colbyjack

Cole Gillespie: Your League Mvp. Chris Errecart: His Runner Up. *Ahem* Stephen Chapman. First Toby gives the man no respect, now you http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif . Anyone listening to huntsville on the radio? Seems like a long top 9. Is yo still in? I listened to the entire Huntsville game this evening, and Yo was cruising through 8. The runs he gave up came in the 9th when he seemingly ran out of gas. Through 8 IP he had thrown only 82 pitches, 60 for strikes, and had allowed only one batter to a 3-ball count. He had struck out the side in both the 2nd and the 8th, so with that pitch count, why not throw him back out there for the 9th inning. He was mowing 'em down left and right. It is simply unbelievable that this kid is only 20 years old. The announcer commented on how his fastball, curveball and changeup were all working tonight. No word on velocity, as someone needs to step up and buy the affiliates a radar gun http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif .

This isn't anything new here bucksman. The rules are pretty well laid out in the FAQ: p092.ezboard.com/fbrewers...1407.topic What kind of behavior is not allowed? We're trying to appeal to respectful, intelligent baseball fans here. Name-calling and flaming are not allowed, and will result in warning, then dismissal. There are other Brewers-related message boards that are more tolerant regarding "talking smack" to other users, and I suggest you go there if that's what you're about. We like to think that the people that enjoy participating would be kind enough to follow the simple rules that have been put in place so everyone can enjoy a family-friendly atmosphere.

I would love to see another team close to your home pogo. Plus, I'm just not a big fan of the FSL. I remember hearing that it rains every afternoon in Florida at the same time of day. That alone seems to doom the games, and the humidity effects the offense as much as the dry air effects the offense in the opposite fashion in the Cal League. It would be nice to find a more even setting (I'm not sure how the Carolina League skews, but it can't be worse than the FSL). I don't see Helena going anywhere. That team moved and changed it's name to become a Brewers affiliate again. The two A-ball teams really are the ones up in the air at this point in time.

The Brewers departure from Beloit was on friendly terms. IIRC, Beloit is a non-profit team, meaning they're perfectly happy with their existence as long as they break even. As long as they draw enough people to pay the bills they see no reason to upgrade their facilities. Plus, the Brewers cited that the weather was a little warmer in the Sally league, where games in April and May weren't played in winter conditions like they often were in Beloit and the entire Midwest League. I guess I don't see them returning to any of the cities in the league. I hope they keep the relationship with WV. I have no idea how the terms are, but I would like to see that one continue. Mass pointed out today in today's link report that the Power have been out-done this year by one team in their division, so hopefully the WV folks recognize that as well (and if they get the Helena lineup, look out).

I would say slim to none. The Ms and T-Rats have had that relationship for quite some time, and both sides seem to be quite happy with that relationship. Of course, things could change by the end of 2008, but I just don't see it happening (as much as I would like to see it happen).

There was some talk on the minor league forum about drafting for need. Catching clearly is the organization's biggest need, and has been for quite some time. Next year offers a fair amount of talent at the catching position, most notably from the college ranks (Robert Stock would have made it that much better from high school IF teams preferred him as a catcher and IF he hadn't enrolled at USC a year early). In addition to Wieters, as profiled above, the Cape had two more catchers on BA's top prospect list: Josh Donaldson (#11) of Auburn and Mitch Canham (#13) of Oregon State. J.P. Arencibia of Tennessee was Team USA's primary catcher, and once again put up big numbers this summer playing against some of the best talent in the world. J.P. Arencibia-Tennessee Summer of 2006-Team USA .302 batting average in 116 AB, 9 2B, 2 3B, 8 HR, 11:23 BB:K Sophomore year, spring of 2006-Tennessee .352/.419/.583 in 216 AB, 17 2B, 11 HR, 20:30 BB:K, 8 Es Summer of 2005-Team USA .404 batting average, .579 SLG, 2 HR (led TUSA in BA, SLG, hits-23, RBI-12, TB-33) Freshman year, spring of 2005-Tennessee .322/.379/.534 in 283 AB, 16 2B, 1 3B, 14 HR, 24:37 BB:K, 6 Es Arencibia was a top prospect coming out of high school, but made it clear early that he was going to attend Tennessee. All he has done since attending college is hit, and hit in bunches, and has proven his worth hitting with a wood bat for Team USA. He hits for average and power, and shows a keen eye at the plate. He was big at the World University Championship in Cuba this summer hitting 4 of his 8 home runs and 23 of his 37 RBI. He's a good athlete, and while he's probably never going to win a Gold Glove behind the plate, there is no reason to think he can't stick there. Arencibia could very easily go in the top 5-10 picks in next year's draft. Josh Donaldson-Auburn Summer of 2006-Cape Cod .302/.382/.456 in 149 AB, 11 2B, 4 HR, 20:33 BB:K, 8 Es, threw out 48% of runners Sophomore year, spring of 2006-Auburn .276/.331/.487 in 228 AB, 16 2B, 1 3B, 10 HR, 15:41 BB:K, 9 Es, 16 PB, threw out 39% of runners Freshman year, spring of 2005-Auburn .294/.347/.477 in 153 AB, 7 2B, 7 HR, 11:34 BB:K, 12 E As noted above, Donaldson was rated the Cape's 11th best prospect according to BA. He finished 2nd in extra-base hits on the Cape, third in doubles and fifth in batting average. He played 17 games at 3B and 16 games at catcher, as he bounced back and forth the two position his sophomore year at Auburn as well. He played exclusively at 3B his freshman year, but is expected to make the permanent transition behind the plate once he enters the pro ranks if he doesn't do so his junior year at Auburn. A very good athlete with a very strong arm, Donaldson was the Gatorade player of the year in Alabama coming out of his senior year in high school. While he's raw behind the plate, scouts expect him to be able to stick there given his agility and arm strength. If he carries his Cape success into next year and continues to prove his worth behind the plate, he could go in the middle to second half of the first round. Mitch Canham-Oregon State Summer of 2006-Cape Cod .300/.388/.473 in 110 AB, 5 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 10:23 BB:K, 4-5 SB, 4 E Sophomore year, spring of 2006-Oregon State .299/.390/.496 in 224 AB, 13 2B, 5 3B, 7 HR, 30:45 BB:K, 10 for 12 SB, 4 E Redshirt freshman year, spring of 2005-Oregon State .325/.423/.531 in 160 AB, 5 2B, 2 3B, 8 HR, 24:37 BB:K, 4-8 SB Again, as noted above, Canham was the Cape's 13th best prospect after showing up late after Oregon State won the CWS. He was a co-captain for the championship Beavers, and was draft-eliglble as a sophomore after red-shirting his freshman year (he had surgery to remove bone spurs in his elbow). He was drafted in the 41st round by the Cardinals, but will return for his junior year of eligibility and no doubt will go much higher than that next June. Other than batting left-handed, Canham is a similar prospect to Donaldson in that he is athletic and has only spent the last two years behind the plate (previously playing third base). He hit very well on the Cape, finishing just behind Donaldson in the batting race and his slugging percentage was fourth best. Canham faded in May which brought his college stats down, but he rebounded well in the regionals and at the CWS. He probably will never be better than average defensively, but with his bat he could be a solid catcher at the big-league level. He's probably a 2nd to 5th round pick, likely going closer to the 2nd since catchers are always at a premium.

Helena announcer Steve Wendt just mentioned that Jack Zduriencik is in attendance at the Helena Brewers game taking in the H-Crew. Not earth-shattering news, but I thought I would share that nugget. Thanks again for your first-hand observations pogo.

Here's a link to Team USA's final stats. Jemile Weeks fared very well. I have already covered LHP David Price, whose stats are incredibly impressive. mlb.mlb.com/usa_baseball/...081406.pdf

The Brewers have needed a catcher for a while, and there have been some nice ones drafted the last few years, whom I thought they might target (Salty, McCann, etc), but they have always gone in other directions. I just want to point out that the Brewers had a pre-draft deal with Jarrod Saltalamacchia had the Braves not taken him with the second to last pick in the sandwich round in 2003. Three picks away, the Brewers selected Tony Gwynn Jr. (and further word has it there was a fairly large debate in the Brewers war room between Gwynn & Ryan Sweeney, who has found his power stroke at AAA in the White Sox organization). I agree with SoCal, you don't draft a 1B early unless he's a franchise hitter, which is why they took Fielder of course.

If you're going off MLB need, the Brewers probably would have drafted a catcher in the first round the past 5-10 years. Pitching (starters & relievers) probably dominates the next few spots, as 1B is a distant discussion at the big-league level based on need given the presence of Fielder. The only time the Brewers drafted for absolute need in the 1st round under Jack Z. was when they took Braun last year with the 5th overall pick, when they seemed quite intent on taking a 3B no matter who it was (reports have it that they also asked Troy Tulowitzki if he was willing to covert to the hot corner). Third base was a gaping hole in the organization before that point in time, and with the acquisition of Koskie, the emergence of Mat Gamel and the overall relative logjam in the IF at the big league level, 3B is now a relative strength.

BA has their top 30 Cape Cod League prospect list up for subscribers: www.baseballamerica.com/o...62305.html South Carolina freshman 1B Justin Smoak in at #1. Towering NC State RHP Andrew Brackman in at #2, Georgia Tech C Matt Wieters at #3.

You're right, catching is a weakness almost everywhere. The teams that have talented catching rarely let it go. Next year's draft could be a banner year for catchers, with two college backstops (Matt Wieters & JP Arencibia) possibly going in the top 10 overall.

While Prince Fielder seems to have first base locked down for the next 4-6 years, first base is a position of weakness in the minors. While you don't go too far out of your way to draft a first baseman early, unless you're talking about a special bat like Fielder's. Catcher is a huge weakness in the system, however, it has been for a while and the Brewers haven't exactly made it a point to address that need in the draft, at least not in the first round.

Hey pogo, I don't know what happend to your post that I read in here about an hour ago, but there is a slight chance David Welch will pitch tomorrow. Earlier today I went back and looked at the starters for WV the past 4-5 days knowing you were checking out this series and noticed Brandon Parillo and David Welch pitched a double header on the day that would be five days ago from tomorrow. So, there is a slight chance Welch would get the nod in that situation. I still would like to hear about both Ferguson and Parillo, both of whom we know next to nothing about. I can't wait for your reports, thanks in advance.

This is an interesting an surprising story: www.baseballamerica.com/t...62267.html Robert Stock, BA's youth player of the year last year, the starting pitcher for the West squad at the Aflac All-American Classic and one of the top high school prospects for the 2007 draft has decided to attend USC a year earlier and will not be eligible for the draft until 2009. Definitely an interesting twist, since Stock is only 16 right now, and will be eligible for the draft when he's 20 years old after his junior year in college. I'm sure USC is pretty happy about this move, but I'm sure this isn't the last we've heard about this story.

Mike Jones was supposed to be the starter for Brevard County this evening, but the game was postponed due to rain.

We actually know a fair amount of Errecart. He was rated the 4th best prospect in the Cape Cod League last summer after impressing scouts with his ability to hit with a wood bat after not hitting so well his first couple of years at Cal with an aluminum bat. He started off strong this spring, but then tailed off as the college season wore on, which definitely effected his draft status (he entered the year as a possible 2nd or 3rd round pick-he was rated the 34th best college draft eligible prospect entering the season and was a 2nd team preseason All-American while also being named the best pure hitter in the Pac-10 as part of BA's preseason college preview). He was also rated the 22nd best corner OF prospect coming out of HS and 13th best NorCal prospect overall, where he received high marks for his hitting skills. He went undrafted out of HS since he made it pretty clear he was heading to Cal if he wasn't drafted within the first couple of rounds. Here are a few of his recent scouting reports: Baseball America's 2003 draft preview: Few high school players in the region have improved their stock more than switch-hitting OF Chris Errecart, now regarded as the best hitting prospect in the area. His other tools all play: an above-average arm, and average speed and outfield skills. Errecart has committed to California and may be a sixth- or seventh-rounder, possibly higher. Baseball America's top 30 Cape Cod League prospect list: After hitting .298 with eight homers during the spring with aluminum, Errecart took to wood and batted .303 with six homers before a sprained ankle ended his season three weeks early. He has a good approach at the plate and moves well enough to play left field. Baseball America's draft preview report: Often linked with Brennan Boesch, his California teammate and roommate, Errecart entered the spring with a higher profile and was considered one of the top hitters in the 2006 draft class. He hit .303-6-22 in the Cape Cod League last summer, showing plus power with wood from a sound lefthanded swing, and was the league's fourth-ranked prospect. His stock fell steadily throughout the spring, though, as he continued to struggle with consistency in his approach and performance as a college hitter. Errecart had rallied to match his career high with eight home runs, though his struggles with offspeed pitches and plate discipline (he had a career 91-32 strikeout-walk ratio) had doomed him to a third straight season below .300. Errecart's tools other than raw power all grade out below-average, and he's limited to either left field or first base. His strong work ethic and intelligence actually worked against him all spring, and scouts and college coaches thought he was trying too hard. Scouts still expect him to come off the board in the first 10 rounds based on his power potential and performance in the Cape. Brewerfan.net scouting profile: Errecart and Brennan Boesch has given the Cal Bears quite a lethal power combination in the middle of their lineup the past couple of years. Errecart blossomed on the Cape last summer despite struggling his first two years in college, being named the league?s fourth-best prospect according to Baseball America after finishing tied for second in home runs with six despite missing the last three weeks of the season. Errecart is a rare left-handed throwing, right-handed hitting athlete who has power potential to spare. He crushes mistakes, but does have the propensity to swing and miss a lot, and have never been one to accumulate lofty walk totals. He can play left field, but may be better off at first base. In other words, he has a vast amount of potential, but he needs to harness it to live up to it. Note: This information is subscriber content, but we usually have been somewhat open with small snippets of subscriber information from other sources such as BA. I was pretty excited when the Brewers landed him in the 5th round. As many have already noted, it's hard to know what we have with Errecart or even Gillespie since many a college hitter has enjoyed success in the Pioneer League. Gillespie gets more love in my mind because he has a much broader base of tools & skills, while it's questionable whether Errecart profiles best at 1B or LF, and he didn't hit that well at Cal, at least not as well as what was expected from him. It should be noted that Tony Gwynn Jr. also didn't hit as well as many thought he would in college (San Diego State), but hit pretty well using wood bats on the Cape the summer before he was drafted. For some reason, some guys just seem to hit better with a wood bat. Hopefully Errecart is one of those. As far as the P50 goes, I mentioned a few days ago that you would be hard-pressed to find an organization that has three better guys than Gallardo, Braun and Inman at the top. Couple that talent at the top with the amount of depth and you have a very good farm system (if Rogers and Jeffress don't make the top 10 as pogo predicts, as well as a toolsy guy like Escobar, that only supports the strength at the top and throughout). I look forward to your result this evening Toby.

I just wanted to point out that if the draft we held today (8/22) the Brewers would still draft 12th overall next June, so they're holding steady with the rest of the teams in MLB since the beginning of the month. The Brewers took Mike Jones 12th overall in 2001. Here are the 12th overall picks since then: '02: Joe Saunders '03: Lastings Milledge '04: Jered Weaver '05: Jay Bruce '06: Kasey Kiker Not a bad list of names.

I actually liked Clark, quite a bit, so I didn't mean to make it sound as though I was taking a jab at him. It's just that with his statistical production he was always relatively old for his league, and he was never really considered a long-term 3B. Like Clark, Gamel hits left-handed, and so far he has the statistical production to match, and there are some questions as to whether or not he'll stay at the hot corner. Unlike Clark, Gamel is much younger upon entering pro ball, meaning he's a legitimate top 10-15 prospect in the Brewers' system, which excites me.

I just want to point out again that during the Stars broadcast about a week ago the announcer mentioned that Anderson actually hits LHPs (.308-ish) better than RHPs (.272-ish), which increase his value as a 4th or 5th OF since he wouldn't be "just" a specialist.

I just want to point out again that during the Stars broadcast about a week ago the announcer mentioned that Anderson actually hits LHPs (.308-ish) better than RHPs (.272-ish), which increase his value as a 4th or 5th OF since he wouldn't be "just" a specialist.

Pogo, I know I speak for all of us when I say I really look forward to your first-hand reports from Greensboro. It will be interesting to compare your early and mid-season notes with your late season ones. I'm sure you'll have your eyes on as many prospects as possible, but one guy I would really like to get the scoop on is David Welch. His numbers this year are very, very good, but as a college draftee from a year ago it's hard to tell by his numbers whether he's having success because he's relatively older or if his stuff is legit. It would also be nice to know what fellow lefties such as Steve Garrison and Brandon Parillo are throwing. As far as Gamel goes, I would like to point out that his 14 home runs are only behind Ryan Braun's 19 and Graham Koonce's 16 among Brewer farmhands. Given his improve plate discipline and previous prospect status, he's another guy we should be pretty excited about. No need to move him to the outfield anytime soon, but his upside seems to be much greater than, say, DJ Clark's from a few years ago http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif .

It will be good to see Parra in the AFL. When this season is over with, his innings total should be close to what he pitched all of last year (around 90 innings). Tack on the AFL workload as a starter (the league leader in innings pitched last fall was just over 30 innings) and you have a pretty reasonable jump for Parra.

Another note I did some projections in terms of contact rate for some players a few weeks ago, and Gamel was a guy who contact rate could use some improvement. Well in addition to his walk binge, he'd now finish at 107 Ks in 700 ABs, which for a bigtime power player is pretty good. I have a sense that he's taken a step forward in his development. Thanks for pointing that out igor. Gamel has definitely improved a lot in that area, as he was striking out at an alarming pace last year and the beginning of this year. Nice to see him improve in that area while continuing to drive runs in as he has done all year (and all last year for that matter).

It's kinda weird that the Brewers were so willing to promotoe Brendan Katin to WV last year, but havent moved Gillespie or Errecart this year, even though both have greater potential. Gillespie's start at Helena through his first 35-40 ABs was very similar to Ryan Braun's last year as well. However, Katin got the bump last year because there was an obvious opening at WV. The Power OF this year has been set all year with Brantley, Ford & Cain from left to right. Errecart might get some starts at 1B for that lineup, but playing Gillespie means someone else sits. The only way I saw Gillespie getting bumped up was if he jumped up to replace Katin at BC. Next year will pose an interesting situation since I expect the current WV OF to be bumped up together to BC. Does the current Helena OF (Caufield, Chapman, Gillespie + LF/1B Errecart) get bumped up collectively to WV, or might we see an aggressive promotion or two (such as Gillespie to AA)? I've noted before that Gillespie is the type of player you push a little bit, and given his relative dominance in the Pioneer League, I hope he doesn't spend too much time next year in low-A.