colbyjack

I think it's too early to say the Brewers under Stearns are going to draft more heavily towards college players (although as I've noted before I do think a college pitchers is most likely to be their pick at this point in time). Blake Rutherford was also on their radar for the pick at #5 this past year. And the selections of Mario Feliciano, Payton Henry, Francisco Thomas and Chad McClanahan were all pretty aggressive prep drafts even if they did load up on a bunch of college arms in rounds 3-10.

tbbrewers, sorry for missing your question before. Wil Crowe is now roughly 2 full years removed from injury and looked really good both over the summer and this fall for South Carolina. The velo is back up, peaking at 93-95, and his command looked really good in five starts this past summer. He's a good name to bring up, a player that could have some helium in the spring if he picks up where he left off before injury. Agree with CheezWiz, anything can and usually does happen between now and next June, although I agree with the premise that it's unlikely the Brewers have a chance to take him. And if they do, it's going to come with a very heavy price tag considering he's the top ranked HS player in the nation right now, not to mention an overall good kid with a very good head on his shoulders.

Ben Badler of Baseball America has an excellent article up talking about some of the deeper problems with international signings, particularly in Latin America, and how instituting an international draft on its own isn't going to simply take care of those problem: http://www.baseballamerica.com/international/mlb-proposes-international-draft-reforms-must-start-top/#4dL3JC4b7F8E888E.97

I had the opportunity to write up McKay and most of the other guys from scouts I talked to (combined with a few of my own personal thoughts since I have seen half of those pitchers in person) from Team USA this past summer: http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=13005 And I agree Todd, a lot of those players won't be available for when the Brewers pick. As for the reliever profile, that's a tricky subject since there are so many parts to it. The biggest part of it, as I have observed over the years, is when one writer first makes that presumption and then everyone else runs with it. It happened with Gerrit Cole and Lance McCullers, and both obviously have developed into really good starters. I think Bukauskas and McCullers in particular have a lot of similarities given their size and the fact that neither throws anything soft. One scout I know that Bukauskas was the best college arm he saw all of last year, and he's based in SoCal (he saw him with TUSA and earlier in the year when UNC visited UCLA). I have a feeling that Houck could fall. Some aren't in love with the arm angle (and I'm sure TheCrew wouldn't care for it either) as it is low and slingy, but his stuff is electric. Physically and mechanically he's a lot like Jered Weaver. I do agree that Wright, Faedo and Kendall are all off the board. I really like Beck, although I haven't seen him in person, and if he feel to #9 he may be my first pick. He combines a still-projectable frame with really good present stuff and plenty of room for added strength and overall improvement. Almost like one of the best prep arms with a couple of years of seasoning. The fact that he's a draft-eligible sophomore is an added benefit. I hadn't heard that he really loves SoCal (but if he does why didn't he go to a school like UCLA?), but I do know his HS coach and I don't see how he could turn down $3-4 million, regardless of what team takes him. He would probably be my favorite of those I feel could make it to the ninth pick at this point in time.

McKay is a good pitcher, and as adam noted, a good hitter too. Kind of a low-ceiling pick, but a higher floor one too who stuff plays up due to his command. I would suspect given some of the conversations there would be some people not exactly thrilled about getting a player like McKay, whose best pure tool might be his power potential.` I think I've brought this up before, but as of right now there are some pretty big arms that could be in the mix for the top 10 overall picks: Kyle Wright, rhp, Vanderbilt (currently #1 guy for next year per PG) Alex Faedo, rhp, Florida (long and slender, stuff back up by big soph. year) JB Bukauskas, rhp, North Carolina (big arm, smaller frame, some pegging him as future reliever) Tristan Beck, rhp, Stanford (draft-eligible as soph., big stuff, former Brewers pick) Tanner Houck, rhp, Missouri (lower, slinging delivery but low/mid 90s w/ big slider) Colton Hock, rhp, Stanford (most unproven of bunch but may have best physical profile, could explode in spring) And Wisconsin native Jeren Kendall (Holmen, WI), also of Vanderbilt, is also in the mix for the top 10 overall picks, and probably more in the 3-5 range. His profile is somewhat similar to that of Corey Ray, meaning I would be a little surprised to see the Brewers take a similar type of player two years in a row.

TheCrew, I assure you I'm not letting it cloud my judgement. Kodi's not the first player (along with his family) that I've gotten to know. I got to know Harrison a little bit as well but never felt as strongly about him as a prospect aside from recognizing his insane natural athletic ability. If I let every personal relationship I have with players and family members I would l likely think every one of them is going to be a future Hall of Famer. I saw Medeiros pitch, in person, on three separate occasions. Each time there were dozens of other scouts watching the same thing I was and the reaction was the same as mine. When scouting you're not trying to figure out too much how a pitcher is going to do as he advances as there's a lot of crystal ball work to it. Those things may be in the back of your head but you also recognize you're watching a 16-17 year old kid who is going to need years of seasoning regardless of how polished he is. However, when you see a player that throws like he did, is athletic as he is and as composed as he is you take notice. I assure you that I was not the only person who feels Medeiros was worth the 12th overall pick and neither were the Brewers nor the Royals. There were a lot of other people out there, including one who currently works for a team in the playoffs at a fairly advanced level that would have campaigned his team to take him among the top 8-10 picks if they had a pick that high. And I agree, his season was a disappointment and we now clearly have to temper our enthusiasm with him. The arm issue and is ability to locate the ball down the in zone is clearly an issue and I've read your comments about that dozens of times as I lurk in the shadows. However, you need to loosen the reins on your stance as I couldn't stay quiet this time. Obviously he needs to take step forward and I would agree with you that he has been promoted too aggressively. But, he's young and talented and hopefully will repeat A+ which will in turn give him a chance to figure some things out.

I said it on the day of the draft, Kodi Medeiros was not a reach. If you saw him before the draft and the stuff he threw you would have agreed. He threw low/mid-90s and had one of the most wicked sliders I've ever seen. It was such a nasty pitch I saw him practically have to ditch it in one game because the catcher he was throwing to (who had never caught him before) had no idea how to catch the pitch. And, he threw a pretty good changeup (and he's a good hitter to boot). He made his money the summer before the draft and then in the Hawaiian state baseball playoffs, not at the Brewers pre-draft workout (although I agree enough players have cemented their pick by the Brewers in the past at these events). If the Brewers hadn't taken him at #12 I know for a fact that he wouldn't have slid past the Royals a few picks later. The arm slot is not an issue. None at all, and if you don't like it that's a personal preference. He's athletic enough to get away with it and there are plenty of other pitchers that use it with effectiveness, injury-free as well. Chris Sale gets mentioned a lot, but then there's two of the nastiest lefthanders in the playoffs, Madison Bumgarner and Andrew Miller, who also have similar lower, slinging deliveries. I also said on the day of the draft that I can't blame the Brewers for who they took due to the upside involved. There was risk involved with Medeiros, Gatewood and Harrison, but all three of those guys were being talked about as potential mid first-rounders, so to land all three was pretty impressive. If none of them turns out, that really, really stinks, but only in present-tense and IMO the scouting dep't. should not be judged negatively in hindsight for those selections because that was one heck of a haul the day of the draft. Sorry to soap box it, but Medeiros is such a fascinating arm and I really hopes he turns it around as he's definitely one of the most unique amateur talents I have seen in person, not to mention a good kid from a really good family.

nate, we had Boyle throwing in the 88-91 mph range a year ago, which is still pretty good, and then 93 in mid-June at our National Showcase, which is also pretty good. A few weeks after that, and again during our nationally televised game a month ago, he peaked at 96. He's 6-6/225 and he also knows how to pitch, so he's definitely a guy that has some serious helium right now. monkeyman, for me (and a lot of others) Alex Lange is a #3 starter, maybe more of a 4/5, but he should have some success simply because he's big, durable and throws 3 pitches for strikes. He's mostly in the 88-92 range, and can peak higher (94-ish). He has a good, not great curveball and a solid changeup as well, so if he's drafted in the first round it's more as a "sum of his parts" type of situations. He gets a lot of comps to Anthony Ranaudo, another LSU arm with a similar profile, but for Brewers fans, good or bad, Tyler Jungmann may be a better comp. A safe® pick, but also one that I would pass on in the first round as I prefer a pitcher with a higher upside. Pitchers like that can play up based on command, such as another LSU arm, Aaron Nola, but Nola's command, and his changeup, put him in a different category.

Joe Boyle looked really good at our events this summer, especially a couple of weeks ago out in San Diego. Great frame, easy arm, even if it was an incredibly brief performance. He's a guy we have targeted as a player who could move up into the conversation, so that's a good call. What makes you think Toral isn't as advanced? He's been hitting at older age groups and has been ranked toward the top of his class for several years now. The biggest problem with him is that sometimes he can get too selective simply because he is so well known and gets pitched around like crazy. When he's locked in he puts on a hitting clinic and has very easy power. He's more of an Adrian Gonzalez/Anthony Rizzo (at the same stage) type of hitter to me, although that's largely because Prince was so unique (Kyle Schwarber actually reminds me a lot of Prince). A player I like a ton is Adam Hall. He's a prep middle infielder from Canada that I think could be moved behind the plate. There's a lot of Buster Posey type of vibe to his athleticism at a similar stage of their prep careers. And even if he doesn't switch positions I really like how much carry he generates for a guy that isn't quite big right now but has a lot of room for added strength. He's not in the first round discussion (at least not where the Brewers will be selecting), he's just one of my faves.

Next year will be a good year to get a big arm, especially from the college ranks. The following are currently all candidates to go in the top 10 overall (all are RHP – the # is where we currently have them ranked overall for next year's draft): 1. Kyle Wright, Vanderbilt 3. Alex Faedo, Florida 5. JB Bukauskas, UNC 7. Tristan Beck, Stanford 8. Tanner Houck,Missouri 14. Colton Hock, Stanford Links to videos for most of these guys can be accessed here if you're interested: http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=12244 There's a lot of uncertainty at this point in time after the #1 overall player, Hunter Greene, and it's not even determined yet whether he has more value as a RHP vs. a power hitting SS. There's plenty of talent in the prep ranks, just not as much clarity as there likely will be a lot of players moving up and down during the spring (more so than usual at least).

Another exciting trade, although I have to believe another player (as reported, but maybe even 2) have yet to be announced. I'm guessing that was a "rush to the podium" type of deal to make that trade happen. Brinson and Ortiz is closer to what I would expect for just Lucroy, as others have noted, and I'm also guessing the deal overall will have a similar vibe to the Gomez/Fiers deal from last year when all of the details come out. Brinson is a very similar prospect to the Cubs' Dexter Fowler, and I too have been a big fan of Luis Ortiz for some time. Not a ton of physical projection, but plenty good stuff as it is with pretty good pitchability/command to boot. Pretty good haul on the day.

Bickford has a pretty special fastball and can dominate with that pitch alone when it's at it's best. He doesn't always throw as hard as reported (mid/upper-90s), but even when he's sitting in the low-90s the pitch has such incredible late movement that it's really hard to hit. I know Smith is under control until 2019, which obviously adds to his value, but I too am shocked by this return and makes me worry a little that the Giants may be concerned about a future arm injury due to his unorthodox arm action/angle. Then again, the Giants have never been shy about trading top prospects away for players they covet. And Hader should still be considered the team's #1 pitching prospect (and possibly #1 overall). The reports on him have been to the point where some to most I've spoken to are a little shocked the Astros let him go, pointing out that his game continues to elevate in ways most did not expect.

I think people are missing the point on the playing time thing. I can see Lucroy being concerned about playing time as the full-time catcher (that part is key) if the Indians said they would use him as a C/1B/DH. He's a free agent after next year and I'm sure wants to play as much time behind the plate as possible to get a bigger contract when he does become a free agent, because as we all know it likely will be his last chance to do so and his current one wasn't exactly that "big" contract so many players shoot for in their ages 27-32 years. It could be complete hogwash but I don't think it's as big of a stretch as people are making it out to be.

While I was actually excited about the prospects the teams agreed upon I don't understand how Lucroy rejecting the trade makes anyone (Stearns, the Indians, etc.) look bad as a result. It is what it is, it didn't happen, move on. And it's important to point out that neither team announced the deal. The information was leaked by the media. The two teams agreed to terms and it was up to Lucroy to accept the trade. If none of the info leaks the media and the public never learns about it and this isn't a big deal. I also don't think this should hurt his trade value, especially to a team he can't block a trade to. The asking price should still be the same.

Reports on a couple of the round 6-10 guys (they others should be easy senior sign types): 435. Payton Henry, c/rhp, Pleasant Grove HS R-R, 6-2, 215, Pleasant Grove, Utah College Commitment: Brigham Young Henry is a quality two-way prospect who has dominated Utah high school baseball for the last three years. He has hit a combined .479-21-109 in 83 games over that period, including a .519-7-31 mark this year, including 22 walks and only five strikeouts. Henry has a strong and powerful righthanded swing that will play at the next level, and he will especially stand out if he is able to stay behind the plate defensively. Henry has also acted as Pleasant Grove's closer over the same period of time, striking out 33 hitters in 22 innings this year with a fastball that will reach 93-94 mph to go with a solid mid-70s curveball. 161. Francisco Thomas, ss/3b, Osceola HS B-R, 6-2/195, Carolina, Puerto Rico College Commitment: San Diego State Thomas is from Carolina, Puerto Rico and his parents still live on the island but Thomas has played in the summers with FTB Tucci in Central Florida and attended Osceola High School in that part of the state this year. He has some middle infield athleticism, including a very strong throwing arm, but will likely play third base at the next level, where he will be a solid defender. Thomas is a switch-hitter with very good raw bat speed and power potential from the left side and a shorter, more line drive approach righthanded. He was one of four Puerto Ricans that participated in last summer’s Perfect Game All-American Classic along with Luis Curbelo, Mario Feliciano and Alexis Torres.

Reports on Webb, Burnes and Brown (three pretty good arms for where the Brewers took them): Braden Webb – RHP Height/Weight: 6-2/195 Bats/Throws: R/R Birthdate: April 25, 1995 College: South Carolina Hometown: Owasso, Okla. Projected Draft Round: 2-4 The route taken by Braden Webb to get to where he is today is a little different from his counterparts but he’s nonetheless here and a is major factor in the success that the South Carolina Gamecocks have enjoyed this spring. A rare draft-eligible freshman (just a couple quickly jump to mind in two Massachusetts natives, Johnny Magliozzi and Chris Dwyer) it’s worth noting that Webb would have been an age-eligible sophomore had he elected to enroll in school following his high school graduation in 2014. Rather than going through the process of recovering from Tommy John surgery away from home, Webb elected to stay home in Oklahoma and do the rehab there. Nonetheless the Cleveland Indians took a waiver on him last June in the 38th round as he was a well-decorated prep power arm, though it appeared he would be going to Columbia and the Gamecocks coaches are glad he did. After showing big velocity in the fall as part of his three-pitch mix, Webb was immediately thrusted into the weekend rotation from opening weekend and hasn’t looked back. Though he’s older than your typical freshman, it’s still his first season pitching in the SEC, a level of baseball that’s hard to rival throughout the country and certainly at a different level than the hitters he faced during his prep days in Oklahoma. A good athlete with a tough and competitive come-at-you mentality – one that some scouts feel would be suited best in the bullpen at the next level – Webb will show two different pitches that he can miss bats with. The first is his fastball and it’s one that will sit 93-95 mph early in an outing while maintaining low-90s throughout the course of a game with sharp downhill and occasional running life. His arm action is very full coming through the back, and though it’s also plenty quick, it can occasionally drag or he’ll get under the ball which will cause some looseness to his overall fastball command. But when he’s on and everything is in sync he can spot the fastball to either side of the plate, evidenced by some of the numbers he’s put up this spring. The second swing-and-miss pitch in his arsenal is his big 12-to-6 overhand curveball which he does a nice job of mimicking his arm action on, drawing hitters in to thinking it’s a fastball prior to the release. A mid- to upper-70s pitch with big depth that he shows equally impressive feel for, Webb won’t necessarily show the pitch on a regular basis but it makes the offering all the more effective. And to put the numbers into perspective and see just how good Webb’s been, prior to Wednesday’s SEC action the freshman led the league in strikeouts and batters struck out looking among several other categories in which he’s close to the top. To round out the arsenal Webb will also show a mid-80s changeup with late diving life down in the zone with solid arm speed, eliciting empty swings from the opposing hitters. In all he has a power fastball as part of a solid three-pitch mix and he’s performed even better than expected, all numbers and traits scouts surely took notice of this spring. Corbin Burnes – RHP Height/Weight: 6-3/205 Bats/Throws: R/R Birthdate: Oct. 22, 1994 College: Saint Mary's Hometown: Bakersfield, Calif. Projected Draft Round: 1-1S As I wrote in Burnes’ report following his stint on the Cape last summer, there’s undoubtedly at least one college arm from a “smaller” conference who arrives somewhat under the radar on a national scene and uses the summer as a springboard into the first round. Last summer Burnes was that breakthrough arm and he now finds himself squarely in the first round talks and should be off the board by the conclusion of day one of the draft on June 9. Undrafted out of Centennial High School back in 2013, Burnes wouldn’t be recognizable to most from his days as a prep as he’s grown roughly three inches and has added 25 pounds of strength when comparing his Perfect Game profile and current Saint Mary’s player page. Of course the pure stuff is also incredibly different otherwise Burnes would have been a high round draft out of high school and currently climbing up a team’s farm system. After a rather unassuming freshman season in which he had a few turns in the rotation, though most of his innings came as a reliever, Burnes did a summer stint where he began transitioning into a starter as five of his six appearances in the Hamptons League were starts. Burnes showed impressive raw stuff but still struggled some with an ERA north of 5.00 before taking a sharp right turn as a sophomore when everything began to click. He began to thrive as a member of the Gaels' starting rotation and he also started to miss bats at a rather frequent rate before suiting up for the Orleans Firebirds last summer where he cemented his name on every prospect list. Burnes didn’t necessarily blow his fastball past anybody on the Cape as he averaged less than a strikeout per inning (a clip he’ll well surpass this spring), but he did show some of his best pure stuff with reports coming of a fastball that touched upwards of 97 mph. And while he’s not consistently showing the big velocity in any given start, he is carrying a 92-94 mph fastball exceptionally well throughout a start showing a long and loose whip-like arm action through the back from which the ball absolutely explodes out of his hand. His slider has been a swing-and-miss type offering this spring and it’s one that can work into the low-80s with short, late-tilting life down to the bottom of the zone. Maintaining his arm action and delivery, with a simple leg lift that appears similar to former Vanderbilt’s Carson Fulmer, but at a slowed down rate, Burnes throws his changeup with plenty of conviction and arm speed in the mid-80s with late fading life. Not only does he throw the pitch for strikes with sinking life, he shows the comfort to double or triple up on the pitch and can throw it to both righthanded and lefthanded hitters. 162. Zack Brown, rhp, Kentucky (JR) R-R, 6-2/200, Seymour, Ind. Previously Drafted: Cubs ’13 (38) Prior to stepping foot on Kentucky’s campus Brown participated in the 18u WWBA National Championship, his only PG event, where he topped out at 92 mph and ultimately finished at No. 430 in the final edition of Perfect Game’s class rankings in 2013. Upon making it to campus Brown worked mostly out of the Wildcat bullpen before truly opening eyes the following summer in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League where he topped out at 96 mph and steadily worked in the low-90s with his heater. As a sophomore he leaped into the Friday night role where he performed well, though not without inconsistencies similar to what he’s shown this spring. This spring when everything is on for the 6-foot-2 righthander he has the ability to make scouts hone in, still showing a fastball that regularly works into the mid-90s deep into a pitch count with sinking action to the bottom of the zone. At its best the curveball is a true swing-and-miss offering with sharp biting life in the low-80s and at times will show plus, giving him two quality pitches, and he’ll show a third in his changeup. The biggest concern with Brown moving forward will be the command and consistency in terms of strikes, something that should he ironed out at the next level, which could make him a steal in the draft.

Some free and subscribe stuff from PG on the top 3 picks (hard to argue with Ray, Erceg was one of my personal faves and Feliciano was a player on the rise that has good value where they took him): Corey Ray feature: http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=12484 Corey Ray - OF Height/Weight: 6-0/190 Bats/Throws: L/L Birthdate: Sept. 22, 1994 College: Louisville Hometown: Chicago, Ill. Projected Draft Round: 1 Upon graduating from Simeon High School (Ill.) in 2013 Ray has seen his draft stock rise at an exponential rate, particularly over the last spring and a half with a strong summer tour with Team USA mixed in between. Perhaps part of the reason for Ray’s rise has been the 20 pounds of strength he added to his frame since stepping foot on campus, but regardless of the reason there hasn’t been a hotter prospect for the 2016 draft through the first five weeks quite like Ray. A 33rd round pick out of high school, Ray will be long gone come the 33rd overall pick this June as he has the potential to be the first position player to come off the board, college or prep. To follow up the breakout type sophomore season that he put together at Louisville (.325/.389/.543 with 11 home runs), Ray joined the Collegiate National Team and was the talk of team among scouts, even on a loaded team of prospects, courtesy of his five-tool potential. A plus-runner, Ray is able to impact a game with his speed both in the outfield, where he shows solid routes, and on the bases where he’s 23-for-26 in attempts this spring. And despite playing left field both last summer (Florida’s Buddy Reed patrolled center) and this spring, there’s plenty of optimism that he’ll be able to play center at the next level, only further enhancing his overall future potential as he shows top-of-the-line athleticism and closing speed to either gap. The bat might just be the loudest tool for Ray and the lefthanded hitter is showing he can use it for both average and power this spring while cutting back on his strikeouts and taking his walks with 10 over the first 20 games as compared to just 24 last spring in 65 games. In the box he shows a willingness to use all fields and is able to thanks to his loose wrists and quick hands which help generate solid present bat speed through the zone. Through the opening weeks of the season there wasn’t a hotter prospect in all of the country as he’s not only flashed some power but has done so at a consistent rate, already connecting for six home runs while adding another six doubles. Lucas Erceg – 3B Height/Weight: 6-3/205 Bats/Throws: L/R Birthdate: May 1, 1995 College: Menlo (Calif., NAIA) Hometown: Campbell, Calif. Projected Draft Round: 1S-3 Lucas Erceg has been drumming up significant draft interest at the NAIA level this year after spending his first two years in college with the Cal Bears, hitting .303-11-42 during his sophomore year while routinely providing big hits for a team that nearly advanced to Super Regional play. Academic reasons forced him out of Berkeley to look for somewhere else to play, and after enjoying a big season at the plate a year ago he’s putting up even bigger numbers this year. At 6-foot-3, 205-pounds, Erceg has a lean and long athletic build, with an overall physical presence similar to that of Blake Rutherford. Erceg’s frame also has the ability to add more weight and muscle, as he could maintain his loose, athletic actions with another 15-20 pounds. Defensively at third he moves well laterally and displays good instincts with solid first-step quickness and reactions. Since he also serves as one of his team’s closing options out of the bullpen he has more than enough arm strength for any position on the field, including third base, but he may be a better fit on an outfield corner down the road with right field being the more likely destination. At the plate Erceg has a smooth, rhythmic and overall good looking lefthanded swing, incorporating a big leg kick to generate power from his lower half. He takes big boy hacks at the plate and does a nice job incorporating his BP swing into games. There’s a lot of movement between his lower half and in his hands pre-swing, but he gets all of those parts where they need to be on time and shows very good strength and extension in his swing. With his big lefthanded stroke most of his contact, and power, is to his pull side. He’s having a big year at the plate, with a .310/.351/.647 triple slash line, and 29 of his 58 hits (12 doubles, 17 home runs) have gone for extra bases. Additionally, he continues to make extremely good contact as he has only struck out 14 times in 187 at-bats, although he has also only walked 11 times, showing a desire to swing the bat, although he does exhibit the ability, and importance, of taking pitches while waiting to get something he can drive. The level of play is a big question, and how well his talents will translate against higher level pitching, but the swing and overall offensive potential is legitimate. He was named the top prospect last summer in the California Collegiate League and continues to draw big scouting crowds with some reports indicating that he could be selected in the first round of this year’s draft given his lefthanded power, which is always a valued commodity. Mario Feliciano – C/OF Height/Weight: 6-1/195 Bats/Throws: R/R Birthdate: Nov. 20, 1998 High School: Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy Hometown: Hato Ray, Puerto Rico Travel Team: FTB Mizuno Projected Draft Round: 2-3 The prototypical Puerto Rican catcher can best be summarized as resembling one of the Molina Brothers; a wide lower half, loose actions with very good one-spot quickness, a big throwing arm and polished receiving skills. Plus, they are definitely "defense over offense" in their skill and tool set. Fast rising Puerto Rican Mario Feliciano is pretty much the exact opposite of that. At an extra strong but well proportioned 6-foot-1, 195-pounds, Feliciano has a mature build that would look at home on a football field in Texas or Pennsylvania. He has surprisingly good straight-ahead speed and has run a 6.8 60-yard dash, but his shifting and blocking behind the plate are not quick and athletic enough to be called one of his best tools. And while Feliciano has a strong arm that is notably accurate, it grades out as a 50 (average) tool on the professional scouting scale. There are any number of other positions on the field that Feliciano could be playable at defensively with his athleticism and tools, not always something one can say about a catcher. The big difference right now, though, is that Feliciano is definitely an "offense over defense" present talent. Here are the hitting notes from Feliciano's 2015 PG National Showcase report: Righthanded hitter, big leg lift trigger but gets his foot down in time for the most part, big lower half coil, can keep his hands back even when opening early, pull and lift approach, swings hard and has very good bat speed, gets extended well when timed, big power when squared and has a feel for the barrel, impressive hitting prospect. Some prospects are top-level hitting prospects because they have well constructed and repeatable hitting mechanics that have been honed through innumerable swings and repetitions. Feliciano is a top-level hitting prospect as much because of his combination of raw strength driven bat speed and aggression in trying to hit the ball very, very hard as anything. He's a "bat speed over mechanics" hitter who simply looks to crush the ball as hard and often as he can. And that definitely works for him.

The Brewers were all over Rogers that year, you remember correctly rwa12. That one wasn't a secret, or a surprise.

Just for the record, from Sept. 20 in this thread: "One name absent from YoungGeezy's list is Blake Rutherford. He's #1 on my personal list with one of the easiest, prettiest and most powerful left-handed swings I've seen. Very similar to David Justice when he was coming up with the Braves in the late-80s/early-90s." Very happy to hear the Brewers so actively connected to him. And for that matter, the Phillies, because he deserves to be in the mix for the top pick.

Paul, I hear you. I've been on the other side for a few years now where I feel like the Brewers need to get an impact bat (or more) into the system. We have some good position player prospects, and while everyone has varying opinions on how some guys like Gilbert Lara and Clint Coulter will eventually turn out to become, we're lacking that one true middle of the order threat, in my humble opinion of course. Don't lose hope as there's still a chance one of Groome, Pint or Puk falls to the team's pick. Puk supposedly is pitching tomorrow night for Florida and was 96-99 before getting pulled in his last start a week and a half ago with an oblique strain (10 pitches into the game). He's been a slow starter each of his three years in college so if he finishes strong he could still be a premium pick. Nolan Jones is rising but I haven't heard his name being associated as a legit top 10 pick. One of my co-workers is actually going out to see Ian Anderson pitch today, and yes his name is certainly one that has been moving up (although we already had him ranked pretty high). Dakota Hudson of Mississippi State has risen, but again, I'm not sure to the point where you take him at #5. Prep lefty Braxton Garrett and Virginia RHP Connor Jones are both doing quite well for themselves and Robert Tyler is also enjoying a huge season for Georgia (although he can't spin a breaking ball despite throwing a deadly fastball/changeup combo). Nick Senzel could be in the mix for the 1st overall pick as a relatively safe bet to produce at the big league level similar to a David Wright or Ryan Zimmerman type of player. Drew Mendoza, a prep SS/3B, also has some serious helium this spring with a growing belief he could stick at SS. Zack Collins of Miami could be a Schwarber type, Zack Burdi is drawing a surprising amount of interest from teams with a pick in the 10-15 range and Will Craig of Wake Forest is putting up ridiculous numbers and could be taken higher than expected by a team that loves metrics. Auburn's Anfernee Grier has helped his stock tremendously with his season, as has Ryan Boldt of Nebraska, and Lucas Erceg could also be a name to keep an eye on. Erceg plays at Menlo, an NAIA program after playing at Cal a year ago. He's a lefthanded slugger that currently plays 3B but may have to move to RF down the road. Big-time swing/power. Another name to watch is Taylor Trammell, a dual-sport super-toolsy player from Georgia. However, I haven't heard any player, other than Rutherford, specifically associated with the Brewers but I imagine I will over the next 6-8 weeks. We're going to be posting our updated top 100 prospect list tomorrow and conducting a chat if you're interested. I usually try not to promote what we're doing over there on this forum (or at least I try to keep it to a minimum), but check the PG site tomorrow morning for details.

Not sure where the sour attitude is coming from. So Hansen isn't in the mix for a top 3-5 pick anymore, but I'm still pretty confident with his size and the ease of which he throws he goes in the top 10-15. I've heard most of the spring the Phillies may not take one of the prep arms, but even if they don't it's likely they go with the next two picks, so I'm not really expecting either one of them to be there. I've said it before and I'll say it again, Blake Rutherford is my personal #1 prospect for this draft and I'm glad to hear the Brewers connected to him. I know a lot of people want a certain player with the first round pick but you just can't narrow your sights like that with the MLB Draft. And even if the pick isn't Rutherford there are still plenty of other names worth getting excited about. It's a good draft, with really good depth.

The way Jordan Sheffield is pitching this spring he won't be around at 1.5. He may be positioning himself to be a realistic option for #5 overall.

Yes, Pint was 97-102 in a bullpen session last week. That puts him in the conversation for #1 overall and definitely someone that needs to be on the Brewers radar if he's available. Groome is still the better, more polished prospect IMO. This year's draft is going to have some really good players. There's a couple of good prep arms, and a handful of decent college ones, and then a really deep pool of position players at both the college and HS levels. The college class is full of outfielders (not many middle infielders like there were last year), but the HS class makes up for that. I'm not as high on Bachar as BA is/was (I ranked him 13th in the Northwoods League). Here's what I wrote about him: "Also a member of the 2014 NCAA Division III National Championship Wisconsin-Whitewater football team as a kicker, Bachar is a good overall athlete that shows good balance on the mound and repeats his mechanics well. He generates easy heat from his 6-foot-3, 210-pound frame, pounding the strike zone with 91-93 mph fastballs while mixing in a low-80s changeup and upper-70s breaking ball. Bachar works quickly, and while he may be maxed out physically his presence and ability to change speeds and throw strikes makes up for what he lacks in future projection. He posted similar numbers this summer for the Chinooks (6-3, 2.47 ERA, 63-to-19 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 65 2/3 innings) as he did during the spring for the Warhawks (7-1, 2.24 ERA, 46-to-9 in 60 1/3)." So he's definitely a good arm, but I'm not so sure I'd call him a borderline top 100 prospect (and certainly not "widely considered" -- I know some teams aren't as high as him as others), unless his velo sees a bump this spring. I like Nate Brown, a righty from Arrowhead HS (also the Warhawks) who is closer to being a top 100 overall prospect, better than Bachar.

Thanks Eye Black. Definitely give 2080baseball a look, as yours truly and some of my other PG compadres will also be contributing. There's some really good scouts working of them with a lot of folks that used to form the prospect team at Baseball Prospectus. Delvin Perez is very intriguing. He defines projectability in a position prospect with a long, tall yet narrow and not yet physically filled out frame. Quick-twitch actions all over the place with 6.5 speed and a low-90s arm from across the infield. He's made good adjustments at the plate giving him a solid hit tool and budding power. That's a 5-tool profile from one of the most demanding positions on the field, so yes I would expect him to be in the top 5-10 conversation. No. 1 overall may be a stretch, but that has more to do with who else is available. If you search YouTube you'll find an incredible play he made at our big national tournament down in Florida in late October. In that same game he led off with an absolute rocket off the wall to deep left-center field that looked to be just inches of clearing the fence. He flicked the bat out so easy and effortlessly, against a pretty good opposing pitcher and overall team to boot, and then turned on the jets for a triple. Upon getting up at third base one of his teammates razzed him a little (because Perez is predominantly Spanish speaking from Puerto Rico) asking him, "Hey Perez, do you know how to spell triple?" Perez responded with a smile with "no, but I know how to spell millionaire." Obviously a very confident/cocky young man as well. And Groome is one of the best amateur pitchers I've ever seen. So incredibly polished, consistently getting MLB OFP scores in the 63-68 range. That's overall on the 20-80 scale, which is just crazy, and he's still getting better. I agree with your assessment of taking him at #5 no matter how he gets that far (I can't imagine him falling past the top 2-3 picks, if he doesn't go No. 1 overall, unless like you said he's injured).

All good points YoungGeezy1, well said, as I was thinking the same thing reading through the posts this morning. The Brewers bench has been pretty frustrating in recent years and I like these two trades just for the simple fact that the Brewers are obviously placing an emphasis on the team's entire roster from top to bottom. Like you said, not every acquisition is going to be an impact blockbuster but that doesn't mean they're not important.