colbyjack

I wrote a Crack of the Bat column about Wood a couple of weeks ago, wondering how in the world he was noted voted as BA's player of the year. Sure, he did his damage in the California League, and we all know how batting stats can be inflated there, but he had 101 extra-base hits on the season, and he's a shortstop. Looks like Dana dodged a lot of bullets today.

Neither. The Brewers lost the rights to Jemile the moment he stepped into a classroom at Miami. As long as he stays at Miami, or at least stays at some 4-year institution (meaning not a JC or CC), he won't be eligible to be drafted again until the 2008.

I'm not saying Eveland had a good season, and I'm not comparing de la Rosa (I'm not sure where that came from, as I happen to like JDLR and hope he gets used more in years to come). All I said was that he had some good performances this year, which he did, after you said his pitching was never good. He did have some good games this year, even if his overall numbers don't look that great.

His pitching was never good, and he fell apart at the end. HIs pitching was never good? He may have slipped towards the end of the season, but I remember some fine pitching performances from Dana. To say he was never good is simply unfair, and incorrect. He's a 22 year-old who got 372 AB's...almost anyone would give anything to be in that situation. I never knew what tired was until I was 25. I think it's unfair to just think that just because he's young that there's no way he was tired or fatigued. We hear about this all the time in all sports, the MLB season, just like the NFL or NBA season is a big adjustment for young players, even if they're only playing half the time. I think it's unfair for us to assume that just because a player has X amount of plate appearances or innings pitched the such a player has no reason to be tired at the end of the season. Many of us wondered why Hardy and Eveland were going to play in the AFL in the first place. Prince on the other hand I could see a legitimate beef about. And DHonks, thanks for filling us in on your background in the AFL. I enjoyed your reports from a year ago, and I look forward to more this year.

Since this has kind of evolved into a 2006 draft resource thread, I thought I'd share some of Jim Callis' view on the '06 draft here from his recent ask BA column: www.baseballamerica.com/t...askba.html Here is Jim Callis' top 10 prospect list, noting that Allan Simpson is working on a top 50 for the next issue of BA: 1. Andrew Miller, lhp, U. of North Carolina 2. Drew Stubbs, of, U. of Texas 3. Max Scherzer, rhp, U. of Missouri 4. Jordan Walden, rhp, Mansfield HS, Arlington, Texas 5. Daniel Bard, rhp, U. of North Carolina 6. Matt Latos, rhp, Coconut Creek (Fla.) HS 7. Wes Hodges, 3b, Georgia Tech 8. Ian Kennedy, rhp, U. of Southern California 9. Cody Johnson, of, Mosley HS, Lynnhaven, Fla. 10. Evan Longoria, ss, Long Beach State U. No, you're not the first one to think of a witty comment about Evan Longoria... Also, in case you missed it, I offered my recap of the '05 draft and a preview to '06 in this story featured on the homepage: www.brewerfan.net/ViewArt...icleId=218 Here's my top 10 high school and college lists. Kind of hard to tell who will be available at #16. I don't know about everyone else, but I'm thinking pitching...college pitching. However, after seeing several of these young men pitch in person, I wouldn't be opposed to the right prep arm. High School: 1. Kyle Drabek, RHP/SS, The Woodlands, TX 2. Cody Johnson, RF, Panama City, FL 3. Chris Marrero, 3B, Miami, FL 4. Jordan Walden, RHP, Mansfield, TX 5. Matt Latos, RHP, Margate, FL 6. Dellin Betances, RHP, New York, NY 7. Max Sapp, C, Windemere, FL 8. Brett Anderson, LHP, Stillwater, OK 9. Riley Cooper, OF, Clearwater, FL 10. Colton Willems, RHP, FL College: 1. Andrew Miller, LHP, UNC 2. Ian Kennedy, RHP, USC 3. Drew Stubbs, CF, Texas 4. Max Scherzer, RHP, Missouri 5. Daniel Bard, RHP, UNC 6. Evan Longoria, 2B/3B, Long Beach State 7. Brandon Morrow, RHP, California 8. Dallas Buck, RHP, Oregon State 9. Brad Lincoln, RHP, Houston 10. Matt Antonelli, 3B, Wake Forest EDIT: By the way, I've heard some rumors about some Boras clients in the college ranks. I believe Ian Kennedy was represented by Boras out of HS. Kennedy is one of my favorite players available for this draft, and with that affiliation he could fall. Jim Callis actually picked Kennedy to be our 2006 pick earlier this year when he predicted the Brewers would win the NL pennant in 2008 or something like that in a fantasy-proposed story (he said Ryan Zimmerman would be our '05 pick in the same story...it was just make-believe). Kennedy may not throw 95 all day long, but he misses bats like few others, and has been doing so with poise and competitiveness for both USC and Team USA the past couple of years. Another rumored Boras advisees is Jason Donald, an athletic SS from Arizona. I've heard a few other names tossed out there, but more as speculation than fact. EDIT: Add Max Scherzer to the rumored Boras list. EDIT: Add USC RHP Ian Kennedy and ASU OF Colin Curtis to the rumored Boras list. Kennedy and Scherzer are two of the best college pitchers available for the '06 draft, so while they could fall to the 16th pick, the Brewers haven't been known to go over slot value for their first-rounder since Jack Z. has been at the helm (or ever actually). Donald and Curtis don't really break my heart, although Curtis has a polished bat and is a similar player to his former ASU teammate, Travis Buck. Curtis was also named the Cape Cod League's All-Star Game MVP last summer with a 3-hit performance in a 1-0 pitching dominated game.

Taylor Teagarden did sign and was the #3 prospect in the Northwest League for the Texas Rangers. He signed for high-2nd round money as a 3rd round pick. Here are the unsigned players taken within the first 5 rounds: Justin Upton, 1st round, D-Backs (still negotiating, did not attend school) Mike Pelfrey, 1st round, Mets (still negotiating, did not return to Wichita State) Luke Hochevar, 1st round supp., Dodgers (still negotiating, did not return to Tennessee) Bryan Morris, 3rd round, D-Rays (reportedly signed as one point, committed to JC where his dad coaches) Sean O'Sullivan, 3rd round, Angels (attended Grossmont JC, DFE candidate, turned down commitment to SDSU) Josh Lindblom, 3rd round, Astros (I think he attended Tennessee) Justin Maxwell, 4th round, Nationals (might have gone back to Maryland) Brian Matusz, 4th round, Angels (I think he attended San Diego) Of all of the picks within the top 5 rounds, including the supplemental rounds, only 8 unsigned picks, not bad. And five of them remain under the control of the teams that took them. On top of that, there were only 3 unsigned picks in the 6th round, 5 unsigned picks in the 8th round, 4 unsigned picks in the 9th round, and one unsigned pick in the 10th round. Out of the first 320 picks in the draft, only 21 of them are unsigned. And Reed, you can always check out BA's non-subscriber draft database. The players that have signed round-by-round are noted in bold. Subscribers have access to the bonus amounts signed by players drafted in the top 10 rounds: www.baseballamerica.com/t...aftdb.html Of the players that weren't drafted in the top 10 rounds that were talented prospects entering the spring, Justin Bristow is one name that stands out. He honored his commitment to Auburn after being drafted in something like the 19th round. Other big names...Zach Putnam went to Michigan, Brett Jacobson went to Vanderbilt, David Adams to Virginia, Cody Satterwhite to Ole Miss, Jordan Danks to Texas while Justin Smoak and Reese Havens attended South Carolina.

Yes, tie-breakers are awarded to the team that finished worse the previous season.

Royals can't afford the PR hit, their attendance is terrible and they have a chance to add a second franchise type of player (Gordon being the 1st). There aren't too many teams that let a bad PR hit affect how they draft. I remember some Pirates fans saying the same thing in '02 when they took Bryan Bullinton over B.J. Upton. I seriously think they got lucky with Gordon. If he wasn't so set on playing pro baseball he could have easily called the Royals bluff and waited for more money, and I'm not so sure the Royals would have given him much more. I'm not blaming either side, really, as I pointed out above that $4 million dollars is still a huge chunk of change. I am glad someone took me up on my wager, it makes things more interesting. I'll gladly bet you $1. I'm not a betting man as far as money is concerned, so that is a big step for me http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif . If the Royals end up taking the perceived #1 player next June, whether it's Andrew Miller or someone else, I'll gladly send you a buck. I still think they reach for a player that is considered a top 10 talent that is willing to sign for $4 million or so similar to Bryan Bullington in '02.

Just two transactions from the most recent issue of BA: Reinstated RHP Nick Slack and OF Ben Van Iderstine from inactive list.

Reed, your scenario is possible, but it's likely that the proposed team about to lose such a free agent would also know if such a deal was going to take place. I think it would be difficult to work out such a deal while keeping it quiet from everyone else. The player himself is likely to tell his former team, or just about anyone else that asks, if he is in serious negotiations with any other teams. As noted, the team may not even dabble with the free agent market. Doug Melvin noted today that he doesn't expect to be active on a lackluster free agent market. Of course, Melvin has said one thing and done quite the opposite before. On top of that, the Indians, Angels and Dodgers may not even offer Millwood, Washburn and/or Weaver arbitration, which could change everything. Final 2006 Raw Draft Order: 1. Royals (.346) 2. Rockies (.414) 3. Devil Rays (.414) 4. Pirates (.414) 5. Mariners (.426) 6. Tigers (.438) 7. Dodgers (.438) 8. Reds (.451) 9. Orioles (.457) 10. Giants (.463) 11. Diamondbacks (.475) 12. Rangers (.488) 13. Cubs (.488) 14. Blue Jays (.494) 15. Nationals (.500) 16. Brewers (.500) 17. Padres (.506) 18. Mets (.512) 19. Marlins (.512) 20. Twins (.512) 21. Phillies (.543) 22. Athletics (.543) 23. Astros (.549) 24. Braves (.556) 25. Indians (.574) 26. Angels (.586) 27. Red Sox (.586) 28. Yankees (.586) 29. White Sox (.611) 30. Cardinals (.617)

Ok, one day to go, here are your standings. Draft-pick implications discussed above... 2006 draft standings as the morning of 10/02/05: +/- ranking reflects how teams have risen/fallen since the last update on 9/25/05 1. Royals (.348) 2. Rockies (.410) -1 3. Pirates (.410) +1 4. D-Rays (.416) 5. Mariners (.429) 6. Tigers (.441) 7. Dodgers (.441) 8. Orioles (.453) 9. Reds (.454) -1 10. Giants (.460) -1 11. D-Backs (.478) +2 12. Blue Jays (.491) 13. Rangers (.491) 14. Cubs (.491) 15. Nationals (.503) -2 16. Brewers (.503) +1 17. Padres (.503) +1 18. Marlins (.509) -2 19. Twins (.509) 20. Mets (.516) +2 21. Phillies (.540) 22. A's (.540) -1 23. Astros (.546) +1 24. Braves (.559) 25. Indians (.578) -3 26. Angels (.584) +1 27. Red Sox (.584) +1 28. Yankees (.590) +1 29. White Sox (.609) 30. Cardinals (.615)

Nice save molitor fan http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif . 15th is now the worst the team can finish. But again, that requires a Brewers' loss, and I can't bring myself to rooting for that. Plus, I want to see the Brew Crew stomp Zach Duke tomorrow so he knows exactly what he has to deal with over the next 4-6 years http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif .

No true molitor fan. If the Rangers win tonight and tomorrow and the Brewers lose, the Rangers and Brewers would tie with 81-81 records. Since the Brewers finished worse in '04, they would be given the higher draft selection.

With one day left (and a few night games to finish), the Brewers would draft 16th next June. They currently are tied with the Nationals with a .503 winning percentage, and the Nats own the tie-breaker since they were worse in '04, and have Ryan Zimmerman, not Ryan Braun, to show for it. And that would stay the same regardless of what happens this evening. If the Marlins and Padres lose, they would be tied with the Nats & Brewers, but finished much better in '04. I find it impossible to root against the Brewers tomorrow, so I'm just hoping the teams that have a few Boras impending free agents don't offer their clients arbitration knowing how expensive such players can get http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif . Depending on what happens tonight and tomorrow, the Brewers can finish as high as the 14th overall pick and as low as the 18th overall selection. Since the 14th or 15th pick requires losing, let's hope for 18. Drafting anywhere from the 14th to 18th pick will mark the lowest slot the Brewers have owned since 1993, surprise surprise, the year after 1992, and the year they took Jeff D'Amico with their first overall selection (23rd overall). If you want to blame a team for this, blame the Nationals, whose 2nd half slide was pretty bad, although expected given their "luck" in 1-run games during the first-half of the season. The Royals will pick first next June, but that has been known since this past June. Given how long it took them to sign Gordon, I'm making a bet right now that they don't come close to picking the best player available. Does anyone care to take me up on that bet? I didn't think so, sorry Royals fans.

Congrats to the Brewers and all of us. It's been a long-time coming, and it's nice to know we still have two games to finish the season with a winning record.

Gordon signs for $4 million. A lot of money for sure, but a lot less than Stephen Drew got earlier this year. Gordon's talent is well worth Drew type money, and the $4 million he got reminds me of the $4 million the Pirates gave Bryan Bullington a few years ago. I'm glad he signed, but Gordon blinked first, that's for sure. I feel weird for saying this, but the Royals got a HUGE bargain.

Yup, I remember '82, and I also remember '92, the last year when games this late in the season meant something. It is a great feeling tuning in every night knowing that your favorite team is playing for something. You can tell watching them tonight that they're playing for something extra, and I can't wait to start watching them play when they're really playing for something. Thinking about it, it's kind of sad that we're on the edge of our seats waiting & hoping they can finish at or above .500, but hey, I'll take it. Before '92 though there were a stretch of years in the late-90s that definitely kept people's interest late into the season. Even if they don't accomplish the .500 season or even a winning season, I will still be very happy with the accomplishments this team has made this year. Expectations will be even higher going into 2006.

I am certainly a fan of Hall's. But with 3/4 of the infield already set, and Braun shooting his way up the minors, maybe we should cash in on probably his peak value.... Braun shot his way all the way up to low-A West Virginia this year (his promotion to Brevard County doesn't count since he didn't play). As much as I like Braun, the team should not make any short-term decisions based on him, as he still is a few years away. I wouldn't be inclined to move Hall, but as always, if the right deal comes along... What an amazing, stressful game. I had forgotten what it's like to have each and every game mean something. Let's hope Helling gives us at least 6 strong innings tomorrow night, and in a 4-game series, it would be especially sweet to knock Claussen out of the game early to really deplete the Reds' bullpen.

Thanks Greg, and that's a good suggestion.

A week to go... 2006 draft standings as of 9/26/05: +/- ranking reflects how teams have risen/fallen since the last updated on 9/16/05 1. Royals (.342) 2. Pirates (.404) 3. Rockies (.413) 4. D-Rays (.417) 5. Mariners (.429) 6. Tigers (.445) -3 7. Dodgers (.445) -1 8. Orioles (.452) -3 9. D-Backs (.462) +3 10. Reds (.465) 11. Giants (.471) +4 12. Blue Jays (.490) -3 13. Rangers (.494) 14. Cubs (.494) 15. Brewers (.497) -2 16. Padres (.497) 17. Nationals (.500) -1 18. Mets (.503) +6 19. Twins (.503) 20. Marlins (.513) 21. Phillies (.538) 22. Astros (.545) 23. Athletics (.548) 24. Braves (.571) -1 25. Angels (.574) +1 26. Red Sox (.587) -2 27. Yankees (.587) +1 28. Indians (.590) +1 29. White Sox (.606) 30. Cardinals (.618)

I found an informative blog site that lists player contracts team-by-team. The link included takes you to the Brewers contract page, with all of the other teams listed on the left: Cot's Baseball Contracts mlbcontracts.blogspot.com...chive.html

Cameron Maybin finally signs, a $2.65 million dollar bonus, just in time for the Tigers' instructional league: www.baseballamerica.com/t...aybin.html

The Brewers still have until September 29th to sign him, but Babineau is likely heading to UCLA.

You're correct SheetsCY04, the Brewers didn't offer Jose Hernandez arbitration. I'm sure they were worried that he would accept, as he sure wasn't going to get the kind of money he was making with the Brewers, even though it wasn't that much, on the free agent market. And of course that was coming off of the big strikeout season for Jose, so there was no way he was coming back to Milwaukee. Helms might do the Brewers a favor and decline arbitration, but mc is right, if he recognizes that he can make a million or two more by calling the Brewers' bluff, I don't think that is worth a supplemental pick after the 2nd round.

I don't mind at all SheetsCY04. If Helms falls under the type C classification, I think that's a very good call. Since he had a lousy year last year and has played only sparingly this year, I think there is a good chance he would indeed fall under that classification. We would still have to offer him arbitration, and hope he doesn't bite, because if he does we would be paying him about what we paid him this year. I know the team offered John Vander Wal arbitration a few years ago, asking him to decline out of goodwill so they could continue to have the opportunity to sign him later (teams can't sign players that are declined arbitration until the following May or June). Still, again assuming he would be a type C, he wouldn't cost his signing team a draft pick, and he hasn't been a free agent before. That will be an interesting case to follow this offseason.