colbyjack

The fall through winter and into the spring months offer quite a few different beer varieties that I really enjoy trying different kinds. Oktoberfest beers are among those favorites, and this year my favorite was Bell's, although it was a little hard to come by (I could find it at a gas station by work but not at many to most of the liquor stores I frequent by my house). Capital's Oktoberfest was a close second, and was very similar to Bell's. Onto the winter brews. As TLB noted, Capital's Skal is a very good winter brew, and Sierra Nevada's Celebration Ale is as good as I remember it. I picked up a 6-pack of New Belgium's 2 below today based on the recommendations here and look forward to giving that a try. I got a quarter-barrel of Riverwest Stein for the Thanksgiving festivities (that didn't last long), and capped off the holiday with a trip to Lakefront on Black Friday.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y155/colbyjack/amaury_rivas-1.jpg Amaury Rivas It's that time of year again. The AFL season is over, Baseball America has already released their top prospect list, and the newest Power 50 is up and likely won't be revised until before the beginning of the 2010 season. It's time for you to contribute to the 2010 top prospect fan poll. Here's last year's finished product for reference: 2009 Top Prospect Fan Poll And here's the thread that discussed some of the individual entires and overall philosophies in how those selections were made: 2009 Top Prospect Fan Poll Discussion Here's how it works: Compile a list of who you feel the Brewers top 20 prospects are. Be sure not to include any player that has already accumulated 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched at the big-league level. Also, prospects over the age of 26 are also not eligible (for instance, Adam Heether is not eligible for this exercise). When done email that list (or send a PM) to me at this email address: pebert@brewerfan.net I will assign values in reverse order of the rankings, with 20 points given to every first-place vote and one point assigned to every 20th place vote. The prospect with the most points will receive the highest ranking. You have until Thursday, December 31st to submit your list. Ideally I would like to receive 50 submissions, so please make sure to get your in to me as soon as you can so I don't have to keep extending the cut-off date. I'm adding a new twist this year. I'm asking any and everyone that has the opportunity to get out and see these young players perform live and in person to submit their favorite pictures to go along with their top prospect submissions, similar to the one I have added to the top of this post. The winning photo, which will be determine by yours truly, will receive the proper recognition and I'll even try to dig up a prize from my deep collector's vault to reward your efforts. All of the photos submitted may be used for future homepage features (again, providing similar recognition to the provider). Please note in your email what your board name is. Thanks in advance for your participation!

Great points Mass. Going off of your points, I think the best policy to take when interacting with people online is to talk to them as though you were talking live and in person. I don't think 99% of our problematic posts (and posters) would occur if people followed that advice. It's easy to be an internet bully, or even someone that can't simply let a subject die without feeling as though they won when there are no consequences other than being banned. I agree that many "celebrity" posters have to understand that they are going to be targeted, and would be wise to grow thicker skin when they put themselves on the line for criticism. On the flip side, I do think these posters should also be cut a little more slack, as they offer insight and information that most to all of the rest of us can't.

What the heck is the point of all of the arguing back and forth? It seems as though people (or one person) is arguing for the sake of arguing. Whatever your point may be, please drop it. This thread has taken a turn for the worse over the last day or two. If you want to continue your debate, take it to private messaging or email. People have already brought it up but I'm going to say it again: The Brewers are in a great position in that they have two talented catching prospects that are on the cusp of playing in the big-leagues. That is a great problem to have, regardless of your preference between the two. I don't know why that has drawn as much venom as is has.

I keep in contact with Eric Valenzuela, who was the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator for the University of San Diego that in the past few months has left that post to take a similar position under Tony Gwynn at San Diego State. I spoke with Eric yesterday mostly regarding that move, and he informed me that Josh Romanski would be showing up to Valenzuela's offseason workouts in the next week or two, along with fellow organizational mate and former Torero, Josh Butler. Overall the players, particularly the pitchers, that have pitched under Valenzuela's tutelage (including Orioles' top prospect Brian Matusz) have been pretty loyal to him, deciding to join him at his camp at SDSU as opposed to the ones held at USD (there's no hard feelings between Valenzuela and his former employer, head coach Rich Hill). Romanski reportedly is fully healthy and has been rehabbing hard to get himself back into pitching strength for the spring. We haven't had much of a taste for what he can do, since he missed all of this last year and hardly played in 2008 (and IIRC he still hasn't taken the mound), but he's definitely a prospect worth noting that could be somewhat of a sleeper to watch next season. I hope to get some reports to how hard, or at least how well, he's throwing once he takes the mound in San Diego and will be sure to share anything that comes to my attention.

As Tedaldtada29 expressed, welcome aboard TheGoldenGreek. I recognized your name from the SoxProspects board, as I visit that forum from time to time having worked and conversed with a few of those guys previously. It's always nice to have fellow draftniks aboard to talk prospects. I haven't seen much of Brentz to be honest, just a few short videos mostly from his time spent with Team USA last summer and a few from Middle Tennessee State. Some people seem to love him, others seem to be taking a wait and see approach since his level of competition isn't the greatest. That said, neither was Markakis' at Young-Harris JC. I do think Brentz has very good bat speed with obvious upside offensively. I know some scouts still like him as a pitcher as well (again, similar to Markakis, which could be a fairly astute comparison, minus the handedness), but I think after posting insane numbers last year most view Brentz as an outfielder. He seems to be a guy that at this point in time is a first or second round pick, but with another big spring could put himself in the discussion for the top 10-15 overall picks. Since you're from Indiana, as Brewers fan, we would love to get your thoughts on Eric Arnett. I saw him pitch a few times last spring, and was pretty happy to hear his name called when the Brewers' first-round pick came up. There's not much to see in the Twin Cities this year. Your best bet is to hit some Gophers games, either when they host the Dairy Queen Classic over the weekend of March 5-7 (Loyola Marymount, Northwestern and Oklahoma State will be coming to town), or when Michigan comes to town a couple of months later (OF Ryan LaMarre could be an early round pick). Mike Kvasnicka is the Gophers best prospect, and a player I covered closely in the NWL this past summer. All of the scouts and coaches I spoke to loved Kvasnicka's athleticism and body type, but they were all split as to whether or not they think he will hit the ball consistently with wood. One scout pointed out to me that he has multiple holes in his swing. The prep players that could go in the early-ish rounds include Champlin Park teammates Tyler Ockuly (RHP) and Tyler Smith (LHP). Mark Tatera (IF/C from Eagan) is the other notable prep player in the area. If Ohio State was traveling to Minneapolis, I would strongly suggest you get out to see Alex Wimmers, who has a good shot going in the first round, possibly among the top 15-20 picks. I hope to travel to Evanston to see him pitch against Northwestern on Good Friday.

O'Conner is #18 on my top 50 prospect list, so I'm a big fan of his as well. I may try to get down to Muncie, or the closest city he plays in to Milwaukee, to see him pitch live and person next spring. He reminds me a lot of J.J. Hardy, in that he isn't overly flashy at the position but looks rock solid and also is a dual threat in that he can pitch pretty well too (which may draw some comparisons to recent SS/RHP prospects such as Casey Kelly and David Renfroe, although O'Conner isn't quite the overall athlete that Kelly is). His range is good, but not great, and that is going to cause the endless discussion as to where his future home may be, but if he keeps his current athleticism and doesn't stiffen up as he matures and adds more strength, there's no reason to move him off SS anytime soon. I agree, he has very good extension in his swing, and consistently makes hard contact. I'm not sure he would be quite the run producer that Longoria is, although I recognize you were comparing their swings more than their future production.

BA has their take on the signing today, with quotes from Brewers' Latin American coordinator.

Here's the picture on BA's homepage today: http://www.baseballamerica.com/images/aescobar09428309jw.jpg I always contend that the top prospect list shouldn't really be a hot sheet, so I would contend that there is no reason for not only Salome to fall as far as he did, but also Caleb Gindl and Taylor Green. I too wish that BA had all of their top prospect lists correspond with one another a little better, as it's hard to figure out how Salome and Gindl in particular, who both made the top 20 lists in the PCL and FSL respectively, are as low as they are. TH chats at 12:30. I don't even think I'll bother with any questions as we're not likely to learn anything we didn't already know. And I can guarantee that Richardson will be ranked the next time we edit the P50.

Looks like we have a free-swinger on our hands next year. I always warn people coming up with such conclusions after watching a young player in one game. As others have already noted, his patience is one of his best attributes based on the numbers he has posted so far during his minor league career. It was exciting seeing him gun down that runner. I was hoping he would get a chance to throw out some base-stealers, and despite average arm strength that we've heard about before, it was clear that his transfer, release and accuracy were as good as advertised.

I'm usually not a fan of chucking money at 16 year old prospects not named Bryce Harper, but we'll have to see how much they gave this kid. That's an interesting comment, since most people would complain that the Brewers aren't spending enough money (at least up until the last year or two) on the international free agent market. They're not all going to work out, but similar to draft prospects, if you don't spend money on talent it's going to cost you in the long run.

What I'm talking about is the Brewers making it obvious that they don't especially value him, which weakens their position in any trade involving him. I understand your point. I don't see how the Brewers under-value Salome. Comparing him to Hardy doesn't work for me since they were in a tough position in which Hardy's trade value was clearly low, and that has nothing to do with how the team valued him. And I would argue that Baseball America hasn't necessarily under-valued Salome or Gindl. They are the first to admit that both are unorthodox players for their size alone, yet they ranked Salome the Brewers' fifth best prospect a year ago and their eighth best two years ago. In addition, Salome was rated the PCL's 18th best prospect this past year and the Southern League's 17th best prospect after the 2008 season. I would say that is some pretty good recognition for him. Same for Gindl, who was rated the 16th best prospect in the FSL this best year (a loaded league) and the 18th best prospect in the Sally league last year. It's interesting how many people are coming to Salome's defense when so many seem to be suggesting we should trade him this offseason and hand Lucroy a big-league roster spot next spring. I really think it's a bad idea to part with either one, as that kind of depth at a difficult position to find talent at is a very good problem to have. Kentrail Davis is a little different story. He is an impact performer offensively that could have been a first-round pick this past year or after his senior year in high school. He may be short, but his tools jump out at you.

I figured it was time to kick off a thread dedicated to the 2010 draft. At some point in time I likely will add links to this thread to last year's coverage and the draft order, making this the official 2010 draft pick thread. I figured I would start by introducing people to a new site, Draft America. Draft America used to be MLB-Draft.com, and is created by Greg Pappas. Greg reached out to me recently to conduct an interview with him, in which he told me his own vision for his site. He intends to follow the blueprint of MLB Trade Rumors, of which he would gather all pertinent draft information and links all in one spot. I have always though of MLB Trade Rumors along the same lines as our very own Jim Goulart's daily link reports, making life so much easier for all of us by compiling handy information all in one place, and think this is a great idea. Most of you know of my professional progression, but I was honored to be Greg's first interview guest (to be followed by Kevin Goldstein) recently, briefly touching on the top prospects for next year while also doing my best to give this site some much-deserved love: Draft America Interview

TH has been hit pretty hard in the Brewers BA chat in previous years, to the point that I, among others, have had to remind people here not to get too nasty in questioning his credibility. Before TH I remember Drew Olson got blasted as well one year he conducted the chat. But John Manuel has handled it as well, and several of the BA staffers do handle some of the individual team reports and chats. In addition, some of the team correspondents do take the lists very seriously. The guy who handles the Braves and I think the Rays in particular (Bill Ballew?) does a good job. TH has noted in previous years that the top 10 lists aren't entirely his call. He submits a list, and BA is free to edit it as they see fit. I seem to remember last year that the top 10 list changed a little from the one that he submitted, something he admitted to in his blog. I'm not a huge TH supported, but at least he has been more active since JSOnline implemented the blog feature. And I wouldn't say that the Brewers hate Salome. Shortly after people here were wondering why the team wasn't mentioning Salome when talking about the team's catching situation, Melvin and co. quickly started to add his name to the discussion when asked (almost as if they were reading here http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif). Also, I don't think a player's perceived value to the fans and how much a GM talks about such a player to the media has much to do with one's trade value. That is up to the professional scouts that have seen Salome play for the teams that may be interested in acquiring him.

Since it's just part of a feature via BA, I thought I would share his scouting report one link off of the link that trwi7 provided: The wiry Aybar is an aggressive hitter, swinging with a high leg kick to generate above-average raw power. He's a free swinger who scouts say will have to tone down his approach as he moves up the ladder. Some scouts like his aggressive approach, but his all-out swing gets him caught out front against breaking balls. Aybar is an above-average runner, with scouts timing him anywhere from 6.7 to 6.9 seconds in the 60-yard dash, though he's expected to lose speed as he adds muscle to his frame. Aybar has some athleticism, though scouts say his throwing motion is unusual and his defense is erratic, which could lead to him moving to center field, though there's a chance he could also handle third base. It's not clear with whom Aybar will sign.

I noted in the MLB forum that AL ROY Andrew Bailey was the team's 16th round pick from the 2005 draft. He had TJ surgery that spring, and the Brewers made a strong push to sign him late that summer before he went back to Wagner College. I also noted on the MLB forum that the Brewers drafted George Kottaras' younger brother James in the 45th round of the 2008 draft.

Bailey was actually drafted by the Brewers in the 16th round of the 2005 draft. He had TJ surgery that spring, and the Brewers (and former NE scout and friend to Brewerfan Tony Blengino) IIRC made a strong, late run to try and sign him. He decided to return to Wagner College, and became the A's sixth round pick the following June. 2005 was the same draft the Brewers were close to signing, and reportedly at one point in time did come to terms with, Jemile Weeks, another player also currently in the A's system. Woulda/coulda/shoulda, right?

It's hard not to like this acquisition, as it really doesn't cost or hurt anything, and similar pickups have led to the emergence of both Scott Podsednik and Casey McGehee. For a Melvin-esque nugget of knowledge, the Brewers drafted George's younger brother James in the 45th round of the 2008 draft.

I don't mean to pile on more, but Josh, while you don't owe us anything, you could have made this a lot easier by just saying that Brewer is sticking to baseball instead of citing that the rumors were false. He clearly pursued this opportunity at some point in time, meaning the rumors weren't false (and they weren't even "rumors", as there was some truth to this), unless, as noted by others, you are claiming the author of the provided link above fabricated Brewer's quotes. I too value your observations and contributions, but in a way you weren't being completely honest with us. I'm not going to pretend that I have always believed in Brewer's ability to make the necessary adjustments, but his athleticism is unmatched, and if the light switch ever goes on he could be a really special player. I obviously hope that it is on the baseball field and with the Brewers.

Again, like Briggs, I don't know why Iribarren is being cast as a backup corner OF, or even as a backup to Gomez. He doesn't necessarily have to be a backup at any one position, as he offers versatility, and speed, off of the bench. In my mind, he is potentially a perfect fit for the 25th spot on the active roster. I don't even mind having a bench full of LH hitters since the lineup projects to have almost all RH hitters. Hernan has shown the past two winters that he hits RHPs extremely well.

The AFL is funny. When a player does well, it's hard not to get excited about it. When a player doesn't do well, particularly pitchers, we all point to the fact that the league favors offense and that in large part, it is still a developmental league. Jim Callis of Baseball America always points out that stats in the AFL, both good and bad, shouldn't be scrutinized too much, because they really don't mean anything.

Congrats EDR, and thanks for sharing.

The Brewers are due up a week from today. The Cubs get the nod today. Cubs Top 10 I'll admit, I didn't really know much about Starlin Castro prior to today. I've always liked the philosophy of loading up on shortstops and eventually moving them elsewhere when they start to force the issue. Shortstops are usually the best athletes on the field, yet the players that are able to play the position at the MLB level both offensively and defensively are few and far between. While the Cubs are lacking in a true, impact bat, outside of Josh Vitters, they have a pretty nice collection of middle infielders, and a knack for getting the most out of them as evidenced with Theriot and Fontenot. And this isn't meant to be a Cubs bash, but look at their top prospects and draft picks over the last decade. Corey Patterson, Mark Prior, Hee Seop Choi, Angel Guzman, Brian Dopirak and even Felix Pie. I know Pie was traded, but all of these players have failed to live up to their considerable hype. The top picks include Prior, Luis Montanez, Bobby Brownlie, Grant Johnson, Ryan Harvey and Mark Pawelek. Tyler Colvin still has some promise, but he looks more like a 4th OF type than a starter. Which of course proves that there is always more than one way to build a system. They have made some shrewd trades to acquire the likes of Derek Lee and Aramis Ramirez, and Carlos Zambrano was a very strong international signee, but overall they have had difficult the past few years developing their own talent from within. Let's hope that continues http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif.

Are you serious??? That is one of the most ignorant and intolerant things I have ever read, even from you. How the heck does Brewer possibly investigating a football career cause you to challenge his intelligence, especially when a few people above said that it may be a good career move for him? Like brewjihad noted, I'm not sure why you lumped him with Jeffress. I think I know, but I'm not going to go there to completely derail this thread.

What sbrylski09 said. Josh, I'm not sure why you didn't set the story straight with us from the beginning. There's a big difference between the story not being true, or a rumor, than it being something that was considered by Brewer but has since been dropped. Are we just supposed to fall in line and take you for your word with no questions asked? That's not exactly fair to our intelligence. And just because we have questions doesn't mean we're questioning your credibility. We're curious, this is a message board, and questions ensue until the curiosity is satisfied. It's nothing personal.