colbyjack

1. No, last year was. 2. Unsigned first, first round supplemental and second round picks garner a pick right after the same overall selection in the following year's draft. Unsigned third round picks garner a supplemental third-round pick in between the third and fourth rounds. 3. Probably not. As we saw last year, the compensation system and the universal signing date didn't do much to curtail signing bonuses. 4. We've talked about this a few times before, and I just don't see this happening. The Brewers have a history sticking to slot value, and all of their early picks based on slot value alone are going to cost in the $5-5.5 million dollar range. Plus they have a history of getting their draft picks signed relatively quickly so they can plug them into the system and get them playing ASAP. I personally would rather see as many draft picks get into the system now instead of playing hardball with someone just because you know you'll get a comp pick in '09.

Mike Jones will be starting for BC this evening, with Zach Braddock to follow.

The 16th pick is likely going to be an awesome position to draft a high school pitcher, from Sonny Gray to Bubba Meyer to Kyle Lobstein to Brett DeVall. By the 16th pick, the college starters are likely going to be picked over pretty well, as you're likely going to face a lull between the second tier starters in Scheppers and Hunt and the third tier starters in guys like Friedrich, Ross, Thompson, etc. Jack Z. is a big value guy, often pointing out that he's not going to take the 6th best college starter over the 2nd or 3rd best high school pitcher. I think the 16-55 range or so where the Brewers will have 5 picks definitely gives the advantage to the prep pitchers. As others have noted however, Joshua Fields at #16 could be a perfect fit.

This is the blockbuster trade that sent Bartolo Colon to the Montreal Expos a few years back (this trade seems as though it happened a lot longer ago than just six years) in which several notable prospects were involved, and I would not be surprised at all to see the Brewers make a similar move if their pitching continues to be a problem yet they continue to hover around the leaders in the NL Central. And it makes a lot of sense. We constantly talk about where and how guys like LaPorta, Gamel and even Alcides Escobar are going to fit into the team's picture in a year or two. And one of the more important parts of a farm system is to give the team's GM valuable chips to use in trades to acquire proven MLB commodities. And while the Colon trade doesn't look so smart these days, keep in mind that Brandon Phillips was a reclammation project of the Reds, Lee has had his ups and downs, while Sizemore of course has turned into a star. That package could easily be translated into Gamel, Escobar and a pitching prospect, whoever that may be (no, it's not going to be Weaver, Narveson or any of the Brewers own reclammation projects). It may have not worked for the Expos (although I remember being a little bewildered that the Expos made this deal, as I don't recall them being that close to contending), but from the Brewers standpoint, it would be tough to stand pat and wonder later "what if they would have made a deal when they had a chance..." It may be tough to swallow, but it would signal that the Brewers are serious about winning now. I would hate to see the Brewers run the course as is without Gallardo if there is a legitimate opportunity for them to be in a playoff chase come September as long as they're able to add an integral arm. And just to give the whole idea of a possible trade with the Giants some credence, keep in mind there were some pretty legitimate rumors this offseason involving Tim Lincecum of the Giants and Alex Rios of the Blue Jays...Lincecum may be a pipe dream, but I don't doubt that Melvin is currently weighing the market to gauge which pitchers may be available and what kind of acquisition may surprise us.

I think we'll see quite a few pitchers taken early. The trades last year that sent Eveland, Inman, Garrison and Thatcher elsewhere already thinned out the system, and the tenuous health of Sheets and Gallardo, and even Parra's injury history, has got to have the organization thinking they need to load up on pitching. There are some nice prospects at both levels of A ball, but they need some guys that can move up quickly. I think a reliever will be among one of those 6 picks. I agree with you in that relievers do seem to be relatively easy to come by, and how the team quickly acquired Torres, Mota, Riske and even Gagne in such a short period of time reinforces that idea, but with all of those extra picks I think the team would help itself tremendously if they can get a potential closer that could be up in the big leagues possibly at some point during the 2009 season. If I had to guess, 4 of those 6 picks will be used on pitchers, with the other two going to address the organization's need at 3B and C. At the same time, I don't want to see the organization try to get too cute with their picks, but I'm not too concerned about that given Jack Z's BPA philosophy.

Congrats to Mat Gamel, who was named at the top of BA's hot sheet this week, with another picture courtesy of Bill Mitchell gracing BA's homepage today (familiar name at # 3 as well): http://www.baseballamerica.com/images/mgamel08428309bm.jpg

We've talked about Nieto before as a potential target for the Brewers given their extra, early picks. He was an Aflac All-American last summer and impressed both at the plate and behind it, with higher marks for his defensive abilities as he definitely takes a lot of pride in his D' and likes to show off his powerful arm. I'm not as convinced with his bat, but the potential is there, and he definitely has some pop. Being a switch-hitter is also an obvious plus.

You bring up some good points uwisfan. It really is impossible to quantify the effect a catcher has on the game, as it is the one position that more intangible qualities are tossed out in discussions as evidenced by your point about Estrada vs. Kendall. One thing I do often hear about good catchers is how much the pitching staff enjoys working with them. I have heard quotes from various sources and have heard comments made directly to me about how pitchers like throwing to both Lou Palmisano and Jonathan Lucroy. Actually I have heard the same about Andy Bouchie, although I don't think many consider him to be much of a long-term prospect behind the plate. What makes them good to throw to is hard to define, and one pitcher to the next probably has a different answer, but the catcher really is an extension of the pitcher, which is why you see a lot of former catchers become bullpen and pitching coaches (this is also a reason as to why it's hard to find a good hitting catcher, since they do spend so much time focusing on their defensive craft in ways that no other player on the field does). A lot of it has to do with confidence and the catcher's familiarity and overall rapport with the pitcher. This is where you often hear the cliches about a "take-charge attitude" and overall leadership skills. The pitcher for the most part calls the game, but the catcher calls the pitches. The more a catcher understands what his pitcher wants to the throw the more comfort there will be between the two, which breeds (in theory) confidence. Other catching skills are somewhat tied to this, but not necessarily. You may have a catcher that does handle a pitching staff well, as they often say, but may not be particularly good at blocking balls in the dirt and/or throwing out runners. Obviously both of those traits have a more immediate and obvious impact on any given game, but being good on those things conversely doesn't necessarily mean you work well with the pitchers. I haven't heard anyone say that Salome is a good catcher to pitch to. That doesn't mean he's not, we just haven't heard it (or at least I haven't). He has a strong arm but IIRC didn't do as good of a job throwing out runners last year, and he's had some problems with blocking balls and with passed balls. The passed balls concern me, because those often show a player that may not have soft hands, and by soft hands you're usually talking about how naturally any player receives a ball in their glove. Some players this comes naturally to, and some have to work on this really hard (Prince Fielder for instance is a player that I would say does not have soft hands, something he has worked very hard to improve). Salome definitely is the most exciting prospect of the catchers in the system, but I'm a little concerned with his ability to stick behind the plate. I have no concern with either Palmisano or Lucroy doing so, but Palmisano is probably never going to be more than a MLB average catcher (arguably at best), and Lucroy is 3-5 years away from contributing.

If LaPorta continues to hit like this I would consider bumping him up to AAA at this time next month, but I don't know if I would do so now since he only has a month at AA under his belt, and even then most of his impressive numbers have come over the past two weeks or so. The comment about his defense is also a good one since we obviously can't tell how he's doing out there from the box score.

There's obviously talent there. He was part of BA's top 30 Milwaukee Brewers prospects a few years ago, I think after he was named one of the Arizona League's top prospects (15th), drawing a comparison to Sammy Sosa (at least a young Sammy Sosa) for his body type and power and speed potential. I hate to discount what he has done so far this year because the talent is there, and similar to someone like Luis Pena, who had a big breakout season a year ago, I would hate to look past Parejo and his success just because he hasn't been more prominently profiled as a prospect. The Brewers clearly have faith in him. Here's his report from the BA Arizona League top prospect list from 2004, a year that Hernan Iribarren was #2, Mark Rogers was #3 and Yovani Gallardo was #13. What's most interesting to think about is that he's not that far behind both Iribarren and Gallardo as far as his progression is concerned.

LaPorta's picture has graced BA's homepage all weekend, plus, I'd like to give some credit to friend-of-Brewerfan.net Bill Mitchell: http://www.baseballamerica.com/images/mlaporta08428309bm.jpg

I don't think it is any secret that I have always been a huge fan of Gamel, but he really got my attention when he drastically reduced his Ks between his debut season in 2005 to his first-full season at WV in 2006. Guys that can hit, and get better as they move up should always garner a lot of attention (like Corey Hart), and to me his start this year isn't that huge of a surprise, just icing on an already tasty cake.

Here's my scouting repot on Ramlow when the team was following him as a DFE at this time two years ago. He's yet another name on the rise from a talented DFE class that included Zach Braddock and Taylor Green: Ramlow is the second of three intriguing, projectable left-handers the Brewers will follow this spring with an athletic and wiry 6'7", 165 pound frame. He was named the Ohio Community College Athletic Conference Player of the Year in 2005 after posting a 7-2 record his freshman season with an ERA just above 1.00. Ramlow's fastball sits in the 89 range, and with his frame he could easily add a few more ticks, and is expected to throw in the low-90s this spring. He also throws a very good curveball and a polished changeup, both of which he throws for strikes, and he has shown a propensity for missing bats. The biggest knock on Ramlow is his stature, given his weight relative to height, although he has worked hard to add strength. His mechanics at this point in time are clean, but given his lanky frame he will need to continue to keep his mechanics in check to avoid injury. There are a few more comments on Ramlow in the 2005-06 DFE thread (man, I miss the DFE process): http://forum.brewerfan.net/viewtopic.php?t=3421?page=2

We have received word that Zach Braddock will be joining the Brevard County ballclub tomorrow after his impressive start this evening. Congratulations Zach!

Freddy Parejo was one of the Brewers top 30 prospects in the BA top prospect handbook a couple of years ago, and I think his start so far definitely deserves to be noticed. Nice to see that entire Huntsville lineup start to catch fire. I know he's hitting in the low .200's, but Gillespie sure is doing a nice job getting on base and driving in runs. Lee Haydel's start so far has also been encouraging.

It's looking less and less likely that Scheppers lasts to the Cardinals, but how about Shooter Hunt? Hunt could go in the 8-12 range just ahead of the Cardinals pick, but I don't think it would be crazy to see him at #13. I think you've mentioned Friedrich before and he could be at that pick as well, although the Cards have targeted more live arms in recent years. And they should be in a very good position to take the best prep players not named Hosmer, Skipworth and Beckham, and of course Hosmer could still be there given the Boras thing. Tim Melville would be a natural fit given the proximity, and I heard his last start was much better than the one you saw. They've been alternating between hitters and pitchers the past several years, although I'm sure that isn't by design, but that still causes me to believe they'll lean towards a pitcher. I think we've talked about this before, but their top pitching prospects seem to be either relievers or starters that may be better suited to relieve. Outside of Hunt and Friedrich and even Melville, I think Bubba Meyer or even Sonny Gray would make a lot of sense for the Cardinals. I think Kelly goes as a positional prospect if a team is able to sign him away from his FB commitment to Tennessee, but I don't think he stays at SS. 3B could be his position at the pro level. I'm starting to hear more and more that he'll go in the first round which would buy him out of that FB commitment.

Aaron Hicks, Joshua Fields, Bubba Meyer, Casey Kelly and Ethan Martin would all be solid picks for the Brewers at that spot. Sonny Gray is probably the one name missing that also would fit the Brewers drafting preferences. I like Christian Friedrich, but I think his ceiling is somewhat limited, which hasn't really gone hand-in-hand with the Brewers early picks with Jack Z. at the helm.

I just wanted to point out that both the Sounds and Stars tonight put up big offensive numbers against some pretty solid pitching prospects. Nice to see Cameron so close to coming back, and nice to see both offenses' clicking on full cylinders.

I think Darren Ford, Lorenzo Cain and Brent Brewer are the most likely candidates for the simple fact that they have repeated the same level they ended at last year. I think all three are likely bump-ups by midseason the latest as long as they perform well. Zach Braddock may not be at WV for too long.

I added this in the thread on the MLB forum, but I figured I would add this interview I conducted with Josh Butler two years ago for those interested: http://www.pgcrosschecker.com/crackthebat/patrick_ebert/06_05_05_josh_butler/

I think the timing of this trade is indicative of how excited the organization is to get a talent like Butler in return, especially from a talent-loaded system like the Rays' as others have noted. I know first-hand that the Brewers were very interested in Josh Butler two years ago at this point in time as the 2006 draft approached, and I even had the opportunity to speak with him as part of my work with Perfect Game: http://www.pgcrosschecker.com/crackthebat/patrick_ebert/06_05_05_josh_butler/

I've never ordered a patch before, but Patches 'R Us seems to be a good resource: http://www.patchesrus.com/index.htm I'll try to remember to submit the numbers for a free quote in the next day or two.

I just noticed Pena's numbers on the season.. I had assumed he was raking as he did all spring... FYI, "raking" = hitting, not pitching. Huntsville's lineup, like the big-league Brewers, is just far too talented to be so lifeless, and you just wonder when both teams are going to explode.

The college baseball resource thread has some discussion concerning Fields, and I also wrote about the bulk of the college closers in my Crack of the Bat column two weeks ago: http://www.pgcrosschecker.com/crackthebat/patrick_ebert/2008/collegeclosers.aspx I agree, Fields would be a perfect fit for the Brewers at #16. He's in a similar situation as LaPorta from a year ago, and is also in a somewhat similar situation as Casey Weathers. I'm not so sure that Fields is more polished that Weathers, even if Weathers didn't have as much pitching experience, because it just doesn't seem as though closers need to work on as many things as starters do, and Weathers was equally dominant through this time last year (I don't think he allowed an extra-base hit until May or so IIRC). I saw Weathers almost a year ago today and he was throwing 94-96 with a nearly unhittable slider, and Fields basically has the same kind of stuff and is similar in stature as well (Weathers' body was more filled out than Fields is, who actually looks on the slight side which draws some concerns about his long-term durability). My sleeper for this role remains Aaron Weatherford, who has returned to the field and has just as dominant as Fields (0.00 ERA in 9 appearances, 16.2 IP, 3 H, 33 K, 6 BB) and is also on the shorter side with absolutely electric stuff. Weatherford has the added benefit of being able to throw multiple innings. Fields has enjoyed his success this year largely because Georgia is only using him in 1-inning stints. I'm sure most would agree that with all of the extra picks the Brewers can afford to use one or even two of their early selections on a projected short reliever. I don't know if any of them should be counted on to contribute to open the 2009 season, as that's a little aggressive, but it's been done before (Huston Street, Chad Cordero) with success. Of course, others that have projected to move up quickly in a short relief role (Craig Hansen, Ryan Zimmerman) haven't fared so well.

DHonks, I applaud you for being completely honest with this woman. I think most people would have freaked out and ran away and not returned her phone calls. The kid issue is huge. I've never had to face that dating, as I can only imagine how big of an issue that would/could be, and have had friends in which that came into play when in came to the world of dating. It sounds as though you've got some serious soul-searching to do. Others have given you some great advice already, but all I can say is that if you truly do love this woman you may want to focus on your feelings for her child to determine where they stem from and whether or not they will truly damper your relationship for the short and long term. True love doesn't come around very often, not to diminish the issue you've presented, as I can understand how that would be a deal-breaker. As already mentioned above, you don't have to be this young man's father, just a supportive adult.