colbyjack

LaPorta + Green + Bryson is about the type of prospect package I expected, with a prospect from the 1st, 2nd and 3rd tiers of the Brewers system. ZachJack is a throw-in. Exciting day for sure, and a tip of the cap to the Brewers for making this happen while showing just how serious they are about the postseason. Tuesday's game is sure to be packed, and if the final regular season series at the end of September against the Cubs isn't sold out yet, I would imagine the few remaining tickets will be snatched up pretty quickly over the next week. I'm even more excited because I'm quite sure Melvin isn't done...

Mass provided a link on the minor league forum that included an interview with Gord Ash in which he stated they were actively pursuing not only a starter, but also a bullpen arm and a left-handed bat for the lineup. The comment about the left-handed bat for the lineup was interesting because it read almost as though they were looking for a player that would be in the lineup everyday. I certainly don't expect the Brewers to be over making moves. It doesn't seem as though they're giving up too much for Sabathia, as they still have plenty of ammo to go out and get a few other key pieces for the second half stretch. http://forum.brewerfan.net/viewtopic.php?t=13898 "I can't comment on (Sabathia) specifically other than to say that starting pitching is at a premium, and we don't have any depth there. We would also like to add another arm to our bullpen and another left-handed bat to our lineup."

LaPorta, Green and Cain isn't a bad price IMO. The team loses only one of its upper-echelon prospects in LaPorta, which is on par given Melvin's comments about who he was willing to deal. Green and Cain represent prospects on the next tier, and while I would hate to see either one of them go, their departure is not going to cripple the organization. And the team holds onto key cogs in Gamel, one of the few lefty impact bats in the system (and a step higher than Green with a higher overall ceiling), Escobar, whose value is obvious as a multi-tooled SS, Salome, since catching prospects are always so hard to come by, and everyone's favorite subject for debate, Michael Brantley, who quite frankly the Indians don't need. Plus, if this rumor is true, holding onto all of the team's pitching prospects is always a plus. As I pointed out the other night, this deal would be very similar to the ones the Indians pulled a decade ago dealing cogs from their once bat-loaded system (Sexson, Casey, Giles) for pitching help. Although we've heard quite a few rumored trade scenarios, so who is to say that this most recent one is the one that will stick?

This was confirmed on the minor league forum as well. My bad.

I knew it didn't have anything to do with how good of a prospect someone was, but I guess I missed on the service time thing. I thought it was based strictly on IP (50) or ABs (130).

Really? If that's the case, I respectfully back off, but wouldn't that also effect his status as a prospect, or is that purely based on ABs and innings pitched? And if that is indeed true, if BA was in tune, wouldn't they have at least mentioned that?

Wait, I thought he was not a rookie because all the time he spent in Milwaukee last year? Parra pitched only 26.1 innings last year, as you don't lose your rookie eligiblity until you've thrown 50 innings at the big-league level. The way he's pitching he could be a legit contender for the ROY by the end of the year, especially if he's a big part of the Brewers getting back into the playoff mix (as he has been the past month).

Dykstra gets his first pro HR, a no-doubter in the 9th, and Luetge picks up his first career win, as the H-Crew pounds Missoula 15-5 by pulling a game above .500 after their terrible start. I know the injury situation was a hot topic a few days ago, but Dennis, Dykstra and Komatsu could form the next solid trio of minor league OFs in the Brewers system if they continue to advance together.

Ok, short rant...but where would someone like Alcides Escobar be ranked overall if he played for an organization like the Mets, Yankees or Red Sox? I bring up the Mets first, because Escobar's stats are pretty close to where Jorge Reyes' was at a similar level (I'm sure someone will provide a line-by-line statistical breakdown that will prove me wrong, so I apologize if my memory isn't working for me in this instance). Now, I'm not saying Escobar is going to be that good, but he could be, and if he were in a bigger organization the hype machine would be that much greater. Which is probably a good thing. All the more reason to give Mass a tip of the cap for supporting this kid 10x more than anyone else for the last 3-4 years. Second rant, how does Manny Parra get missed as one of BA's top 20 rookies this year: http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/prospects/?p=1267 I mentioned this on the MLB forum as well, where it belongs better than here (I felt it was ok since there are a few other BA rants here), but I remember sharing this same rant when Parra wasn't named to BA's top 25 preseason rookies. Sorry about that, I had to. It's great to see a handful of Stars on the midseason prospect list, with Huntsville getting so much attention in particular especially as the CC Sabathia rumors heat up.

BA somehow missed that Parra is a rookie this year: http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/prospects/?p=1267 There's no way he's not one of the top 20, if not top 10 rookies this year (he should be right behind A's LHP Greg Smith...or possibly just before if you put more stock in his W-L record). I remember being confused when he missed their preseason top 25 rookie list.

Colby, look back at the archived P50's, and you'll see nicer things said about Krynzel than Brantley...he's simply oodles better, but I guess he's overlooked because he's not a #1 pick. First of all, I'll repeat that I'm a big fan of Brantley. I'm not sure why you bring up the fact that he wasn't a #1 pick, as it's not like he's being overlooked. Secondly, who are you going to move Brantley above? Odorizzi as the new guy is really the only guy I could understand a legit case being made against, but after that you have sluggers LaPorta and Gamel (no way), a four-tool SS in Escobar (again, no way), two catchers (premium position, obviously, with Lucroy flashing a hot bat and decent if not good D', and Salome posting big numbers at the plate throughout his pro career), Jeffress (big-time arm, big-time strikeout numbers and an impressive GO:FO ratio), Braddock (big lefty with good stuff and pitchability) and Green (big numbers throughout his pro career, having a big year and relatively unnoticed year in the FSL and a ton more power than Brantley). And this isn't an argument about Brantley vs. Krynzel, this is an argument about where Brantley fits in the Brewers long-term projections vs. the other players currently in the system. Apples and oranges. Old, faded oranges. Again, I hate to make it sound as though I'm arguing against Brantley, because I'm not. I'm just pointing out how strong the Brewers system really is, and in all fairness to everyone else in the system, if Brantley truly was the team's top 3-5 prospect, the system probably wouldn't be in that good of shape overall.

Thanks splitter, that's an interesting tidbit from Gammons. The Indians would be an interesting trading partner for the Brewers, since they had an incredible number of offensive players that they eventually ended up trading away in the 90s during their impressive run. From Sean Casey to Brian Giles, they had players that were viewed as blocked at the big-league level given the presences of players like Manny Ramirez, Jim Thome and arguably one of the best starting lineups in the past 10-20 years, if not ever. And the Brewers are a good trading partner with the Indians. They have some needs at the corner OF spots, 1B and a spot up the middle of their IF, and they have good starting pitching depth that may make them more willing to go for a package surrounded by a few of the Brewers' big bats. One of Gamel or LaPorta plus Luis Pena and something else for Sabathia and possibly a nugget included makes a lot of sense, as long as you're prepared to see the Brewers deal such a package for a potential 2-3 month rental.

We actually should have a thread devoted to Michael Brantley -- I don't think any prospect in the system generates more debate. I really like the guy (as I think everyone that visits this forum does, obviously to varying degrees), and I think where he is ranked on the P50 is actually a compliment, not a knock. I love his polish and how well he has performed throughout his pro career relative to his age, but it's not like he's without some serious, legitimate questions about his future potential. Every prospect has warts, but the lack of power (even though it has improved) and some questions about his defense (the lack of arm strength and questions about whether or not he's a true fit for CF) limits his future potential. Of all the team's prospects, I feel he's one of the more likely to make it to and stick at the big-league level, but ranking prospects is always about that subjective balance of talent/tools, production and age relative to level.

Hate to burst everyones bubble but according to MILB.com, LaPorta is taller then Gamel. LaPorta is listed at 6'2 and Gamel at 6'. The same stats are listed on the Stars website. We had this discussion on the minor league forum during the offseason, but Gamel is taller than LaPorta. They were both on TV for the team's On Deck event, or whatever they call that thing held at the .300 Club, and a few other people were there as well and confirmed that Gamel is 6'2" and LaPorta is 6' at best. Gamel's height (6'2") was also confirmed by a family member of his. Never trust listed heights/weights, they're often skewed. But the answer is LaPorta. Gamel could slide across the diamond, but I think the Brewers are reallly intent on keeping him at 3B for now, and the OF situation is more crowded.

I'm not as concerned about Romanski being used as a positional player. He was used as both a weekend starter and as a CF throughout his college career, and tossed 96.2 innings this spring for the Toreros. Since he signed so quickly, there is plenty of time for him to get an additional 20-30 innings this summer, as I'm guessing the Brewers don't want him to get much more than that after his heavy spring workload. I actually like the idea of having him being developed both ways, because he is an accomplished hitter and fine overall athlete. I think we had this discussion on the draft forum, wondering if there were any players in recent years that were used in this capacity. While I'm not happy with Helena's injury situation, I think it's pretty cool to see Romanski get some ABs.

I'm going to steer this thread back to the international free agent market, since there are some pertinent links in the first page (although I realize some of them haven't been updated). The Oakland A's reportedly have reached an agreement with Dominican RHP Michel Inoa in excess of $4 million. That's crazy. http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/international-affairs/2008/266411.html The international free agent market opens on July 2nd. It will be interesting to see how much the Brewers get involved given the money needed to get all of their extra draft picks signed. They certainly didn't go cheap that route, especially since they dropped 6-figures to get Stosh signed, and hopefully they will be able to get involved with one of the more notable, marquee talents. Right now, I wouldn't expect that, but I recall saying the same thing last year before the team landed Arias.

Al, I think one point you are missing is that the organization is risking Chris Dennis' health by having him play injured due to the lack of bodies. That's not good for player development no matter how you look at it. I will say that it is easier said than done to fill in the holes, as getting hit so hard by injuries in such a short amount of time (not to mention at the beginning of the Pioneer League season when the team is still being put together) is certainly difficult to manage, and Arizona only has four outfielders that are playing regularly.

Edit: I always forget this... he was born in the DR but went to HS in NYC, so I think he's not eligible for the World roster. IIRC, Gallardo was born in Mexico, but grew up in Texas, and still played for the World team. Having Gamel and LaPorta make it might have hurt Salome's chances, since I know the team selections originally only had a max of two players from each organization. I know Escobar has already played in the game (I think?), as he would have been more than a legit candidate as well.

Terrae Andrae outside of Sheboygan is a really nice park approximately an hour north of Milwaukee. Lake Nagawaukee has some camping sites just off of the Hwy 83 exit in Delafield/Hartland. There isn't anything special about the park, but it's about 30-40 minutes West of Milwaukee, which obviously is convenient. If you're willing to drive two hours, in addition to Governor Dodge, Mirror Lake and Devil's Lake in Lake Delton and Baraboo respectively are really nice parks with plenty to do in and around those two parks. There's a Yogi Bear Jellystone park tucked away in Racine that not many people know about. I've never been there, but again the proximity is convenient.

Sorry I missed your post before jjfanec. The Florida league isn't the best when it comes to talent, although Jonathan Lucroy was named the top prospect of this league two years ago. Aaron Tullo, another former Brewers draftee, was one of the top prospects in this league a year ago. Andy Mee of Belleview is having a great summer, among the league leaders in several offensive categories while also leading the league in saves. Jose Jimenez of Leesburg is a powerful left-handed hitter but is somewhat without a position, as he's not quick enough to catch and he's on the short side for 1B. Bryan Valencia of Clermont is a shorter, high energy outfielder that I've heard is fun to watch. I'm sure there are more, but those are the names I somewhat recognized by taking a quick glance at the rosters. PGCC has released their top 10 '09 prospects on their homepage yesterday as part of their daily top 10 lists. If you're a subscriber, you can check out the top 30 here: http://www.pgcrosschecker.com/draft/2009/top_prospects/top30_61508.aspx

Fuentes is one of those guys I try to figure out a way to propose to get him each and every offseason. It's funny, because people talk about him as an upgrade to Stetter, but people don't seem to get that he has been one of the best closers in baseball the past 3-4 years. Just look at his numbers, he's far from a lefty specialist, as he has been nearly as equally dominant against RH hitters as he has against LH hitters. You don't get this guy just to complement the team, you get this guy to get an integral cog of the team's success. Since the team gave up a pretty hefty package for Linebrink (even if I wasn't a fan of that trade), I would replace Linebrink's name with Fuentes' without blinking if a similar proposition was offered. Oh yeah, and he's been doing it in Colorado. Seriously, the guy is one of the most underrated relievers in baseball.

On the subject of Team USA, the annual high school version of the National Team trials, the Tournament of Stars, took place last week at Team USA's training facility in Cary, NC. PGCC currently has a top 10 list of the most impressive prospects at this event on their homepage, courtesy of Jeff Simpson: http://www.pgcrosschecker.com/

The 2008 Team USA National Team has been announced. Here's the story: http://mlb.mlb.com/usa_baseball/article.jsp?story=20080624_nt_roster_announced And here's the roster: http://mlb.mlb.com/usa_baseball/article.jsp?story=nt_roster_2008 Here's the stats so far to get a taste for how all the players fared during the trials. San Diego State RHP Stephen Strasburg and Tennessee CF Kentrail Davis highlight the team with very impressive performances so far: http://mlb.mlb.com/usa_baseball/downloads/y2008/nt_teamcume.htm On a sidenote given the conversations about the Northwoods League, OF Aaron Senne and LHP Bryan Morgado did not make the cut, and are expected to report to Rochester and La Crosse respectively. Speaking of the Northwoods, keep an eye on C Carlos Ramirez (Mankato Moondogs), who is currently leading the league in BA, OBP & SLG. He played with Chandler-Gilbert CC the past two years, but is transferring to ASU in the fall.

Also remember, that UVerse comes with an internet connection. The biggest selling point is that they have a min of 1 mb up. Which is way faster then TWC. Really? I thought that the internet speed of TWC was actually one of their strong points. If UVerse is faster than TWC, that might be the biggest selling point. I'm not as concerned with the DVR functions, although AT&T has told us that they can hook up two TVs to have the service, although only one would have the DVR box (as opposed to TWC only having one TV hooked up). TWCable's prices are getting crazy. We got a quote for around $150 for TV, internet and phone, while AT&T's was around $105. There are some hidden fees involved with AT&T, but the customer service rep said he was willing to waive those, as it's clear they're trying to get more and more customers away from TWC (for good reason). Thanks for the tips.

While I'm ready to jump off the Dan Merklinger fanclub, I would like to once again express my support of the Efrain Nieves fanclub http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif. Lots of lefties to follow today, including a tough AAA debut loss for Steve Hammond, and of course Manny Parra's interesting day at the big-league level. I agree, Erik Komatsu has no business batting any lower than 4th in the Helena lineup. Fortunately they've only been playing for a few days now and have plenty of time to turn things around to make things more interesting.