Matt Breen

Trading down is easier said than done. Everyone wants to do it - but finding a partner is a different story.

What did the Steelers give to trade up?

Well, Gary is one of those guys who looks like they should be awesome, but he doesn't always play that way. He only had 3.5 sacks last year - but is that because of the scheme or was it Gary not playing that well? Personally, I just haven't seen enough of him to really know. But I'm guessing the feels he can become and impact guy. Let's hope.

Miami and NYG and Washington could use Hoskins. Giants or Skins might trade up a few slots to get him.

I liked Devin Bush. Packers supposedly liked him a lot as well. As noted, I wouldn't be surprised if that's why Steelers moved up.

Jawaan Taylor would be a nice get at 12

I just hope the packers don’t reach for Fant. I like the guy, but not at 12.

Jones and Ferrell going top 10 really helps us. Nice.

I'm going: - ILB Devin Bush at #12 - WR A.J. Brown at #30 - S Nasir Adderley for our 2nd round pick

Another thing the Packers could do is trade down. Let's say there's no one at #12 that they are in love with - they could drop down 3-6 slots - pick up an addition pick or two - and still get the player they want. So much depends on who drops. And a lot of that depends if quarterbacks go off the board early. The Giants and Broncos could, potentially, take QBs in the top 10. If they do, that means some better talent falls to us. We will just have to see.

I'd be happy with Williams. He could play guard or tackle - although tackle would be his long term position. As for Smith - not enamored with him this high. I could see in the 2nd round, but not here. If Fant is around, he's a good pick, but I don't see him being available at #30. I'd like to get AJ Brown - or even Marquis Brown - with our #30 pick. I really like AJ Brown. But a decent WR could easily be available in the 2nd round.

Seeing a lot of buzz around OG Chris Lindstrom from Boston College as our pick at #30 - assuming he is still around.

I got rid of cable years ago. I think the big issue now is there are too many subscription services. A recent study showed that the optimum number for a family is around three. Beyond that, people just don't get value out of them. I had Netflix, Hulu and Amazon for a while. I have kept Netflix and Amazon (I use Amazon a lot for things, so it makes sense), and I rotate out services. I have HBO for right now - mainly for Game Of Thrones. I look at the other stuff on the channel I am interested, and will watch over the next couple of months - then cancel. I did the same thing with CBS All Access. My wife had a few shows she wanted to watch - so we ordered it about a month ago - and once we we are done binge-watching the shows we want to watch - we will cancel. Netflix really is cranking out the original content - and I find myself watching it more than anything. And they are moving more and more to that arena, as a lot of quality programming is leaving for the company's own platform (such as the Disney/Marvel type stuff). The Disney program would be hard not to buy if you have kids. That's not an issue anymore for me as I'm older, but I can't believe how many Disney and superhero shows we bought on DVD. It's the kind of programming I could see buying for a few months - catching up on all the stuff I like - and then canceling. I think you'll see this happening more and more. With so many pay services, people can only have so many. They will rotate out services - a few months for HBO, then a few months for Hulu, then a few months for Disney, etc., etc.

Regarding Sweat, I've read that some teams have been scared off on him. However, I've also read that the condition isn't serious - and he should be fine as long as he is monitored properly. Still, I can see how some teams might not want to see the condition get worse. If a few teams pass on him due to the issue, and he falls to us, I'd take him. That's probably the ONLY reason he falls to us.

I recently had a fee added to my line item on my bill at a restaurant that said something like 'non cash payment fee'. It was like 5% of my bill. Obviously, I was using my credit card.

Gio has triggered the clause. The Yankees have to add him to the roster or let him go. Looks like he'll hit the market.

I'll bet you've seen more than one. I've seen Wilkens all over the 1st round. Once or twice in the top 10. But most in the 15-30 range. I believe one had us taking him at #30. But I've seen him rising up in mocks as of late. I'm not sure why.

Well, the draft is about a week away. I'm still seeing some fluctuations on a few of the top guys. I think we can safely say that the following guys WON'T be around for the Packers: - QB Kyler Murray - DE Nick Bosa - DE/OLB Josh Allen - DT Quinnen Williams After that, you have a group of guys that probably won't drop to us, but if we get a few teams picking QBs ahead of us - you never know. We should be thrilled to get any of these four guys. They include: - DT Ed Oliver (he's been moving up boards and rarely falls to GB) - OT Jawaan Taylor (only seen him fall to GB on a couple of mocks, so probably not) - DE/OLB Montez Sweat (had a health issue arise, but that doesn't seem to be a concern now) - LB Devin White (another guy who probably won't reach us - most mocks have him gone earlier) And then you have guys who have a good chance of dropping to, but could get taken. This includes: - TE TJ Hockenson - LB Devin Bush - OT/G Jonah Williams - Edge rushers Brian Burns, Clelin Ferrell, Rashan Gary - WR D.K. Metcalf (not my favorite pick, but I've seen some mocks with GB taking him) - DT Christian Wilkens (A guy who has been rising in some mocks. I've even seen him in the top 10 on a few boards, and I saw one mock with the Packers taking him at #12 - which I think is too high - but that's just me.) Of this group, my favorites are Bush and Hockenson. After that Jonah Williams. The edge rushers listed make things really interesting, as some mocks have any of these guys going in the top 10, and some have them going in the 20s. So you just never know which might be there or not. I would be okay with any of them, but I like other guys better. For our second pick at #30, I've seen all sorts of selections for Green Bay. Here's some of the more common names that I've seen: - WR Marquis Brown - WR AJ Brown - WR N'Keal Harry - OG Chris Lindstrom - TE Noah Fant (assuming we don't take Hockenson) - S Jonathan Abraham - S Nasir Adderly - I've even seen the Packers linked to a quarterback, including Drew Lock and Daniel Jones (assuming either falls) The #30 pick is really hard to predict. It's really about waiting and seeing what galls to you - and grabbing value. If a guy like Greedy Williams fell to us, or Cody Ford, or Christian Wilkens - just to name a few players - we would be thrilled to get them at #30. I'm not a fan of picking a QB - even if we think it's good value. Our time to win is now, and I don't want to be spending a #1 pick on a guy who won't start when we have a lot of other positions of need. And if the guys does start due to injury, he won't be that good. Plus there's the who drama that would start - with people wondering if Rodgers is going to be replaced. The best thing for Green Bay would be for other teams picking QBs in round one - Lock, Jones, Murray, Haskins are all strong possibilities to go in the first round. If that happens, it would push other players to us - both at #12 and #30.

Some awesome stuff available. And I'm assuming it's good quality.

With the Braves closer Arodys Vizcaíno out for the season, a Kimbrel reunion makes a lot of sense. The Braves payroll is about $115M for 2019, but beyond that, they don't have any huge commitments besides Freddie Freeman.

He's been hitting really well. A key thing thus far - his walk rate is way up. I hope that means he's recognizing and laying off bad pitches. That would be a big step for him. Of course, it's only a dozen games thus far. Don't want to get too excited. But it's nice to see. Another thing about Erceg that I like, is that - unlike so many young hitters - he doesn't strike out that much.

stalton, A few things for you. 1. Baseball cards from the 80s and 90s are usually not worth that much. As you noted, there were just tons and tons of them made, and there are lots of them on the market. However, there are always exceptions. It really depends on the specific set (and that's usually because it has some specific cards that are in high demand). Something like a 1990ish Topps or Fleer or Donruss can often be found for $10-15 for a full set. Unopened sets are usually worth more. I would look on ebay.com to see if you can find some of the same sets you have - and check to see what they have sold for in the past (there's a 'sold items' checkbox to you can click to do this). Again, remember that what someone is asking for isn't what they will get for it. 2. If you don't have any full sets, the thing to do is look at individual card pricing and see if you have any specific cards of value. Example, you can use pricing here as a guide: https://www.psacard.com/smrpriceguide/ or here: https://www.tuffstuff.com You can also look at pricing on ebay and comc.com to see what people are asking (again, that doesn't mean what they are getting). Don't necessarily trust these prices, but look at them, and if you see if there are any cards that might be of interest to buyers. The pricey ones tend to be rookie cards for superstars. At this point, the key is to see if you have something that is not only of interest to people - but in good shape. If it looks awesome, you can consider getting it graded (which, of course, costs money to do). An example of this might be Ken Griffey's rookie card. But I wouldn't worry about that kind of thing until you cross that bridge. The quality of the cards was a big eye opener for me. When I grew up (back in the 70s and early 80s), I just wanted to get my cards - fill the sets, etc. I didn't pay attention to the centering or whatever. And I never stored them so they wouldn't get beat up or nicked or whatever. The quality of a card can change the value dramatically. 3. I have used comc.com to sell cards. I sent in a little over 500 old cards about two years ago. As noted, it costs 25 cents to send in a card. Add in shipping, and it cost me about $140 to get started. It was all pretty painless, and I appreciated the system. In two years, I've had over $1600 in sales. As I'm not interested in collecting anymore, I just cashed out my money - which costs you 20%. When all is said and done, I made almost $1200 - which was fine with me. I had always said if someone offered me $1000 for my cards I'd sell them all at once - and I pretty much got that. Of course, I spent a lot more time doing this process - but I found it pretty interesting. I still have about 20 cards for sale - but they are not high value items, and if I sell them, great. If not, no big deal. A few things I learned from this process. - At a place like comc.com - as people have noted - unless a card is worth at least as buck or so, it's not worth sending to them, as it costs money to send it to them, and it takes time to sell your cards. - It takes time to sell individual cards. I sold about 60% my cards in the first year - and the rest in the second year. You rare cards tend to go first - then the more common stuff just sort of goes when it goes. - The pricing you see in books and online is often really inflated. Don't expect to get anything close to 'retail' value on things. - The value of things doesn't always have anything to do with age. It's all about how rare something is. Example: in 1972, Topps didn't release their second series of NFL cards in the stores. You could only buy them as a set. My brothers and I bought a set of them - and those were a gold mine for me as these are highly sought after cards. I bet that I sold 20 of those cards for $200-$300 - a big chunk of what I made. As a note, about 60 of my cards produced nearly 1/2 of my sales - about $800. So again, you simply need to look at the cards to see if there's something special about them. Otherwise, the value is limited. - Quality is king. Cards in good shape sell. In fact, comc.com won't accept a lot of newer cards (I think post-1980s) unless they are in near perfect shape. I had a rookie Steve Young card from the USFL that they rejected because the corner was bent (it was only one of about 5 cards - all USFL from 1984-85 - that got rejected). Otherwise, most of mine were pre-1980 cards. - As I noted, there are so many cards from the mid-1980s and onward - it makes them almost impossible to really sell. Here's an example: https://www.comc.com/Cards/Baseball/1992/Topps_-_Base/156/Manny_Ramirez/2015867 This is a Manny Ramirez rookie card. If you check the link, there are 94 of this card available to sell. That's brutal. There's no point in trying to sell something like that - it just isn't worth your time and effort. - Baseball cards are the hardest to sell, because so many people collected them compared to football and hockey and basketball. While a lot of people still collect baseball cards - it just means there are more people like you trying to sell them as well - driving down their price. - In the end, if you have some complete sets, and they are in decent shape, you can maybe package them up and offer them on ebay. You likely won't get a lot for them, but again, it depends on the year and set. If you only have singles, you can look at potentially selling them individually, but there's probably not a ton of value. My only other idea is to call a card shop and tell them what you have. They'll probably offer you a couple of bucks for a set - or just ask about a few specific cards that are in of high demand. Otherwise, they don't need thousands of cards that there is limited interest. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. You can even PM me - I'm happy to tell you more about using comc.com or answer whatever questions you have.

Observations about this poll Keston Hiura - again - got all the #1 votes except for one (Cam Roegner). We only had 27 ballots, so each ballot held more weight than in the past. This allowed some dramatic shifts in a few cases - example, Drew Rasmussen, who was only on 7 ballots. He had several people really give him a high ranking, thus really helping inflate his totals. Nothing wrong with that - just with fewer ballots, these sorts of things are more common. Not a ton of movement as there were no players traded or released since the last poll. The players we added were not big time prospects - and the best (Wahl) had surgery - meaning they did not affect voting much. Some longtime Top 25 prospects who have stagnated of late ended up tumbling a lot. That included Diplan and Ponce. Some new names on the cusp of the Top 25 who we will want to watch in 2019 include Pablo Abreu, Miguel Sanchez and Lun Zhao.

Thanks to everyone who participated in this version of our Top 25 poll. Here are some numbers: Gone from the Top 25: Ponce (dropped to 41), Lemons (dropped to 28) Newcomers to Top 25: Drew Rasmussen, Eduardo Garcia Number of ballots: 27 Number of players on ballots: 71 Mr. Irrelevant (1 point): Bowden Francis (2nd time in a row!), Dallas Carroll Risers: Webb, Ashby, Garcia, Rasmussen, Taylor Fallers: Lemons, Ponce, Diplan Please know that all write ups are my own observations and opinions. If you see any mistakes, please let me know. Sometimes autocorrect will trick me. Or I’ll cut and paste something incorrectly. Other times I just mess something up. I will update as needed.

#1 ( - ) Keston Hiura, 2B, age 22 - AAA San Antonio 672 points - 26 1st place votes - 27 of 27 ballots With the great Mike Moustakas at 2B experiment underway, the need to rush Hiura is not necessary. Expect him to get plenty of time at San Antonio. Hiura has the chance to be an impact bat - something Milwaukee hasn’t produced internally in a long time. #2 ( +1 ) Zack Brown, RHSP, age 24 - AAA San Antonio 609 points - 27 of 27 ballots Brown nudged up a spot - beating Corey Ray by a single point. Brown took his game to another level last year, and if he keeps things up in 2019, expect him in Milwaukee at some point. Don’t be surprised if he comes up and fortifies the bullpen during the season - like Hader, Burnes and Woodruff have done the last couple of years. #3 ( -1 ) Corey Ray, OF, age 24 - AAA San Antonio 608 points - 27 of 27 ballots Time for Ray to put it all together. The young man is going to strike out a lot - just have to accept that. But if he can make a little better contact, that would go a long way to making him a legitimate starting OF in the big leagues. Ray is an exciting player with lots of tools and potential - but pitfalls as well. #4 ( - ) Brice Turang, SS, age 19 - A- Wisconsin 555 points - 27 of 27 ballots After a fine debut last season, the club’s top pick of 2018 heads to full season ball at Wisconsin. Turang has a nice set of tools - good glove, strong arm, plus bat, excellent speed. The big question is how much strength he’ll add as he matures. #5 ( - ) Tristen Lutz, OF, age 20 - A+ Carolina 548 points - 27 of 27 ballots Gotta love a bit stick. BF.net fans are hoping Lutz’s raw power continues to emerge in 2019 as he moves up to Carolina, which is not an easy park to hit in. Lutz, who profiles as a right fielder due to his strong arm, is probably the system’s top power bat. #6 ( +4 ) Aaron Ashby, LHSP, age 20 - A- Wisconsin 489 points - 27 of 27 ballots Expectations are high for Ashby after striking out 66 batters in 57.2 innings last year. As a college arm, he should move quickly in the system, but he will need to harness his command if he is going to be successful in the upper levels of the minor leagues. Ashby features one of the best curveballs in the system. #7 ( - ) Mauricio Dubon, 2B/SS, age 24 - AAA San Antonio 463 points - 26 of 27 ballots Dubon will round into form at San Antonio to start the year, but if the young man shows he’s ready, he could end up in Milwaukee at some point during the year. At worst, Dubon looks like he can be a backup middle infielder in the majors. #8 ( +2 ) Lucas Erceg, 3B, age 23 - AAA San Antonio 435 points - 26 of 27 ballots Time to see what Erceg has in his arsenal. The skills and raw power are there - let’s see if they can come together in 2019. The young 3B needs to improve his defense, and take his hitting to the next level if he wants to be a major league regular. #9 ( +4 ) Braden Webb, RHSP, age 23 - AA Biloxi 364 points - 26 of 27 ballots Webb has tantalized by putting up big strikeout numbers since being drafted in 2017. He steadily improved last year - rounding out the season with a nice 20 inning stint at Biloxi. The Brewers will want to see Webb’s command improve after giving up 66 free passes in just 120.2 innings last season. #10 ( -1 ) Trey Supak, RHSP, age 22 - AA Biloxi 354 points - 26 of 27 ballots Supak may not be that exciting of a prospect, but he could provide a live arm in the Brewers bullpen as early as this season, and perhaps serve as a back-of-the-rotation arm in the future. #11 ( -3 ) Jacob Nottingham, C, age 24 - AAA San Antonio 331 points - 23 of 27 ballots It will be a big year for Nottingham in 2019. The defense has improved and the bat has come around - now he needs to stay healthy and show what he can accomplish. With Grandal and Pina set in Milwaukee for this year, that will give Nottingham plenty of opportunity to hone his game at San Antonio. #12 ( -1 ) Troy Stokes, Jr., OF, age 23 - AAA San Antonio 331 points - 24 of 27 ballots A mediocre hit tool and weak arm limit Stokes’ opportunities, but the guy has been underestimated all his career. He has good power, strong on-base skills and is a plus runner. At AAA, it will be interesting to see how Stokes adjusts to better pitching. #13 ( +1 ) Payton Henry, C, age 21 - A+ Carolina 275 points - 25 of 27 ballots Henry offers good power and improving defense - making him an interesting prospect. Currently, he has some big swing and miss problems, and will need to work on making more contact going forward. #14 ( +2 ) Adrian Houser, RHP, age 26 - AAA San Antonio 270 points - 20 of 27 ballots The Brewers were granted another option on Houser for 2019, meaning the big right-hander will likely be part of the shuttle between the majors and San Antonio. For Houser, he needs to demonstrate better and a more consistent control of his offerings. He will get his chances in Milwaukee, but he needs to show he can be a trusted member of the bullpen. #15 ( +2 ) Joe Gray, OF, age 19 243 points - 22 of 27 ballots The Brewers 2nd round pick in 2018, Gray is a good athlete who had a ton of raw power and cannon for an arm. Expect some growing pains as he moves forward. #16 ( +6 ) Tyrone Taylor, OF, age 25 - AAA San Antonio 239 points - 21 of 27 ballots Taylor’s return from the Abyss continues as he rises to the #16 spot in our poll. While some of Taylor’s numbers in 2018 were due to the thin Colorado air, he has shown enough that he could work his way to the majors in the near future. Taylor may not do anything great - but he has a nice set of skills that could make him - at least - a valuable 4th outfielder. #17 ( -2 ) Carlos Rodriguez, OF, age 18 182 points - 20 of 27 ballots A nice performance in the DSL and AZL in 2018 (.325 BA) has gotten the attention of baseball scouts and analysts. Rodriguez is not a big guy - only 150 pounds - but has speed and is a polished hitter and plus defender. #18 ( +1 ) Trent Grisham, OF, age 22 - AA Biloxi 153 points - 25 of 27 ballots Is make-or-break overly dramatic to describe Grisham’s upcoming campaign? The former #1 pick simply has not hit the last few seasons. His ultra patient approach at the plate has yielded plenty of walks, but Grisham needs to show progress actually hitting the ball this year if he wants to maintain his prospect status. #19 ( -7 ) Marcos Diplan, RHP, age 22 - AA Biloxi 152 points - 18 of 27 ballots Not a lot of love for Diplan. He got rocked in spring training and has simply not shown much improvement over the past few years. A poor start to 2019 could knock him off our Top 25 this summer. A move to the bullpen may be coming if Diplan doesn’t improve his consistency and command. #20 ( -2 ) Jake Gatewood, 1B, age 23 - AA Biloxi 146 points - 17 of 27 ballots Sadly, a torn ACL prematurely ended Gatewood’s 2018 campaign. At the time of the injury, he was starting to show off the immense raw power he possesses - hitting 19 HR in 94 games. He will be brought along slowly by the organization in 2019. Let’s hope he can round quickly into form once he gets back onto the playing field. #21 ( +2 ) Je’Von Ward, OF, age 19 - A- Wisconsin 139 points - 16 of 27 ballots Toolsy outfielder that has a lot of work to do, but has intriguing potential. Ward is tall and rangy, and in time, should develop more power. If he can keep hitting like he did in 2018, he should start climbing our prospect list. #22 ( -1 ) Mario Feliciano, C, age 20 - A+ Carolina 111 points - 13 of 27 ballots After a - mostly - lost 2018 (only 42 games played), Feliciano looks to rebound this season. He is an interesting prospect - drawing raves from some - shrugs from others. Feliciano’s fans feel that he can stay behind the plate - and develop into a plus hitter. Others are skeptical of his catching abilities - and thus downplay the bat as it won’t play as well at a different position - such as 1B. #23 ( NEW ) Drew Rasmussen, RHP, age 23 101 points - 7 of 27 ballots Former Oregon State hurler was a 1st round pick in the 2017 draft, but did not sign when concerns were raised during his physical. He eventually underwent a second Tommy John surgery, and the Brewers grabbed him in the 6th round of the 2018 draft. It is a low-risk - but potentially high reward - move by the Brewers. Rasmussen has yet to appear in any games, but is progressing - and should make his professional debut sometime in 2019. #24 ( -4 ) Micah Bello, OF, age 18 99 points - 17 of 27 ballots Selected 73rd overall in the 2018 draft, Bello is a young outfielder with plus speed and a good glove and strong arm. Like a lot of players his age, he will need to add strength to his frame in order to raise his ceiling. #25 ( New ) Eduardo Garcia, SS, age 16 83 points - 8 of 27 ballots The Brewers signed Garcia in 2018 for $1M out of Venezuela. Although very young, he was considered one of the premium defenders on the international market. And while his glove is his ticket to the Big Leagues, scouts like his bat and approach at the plate - and believe he will grow as a hitter as he matures physically. The rest Pablo Abreu - 77 Miguel Sanchez - 68 Caden Lemons - 52 Jon Olczak - 51 Clayton Andrews - 45 Andres Melendez - 39 Cam Roegner - 38 Joey Matulovich - 33 Angel Perdomo - 31 Bubba Derby - 31 Adam Hill - 30 Weston Wilson - 28 Eduarqui Fernandez - 22 Chad McClanahan - 21 Larry Ernesto - 20 Cody Ponce - 18 Bobby Wahl - 18 Nate Griep - 16 Eddie Silva - 16 Lun Zhao - 16 David Fry - 14 Scott Sunitsch - 13 Reese Olson - 13 Noah Zavalos - 12 Cooper Hummel - 11 CJ Hinojosa - 11 Max Lazar - 9 Jesus Chirinos - 9 Nathan Kirby - 9 Ryan Aguilar - 8 Felix Valerio - 7 Jake Hager - 6 LG Castillo - 6 Aaron Wilkerson - 6 Victor Vargas - 5 Joantel Segovia - 5 Devin Williams - 5 Quintin Torres-Costa - 5 Daniel Brown - 4 Korrey Howell - 4 Michele Vassalotti - 3 Henry Medina - 3 Phil Bickford - 2 Yeison Coca - 2 Dallas Carroll - 1 Bowden Francis - 1 All ages are as of April 10, 2019. If a player isn't listed as being on any team, that means he is either rehabbing or destined for short season ball, such as the DSL. Original voting thread: viewtopic.php?f=64&t=38203