colbyjack

I'm going to include the picture of Salome since they quickly disappear as BA often has two features up per day: http://www.baseballamerica.com/images/asalome08428309sof.jpg I was actually more impressed with what a scout said about Lucroy, praising his defensive skills and quick bat.

The Royals suck, Mark Teahen bats left-handed, and while he doesn't play third base anymore, many during the offseason felt as though he still could. Teahen hit his first year of arby this year, so the Royals may not be motivated to move him, and his name hasn't popped up in trade rumors, but he isn't hitting particularly well this season for a bad team. The Royals have some big bats already on their team, although a few of them (Gordon, Butler) are under-performing, and a few others in the minors (Moustakas, and Hosmer if he signs) that may make them more inclined to make such a trade. Just an idea. Mark Teahen's name has gone unmentioned for too long (as far as I can tell) on this forum.

Fielder to the Giants still makes the most sense to me. He's a perfect fit for what they need and what they have (supposedly) in trade given their young pitching. The Giants aren't opposed to dealing with Boras in contract negotiations, have seemed to be involved in trade rumors with both Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum, and Fielder would have a lot more opportunities to hit the ball into McCovey's Cove in a stadium tailor-made for left-handed sluggers. Plus, Fielder vs. Kotchman keeps me up at night http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif.

Here's his pre-draft profile: http://www.brewerfan.net/ViewAmateurPlayerProfile.do?playerId=770&draftId=6 Both Melville and Meyer impressed me with their showings at last summer's Aflac All-American Classic. Meyer is a big, country strong fella with a very good fastball and an improving breaking pitch. Pitching in Indiana, it took him a while for his velocity to show up, and that along with his affiliation with Scott Boras caused him to slide further than he should have. He's a first-round talent, so he's definitely worth picking up in your fantasy keeper league.

The Brewers typically sign 23-25 or so players from each of their drafts, so having so many players signed so quickly this year is especially encouraging. 40 would be an awful lot, as you only have so many roster spots to hand out in the lower levels of the system, as 30 is probably on the high side. I wouldn't expect many of the unsigned players to sign moving forward, Lawrie obviously seems like a lock and I'm guessing there will be a surprise among the picks in the 30-50 range similar to Zarraga signing late last year. You typically don't see a lot of players sign as the signing deadline approaches. You may see 1-2 per team.

Giles would follow Melvin's comments about the team trying to add as many good players as possible. He's not just good hitting RHPs, he's pretty good hitting LHPs as a LH hitter, and obviously has the versatility to play all 3 OF spots. I just don't know if the team would trade for Giles knowing that the OF situation is pretty set as is. You can't take Braun out regularly, and Hart shouldn't see that much time on the bench either, while Cameron is being paid to be a starter. It would be a nice problem to have though regardless, and Giles would give the team a player that actually knows how to draw a walk at a good clip.

That's a pretty good prospect haul for the Indians for a player like Blake. I'm hoping by them acquiring another highly-touted high-A catcher means Jonathan Lucroy is less likely to be the PTBNL in the Sabathia deal.

Today's the day to shower Brian with praise, for it's his birthday. It's easy for me to remember as it's my birthday too, as well as Mat Gamel's, possibly one of the reasons he's always been one of my fave prospects. Anyway, Happy Birthday Brian. I hope you have a great day filled with fun, friends, family and a big Brewers victory.

Here's the second part of my NWL all-star game coverage, focusing on the pitchers: http://www.pgcrosschecker.com/crackthebat/patrick_ebert/2008/nwl_allstar_pitchers.aspx Former Brewers draft pick Chase Reid, who attended Vanderbilt instead of signing with the team, is having a very good summer pitching for the Newport Gulls as part of the New England Collegiate Baseball League. So far this summer he is 3-0 with a 2.08 ERA. Over 30.1 innings of work, he has allowed only 23 hits and 4 walks while striking out 45. On the 4th of July he struck out 19 batters (his first apperance this summer) in a complete game effort. templeusox (if you still read this forum) may be interested to know that Washington State's Jared Prince is also playing for the Newport Gulls.

Pedro, as always, thanks for your generosity. I would like to throw my name onto the pile.

Hey Matt, I'm finally ready to come visit you at work. Would you mind reminding me of your work schedule? Thanks.

Al, I hope you realize this comment: If you have to think about whether to use a signal, you are simply a horrible driver. It's like only checking your blind spot if you aren't sure no one is around, and so on. Directly contradicts this one: By the way, there's nothing wrong with driving in the left lane if there is no one trying to get past you. It's usually far less crowded than the right lane, which is reason enough to hang out there. Less cars, fewer accidents. I hate to say it, but you're a horrible driver if you don't use the same logic from your first point to your second, and trying to make it seem ok by saying there are "less cars, fewer accidents" in the left lane is a piss-poor excuse. Not using a turn signal and driving in the left lane for no reason are both big pet peeves of mine. The turn signal is there for a reason, and if you don't need to be in the left lane, move over. By the way, great list overall Menotti. The biggest pet peeve of mine, one that sgtcluels already brought up, is when drivers veer slightly to their left (or right) when they turn right (or left). I can't tell you how many times I've seen this, especially recently, and how incredibly unsafe this is. It is an incredibly lazy and unsafed driving practice, as there's no reason why someone turning can't just make the same turn without this counter-turn.

This is an interesting thread in that you can really try to cram everyone's thoughts together and realize that judging prospects is a lot deeper than people think it is. Brewer has a tremendous amount of athletic talent, and that is something you can never rule out. You don't know when (or if) that athletic talent is going to suddenly going to pull him through all of his troubles and allow him to have everything click for him. I don't like comparisons to athletes that play other sports. They just don't work. One example that works for me is Bill Hall, a player that didn't put up very good numbers (outside of his season with High Desert, a place that everyone seemed to have a career year), but he was a player in the minors that many within the Brewers organization tabbed as a future big-leaguer. He struggled early in his big-league career, but eventually flourished, clearly an example of a player with a ton of talent whose talent eventually allowed him to be successful. For those down on Bill Hall that aren't digging that comparison, allow me to offer Hanley Ramirez. Ramirez had a ton of hype being a top prospect in the Red Sox organizaiton and being a key chip in the Josh Beckett trade. I clearly remember a lot of people here, posters that I respect quite a bit, being down on Ramirez and wondering how the Marlins made that deal (similar to wondering how the Nationals made the deal with the D-Backs for Bonefacio, a similarly talented prospect). Ramirez didn't have horrible numbers in the minors, but his numbers didn't justify the hype that surrounded him. Austin Jackson works as well. It's a tough balance. As soon as you stop drafting tools (like the A's), you lose out on potential impact players. If you just draft players based on their performance (such as guys like Eric Farris), you may add good players to your system (and Farris has quietly turned his season around), but you're not landing those potential impact players that separate the mediocre teams from the very good ones. I don't mean to play the old man is all of this, especially since I have (and have had) my doubts about Brewer, but he has the type of freak athleticism that could allow him to soar to the big-leagues when and if things start to click for him just like they did with Hall, and even Ramirez. We often talk about how the minors are about development and not winning, and that can be translated to a player-by-player basis as well. Brewer may not be hitting well, but hopefully he's starting to make the necessary adjustments now that will allow him to be successful later.

Has WSSP ever scooped a story? It seems they're better off at spreading complete BS in an attempt to increase their listening audience.

The Giants are really banged up right now, and I'm sure they don't want to have any of their players show up in the visitor's team dugout during this series. Making the trade official at the end of tomorrow's game makes a lot of sense, since both players could hop into the team's travel plans as they round out the series. I'm not a huge Jack Taschner fan, but as Al noted he is an upgrade over someone like Choate, but I do like the idea of Durham as a super-sub off of the bench, even if his defensive versatility isn't as great as many seem to think it is, but regardless it would be nice to have his bat off of the bench and to spot start. Randy Winn is another guy I've always liked, not as a starter (and I'm not so sure he would be happy in a 4th OF role, where he would battle for ABs with Kapler), and not for the amount of money he's making.

I focus on the NWL all-star game, with a focus on the hitters, in my Crack of the Bat column this week. I'll get to the pitchers next week. http://www.pgcrosschecker.com/crackthebat/patrick_ebert/2008/nwl_allstar_game.aspx

No reviews at this point in time on Burns or Humphries. They're definitely on the radar for my top prospect list that will be unveiled sometime in August, but most of my work on the NWL up to this point in time focused on the all-stars. I made a few new contacts with scouts at the game, and plan on picking their brains more on the players we saw and the top prospects that weren't in attendance over the next few weeks.

I don't Phegley is really hurt by where he plays, or by the fact that '09 could be a good year for catchers. I think he for the most part is overlooked, but scouts don't recognize some of those factors as much as fans do. In other words, good catchers don't feel the numbers crunch as some other positional players might. Eibner is an interesting two-way prospect, who approached the '07 draft known more as a pitcher with a power arm (low to mid-90s) and equally power curve, but is starting to make more waves as a slugging corner outfielder with a strong arm. As you noted, his inconsistency is to be noted, given how many times he's K'd on the Cape, but it's hard to hold that against him since he is coming off of a very successful freshman year. Jackson is someone I'm more familiar with having covered the NWL extensively a year ago. He's a five-tool talent whose power continues to mature and become more relative during games. He has very good speed and a pretty good OF arm with the ability to play all three OF positions. It's hard to come up with comps for these two players. Jackson has a higher ceiling, and unlike Eibner, is draft eligible for next year. I honestly don't think either one is a candidate to go in the first round in the '09 or '10 drafts, but crazier things have happened. Jackson is having a fairly big summer on the Cape, so that could help propel him into sandwich round consideration, but I think at this point in time he's more of a 2nd to 4th rounder. Of course, college outfielders have been hard to come by in recent years, so that lack of depth and overall talent could boost his status. Keep an eye on my report of the NWL all-star game from last night in the next few days on PGCrosschecker. I will continue to hold my stance that Josh Prince is arguably the top prospect in the league, and Greg Vaughn's son also had a very good showing, with good times/grades in the pre-game combine while also garnering the game's MVP award.

I gotta admit, after watching Inman pitch yesterday I thought to myself "maybe that's why they dealt him." The arm action works for him, but you really have to be concerned about his durability down the road. That extension has to put a tremendous amount of pressue on his pitching shoulder. I'm not trying to be a Melvin apologist, and I'm not going to re-earth my thoughts on that trade, but it reminded me of how people always defend Billy Beane for trading certain pitchers when he does (such as Mark Mulder). Anyway, it was nice to see some players we're familiar with play. Taylor Teagarden's throws from behind the plate were incredibly impressive.

Coach, as always I value your insight. POP times have as much to do with the transfer from the glove to the hand as much as they do one's actual arm strength. A few weeks ago I heard from someone that had a chance to see Salome and talk with some of the Brewers coaches/roving instructors and he confirmed that there's nothing wrong with his arm strength, as we have known for a long time that he possesses a cannon, but he is having some difficulty with the transfer, which does in fact slow his POP times. You already confirmed that with your comment about the poor release and footwork, as it does sound to be more mechanical than anything else. I hope you don't take any part of this conversation as a slam on your or Salome. He remains one of the faves around these parts, and I think his status in the organization is well reflected by the Power 50 (I'm pretty sure we have had Salome ranked higher than BA has throughout his minor league career). We as fans of course, especially here, talk about any and everything, and we just want to see Salome be as finished as a prospect as possible by the time he reaches the big leagues. Without a doubt, the guy can hit and he has the tools to catch, and I've yet to see a prospect that doesn't have some aspect of their game to improve upon. Good luck on the coaching circuit this summer, and safe travels. I also agree that Salome shouldn't back up Kendall next year. He needs to play everyday.

The picks just get bumped back a round. In that scenario, yes, the Brewers would get the Yankees first and second round picks. If a team were to do the same thing (or sign a different Type A FA whose Elias ranking is higher than that of Sheets and/or Sabathia) then you would get their 2nd and/or 3rd rounders.

Bulter.. *sigh*... I wonder what our scouts saw in this guy... I only remember 1 good outing from him all year. I'm sure there had to be more, but the Crew sure got fleeced in that deal. Keep in mind that one's future potential doesn't always translate in the box scores. His stuff might still be there, but his command and other parts of his game could be way off. Also, keep in mind that the Brewers had scouting notes on this guy when he came out of college. They showed quite a bit of interest in him the year he was drafted by the Rays early coming out of San Diego, so the trade may have been an instance in which they dealt Gross (a player at the time that somewhat seemed like the odd man out given Kapler's early season success and Cameron's impending return) for a player that they had previously liked and considered using an early-round pick to obtain. It is difficult to swallow now since the Brewers could really a LH bat off the bench, but I really can't blame them for the deal since it seemed like an almost no-brainer deal to me when it was made.

Jamie, I just got your message. It wouldn't have mattered, as I was out for this game as I started moving today. I'm not likely to make it to next week's game either.

Chance Ruffin is a good comp for Sheets. He and Workman as you have noted could really give the Longhorns a chance to get back to Omaha the next couple of years. One catcher you missed in your top 10 college bats is Josh Phegley of Indiana. Aaron Miller of Baylor and Ryan Jackson of Miami could also be in the mix for the first round next year, especially if Jackson's bat continues to progress, as I don't think I've ever seen a defensive player like Jackson at the high school level that you could point to and comfortably say that he would never move off of the shortstop position. Diego Seastrunk of Rice is a favorite of mine. He doesn't have the highest of ceilings, but he has a very good approach and swing, hitting to the gaps with a little bit of pop and good D' at the hot corner. But overall I agree that the college bats (and even the prep bats at the tippy top) available for next year won't come close to resembling the 2005 crop. The prep class will have some really nice arms, particularly lefties, and some big, slugging catchers. As for the '10 college bats, Victor Sanchez of San Diego is the first player to come to mind. He had a huge freshman year and should keep on getting better and better. Hunter Morris of Auburn, Rick Hague of Rice, Christian Colon of Fullerton and Derek Dietrich of Georgia Tech could make it a pretty good year for college bats, particularly infielders. And by the way, the Aflac game has finally been announced. It will be played at Dodger Stadium on Saturday, August 9th at 2pm CST. I know we have some SoCal readers out there, so make the most of this opportunity and check out the game in person. I'm sure it will also be televised. http://www.aflacallamerican2008.com/

Prince also just got named to the All-Star Game in Madison on Monday. I'll be there and will provide my insight in my column next week. Nice banter on some of the top prospects for next year, thanks for chiming in. The two guys I like and have liked for some time are Jeff Inman of Stanford and Kentrail Davis of Tennessee. Davis should have never made it to college, as he was one of the best hitting prospects available for the 2007 draft. His affiliation with Scott Boras and a smallish frame didn't help him there, but it will be interesting to see where he goes next year as a draft-eligible sophomore. Inman knows how to pitch, but struggles with consistency. He's almost too loosey-goosey on the mound, which seems to lead to some mental lapses. If he puts it all together next year he could have a huge, huge year. I've likened him to Ben Sheets in the past with a 93-94 FB and hammer curve. Mike Minor is another one of my faves, not because of how hard he throws, but because it's clear he knows how to pitch. He has a great changeup, and commands his repertoire, which is all based off of the success of his fastball, extremely well. I've never met a Vanderbilt lefty that I didn't like http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif. The only guy I would quibble with being on the top prospect list is Brent Milleville. He has big-time power, as I saw him hit some of the longest HRs at the college level this year, but there are some major holes in his swing, and I really question his ability to stick behind the plate.