colbyjack

There's an extremely fascinating and well-written story on BA by Aaron Fitt that talks about Oklahoma State LHP Andrew Oliver and his current battle with the NCAA about being suspended indefinitely for having an agent as opposed to an advisor (subscribers only): http://www.baseballameric...n-campus/2008/266743.html For those of you that don't care about the story or how it turns out, I can tell you that according to this story Oliver has retained the services of the Scott Boras Corp., and therefore will be no easy sign for next June's draft. The Boras count for '09 is up to two (Strasburg).

I can't believe what a turnaround the West Virginia club has made. Early in the year there was so little to be enthused about, with poor pitching and below average hitting. They have become so much more exciting. It has been fun to watch the second-half turnarounds of players such as Eric Farris and Caleb Gindl, whose numbers are much more respectable now then they were at the beginning of the year. Eric Fryer also has been a big part of the Power's success, Logan Schafer has been a good callup, and Lee Haydel quietly is having a very good season. Haydel has a lot to work on, but he's Dave Krynzel part 2, minus the first-round hype. What an awesome Helena game, and good call on Cequea Toby.

The timing for Gamel's promotion is very interesting since there's just over a week before the season is over. Is this a way to reward him, give him a change of scenery as the the story above mentions, possibly try to have him get a taste of AAA since he will be spending it there next year, or do the Brewers want him to get a week's worth of AAA at-bats before possibly bumping him up to Milwaukee? During last night's telecast, Darron and Brian mentioned that the Brewers had meetings yesterday concerning the upcoming roster expansion. I guess it's also a little interesting since Escobar, or even Salome, weren't called up as well, since they too are deserving.

Per Buster Olney via MLBTradeRumors, Strasburg is advised by Scott Boras. Since the Nationals at this point in time are the favorite to be picking first overall in next year's draft, and considering they were unable to sign Aaron Crow, another Boras advisee, I think it's safe to say that Strasburg is by no means a safe bet to go first overall next June. That doesn't mean the Nationals are cheap, as they have been pouring plenty of money into their scouting and player development the past few years. The same goes for the Padres, who in addition to their drafting efforts poured a lot of money last month on some big-name players from Latin America.

Tonight's BC game was cancelled as the rain continues to pour in Florida. RJ Seidel pitches in best game in over a month. It's funny because while scanning the prospects today I was thinking of how Seidel's season was probably one of the more disappointing ones out there, so I'm happy to see him remind me/us why he still does have a very bright future. Jeffress also throwing well so far tonight.

Withouth a doubt, Alcides Escobar's development this year has been one of the most exciting stories to follow at the minor league level for the Brewers. I decided to look at his BA scouting report to remind myself what was said about him last offseason: Obviously, Escobar didn't spend this year at AAA, but he definitely added strength given his increased power output, and he has improved on the basepaths, swiping 32 bags in 40 attempts (80% success rate). The plate discipline is still a concern, but that's an area many talented, young players learn over time, but at least he doesn't strike out a ton. I decided to go back and look at what was written about Jose Reyes in 2002 when he was the Mets top prospect and one of the best prospects overall in all of baseball: Now I'm not saying that Escobar is going to have the same kind of impact Reyes has had, but the similarities between the two are incredibly similar, with almost the exact same things written about Reyes six years ago about the need to add strength, improving his plate discipline and improving his effectiveness on the basepaths. Not to mention, like Reyes, Escobar was just rated by the Southern League managers to have the best D' at SS, the strongest IF arm while also being the league's most exciting player, just like Reyes. Somewhat of a big difference is that Reyes was 19 when this was written about him, while Escobar is 21, which is still nothing to sneeze at. Mass deserves some props for being Escobar's strongest supporter around these parts for his entire career. I wanted to bring this up just for discussion sake, as it's pretty exciting to think what this young man can do for the Brewers in a year or two. If his development came with the Brewers a few years ago, we would probably already be watching play SS at the big-league level.

Definitely nice to see Peralta given a chance. We've heard some pretty good things about his stuff this summer listening to the Helena broadcasts, and I know I'm not the only one that was waiting to see what he could do in the month of August to give him a Nieves-like bump in the P50. Plus, it's always nice to see some of the Brewers prospects from their humble Latin American efforts succeed.

Hamels was throwing in the mid-90s during his senior year in high school. And over long stints, Purke doesn't sit at 95 either, as he typically is more in the 89-91 range, and that may be where he eventually settles in should he be fortunate to find himself at a similar stage of his career as Hamels. And keep in mind, when I throw out comparisons I'm talking about the greater body of work, especially since I had the benefit of seeing Hamels pitch at a similar stage in his career. When you take in the body type, the arm action and the advanced knowledge of throwing a pretty good breaking pitch (Hamels was known more for his curveball coming out of high school than for his changeup, which is his best pitch now), that is where the comparison fits in. I know I've seen on more than one occasion someone compare Purke to Andrew Miller, which I can see given the low-3/4s delivery and how the ball explodes out of the hand, but Miller was always more of a long, angular and somewhat gangly athlete, which Purke is not.

Here's my column from last week which focused on my thoughts from the Aflac game. Anyone that doesn't have Matthew Purke as the #1 prep player in the country is crazy: http://www.pgcrosschecker...08/aflac_impressions.aspx Team USA lost to Cuba early this morning in Bejing, and they'll be playing Japan for the Bronze later tonight I believe. San Diego State RHP Steve Strasburg started this morning's game, wrapping up an impressive summer pitching first for the Team USA National Collegiate Team and most recently for the Olympic team (he was the only college player on the squad). I decided to tally up his numbers, including his Team USA stints and his work last summer pitching for the New England Collegiate Summer League last year, as well as his two springs with SDSU. Here they are: 14-7, 1.68 ERA, 58 games (20 starts), 15 saves (he spent his freshman year as the closer, both at SDSU and during the summer), 193.1 IP, 112 H, 269 K, 39 BB He's already had an unbelievable college career, and he has his junior year coming up, in which he will enter the 2009 draft season as the top prospect available. In addition to his gaudy numbers, he has the stuff to back it up, with a fastball that sits in the mid-90s with good life, a knock-out slider and a good change. He's the best college pitching prospect since Mark Prior (hopefully for him, with better, healthier results). Let the race begin as the Mariners, Padres and Nationals will fight and claw between now and the end of the year to have the dubious honor of selecting first overall next June (with the full realization that the #1 player doesn't always go first overall).

The story as linked above mentions that the stadium is going to have a seating capacity of 1,700. I'm not sure if there is going to be standing room or party decks such as the stadiums in Green Bay, La Crosse, Eau Claire and Madison, but at that small of a figure, it's clear they're not going for the same experience that the Mallards provide (which is probably a good thing, because Mallards games are about anything but the game itself).

The WV game may not have been pretty, but they did a good job roughing up first-round pick, LHP Christian Friedrich in the first 4 innings of that game, which I believe was his low-A debut since being bumped up from short season ball.

There have been rumblings of a NWL team heading to Waukesha for a few years now, and I'm happy to see it happen. I know initially people opposed having the projected attendance that a minor league team could draw (3,000-5,000), and I know a big part of the NWL becoming a reality in the area is that the projected attendance will max out between 1,500 and 3,000. The Wisconsin teams (Madison, Eau Claire, Wausau, La Crosse, Green Bay) are among the most successful in the league, and I'm sure Waukesha will continue that. I'm excited because Frame Park is 15 minutes away from my park, and of course because I have covered the league through my work with PG for the past 3-4 years.

I don't think Huntsville hung Wright out to dry. As you noted, he never had a blow up inning, and while he consistently gave up runs over his 7 innings of work, I'm not sure you can say he was constantly in trouble. If you check the game log, most of the runs were scored relatively quickly off of him, and his worst innings were his first and his last. Two solo home runs and a 2-run shot, in which only 2 runners got on base during that inning, were the biggest blows. The overall line isn't pretty, but it's not a case in which his pitch count was ignored or anything like that. Nice to see the Sounds put up some big numbers vs. Round Rock. Brad Nelson with the biggest of nights in that lineup, with 2 dingers and 4 RBI. Is tonight the first time that Caleb Gindl has reached the .300 mark? Well done young man, as it definitely has been a long road for him to reach that mark after starting the season so slow. I listened to most of tonight's Helena game, for the first time in a long time, and while Ogden pretty much owned them, Efrain Nieves came in and pitched the last 3 innings and he was dealing, hopefully getting back on track (6 K in 3 IP) after a pretty rough month. For you Cutter Dykstra die-hards that don't check the game log, don't worry, he wasn't removed due to injury, he got tossed in the 5th.

BA's most recent issue hands out awards for their top tools, at every level, including the big-leagues (I think the Brewers recipients have been discussed elsehwere, I apologize if the minor leaguers have also been discussed). Sheets' curve was voted the best in the NL, his fastball 2nd best (behind Lincecum), and Mike Cameron (Beltran) was rated the 2nd best defensive outfielder. Here are the minor league winners: Southern League: Mat Gamel, top batting prospect Matt LaPorta, best power Michael Brantley, best strike zone judgement Michael Brantley, best baserunner Alcides Escobar, best defensive SS Alcides Escobar, best infield arm Alcides Escobar, most exciting player Florida State League: Darren Ford, fastest baserunner Jeremy Jeffress, best fastball Lorenzo Cain, best outfield arm

The pitching situation for next year is a little tricky. One one hand I agree with Briggs and Al in that we have been a little spoiled with the acquisition of Sabathia and that we can't forget that Gallardo should be 100% healthy by spring training, and is good enough to replace one of either Sheets or CC. On the flip side, one of the big reasons the team has been so good right now is because of the Sabathia acquisition, because now the team has 3 starters that you feel pretty good about what they're going to do when they take the mound. Going into next year that goes down to 2, at least for me, as Suppan, Bush and McClung (or even Villanueva, who I think should get another shot at the rotation) haven't been as consistent even if Bush and Suppan have been very solid as of late. I still agree that getting another LH bat in the lineup needs to be one of the team's biggest offseason priorities. The bullpen will need to be addressed again as well, and it still wouldn't surprise me to see the team acquire an extra arm for the 'pen before the end of the month (Fuentes is still out there).

I don't think this is an audition for Nix. The team is currently leading the Wild Card race, as I'm sure the Brewers called up the one bat they felt would have the greatest impact. They're not in a position to try and figure out if Nix has any future value to the team IMO. I think it speaks volumes of how they view Gwynn, because as noted by others, his OPS at AAA is pretty lousy. Nix gets the call over Nelson I'm guessing due to versatility, since he can play all 3 OF spots and I'm guessing they weren't too concerned about the backup at 1B. And Nix, like Branyan, probably won't get too much playing time anyway. Kapler seems to be the starting LF and #3 hitter until Braun comes back.

I hope that is a typo and you meant Blalock versus RHPs and Hall vs LHPs. Yeah, sorry about that. Someone could definitely give him a full-time job, but the injury situation is definitely a concern, which may make him more "available" and is the reason why I would be interested to acquire him for a deal similar to what the team gave Mike Cameron, who had similar concerns when the Brewers picked him up. The home/road splits don't concern me as much. I may be way off on this one, but it seems as though hitters that play at extreme parks (in both directions) always put up extreme home/away splits, but tend to level off when they move to more neutral parks. On a similar note, hitters like Kenny Lofton to me don't seem to effect a team's success against one handed pitcher vs. another. I would prefer to target bigger boppers that make a difference in the middle of the lineup in which they force managers to make a move late in the game, which IMO is another part of the LH vs. RH hitter balance. The deeper and more diversified that your bench and starting lineup is, the more counter-moves you can make, something LaRussa has always been a master at.

Hank Blalock makes a ton of sense to me. He's missed a lot of time this year with a shoulder injury, and seems to be wearing on the Rangers and their fans, meaning a classic change of scenery deal may be just what he needs. There's the obvious Doug Melvin connection, he has a history of hitting RHP significantly better than LHP, and he is solid at 3B defensively. You would definitely need another 3B to platoon with him to face LHPs (which wouldn't be a problem if Hall is still around), because anyone that doesn't do so quite simply isn't paying attention to his entire career, of which he has never hit LHPs well. The Rangers have a $6.2M club option for '09, and I wouldn't be surprised to see them buy it out for $250k. If he does become a FA, give him a one-year deal that is slightly more appealing than any other offer with an option for 2010 to give him the chance to redeem himself while giving Gamel another year in the minors at AAA. Having Blalock hit 6th vs. LHPs and Hall vs. RHPs could put up some big numbers behind Braun, Fielder & Hart. It may be somewhat of an expensive platoon, but the team obviously failed in their attempt to address this very same need last offseason. And if Cameron is still around, the team really needs to find the LH version of Gabe Kapler given the all RH starting OF. Michael Tucker would work if he were still around somewhere. Maybe Jacque Jones as a similar reclammation project?

Yup, and we've already had a taste of what he can do coupled with the scouting reports we have on him. Same with Fredrickson and even Lintz. As for Adams, I have had a conversation recently with one scout that couldn't stop gushing over Adams (and Odorizzi for that matter). I think people look at his numbers too much and wonder why the team used such a high pick to nab him, but the guy has a great arm and deserves to be ranked where he currently is.

I don't think there is any staff opposition to Cutter Dykstra, based on his last name or for whatever reason. I think you make a good case for Cutter being ranked higher on the P50, but I didn't really understand that point of your argument at all. I can't speak for the other members of the P50 collaborative effort, but I personally am hesitant to rank recently drafted players too high, outside of someone like Brett Lawrie, who is sure to be among my top 5-7 prospects next month. Efrain Nieves is a good example of this, and he wasn't even drafted this past year. I know I was extremely excited to see his name called last year in the 7th round, a player that I was very familiar with and one that I was somewhat surprised to see last as long as he did. He wasn't on my P50 list because I didn't get a good taste for what he was capable of, and while he posted very good peripherals last year, including a very successful, yet brief stint with the H-Crew, I couldn't justify putting him among the top 50 prospects. Dykstra obviously was drafted early enough to debut on the P50, but I try not to compare him to other players drafted before or after him. He was injured to open his pro career, was sent down to Arizona to get on track, and has recently been bumped back up to Helena, where he has been hitting extremely well. He clearly is due for a big bump next month. Komatsu and Shafer for me were placed where they were because they enjoyed immediate success and haven't really slowed down since joining the organization. I don't think anyone doubts that Dykstra has a higher ceiling than both of those guys, and I'm really excited about the thought of having a true leadoff type CF (and am even more excited if he returns to the IF in instructional league), but again, I need to see it first to put a recently drafted player too high on the list.

This is far from a shameless plug for PG Crosschecker, as draft fans will definitely want to keep their eyes on the site the next few days. David Rawnsley was at the Area Code Games offering some key observations, including hyping up a 15-year old phenom that will be a name to watch the next couple of years before he even becomes draft eligible, while Allan Simpson is in Los Angeles for the Aflac Game and practices. My column tomorrow will focus on the Cape all-star game (thanks Mass) and next week I'll tackle the Aflac Game while looking at the Baseball Factory all-star game the following week. This is definitely the time to start getting ready for the names to watch for '09, and there is absolutely no better place to do so than PGCrosschecker (and here of course http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif).

If you have the money, get the better computer. One thing I have run to in the past (and I am a graphic designer) is regetting going with a cheaper model at the time of purchase only to wish I had bought the best available option since computers become outdated so quickly. And regardless of which computer you get, buy a separate monitor that you can plug your laptop into at a desk/docking station, at least 20". As Teatoe mentioned, the screen size is crucial, and you don't want to have to work on projects staring at your laptop screen (get a good, portable mouse too, trying to design with the touch pad is painful if you haven't already figured that out). You should be able to get a good LCD in the 20-22" range for $300-500, if that. (Just a tip, Mac monitors are made to work with Mac computers, as I have had some small Mac OS updater issues using a non-Mac monitor). Getting an additional screen also doesn't make getting the 17" laptop as crucial, although I think that one is the most powerful.

I'm guessing it had something to do with Prince not getting to the ground ball that Votto hit with 2 out in the 5th. I'm not saying it was a routine play, but Manny looked awful peeved after that play. Maybe he brought it up to someone and Prince overheard it and took exception. I agree. Remember, in Parra's last start against the Cubs, Prince dropped an easy throw from Jason Kendall after a Parra wild pitch that kept the first inning going and allowed the Cubs to score their first run. Parra ended up throwing 10-15 pitches more than he had to because of that play, which wasn't ruled an error, and I remember that play distinctly because I felt even at the time such a small mistake could have a lasting effect on the rest of the game. Plus, I also remember Parra looking a little frustrated then, even though the guy doesn't seem to show much emotion. Basically, I'm sure he made some smart comment to Fielder tonight, which obviously doesn't justify what Fielder did, but I think it does show how wound up this team is right now.

Ryan Braun. Not only is he the future of the franchise, he's signed through 2015, is the only current Brewer that is most likely to join Yount, Molitor, Fingers and Aaron among Brewers that have their number retired, and he held my son last April in Nashville about a month before he got bumped up. While I know it's not likely he sticks around past this season, Sabathia is a close second, as I knew he was good, but I didn't know he was this good. Gallardo and Parra come after that, and I still contend that no player is as enjoyable to watch as JJ Hardy. It's sad that Prince Fielder probably won't be represnted very well in this thread since I think most assume he'll be gone sooner rather than later. If that wasn't the issue, he would probably be #1 on my and anyone else's list.

This has nothing to do with this summer, but thanks to the University of Washington releasing their '09 schedule I have learned that the Huskies, along with Hawaii and Notre Dame will participate in the 2009 annual Dairy Queen Classic at the Metrodome, hosted by the Golden Gophers, the weekend of February 27-March 1. This doesn't quite offer the same type of talent that last year's matchups did, with the Shooter Hunt vs. Brett Hunter showdown being one of the most notable in the tournament's history, but there will still be a fair amount of talent on hand. As of today, six months + out, I plan to be there http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif.