colbyjack

Last year I wasn't too upset that the Brewers didn't land extra first-round picks for Cordero and Linebrink since they got early third-rounders, but if a team like the Yankees goes out and signs Teixeira AND Sabathia this offseason, that will flat-out suck.

In an exciting evening for the Milwaukee Brewers farmhands, Lorenzo Cain appeared as a pinch-runner for the Javelinas yesterday. Today's game is at 8:05 CST for those looking for a way to cure your Halloween hangover with some baseball tonight.

No Brewers made it into last night's game, so allow me to use this space to say that Giants farmhand the and fifth overall pick from this past year's draft, Buster Posey, is absolutely tearing up Hawaii:

I was kind of coming from the angle that despite the near diety worship Jack and Doug receive here there are other teams that have built from within and via the trade to a tune of equal or more success than the Brewers have over the past 8 years. I think we all get caught up in the dark days of the 90's-02 when this team was possibly the worst in baseball. The front office has removed the team from laughingstock list but still needs improvement. Without a doubt the front office and the team in general needs improvement, as so one should be ultimately happy until this organization wins it all. My argument is not to make it sounds as though Zduriencik or even Melvin are divine, I just can't fathom Zduriencik being viewed as anything but an above-average scouting director. Just out of curiosity who are the 9 guys on the big league roster? It is nice and an achievment when drafted guys make it to the big leagues given the normal washout rates but how many were major contributors to getting in the playoffs? Given how bad the Brewers were it was bound to happen that a number of prospects would make the roster even 3 or 4 years ago through the sheer awfulness of the team. Actually it's 12, and that was the postseason roster, so Ben Sheets wasn't even represented (a homegrown product, but a pre-Jack pick). Here's the list: Braun Escobar Fielder Gallardo Gwynn Hall Hardy Hart Nelson Parra Stetter Weeks Two of these picks Zduriencik wasn't directly responsible for, Escobar and Hall. That means he supplied 40% of the postseason roster with players picked under his watch, which included more than half of the starting lineup and two starting pitchers. And the Phillies definitely deserve major props for their own internal efforts: Utley, Howard, Rollins, Burrell, Hamels, Myers and Madson were all drafted by the Phillies. As for missing on first-round picks, it's important to point out that the years Zduriencik did miss on his first-rounders he had a very astute later round selection. In 2000 is was Hart, 2001 it was Hardy, 2004 it was Gallardo. I think it's unfair to write off Jeffress this soon. Weeks isn't a miss. He's an every day starter at second base. Regardless of your opinion of him, that alone makes him a hit. Not only are you not going to hit on all of your first-round draft picks, but you're also not going to draft a perennial all-star each time out. As for other team's success in the first round, how about we look at what three teams generally praised for their scouting efforts, the Braves, Dodgers and Twins, did with their first rounders since 2000 (Braves/Dodgers/Twins): 2000: Adam Wainwright/Ben Diggins/Adam Johnson 2001: Macay McBride, Josh Burris/no first-round pick/Joe Mauer 2002: Jeff Franceour/James Loney/Denard Span 2003: No first-round pick/Chad Billingsley/Matt Moses 2004: No first-round pick/Scott Elbert, Blake DeWitt/Trevor Plouffe, Glen Perkins, Kyle Waldrop 2005: Joey Devine/no first-round pick/Matt Garza 2006: Cody Johnson/Clayton Kershaw, Bryan Morris/Chris Parmelee 2007: Jason Heyward/Chris Withrow/Ben Revere 2008: No first-round pick/Ethan Martin/Aaron Hicks, Carlos Gutierrez All three teams had some supplemental picks sprinkled in, but I don't consider those picks true first-rounders. Looking at this, it's probably not a huge surprise that the Braves have slipped the past few years, since they haven't hit on many first-round picks. Both teams had some supplemental picks sprinkled in, but I don't consider those picks true first-rounders. The Dodgers had two very nice picks in Billlingsley and Kershaw, which is similar to the Brewers starting tandem of Gallardo and Parra. The Twins of course landed Joe Mauer, one of the brightest young stars in the game, and used Garza to acquire Delmon Young. Otherwise, even these three clubs, generally regarded among the best in the business when it comes to scouting, miss more than they hit.

Compared to what was there when they started, yes, vast improvement. Reality is they built a team that squeaked into the playoffs and were promplty dismissed. In that same time organizations like Tampa, Colorado, Arizona, Florida, Minnesota, Cleveland, and A's have all built playoff and World Series teams through astue scouting, trading, and drafting. Since you brought up trading, when you're talking about the top to bottom player development, that credit goes to the GM. I noted that only the Angels had more homegrown talent on their playoff roster than the Brewers, as the rest of the roster is up to the GM to assemble, whether that talent comes from FA acquisitions, trades, waiver wire pickups, the Rule 5 draft, etc. In other words, you can't start talking about the playoffs or the World Series too much because utlimately that responsibility is on the shoulders of the GM (I would also argue that the Brewers are only starting to move forward, as this team was not built as though it were 2008 or bust), not the scouting director. It's funny that the Rays were brought up, because many people held the misconception that they were built off of all of the early first-round picks they have had recently. However, their team had "only" 9 homegrown players on their postseason roster vs. the Brewers 12. For those that have questioned Zduriencik (who I don't think is perfect, but who I do believe is among the top 5-7 scouting directors in baseball), who do you think is better? Not what teams, but which scouting directors specifically have done a better job than Zduriencik during a similar time frame?

I didn't mean to come across as stern as I probably sounded, but I do think we have been spoiled the past few years and that has altered our expectations. Seeing Zduriencik move on also doesn't mean that the club is doomed to fail a few years down the road, as much of the success was based on the system that Zduriencik put in place, as he was good at evaluating scouts just like he was evaluating players. Hopefully those people he put in place are good enough to continue on without him (and since the team sounds as though they are going to promote from within, hopefully one of them has been groomed to follow in his footsteps). And it's not like the scouting efforts are going to fall off a cliff, because part of the problem in the 90s was the lack of the dedication to scouting and player development by the Sal Bando ran teams, as we're not going to see a change in that philosophy as long as Doug Melvin is the GM. That actually changed immediately the day Dean Taylor took over when the ballclub openly re-committed themselves to those efforts. I'm going to have a couple of stories up on the homepage in the next few weeks that tackles a few of these issues, so keep your eyes open for those.

I'm really surprised by the reaction some people have towards Zduriencik, and I honestly don't know what people expect. I am often accused as a Zduriencik apologist, but I'm just a big fan of his because he accumulated a lot of talent, and without that talent the Brewers don't make the postseason in 2008. That's the bottom line. Look around at other scouting directors to see what they're doing and how much big-league talent they have produced. Then look back at the Brewers 8-9 years ago to see how much talent the team had in their system. It's not a surprise that more talent increases a team's chances for winning, and you can make direct ties to the team's success to the team's ability to procure talent. Did you know that the Brewers had 12 players on their postseason roster that were procured entirely within the Brewers system, and only two of those (Bill Hall and Alcides Escobar) were not the direct responsibility of Jack Zduriencik? Only one playoff team had more homegrown players, the Angels, who had an astonishing total of 17. The Dodgers had 11, the Red Sox and Cubs had 10, the Rays and Phillies each had 9, while the White Sox had 6. And without the depth of talent the Brewers don't go out and acquire CC Sabathia. Plus, the Brewers haven't invested a lot of money into international free agents, meaning almost all of their talent has come via the draft. If you honestly think someone can do a better job at accumulating talent serving as the team's scouting director, I really, really hope you're right, because the odds are definitely against that from happening. There is no comparison to the Brewers drafting efforts pre-Zduriencik to what he did from 2000-2008.

I mentioned this before, but I think the Brewers should stay away from Peavy, especially if he expects to have his contract extended/changed to add more year and/or money while instituting a full no-trade clause. The Padres are wise to investigate a trade with the 5 teams Peavy is open to being moved to first, because his trade value isn't going to be as great if a team that he isn't open to being traded to has to re-structure his contract.

I don't mean to dispute the original report, but if a Boston radio station discussed this trade, you would think we would have heard about it from somewhere else. We're in a day and age that even local speculation doesn't go very far without being reported on the internet, especially from a major baseball market like Boston. Does anyone know if this is being discussed on the Sons of Sam Horn site? I only ask because personally I don't see Fielder as a very good fit for Boston. They already have a similar play in Ortiz, and the package that was proposed was closer to what was offered for Johan Santana last offseason. Now if JJ Hardy were to become available I could see the Red Sox being one of the bigger suitors for his services.

I thought they pegged Street's lack of effectiveness on the loss of stuff. I'm guessing that is somewhat of a misconception based on those reports trwi7, unless his breaking stuff isn't as effective, or if he just did peak early in his career. I know he was never a fireballer at any point in his career, including his time spent in college at Texas, although looking at his stat line again for 2008 I noticed it wasn't that far off from what he did the previous three seasons. I know there are some people out there that like to follow the A's, so I'm curious as to the A's stance on him. Why did he lose the closer's job? Was it simply a matter of a bad stretch in the middle of the season? Does the team still plan on using him as a set-up man, or will he be given a chance to reclaim the closers spot in spring training? He will now be entering his second year of arbitration, so his salary is going to go up a little from $3.3 million, but probably not enough to break the backs of the A's, who really don't have a lot of money tied up into any one player outside of Chavez.

I can't remember, so if someone knows please refresh my memory, but was there a reason for Street's dip in velocity this year? His WHIP went up and his Ks were down, which usually isn't a good combination. He's still plenty young, and I too would worry about how much talent it would take to acquire him. Although I think he already did lose his job as closer with the A's, which has to surpress his market value somewhat. He's an interesting option, but he certainly wasn't as good this year as he has been in year's past, and you have to wonder if he peaked early.

I would be very surprised if he got a 2 year, $14M deal like BuckyTuba suggested. Who ever gives him that kind of deal is doomed to fail. As yohii8 noted, a 1-year, incentive-laden deal would be very interesting. I'm not sure about the timing, as it may be a situation similar to the one Jon Lieber was in a few years ago in which he received a 2-year deal knowing that he wouldn't be able to contribute the first of those two years. I know the reports say Cordero is confident he'll be ready by spring training, but who else is confident that a pitcher who had surgery to repair a torn labrum is going to be ready to go come April? A high-risk, high-reward type of deal. If he can be had and the price is right, I'm all for it, otherwise I'm guessing a team a little more desparate for bullpen help, and/or one that can make riskier moves without as much financial backlash, gets him in the fold.

Newly acquired 3B Casey McGehee is playing for Culiacan in the Mexican Pacific League. He's hitting .293/.317/.397 in 58 ABs so far this fall, which puts him among the organization's best. Hernan Iribarren continues to swing the bat well, as he's at .318/.415/.477 in 44 ABs, hitting RHPs much better (.433) than LHPs (.071). Tony Gwynn is hitting .306/.370/.367 in 49 ABs. Luis Pena has still only appeared in one game, so we'll try to put out the feelers to see if there is something more going on there.

Gindl goes 0-2 today with a BB and a K. That's it from Hawaii.

Egads! Wright, then Scarpetta, now Periard. Alexandre Periard gave up 6 ER today in 1.2 innings for work, getting the start (his first) for the Javelinas today. 6 hits, which included 2 home runs, both by Blue Jays prospect J.P. Arencibia, and 2 walks caused the damage. David Welch pitched a perfect 9th inning. Lorenzo Cain batted 9th as the DH today and went 1-3 with a strikeout. http://mlb.mlb.com/milb/s...008_10_30_perwin_pddwin_1

I might as well add this to this thread as well, but Ken Macha noted just a few minutes ago in his interview with Bill Michaels of 620 WTMJ that Melvin would be extending an offer to both CC Sabathia and Ben Sheets tomorrow.

Macha just mentioned that "Doug will make an offer to CC tomorrow" on WTMJ. Actually, Macha said that Melvin will be offering both Sabathia and Sheets a deal tomorrow.

Cody Scarpetta got the start tonight for West Oahu, and things were not pretty. He only recorded one out and allowed 5 ER on 4 hits and 2 BBs. The only out he recorded (a strikeout) was the last batter he faced. Given that he plunked a batter in his last game after getting rocked, you have to wonder if emotions are getting the best of Cody during his short stint in the HWB. It would be so nice to see Gindl and Schafer build off of a successful game. Wisconsin native Mark Hallberg did so again today, after his big hit last night, going 3-5 raising his BA to .353. Gindl and Schafer both went 1-4, Gindl with a double, and Schafer with an RBI. West Oahu plays another early game tomorrow, starting at 3pm HT (8 pm CST).

Omar Aguilar was the only Brewers to play in yesterday's game, tossing a scoreless inning, giving up a hit while striking out a pair. The hit he gave up was a weakly hit infield single on an 0-2 count that the shortstop couldn't get to first in time, and of his 13 pitches, 12 were strikes. That's good stuff! http://mlb.mlb.com/milb/s...008_10_28_perwin_scowin_1 During today's game, Lorenzo Cain led off for the Javelinas and played CF for the Javelinas, going 1-3 with a solo HR in the 6th inning (his 2nd this fall) and a walk. Lou Palmisano went 1-4 (a double), a run scored and 2 Ks. Brae Wright got rocked today, giving up 4 hits and 4 ER while recording only one out. http://mlb.mlb.com/milb/s...008_10_29_pddwin_perwin_1

The NL Central is up today, and Brett Lawrie got the homepage picture nod...(link below for full Brewers report card for subscribers only). With all due respect to John Manuel, who compiled the Brewers list (and most of the NL IIRC), these report cards don't seem as thorough as they used to be. http://www.baseballamerica.com/images/blawrie08428309bm.jpg http://www.baseballameric...aft-dish/2008/267103.html If you have followed the picks, including the scouting reports in the official selection/signing thread, I don't think any of the reports will be all that surprising. Carlos George was called the best late-round pick, praising his glove while noting he has the potential at the plate to get a lot better.

McGehee is definitely a low ceiling guy, but he has some solid tools. As noted already, his defense is a big plus at third base, and he can catch. Is arm strength is an asset, and he puts the ball in play and is a good situational hitter. He's not a big strikeout guy, but he also doesn't walk much. He's younger, has options and interesting versatility. He was a top prospect coming out of Fresno State in 2003, and one of the more prevalent comments at that time focused around his contact bat and how he had some power potential but it was a matter of it developing over time. Obviously that hasn't happened (yet).

It should be up and ready for all to enjoy within two weeks. I'm working on it now.

I tuned into tonight's West Oahu game late, and was able to catch the CaneFires go into extra innings vs. the Honu. Chris Cody started the game for West Oahu, and pitched very well, going 5 innings giving up 2 hits and 2 walks striking out 4. 42 of his 72 pitches went for strikes. With the game tied 2-2, and with the A's talented RHP Brett Hunter coming onto the mound, Logan Schafer got things started with a leadoff walk. He scored the go-ahead run (on Wisconsin native's Mark Hallberg's 2-run double), stealing second base in the process. He ended up striking out during his second AB in the 10th to finish the day 2-4 with 2 runs, 1 BB and 1 K. Caleb Gindl didn't look as though he was going to have a very good night before hitting a 2-run single in the 10th, 2 batters before Schafer had his 2nd AB of the inning. Neither have been hitting the ball particularly well, and of course we haven't had any HWB games to follow the past few days, so it was nice to see them both contribute in an exciting, 8-2 win in which West Oahu scored 6 runs in the top of the 10th. http://mlb.mlb.com/milb/s...008_10_28_wocwin_nshwin_1

Despite the fact that Salome is indeed ripped, he's not very fast, as we've heard reports that his speed is below average even for a catcher. As Mass noted above, it's catcher or bust for Salome, and he'll be given plenty of opportunities to stick before anyone writes him off.

MLB Trade Rumors had a story up earlier today about Prince possibly being shopped, which of course generated significant interest. It's fun reading through the replies to gauge what other fans from other teams think it may take to get him. http://www.mlbtraderumors...ers-willing.html#comments I personally like the idea of trading him to Cleveland for Ryan Garko, David Huff and Nick Weglarz. Garko could platoon at 1B, as he's somewhat of a Kevin Millar clone, although the team would really need to find a left-handed hitting complement (Cliff Floyd?). David Huff had an awesome year between AA and AAA, and could make the starting rotation out of spring training. He and Travis Snider were my favorite picks for the Brewers first-rounder in 2006 (Snider never made it that far, Huff went in the sandwich round). Weglarz had a good, not great year at high-A, and is a big, lefty slugger often compared to Justin Morneau (that's right, he's Canadian!). Like Morneau, originally signed as a catcher IIRC that spent some time at 3B, Weglarz may be better off being moving from the OF back to 1B.