colbyjack

Looking for a fun way to spend your Fat Tuesday? Jeff Clement & USC kick off their season tonight vs. Tony Gwynn's San Diego State Aztecs. For a free broadcast, follow this link to SDSU's audio page: goaztecs.collegesports.co...media.html

Tie-breakers in that instance are determined by who had the worse record the year before. Since the Brewers were crappier than the Blue Jays in 2003, they get the earlier pick in 2005.

Long Beach State's Troy Tulowitzki, also a SS, is expected to miss a few weeks with an injured wrist. From today's defend the poll chat at BA: Will Kimmey: Sorry for the delay, Long Beach State's Mike Weathers just called with a Tulowitzki update: Troy's left wrist will be examined by a specialist today, but he's likely to miss a few weeks of action. So he and Tyler Greene of Ga. Tech are out, two All-America shortstops injured. Cliff Pennington, please take cover.

While there was already a list of my top 30 draft eligible prospects since the site re-design, the rankings have officially been updated, along with some new notes and a feature story to kick off the 2005 draft season. The feature focuses on player procurement, how players are added and where they come from. The story currently is on Brewerfan.net's homepage, with the entire story available here: www.brewerfan.net/ViewArt...icleId=198 I definitely look forward to your thoughts and opinions. For those of you that visit that aren't necessarily Brewer fans, the story isn't really geared that much towards the Brewers interests, except for some comments towards the bottom, so the info definitely pertains to all organizations. As for the player profiles, unlike past years there won't be a new player profile on the homepage each and every day. I will be updating player profiles in larger groups, every few weeks. I added some of the more intriguing 3B prospects past the top 30 overall players, and next week I plan to add some of the more promising catchers, since those seem to be the two positions of greatest need.

Here's the transcript of today's chat: www.baseballamerica.com/c...2005020301 I'm posting one of his answers here, not because I asked the question, but because it pertains to discussions we've had about Jeff Clement: Q: &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp Patrick from Milwaukee, WI asks: Does Jeff Clement have the skills necessary to stay behind the plate, and does Troy Tulowitzki have the skills to stay at SS? A: Allan Simpson: If there was any doubt that Clement wasn't a catcher or Tulowitzki a shortstop, that went away last summer while both played for Team USA. Clement showed all the qualities--particularly agility and quickeness--to be an everyday catcher while Tulowitzki showed the range, hands and acrobatic ability to be a major league shortstop.

BA now turns it's sights to the college fellas, with a feature on Jason Neighborgall: www.baseballamerica.com/t...rgall.html Remember how funny/cool we thought it would be way back in 2001/2002 if Jason Neighborgall could pitch in the same rotation as Nick Neugebauer? Man, that joke was butchered worse than "Don't blame me, I voted for Kodos" at election time. Good times. Oh yeah, Allan Simpson chats about the '05 draft tomorrow at 1 pm CST. Maybe cress will emerge from his non-draft/hot stove hole http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif .

You can read more on Hochevar on this thread: p092.ezboard.com/fbrewers...=713.topic That was before I knew he was a Boras boy http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/mad.gif

BA has posted their early first-round projection on their homepage. It really isn't a mock draft, but a ranking of who they believe are the top 30 draft eligible prospects out there. They just list the picks by number, and then have a list of the draft order next to this projection. While it's subscriber content, I will share that BA has Luke Hochevar, a RHP out of Tennessee, as the fifth best prospect.

Since I haven't updated my top 30 prospect list yet, I'll share what will be my top 5 now, which would also reflect the wish list: 1. Justin Upton 2. Alex Gordon 3. Cameron Maybin 4. Jeff Clement 5. Justin Bristow The needs list: 1. Alex Gordon 2. Jeff Clement 3. Justin Bristow 4. Luke Hochevar 5. Mike Pelfrey I removed Upton & Maybin from the "needs" list because the team "needs" a 3B, C & pitching more than a SS/CF (Upton) and a CF/corner OF (Maybin). I wouldn't pass on Upton, or even Maybin (although I'm a little concerned about Maybin's swing) at this point in time should either one of them fall to our pick. Hochevar and Pelfrey might disqualify themselves from the Brewers list because of their association with Scott Boras. If so, two out of Troy Tulowitzki, Sean O'Sullivan and Ricky Romero could take their places on the needs list.

I interviewed Clement recently for PG: www.perfectgame.org/2005/...erview.cfm If you can't tell by his responses in the interview, he's an extremely well-grounded individual.

BA's early draft preview continues with a feature on Southern California's Sean O'Sullivan: www.baseballamerica.com/t...livan.html O'Sullivan is the player I walked away the most impressed with after watching the AFLAC All-American Classic. At the time more people seemed to prefer him as a hitter, and now that seems to have changed. If you saw his performance in the AFLAC game, you know why. He really knows how to pitch, shows no fear on the mound, and has an incredible curveball for a player his age. BA subscribers can also view the top 100 HS prospects and the best prep tools feature.

A few people suggested that we offer Counsell arbitration for those very reasons DHonks. Most people responded pointing out that Counsell likely would have taken the Brewers through the arbitration process, and it wasn't worth the gamble. Those people were probably right, but it is interesting to think about. It's quite possible that Counsell would have called his bluff, and it's also quite possible that teams, including the D-Backs, would have lost interest in signing him because of the draft pick implication. And as a type B FA (I think he was a type B), he would have only cost the D-Backs their 2nd round pick, with no supplemental pick. Which I also thought they might be somewhat willing to do since they own the #1 pick overall and they have the first pick in the sandwich round after losing Richie Sexson (and an early third). If they come close to offering slot value to the players they select, they're going to have a mighty big draft budget.

It's that time of year, the draft stories really start to emerge this time of year. College baseball has already kicked off, and BA has started to focus on the 2005 draft. Brewerfan.net's draft coverage officially started with the launch of the new site design, but look for a feature story and updated rankings to kick off the '05 draft season within a week or two. Two interesting stories hit BA's homepage this evening. One as a general overview of the draft and one talking about how owning the #1 overall selection is good in that you have the best chance to take the best player, but bad in that you have to pay an exorbitant amount of money: www.baseballamerica.com/t...rview.html www.baseballamerica.com/t...pulse.html From the draft preview: The Boras Factor The hardest throwers in the draft are Baylor?s Mark McCormick and Georgia Tech?s Jason Neighborgall, who could go anywhere from the first round to the fifth, depending on how they perform this spring. Along with Hochevar and Pelfrey, they are advised by agent Scott Boras, as is Greene. Scouting directors are wary that Boras? number of elite prospects in the draft is back up after his influence waned, and they acknowledge his presence is a factor. His two most prominent clients in the 2004 draft, Long Beach State righthander Jered Weaver (Angels, 12th overall) and Florida State shortstop Stephen Drew (Diamondbacks, 15th) remained unsigned through late January. Boras isn?t the only agent who has dictated where players get drafted, of course. He pioneered the maneuver, however, and others have followed. The result? ?Just because you pick second,? Ladnier said, ?it doesn?t mean you?re going to get the second-best player. This is the highest draft pick in the history of our organization, and in theory, we?re supposed to get an impact player, a potential all-star. But a lot of times, you?re at the mercy of the draft.? In this draft class, though, the talent and depth may be significant enough that even players selected more because of signability than talent could turn out to be impact players. I knew Pelfrey, Neighborgall and McCormick were all Boras advisees, but hearing about Hochevar and Greene is particularly discouraging. Hopefully Boras will keep his touch of death off of the HS crop. Although, this could play into the Brewers favor. With a new owner claiming he can't wait until the Brewers are in a position in which dealing with Boras isn't a negative, coupled with the fact that the Brewers don't have a 2nd round pick after signing Damian Miller, maybe the Brewers will be more aggressive with their first-round selection. And by the way, I completely disagree with the AL scouting director that claimed this was a bad year to pick within the top 5 due to the lack of top-tier talent. Upton & Gordon alone make the top of the class special, and apparently neither one is associated with Boras. That doesn't mean they won't make a lot of money come draft day...

It's that time of year. With college baseball officially underway (although there was one series last weekend already), it's time to follow some of the notable draft eligible players that may be a candidate to be selected with our first-round pick (or just listing some personal faves). Usually I'll wait until Monday to update the hitters, but I'm too excited to wait http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif . Similar to last year, instead of starting a new thread for each player, all updates can be found within this one thread. Once it starts getting too long, we'll start a new one. I will also update one post for all of the weekend's activity. Updates for the weekend of 1/28-1/30 Troy Tulowitzki-SS-Long Beach State Tulowitzki along with fellow college SS Tyler Greene offer 2 very good all-around players at the top of the draft. Tulo has been compared to former Dirtbag and current A's SS Bobby Crosby. Great overall athleticism, a strong arm and exciting offensive potential. His size has some question whether or not he'll move to 3B, but his defensive play is considered a plus at the position. He started with a big night vs. ASU in Tempe last night: 3 for 4, 1 2B, 2 BB, 3 R, 1 SB Tulo went 0-5 on Saturday, and then bounced back with a 4-5 game on Sunday. Overall for the weekend he batted .500 (7 for 14) with a couple of walks, two doubles and 5 runs scored. Travis Buck-OF-Arizona State Buck is a smooth hitting corner OF prospect with solid all-around tools. He doesn't have any one tool that jumps out at you, but he makes good contact and draws a lot of walks. If he can increase his power potential this year he could jump up many draft boards. He's already in my top 10. 2 for 4, 1 R, BB Buck went 2 for 4 again on Saturday, with a BB, and 1 for 4 on Sunday, with a double. He opens the season batting .417 (5 for 12). Cesar Ramos-LHP-Long Beach State Ramos defines "crafty lefty." He carves up hitters changing speeds and hitting his spots. His fastball works well in the upper 80s, and he has a very good slider. He's probably not in contention to become a top 10 pick since he doesn't have an overpowering fastball (fellow Big West lefty Ricky Romero does), but he is still an interesting name to follow this spring. He had a so-so game against a very powerful ASU offense in his 2005 debut: 6 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 4 K, 1 BB Long Beach State and Arizona State play today and tomorrow as well, with online audio available off of Long Beach's baseball homepage: www.longbeachstate.com/bbo/bbc/ John Mayberry-1B-Stanford Mayberry was a first-round pick by the Mariners in 2002. He's the son of former big-leaguer John Mayberry best known for his days with the Royals. Very athletic at 6'5", 230, Mayberry could also play a corner OF spot. Given his size, he will have his fair share of K's with a long swing, but that also gives him extremely exciting power potential. He started the season on Saturday against Fresno State, going 2 for 3 with 3 RBIs and 2 BBs.

Thanks for the heads up Blazer. College baseball broadcasts are a great way to help bridge the gap until Brewers baseball.

Sorry to nitpick, but Wahpepah and Blevins are from Cowley College in Kansas. I believe Cowley and Seminole are in the same conference though. Kade Johnson was drafted by us out of Seminole State in '99.

I finally had the chance to read the entire story in under the link that batman has posted here (I noticed it was in the newsprint edition, so given the choice I'd rather sit down when I have a chance & read it from there). Anyway, the comments were particularly interesting pertaining to the idea of how difficult the adjustment could be for amateur (college & HS) pitchers going from pitching once a week to once every 5 days. They brought up Jered Weaver in particular, noting that he was in the low-90s on week's rest, and in the mid-80s on rests shorter than that (but in the 96 range when he had been WELL rested). Also commenting was a member of the Cubs staff who stressed how important it was to get their first pick (2nd rounder Grant Johnson from Notre Dame) into the pro level so he could make that transition earlier and hopefully quicker. So, it is an intersting notion to balance. If I were a scout, I may be turned off by someone like Weaver given the measurables provided in the story that I mentioned. Of course, getting a pitcher in your throwing program may help correct an issue like that, but when Boras is involved once again you have to ask if he's worth the headache, much less the money?

So, I think in June, it will depend on who shows what so far through the season. If I need help more quickly, I would weight the readiness factor higher. If I have the luxury of time, I would weight potential higher. I think it all depends on what the particular ciricumstances are at the time for my team. I'm talking about the Brewers, so it's up to you to determine if we should target someone that is a little closer, or if the team should continue to draft & develop as they have been. If the Brewers are indeed getting closer to winnings consistently, as I've suggested before, the Brewers may want to alter some of their approaches to the draft. And I do wonder if this is a big reason the Brewers shifted their sights to Rogers, who they signed quickly to a $2.2 million dollar deal that didn't require a spot on the 40-man roster.

I saw one place call him this year's version of Dustin Pedroia, but I don't think that's a fair comparison. Pedroia didn't do much to entice scouts, while Pennington is a guy both scouts & stat-people like. He hit well on the Cape last year too, so he erased some doubts about his ability to hit with wood. He also has enough speed to steal a few bases. I think he's definitely in the mix for the first round, supplemental, early 2nd round area. You're right, the lack of power is the only thing keeping him from being drafted higher, but he is going to hit a few out, and he'll get his fair share of doubles & even triples. The only other question is if he stays at SS or moves to 2B.

I'm not sure how many people visit this forum during the winter months, but I thought I would toss this out for discussion... Last spring, given the possibility at the time that the Brewers stood to take a college pitcher, I mentioned several times that any college pitcher we took so high (the 5th overall pick) might take a long time to sign. Phillip Humber was one of my (& others) favorites for the 2004 draft, and I felt that if he did fall to our pick he very well could have become a Brewer. While I noted that it may take all summer to sign such a pitcher, I really didn't anticipate for Humber and Niemann to take this long to sign. I did think the Boras guys could take this long, or longer, given the precedent set by Bobby Brownlie. So, if the Brewers are in a position to draft a college pitcher, say Luke Hochevar, who from what I've heard has no connection to Scott Boras (Mike Pelfrey, Mark McCormick and Jason Neighborgall do), would you still select him if you thought even for one moment that the negotiations may take you through January or even February of 2006? Another problem with these deals is that they all involve MLB contracts. Given the 40-man roster crunch we already have, and the increased 40-man roster crunch the team is going to face next year when guys like Fielder, Parra and even Palmisano will need to be added to avoid being lost to the Rule 5 draft, that MLB contract could pose an even bigger problem (and that doesn't even talk about the money involved). It wouldn't really bother me to have such a pitcher take such a long time to sign, since these guys throw so much during the college season (roughly around 120-130 innings). However, would the wait be worth it to you, given the wait, the money involved and the 40-man spot, and do you feel there is some importance adding a pitcher (trying to separate pitchers from hitters, since I do believe it's important for hitters to be added ASAP) to your system as soon as possible?

Jeff Niemann has finally signed with the Devil Rays. 5-year MLB deal worth $5.2 million. $3.2 million of that is the signing bonus. www.baseballamerica.com/t...emann.html

Some players with Brewers/Wisconsin ties that have been listed in the top freshmen, sophomore, junior & senior college lists by BA: Sean Morgan: #8 freshman Tyler Beranek: #49 freshman Ronnie Prettyman: #10 senior Jon Mungle: #29 senior

With Weeks jumping right into the fray and Gwynn not blooming yet the 2003 draft yielded less depth than I was hoping for. Lou may still be great, but I am concerned about Fermaint and Opdyke. 6-10 yielded some interesting arms and some of the lower picks may yield a player or two. I agree, we need some players to step up from the 2003 draft, although there are some interesting sleeper prospects in Drew Anderson, Mitch Stetter, Nick Slack, Ty Taubenheim, Hasan Rasheed, Terry Trofholz & Kenny Durost. None of these guys may be everyday starters, but all of them could factor in down the road as complementary ballplayers. And if Weeks pans out even close to what we're hoping for, it may not matter what else we get from the '03 draft. After Weeks, Palmisano & Wooley are the two biggest names. At least one of Gwynn, Fermaint and Kloosterman needs to prove they're legitimate prospects this year (I'm not counting on Opdyke). Leclercq is a toolsy guy, with great athleticism and speed. I think he's more of a project at this point in time, but still a sleeper prospect. '04 6th rounder Stephen Chapman could emerge as a power-hitting OF prospect the system could really use. we may have a lack of shortstops, but it seems we have an abundance of second basemen. Weeks, obviously, plus Crabbe, Hurricane, Sollman, and Will Lewis. Maybe one or 2 of them could make the switch. If any of those guys could play SS, I'm sure they already would be. It's not like Chavez & Cruz are blocking any of them from making that transitiion. However, Alcides Escobar is a SS in the system to keep an eye on.

You can always check the draft info here: www.brewerfan.net/ViewDra...?draftId=3 Jackson is among the top 30 prospects. At one point I had him a little higher, but some other players have passed him up, and I think his basketball scholarship has scared a few scouts. He has stated that he wants to play pro baseball and college basketball, so signability might not be TOO big of an issue, but being a 2-sport athlete may work against him. If a team is willing to give him a big bonus, they may be hesitant to let him continue to play basketball. Not only do you have injury concerns, but you also wouldn't have him playing for you in the fall, winter and spring months. Focusing on one sport for the most part is best, as only a couple of guys have been able to juggle a 2-sport lifestyle. It's different should he play two collegiate sports (instead of one NCAA, one pro), but then again, he wouldn't even join the baseball team until the end of March or early April, and by then there is only two months of the season remaining, and he would have a lot of catching up to do. Ryan DeLaughter also attends Denton Ryan. While he's not projected as a first-rounder at this point in time, he could factor in the top 5 rounds. I'd love to get your first-hand observations should you take the time to catch a baseball game.

I have heard of Butler, and he should be an exciting name to follow for the 2006 draft. He along with UIC starter and Madison native Ryan Zink could make it another exciting draft year for Wisconsinites. I have read lately that he is up to 6'7". I haven't heard much on his stuff lately, but he was pitching in the low-80s with a solid curve and changeup as a freshman. Now that he's grown, and he still has an extremely projectable frame, he may have added a few more ticks to his fastball, and likely has plenty of room to add more. To be honest, I have no idea how he compares to his peers, but with his stature and the fact that he's left-handed, he's going to be very high on any team's follow list for 2006. I hope to get out & see him play at some point this spring. I believe he pitches for the Blazers, so Blazer25 might be able to add more thoughts on him.