colbyjack

Last year quite a bit was made of the fact that the Brewers took two well-built college arms in last year's draft, although you really could only make that argument by looking at the profiles of two of their top three picks: The 6-foot-5, 230-pound Eric Arnett and the 6-foot-6, 225-pound Kyle Heckathorn. If you really wanted to, you could use the same reasoning to argue that the Brewers also are leaning towards sub-6-foot outfielders after taking Kentrail Davis and Max Walla with their second and fourth overall picks. This year the talent definitely favors big, college arms, and the development of a few pitchers once considered potential first-round picks, including North Carolina's Matt Harvey and Texas A&M's Barrett Loux, has given the top of the draft a few more power arms to choose from. Here are a few quick profiles of some of the top, big-bodied college pitchers that could go in the first round. I have not included LSU ace Anthony Ranaudo (6-foot-7, 230-pounds) because he has been injured, and even if he does fall to the Brewers pick, I don't expect them to take the Boras client who likely will command money comparable to what the first or second overall pick should get. I also haven't included Florida Gulf Coast LHP Chris Sale, who may be tall (6-foot-5), but isn't exactly big (175 pounds), who also is unikely to fall.. Drew Pomeranz - LHP - 6'5", 230 - Ole Miss3-0, 1.23 ERA, 5 games (all starts), 29.1 IP, 18 H, 49 K, 9 BBPomeranz has started the year strong, with a tough pre-conference schedule that included appearances against Tulane and Louisville. He has a fastball that can touch 95 and sits in the low-90s, and a good although inconsistent curveball. He needs to work on commanding the strike zone better, as he's averaging just over 100 pitchers per appearance but is averaging less than six innings per. This probably will be a moot point, as he is unlikely to make it to the Brewers pick. He pitched quite well for Team USA last summer, although he has a lot of innings on his arm already having been inserted as a weekend starter upon beginning his college career. Brandon Workman - RHP - 6'5", 220 - Texas3-1, 2.94 ERA, 5 games (all starts), 33.2 IP, 33 H, 33 K, 8 BBWorkman has one of the better power one-two punches available for this year's draft, with a power curveball similar to the one Ben Sheets possesses. His fastball sits in the low-90s and can touch the mid-90s. The pitch is a little on the straight side, and he hasn't had to throw a changeup much during his college career. While he can be unhittable when he's on (and he did throw a no-hitter last spring), he can also be quite hittable when he's not. Workman has been better during his two summer stints on the Cape than he has during his two years at Texas, where he has bounced between the bullpen and the starting rotation. Deck McGuire - RHP - 6'6", 225 - Georgia TechMcGuire has enjoyed a very successful career at GT, and was named the ACC pitcher of the year last season as a sophomore. He throws four good pitches, although I have yet to hear of an appearance where all four are working at the same time. I saw him pitch last year in the ACC tourney and he was 92-94 with his fastball with a very good, hard breaking curveball. He ran out of gas around the 5th and 6th innings, although he is quite accustomed to working deeper than that. As nice as his size looks as listed, he is a rather ordinary looking athlete and he may have already reached his potential. He's off to another good start this year, and as of right now I doubt he makes it to 14. Matt Harvey - RHP - 6'4", 225 - North CarolinaLike Workman, Harvey was a highly touted, early pick coming out of high school that fell a little in the draft and decided to head to college. He had a decent freshman year but really regressed as a sophomore. His stuff has always been good, but his mechanics have come into question as well in which some scouts wondered what happened to the electric pitcher they saw in pitcher, in which some debated who was better between he and Rick Porcello. His mechanics have been tweaked this year and he's back on track, although he is going to need to prove on a weekly basis that his command and overall control are indeed improved for good. His velocity is back as well, pitching in the 93-97 range with a killer slider. Jesse Hahn - RHP - 6'5", 200 - Virginia Tech4-1, 1.34 ERA, 5 games (all starts), 33.2 IP, 27 H, 29 K, 6 BBHarvey and Hahn were teammates in high school, and now offer two of the more lively arms available for this year's draft. Hahn hasn't been used much as a starter prior to this year as he has struggled with control, and has been unable to polish his secondary stuff. He has tightened up his breaking ball and stretch out his arm, and is now throwing in the low-90s deep into ballgames with the ability to reach the upper 90s in shorter stints. His control has been impressive this year, with only six walks in 33.2 innings, although he isn't blowing batters away (29 strikeouts) like his stuff may lead you to believe. Sammy Solis - LHP - 6'5", 230 - San Diego3-1, 2.51 ERA, 5 games (all starts), 28.2 IP, 25 H, 30 K, 9 BBSolis missed most of the 2009 season after straining his lower back while lifting weights. He is fully healthy and back pitching at full strength. His former pitching coach, Eric Valenzuela, who is now at San Diego State, told me earlier this spring that Solis really reminds him of current San Diego Padre Aaron Poreda. Solis pitches comfortably in the low-90s and can touch 95. He has three good pitches, although it's rare that all three are working for him at the same time. As a big lefty, comparisons to former Torero Brian Matusz are inevitable, but Solis doesn't have the same repertoire and is more of a pure, power pitcher. Kyle Blair - RHP - 6'4", 220 - San Diego2-1, 3.99 ERA, 5 games (all starts), 29.1 IP, 25 H, 36 K, 13 BBBlair, like Workman, has looked and performed a lot better during the summer wood bat leagues, including last summer in which he was one of the Cape's better arms. He has good size, but is a little on the soft side, and while he can pitch in the low-90s with the ability to touch the mid-90s, he falls in love with his breaking ball way more than he should. He's at his best spotting his fastball and then putting batters away with his slurve. His control seems to be regressing as well, as he is walking far too many batters over the last calendar year. Barrett Loux - RHP - 6'5", 220 - Texas A&M3-1, 1.29 ERA, 5 games (all starts), 28 IP, 19 H, 47 K, 8 BBAfter Loux's freshman year, many expected him to be a first-round pick for this year's draft. His sophomore season didn't go as well, as he entered the spring as one of the Aggies' weekend starters and struggled somewhat. The entire team struggled in fact, as BA had them as the #1 college team to open the 2009 season. Loux is back and throwing very well this year, as he sits in the low-90s and maintains his velocity very well. He still needs to hone his breaking stuff (he throws both a curveball and a slider) and his changeup, but he can dominate a game with his fastball alone. Georgia Tech closer Kevin Jacob is also a big-bodied RHP (6-foot-6, 235-pounds), and LHP James Paxton (6-foot-4, 215-pounds) would also fit into this discussion if he hadn't left Kentucky after the NCAA had withheld him from competition for not filling out their questionnaire regarding his relationship with his agent (Scott Boras). The talent this year definitely favors pitching, both among the college and prep ranks, and after last year, I would expect the Brewers eventual pick to be among the name listed above.

Amaury Rivas - the closest thing to starting help the team has Zach Braddock - stay healthy big fella Jonathan Lucroy - as noted by plenty of others, the Brewers need a young catcher that can hit Mark Rogers - hopefully he takes another step forward this year Nick Bucci - the Brewers have raved about this kid, he could move quick The last spot came down to Bucci and Jake Odorizzi. It's pretty much about pitching for me, since the big-league team needs to start grooming a lot more internal options.

I don't mean to take anything away from Fiers' performance yesterday, but a right-handed pitcher that throws 89-92 is pretty average. That last fastball he threw was straight as an arrow, right down the pipe in between the knees and the belt. Good MLB hitters crush that pitch. He did set it up well, keeping hitters honest with that curveball that showed really nice break. I agree that his changeup appeared to be a legit third pitch, but he is on the old-ish side for a prospect, so the Brewers may be trying to put him in a position to advance quickly. And if he throws 89-92 in relief, he would probably throw 87-88 as a starter. Regardless of that, he did look good, and he is definitely due for a bump on my own personal P50 list. I agree that Dillard looked good as well with his new arm angle. He also looked more trim than how I remembered him.

I'm going to do my best not to pimp my personal site that much here, but I do want to make people aware that I have both a Facebook page and a YouTube page in place for my 5 Tool Talk venture. I welcome you to join both pages as it's the best way for me to make people aware of updates as they are posted. In addition to a recent trip I took to Las Vegas to check out Bryce Harper, LeVon Washington and several other intriguing draft-eligible players (I apologize for the video quality from this event, they were taken from my iPhone, as I intend to tote a better video camera with me moving forward), I hope to take a trip later this month to Tennessee to catch some combination of players including Anthony Ranaudo, Bryan Morgado, Blake Forsythe, Micah Gibbs, Leon Landry, Logan Darnell, Chris Bisson and Bryce Brentz. Also a reminder that all of my updates and observations moving forward, including top prospect rankings, will be there, and not here like in past years. I do not have a forum in place (yet), so I intend to still talk about draft stuff here for those interested. Thanks for your support!

I was out in Las Vegas the past few days to check out the Coyote Slugout. Sorry I didn't announce my plans as it would have been nice to have met a fellow 'netter in Vegas. I took a bunch of pictures and some videos from the event. I spoke with CSN RHP Donn Roach and Chipola CF LeVon Washington, and you'll be able to find those stories in the usual places over the next few days. As good as Harper is, the event over the weekend was absolutely loaded with talent. Tyler Hanks really did light up radar guns, but his FB was as straight as an arrow, and I didn't like how visibly upset he would get on the mound with how the umpiring crew handled the strike zone. The Chipola dugout also yelled out "bush-league" when he barely jogged to first base after fielding an easy come-backer. I'm moving this thread to the draft forum since Harper has more to do with this year's draft then the minor leagues.

This is a pretty good resource: http://www.sportslogos.net/team.php?id=64 It doesn't have the Home to Heroes patch, or the All-Star Game one, but it may help remind you of a few others. The Iron Workers patch was the first one that came to mind.

I definitely agree that Selig deserves whatever honor he receives, but a statue seems odd, and putting that statue next to Aaron and Yount's seems even more odd to me. As others have mentioned, if the team feels that a statue of him (or a bust, which I agree would be a better way to honor him) is the way to go, find somewhere else to put it. Place it down the third base line by the Hot Corner, in front of Helfaer Field, or somewhere inside the stadium, but not as you walk in through the main gate next to the city's/team's finest players. I just can't wrap my head around this. It's just weird, and there must be some reason for the team wanting to kiss his butt (there always is), and it likely is coming from the top.

Any suggestions for a family of four traveling to Memphis? I hope to head there in late March, and will have a 4-year old and an 11-month old in tow. And yes, I am aware that Graceland is located there http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif. Thanks in advance!

I always seem to pin my hopes on catchers, which is probably why I've been especially excited for Lucroy's development. I remember thinking/hoping that one of Kade Johnson and/or Jason Belcher would solve the teams woes at catcher before Lou Palmisano generated his own wave of excitement. Both Johnson and Belcher's careers were plagued by injury, as Belcher in particular hit well enough at each level he played (I think he topped out at AA, so he was at least getting close even though by then I think his days as a catcher were over). That's a huge reason why I don't want to see Lucroy or Salome traded, because you just never know what is going to happen, and having depth at the position is an enviable position. Mass, no Allen Levrault? If you go before Brewerfan's creation, I thought both Santiago Perez and Kevin Barker would become fixtures on the team's infield. I also thought Jim Tatum would become the best hitter of the Nilsson/Jaha/Tatum trio that tore up the Texas and Pacific Coast Leagues in the early 90s. George Canale was a monumental disappointment http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif.

I am flabbergasted at people's opinion of Escobar's upside. I feel like he still has a lot to work on but he has improved pretty much every year since he was signed, why would he stop now? I agree. Escobar has gotten better and better as he has moved up, which is usually a good sign of even better things to come. I agree that he probably will never have much power, but he has changed from a complete light-weight to someone that can drive the ball over the fence from time to time. His patience needs work, but that's certainly not uncommon for a young hitter. It sounds to me that Law just doesn't care for Escobar for his own reasons, and I can't really argue against that. And I don't see how Lucroy not having star potential should take that much away from his status as a prospect. He's still one of the better catching prospects out there, and just having a good all-around catcher, both offensively and defensively, is nothing to scoff at so easily. Overall I do like Law's analysis. I find myself disagreeing with him a lot, and there are sometimes that he seems to get sloppy with his own analysis (as noted in 804Sox' assessment of why you would think Law would like Escobar more than he does). I remember before Brett Lawrie was drafted Law made a comment about how Lawrie's biggest question mark would be how well he translated to wood. Canadian players use wood bats, and that was after Lawrie went on his power binge (with a wood bat) playing against minor league and Dominican players during a Florida tour with a Canadian ballclub. However, Law is well connected, and not only does he see a lot of these players on the field, both at the minor league and amateur level, but he also talks to a ton of people in the industry. He's also not shy about sharing his opinion, and that of course generates more interest.

I may be facing a similar situation, and was wondering what constitutes a pre-existing condition, and how does that work if you are simply changing employers and not paying for your own insurance? Do things like a skin disorder or sleep apnea count as a pre-existing condition?

I just learned on good authority that the speculation on the JSOnline board is correct.

This signing reminds me of the day the Brewers drafted him. The A's were pegged, I believe drafting one spot ahead of the Brewers in 1999, to be a lock to take Sheets if he fell that far. The A's signed catcher Gerald Laird as a draft-and-follow a few days before the draft for a pretty hefty seven-figure deal, and went with Barry Zito (which obviously still turned out to be a great pick) on draft day, who signed for significantly less than slot. The Brewers were prepared to take Brett Myers, but were elated to have Sheets fall to their spot (I think at #10). I only bring this up because there's a good chance that Billy Beane has been pining for Sheets ever since. We've seen it with Melvin and former Rangers he was involved with, and it's something that is quite frequent across MLB. I'm happy as heck for Sheets to land that kind of money for not even pitching last year, and even more happy that he didn't sign with the Cubs.

Maximizing his earnings...it seems unlikely he's going to lose anything by not settling now, it seems the offer will still be there in a few days. That's the idea, but he hasn't been very smart about it. For a guy who seems to be motivated by money, a conversation usually ruled by the Scott Boras clients of the world, he certainly hasn't been motivated enough to have that dedication translate to the baseball field. And I don't say that implying that he is unmotivated as a baseball player, but right now, after going through two consecutive disappointing seasons, he's the type of player that should sign for "market value" and focus on what he needs to do to truly garner that big pay-day very soon. Both he and the Brewers will be better off when that happens.

I've been keeping tabs of the draft order all season over at 5 Tool Talk. Also, it was the focus on my weekly column at PG Crosschecker. Don't be sending traffic to a Yankees fan site http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif.

Second, he spent the season in Brevard which is notorious for suppressing hitters numbers; for reference, Schafer posted a .815 OPS there this year, Taylor Green posted a .825 OPS there, and Mat Gamel posted a .850 OPS. It was also better than the OPS that Cain posted at Brevard at the same age. Schafer was the one player whose eventual ranking surprised me. I don't mean to say that he's overrated, but I do need to be more convinced to see what he can do at AA, and hopefully AAA, this coming season. Keep in mind that Gamel and Green both enjoyed huge seasons at Brevard County a couple of years younger than Schafer. Overrated? Well... Escobar is a fantastic defensive SS and he can hit for average, however his walk rate at AAA was lower than Brendan Katin. He's very good, but if he is going to be even average offensively for a SS he will either need to develop a lot more power or walk a lot more. I don't mean to pick on you Louis, as I certainly have shared these thoughts about Escobar in the past. However, Escobar just keeps getting better and better as he moves up. That usually is a very good sign of very good things to come, as you rarely see good to great players regress as they move up. Power remains a concern, as do the walks, but again, he keeps getting better in those areas while staying strong in the speed/defense department. Talent can overcome any obstacle as long as the player shows the acumen to make the proper adjustments, which of course is what the game is all about. I think Jeremy Jeffress is the most underrated, although he deserves to be underrated. Clearly people wouldn't have placed him where they did if it weren't for the suspensions. The most truly underrated, even on my own list, are both Scarpetta and Peralta. Peralta may have the best arm in the system, and Scarpetta has to be the most well known Brewers prospect not ranked in the top 10. You can't hold the fact that Peralta may wind up in the bullpen against him, as that clearly didn't stop people from ranking Braddock where they did. I'll throw in Nick Bucci into the underrated category as well, although I don't fault people too much for wanting to wait until he proves himself more at a full-season level this coming year.

Check the link provided above for the most recent draft order update. Jose Valverde, the last remaining unsigned Type A free agent, agreed to terms with the Tigers, and MLB Trade Rumors reported yesterday that Type B free agent Brian Shouse signed a minor league deal with the Red Sox over a week ago (which means the Rays get no draft pick compensation). Rod Barajas and Joel Pineiro are the only two remaining free agents that could effect the draft order.

I have to believe that Alomar, and even Larkin, didn't get voted in because there now is skepticism for everyone that enjoyed significant success in the 90s due to steroids (and of course his career ended in 2003/04 when the steroid issue truly blew up, and I think he allegedly was on the list that was never fully released to my knowledge). Alomar is the second or third best second baseman of all time that I can think of, behind Joe Morgan and Rogers Hornsby, although I'm sure I'm forgetting someone. I too thought he was a lock to get in on the first try, and if not the steroid era skepticism, I think people just forgot how good he was. Injuries plagued Larkin's career, but he put up some really impressive numbers as a shortstop. I thought he had a pretty good chance as a first ballot HOFer too, although not as strong as Alomar's. EDIT: I reminded myself of a few other good 2b like Nap Lajoie, Eddie Collins, Jackie Robinson and Ryne Sandberg. Still, Alomar is one of the best of all-time, and one of the most complete.

There's nothing wrong with a Target gift card. They are very helpful for the endless trips to the store for the items everyone else mentioned above. I agree that the essentials usually are more valued by the parents (well, at least the dads) than cute outfits. May I suggest taking your brother and the mom something to eat? Mom should get her food for free from the hospital, but I know I only got one meal the days I was in for my two kids. A couple of subs, a bucket of chicken or a pizza would probably be appreciated more than you would think.

This is the time of year where you really start to appreciate what Baseball America does, because they really are unmatched in their prospect knowledge. How Gamel is left off without even an explanation, how Arnett's stuff was largely vanilla-ized and how Peralta "has a great fastball but little else to work with" are glaring errors that shows the writer didn't thoroughly do his homework.

Which highway? I-94 East and West were terrible in both directions, from Waukesha County into Milwaukee County. "Cars piled up left and right" may have been an exaggeration, but there were quite a few cars that had spun out and a few fender benders. There isn't a ton of snow, but what is on the ground is super slick. They are now saying that it will take 45 minutes to go from Moreland to Hwy 100 on I-94 East. I know some people aren't in a position to stay home, but that's just crazy. The commute home is going to be a nightmare.

Cars are piled up left and right on the highway, with some people out there apparently thinking that driving 50 mph in this stuff, when everyone else is going 20-25, is safe. Be safe out there, and stay home if you can.

Nope, nope and nope.

The timing is odd for it to be a pending free agent signing, as there isn't any reason to clear the space to sign a free agent since such moves are usually made after the player is signed (after all, they have to take a physical to make it official). If there is something in the works, I'm guessing it's a trade, with either prospects going for a proven player or some combination that creates a need for one extra 40-man roster spot. EDIT: I could see it being cleared for an impending waiver/roster claim.

Meet the 2010 NL Central favorites. Our chances to win the division just dropped big time. The way I see it, the Cardinals already had Holliday, so it's not like they're getting better by re-signing him. It's more like they're having a sigh of relief that they didn't lose him, and they're pretty lucky since he probably would have been in a lot greater demand any other year. Plus, as already noted, there's a good chance the Cardinals regret this deal in 3-4 years. They now have a lot of money tied up into two players, which likely will hamper the other kinds of moves they are going to be able to make moving forward. They're still the team to beat, but re-signing Holliday didn't suddenly destroy the chances in 2010 for the Brewers or any other NL Central hopeful contender.