colbyjack

As much as I think players like Verlander & Drew are foolish for turing down the deals they have been offered so far, I can't say that I wish any of these prospects any ill-fate. BTW, I can't help but wonder if these kids can claim collusion in the same manner as the big league guys. Anyone know for sure? It's no secret that collusion is in full effect with big-league clubs in regards to signing draft picks, which is why you have the commissioner's office pressing down so hard trying to influence clubs not to spend insane amounts of money. That's also the reason you've seen bonuses decrease the past couple of years. It certainly isn't happening by accident. Now we just need teams to start taking a stand against Boras and maybe we'll see the insanity that is MLB salaries calm down a little, that and implement a salary cap. While teams can make a stand in the draft, if they make a stand against Boras in what is perceived as a unified effort, than Boras could have a case to sue MLB & it's owner for collusion, as he has done in the past. Fewer teams are giving into Boras' demands, but you are still going to have teams spend on the players he represents. The Tigers were finally the ones to sign Pudge last offseason, and looking at the season he had, maybe he was worth it. A salary cap would be great, but I just don't see it happening as the player's union historically has had too much power and the owners don't have enough to bargain with. For a cap to be put in place I fear MLB would have to lock out the players completely until the players realized they weren't going to get paid until radical changes were made. I for one would really like to see a cap for draftees (maximum amount any player can get regardless of round or position), with the only thing left to haggle over being whether it's a minor or major league deal. It really sucks when bad teams had to pass on Weaver and Drew since they couldn't afford them. Isn't the point of a draft to make the worst teams in the league better? It works in the other sports but not baseball with it's messed-up system. Me too, and that actually was something discussed with the last CBA. Unfortunately, the players & the owners just don't take the draft that seriously. That's not to say it's not valued as one of the most important days of the baseball season by some teams, but little time is spent trying to improve the structure itself. However, and again, what do the owners have to bargain with to get a draft cap put into place? While the players really don't care about the draft, since those players are years away from joining the union, it's still an area in which they have a significant amount of negotiating leverage.

If the Brewers didn't touch Wade Townsend last year with the #5 pick, I don't see why they would next year, unless he re-discovers his stuff. And I think Verlander, Humber & Niemann all will eventually sign. Rogers wasn't unknown, in fact, he was receiving quite a bit of attention at this time last year after an impressive summer showcase tour. After the East Coast showcase in Wilmington scouts were debating who was the best prep pitching prospect in the nation between Rogers, Nick Adenhart & Jay Rainville (Homer Bailey didn't attend). I agree with Brian, if Upton is still on the board somehow you just can't pass on that kind of talent. I know projected #1 picks have slipped before, but the only way Upton slips is if he's hurt or asking for a $20 million dollar signing bonus.

Given the fall instructional leagues & spring training, that's probably 2-3 months combined that he could be closer to home if he were with a Florida-based club as opposed to one with Arizona ties. Plus, you have the organizational meetings that usually take place either at the team's ST location or at their big-league home. I would guess that there will be significantly less travel for Romero just by the difference in spring training locations. I don't mean to minimize his role, but how much of a change can a different roving infield instructor make?

Howdy Bonderman, thanks for popping in. You said it best, Verlander has a great arm, but his control issues haven't exactly made him a can't-miss prospect. I think a $4 million dollar deal, including a MLB contract, is way more than fair. In fact, that's a little more than I expected he would make. That's too bad, I was really looking forward to seeing both Verlander & Sleeth in the Tigers organization. At least there is still plenty of time, and I applaud Dombroski from stepping away. If that doesn't get Verlander's attention I don't know what will. As for a supplemental pick, all sandwich picks for lost first rounders from the year before are issued after all of the supplemental picks awarded for lost free agents. Unfortunately you're probably looking in the 40-45 range.

Patrick, who would you have gone with as the Padres budget pick? Chris Nelson? Bailey? Nelson. When BA reported that the Padres were leaning towards Bush a day or two before the draft, I said that Nelson would have been a much better choice for the #1 overall pick. I noted much earlier in the spring that even Jeremy Sowers would have made a lot of sense for them. I think it's cool that a player stepped forward & expressed that he would be interested in playing for his hometown team, but I think the Padres fell too hard for that after being shocked by their owner that they couldn't spend anywhere near the money necessary for a Weaver, Niemann or Drew. I realize they didn't have much time to make a choice, but their senses clearly were blinded IMO, and they have no one to blame for themselves now for the player they ended up with.

Does anybody still think that the Padres are stupid for staying the hell out of this mess? I don't know if anyone thought the Padres were stupid to stay out of this mess, but I do know I'm not the only that questioned their pick of Matt Bush on draft day. It's one thing to take a budget pick to avoid the headaches, it's another to take the wrong budget pick. Also on a side note, I hope the Brewers at least make a cursory bid for Kendry Morales to play 3B. Can Morales play 3B? If so, I agree, and it might be a good time to pounce on a Cuban since seemingly everyone else has somewhat soured given the lackluster success of other Cubans like Contreras. But then again, people were talking about Contreras the same way they're talking about Morales now, as one of the best Cuban players to come out in years. I have heard that Morales age (21) is legitimate, so that's an obvious plus. Still, I would never count the Yankees out.

Here's the story: www.baseballamerica.com/t...ander.html With all of the unsigned first-round picks (all collegians), maybe this is why teams draft high school pitchers instead http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif . Interesting news to say the least, and I'm still a little surprised that so many picks remain unsigned. Are these players trying to go up against the obvious collusion MLB teams are taking towards the draft? Turning down $3+ million dollars has never been a smart move by any pick.

Greene has turned into one of my favorites for next year's draft, and yes, he did play 3B for Team USA during the summer of '03. IIRC, he also was named the top prospect off of that team (if not #1 definitely #2), which included players like Weaver, Street and several other high-profile college prospects that were drafted last year. He was also rated the best prospect this past summer in the Cape League, and was rated the #2 prospect overall by BA. He has hit extremely well both summers using a wood bat in the two most competitive summer leagues, so there shouldn't be any questions there. He has good range, hands, speed, and a strong throwing arm, so your options don't get much more safe as far as picks are concerned. I'd let him play SS as long as possible, even if Hardy is our SS of the future, as either one of them could move over to the hot corner and they both could have enough bat to justify the switch (not to mention forming a solid left-side of the IF defensively). I've brought up before that the Brewers haven't taken a SS in the first round since Bill Spiers, after seemingly taking a SS every other year in both the 70s & 80s. Even if he can't play SS, he should be able to play just about anywhere else on the field.

The latest AskBA has the draft order & the updated overall top 10 draft prospects for '05: www.baseballamerica.com/t...askba.html And their top 10 at this point in time: 1. Justin Upton&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp ss&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp Great Bridge HS, Chesapeake, Va. 2. Cameron Maybin&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp of&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp T.C. Roberson HS, Asheville, N.C. 3. Alex Gordon&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp 3b&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp Nebraska 4. Jeff Clement&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp c&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp Southern California 5. Tyler Greene&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp ss&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp Georgia Tech 6. Wade Townsend&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp rhp&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp Rice 7. Luke Hochevar&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp rhp&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp Tennessee 8. Mike Pelfrey&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp rhp&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp Wichita State 9. Stephen Head&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp 1b/lhp&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp Mississippi 10. Troy Tulowitzki&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp ss&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp Long Beach State

All the teams that the Brewers had to contend with for a draft pick lost today, so the Brewers will draft 5th next June. ***Thanks for the entire draft order Crusher.

Only one more game to go... 1. D-Backs 2. Royals 3. Mariners 4. Expos: 67-94, .416 5. Brewers: 67-93, .419 6. Blue Jays: 67-93, .419 7. Rockies: 68-93, .422 8. D-Rays 9. Mets 10. Pirates The Expos play at the Mets today, the Blue Jays at home vs. the Yankees, the Rockies are at Houston & we play the Cardinals. We own any tie-breaker with the Blue Jays since we had the worse record last year. To get to the #4 spot the Brewers have to lose & the Expos have to win. If we lose, we'll pick either 4th or 5th regardless of what the other teams do. We could draft as "low" as 7th if we win & the Blue Jays & Rockies lose. Or, if you don't want to root against the Brew Crew today, root for the Blue Jays & Rockies today and be content with the #5 overall selection, the same slot we had this past year.

Could Townsend waive his baseball eligibility in the fall, but then petition with the NCAA to have it reinstated before next spring semester/baseball season? Once a player renounces his eligibility I'm pretty sure he gives it up for good. There really isn't a good example to point to other than what happened to Mike Willliams & Maurice Clarett last spring, and I'm not so sure that's an accurate comparison. But I would expect Townsend to fight to have his eligibility re-instated if MLB sticks by it's decision. It will be interesting to see how all of this turns out, although I think there is still a good chance that the courts overrule MLBs initial ruling. why is it that a player can continue to negotiate while in JC, but not while attending regular college? That's all part of the draft & follow rules. No player can continue to negotiate with their drafting team if they attend or return to a full 4-year institution.

By renouncing his eligibility he was essentially saying "I want to sign with the Orioles, but while I'm waiting I'd like to continue my education." I don't think he ever tried to say "By obtaining a degree I may choose to enter the business world and drop baseball altogether, so if you Orioles really want me, you better ante up." He is still using school as a negotiating chip, even though he actually attended classes expecting to continue to negotiate. I'm not saying he's using an alternate career to negotiate, I'm just saying that school is and always has been one of the biggest, if not the biggest negotiating chip any player can use. And I've said all along that I admire his desire to continue with his education, and that's not anything new with Townsend, who has always been academically driven. I don't think we're that far apart frog. The bottom line is that Townsend thought he could do something no other player has, and it may come back to burn him, regardless of his intentions. Whether or not you agree with the ruling, it really has nothing to do with his desire for an education or how much he was trying to increase his negotiating power. If he truly expected to continue to negotiate with the Orioles he should have consulted MLB first. Then, if he still wanted to go to school he would have made the choice knowing the consequences. Instead, it seems as though he decided to rely on the advice of his advisor, which is exactly how Matt Harrington got burned. And yes, if the Orioles are unable to sign Townsend they would receive a supplemental pick after the first round, and the same is true for any team that is unable to sign their first-round pick(s).

I don't think anyone is saying what Townsend is doing is bad, it's just that it wasn't very smart if money is what is on his mind. I don't necessarily agree with the ruling either, but Townsend should have done his homework or asked the commissioner's office about his eligibility before he went ahead and went back to class. Basically, if he stalled and used this move looking for more money it may come back & blow-up in his face. Coming out next year as a college senior, while likely not pitching nearly as much as he could if he wouldn't have renounced his college eligibility, he's not going to get anywhere near what he was offered by the Orioles. And going back to school assuming you can continue to negotiate does increase his bargaining power. He's basically telling the Orioles that he has other things he can do, and obviously he doesn't need the money bad enough to pay off his tuition right now, especially at an institution like Rice. So, he can wait it out just as much as the O's can.

Even when we win it doesn't feel like we deserved it. I'm happy to take 'em of course, but this team just wants to beat itself. Remember all of those stories pointing out the statistical anomallies of Dan Kolb's season leading up to the All-Star break? His season has more than evened out, although so has Lyle Overbay's. And this team needs to play better infield defense next year, especially since the pitching philosophy stresses the importance of putting the ball in play (& on the ground).

I'm of the school of thought that you should put your best defenders at the hardest position they are able to play. So, wasting a good defender like Dave in RF (similar to the mariners with Ichiro this year) is frustrating to me. Pods may not have a good arm but so what? Its only for a few games and Dave could use the MLB experience at CF. (what they really should do is put Jenkins in right, but they are apparently averse to that for some reason.) I agree, but I think the team may be waiting for the offseason to figure out their OF. Moving Jenkins to RF has been discussed by both Melvin & Yost, and they both have made it sound as though when the switch happens it will be permanent, and that it will likely happen in the offseason when he has time & repetitions to get used to the opposite corner spot. I'm guessing they feel the same way about Podsednik. If Krynzel starts next season back in AAA Podsednik still is the everyday CF. Even if he makes the team and Podsednik is still on the team, more than likely Krynzel will be a reserve. I guess for me I have no problem Krynzel learning to play a corner spot since it seems likely he could be playing out there more until he earns an everyday spot in CF. But wait, isn't Winn playing CF for the M's? He's known as an outstanding defender. He has great speed. Speed doesn't make an outstanding defender, look at Alex Sanchez or even Podsednik. I've also heard that Winn's D' has been overrated the past couple of years. I thought Ichiro was a lock to move to CF when Cameron went to the Mets, so I'm not sure if they kept him there so he could remain comfortable, feel his arm works better there (which I don't necessarily agree with, since there is nothing wrong about having a strong-armed CF even if it means a weak arm in one or both of the corner OF spots) or some other reason. Uecker has gotten noticably senile over the last couple years, much like Pat Summerall has. Uecker may be on the decline somewhat, but he is nowhere near the dropoff Summerall suffered. He still has his wits about him, Summerall can't say the same most of the time.

Uecker did continue to talk about the difference between playing a corner OF spot & the CF (something DHonks just referred to with Pods vs. Krynzel). He mentioned how the ball can take different angles to the OF, and that it didn't look as though Krynzel was used to those angles in RF after playing CF so much, or something to that affect. And I agree with MUCrisco, while that differs from the scouting reports we're used to, he's just calling it like they see them. David hasn't been perfect in the OF (the one big play obviously was beautiful), although I don't remember him taking too many pitches. Either that or Uecker thinks Ben Grieve is still out there http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif .

He could have gone back to classes all he liked if he had signed a contract. It's a negotiating ploy plain and simple. Exactly. I can't feel sorry for the player. He was trying to do something no one else had done before to increase his leverage while going back to school and it backfired on him, for now at least. I'm sure his advisor played into the decision, and similar to some of the advice Matt Harrington received, it may turn out to be an extremely unwise move. I admire the fact that he went back to school, and it's important to remember that this may not be over. As his advisor stated, they plan on taking this issue to court. However, this is a move by MLB to make sure there is more power in the hands of the teams than the players when it comes to handing out bonuses, as it should be. Unfortunately some players have to be made into an example so others know they can't pull the same schenanigans. There has been an idea floating out there for a few years now to institute a draft rule that all draftees have to sign by August 15th or so. I think it is a great idea, as it would end these long and tiresome negotiations between draftee & team. If a player doesn't sign by that time, they go back into the next year's draft pool, plain & simple.

MLB doesn't have a problem with Townsend returning to school, which he already has, they're just not letting him negotiate with the Orioles anymore.

Earlier this month/late last month Wade Townsend, one of the talented RHPs from Rice who was taken 8th overall by the Orioles, decided to head back to school yet he renounced his college athletic eligibility, hoping it would allow him to continue to negotiate with the O's. Other players have renounced their NCAA eligibility, in essence turning pro doing so, but done have returned to school after doing so. MLB has turned Townsend's request down, and therefore (for now) he cannot continue to negotiate with the Orioles, and if the ruling stays as is, he will be forced to re-enter the 2005 draft, and likely will play pro ball in some Independent League next spring. www.baseballamerica.com/t...nsend.html On top of that, it's interesting that so many first-round picks haven't signed. I heard much earlier this summer that it would take a while to see many of the college arms finally ink with their respective drafting teams (the commissioner's office encouraged teams to sign their later round picks first, basically in an attempt to make some of these players sweat it out & take the pre-determined slot value amounts), but I didn't think it would continue into October. Justin Verlander (2nd overall), Phillip Humber (3rd), Jeff Niemann (4th), Jered Weaver (12th) and Stephen Drew (15th, not a college arm of course) all remain unsigned.

Hey MB, at least Powell was talking about some prospects tonight. He hasn't had much to talk about on that front for a few weeks http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif . Another error leads to another run. I think they should suit up all the prospects sitting in the stands & allow them to play.

No kidding, I shouldn't have said a thing. Thanks for the lineups.

Crew up 1-0 after 1/2 inning. Woo-hoo! &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp

With a week left... 1. D-Backs, .301 2. Royals, .368 3. Mariners, .387 4. Brewers, .416 5. Blue Jays, .416 6. Expos, .417 7. D-Rays, .431 8. Rockies, .432 9. Tigers, .442 10. Mets, .442 The Brewers hold tie-breakers over everyone except the Padres, Tigers, Mets & D-Rays, and I doubt we have to worry about those teams unless the Brewers go on a tear the final week of the season. I'd look up who these teams are playing, but when you're this bad does it really matter?

Great game, on fan appreciation day to boot. I think MB reverse-jinxed Obermueller today http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif .