colbyjack

I just can't see the Brewers selecting Wieters unless they are confident they can sign him. Getting a pick in next year's pick is a nice consolation prize, but losing the opportunity to select and sign a player from this year's draft, particularly when the team's second selection isn't until the 102nd overall pick or so, doesn't make sense, particularly given Jack Z's drafting history. I could see the team taking Wieters and then going to Mark Attanasio as the signing deadline approaches to try and make the deal happen, especially if the team is supposedly prepared to spend more money this year. Then again, the DFE class has already cost the team roughly $2 million.

I've been hearing for about a month now that Scherzer would be wise to sign with the D-Backs, so as Gagne noted, I don't think him signing with the D-Backs affected the draft at the top too much. However, there was a lot of talk that the Nationals may have taken Scherzer with the sixth pick, again as Gagne noted, which obviously has huge ramificantions to the Brewers pick since I think the Nats may take Moustakas.

Everyone has their favorites, but in the context of your point, bringing up potential studs like Braun and Gallardo, the list should be pretty short. Four players stand out to me: Angel Salome keeps on hitting, like he has up to this point, and I was really concerned about the broken ankle he sustained last year. We have known all along that Salome is a workout warrior, so seeing him continue to succeed isn't that surprising, but it is very encouraging. Lorenzo Cain has hit from day one, and despite his slow start, he is hitting very well at Brevard County. I always like seeing players hitting at every level in their young careers, knowing that their power is often that last tool to develop as long as their overall approach is sound. Brent Brewer has unreal athletic talent, and as much as I was critical of his selection a year ago, I was impressed by the reports of his progress in the fall instructional league as well as how well he has played so far this year after an aggressive promotion to open the season. And of course, Will Inman, whose career track appears as though it may mirror Gallardo's. He may not have the most ideal size and stuff, but it's not like his stuff is lacking, and he has the presence and aggressiveness to succeed at any level. Again, there are plenty of other players that I like, Cole Gillespie being one of them, but I believe these four have the greatest chance of being future stars at the big-league level.

I think it did give one hint in that Tony survives the night. All Tony has done is survived, and even as Phil said in tonight's episode, he's never gone to jail either. Although I would argue the preview's never really give much of a hint of what's to come. They're made to be a tease. Remember when everyone thought Paulie was as good as gone a few weeks ago because of the previews? BTW, speaking of Paulie, I found his converation with Bobby and Sil to be very interesting in which he asked if Tony was aware of the situation that he was put in charge of. A lot has been made of Paulie's history of being a tough guy, and despite his talking and his converations with Johnny Sac, he has always been loyal to Tony, and he too has survived through quite a few tough situations. Bobby and Sil were never really involved (at least on the show) in much adversity in which they had to use their experience and wits to survive (not that Paulie is particularly witty http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif ).

I wanted to make sure to bump this thread, since it has been two weeks since the last episode. After tonight's show I felt like I had to watch my own back. This is the one that I think most people have been waiting for. I still think the series ends like it started, with Tony on top. Without a doubt, there's a lot of killing left to be done, but I just don't feel Tony is going to be one of them, unless they try to tie back to his whole dream sequence from his coma. The guys that met their end tonight are the ones that were sloppy. Tony has never been sloppy, which I think will help him survive, which he has always done. I just get the sense that most people expect that he will die. I do wonder if the FBI gets substantially involved in the last episode. They have been lingering, yet not overly actively involved, and they are the ones that tipped Tony on him being a target of the NY mob. If they have that kind of info, you wonder if that is going to turn into something more, and don't forget, Tony does have a get out of jail free card of sorts that he can play. While I have been critical of the show since I started watching it, it has never fallen short for its pure entertainment value.

Yeah, I don't buy the Matt Dominguez connection just because Jack Z. is attending the games. This weekend as I was jotting down my personal Power 50 for the staff compilation of the May list, I made a quick list of the best tools in the system just for kicks. I did this because a few years ago the system seemed painfully thin with outfielders, which is now an organizational strength. Most of these outfielders also fit the "athlete" need that the organization also was lacking in several years ago. From Gillespie to Cain to Ford to Brantley to even Haydel, the team has a little bit of everything. However, for the top power prospects, after Braun, who obviously is in the big leagues now, apparently to stay, the system is very, very thin on power prospects. The system is also thin on left-handed hitters. Mat Gamel is one of the few impact left-handed bats, and is also one of the few legitimate power prospects (along with Errecart and Katin...Cain and Gillespie could develop power, but no one seems to think either is a guy that could regularly swat 30 dingers). Which only emphasizes how big it could be to add a player like Mike Moustakas into the system. He would immediately give the organization an impact bat, which it desparately needs with Braun's promotion. It makes too much sense, and the only reason I don't have Moustakas going to the Brewers is because I don't think he falls that far. If he does, and the Brewers don't take him, I may suffer a pulled Kotchman.

I didn't comment on this before, but I too like getting everyone in the game. If we want to assign a set defensive alignment for one of the bigger games (Bay Street has been brought up by a few people), I think everyone would be cool with that. Overall I thought our defense has been pretty solid. From the OF, I have enjoyed watching the plays the IF has made, and I think we do a good job limiting extra bases by getting the ball back where it needs to be.

Do you view the defense in the OF as a problem? Have we missed and/or dropped too many balls? I can't think of too many. There were a lot of flares in tonight's game that fell in between the SS and LCF, I do know that. I know Matt/valpo yelled out something about this about how they were seemingly hitting the ball in the exact same spot time after time. I don't know if that is bad defense or just the luck of the draw. If you play against that you never know when they're going to hit them over your head. If it's the same couple of opposing batters that keep doing it, if someone notices that, speak up, but I know I have a hard time keeping track of the game-to-game tendencies of the opposing batters. Otherwise It's a little tough to defense against that. Late in the game I yelled that we needed to play up with the tieing/winning run on third base, as a few others did as well, as everyone seemed to be on the same page in those situations. Houlie and AJAY have been rock solid in LF and LCF. nullbyte catches anything that is hit to him that I've seen, and Jimbo, radman and I really haven't had too many balls hit to RCF and RF. I try to back up every single play I can. I'm not sure if tonight's collision could have been avoided, as I thought one of either nullbyte or Jimbo was going to make the catch. I noticed tonight that both middle infielders were coming out to serve as the cut-off man, with no one covering second base on a couple of occasions. Also, I think it needs to be determined who has the stronger arms of the outfielders. I like to think that I can get it back to second from intermediate to shallow reads. We don't have to cut off every single ball that goes to the OF as long as we're confident/familiar with who can make the throws and who can't. Just a few thoughts. I will say that I am getting more comfortable tracking fly balls at night, which I expressed as a concern just a couple of weeks ago.

There's not a ton of family connections in this year's draft, here are the ones I can think of... Josh Vitters brother Christian is in the A's organization. Beau Mills' dad is the bench coach for the Red Sox. Todd Frazier's brother Jeff is in the Mariners system. Justin Jackson's dad Chuck had a cup of coffee or two back in the late 80s, early 90s. Daniel Schlereth's dad is Mark Schlereth, former all-pro NFL OG and current ESPN analyst.

Great game. I don't know the final score, but we won by one run, in extra innings. We were down 8-5 I believe with 3 minutes left to play, and put together a rally to move ahead, only to have the other team tie it in the bottom of the inning. It took an extra frame or two, but we got it done. Nice game by everyone tonight, a true team effort, as everyone chipped in on this one. Timely hitting, good D', and great pitching by Matt...although we joked that his ERA would be on the rise.

This year I took a stab at a mock draft in my Crack of the Bat column: www.pgcrosschecker.com/cr...rojection/ The folks at the Brew Crew Review were kind enough to have me on their show for a draft preview, which should be hitting TW Cable's Wisconsin On Demand very soon. Craig (the host) and I conducted a mock draft up to the 7th pick. I believe the only different between that draft and the one linked just above up to the 7th pick is the Pirates pick, which is the hardest team to get a read on of those that pick before the Brewers.

There have been a couple of T-Rats games televised locally on Time Warner Sports (channel 32 for TW Cable subscribers in SE WI) for anyone interested in watching him that aren't able to catch a game live.

YostInfection, I'm a big fan of Heyward's, who seems to have a lot of fans around these parts. Maybe not Cameron Maybin type love, but it's close. He's a big boy, hits and bats left handed, and despite his size he is a very good athlete, with above average speed, good lateral quickness, and a natural sense for the game. He'll swipe a bag or two on you, and his bat is made for contact. He has very good power potential, as his line drive approach will serve him well. Fred McGriff is a popular comparison for him, I've compared him to a left-handed hitting version of Derek Lee, and I've even read one comparison (I believe by David Rawnsley) to Willie McCovey. There are a few scouts that haven't been impressed with his BP sessions this spring (since he hasn't gotten many pitches to hit during games), but I think that has changed over the last month or two. I'm not sure if he's a top 10 guy, as he seems more like a lock to go in the 11-15 range, but I would be more than happy to see him picked by the Brewers, although I haven't heard their name associated with him (Phillippe Aumont, Madison Bumgarner, Jarrod Parker and Mike Moustakas are the names most frequently associated with the Crew).

To be honest, I didn't think they would be able to sign both Haydel and Bryson. I had heard that they thought they could get one done, but not both, so major kudos are deserved for the Brewers scouting department for making both happen. I agree with X's sentiments, it's like the draft already happened, or at least it's like the Brewers didn't lose their 2nd round pick and had a couple of comp picks to boot. I will be very interested to hear what Bryson signed for when and if it is released, as I'm guessing it could be in the range that both Robinson and Haydel received.

I would take Vitters or Porcello without blinking if they fell. Vitters is the best hitter available in this year's draft. I worry about where and how he fits later, not now. That's what BPA is all about. Of course, that's probably not something we have to worry about. Vitters doesn't get past the Pirates if the Cubs don't take him.

It was also brought to my attention that Bryan Crosby signed last week. Edit to add link: www.clscc.cc.tn.us/depart...ysigns.htm

The Milwaukee Brewers have signed both Haydel and Bryson. With Robinson and even Nick Tyson, that is four very exciting prospects that have been added to the system. No other DFEs are expected to be signed (or at least announced, since the signing deadline has passed).

This stuff usually takes a while to surface. I wouldn't sweat it.

I'm pretty sure they have 48 hours from the end of their season to sign. And I'm assuming you meant the Juco World Series., which I believe ends on Saturday.

Pogo, thanks a ton. I know the draw to see Jeffress pitch was huge for you, and a special thanks to your dedication knowing you have a special, and future P50 member (boy or girl), on the way. I especially appreciate the fact that you asked Periard what Jeffress was throwing, knowing the Stalker in the hands of almost anyone is always more reliable than the stadium gun. And of course, I'm just exicted to hear about Jeffress in his season debut.

X, awesome post, and good points all around. It definitely has made me re-think my position on the Brewers drafting the past few years. Bringing up Homer Bailey and his position in 2004 is a good point, and a recurring theme on both this board and the minor league forum. How much did his bonus demands come into play? Did the team really have Mark Rogers ranked higher on their board than Bailey (and keep in mind there were reports that other teams did as well), or did money play a part in their decision? How much does money play a part in the decision of teams that do have a player such as Mark Rogers ranked higher on their boards than someone like Homer Bailey? Will we see the same this year should someone like Rick Porcello not be taken as early as second overall, and could Jarrod Parker be the first prep pitcher taken since many claim he could be just as good as Porcello despite not having the ideal pitching stature that Porcello does? The same argument has been made about Cameron Maybin from the 2005 draft. While I entered that year's draft completely comfortable with whoever the Brewers took (you couldn't go wrong with the rumored names of Braun, Maybin, Tulowitzki and even Romero), many felt Maybin was a no-brainer for the pick, and many felt Maybin wasn't the pick because he was asking for too much money. It's a hard argument to make now, since Braun is obviously with the big-league club, hitting in the heart of the lineup, and is expected to be a huge contributor for years to come, making the Maybin vs. Braun argument, for now, a waste of time. Obviously if the Rogers pick would have worked out better than what it has to date we wouldn't even be talking about this, but it is an interesting decision to me, and probably one that we will never truly know the answer unless Jack Z. himself decides to fill us all in. If Moustakas is available when the Brewers pick, and the team passes on him, it will be a tough pill to swallow. We have heard a lot of rumors leading up to this draft that the team will not let money be as big of an issue. I don't expect that to mean that they're in a position to take Matt Wieters, as that would likely mean spending more than twice than what the slot value would dictate (not based on Wieters projected signing bonus, but his overall deal), but Moustakas should fall into the same category as players such as Bailey and Maybin. The only reason I didn't have the Brewers taking Moustakas in my draft preview story is because I have heard a few rumblings that he won't even be available. Having Max Scherzer re-enter the draft could be a huge help to the Brewers, as it means one player falls, even if it is Scherzer himself (another player I don't expect the Brewers to take). Anyway, good stuff. The team still has a few DFEs to take care of within the next 24 hours, as I have been trying to determine whether or not Lee Haydel is worth the near-seven figure bonus he reportedly is looking for.

Thanks X. I appreciate you sharing that info. I still would contend that it is difficult for me to call the team frugal in regards to signing bonuses just by looking at the collective amounts they have spent on their top 10 picks the past 3 years. So many other things come into play, as I'm guessing most of the 22 teams ahead of the Brewers on the list has had at least one compensation pick within that time frame, with teams such as the Red Sox, Yankees, A's, Braves, etc. being high on the list despite consistently drafting in the 2nd half of the first round. The teams that have consistently drafted ahead of the Brewers are also going to be automatically ahead of the Crew, as the Royals last two first round picks, Alex Gordon and Luke Hochevar, alone probably cost close to all of the Brewers top 10 picks the past two years combined. Not having a 2nd round pick in 2005 (which allowed the team to sign Rolando Pascual) is a factor, you already pointed out a few later round picks such as Periard and Seidel, and I would throw LeClercq (sp?) onto that pile as well. While the team hasn't had a DFE candidate that everyone is well aware of, guys like Lorenzo Cain, Darren Ford and Zach Braddock signed for more money that you may think (and for the record, the Brewers have been one of only a handful of teams that have been as aggressive using the DFE process the past few years). No, they don't go over slot value much, pretty much adhering to the commissioners office's recommendations, which is frustrating when players such as Jered Weaver, Stephen Drew and possibly Matt Wieters become available, but pick-by-pick, they aren't cheap, as they don't reach for a player and sign them for below slot value (like they did when Bando was the GM). I don't suppose you have the list of the teams in order with the amount they have spent?

This year's DFE class (the DFEs drafting in 2006) is the last one. They have until Wednesday at midnight (I think), a week before this year's draft, to sign. The signing deadline moving forward is August 15th. I just want to comment a little bit on the DFE process given the comments above. A lot of time and energy is spent before the draft to try and determine who the draft and follow candidates will be (or were). And a lot of players received the in-home visits just like other draft-eligible candidates, but the conversations talked a lot more about how the players would benefit from going the JC route and being eligible for a potentially big pay-day one year later, as opposed to waiting 3 years if they went to a 4-year college. For instance, the Brewers convinced both Chad Robinson and Lee Haydel to go to CC of Southern Nevada and Delgado CC as opposed to their college commitments of UNLV and LSU. The Brewers did their homework beforehand to determine whether or not either player would consider such a route, and played a big part to make sure they still retained both players' signing rights. Other players like Nick Tyson and Rob Bryson may not have been as mainstream of prospects, but that doesn't mean the team was any less excited about what they could do a year from being drafted, and it also doesn't mean they were lesser prospects to the point that they didn't have their own commitments to 4-year schools to contend with. I just wanted to expand on that since a few comments made it sound as though the team just took a stab in the dark on a few players, and in a few instances it has worked. Rarely are such fortunes a surprise, as there is almost always an educated opinion and process that is involved, and the scouting department deserves a heck of a lot of credit for putting the time and effort into the DFE process to reap the rewards.

This week's installment is out. This great picture of Yo currently on BA's homepage may give you an idea who is #1: http://www.baseballamerica.com/images/ygallardo07428309dp.jpg

X, where have you gotten those figures? Are they based on BA's ranking of the top 10 rounds? Does it factor in total draft budget (picks signed after the 10th round, DFEs, international free agents such as Rolando Pascual, etc.)? I'm not saying I doubt you, but being 23rd in the league, particularly given their draft slot in 2004 and 2005 as you mentioned, would alter my perspective on the Brewers drafts in relationship to money the past few years, and would essentially put the bed any idea that the Brewers are more aggressive in regards to the draft since Mark Attanasio has taken over, as some have suggested.