colbyjack

Melvin has done a pretty good job patching together the starting rotation the past few years with limited help from below and limited funds to out-bid other teams on the free agent market. In addition to the names already listed above, Doug Davis was another huge find for the team. Obviously things haven't worked out as well this year, as he really needs to make sure the starting staff next year doesn't turn into the mess it was this year, and that may require some big decisions (not letting Suppan be a starting option, making sure Parra can take a big step forward, etc.). Acquiring good, young pitchers with upside is a lot easier said than done, because so few teams are willing to give up on them. That is what made the acquisition of Capellan so exciting, although I also remember thinking at the time that the Braves seem to have a knack for getting rid of the "right" young pitchers (David Neid and Bruce Chen come to mind). Josh Butler is another good example of a trade like this, since you know that deal was made as soon as the player was offered. There's beginning to be some serious romanticizing around here about the talent that got away in Jorge DLR. The guy had an ERA of 8.60 when the Brewers traded him for Tony Graffanino. Graffy performed well after that and DLR was still terrible for KC -- and again in '07 and really had Suppan-level stats for Colorado in '08. Heck, he's basically pitching like Braden Looper this year but with a big pile of strikeouts. I'd still say he's hardly a loss. I agree that the loss of Jorge de la Rosa can't really be pegged on Melvin, at least not too much. Melvin himself has stated even recently that he didn't want to give up on him, but had to since his spot on the roster was hurting the team, a team that had playoff aspirations. And to LouisEly's point about not having the ammo to make trades, the recent switch in draft philosophy to take more college pitchers is something the organization has stated will help in this area. We already saw it with LaPorta, but the general idea is that college players will progress and enjoy more statistical success earlier in their pro careers, giving the organization even more options to deal more quickly.

Final: Brevard County 9, Tampa 2 Brevard County Box Score Logan Schafer and Eric Farris continue to swing the bat well, each with a pair of hits. Both of Farris' were doubles, and we swipes his 63rd bag of the year. Steffan Wilson with a two-run shot in the 'Tees six-run second inning. Alex Periard and Lucas Luetge combine on a pretty good effort, as Luetge was "on" today in the middle of an on again, off again season. Brevard County Game Log The six run sixth inning included a lot of wildness from the opposing pitcher, who struck out the side before a single run had crossed home plate: Brevard County Top 2nd Lee Haydel strikes out swinging. Zelous Wheeler strikes out swinging. Wild pitch by pitcher Jairo Heredia. Zelous Wheeler to 1st. With Brent Brewer batting, throwing error by Jairo Heredia on the pickoff attempt, Zelous Wheeler to 2nd. With Brent Brewer batting, wild pitch by Jairo Heredia, Zelous Wheeler to 3rd. Brent Brewer strikes out swinging. Martin Maldonado singles on a ground ball to left fielder Damon Sublett. Zelous Wheeler scores. With Logan Schafer batting, wild pitch by Jairo Heredia, Martin Maldonado to 2nd. Logan Schafer singles on a ground ball to center fielder Jack Rye. Martin Maldonado scores. Eric Farris doubles (17) on a line drive to center fielder Jack Rye. Logan Schafer scores. Caleb Gindl singles on a ground ball to center fielder Jack Rye. Eric Farris scores. Steffan Wilson homers (10) on a fly ball to left center field. Caleb Gindl scores. Chris Errecart grounds out, third baseman Brandon Laird to first baseman Luis Nunez.

If Rivas is throwing in the 94-96 range consistently, I'm surprised other prospect publications haven't picked up on it more. I had him at #17 on my top 50 list, I think the highest of the P50 editors (to Toby's credit, he changed my opinion of him last year), but I would agree that even I have him too low.

JB, with all due respect, you're Picklering Farris in the worst way. I know wibadgers already gave him some props, but Kyle Heckathorn follows up a shaky pro debut with a pretty impressive second start. I'm hoping MTBrew stops in to share his thoughts on the Brewers other premium, skyscraper college righty from this past year's draft (and thanks in advance if you do!).

Arnett's GO:FO ratio for the month of August is 11.00! Here's Rivas' writeup in the BA prospect handbook: Rivas' inning total at the high-A level is now at 158. I'm a little surprise he hasn't received a bump up, but the Brewers may want him to stay to help the 'Tees in the postseason. He could be due for stops at both Huntsville and Nashville next year.

Yeah, I don't see why Braddock being on the taxi squad is a big deal. Would he pitch more than two days a week if he weren't? That is one heck of a list of prospects. It should be a fun fall to follow, and we're due after all of the injuries last year.

I think 2010 will be another year that is light on bats. There are some smaller school college guys like Todd Cunningham (Jacksonville State) and Bryce Brentz (Middle Tennessee) that really performed well for the Cape and Team USA this summer that could go a long way in helping to stabilize that talent, but there is no Pedro Alvarez/Justin Smoak/Matt Wieters type of college slugger that is a clear-cut choice for the top 3-5 overall picks. Bryce Harper of course is a name that you're going to hear a lot of between now and next June, similar to Strasburg this year, but I'm not convinced he's as legit. He has 80 power and an 80 arm, and players with one 80 tool are hard enough to find, much less two such tools. Zack Cox may be the best pure hitter from the college ranks, and he's a draft-eligible true sophomore from Arkansas, but again, not a Pedro Alvarez type of impact player (at least not at this point in time). There are some good HS bats as well, but at this time, no one like what the '05 draft had to offer at the top (Upton, Maybin, Bruce). I think the talent overall will be similar to this past year, although not as deep with college pitching and left-handed pitchers in particular look to be rather thin on both levels (I don't think there was a single LHP on the Aflac All-American roster). I wrote in a recent article at PG Crosschecker about how special the prep duo of Jameson Taillon and A.J. Cole could be, with Taillon in particular looking very, very impressive this summer. San Diego's Sammy Solis is my sleeper for the '10 draft. He had a solid freshman year and looked really, really good on the Cape last summer. He was shut down last spring after two starts, but not because of arm problems, and pitches consistently in the 92-93 range with a solid overall repertoire. He's a big lefty, somewhat similar to Brian Matusz, as San Diego has been developing some really good arms the past several years (two of which are in the Brewers system, Josh Romanski and Josh Butler).

I really hate doing this at this time of year, but since the Brewers appear to be well out of playoff contention, it got me thinking about where they stood for the 2010 draft. I have already been writing some stories over at PG Crosschecker about some of the top players available next year, with the Aflac All-American classic being played last weekend, pretty much the last of the major high school summer showcase/tournament events, and the summer collegiate leagues coming to an end. Here's the order as it stands today. The Brewers would pick 13th: 1. Nationals 2. Royals 3. Orioles 4. Pirates 5. Padres 6. Reds 7. Indians 8. D-Backs 9. A's 10. Blue Jays 11. Mets 12. Twins 13. Brewers 14. Astros 15. Rangers (for unsigned 1st rounder Matthew Purke) 16. White Sox 17. Cubs 18. Mariners 19. Braves 20. Marlins 21. Tigers 22. Rays 23. Giants 24. Rockies 25. Rangers 26. Cardinals 27. Red Sox 28. Phillies 29. Dodgers 30. Angels 31. Rays (for unsigned first-rounder LeVon Washington) 32. Yankees I didn't factor in unsigned first-rounder Aaron Crow since he can still sign with the Royals, and I'm assuming that deal with eventually get done.

Every time I see a new player brought up, including Michael Fiers, Mike Brownstein and Donovan Hand, I wonder where the supporters are for Casey Baron and Brandon Ritchie. This team actually has had some lucky developing a lefty specialist that didn't make it to Milwaukee until he no longer was eligible to be considered a prospect on the P50. Even if they have only one such player to point to, it appears as though they're doing the same with these two men (Baron's numbers in particular are silly against LH hitters at the AA level). I had a hard time keeping them off my list. Fiers was in consideration as well. But so was Blake Billings, who in my mind is more of a prospect than any of these other players players. Daniel Meadows and Michael Bowman squeezed in at the end of my list as my own favorite players that are borderline prospects. And keep in mind it is a top prospect list. That is why newly drafted players, particularly the marquee ones, are placed so aggressively at times. This isn't a top list of the players putting up the most impressive statistics at the highest level. I remember a similar amount of people making arguments for Steve Sollmann, Tony Festa, and even Mike McClendon, who is still in the system, but you know what, none of these guys are (or were) legitimate prospects, and where has the support for McClendon gone? This is all in my humble opinion, but it seems as though most of the guys that are being brought up are the players that someone just happens to have a soft spot for. Yes, we have all noticed how impressive Michael Fiers has been, Donovan Hand has been a good organizational arm that has moved quickly and continues to pitch effectively (although since some stats are being thrown out, he has given up more hits than innings pitched and has struck out a batter every other inning, not exactly a good sign of things to come, especially in a pitching-friendly league), and Mike Brownstein is likely going to be filling in at 2B or 3B in the middle levels of the system for a year or two. Yes, those players have value, and yes, those players could get a cup of coffee some day, but having followed the minor league system for as long as I have, I know a lot better than to place a relatively old player in his league with marginal tools and/or stuff on my top prospect list even if the numbers are hard to ignore. And Krestalude's stats don't speak to his potential. He is more of a prospect than Hand, or Fiers, and one Helena observer has spoken about his promise on this forum due to first-hand observations. For the record, Farris is not one of those players to me, as he was 32 on my own list, and IMO definitely has tools that will help carry him towards the big leagues. I agree that his OBP and SLG numbers don't exactly predict long-term success, but his speed and defense will help carry him even if he's light with the bat.

Seidel looks really sharp so far, using a nice 4 pitch repertoire, that includes a nice changeup he uses to set up his fastball. He kind of works backwards, and doesn't throw very hard, especially for such a big kid, although his fastball looks to have some nice sink to it.

I don't think either one is ready for the big leagues, and I would hate to lose either one via trade since good catching is so hard to find. I wouldn't mind seeing both splitting time between the catcher and DH (when the DH is an option of course), and possibly even first base, with Nashville just to make sure both are as ready as they can be when they are finally called upon. It is a very interesting situation, because I think most of us know (or at least I hope so) that the big-league team needs a significant improvement at the position. But that may not happen internally until the 2011 season, when maybe both of them represent both the starter and the backup.

Wow, that's an unexpected surprise. And that's the second time in two nights that I looked at the Arizona box score and got a little exciting seeing Davis, K. in the box score. Nothing against Khris of course... I just saw a commercial for the T-Rats game tomorrow night on TW Sports (channel 32 for SE WI customers). It seems as though the Brewers are getting a few of their pitchers some rest, with Scarpetta going more than a week without work before pitching in last night's game. Bush and Suppan having a couple of rehab starts has seemed to contribute to this. The best I can tell is that Seidel and Nieves will go. I'd really like to see Seidel work, as it seems as though Nieves has pitched in every TW Sports game. While I know Mass will keep us in tune, I bring this up for interested folks like me that may need to set their DVR before heading to work in the morning.

Man, I give you Escobar props and you still go quibbling http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif.

It's one thing to question the placement of players, it's another to say "Can't put much credibility in that list." You've made a strong case for Farris, and plenty have made strong cases against him. No need to be a grump about it. I don't care for arguing against players, but Brownstein needs to prove a lot more in higher levels before I consider him a legit prospect.

Thanks for your patience everyone. We had the list finalized by yesterday morning, but I needed a day+ to get the comments entered. Have at it!

BA has a page up showing what teams spent on their picks among the top 10 rounds. The Brewers came in at 10th with just over $6M. That's a pretty good haul, and while the team did have extra comp picks, their first pick didn't come until 26th overall, and this also doesn't count what it took to sign Howell & Gennett in the mid-teens. http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/draft/?p=1763

Here's my count for the unsigned early rounders (rounds 1-3): Round 1: Aaron Crow, Royals Matthew Purke, Rangers LeVon Washington, Rays Supplemental First Round: James Paxton, Blue Jays Tanner Scheppers, Rangers Second Round: Jake Eliopoulos, Blue Jays Steve Matz, Mets Kenny Diekroger, Rays Third Round: Jake Barrett, Blue Jays Bryan Morgado, White Sox Josh Spence, Angels I just heard tonight, and the word is spreading that Crow and Scheppers will be handled similar to any other college senior, and that the Royals and Rangers respectively will have until a week before next year's draft to get these young men signed. They better, particularly the Rangers since Purke is TCU bound. Although Crow and Scheppers on the flip side really, really need to begin their professional career by fall instructional camps. Kudos to the Angels for signing Jake Locker, although at $150,000, they only did so to control his rights through 2015. That means the young man has absolutely no intention of playing baseball and will pursue an NFL career as long as someone gives him a chance. Easy money, although I'm a little surprised someone didn't try to bowl him over given some of the deals being handed out.

The overall numbers for Bucci are still very, very good for a 19-year old in the Pioneer League. Really nice to see Heckathorn make his debut. I mentioned the same as Toby a few days ago, as I'm pretty sure the Brewers are trying to limit Peralta's innings to close out the season. One player that has had a very good year that deserves a lot of credit is Daniel Merklinger. He was considered a very talented prospect coming out of college, and even in the Cape Cod League, with good stuff but questionable command, and hopefully the Brewers have found whatever it takes for him to be successful moving forward. He's a little old for his league (he turns 24 this fall), so one's excitement obviously needs to be tempered, but there has been positive results to some of his ratios even prior to this year to believe that he will continue to succeed.

Will Davis open the season in Appleton? Absolutely. If Lawrie began his career at Wisconsin, so will Davis. I would suggest that Brevard County is a possibility, but the Brewers haven't been that aggressive with any of their prospects. The talent at Wisconsin should be impressive once again, if not better, but hopefully the overall results will be better.

Thanks Toby. As noted on the minor league forum, none of these guys will be assigned to a team to end the year. Too bad, I'd like to see Davis and Gennett in particular get some ABs, even if it is only at the AZL level. I'm really excited to see those two bats in particular get signed. Davis offers a lot that the organization doesn't have: A left-handed bat with pop and speed, that could play CF even if he may be a better fit in LF that could hit first, second or third in a lineup. His bat is polished even though he does have a tendency to bite on pitches low and away. He is an exciting offensive player that has some things to work on, but has already enjoyed two successful years at Tennessee and one with Team USA last summer. Gennett is also a left-handed bat, built shorter like Cutter Dykstra, and while he doesn't possess the same kind of athleticism as Dykstra (particularly the speed), he's a baseball rat with a polished bat and an instinctive approach to the game. With the addition of Gennett and the move of Dykstra to 2B, 2B immediately becomes one of the organization's biggest strengths with Lawrie, Iribarren and Farris (and Mass may argue that Justis needs to be added to the conversation as well). That's one prospect for almost every level that could very well be on the P50 as soon as tomorrow. For those looking to familiarize yourself Davis and Gennett past what I have provided (and I'm particularly excited since these have been two of my more favorite prospects the past several years), I encourage you to read some of the comments from my PG Crosschecker Associate Anup Sinha, who got to see both of these young men (as well as Richardson and Heckathorn) play this spring: Gennett observation #1 Gennett observation #2 Davis observation One more, with plenty of love for D'Vo Another one: Heckathorn

Every time I ask a member of the Brewers organization if a certain circumstance resulted in the team spending more money on a draft pick or some other scouting venture, I always get a response that says something to the effect that the money isn't that fluid. I'm guessing if you add up the team's draftees' bonuses over the years, including the DFE signings when that process was still in place, the money would be very similar. And keep in mind, within a few years this team went from drafting 7th to 16th to 26th, so there is savings to be had there as well. I've contended for a long time that the team has never been cheap, although I admit being surprised that the team managed to get Davis, Hall, Howell and Gennett in the fold. Nicely done Brewers!

Great news getting Davis signed. He was one of the better hitters available for the draft this year, but IIRC was dealing with a few nagging injuries. As a draft-eligible sophomore, and a Boras client, I thought he would be a little tougher to sign, so $1.2 M doesn't sound too bad (I heard the two sides were never far apart, and the Brewers didn't sound too worried at any point about making that deal happen). I haven't heard if the deals are for this year or next. It would be nice to get Davis to Helena, or possibly even Wisconsin, and let him get a few weeks and 30-40 ABs since it's not a matter of keeping his arm fresh. He might even help out a team like BC in the postseason.

Even if he's not the best hitter in the MWL, molitor fan brings up a very good point. Even before Lawrie has gotten hot, he has more than held his own during his first taste of professional baseball. I know expectations were pretty high, and even if the MWL were an easier place to hit, I think it's hard to say that he hasn't had a good year. I know a few have suggested that he repeat low-A, or at least open there to begin the 2010 season, and I think it's pretty easy to see, and say, that won't happen. Having seen him a handful of times this year, the guy is fearless, he's cocky, he's talented, and he's an aggressive hitter that has put up respectable numbers. I hope once Kentrail Davis is signed that the two spend some times playing in the same lineup together in BC next summer.

Congrats to Kevin, and congrats to the Rays as well. They're signing some nice later round talent to good money.

Alright, the above post took way too long with my iPhone, so I'll abbreviate the link report before Mass stops by in the morning to work his usual magic. Final: Huntsville 0, Mobile 1 Lucroy as noted above continues to be on fire, going 2-3 with his 26th double and a BB. The Brevard County games as noted by Mass above unfortunately were both washed out. Final: Beloit 4, Wisconsin 2 4 of the 5 hits Suppan gave up went for extra bases. Nick Tyson goes 4+ strong innings in relief, and Kjeldgaard hits his 18th dinger. Final: Orem 9, Helena 3 Bright spots include Hiram Burgos having a strong start, and Cameron Garfield hitting his 3rd home run. The baby Brewers are down 6-5 to the Indians. Tyler Roberts is 2-2 so far with a BB. Blake Billings got roughed up early in this one.