colbyjack

Some good DFE tidbits from the most recent issue of BA... Darren Ford was listed by Baseball America as one of the top 10 best DFE eligible players. Since we haven't heard much about his progress this spring statistically, it's good to see he's highly thought of as a prospect overall. No doubt, his unreal speed is hard to deny, but it also likely means he has progressed some with the bat. It's added good news given the need for outfielders at the lower levels of our minor league system. Ronnie Prettyman is actually a 5th year senior, which makes him a DFE candidate, which is very surprising to me. While the Brewers retain the rights to sign Prettyman, it's unlikely that they will sign him since Cal State Fullerton looks like a lock to be playing deep into June. It added the name of Rio Hondo RHP Kenny Maiques just above, and it turns out he is one of the most intriguing draft eligible players from the JUCO ranks that was not drafted last year, and are draft eligible this year. If you check the stats above you will see just how dominant Maiques was, in large part due to 94 mph velocity the he found going from last year to this season.

The Brewers host the two California teams that participate in the Area Code Games. When we first learned this, we thought the Brewers would have an increased presence in California (at least when it came to draft picks). The Brewers haven't really had that many draftees from CA since that announcement (which began in the summer of 2003 IIRC). Anyway, I posted some scouting reports on some of the players that played on the Brewers teams in an earlier thread that included some scouting reports on the players that attended the AFLAC All-American Classic. There are some great reports within this thread, so be sure to check it out: Area Code Games/AFLAC scouting reports Some of the biggest names that were on the Brewers teams at the ACG: Sean O'Sullivan Not many prep players impressed me as much as O'Sullivan did last summer. Charlie Cutler Good left-handed hitting catcher, IMO is a strong candidate to be our 3rd round pick. Diallo Fon Very good overall athlete, but also a good student with a tough commitment to Vanderbilt. DeSean Jackson MVP of the Army HS football game, great athlete, some character concerns. Henry Sanchez A right-handed hitting version of Prince Fielder. Massive frame, big-time power. Brett Wallace One of the best pure hitting HS players available. Soft body may cause him to drop. Brian Kirwan Very good athlete but he broke his leg playing football last spring. Could drop because of that. Trevor Bell Good two-way player that profiles better as an outfielder with smooth left-handed swing. Justin Sellers Smooth defensive infielder with contact bat. Not much power right now.

I don't have the fancy graphics Brian does, but this thread should have been closed a lot earlier than this. I apologize for the response time (or lack of).

I think we've been spoiled by Parra and Eveland, and to a lesser extent, Tim Dillard. I know the Brewers feel a little better about this group than last's year's DFE group, but that's not saying much, as last year's group was a lot more underwhelming than this year's. I really can't get down on the team for not having a strong DFE class after they only signed 19 draftees from a year ago. They took a chance with some guys hoping they would turn out, and unfortunately they didn't. Those are the breaks in scouting. I think the team will sign Scram, but he does have a commitment to Oklahoma State to contend with. And I really liked following Shane Buriff's progression over the course of the season. I have no idea how hard he's throwing, but hopefully it's closer to 90 than the mid-80s. Stephen Barnes started hot and then cooled off a little. He still is a pitcher to watch. And I think Ford will be signed, as his coach seemed to think he would be entering the season. Welcome to Hasan Rasheed part 2. Given how high they were drafted, you have to believe that Garcia, Kretschmayor & Delgado have a good chance to be signed. I'm going to break it down into four lists, possible signees, unlikely signees, the unknowns and my predicted signees: Possible DFE signees: Lorenzo Cain (already signed) Darren Ford Matthew Kretschmayor Ryan Patterson Stephen Barnes Joshua Louis Deik Scram Derek Miller Shane Buriff Unlikely DFE signees: Dustin Timm (season won't end in time) Brian Johnson Kanekoa Texeira Jeremy Bloor Brandon Jasper Jon Mungle Jamie Metzner Chad Miller Unknowns: Jose Garcia Jose Delgado Chris Copot Sean McCraw Donald Jordat Jimmy Coker My prediction: Lorenzo Cain (already signed) Darren Ford Jose Garcia Matthew Kretschmayor Stephen Barnes Deik Scram Derek Miller Shane Buriff Last year they signed 6 of their DFEs from a pretty weak pool. I think 8 signees is reasonable, especially since they have 23 DFE candidates. While my draft predictions over the years haven't been very good, I have been rather decent at predicting the DFE signees. Of course now I've just jinxed myself http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif .

Updates, 5/9/05 Thanks to Chris Mouradian for helping me locate some stats and even a picture of players that I previously could not find information on. Lorenzo Cain-SIGNED 'Nuf said. Darren Ford No stats online for Chipola, but Chipola did win their conference, and according to the schedule the JC state championship is taking place May 6-10. Matthew Kretzschmayor I've seen this guy's name spelled about 5 different ways. Anyway, I found some stats on him: 3-1, 2.12 ERA, 14 games (0 starts), 3 saves, 29.2 IP, 25 H, 33 K, 12 BB Kretzschmayor seemed to be his team's primary closer, leading the team in saves. Rio Hondo won the Foothill Conference Championship, so he was a big part of that. So idea if Rio Hondo's season continues to any kind of state championship. Bonus player update, a teammate on Rio Hondo: Kenny Maiques 8-2, 0.66 ERA, 14 games (13 starts), 7 CG, 82.1 IP, 37 H, 133 K, 16 BB Unbelievable numbers. He also pitched well for the Alaska Goldpanners last summer after pitching his freshman year at Long Beach State: Kenny Maiques-Alaska Goldpanners Kenny Maiques-Long Beach State Jose Delgado Sorry, no info on Delgado of Broward CC in Florida. Broward's season ended 4/24. Dustin Timm 4-1, 2.08 ERA, 17 games (all in relief), 1 save, 34.2 IP, 26 H, 20 K, 9 BB, 0 HR, .215 BAA Nebraska is playing extremely well right now, and with the regionals set to start June 3rd, with the super regionals starting on June 10th, it would seem at this point in time we won't be able to sign him, as a DFE at least. Ryan Patterson 4-3, 2.94 ERA, 9 games (7 starts), 1 CG, 49 IP, 37 H, 23 K, 18 BB Patterson turned himself around quickly, allowing 10 hits and 1 BB in his last 15 innings of work, striking out 8 in that time. The league championships take place 5/12-5/15, so his season probably isn't over yet. Brian Johnson 17 games, 5.26 ERA, 25.2 IP, 27 H, 25 K, 14 BB, 1 save Not the greatest numbers for Johnson, who seemingly hasn't found the form that made him the #1 prep prospect in the state of NY entering his senior year. Here's a pic of Johnson, it won't let me copy it into a new window: Brian Johnson pic Kanekoa Texeira 2-1, 1.69 ERA, 13 games (4 starts), 26.2 IP, 22 H, 14 K, 20 BB Not much to talk about here. Those walk totals are ugly despite a good ERA. Chris Copot Sorry, no updates available for Copot. Stephen Barnes 6-3, 3.33 ERA, 14 games (12 starts), 76 IP, 62 H, 58 K, 24 BB, 6 HR, .215 BAA Barnes started off very hot, and then started to get knocked around a little bit as the season progressed. He still has a quality arm, and pitched quite a full season as a freshman at Lake City CC. Bonus player profile, also from Lake City: Brandon Hall .386/.477/.527 in 184 AB, 20 2B, 2 HR, 21:20 BB:K Hall was featured as part of my scouting Wisconsin feature last winter. A switch-hitting, slugging catcher from Brookfield Central, Hall had a very productive season at Lake City, leading his team in several offensive categories. Sean McCraw Sorry, no updates on McCraw, but his pic was brought to my attention, which led me to find his profile page on San Jacinto's site: San Jacinto Sean McCraw player profile Donald Jordat Jordat was academically ineligible to play for Broward CC this year, but he is still eligible to sign with the Brewers. Jeremy Bloor 2.08 ERA, 3 games, 4.1 IP, 3 H, 5 K, 2 BB Not sure if Bloor got injured or what this season, but his lack of playing time isn't a good sign. Jimmy Coker Sorry, no updates on Coker. Joshua Louis 2.27 ERA, 12 games, 63.1 IP, 66 H, 32 K, 11 BB Good ERA, and while he doesn't strike out many batters, he certainly doesn't walk many either. Brandon Jasper .241/.311/.370 in 54 AB, 3 2B, 2 3B, 5:18 BB:K, 7 Es These stats haven't changed in weeks, as Jasper either played himself out of playing time or he got injured. Jon Mungle Mungle must be injured, as he got 2 early ABs and hasn't taken a swing since. Deik Scram .460 batting average in 150 AB, 47 games played, 55 runs, 69 hits, 14 2B, 4 3B, 8 HR, 39 RBI, 22 SB Scram's been hitting all season long, and in fact hit all of last year as well. A right-fielder, Scram could fill a needed bat in the lower levels of the minor leagues. If he doesn't sign I'll be surprised. Jamie Metzner 0-1, 8.15 ERA, 8 games, 17.2 IP, 28 H, 14 K, 5 BB, 3 HR Metzner didn't get much playing time this year, and when he didn't, it seems as though he didn't make the most of his opportunities. Derek Miller 5-2, 2.00 ERA, 9 games (all starts), 4 CG, 63 IP, 49 H, 79 K, 17 BB Miller pitched another CG in his last outing. He along with Scram have been the two most exciting DFE candidates to follow this spring, and I expect Miller to be added to the system as soon as his season ends (America East Baseball Championship takes place May 26-28) . Shane Buriff 7-1, 2.10 ERA, 16 games (10 starts), 2 saves, 64.3 IP, 45 H, 58 K, 26 BB, 1 HR Buriff's stats haven't changed from the last update, or at least they haven't been updated. I do know he notched his 3rd save of the year in a game towards the end of April. Buriff got better & better as the season progressed. Chad Miller .328/.356/.452 in 177 AB, 13 2B, 3 HR, 8:20 BB:K Good batting average, and not a bad strikeout rate, but the power and patience is a little on the thin side. Miller has good size and power potential, but I don't think he showed the Brewers enough in 2 seasons at CGCC to sign him to a pro deal.

Sorry I missed this before: Colby, at what point, if any, does Miller convince himself he should re-enter the draft if the Brewers don't pony up? Where would he fall in June if he keeps this pace up and fails to sign as a draft-and-follow? I realize this isn't a Manny Parra-type DFE, but could he be looking at 5th-10th round money? He's somebody who could debut at West Virginia upon signing... I think you called it Jim. Rounds 5-10 are realistic given the way he's pitching, and he has the 1-2 fastball-curveball combo to draw that interest. He's relatively old, so he will have to most fast, and his status also affects his leverage. I can't imagine Miller not signing with the Brewers, as I'm sure there is some loyalty there with the Brewers following him through the year after surgery the year before. Anyway, the bi-weekly updates of the DFEs that we can follow through stats (note, Brandon Jasper, Jon Mungle, and Chad Miller still have not done much-Mungle and Jasper haven't done anything-and therefore I'm not mentioning their numbers): Dustin Timm 3-1, 2.37 ERA, 15 games (all in relief), 1 save, 30.1 IP, 21 H, 19 K, 8 BB, .202 BAA 3 appearances, 4 innings, since the last update. 3 H, 1 K & 3 BB in that time, but his ERA dropped. Stephen Barnes 6-3, 3.33 ERA, 14 games (12 starts), 2 CG, 76 IP, 62 H, 58 K, 24 BB, .215 BAA, 6 HR allowed Barnes has been used strictly as a starter in recent weeks. 10 IP since last update, 10 H, 8 K, 4 BB in that time. ERA continues to climb despite decent peripheral numbers. Deik Scram .475 BA in 139 AB (44 games), 54 R, 66 H, 13 2B, 4 3B, 8 HR, 36 RBI, 21 SB Scram continues to do it all offensively. He raised his average 21 points in last 25 ABs, 2 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 10 RBI, 5 SB in that time. Shane Buriff 7-1, 2.10 ERA, 16 games (10 starts), 64.1 IP, 45 H, 58 K, 26 BB, 1 HR Like Barnes, Buriff is starting exclusively recently. Unlike Barnes, Buriff's ERA is dropping and his peripheral numbers are dropping. 2-0 over his last two starts, 16 innings over that span, 9 H, 17 K, 3 BB. Oh yeah, he's left-handed. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif Ryan Patterson 3-2, 4.24 ERA, 34 IP, 27 H, 15 K, 17 BB I didn't update Patterson last night, so I thought I would provide his numbers this time. Not very impressive, so maybe I shouldn't have. Derek Miller 4-1, 1.31 ERA, 7 games (all starts), 3 CG, 48 IP, 33 H, 60 K, 12 BB Miller has been fun to follow all season, but he got roughed up a little in his last start. 1-1 in his last two starts, 15 IP, 11 H, 19 K, 4 BB in that time. I'm guessing Miller (Derek), Scram and Buriff are locks to sign at this point in time. Timm & Barnes could be strong possibilities. Patterson & Jasper seem to need more time, Chad Miller hasn't developed the power while Jon Mungle has been injured or something. There are far too many other players in which I haven't been able to receive updates that it's hard to tell on the others. Tough year with 23 DFE candidates.

I kind of figued that Cain would sign, but I never thought it would happen this quickly. Thanks for sharing that Bill! EDIT: I thought it was odd that he signed so quickly, but sure enough, Cain's season ended Saturday. The Brewers certainly didn't waste any time getting him in the organization.

i think if both dana and deis are still throwing the fo needs to make room Without a doubt, the fo' does need to make room for Dana and Deis. Good thing they're still throwing.

Of course, we'll probably have to wait for a spot to open up for Eveland at the AAA level. If there is an injury at the big-league level (or at Nashville), that likely would set off a chain reaction of some kind. Dennis Sarfate is another guy that is deserving of a promotion since he pitched all last season at Huntsville. Here's to another good outing for him tomorrow.

Neighborgall's line today: 1.1 IP, 4 H, 8 R (5 ER), 2 K, 3 BB, 1 HBP, 3 WP After a relatively encouraging start, Neighborgall is quickly reverting to his old self.

The good news is that tonight's start by Eveland probably was his worst at the AA level, if that makes sense. That BB to K ratio is outstanding. The guy just keeps on dealing. With his polish, at what point do we see him bumped up to AAA? Nice to see Carlos Villanueva continue to pitch well. I know there were a lot of nice reports on him out of Beloit last year. He could be a semi-sleeper (there are no real prospect sleepers around these parts).

Player updates for the week of 4/18-4/24 Ricky Romero 8.2 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 12 K, 2 BB After a few so-so outings, Romero bounces back with a dominant performance over UC Davis. Luke Hochevar 7.2 IP, 8 H, 3 R (1 ER), 6 K, 3 BB Hochevar gets the win against SEC rivals Vanderbilt. Hochevar has been walking a few more batters in recent starts. Mike Pelfrey 8 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 6 K, 2 BB Pelfrey with another strong start against Creighton.

I personally don't believe there are any prep pitchers worthy to go 5th overall. If there was one, it would probably be Chris Volstad, a RHP from Florida. He's mighty tall at 6'7" and from what I saw from him in the AFLAC game, I liked the way he pitched. He has a good sinking fastball, and while he was only pitching in the upper 80s at the AFLAC game, reports are that he's up to 94 this spring. He's been maintaining his velocity well, and he has a great BB to K ratio as well. He doesn't have the electric arm of a Mark Rogers, and I think that's what you look for with such an early pick. Utah LHP Mark Pawelek is rising up draft boards, and I suppose he could be a possibility. He has thrown in the mid-90s, outstanding for a lefty, and in some reports I've read he hasn't pitched below 91 mph all game long. Rumor has it that he's advised by Boras, and while that is usually a negative, you know it's a good thing as Boras only associates himself with the best & brightest players in the nation (quality of quantity with him). Sean O'Sullivan was one of my favorites entering the season, but he hasn't performed as well this spring. Michigan RHP Zach Putnam is a solid prospect with a good overall repertoire, but he doesn't have the pure, electric arm. Pawelek is probably the only prep pitcher I would consider. There is solid depth, but there isn't that one guy that can touch the upper-90s that you just can't pass on like a Homer Bailey or Mark Rogers. ***I should add Brett Jacobsen as well, who pitched for Blazer25 on the Wisconsin Blazers at the World Wood Bat Championship last October. He probably has the most consistent fastball velocity to go along with a improving breaking pitch. He has a very good frame. I'm sure he would sign without blinking at #5 overall, but as a Vanderbilt commit, he may go to school if he starts to slide.

SheetsCyYoung04 brings up another key point about drafting a Boras guy. It's not only the headache of negotiating a deal just to get him into your system, but you just never have it easy with a Boras guy. When he's arby eligible, he's going to go year-by-year to get as much money as he can. When it comes to free agency, you're not going to be able to keep that player with a hometown discount. How often do you see a Boras guy stay with the same team that developed him once he becomes a free agent? I can't think of one, so you're basically banking on such a player to produce very well in the 6 years or so that you have him. Could I live with the kind of bonus it will take to sign Weaver? Sure, it's not my money, but I think that money can be invested in better ways. Sign a few players that has fallen in a later round. Weaver still has a lot of question marks, and while I had him rated as the #1 draft prospect all of last year, I just don't know if I would spend that kind of money on him. He is nowhere near a Mark Prior type of prospect, who was as close to being a sure thing as there is. And if I were going to spend that kind of money, I would take someone like Drew if he were available, who in my mind is a better bet to succeed, or one of the other Boras guys available this year.

The wind was blowing *out* to left, wasn't it? Yes it was, the announcers (both TV and radio) announced that before the game. When Spivey hit his HR, both sides didn't think the ball would travel far enough to make it out. So, you simply cannot make the fly ball excuse for Santos. If so, you can make the same excuse for Reuter, who by the way has had the Brewers number in recent years. I was pleased to see the Brewers' patience against Reuter, particularly in the early innings.

You can't chalk up his success to the wind endaround, the wind carried Spivey's HR in the 2nd.

I'm listening to the game in one room, bouncing in between watching it (and listening to the TV guys) in another. Both Uecker & Sutton raved about the AB Hardy had, and I couldn't agree with them more. With that kind of approach, he's going to hit .270+ before the season is over and done.

That team name was set up for all kinds of bad puns. And they have 4 mascots. Hydro!

You can't get on pohlman entirely for that one. Plenty of folks have been beating that "joke" to death lately. Go school!

You would think that Weaver may have lost some leverage by not signing (so far) with the Angels. That may be true, but not nearly to the extent of any other, non-Boras client. It's quite simple, they are in no way, shape or form going to settle. I can almost guarantee you that Weaver will get a very large contract, possibly approaching the deal that Niemann received from the D-Rays (mid $3 million bonus, $5 million + MLB contract overall).

If the Royals are smart they won't worry about who is already in their system when it comes to selecting someone of Gordon's caliber. Plus, I think Butler ends up at 1B some day and Maier could be an OF.

I'm pretty sure that Alex Gordon used to wear #3 prior to this year, and I believe that is indeed Gordon that pohlmanfield posted a picture of. But sadly, he won't be available for our pick.

The Diamondbacks have no need for more hitting, but I doubt they would select anybody that Boras is selling. They certainly must be sick of the guy at this point, but there's no way they're getting ANY kind of bargain at #1. I don't necessarily agree with this, pointing to the story you provided about Drew signing with an indy league team and his current negotiations with the D-Backs. The D-Backs and Drew/Boras have continued to talk the entire time, even with the shakeup in the D-Backs front office. They could have just as easily shut down the negotiations like Angels' GM Bill Stoneman did with Jered Weaver. As we found out last year, any agent worth his salt knows how to hold out, just not as long as Boras seems to be able to. Well stated EDR. Time is the most powerful form of negotiation. I think if Drew re-enters the draft, Seattle is a pretty astute call.

This story confirms what I've already been hinting at with Stephen Drew. He went into negotiations expecting to get a deal similar to Mark Teixeira's, and when that deal wasn't on the table anymore (because of Colangelo's departure) Drew was somewhat lost in the confusion. As the article hints, this kind of money was known about before the D-Backs drafted him, which also points to the fact that Drew really didn't fall, at least not by coincidence. And he still has a hefty deal on the table, and if he accepts that deal he still will probably make more than any other '04 draftee. There is no way he is going to sign for anywhere close to slot value, at any slot, including the first overall pick, with this kind of deal on the table. Signing a pro deal with an indy team really doesn't affect the negotiations. The D-Backs and Drew can continue to talk up until a week before this June's draft.

A couple of prep players have now emerged as Boras advisees: LHP Mark Pawelek, the fastest rising HS senior, and OF Jay Bruce, another player on the rise.