colbyjack

Trust me SoCal, I'm not holding Prince to a high standard numbers-wise. I'm the guy that thinks Prince could hold his own at the MLB level right now, and I'm quite impressed with his production so far. Going off of the usual BA/OBP/SLG numbers, I was surprised to see how many RBIs he had so far this year, especially given how "weak" the Beloit offense seems to be. And I wouldn't compare his numbers to others in the MWL league this year, especially after watching Jason Stokes' power numbers in the MWL last year. I know it can be a tough league to post lofty power numbers in, but he certainly hasn't proven that he's too good for the league to be bumped up. Again, I'm not faulting his numbers, I'm just trying to show why the Brewers shouldn't feel rushed to move him up. And maybe I just want to know that I can go see him play just an hour away whenever the Snappers are in town http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif . While you're in the hotbed for baseball talent from top to bottom, we Wisconsonites have to take what we can get http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif .

Even if you want to bump Nelson to the OF, Prince really doesn't deserve to be promoted, even if he's not getting pitches to hit. He NEEDS to prove he can still hit, even if he is getting pitched around. Sooner or later he's going to get some pitches to hit, and when he does, he needs to make his mark like he was last year at Ogden. While I don't expect him to repeat those numbers at any level ever again, I certainly would want to see him hitting for more power at A ball before I bump him up to high A. His .480 slugging just doesn't do it for me right now, and hopefully he is indeed heating up. Barry Bonds gets pitched around all the time, and he still manages to put up jaw-dropping numbers. I can't stress that point enough, but Prince needs to prove that he can handle getting pitched around. It's all about making adjustments, and so far he hasn't done that. While his average & OBP look nice, for a 1B he really needs to boost his power numbers. And if he really isn't getting anything to hit, well then he should have an OBP around .600. If his numbers do again get sick, like they were at Ogden last year, I will absolutely be all for bumping him up at High Desert, but until he improves his production, he should stay where he's at. As for Brad Nelson playing LF, if David Nilsson could play out there, anyone could http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif . Seriously, I think it could be done, but as noted I would much rather see both of these young men continue to mature at 1B in the lower levels before putting them at the same level. The last thing the Brewers should do is trying to figure out their 2007 lineup today.

You truly are prophetic, Gwynn's heading to Beloit to start his pro career.

Does anyone know what Rickie Weeks was offered last weekend? When are we going to sign this guy? I thought the plan was to have him sign early and have him catch up to the Huntsville Crew by the end of the year. There has to come a point where we say screw waiting for Delmon Young to sign and just sign the guy, even if it costs us an extra 500k or so. I want to see this guy play! Any news? Well, we can't just give Weeks whatever he wants. As much as I'd like to see this guy in the system right now, you have to realize that it may take a while to get the 2nd overall pick signed. Look how long it has taken to sign the top couple of picks in recent years. BJ Upton didn't sign until the end of last summer, and Bullington took the entire year. While Joe Mauer signed quickly, Mark Prior, Mark Teixeira, Dewon Brazelton & Gavin Floyd also took all summer to sign. So, don't be surprised if we don't even have him in our system until August. As much as I would hate to see that, it is a very realistic possibility. And of course the idea is to get him in the system right away, and ideally he could prove to move up the ladder quickly, but again, that may not happen, and that part of it may be out of the Brewers hands. And I think it was stated that the Brewers would like to create a wave of prospects that would follow the current crop of talent youngsters at AA by a year or two, not necessarily catch up to the AA talent. That group may already be at Beloit. How is a three year veteran, a golden spikes/howser winner, a guy who hit over 470 twice a little rawer than other collegians? His batting average was the highest in the history of DI baseball yet he is raw? What does that make Mark Texiera, JD Drew, etc...were they even rawer (is that a word?) Defensively he seems a bit of a neophyte, but his defense won't get him to the bigs, it is his stick and that isn't raw. I don't care what league he played in his numbers are sick... To imply or rehash someone else's inference that the most prolific hitter (avg. wise/obp?) in college baseball history is somehow raw is naive. It goes without saying that everyone not named Bonds or Pujols is somewhat "raw". But the implication has been made that for a third year collegian and top draft pick he is somehow more raw than his peers. What does he need to do hit .700 with an obp of 890? First of all, we really don't know if his statistics will mean anything at the pro level. Even if he was playing against the top D1 talent, which he certainly wasn't, you can't always rely on statistics to determine whether or not he's polished or raw. Pete Incaviglia & Brooks Kieschnick are prime examples of this. Both guys absolutely dominated at the college level, and while both have enjoyed varying levels of success as pros, neither one of them have come close to living up to their lofty billing. And Weeks didn't face the level of competition those 2 guys did. He played in the SWAC, a very weak conference, and while all to most of the teams he faced were still D1 programs, there are plenty of D2, D3 & probably even high school teams that could beat many of the teams Weeks faced. OhioScout has popped in several times to tell us that Weeks isn't as polished as most of us would think, particularly that he has problems hitting the breaking ball, which is a common problem for young hitters. We've even been told that we as fans should be patient with Weeks, who may need more time in the minors that what we would first guess by looking at his numbers & knowing that he's a college pick. So, it really isn't all that naive. As noted, most of these observations come from people that actually have had the chance to see Weeks play.

I don't know why it didn't sink in, because I know I looked at Anthony Gwynn's statistics when we drafted him, but he really must have ended the season on a tear. I remember looking at his numbers early in the season & he was only hitting somewhere in the .230 range. About midseason I believe I noticed he was hitting around .280, and after that I don't think I looked again until we did indeed draft him. He finished the season hitting .359, which isn't particularly exciting for a college player, although it's hard to gauge stats for amateur players anyway, but it's a great number considering how slow he started. Now that he's signed hopefully he can indeed continue to hit well and get moved up to High Desert in a hurry. As MB has been talking about for a few weeks now, HD certainly could use the help in the OF. I just got a lot more excited about Gwynn http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif .

From the flip side of the box score, Cristian Guerrero doing some heavy damage to the Mavs as a Mariners farmhand. The Stars face 2 really good Braves prospects in Wainwright (who got roughed up early) & Belisle, and the Snappers fare pretty well against highly touted Cardinals prospect Blake Hawksworth. We rarely talk about the opposing pitchers, but facing these guys at the minor league level could be comparable to facing guys like Schillling, Johnson & Martinez at the big league level. And nice recap on the Indy game on the other thread MB. Thanks!

While Moss is hitting better lately, and has been drawing walks about as well as Prince Fielder all season, he isn't doing anything IMO that justifies bumping him up to High Desert. His power numbers are pretty low, and while many expect those numbers to automatically improve in Adelanto, he still has to produce to justify a promotion. Plus, moving up to Beloit to start the season was somewhat of a stretch since he saw such limited time at Ogden last year. Basically, I don't think he's going anywhere unless he goes on a power binge. As always, there's nothing wrong with having too many outfielders in Beloit, too many catchers in Helena & Arizona & too many pitchers where ever you can get them. As for all of our catchers, Opdyke can also play elsewhere, as it's been noted that he is athletic enough to handle a move to another position (corner OF was suggested) if he can't handle the defensive responsibilities behind the plate long-term.

Very cool. Thanks for the heads up rpms6! As for remaining draftees other than Wooley & Weeks, Garrett Bussiere would be atop my wish list. It would be nice to sneak in a Ayers, Meier, Zink and/or Maday somewhere, but I'm not counting on it. Almost everyone else is a DFE.

Nice post MB. I've always been a firm believer that good players will enjoy success at any level, no matter what the circumstances, if they're going to succeed later on. Again, it's all about making adjustments. So, if we expect guys like Parra, Sarfate, Wilhelmsen & others to succeed, why not use every level in our organization? As happy as I am to see Mike Jones pitching well at AA, part of me is concerned that the organization didn't want him stepping foot in High Desert. Even if that was only 1% of the decision to have Jones skip A+, we really should get rid of High Desert as an affiliate (with all due respect to the Mavericks organization). If a few of Beloit's starters do get bumped up, I'd really like to see how that High Desert team fares in the 2nd half. I personally think they could turn their season completely around.

Igor, I ran down some of the most promising '04 prospects, particularly the college pitchers, in an earlier thread (WAY before BA got to it http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif ): pub123.ezboard.com/fbrewe...=433.topic Rice is loaded with talent. They could have 3 starters go in the first round, and they always have a sleeper or two.

With both Carpenter & Ballouli also scheduled to come back soon, you would think some promotions to High Desert are on the way as well. I wouldn't have expected it, but it does seem as though the team needs to make some space. I guess given his age & inexperience, I would be mildly surprised to see Wilhelmsen called up, but moving Parra & Sarfate up wouldn't be that big of a stretch given their added experience at the JC level. A couple of promising arms certainly would look good in High Desert, and might even help them turn around their season dramatically. And where's Steitz? He reportedly was in Beloit on the DL while being monitored. Is he too waiting for a spot to jump in? And the Cubs thought they had a glut of pitchers http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif .

Given a few personal ties, I would like to congratulate Justin Barnes & Dana Eveland for a very impressive pro debut. Great to see the Pioneer League up & running. At what point do Richardson & Henderson get bumped up to Beloit, or further given their past experience at that level? That may help guys like Eveland see more time in the rotation.

I'd love to get a copy of that video Pudster. I'll try to remember to drop you an email within the next couple of days. As for Weeks, I don't think this has been mentioned, but Jim Powell had Drew Olson & Adam McCalvvy on the pre-game show tonight talking about the Brewers' future in general. Much of the discussion was focused on Rickie Weeks & what he can alone add to the organization. I believe Drew Olson noted that he was receiving a lot of emails from people familiar with Rickie urging the Brewers & their fans to be patient with Weeks, noting how raw he was & how he likely would need more development time in the minors than many to most are projecting him to need. Basically, when & if he does sign, don't look for him in Huntsville anytime soon. I could see him starting in Beloit, and possibly being there again next year depending on when he signs & how much successs he has. And this goes back to the pre-draft rankings from here & elsewhere. As exciting as Weeks' offensive potential can be, it's important to realize that he's not as polished of a player as most people assume he is coming from the college ranks. That doesn't mean that he's not a good prospect, but as always it's important to keep perspective on the situation.

There aren't too many (if any) strong JC teams up north to impress upon Zink to attend, especially considering that he is looking for a solid education such as the one he undoubtedly will receive at UIC. Losing Northern players to 4-year programs is always an issue, as it takes a lot to sign these kids away from college. Heck, we almost lost Brad Nelson to Nebraska 2 years ago. While Zink may be passing on the opportunity to play pro baseball, it's hard to argue with his determination to attend a strong academic institution while also continuing his baseball career.

Jared Theodorakos-Baylor head coach Steve Smith recently told me that Jared is rehabbing his arm after shoulder surgery, and hinted that he probably will return to Baylor to improve his draft stock for next year. It sounds as though he'll need a good offer to sign, and I can't see the Brewers risking that kind of bread for a guy with shoulder problems. After thinking about this some more I realized that Jared was a senior this past year, and also found that he will be granted an extra year of eligibility so he can play next year as a redshirt 5th year senior, meaning the Brewers will control the rights to sign Mr. Theodorakos a week before next June's draft. This could be a rather astute pick for the Brewers, as they can watch & see how his shoulder rehabs over the next year. Of course, Baylor's season will have to end before a week before next June's draft, but since they're likely going to lose 3 of their star players in David Murphy, Chris Durbin & Steven White, they're going to have a tough time making it that deep in the NCAA playoffs.

11th rounder 3B Adam Heether signed today, and has been assigned to Helena. That's now 20 signed draft picks.

19 signings already? Wow, with 10 of those in the top 20. As bjkrautk noted, getting Hawk inked quickly is a good sign. I thought if he were going to sign him at all that it would take a good chunk of the summer to do so as a Cal St. Fullerton recruit. They might have had an agreement with him before the draft to give him the 6th-8th round money he was looking for later on. I also was encouraged by Montalbo's signing. Some of the remaining guys that I think will be tough: Garrett Bussiere-it doesn't seem as though his talent is in question, committed to Cal Taylor Meier-has already stated that he is leaning towards Central Florida Jared Theodorakos-Baylor head coach Steve Smith recently told me that Jared is rehabbing his arm after shoulder surgery, and hinted that he probably will return to Baylor to improve his draft stock for next year. It sounds as though he'll need a good offer to sign, and I can't see the Brewers risking that kind of bread for a guy with shoulder problems. Sheldon Catchot-maybe not as tough of a sign, but he too seems to be leaning towards college (Southeastern LA) at this time. Joe Ayers-Stanford guy, 'nuf said Daryl Maday-on the Zink thread & elsewhere, he's been happily committed to Arkansas for quite some time Ryan Zink-strongly leaning towards Chicago Keep 'em coming Jack!

Both Zink & Maday were courtesy drafts. Nice to see the Brewers give some local guys some love, even if it seems as though both are headed to college. Some players are draft eligible in their Sophomore years, but I don't know the exceptions to make them eligible. Sophomores that turn 21 within 45 days of the draft are eligible.

I apologize for getting to this late. 2 of these games are already under way...still plenty of time to catch the Indy & High Desert broadcasts. All times Central; pitchers subject to change; pre-game audio available approx. 15 minutes prior to game time listed... INDIANAPOLIS: RHP Pasqual Coco on the road vs. Syracuse (Blue Jays), 5:00 PM HUNTSVILLE: LHP Luis Martinez at home vs. Chattanooga (Reds), 2:00 PM HIGH DESERT: RHP Chris Saenz vs. Lake Elsinore (Padres), 7:05 PM BELOIT: Brewerfan.net favorite RHP Tom Wilhelmsen on the road vs. Clinton (Rangers), 2:00 PM

I can't go a week without getting ahead of myself http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif . As it stands right now, the Brewers will draft 3rd next June. The Padres are really stinking with a .286 winning percentage. Having seen them several times just a couple of weeks ago, it was quite evident that the Padres are REALLY going to struggle all season long. Here are the lowest winning percentages in the NL: Arizona: .468-projected 11th overall selection Florida: .460-projected 9th overall selection NY Mets: .458-projected 7th overall selection Pittsburgh: .424-projected 5th overall selection Milwaukee: .417-projected 3rd overall selection San Diego: .286-projected 1st overall selection As much as I love the Brewers' recent winning ways, I have a hard time believing they're going to make a strong push at .500. Having seen the Mets, I wouldn't be surprised to see them continue to spiral down. The Pirates have been dropping ever since the first week or two of the season, and Florida might lose some more of their productive players when (not if) they trade Mike Lowell among others. So, while we thought we would be drafting 1st overall next year, we could select anywhere from 3rd to 9th. And next year projects to be a good to great year for college pitching. Old Dominion RHP Justin Verlander, Long Beach State RHPJared Weaver (brother of Jeff) & Vanderbilt lefty Jeremy Sowers highlight a promising class. Rice has a trio of RHPs that could go in round 1 in Phillip Humber, Jeff Neimann & Wade Townsend. Notre Dame's RHP Grant Johnson will attempt to bounce back after missing all of this year after TJ surgery. Alan Horne was a high draft pick of the Indians a couple of years ago that attended Mississippi. Another lefty is at the top of the charts, Tyler Lumsden of Clemson. A couple of pitchers from smaller schools out East, Ross Ohlendorf of Princeton & Chris Lambert of Boston College, also highlight this class. Positional prospects include Florida State's SS Stephen Drew, Oklahoma State's & Wisconsin native C Jason Jaramillo, Arizona State's 1B/3B Jeff Larish, Auburn CF Seth Smith, Stanford C Donny Lucy, UCLA 1B Wes Whisler, and a trio of Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets: 2B Eric Patterson (brother of Corey), 1B (& RHP) Micah Owings & OF Jeremy Slayden. The talent at the high school level isn't quite as defined. There is no Lastings Milledge, Delmon Young or even Jeff Allison that was well known about years before they were draft eligible. That's not to say there isn't talent, but it probably will take a few of the bigger summer showcases for that talent to step forward. Here are the names that are well known, possibly highlighted by RHP Nick Adenhart: Adenhart (MD), SS/RHP Matt Bush (CA), CF Greg Golson (TX), RHP Blake Johnson (LA), RHP Kenn Kasparek (TX), RHP Tyler Kerstan (TX), 3B Jared Kubin (VA), LHP Chuck Lofgren (CA), 3B/RHP Steve Marquardt (WA), SS Chris Nelson (GA), LHP Mike Rozier (GA), RHP Homer Bailey (TX), OF Michael Taylor (FL), RHP Jason Corder (CA) & RHP Andy Gale (NH). My early favorite for our 1st rounder in '04: Jeremy Sowers, a LHP out of Vanderbilt that was one of my favorites in the '01 draft. I hope I don't jinx this selection almost a year out http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif , but there are plenty of promising players to keep an eye on. The college crop looks particularly exciting.

I already miss MassBrew's extensive 1-click coverage or our minor league system, starting with the Daily Menu each & every day. I'm not sure if the Clinton LumberKings have a broadcast off of their website, as I had some problems loading their homepage. Better luck to anyone else...if you want, blame it on my Mac http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif . www.lumberkings.com All times Central; pitchers subject to change; pre-game audio available approx. 15 minutes prior to game time listed... INDIANAPOLIS: RHP David Manning on the road vs. Syracuse (Blue Jays), 6:00 PM HUNTSVILLE: RHP Jeff Robinson makes his AA debut at home vs. Chattanooga (Reds), 7:05 PM HIGH DESERT: LHP Chad Petty looks to lower his 108 ERA in his 2nd start as a Brewers farmhand vs. Lake Elsinore (Padres), 9:05 PM BELOIT: LHP Manny Parra on the road vs. Clinton (Rangers), 7:00 PM

Weeks to be at Miller Park to take BP on Saturday & address the media: milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com...p&c_id=mil Not sure if this will happen when the team takes BP, but it sure would be a nice treat if he did when our good friend MB is in town!!! As for assignments, Corporan & Fermaint are assigned to Arizona with Slack, McKenna, Deevers & Lewis all being assigned to Helena.

don't forget our strongholds in South Africa and Germany. How could I forget DHonks? If only we can use the Alaska bridge to take over the Pacific Rim, while continuing our efforts in Europe & South Africa, we could soon own the world..

As I noted on a different thread, be sure to check back regularly to the draft page for signing updates. I'm also still in the process of receiving information on the kids we selected, so be sure to keep your eyes open for profile & link updates as well. An interesting note from the link on Joe Ayers/Zach Kohan: Ayers and Kohan were among four Alaskans selected in this year's two-day draft, with three of the four picks going to the Brewers. Former Dimond High School right-handed pitcher Brian Montalbo, a University of California-Berkeley junior, was picked in the seventh round by the Brewers on Tuesday, when the first 20 rounds of the 50-round draft took place. On Wednesday, former Wasilla High School right-handed pitcher Roy Friesen, who just finished his sophomore year at Columbia Basin Community College in Washington, was taken in the 33rd round by the Florida Marlins. One reason for Milwaukee's interest in Alaska players is because one of the three main cross-checkers - upper-level scouts - for the Brewers is Tommy Allison, who attended Susitna Valley High School near Talkeetna and played American Legion baseball for Bartlett. 3 or 4 Alaskans selected were taken by the Brewers. This is like the board game Risk. We now have Alaska, and have a pretty firm hold on Arizona the past couple of years. We're taking over California in the Area Code games and both our GM & assistant GM are Canadians. If only we can use the Alaska bridge to take over the Pacific Rim, while continuing our efforts in Europe & South African, we could soon own the world...http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif . Speaking of Ayers, he's a very intriguing athlete, although it looks like we won't have a chance to sign him as a Stanford recruit. The Braves have already signed their first 4 picks, 6 out of their top 7 & 10 out of their first 17. Amazing job by the Braves, as it's hard to find a better drafting team. I personally think one of the biggest steals in the draft is going to be Brad Sullivan by the A's. They always seem to nab some dang good talent by being patient & letting the draft fall to them. Having Sullivan fall was a gift, and you know that out of all teams the A's know how to treat young pitching. For Brian, Robert & all of the A's disciples out there, I'm sure you'll be enjoying Sullivan in the starting rotation within a year or two. KC did a great job signing their first two picks, Chris Lubanski & Mitch Maier, for a total of $3 million. They also landed talented college OF prospect Shane Costa & Puerto Rican 3B Miguel Vega, whom was rumored to be their projected 2nd first round pick. IMO, a good draft for the Royals, at least early.

Am I correct that five have signed so far? cress, and everyone else for that matter, be sure to check back regularly to the draft page for signing, report & link updates. The draft coverage is far from over!