colbyjack

Im wondering if the Brewers will make a splash in the International Market this year or just sign a couple of low key guys like they did last year. Just curious, what would constitute making a splash to you?

could someone hook me up with a high resolution bf.net logo? The guy drinking the beer would be best. JoeHova, email me at pebert@brewerfan.net with this request. As the creator of the logo, I ask that you not alter it in any way, shape or form. Dave, nice design, although I have to ask why you have Miller Park rotated the way you do.

Matt LePay and Ted Davis are awesome. LePay does get excited, but he also raises his voice when the opponent makes a big play as well, so you can't call him too biased. That's his style, and it carries over to his call of the entire game. 20. 15. 10. 5. TOUCHDOWN WISCONSIN. Davis is incredibly underrated in a state filled with great broadcasters. Brian Anderson really impressed me in his first year. I enjoy the dryer, more mellow (but not lacking in personality) style to his game-calling following the over-exuberance of Sutton. I'm not a big fan of Larrivee. I really don't think he has any distinguishable qualities like Ueck, LePay and Davis. He calls a fine game, but there really isn't anything about his style that endears me to the Packers broadcast. I enjoy both Homer and Bill Johnson on the daily ESPN radio programming, but don't care for either as play-by-play announcers.

Jemile Weeks could be that player. I'm not so sure he's as dynamic as a Ichiro, Lofton or Lou Brock type of player, but he's a pesky little bugger that plays good D' at 2B. He's not a huge SB threat, but he could manage 20-30 per year. Xavier Avery, a prep OF that is an amazing athlete and has drawn some unfair comparisons to Carl Crawford given his prowess in both football and baseball, is probably the fastest player that is available in the draft. He's raw though and will need refinement and patience. Otherwise, I'm not so sure the Brewers draft for that specific of a need. They've been burned twice trying to draft the team's leadoff hitter of the future with Chad Green and Dave Krynzel. And I don't think the Brewers draft for defense, as they have been drafting accomplished bats in the early rounds ever since they took Fielder in '02. I think if they address any specific needs early they'll target a catcher and a college closer with one (or more) of their early picks.

Since there's no DFE process, I'm probably going to be following a few of the guys that got away from last year's draft more than usual. Cody Hawn and Chad Bell will be easy to follow since they play on the same team. Both chip in early during the team's first series: http://www.wscc.cc.tn.us/athletics/news/Baseball/Baseball%20News%2008/Diamond%20Senators%20Post%20Twinbill%20Sweep.htm Hawn hit the game-winning HR in game one of a Saturday DH while Bell pitched very well (5.2 IP, 2 R (1 ER), 8 H, 8 K, 1 BB) starting the first game of the season for Walters State. In Sunday's game Hawn went 2 for 5.

While the focus should be on Brewers/baseball related designs, LL.net is definitely fair game for T's. That's a good point, as we'll need to get some LL branded merch even if it is just the site's logo.

Does this mean the 'Bill Hall wins games' t-shirt cannot be created? I would prefer to avoid references to the players. Plus, I think I've seen these shirts before, so I would hate to be infringing on someone's elses possible idea and/or design. I too love the tour shirt idea, and like revengeofSAGET, would probably do so without the obscure logo. A more classically theme baseball shirt with the "National Tour" slogan would be really sharp.

I definitely understand why he isn't ranked higher, especially when you toss in his injury history. I just think he is one of the more overlooked prospects in baseball and could be a huge part of the 2008 Brewers much like Gallardo and Villanueva were a year ago. Someone could look awfully smart if they ranked Parra in the top 10-20 and he went on to have a big season with the Brewers. I think Gamel is overlooked as well. If he has another big year offensively he too needs to be considered a top 50 prospect. At this time next year Parra will probably be the only player off of the top prospect list, and the team will have added seven of the top 100 draft picks. I think it's safe to say that they will be back among the top 5-10 teams, especially if guys like Gamel, Green, Braddock, Bryson, Tyson, Seidel, Gindl, Lucroy, etc. continue to progress. A triumphant return of players such as Mark Rogers and Jeremy Jeffress would be a nice touch as well.

I like Tom's/BA significantly better, but then - the Power 50 hasn't been updated in awhile. BA has always placed a lot of value on potential (although they strayed from this in their league-by-league top prospect lists), so guys like Scarpetta, Bryson and Tyson are going to rank higher than they do on the P50 (although that doesn't explain Ford's ranking), while Brantley is going to rank lower than where we have him. And keep in mind that the P50 is a collaborative effort between myself, Brad (pogokat) and Jim (Mass Haas), so a few differences in opinion can cause a pretty dramatic shift in where players end up. I know for my rankings I typically need to see what a player can do at a higher level before I bump that player up. There are always exceptions, such as Gindl, who won the Pioneer League batting title as an 18-year old, and Jonathan Lucroy, who has a background of success in college and the scouting reports lead me to believe that his numbers were no fluke (as did his HWB performance). Bryson and Tyson saw substantial jumps towards the end of last year, and both could continue to rise if they enjoy success early during the 2008 season. Scarpetta needs to pitch professionally before I put him in the top 20, much less the top 50, and Haydel needs to show vast improvement with the bat for me to over-rank a player whose game is built around speed. And of course these lists are subjective with no factual value to them, but they are fun to dissect.

I wonder if depth is given too little credit. Guys like Villanueva can be productive major leaguers, even at a young age, without ever being a top prospect. I believe the depth is quite strong in the organization; the winning percentage would support that. That's a good point. I was a little surprised by the low ranking, as I would even argue that Manny Parra IS an elite prospect, and I do think the system's depth to go along with proven results (credibility) should stand for more than they did. The Pirates at #26? Ouch. They don't even have much to look forward to.

Actually, we have talked a little about the money, as it outlined in the draft resource thread and I brought it up in the feature Big Draft On Tap story that was on the homepage. 1. How much can the brewers expect to pay out in total signing bonuses if they sign all of their draft picks this year? There are still four unsigned free agents that could effect draft compensation, meaning all of the picks after the first and first round supplemental selections could drop four places, so here are the picks as they stand right now and their respective, approximate slot values from the 2007 draft: #16 (own first): $1.5 M #32 (supp. pick for Cordero): $950 K #35 (supp. pick for Linebrink): $800 K #51 (comp pick for Cordero): $610 K #52 (comp pick for Linebrink): $600 K #60 (own second): $540 K #92 (own third): $375 K That's $5.375 million for their seven picks in the top 100, a very big chunk of change. Add in the other picks they're bound to sign and you're looking at a total probably in the $8-10 million dollar range. 2. Will the fact that the brewers have so many top picks have an effect on whom they draft with those picks? Absolutely. Signability always plays a part in who gets picked by all teams. Will the brewers shy away from certain prospects who would command a high signing bonus because they only have a certain amount of money alloted to spend? or will they go after 1 or 2 expensive players and 5 players who do not command as much? I'm sure one or two of the picks will be players they like but aren't players that are universally considered for an early selection. And I think it's safe to say they won't be taking any chances on a Boras player that falls (the only Boras players they have taken are ones like LaPorta who wasn't projected to be selected as high as he was and gladly accept the Brewers $2 million dollars). Every year someone suggests that the Brewers should take a chance on someone that falls, and they still haven't done that yet (and they typically adhere to the recommended slot values anyway). Would the brewers go after the 7 best players with those 7 picks? or go after the greatest number they can afford to sign? I'm sure the Brewers will identify players they like that they know they can sign for roughly slot value. Look at a few of the teams that had extra, early picks a year ago, most notably the Giants and Padres. Both of those teams managed to sign all of those picks but they didn't go out of their way to sign a player that had fallen and reached for a few while signing them for slot value. 3. What's the probability that the brewers will not sign all of their top 7 picks? or will this have any affect on the brewers not signing their round 3-10 picks? Considering how good of a job the Brewers have done signing their picks since Jack Z. has taken over, I think the chances are pretty good that the Brewers are going to budget accordingly to be able to sign not only their top seven picks, but most to all of their day one (top 20 rounds) selections. The only year they lost quite a few highly drafted players was in 2002 when they dropped $1.5M on Manny Parra, which wasn't expected. There was talk that year that the Brewers may take a player that would sign for less than slot value with the seventh overall selection instead of Prince Fielder (Khalil Greene was the rumored player they were going to reach for) to help balance the signing of Parra, but I'm happy the Brewers proceeded the way they did while allowing players such as Jarrad Page, Brian Hernandez and Steven White to go unsigned. And if they don't end up signing any of their early picks (top two rounds), keep in mind they get a pick in the 2009 draft right after the corresponding selection (if they don't sign the player they take with the 32nd pick, they get pick 32A in '09). Unsigned third rounders garner a pick in a supplemental round after round three. Plus, I noted in the Big Draft On Tap story that the elimination of the draft-and-follow process will also free up a sizable amount of money to help sign the extra picks. Last year the team spent $1.5M to $2M on Bryson, Tyson, Robinson and Haydel. This will be a fun draft to follow. The scouts definitely are going to be challenged this year to gauge signability while identifying the right players to take.

one of the posters responding to that article said that gamel would be playing more CF than 3b this year. Hadn't heard anything like that before. Gamel playing CF? That's a first. There was a story about a week ago that talked about Mat Gamel playing third base with Don Money as his head coach, and that roving infield instructor Garth Iorg, another fine defensive third baseman, would be spending a lot of time with Gamel. The story seemed to hint that if Gamel didn't show signs of improvement working with a couple of the better defensive third basemen, that the team would look to shift him to another position. However, CF? That's a stretch.

That's an interesting idea TLB, but I'm not sure the Brewers would do this unless they feel Posey is advanced enough to start a level higher than Paramore. You don't want those two guys taking time away from one another behind the plate, because they both will continue to need professional seasoning defensively (Posey has only been catching for about a year and a half now). But Paramore has improved his defensive skillset while creating some questions about his bat while struggling last summer with Team USA. While Posey doesn't have Paramore's power potential, he's about as steady as they come with the bat, hitting for a high average in two springs with FSU and two summers on the Cape. In 2005 the Brewers took a few 3B in Braun, Gamel, Carlos Hereaud (who really hasn't materialized as much as many thought) and even Mike Bell, who has spent more time at 2B. I could see the Brewers using a couple of high picks on catchers, but they likely would be a year or two apart similar to how Braun and Gamel were. Meaning, if Posey or Paramore were selected, I'm guessing another catcher would be added from the high school or even juco ranks that would be brought along more slowly, again more similar to where Gamel was at when the team drafted him. Again, it's an interesting idea, and I agree that it would add excellent organizational depth at the position, particularly since the club so far has had some difficulty procuring good catchers, but really few teams do. Taking a couple of the best available with some of their extra, early picks may be a similar approach to loading up on pitching while hoping a few of them stick.

I agree 100% about Parra, and I think this site as a whole generally thinks higher of him that other outlets by his placement as the #1 prospect on both the Power 50 and the fan poll, although it seems most places have him ranked fairly close to LaPorta. I agree that his injury history doesn't help. Gamel is another guy that is often overlooked, which I don't think will be true at this time next year. I don't expect BP to be very high on Alcides Escobar.

I'm pretty sure you can. Try Discount Liquor. I know I have bought some of the Fort Collins, New Belgium and Breckenridge brews there before.

No, I don't think finishing the year at AA is too optimistic for drafting a college closer. There another thread not too far down the forum list that discusses drafting a college closer with the possibility of that pitcher pitching in the big-leagues towards the end of the season. That may not be likely, but it's possible, and pitchers such as Chad Cordero, Joey Devine, Craig Hansen and Ryan Wagner have been put in that exact same situation in recent years, while Huston Street and Brandon Morrow were with the A's and Mariners respectively the year after they were drafted. Casey Weathers, the 8th overall pick a year ago, finished the 2007 season at high A and could be with the Rockies by the end of this year.

Just to clear a few things up... As noted, each user can submit two designs. Please post the design within this thread so everyone can chime in on the designs they feel are the best. Do not email them to me or any other staff member. When all of the designs are submitted, the Brewerfan.net staff and moderators will take the top 3-5 designs as discussed here and choose one winner based on the fan's response, our preferences and what we feel will be most suitable to put on display. Since we haven't done this before, we may change things up as we go. I may take the pictures submitted here and add them in a different thread that will be used for voting purposes only if this thread gets too cluttered.

Just to clear a few things up... As noted, each user can submit two designs. Please post the design within this thread so everyone can chime in on the designs they feel are the best. Do not email them to me or any other staff member. When all of the designs are submitted, the Brewerfan.net staff and moderators will take the top 3-5 designs as discussed here and choose one winner based on the fan's response, our preferences and what we feel will be most suitable to put on display. Since we haven't done this before, we may change things up as we go. I may take the pictures submitted here and add them in a different thread that will be used for voting purposes only if this thread gets too cluttered.

Just to clear a few things up... As noted, each user can submit two designs. Please post the design within this thread so everyone can chime in on the designs they feel are the best. Do not email them to me or any other staff member. When all of the designs are submitted, the Brewerfan.net staff and moderators will take the top 3-5 designs as discussed here and choose one winner based on the fan's response, our preferences and what we feel will be most suitable to put on display. Since we haven't done this before, we may change things up as we go. I may take the pictures submitted here and add them in a different thread that will be used for voting purposes only if this thread gets too cluttered.

Just to clear a few things up... As noted, each user can submit two designs. Please post the design within this thread so everyone can chime in on the designs they feel are the best. Do not email them to me or any other staff member. When all of the designs are submitted, the Brewerfan.net staff and moderators will take the top 3-5 designs as discussed here and choose one winner based on the fan's response, our preferences and what we feel will be most suitable to put on display. Since we haven't done this before, we may change things up as we go. I may take the pictures submitted here and add them in a different thread that will be used for voting purposes only if this thread gets too cluttered.

Just to clear a few things up... As noted, each user can submit two designs. Please post the design within this thread so everyone can chime in on the designs they feel are the best. Do not email them to me or any other staff member. When all of the designs are submitted, the Brewerfan.net staff and moderators will take the top 3-5 designs as discussed here and choose one winner based on the fan's response, our preferences and what we feel will be most suitable to put on display. Since we haven't done this before, we may change things up as we go. I may take the pictures submitted here and add them in a different thread that will be used for voting purposes only if this thread gets too cluttered.

Just to clear a few things up... As noted, each user can submit two designs. Please post the design within this thread so everyone can chime in on the designs they feel are the best. Do not email them to me or any other staff member. When all of the designs are submitted, the Brewerfan.net staff and moderators will take the top 3-5 designs as discussed here and choose one winner based on the fan's response, our preferences and what we feel will be most suitable to put on display. Since we haven't done this before, we may change things up as we go. I may take the pictures submitted here and add them in a different thread that will be used for voting purposes only if this thread gets too cluttered.

Just to clear a few things up... As noted, each user can submit two designs. Please post the design within this thread so everyone can chime in on the designs they feel are the best. Do not email them to me or any other staff member. When all of the designs are submitted, the Brewerfan.net staff and moderators will take the top 3-5 designs as discussed here and choose one winner based on the fan's response, our preferences and what we feel will be most suitable to put on display. Since we haven't done this before, we may change things up as we go. I may take the pictures submitted here and add them in a different thread that will be used for voting purposes only if this thread gets too cluttered.

Just to clear a few things up... As noted, each user can submit two designs. Please post the design within this thread so everyone can chime in on the designs they feel are the best. Do not email them to me or any other staff member. When all of the designs are submitted, the Brewerfan.net staff and moderators will take the top 3-5 designs as discussed here and choose one winner based on the fan's response, our preferences and what we feel will be most suitable to put on display. Since we haven't done this before, we may change things up as we go. I may take the pictures submitted here and add them in a different thread that will be used for voting purposes only if this thread gets too cluttered.

Just to clear a few things up... As noted, each user can submit two designs. Please post the design within this thread so everyone can chime in on the designs they feel are the best. Do not email them to me or any other staff member. When all of the designs are submitted, the Brewerfan.net staff and moderators will take the top 3-5 designs as discussed here and choose one winner based on the fan's response, our preferences and what we feel will be most suitable to put on display. Since we haven't done this before, we may change things up as we go. I may take the pictures submitted here and add them in a different thread that will be used for voting purposes only if this thread gets too cluttered.