colbyjack

Jonathan Lucroy and Stephen Chapman a combined 0-5 in last night's game for the Honu, a game in which they won 5-1. Mat Gamel did go 1-4 (his third double) with a run and an RBI. http://www.mlb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=l405&t=g_box&gid=2007_10_06_honwin_nshwin_1 Here's the game story from the game the other day focusing on Gamel's big day (we'll give them a pass for getting Jonathan Lucroy's name wrong): http://www.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20071005&content_id=2251519&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb Gamel shows Honu he's worth a grand Goes yard with bases juiced to assume league lead Brewers prospect Mat Gamel ripped grand slam as visiting North Shore defeated Honolulu, 7-3, on Thursday. Gamel's go-ahead shot over the left-center wall gave the Honu (4-1) a 4-3 lead in the fifth inning. The 22-year-old third baseman, who also doubled and scored on a double by Matt Lucroy (Brewers) in the seventh, leads the Hawaii Winter Baseball league with three dingers through five games. Milwaukee's fourth-round selection in the 2005 draft hit .300 with nine homers and 60 RBIs for Class A Advanced Brevard County this past season. Michael Griffin singled and scored on Jamie Romak's groundout in the seventh and tacked on an RBI base hit in the eighth. Lucroy finished with three hits to boost his average to .545. Phillies prospect Ronald Hill (1-0) struck out two and walked one over 2 1/3 scoreless and hitless frames for the victory. Reliever Blair Johnson (Pirates) yielded a hit and two walks while fanning two over four scoreless innings. Starter Bud Norris (Astros) allowed three runs on two hits and two walks with five strikeouts in 1 2/3 innings. Orioles product Chad Thall (0-1) surrendered two runs on two hits and one walk with two strikeouts in two frames for the loss. Starter Shingo Matsuzaki gave up two runs on four hits and three walks with three strikeouts in four innings. Honolulu (2-3) scored all of its runs in the second. Ryan Harvey (Cubs) singled, but left with an injury and was replaced on the basepaths by Shoji Ohhiro. Takumi Kobe walked, advanced to third on Matt Wieters' one-out RBI double and scored on Norris' wild pitch. Wieters came home on a groundout by fellow Orioles prospect Miguel Abreu.

Mat Gamel gets some love on BA's homepage this morning: http://images.yuku.com/image/jpeg/a3625814a8968d0c9a52fe133dea4f166f75743.jpg http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/prospects/?p=608 Hawaii Winter Baseball Underway Hawaii Winter Baseball began Saturday with the North Shore Honu against the West Oahu CaneFires and Waikiki BeacbBoys against the Honolulu Sharks. First baseman Chris Errecart (Brewers) paced a four-run fourth inning for North Shore with a three-run homer that led to an 8-5 victory. He finished the day 3-for-5 with three RBIs and three runs scored. Waikiki shut out Honolulu 7-0 thanks to strong outings by seven pitchers. Righthander Yutaka Tamaki was most impressive, striking out four of the six batters he faced. On Sunday, third baseman Mat Gamel (Brewers) launched two late home runs to help North Shore rally past Waikiki 8-3. The other Sunday match-up was also decided by a scored of 8-3 with Honolulu beating Waikiki. Eight different Honolulu players had a hit, but Waikiki had three errors and the Sharks only needed two official RBIs to get the victory. Brandon Snyder (Orioles) had a hit and played his second game at third base, after splitting the 2007 regular season between first base and DH.

Some good thoughts, and I think everyone agrees that a stronger bullpen and a stronger bench will be key for 2008. The bullpen really needs an overhaul, and losing Cordero would really hurt as much as I don't want to see a reliever given a huge wad of money. I really want to see the team improve the corner OF spot that Jenkins will likely be leaving open with someone that has a propensity for getting on base. While I would prefer an everyday option, I'm not opposed to a platoon. Either way I would gladly trade power for on-base abilities for at least one of our positions on the field. I have no suggestions for who this could be (outside of my own personal favorite, Japanese free agent to be Kosuke Fukudome), but I hope the Brewers brain trust has the same thing in mind. Gross gets on at a decent enough rate, but Kevin Mench does not, so maybe it is just a matter of finding the right platoon mate for Gross (and while I like Dillon as a bench player, I don't think I want him as part of that proposed platoon scenario). I know he's ancient, but maybe Reggie Sanders could be that player. Robert made a good suggestion about contacting the Dodgers about some of their perceived extra outfielders.

The Columbus GA, Phenix City AL area is a growing hotbed for talent. Tony Rasmus, has turned the Russell County HS program near Phenix City into a national, perennial powerhouse, thanks to his own offspring. Colby and Cory Rasmus were both first rounders the past couple of years, and Colby is now one of the most promising prospects in all of baseball, and Kasey Kiker also hails from the Phenix City program. Casey and Cyle Rasmus are the next in line from the Rasmus family. Casey is a left-handed hitting catcher and Cyle is a right-handed hitting middle infielder that likely will land at 2B. Casey has some very good receiving skills and has plenty of experience catching good pitching in his older brothers as well as Kiker. Cyle is a scrappy slap hitter that has the best demeanor of the family, but is the shortest on tools/talent. Both are draft eligible for '08. Here's an interview I conducted with Tony Rasmus a couple of years ago: http://www.perfectgame.org/stories/05_04_04_tony_rasmus/

If you're able to get out and see some of these guys, you're in for a treat. Tim Beckham is a 5-tool, silky-smooth SS that was the MVP of the Aflac game. He goes to Griffin HS and live in Kennesaw. I have Beckham as the #2 prep prospect in the nation (PGCC has him #1). Ethan Martin is a power/power 3B with a big bat and equally strong arm. He's from Toccoa and goes to Stephens County HS. Michael Palazzone was the starter for the East squad in the Aflac game. He's touched the mid-90s and has the best hammer curve in the prep class. Somewhat of a Tim Linececum delivery. From Marietta, goes to Lassister HS. Xavier Avery is a 2-sport star (OF in BB, RB in football) with freakish speed and overall athletic ability. From Decatur, goes to Cedar Grove HS. These guys are the best bets to be taken in round 1. Here are a few others that will be in early round consideration: Ezekiel Spruill, RHP, Kell HS, Marietta Taylor Hightower, C, Cartersville HS Cecil Tanner, RHP, Ware County HS, Waycross Joseph (Jay) Austin, OF/LHP, North Atlanta HS Chase Davidson, 1B/3B, Milton HS, Alpharetta Jordan Craft, OF, Kennesaw Mountain HS, Kennesaw Brennan May OF, Woodward Academy HS, Fayetteville If you want me to provide some names by certain cities and/or schools, let me know. Some good draft-eligible talent from GA Tech & Georgia as well.

When I propose (in theory) that the team should drat a college closer, I'm not suggesting that this player would immediately serve as the closer, and it wouldn't effect my decision of what the team should do at the big-league level (as I hope they re-sign Cordero). College closers could just as easily be used as an effective set-up man early in his career.

I remember there were quite a few people that were incredibly upset that Richie Sexson was dealt at the time he was, with quite a few citing that the team always traded away each and every good player they ever had. It's hard to make the Sexson comparison now in hindsight, as some are opposed to Sheets just as some were opposed to Sexson at the time. Although I agree with your point about the A's in relationship to Mulder and Hudson. The A's knew they would lose both (and eventually Zito), and made sure to get the most they could for them when they could. It's funny, because at the time more people were high on Dan Meyer than they were Dan Haren.

Thanks for the head's up on Lucroy, and congratulations to him. I am curious if this has anything to do with Salome's suspension or something else we don't know about, and if the Brewers intend to fast-track Lucroy somewhat to open 2008 (both Gillespie and Errecart skipped low-A to open this past year).

Nope. Ross Detwiler made his big league debut for the Nats, but his future role is in the starting rotation. Thanks for the feedback, although I was asking more from a Brewers perspective given the bullpen woes. That doesn't mean I don't appreciate the perspective from fans from other teams. The point was definitely made in a "win-now" context, as I do agree that generally it is not a good idea to try and solve particular, immediate problems through the draft. Gagne, Turnbow better not be closing for the Brewers next year, as he has arguably been the team's biggest problem during the second half of the season.

Some of the comments in this thread are pretty telling of the Brewers recent (season-long?) struggles in the bullpen. Obviously there hasn't been that one arm that emerged from the '07 draft to vault throught the minors to put in meaningful playing time and establish themselves as a future short-reliever, but the question has never been as glaring as it is right now. So, looking ahead to the 2007 draft, and guessing that the Brewers will lose at least one of Cordero or Linebrink to free agency, meaning the high probability of a couple of extra-picks, would you support the team taking a college closer early, even with their first overall selection, in the hopes that such a player could move quickly and possibility help the big-league team out towards the end of the year? This is assuming there is such a player available for the team's first-round pick of course, as I certainly would not reach for such a player early in the draft, but I think you get my point.

Some good thoughts already, but I'm not going to come down on Melvin for dealing Sarfate just yet. His inability to consistently throw strikes wouldn't exactly endear him to fans given what we had to witness last night. But yes, the bullpen looks pretty scary for next year, and I too believe that fixing the bullpen by throwing a lot of money at it is a recipe for disaster. Losing Thatcher has definitely been magnified, and the possibility of losing Cordero and Linebrink is scary. Robert brings up a very good suggestion in Joaquin Benoit. I have suggested Chad Cordero in the past, as the Nationals may not want to pay their closer in excess of $4.15M, what he made this year in his first year of arbitration eligibility. Of course he is likely to cost quite a bit via trade, but he's young and has been very successful so far during his career, even if he hasn't been as sharp this year.

An article by Ken Rosenthal from over the weekend (talking about the Cubs going after Arod as posted in the Trade Rumors forum) noted that Canning and Bud Selig are good friends, further noting that Selig likes to have people he knows and trusts owning big-league franchises. If Selig isn't upset about this (and we don't actually know this or not), I'm guessing it isn't as atrocious of an act as Belling makes it out to be (surprise surprise).

I actually like Clement quite a bit, but I don't think I trade for him as a centerpiece of a deal for Sheets. You mentioned his keen eye, and he also has very good power potential, but he has only thrown out 26% and 27% of opposing baserunners in his first two professional seasons, and most scouts don't think his defense is going to get any better (quite the opposite actually). Neither Butler nor Feierabend interests me relative to what I believe the Brewers would look for. Butler is years away, even if he is a local favorite, and Feierabend doesn't profile as much more than a 4/5 starter if that. I'd be tempted by a deal for Clement if another top name was involved, preferably a pitcher, but the M's really don't have that much talent at the top. And I'm not so sure Jones isn't a "need." The team is going to need an OF of some sort next year, and since Hall was originally thought of as a LF by Melvin and co., having Jones play CF with Hall and Hart flanking him isn't that crazy of an idea IMO (and yes, I realize Hall's value decreases the further he moves away from SS, CF, etc., I'm just bringing it up as a realistic possiblity). One name that jumps out to me is Ervin Santana. He clearly had a horrible year, but his stats aside from the number of base hits he allowed this year weren't that far off from his career norms. He's a guy that I would be asking my scouts about trying to figure out why and how he fell apart this year. The Angels always seem to have a wealth of bullpen arms, so I think my gut feeling would be to approach them for a possible Santana/Justin Speier package.

Dealing Sheets is a tricky proposition, which leads me to believe that he'll be staying put. I can't believe that his deal is up after next year, as it seems as though he just signed what at the time was a big 4-year extension just last offseason. People seem to be split on what he's worth, with some perfectly comfortable getting good but not great prospects such as Tony Butler and Ryan Feierabend in return and shooting for guys like Phillip Hughes, Joba Chamberlain and Chad Billingsley. If the deal is for players like Butler and Feierabend, thanks but no thanks. Even Jeff Clement and Wladimir Balentien would be second and third options if I were dealing Sheets, and if that's the best you can do, you don't trade him, hoping that he manages to keep himself on the field next year. Heck, I'd take Sheets from this past season over all of the names mentioned in this paragraph. If you're talking to Seattle, Adam Jones' name has to come up. He's a true CF and is clearly blocked by Ichiro. Now I'm sure the M's would love to have Jones in either LF or RF, as Ibanez is best suited as a DH and Jose Guillen is a FA IIRC. However, that is type of name I would be looking for, as Jones is one of the top prospects in the game and has nothing left to prove at AAA. Or how about one of either Chad Cordero or Carl Crawford, two names that have been rumored to be avaialble that have been tossed around quite a bit around here in the past? I'm not sure if either team would bite since Sheets would be a FA after next season, but that is the type of talent I would target. And you know Melvin would be looking for big-league guys, and it would help to fill a few holes such as the ones in the bullpen, starting rotation, catching and/or a corner OF spot (or even a CF to allow Hall to slide over to LF...statistics being thrown aside for one second). I would also do my best to deal Sheets to an AL club. For one, you wouldn't have to worry about facing this guy, which always does concern me, and two, you don't have to try and sell his bat http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif.

Update on Salcedo per BA: http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/prospects/?p=599 A few weeks ago, after Edward Salcedo burst upon the international scene as the 'it' guy, several media outlets reported the 16-year-old Dominican shortstop had signed with the Yankees. Then there were rumors he had signed with the Mariners. But in reality, Salcedo's agent Scott Boras is still taking offers, and it appears the rumors of Salcedo signing were merely ploys to try to get other clubs to react with higher offers. So far, no one has met Boras' asking price for Salcedo, rumored to be in the $3.5 million range. At least five clubs are currently in negotiations with Boras, but the Yankees and Mariners aren't considered to be players at this stage in the game. Surprisingly, medium-market clubs including Cleveland have emerged as being active suitors, according to several sources. Salcedo, who only turned 16 on July 30, was expected to sign in early August, but Boras is apparently willing to wait. Calls to the Boras Corporation were not immediately returned Wednesday. "This is a high priority guy a lot of clubs are after, and his agent is playing that the right way right now," said one international scouting director. "He's got all the time in the world. They're just waiting for the biggest offer." And a scouting report on the Cuban defector, Alexei Ramirez (subscribers only): http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/prospects/features/264874.html Roughly, he's a very good athlete with a very strong arm and pretty good wheels, possibly a top of the order guy. He is projected to hit for average, but probably not much power. He projects to play at either SS or RF.

Awesome time to be a fan of this organization, just awesome. Too true Mass. I know a few people commented towards the end of the season that this year was one of the more difficult ones to follow given the suspensions of guys like Salome and Jeffress, the trading of Inman, Thatcher and Garrison and no top prospects (Cain, Gillespie, Ford, etc.) stepping up to assume the role of a impact prospect since Braun and Gallardo have now made their mark in the big leagues. While a few of those things do draw some concern, I think it was an awesome year to follow the system. Five out of six affiliates made the postseason (does Arizona even count?), with three of those teams making their league's championship series. Parra rebounded impressively after many to most had written him off, the team enjoyed yet another seemingly good draft on paper, signed an impressive amount of talent through the DFE process, has recently added a couple of notable Dominicans in the international free agent market (even if it does seem as though they should just give up) and had a couple of players like Taylor Green and Mat Gamel continue to step up and prove they're legit hitters to look forward to. Oh yeah, and we get to watch meaningful baseball in September. You also make a good point about the pitching staff, as Jack Z. has taken a few beatings about the pitchers, or lack of, that he has drafted and developed over the years. He can't take credit for Villanueva, but Gallardo and Parra could be to the pitching staff what Fielder and Braun is to the everyday lineup (although I'm sure someone will comment about how good the pitching staff would look with Homer Bailey over Mark Rogers...you can't win them all I suppose http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif). Anyway, sorry to go off-track for a moment there...congrats to both Parra and Green. They certainly deserved the recognition they received.

Thanks for finding that Jim. Garcia was one of the more promising Dominican prospects as the international period opened up. Scouts were already talking about he and Arias-Guzman last spring as two of the more notable names to keep an eye on this year. Garcia is 16 years old, and here is a write-up of him (subscribers only) from Baseball America: http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/prospects/features/264316.html The rough report is that he's built like a linebacker, chiseled and cut, although his tools don't play up to his physical appearance and his movements are somewhat stiff. He has fringe average speed and a average to below average arm which will likely restrict him to left field. His power is his most impressive tool, although there are holes in his swing that means he likely will strike out a lot and won't hit for a high average until he starts making the necessary adjustments. That said, in a BA chat concerning the international free agent period, Chris Kline guessed that Garcia (Jose Ricardo Garcia for those looking for news on him) could command $500,000-600,000. Even if he didn't get that much, he still likely commanded six-figures, with another tip of the cap to the Brewers for landing another prominent Dominican player, two power-hitting outfielders from this year's class. Remember when the OF depth was a big problem for the Brewers organization just a couple of years ago? They changed that in a hurry, just like that gaping hole they had at third base a couple of years ago http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif.

The news on Salcedo has been surprisingly quiet the past month, as his bonus aspirations without a doubt are slowing the process down. I have heard quite a few rumors that the Yankees in fact were not close to signing Salcedo, and a few more that indicated the Indians had out-bid everyone for the young phenom's services. Nothing more than rumors... Baseball America is reporting that one of the better Cuban players in recent years, Alexei Ramirez, has defected to the Dominican Republic, and once he gets through the unblocking process he will be become an international free agent free to sign with any club (link to BA's blog, which includes video of Ramirez): http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/prospects/?p=597

I also messed up on Miguel Vasquez, brought to my attention by Jim, who did play with Arizona this summer, although not for very long (27 ABs). On Robulack, I have in my notes that he did play with Aumont at one point in their careers. I think I got it messed up that they played together this summer, and I'm wondering if I'm thinking of the junior national Canadian team. For whatever reason in my notes I didn't write down when and where.

I picked up cole slaw and german potato salad on my way home from work this evening. I'm guessing that I'll get off work around 3:30, will run home to pick up the salads, beer and my brother & sister-in-law and will probably hit the parking lot around 5pm, hopefully sooner. Plus, my mom called me today to tell me someone kindly placed two extra tickets for tomorrow's game in her labcoat, if anyone is interested in joining us at the last minute. As always, I'm looking forward to it. I've missed the past couple of Fan Fests, and I hope that my presence can re-kindle the spirit of Eddie Perez...or maybe Dennis Sarfate http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif.

Check out the homepage for my annual draft recap and early draft preview story: http://www.brewerfan.net/ViewArticle.do?articleId=269 I'm placing a link for this story in this forum as well since it applies to players that have already begun their professional careers. Feel free to visit the draft forum to discuss.

Sadly, West Virginia's season is over, losing 6-0 to Columbus. D-Rays RHP prospect Jeremy Hellickson with another strong outing against the Power. Congrats to the Power for such a fine season. West Virginia fans can look forward to what should be another solid team next year, as they should inherit most to all of the Helena team that made the Pioneer League playoffs. Huntsville loses as well tonight, although their series is now tied 1-1. Another top D-Rays pitching prospect, LHP Jacob McGee, shuts down the Stars offense. Mat Gamel in particular with a tough night, going 0-4 with 4 Ks.

My brother made me aware of the Smithwicks pronunciation before I had the chance to order one for myself. He got teased pretty bad ordering a "Smith-wicks" in Ireland. I forgot to mention Sam Adams. Anytime I'm further away from home I adopt Sam Adams as my beer of choice, because you can find it almost anywhere and it tastes a lot like Riverwest Stein. Not a huge fan of wheats and belgian ales.

Good luck with intro to the earth. I took that class and had to drop it and pick up a different science course. I just didn't get rocks, as much as looking at cleavage would seem to be appealing.

I'm a big fan of the local microbreweries, Lakefront, Sprecher and New Glarus, and sometime Capital. Lakefront's Riverwest Stein will always be my favorite beer, while their Pumpkin beer is a really nice treat this time of year. You can't go wrong with most of their products, although I never cared for their Irish Stout, I believe it is/was called Snake Chaser. The same goes for Sprecher. Their Amber has just been so good for so long, and their seasonals are also quite tasty. Octoberfest is out right now, and Mai Bock might be my favorite beer of all-time. Dopplebock is also very good, but very, very strong and very thick (the label talks about how it was brewed to serve as a meal for the monks during lent way back when). You can't go wrong with Spotted Cow, especially during the summer months, but Fat Squirrel is probably my favorite New Glarus brew. If I have a taste for a Mexican brew, I usually get XX or Pacifico. Elephant is a tasty and strong brew that I get when I have a taste for something more European in texture & flavor. Pilsner Urquell has also been one of my long-time faves. If I get to choose between Irish stouts, I take Murphy's over Guiness. Smithwicks is also a very good Irish brew, although not a stout (I think its an ale, but I'm not sure). Delirium Tremens is a great, great beer, but you can't have too many of them or you'll get bombed in a hurry (unless that's your goal of course). As for the macros, I typically go for Lite or MGD or Leinie's Original. Leinie's Red is good too. I'm thirsty. Time to leave work http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif.