battlekow

The reports said he loudly clapped at Zito from first base: http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20100304/capt.16ee2add9a2d4d87b89eab82a06702ee.brewers_giants_spring_baseball_azer103.jpg (AP)

I logged in just to say this: "Komalished!"

More weirdness: http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20100305/capt.c4ff474dfb2e46659096e267564fe07b.brewers_athletics_spring_baseball_azrs102.jpg (AP)

I was responding to Rev. SeriesFinale, who was offended that a Giants writer was speculating about Fielder's intentions, by pointing out that it wasn't only the San Francisco press that thought perhaps Fielder had revenge on his mind.

Well, both the Journal Sentinel and MLB.com speculated the same.

Are you sure they didn't just re-up you? Mine renewed automatically on the first of the month. For the record, I can get WTMJ.

Per FanGraphs, Gallardo threw 3202 pitches last year, good for 39th in MLB; he was 52nd in terms of raw innings pitched.

Yep, a long article about the signing was linked to in the Alumni thread.

I agree. I know Rivas lacks a strong breaking ball, but a guy that can touch 95 and, according to BA, has the best changeup and best control in the system sounds like someone I should respect in my rankings--and I have, but it seems like other people haven't, leaving me to wonder what's missing from the picture and who's missing it.

Sickels does specifically call his arm "weak". Anyway, I suppose you could be right, but that's usually the type of thing that merits further comment, much in the same way that Salome's strong arm is always mentioned hand-in-hand with the general defensive criticism of him.

Keith Law sees Rick Hague as a 3rd- to 5th-rounder.

Three (potentially) good arms!

The things I'm reading in the offseason about Caleb Gindl, specifically his defense, are interesting. Maybe I'm just a fanboy or my opinion is informed too much by the TZ rating Sickels alludes to, but one of the main reasons I've felt Gindl is an underrated prospect over the last couple of years is his defensive value, combining good range with a strong arm; however, from these reports, it would seem that there are plenty of scouts out there who see Gindl providing neither range nor arm: Baseball Prospectus: Baseball America: John Sickels: The two comments impugning his arm seem especially strange, particularly contrasted with the praise it gets from Baseball America. I'm positive I've heard observers praise his arm in the past, and the fact that he was a decent pitching prospect backs up that praise. I'm torn here between a rational instinct to default to the opinions of those who have (ostensibly) actually seen the guy play and a sneaking suspicion that these sources are just plain wrong, or at least exaggerating. I mean, even the one source who doesn't damn his arm refers to him explicitly as a left fielder, despite the vast majority of his minor league appearances coming as a right fielder. So, what to think?

Jack Z. at it again--the Mariners signed Tom Wilhelmsen.

Jack Z. at it again--the Mariners signed Tom Wilhelmsen.

Stetter, Dillard, and Parra practice Fielder's walk-off celebration: http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20100226/capt.feb08acc40a64e22bf52968c8fe689b6.brewers_spring_baseball_azmy102.jpg (AP photo)

Former ACU pitcher learns to mix it up Marc David/Abilene Reporter News Trey Watten suffered through somewhat of an identity crisis last year. He discovered that unlike his time at Abilene Christian, he no longer could throw fastballs in the low 90s by hitters. If it sounds rather late for a 23-year-old to learn how to pitch again, remember that Watten has been a full-time pitcher only three years. Within that context, the fact that he was a seventh-round draft pick of the Milwaukee Brewers after his junior year at ACU is impressive. “You deal with smarter hitters with more talent in the minor leagues,” Watten said. “In college I could throw as hard as I could down the middle. In the minors, they will wait on your fastball so you have to develop other pitches.” Watten, who reports March 10 to the Brewers’ minor league complex in Glendale, Ariz., throws a two-seam fastball, slider and changeup. He is working on a cutter and will try to develop a sinkerball this spring. Watten hopes to begin the season with Milwaukee’s high Class A team in Brevard County, Fla., but knows there is the possibility he will be back at Wisconsin in lower Class A to start the season. Last year, Watten was 5-14 although his earned run average of 4.71 was almost three-quarters of a run less than during his previous season in rookie ball. “I don’t like losing,” said Watten, a 6-foot-3 righthander. “I’m not exactly used to it. I was 20-2 during two years of college. I don’t look at the record as much as how much I improved. The team struggled and I didn’t make the pitches I needed to make. I didn’t get the run support I got at ACU. It’s one of those things. I think it will make me better.” Watten, who lives in Coppell, often returns to ACU during the offseason. Wildcats coach Britt Bonneau is his uncle. He has close friends in Abilene and is 12 hours away from earning his accounting degree, which he lists as a priority. “It was a great school and not just for baseball,” Watten said of ACU. “I go back almost every weekend during the offseason. It was the right fit for me. I could have gone Division 1 (as an infielder), but I decided ACU was where I wanted to be.” Watten doesn’t regret forgoing his senior season to sign professionally. He is aware the path is a lot more difficult now than it was when he made the transition to pitching in college. “I’m finding my identity,” Watten said. “I struggled with left-handed hitters last year. That’s why I went to the cutter so they couldn’t sit on my two-seamer. I don’t throw as hard (high 80s) as I did in college. But I’m learning to be a better pitcher.

When I first saw that Braddock picture, I did a double-take: he's a ringer for Jeff Suppan, at least in that pose.

Seiler posted his 2010 draft preview for the Brewers, which, because last year was Seid's first draft, is basically just a recap of the 2009 draft. Here's what he has in the way of a prediction:

The Baseball America Top 100 list is out, and three Brewers are on it: 12. Alcides Escobar 59. Brett Lawrie 89. Mat Gamel

Congratulations to him. Do you mean that he made the Astros as a starter ("pitching rotation"), because I thought he was a reliever with a mediocre fastball but good control.

I am contractually obligated to link this.

I don't know how much of a prospect he is, but the Brewers drafted one of Harper's teammates, Trevor Kirk, in the 47th round last year but didn't sign him. I interviewed him after the draft and we talked about Harper a bit.

Danny Frisella was killed in a dune buggy accident before the 1977 season.

It's the same for me in 10.6.2, but I'm able to access Buckyville just fine. I can access Brewerfan in Chrome using XP SP 3, though.