colbyjack

I've read a few of the recent posts that I believe you are referring to molitor fan, and while your point is understood, it still remains important to take stats in rookie ball with a grain of salt, especially from college players. I know several people, myself included, have said that they are encouraged by the numbers pitchers such as Nelson, Thornburg, Miller and Ross have been posting this summer, but that we need to take a wait and see approach to see how well those numbers translate moving forward. And those numbers work both ways, good and bad, as it's also important not to get too discouraged by a player that should be posting good numbers when they don't (like Kyle Heckathorn last year). Basically, you can point to the age fact as much as you want, but I've followed enough Tony Festa's to know better.

Man, I've been burned a few times this year when it comes to weather, which always reminds me how much I love the roof at MP.

I don't think I'm going to make it this evening. I'm not so sure anyone else will be either. http://radar.weather.gov/...overlay=11101111&loop=no

I'm sure Mass will have the new link report details up soon, but I wanted to point out that the Appleton area may be getting some rain this afternoon. I had planned on taking my son with me to tonight's game, but I'm not sure I want to risk a rainout since it takes an hour and a half each way for me to get there. Any Fox Valley-ites out there? What's the weather look like up der hey?

Seeing Lawrie on that list is pretty exciting. We all knew it was coming, but it's another sign that he's on the cusp of contributing at the big-league level. While many consider Prince's departure a matter of when and not if this offseason, you have to wonder where Lawrie breaks in at the big leagues. If Lawrie continues to force the issue next season, does his progression mean that the Brewers may be less likely to make as hard of a push towards a Weeks extension? And since the Brewers have the priority pick at second base (which makes me assume the team plans to continue to develop Lawrie at that position), where does Farris play? It would be nice to see him get some time at SS and wherever else to increase his versatility and overall value. I like seeing all of the relievers too. We've talked about it before, but it's crucial for a team like the Brewers to develop a cheap yet effective bullpen (like the Padres) in-house, and it's nice to see more and more names that they can choose from.

The Sounds are facing Brandon McCarthy this evening in Oklahoma City, and Gamel so far is 0-for-3 with 3 Ks. Farris on the other hand is 3-for-3 with 3 stolen bases.

I wasn't trying to infer that Odorizzi was underrated because Kelly was overrated. My point is that Odorizzi would be viewed completely different if he played for a more nationally prominent organization, including Glassey's Mariners. I stand by my point that there is no way, no how that Odorizzi is a borderline top 100 prospect.

I want to ask a legitimate question: What's the difference between Jake Odorizzi and Casey Kelly, especially where Kelly was a year ago at this time? Odorizzi has been brought along more slowly, but he too was not only a two-way impact performer in high school, but also excelled in football as well. He may not have been a high profile QB recruit (Odorizzi played WR, and committed to play baseball for Louisville), but the profile as a pitcher is almost exactly the same. Both have good, not great size, athletic, fluid deliveries and pitch mostly in the 88-92 range with the ability to touch a few ticks higher than that. Based on Kelly's report from last year's BA handbook, Odorizzi's curve is probably ahead of Kelly's, at least at this time last year, while Kelly's changeup was a step ahead. Kelly was ranked 21, 21 and 14 overall by Jim Callis, Will Lingo and John Manuel in their individual top 50 prospect lists. Odorizzi was drafted two slots lower than Kelly (signing for $2M less), and has been brought along a little more patiently, but really, what's the difference between the two? Is the difference great enough for Odorizzi to be considered a fringe top 100 prospect while Kelly is (or at least was) considered one of the top pitching prospects in all of baseball? I'm not trying to be too big of a homer, but Odorizzi should be a legit top 100 prospect, and off the top of my head should fit somewhere in the 50-65 range. If he were a Red Sox farmhand, or some other more prominent nationally recognized team, he wouldn't be classified as "borderline" anything.

sheetskout wrote: Hooray! Comments? http://www.baseballameric...-sheet/2010/2610581.html Some of my peers didn't think he deserved this considering his last start and some other performances this week. *** I know sheetskout already provided a link to this, but since we have this running thread I figured I would add the pictures of this week's #1 player, currently gracing BA's homepage, here: http://www.baseballamerica.com/images/jodorizzi10428309bm.jpg

There isn't really anyone else on the cusp of contributing, but there is a thread about former Brewers draftees with more details of some of the more talented ones: http://forum.brewerfan.net/viewtopic.php?t=10508 Rick Hague is probably the biggest name of these players, recently drafted in the early rounds by the Nationals. Scott Shuman has been dealing for the Rays team in the MWL. Chad Bell (Rangers), Aaron Tullo (Angels), Marcus Knecht (Blue Jays) Andrew Clark (Rangers) and Chase Reid (Cardinals) are off to good starts in the lower levels and have promise to creep towards the big-leagues. Lex Rutledge, Kyle Winkler, Geno Escalante, Kyle Hanson and Calvin Drummond are all still in college. Winkler played for Team USA this past summer and I believe Rutledge was part of the TUSA trials, but didn't make the final roster. Escalante hit pretty well in limited time in the Northwoods League.

I've always found it weird when they hand out what would seem to be postseason awards during the season, but Trout was already named the MWL MVP: http://www.minorleaguebas..._l118&fext=.jsp&sid=l118 And I agree trwi7, Merklinger has no business in A ball. It's difficult to gauge how impressive he's been given his age.

Actually colbyjack, courtesy of Steve Wendt, here's your rotation for the "TV" series. Remember folks, these games will be available both live and archived for subscribers -- Thanks Mass (and Steve). When I saw Cravy's name listed as the starter today I figured everyone would be bumped back a day. I still look forward to catching Miller, although Thornburg was the one I really wanted to get a read on. Thanks also to Chris for providing the probable pitching rotation for the upcoming home series for the T-Rats. I hope to make it Tuesday for Odorizzi's next start. Packers game tonight Jim...hopefully it's not too quiet around here despite the lack of a Brewers game http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif.

This was a very realistic discussion about 15 years ago, and I honestly didn't know who I would root for. No way could I ever root for any Chicago team, but I really respect the Twins organization from top to bottom. I also remembering thinking that if the Brewers did leave you would think they would almost immediately become a AAA city. If so, I would root for that team, and probably whoever their parent club was. Unless it was a team I couldn't stand, like the Cubs or Cardinals (and that would have been a crushing double-whammy had it shaken out like that). Even then, I don't think I could ever get hardcore into a team from top to bottom like I do now, meaning I probably wouldn't have followed the other affiliates like I do currently.

Just curious...Why was Braunie wearing a Brewers jersey at a Sounds game? That day the Sounds were wearing Brewers jerseys, with a Nashville patch on the left sleeve: http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y155/colbyjack/ryanbraun1-web.jpg

Maybe Invader has been as well. If so, welcome to the bandwagon. My bad Tedaldtada29, I do believe I was thinking of you. I meant to reply to a few of your other posts elsewhere in which you have defended this year's draft class, and while losing Covey really stinks, the early returns on the early college arms has been encouraging. Someone mentioned above that college pitchers should enjoy success in the Pioneer League, which I agree with, adding to your point about how important their progression will be heading into next year. I should also note that I was initially disappointed (somewhat) on this year's draft haul because it seemed far too conservative, so yes, I'm coming around http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif.

Very cool experiences. I've heard from a couple of co-workers that the Brewers were out and about yesterday due to the Selig statue. In 2007 my wife, oldest son (who was 1 years old at the time) and myself took a road trip to Nashville to check out Ryan Braun with the Sounds and David Price of Vanderbilt. At the Sounds game we went down by the field where the players were stretching. Braun was evidently cocky, through the process, and upon watching him warm up I thought there was no chance we could get him to take a picture with our son. As he walked back toward the dugout, both my wife and I yelled out, "Ryan," he looked at us, recognized that we were wearing Brewers gear, and came over, seemingly dropping his cockiness while putting a big smile on his face. My wife asked him if we could take a picture of him with our son, fully expecting him to just be a backdrop to the photo as my wife had our son in her arms. Ryan said something to the effect of "sure," held out his hands, to which my wife dumbfoundly handed our son to Braun, leading to this... http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y155/colbyjack/braunhenry-web.jpg I know I've shared this before, and I've had some pretty cool baseball experiences in my life, but this by far stands above and beyond any other. As he walked away I said something of the effect, "See you in Milwaukee," to which he flashed a confident smile. A month later Braun was called up.

Thornburg cruised through the first three innings this evening for Helena, retiring the first 9 batters he faced. He then proceeded to walk three batters in the 4th and gave up a solo shot to open the 5th, the only hit and run that he would allow in his 5 innings of work (his longest outing of his so-far pro career). Steve Wendt mentioned that Thornburg has been throwing in the mid-90s this summer (no radar gun available tonight) while tossing a spike curveball and what he called a 'bugs bunny' changeup. The Helena staff really has my interest piqued, and I believe it has been Invader that has been offering his support for the 2010 draft class even without Covey, which I'm starting to subscribe to (although I recognize that a college pitching heavy class better have good results in the Pioneer League). I followed Mass' suggestion to buy MiLB's TV package for the month to get the Chukars' feed this coming weekend. Being the dork that I am, I already mapped out the projected pitching matchups (assuming recent trends hold) for the Idaho Falls series for those that also want to see what these arms are all about: Fri: Frederickson/Nelson Sat: Miller Sun: Ross Mon: Cravy/Thornburg

I agree with Prior. He was the first real deal/complete package coming out of college before Strasburg, and while Strasburg consistently throws harder, Prior is just a few tickets behind him, with arguably a better overall repertoire at a similar point in their respective careers. Keep in mind that while Strasburg's mechanics have always drawn some skeptics, Prior's were always considered to be crystal clean. All the more reason to keep a close eye on Gallardo's innings too. Don't forget about cases like Dwight Gooden and Fernando Valenzuela who pitched marvelously over the course of several seasons before getting burned out by so many innings so early in their careers.

That certainly was fun to follow on a Tuesday night, as I had to turn down the Brewers game to tune in. He had a couple of back-to-back rough starts, so it's nice to see him rebound with an exclamation point, against a pretty tough Kernels team to boot. I hope to catch his next start when the T-Rats return home, although trying to figure out when that may happen is nearly impossible given their goofy pitching staff with seemingly little to no rhyme or reason.

Love the Pink Floyd/Animals vote, and you can't go wrong with almost any Led Zeppelin and The Beatles album. But this album changed everything about music for me at a key age in life: Primus, Frizzle Fry.

Nice story TH, but since you finished with the money comment, I think you missed a key question to Melvin and Seid.

Things certainly got better as the season progressed. I remember a lot of grumpy people around these parts in April and May, and for good reason. I wish some of the teams were playing better as a whole, as you would think the T-Rats in particular would be better than what they have been, but otherwise I don't care too much about where they fall in the standings, aside from being able to follow more games in the postseason. The numbers of arms, both in the bullpen and the starting rotation, creeping towards Milwaukee is impressive. I think a lot of guys have really snuck under the radar, and not only is building a strong starting staff internally important, it may be even more important for a team like Milwaukee to build a strong bullpen internally so they don't feel they have to go out and sign players like Riske, Hawkins and even Hoffman moving forward. Axford, Braddock, possibly Jeffress, Villanueva, Loe, McClendon and some combination of guys like Dillard, Hand, Lamontagne, Fiers and Kintlzer could all be contributing (cheaply) out of the bullpen in the next 1-2 years. Butler seems to provide good depth at the AAA level among the starters, while Rivas, Rogers, Jeffers and possibly even Peralta (at some point) could join him next year. Peralta, Scarpetta and Heckathorn could all open next year at AA, and the current low A ball staff will be one level higher, and many think Odorizzi is a candidate to spend next year at both high-A and AA. A pitcher out of Nelson, Thornburg and Miller could even get an aggressive placement out of spring training, or at least a mid-season callup. Gamel's recent surge and Lawrie's continued development are also huge. Cain and Lucroy developed to the point where they seem to be fixtures in CF and C, another huge development. The biggest disappointments of the season would seem to be Schafer (injury), Salome, Arnett and Covey. The situations for Schafer and Salome has been lessened due to the development of Cain and Lucroy. And I'm not sure the Brewers should take another pitcher in the first round ever again http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif.

Farris wasn't sent to Nashville just because he didn't have anywhere else to go. If the Brewers didn't think that highly of him, they wouldn't have challenged him with a 2-level jump. Just because some here may not consider him much of a prospect doesn't mean the Brewers view him the same way. I've always been under the impression they think quite highly of him actually. He did play SS his junior year in college, and while he positions himself and has the range to play SS, his arm is reportedly is pretty weak. I agree though that his value as a 2B only is limited. He could become a 25th man on a roster for his base-running abilities and as a situational pinch hitter, as he handles the bat pretty well. The rest of your bench would have to be pretty solid for that to happen, or even do something the Brewers haven't done for a long time in carrying 6 players on the bench and only 11 pitchers.

I think I mentioned this on the "what does the team have to do to have a successful season" thread, but I'd love to see the team get creative and give every starter a piggy-back candidate. There are easily 10 starters to do this with: Gallardo Parra Wolf Narveson Bush Capuano Rivas Butler Rogers Jeffress I left Scarpetta off just because he's in A+ ball currently, and seeing big-league time, despite the fact that he's on the 40-man, seems a little rushed. It may be a little difficult to get it into some of the veteran's heads to go along with this, since the young guys are the ones that are going to be competing for the other guy's jobs in the coming years. If you take it from a mentoring point of view and trying to do what's best for everyone's future, including keeping pitch counts down on arms like Gallardo's and Narveson's (and even Parra's for that matter), it would be hard for anyone to argue against it. Plus, in theory it would take some pressure off of the bullpen as well. And you could pair them so no one's feelings are hurt, such as Wolf with Capuano, as Wolf I'm guessing would be less distressed if there was a fellow vet (not to mention a classy guy) following him in a game that a young gun.

If one guy makes the draft does that mean losing that one guy breaks the draft. Unfortunately, yes. Not signing Covey was a huge disappointment. I can't really point the finger at either side for not getting it done, but it's unfortunate. It's nice to have two picks next year, but that's a lost year in development time, and could effect who/how the Brewers use those two first-round picks. Jim Callis of BA breaks down the teams by signing bonuses and what they spent from 2008-2010: http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/draft/?p=2928 Not surprising the Brewers spent the least of any team this year. With the $2M that likely would have signed Covey, they still would have only been 21st. Not terrible, but certainly not as aggressive as they have been in past years. They were 12th in '09 and 6th in '08, and both years they had extra picks. Overall they're 20th, 11th if Covey is signed at $2M. And as much as I give credit to teams like the Nationals and Pirates for signing the players they did take, and both teams were aggressive in doing so, they had to be pretty terrible to begin with to draft as high as they have been in recent years.