players, coaches, employees - that if they are ever found to be part of such a thing in the future - or know about it, and don't report it, they'll be banned for a year. This would scare the crap out of people. Also, make sure that this kind of thing is covered in the next CBA - meaning players could get suspended for this kind of stuff. Next, have the team apologize. I didn't hear that from Crane or anyone. Simply acknowledge what they did hurt others - fans, other players, other organizations. I wish they had had the guts to do that. Force the team to come up with an ironclad (or as close as possible) way to prevent this kind of thing, announce exactly what it is, and do it. Right now, it's generic 'we'll put systems in place to prevent this kind of thing' - which is so vague it does no good. Spell out what that means - exactly. And make sure it's paid for by the team.

The future is, the Astros lose a bunch of good players after this year...and their 2 TOR pitchers after 2021. They lose their 4 best draft picks over the next 2 years. Any endorsement deals for the team and players will certainly take a hit. The $5 million fine. Their front office is in shambles. They likely won't be able to attract the best talent to fill vacancies. Every team hates the Astros, and I'd be surprised if some of those hitters don't eat some fastballs in ST. The championship obviously helps mitigate those losses, maybe makes it a win. But the Astros are in for some very difficult times in the near future. And who knows how good their players will be without the assistance of video monitoring to help with pitch recognition. I'll add they may very well deal with some of the ball/strike calls that Braun dealt with his first few years after his suspension. Consciously or subconsciously. They need to find a GM and manager with only a month to go before spring training. They will need to overpay free agents for the near term. Their farm system will take a hit. They have great talent on field, but it's going to be very rough for them. And Houston fans and ownership only have a WS championship to assuage their woes....

Cora is going to get nailed for this as well. His punishment is being held until MLB finishes their investigation of sign-stealing in Boston. But if Hinch got suspended for a year, Cora should get at least as long a suspension. He appears to have run the thing. No MLB players are being punished for all of this, as they were granted immunity for cooperation. Cora was a coach - so he won't be covered by this protection. I'm guessing the same fate awaits Cora. He'll get a year suspension - and the Sox will give him the axe, and thus save themselves some money, and get away from the stink of the entire thing. It gives the Red Sox's new GM an easy way to bring in his own manager.

I liked this quote about the whole thing: "Crane won," he said. "The entire thing was programmed to protect the future of the franchise. He got his championship. He keeps his team. His fine is nothing. The sport lost, but Crane won." https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/28477741/why-anger-boiling-scenes-houston-astros-sign-stealing-punishments

I have heard that the Brewers are very wary of adding contracts beyond the current CBA (which runs through 2021). It doesn't mean we won't add someone beyond 2 years - but it's unlikely. This is very fringy information (know someone who knows someone type of stuff) - so don't take it as gospel. It does, however, gel with how this off season has been going with regards to roster construction. Coming from an ignorant perspective, what changes could be made to the CBA that would dictate not wanting contracts to leak out into the new contract? TJseven7 mentioned a few things in a previous post, but here are a few (mostly focusing on money). Salaries - The players are finding that they are locked into a restricted system (pre-arbitration and the arbitration) during the times they are often having their peak years. Thus their chance to maximize their pay can be limited. (That is a general statement, and certainly doesn't apply to every player). The players want avenues to get them to free agency earlier or some way to reward quality pay earlier. Luxury tax - This has effectively become a salary cap for many teams in baseball (but not all). Does this change? Or go away? The players, of course, want it to go away. Others want a hard cap of some kind. Revenue sharing - Does it change in any way (more money for Milwaukee, less money?). There are other items as well that will certainly affect the Brewers, including things like an International Draft, player service time, etc. But it's the ones with big money that really could affect the team.

Heads are rolling. Wow. Hard to believe. Really shakes up the Astros org.