colbyjack

Crisp had a worse BA, OBP, and Slugging in a much better lineup than what DeJesus had. Plus Crisp is older. So why would they trade a pre arby bull-pen arm and take on a 6 million contract obligation to replace what appears to be a better player. I think it somewhat speaks to what they think of DeJesus defensively. Joey Gathright, who has almost no power and isn't the threat on the basepaths you would think he should be given his speed, actually received more regular playing time in CF last year, so if they feel DeJesus is better in LF, they may have wanted to get more of a true CF. Although I agree that I don't completely understand this deal for the Royals, nor did I think picking up Mike Jacobs made much sense, at least not as an everyday option at 1B. These two moves allow Billy Butler to play DH, where he probably fits the best, and moves Jose Guillen back to RF on an everyday basis. They're one acquisition away (a middle infielder) from pretty much having their 2009 team set on paper, although you do have to question how much better they got with these pickups. It does obviously make one of Teahen or DeJesus available, and hopefully Doug Melvin is exploring both of those options, since they both would have places on the Brewers (Teahen could move back to 3B).

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think a lot of your complaints stem from the fact that you don't like humor that derives from the awkwardness and uncomfortable. I get the feeling that you enjoy humor that involves people getting into funny situations and saying funny things. I think someone else mentioned they didn't like humor that comes from the awkward situations, but that wasn't me. I also don't think it has anything to do with expectations, I just don't enjoy the show as much as I used to. I agree with logan, I do miss the Jim/Dwight conflict, but that's not the only thing missing. I can't put a finger on it, and it seems as though I'll just have to agree to disagree with those that feel the show is as strong as it ever was.

I haven't gone back and watched seasons one or two in a while but I wonder if some of the appeal was the freshness of the show at the time. Would those seasons still be as funny to me now? I watch the new episode every week as well as the two re-runs that are on TBS on Tuesday nights. Quite often I watch these back-to-back over the weekend after I have DVR'd them, and the difference between the early shows and the new ones from this season, and even last season, is night and day. I realize that more characters have to get involved (Andy Bernard as noted above is a great addition, but even he's better on his own as opposed to when they focus on his relationship with Angela), but it just seems to me they have lost what made the show so funny and successful. It's hard to pinpoint what that is exactly, but it just seems like they're trying too hard now.

Penny pinching is a pretty strong, and typically derogatory, term to describe why a team does or doesn't do something. I know you have mentioned before that the Brewers have been cheap when it comes to the draft as well, which I couldn't disagree with more, but I really don't understand how a team from Milwaukee could be more involved on the international market, much less Asia, than it currently is given the current economic landscape. What other team in a similar situation is putting big money into such ventures? If you only bring that up because you would like to see the Brewers spend more internationally but completely understand their own internal restrictions, I share that same sentiment. I will agree that due to the lack of scouts it is incredibly unlikely that the Brewers will make a pitch towards any of the free-agents from Japan. I know Uehara is one of those free agents. Kenshin Kawakami draws comparison to Hiroki Kuroda. Junichi Tazawa has been making news as a high schooler that has decided to bypass the draft in hopes of landing a big deal state-side. I'm not sure if the talent is down, if opinions have been effected by the struggles of Fukudome or if this year's free agent crop, thanks to Teixeira and CC, has effected people's perception of the Asian market, but there isn't much talk about these players this year. That may have been significantly different had Yu Darvish been posted.

Since stats seem to be the theme here for why or why not to get excited about certain prospects, I suggest you check out Iribarren's numbers playing in Venezuela this fall. Escobar's excitement level has always been about his glove. To see him improve offensively is incredibly encouraging. I agree that he needs time in AAA to make sure he's as close to big-league ready as possible, but I'm not going to go out of my way to find a reason not to like the young man's ability.

I think the show has run it's course. I watch it just in case it is funny more than because I think it is good now. Bingo. I just mentioned on a different thread that the Office has really lost it's original novelty. Last week's episode was by far the best of the season, but that was carried almost entirely by Andy Bernard ("beer me two long island ice teas" actually did something no line in any episode this season caused me to do: laugh). I'm not sure what happened. It's like the show got too caught up with its own success and tried to get too cute (like the commercials that promote different "office" type antics on their website). They need to cut out the love stories, as the Jim/Pam and Michael/whoever love storylines seem to be the root of the reason why the show is going downhill.

I could see Survivor having a Cops-like run. I don't watch the show religiously, but I watch it once and a while over my wife's shoulder, and I can see why it has been as successful as it has. Matt Groening makes fun of the Simpsons long run during the show itself. It's funny, because I have said similar things to comments earlier in this thread, such as "the show should have been cancelled after season 10." However, I then discover that some of my most favorite episodes debuted much later than I thought they did. I admit that I haven't had a good 30-minute, from beginning to end laugh while watching the show in quite some time, but the show still has its moments, and the movie was pretty funny. The Office really needs to re-discover what made the show so successful from the beginning. They've been on the fast track to gimmicky lameness for quite some time now, and really need to re-find the spontaneous, seemingly non-scripted humor that made the show feel real not too long ago. Before last Thursday, this season was a complete disaster. Thank you Andy Bernard.

http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/clem/sports/m-basebl/auto_action/1921863.jpeg Ben Paulsen was a player I wasn't familiar with until I got the chance to see him play at last summer's Cape Cod League All-Star Game (he started at first base for the West squad). One word came to mind when I watched him play: Smooth. His left-handed swing looks about as good as any could, with very good balance, extension and excellent swing mechanics. The barrel of his bat stays in the zone a long time, which allows him to make consistent, hard contact. He showed that his power translated well to swinging a wood bat on the Cape by finishing second in home runs (8) and RBI (33), fourth in extra-base hits (18) and fifth in slugging (.497). A disciplined and patient eye allows him to draw his fair amount of walks while waiting for his pitch, although so far in college he also has shown the propensity to strike out quite a bit. Smooth also defines his glove, as he looks like he was born to play first base with soft, quick hands, good footwork and a strong arm for the position. Paulsen's overall numbers don't look that pretty, since he didn't have a particularly good freshman season, but finished that year strong, particularly in conference play, and that success carried over to a successful summer playing for the New England Collegiate Baseball League. His emergence during his sophomore year and last summer lead many to believe he is poised for a huge year during his junior season with Clemson. .291/.359/.491 in 639 AB, 40 2B, 2 3B, 28 HR, 63 BB, 138 K, 5 E

Keep your fingers that it isn't anything serious, but Lorenzo Cain was replaced during an AB in today's 10-4 loss to the Solar Sox by Drew Stubbs. Stubbs ended up striking out in that AB, which was credited to Cain, who technically went 0-3, even if he had only 2 full ABs while hitting out of the leadoff spot today. Brent Brewer continues to hit extra bases in Arizona, hitting his 3rd double in a 1-3 effort. He also walked and stole a base. After getting out of a 2-out, bases loaded jam in the 8th, Omar Aguilar gave up his first runs this fall in the 9th after a hit, a hit batter, two walks and an RBI groundout. His ERA soared to 1.54, and ended up striking out a pair in 1.1 innings of work. http://mlb.mlb.com/milb/s...008_11_18_msswin_perwin_1

Iribarren actually has decent speed. His problem is getting good reads and jumps on stolen base attempts, but he has always hit his fair share of triples, and led the Southern League in that category in 2007 IIRC. He currently is hitting extremely well playing in the fall/winter Venezuelan League, hitting .337 while showing a good eye at the plate, slugging above .500 and having more success on the basepaths. As JB noted, he's a left-handed hitter, and has enjoyed a lot more success against RHPs, which would be a valuable asset for the Brewers bench. Him playing the OF was an attempt by the Brewers to maximize his value through versatility. He has hit at every level he has played, and could be a valuable (and cheap) bench option for the '09 season. I'm not sure if he's an everyday option for 2B or CF, but he's the closest thing to a prototyipcal leadoff hitter that the Brewers have in the upper levels of their system.

BA shifts their attention to the AL Central today, starting with the Chicago White Sox. Their talent level the past few years has been somewhat deceptive, as while it doesn't seem like they have a ton of talent, they haven't been shy about trading young talent to supplement their big-league roster. http://www.baseballameric...rospects/2009/267205.html

http://media.reporternews.com/abil/content/img/photos/2008/04/05/20080405-224211-pic-116951462.jpg Shelby Miller is quickly making a name for himself, although you could argue that people weren't paying attention before the summer hit, as he tossed three consecutive no-hitters during the spring, the last of which was a perfect game. Recently in Jupiter, Florida at the WWBA World Championship, Miller tossed two games, both of which he recorded 94 mph with his fastball. His fastball velocity sits in the 88-92 range, and he does a good job maintaining that velocity deep into ballgames. Since he has already enjoyed a spike, many believe that he will only add more to his heater given his size, frame and easy delivery, as it isn't crazy to think that he will be throwing 94 with greater regularity in the next few years. His curveball and changeup are also solid pitches, and he throws all three pitches for strikes. He knows how to change speeds, working his secondary offerings off of the success of his fastball unlike most high school players exhibit. Like almost all prep players, he has some mechanical issues to improve, but nothing that is considered serious. As Matthew Purke and Tyler Matzek are creating a debate as to which one is the top pre lefty in the nation, Miller's emergence is creating a similar debate between he and Jacob Turner among the nation's righties. Miller has committed to play for Texas A&M.

Could someone give me a rundown on Getz? Don't really know anything about him, and would love a scouting report, etc. I briefly talked about Getz in the thread that I proposed acquiring him as part of the bigger deal with the White Sox mentioned above. He hits to contact, and is a solid, not flashy player that works the count, draws walks, put the ball in play, plays solid defense and lately has been hitting for a higher average with improving power. Here's that thread: http://forum.brewerfan.net/viewtopic.php?t=16526 Only a year younger than Weeks. He would probably strike out less, but doesn't look like he would offer any other advantage. Please keep in mind that I'm not suggesting that Getz would be an upgrade over Weeks, but that Weeks was necessary to include in my proposal to acquire Bobby Jenks while trying to find a match with the White Sox.

Well, the CaneFires ended up losing to Waikiki, 5-1. I have mentioned before that the Beachboys have fielded a near college all-star lineup with the likes of Posey, Alonso, Kieschnick and Frazier, and they definitely had the CaneFires number this season (Scarpetta faced them twice before, including one game in which he plunked a batter after getting knocked around). Here's the game story: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/a...ws_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb And here's the box score: http://mlb.mlb.com/milb/s...008_11_16_waiwin_wocwin_1 Cody Scarpetta went 2.1 innings, giving up 4 hits, 3 walks and 2 ER while taking the loss. Chris Cody continued his successful campaign by tossing 3.2 scoreless innings, giving up only one hit while striking out a pair. He finished with a 3.50 ERA during his HWB stint, although it doesn't look as though the stats are going to include this game, so we may have to do the math on our own. Scarpetta deserves some serious credit for being a late substitution for Ramlow, while both Scarpetta and Cody got to add some innings and experience under their belt after a relatively light workload during the regular season. Caleb Gindl went 0-4 with a pair of strikeouts, so for him he may be better off if this game didn't count toward the final stats. Regardless, he finished the HWB season strong, as he did during the regular season. Logan Schafer did not play tonight. Wisconsin native Mark Hallberg finished first in the league in hits, second in total bases and third in batting.

The HWB Championship game will take place today at 6pm CST. This game was once available to be watched online, but I can't find any information about video or audio being available for this game. If nothing else, you can follow the game via Gameday. Here's a link to the HWB's daily scoreboard on MLB.com to access that later in the day when it becomes available: http://mlb.mlb.com/milb/s...?sid=l405&t=l_sco&lid=405

That's too perfect. It would never happen. I hope DM doesn't shy away from bigger changes like that if it improves the team, just because he doesn't want to make big changes to a playoff team. Agreed, and I didn't even mention that the payroll would probably be in the $70 million range, giving the team more flexibility moving forward. But I, like you, hopes that Melvin doesn't try to get too cute trying to find more balance to the lineup. If more creative deals can be made, such as the ones proposed above, to accomplish a more balanced lineup and better team defense, I hope he pursues them. Plus, I honestly don't want to be relying on the Branyan's and Lamb's of the world. I do think Brad Nelson and Hernan Iribarren could be very fine (and cheap) lefty bats off of the bench. And Perez's numbers at AAA showed he hit lefties better than righties (.705 OPS vs Rigties vs .818 OPS vs lefties). Perez still hits RHPs just as well in regards to batting average, but his power goes down significantly. One good thing about him batting left-handed is that his groundball rate goes up quite a bit, and he has the wheels to run out infield hits. DHonks mentioned that he was one of the finest CFs defensively in the AFL last year, and I think he could be that leadoff hitting CF that is often referred to by fans but is difficult to identify since there are so few available, if they even exist.

fleehaw, like you, I'm a big fan of Aybar, and overall I really like your idea of acquiring Aybar, Perez and Niemann, although I'm not even sure you would need to add anything past Fielder. Proposing to acquire Perez, Aybar and Niemann coupled with my proposal of Weeks and Cameron for Jenks, Vazquez and Getz would add two starters, a closer, a left-handed bat and two switch-hitters while also improving the team's OBP, cutting down on the numbers of Ks and improving the team D' at 3B and possibly 2B. CF (defensively) could be a wash depending on how Perez thrives in an everyday role.

reillymcshane started a good thread several months ago regarding the team's need to add balance to the lineup. Given the timing of that thread, I figured it would be a good time to start a new one on the same topic. Here's that past thread: http://forum.brewerfan.net/viewtopic.php?t=14831 You have to think Melvin is going to make sure that he does something to add more R-L balance to the team's lineup for 2009, but there really aren't too many easy options available outside of having Mat Gamel serve as the team's 3B to open the season. I'm not too worried about Gamel's bat despite the lack of more time at AAA, but his glove may negate any value he adds to the lineup. Third base is the easiest position to address this issue, but again, there aren't too many options, and the ones that are available would all have to be acquired via trade. Any other way to add more balance to the lineup would have to be done at other positions, with RF being a possibility if you think you could go out and acquire free agents such as Bobby Abreu, Raul Ibanez or even trade targets such as Brian Giles or Jeremy Hermida. That means one of Mike Cameron or Corey Hart is dealt. Cameron's name is added if you're confident Hart can play CF, as the CF options aren't that great either. Another option would be to strengthen the bench with plenty of lefty bats. Cliff Floyd would be a welcome addition, but I'm not sure he would offer more than Brad Nelson at this stage in his career. I'm going to focus on the options at 3B, but welcome any and all thoughts to improve the balance in the lineup. I also realize that the team may be placing too big of a priority on this, so I'd rather not debate whether or not this is even necessary. Chad Tracy and Aubrey Huff kind of remind me of similar players, in that they're probably not cut out to play 3B on an everyday basis, but they have done so in the past. Tracy is blocked in Arizona by Reynolds at 3B and Jackson at 1B, although he does provide good depth for that team at both positions. Huff is coming off of a huge season and the Orioles may be inclined to trade him for young talent. Hank Blalock has been talked about before, but the Rangers seem intent on having him split 1B and DH with Chris Davis, as his shoulder injuries have seemed to make 3B more of a problem for him to play. He would need a good RH hitting platoon mate since he doesn't hit LHPs worth a lick. The Rangers did pick up his option, so you would need to pick him up via trade. Mark Teahen may eventually feel the squeeze in KC as they added yet another fringe 1B/DH type in Mike Jacobs, and also have an OF full of players fighting for playing time. Many feel his numbers could bounce back with a return to 3B, and he may be one of the more easily obtained players on this list. Ramon Vazquez is coming off of a career year with the Rangers and is a free agent. He has always hit RHPs better, although you have to be concerned about his home/away splits this past year, as his OPS was approximately 80 points better at home, a hitters paradise. Vazquez is probably more of a bench option. Wily Aybar may be my favorite option, but could be one of the more difficult players to acquire, as he serves quite a few different roles for the Rays, but he is blocked as a starter at 3B (and other IF positions for that matter) given the presence of Evan Longoria. Daniel Murphy is kind of a long-shot/darkhorse option. He played the OF for the Mets, is currently being worked at 2B in the AFL, but played 3B in the minors. He's not considered the greatest defender, and may actually be the eventual replacement for Delgado at 1B. But even then, he doesn't have prototypical power for the position. The Mets reportedly are looking for a left-fielder that can make more of an everyday impact (Raul Ibanez?) which could make Murphy more available since the reports out of the AFL of him playing 2B aren't good. All of these options bring me back to one of the initial points: Would any of these options be significantly better than Gamel to make it worth the trouble of trying to acquire them?

I'd be very suspicious of Jenks. As I recall he had a spell where his back? was acting up and he missed about 3 weeks in the middle of the year. Why are the Sox shopping him? I don't see a replacement on their roster and they control him 3 more years. All very good points JB. I don't think people realize just how Jenks has been in recent years, although his Ks took a pretty dramatic drop this past year. It's the White Sox, why not insert Gwynn Jr. into the proposal and keep Cameron. This was already touched on, but the key to this deal is to try and get Jenks with a few other key parts that the Brewers could use sprinkled in. I'm not even sure as it stands right now if there's enough to make that happen. Colby you did however bring up Williams past interest in Hall, which gets me wondering about a deal involving Hall for Vazquez. Given the money involved, it's possible the teams could swap the two players straight up.

I've see Cain referred to as Eric Davis, Jr. a couple of times here at BFan...is this pretty accurate? I personally think Cain is more like Randy Winn, as Davis is a pretty ambitious comparison. Cain is a similar athlete to Davis, but Davis was a career .269/.359/.482 hitter, as I don't see Cain developing that kind of power. The Javelinas faced Brian Matusz today, the 4th overall pick in last year's draft. Lou Palmisano got the start behind the plate and went 1-4 with a double and a run scored, while Brent Brewer started at third base and went 1-3 with a run scored, a walk and a K. David Welch continued to pitch well by only giving up 1 hit in 2 innings of work with 4 punchouts. I mentioned this earlier this week, but Welch's numbers would look a lot better this fall (it would be around 2.5 now) if it weren't for one lousy inning. http://mlb.mlb.com/milb/s...008_11_15_perwin_surwin_1

http://mlb.mlb.com/images/2008/11/15/VLwbWyto.jpg Caleb Gindl is 12-for-29 with nine RBIs during a seven-game hitting streak http://mlb.mlb.com/news/a...ws_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb Gindl, CaneFires win sixth straight Brewers outfield prospect collects three hits, three RBIs By Daren Smith / MLB.com Caleb Gindl is ending his Hawaii Winter Baseball season on a high note. The Brewers outfield prospect went 3-for-4 with a homer and three RBIs on Friday as the West Oahu CaneFires edged the North Shore Honu, 6-5, for their sixth straight win. Gindl got off to a slow start this fall but is 12-for-29 with two homers and nine RBIs during a seven-game hitting streak. In the penultimate game of the regular season, he singled in a run in the second inning, slugged a two-run homer in the fifth and singled again and scored in the eighth. The 2007 fifth-round Draft is hitting .2xx with three homers and 18 RBIs in 25 games in Hawaii after batting .307 with 13 homers, 81 RBIs and 14 stolen bases in 137 games at Class A West Virginia. Pirates prospect Miles Durham added a two-run shot and Kyle Peter (Tigers) chipped in two hits and scored a run for the CaneFires (19-14), who already nailed down a spot in Sunday's Championship Game. West Oahu starter Chris Salberg (4-0) recorded his league-leading fourth win after limiting the Honu to two runs on four hits over five innings. The Orioles Minor Leaguer struck out three and walked two. Moises Robles (Pirates) pitched around a hit in the ninth for his fifth save. North Shore's Jun Hyeok Heo (1-4) was charged with three runs -- two earned -- on five hits, striking out five, over five innings. Astros first-round pick Jason Castro went 2-for-4 with a walk, an RBI and two runs scored, while Matt McBride (Indians) also had two hits and an RBI for the Honu (14-20). Box Score: Gindl also drew a walk, and with one 3-4 game is now hitting .281/.361/.438, and his OPS enjoyed a near-70 point jump with last night's game alone. Logan Schafer was back in CF after bouncing around from the corner spots and DH the past week or so, and went 0-3 with a K. http://mlb.mlb.com/milb/s...008_11_14_wocwin_nshwin_1 Chris Cody is scheduled to take the mound this evening for the CaneFires.

This is a good example of what I'm scared of: http://hotstove.mlblogs.c..._not_the_most_likely.html I'm not sold on Kerry Wood, as he wouldn't be my first choice, but he certainly wouldn't be a bad choice either, but this line of thinking really worries me. I hope McCalvy is just speculating, because if true the reasoning could cause me to change my opinion of Doug Melvin. Starting pitching and left-handed bats are important, but why can't the team be looking for bullpen help at the same time? Do they potentially expect to use all of their resources on these two parts of the team that they can't appropriately address their bullpen? Just because Eric Gagne struggled last year doesn't mean their next option will. Everyone knew Gagne presented a great deal of risk even at the time of the deal, while everyone also recognized that for one-year he wouldn't break the team's back if the move didn't pan out. The team could lose four pitchers from their bullpen, possibly five if you count Todd Coffey. There are some internal candidates to make up half of the bullpen at least, but this is a good year to go out and find a closer given all of the options that are available.

Brent Brewer joins the fun today while playing 3B, going 2-4 with a solo HR in the 4th, a stolen base and 2 runs scored. Nice to see him have a nice day. No Ks, no Es. Lorenzo Cain led off today and played RF, going 1-5 with a double, a stolen base, a run scored and a pair of Ks. http://mlb.mlb.com/milb/s...008_11_14_surwin_perwin_1

There were games scheduled in the HWB according to MLB.com and the official HWB website. If you check both the schedule and the scoreboard on MLB.com they indicate there were games that were supposed to take place yesterday.

Many are suggesting that the White Sox are not done making trades after dealing Nick Swisher. They have made it clear that they want to get more athletic and add more speed, two things Ozzie Guillen loves having on his roster. They have needs at 2b, 3b and CF, as they plan to move Alexei Ramirez to SS. Jenks alone is going to cost a lot, but my thought with this proposal is by taking on Vazquez and his remaining contract, who the White Sox reportedly would like to move, you may be able to get Jenks included. Getz is added to help negate the loss of Weeks, as I don't get the sense that the White Sox are thrilled at moving forward with Getz as their 2B. Cameron was once a member of the White Sox, and would solve their issues in CF for at least another year. The deal for the Brewers obviously fills one of their rotation spots, despite the mixed reviews on Vazquez, and also their closer role. Getz is a left-handed hitting 2B who has gotten much better at the plate the past two years. He works the count and walks a lot just like Weeks, but doesn't swing and miss nearly as much, and is considered a solid but not spectacular defender. He runs the bases well, but does not steal a lot of bases. The deal could be expanded to include Jerry Owens for CF, but he's not that much different than Tony Gwynn. I honestly don't know if the White Sox would rather move Jenks in a separate deal in an attempt to get more for him, although Weeks and Cameron do fit the mold of players Ozzie Guillen and the White Sox seem to like. Bill Hall is also another option as a player Kenny Williams has expressed interest in the past. Flame on!