JJHardy7

Can you provide any information in regard to how the Brewers are projecting him at this point?

I'm honestly not sure- I would think, though, that it's probably the league they're in at the time of the trade? That'd be as good of guess as any. I would also guess it must specifically be in regard to the MLB league?

Because it's not possible- a PTBNL can not be a player in the same League as the person he was traded for. Cincy to Milwaukee = NL to NL, so it's not allowed. Olney should know that. I big-time apologize if this is true. So within a league it has to be for a minor leaguer? A guy not on the 40-man, etc? Again, I do apologize, but the post I was responding to didn't state that...maybe I just am in the minority of not knowing that. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/frown.gif How does the rule read though? I guess I understand why it'd exist to a certain extent, but what would prevent the Brewers from calling up any of the guys on the 'list' to the bigs? Or is that not allowed? Sorry for all the questions...I've just never heard of this rule before. Thanks for pointing it out PF. Edit: I did a little research and it looks like this is right. I was aware of this for pre July 31st deals, but didn't know it applied to waiver trades. From the little reserach I've done it looks like it does. Thanks PF for pointing this out.

I agree, if we're going to be bad at the position, lets at least be cheap, so we have more to spend on pitching. I'd rather have Henry Blanco. He is still a good defender, and he's a better hitter than he used to be. Still not good, but better than Kendall. Blanco is playing for $750 K this year. Good point X. I'd take either Blanco or Kendall back at $1 million or so...I don't know if both or one would be realistic though. Hopefully at least one of them is. I'd love to get someone like Blanco or even Kendall to split time with Salome next year. I've seen him quite a few times and while I'm still not sold that he can catch at the MLB level he has had his share amount of injuries this year (there's a post up in the minor league thread from his coach). I had a feeling some of his injuries weren't being reported, but go check out the other forum because there may be reasons it wasn't (as Jim noted). I think at a certain point or time Salome needs a shot and if worst case happens you have Blanco or Kendall catching and call up Corporan or sign/trade a middle of the road veteran. I know it's not ideal, but I don't see another option. Do you really have Salome share time with Lucroy next year at AAA? If our offense was a bit better at certain positions in the lineup, having a bad #8 hitter really wouldn't be a huge deal. It's magnified this year IMO because of individual struggles and injuries. I've stated before I thought Corporan might be in the mix next year, but I don't know if that's realistic at this point. I don't like Kendall that much at all, but at a much lower price and half the games or so I'd be alright with it.

I agree with the posts for and against signing him. I think a lot of good points have been brought up. I do think though for how cheap he'd be I'd at least look into it. I do believe that Smoltz himself knows if he's done or not...maybe he just wouldn't accept a deal with the Brewers. I'd at least look into if I'm DM. I think Smoltz should've never left the NL.

I know Hardy is having a down year, but come on! How in the world did Olney ever decide to post that question of all the other ones that were not picked? Well I'd think worse of ESPN if they said they thought it was Hardy. He says he 'doubts it' so I don't know how you can knock ESPN. Was it a poor question? Probably, but I'm sure there are worse. I also think Olney could've done a better job of actually answering the question. I still think some here value JJ a bit more though than he will be if/when he's moved. We're trading him with a year left before free agency...that's not going to bring back stud pitching...but I do hope it brings back more than Weathers! http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

If McD's fries are bad, what fast food chain has good fries? I'd take McD's over any other chain in the fry department. I guess I prefer Burger King's fries. The last few experiences I've had with McD's fries they've been 'soggy' in comparison to a place like BK. I'm sure preference is one thing, but I do think over the years McD's has gotten worse. I'm not a fan of 'soggy' fries.

Yeah, but who goes to Culvers for the fries? If you're already heading down the road of adding 3 pounds in one meal, why not throw on the onion rings or, even better, the fried cheese curds? Sorry, off the topic, I know. That's true, but I always like places that provide at least decent fries to go with the burger. Culvers fries are alright I guess. I only go to McD's maybe twice a year or so, but their fries are terrible. I think they've gotten worse and worse over time. I'm not a huge fast food burger person, but when I do I go to Burger King much more than McD's. I do agree with craig that you're not going for the fries, but I can't stand the places that really make no attempt to have decent fries. McD's is one of them and McDougal's is another. I know potatoes are cheap, but a little effort would be nice.

If 55 mph fastballs are all it takes to get major league hitters out, sign me up. I'll win a Cy Young in my rookie year no doubt. Who throws a 55 mph fastball in MLB? As many know here, I love the minors and watch a lot of AAA, but I'm still on the fence with Swindle. I know I've at times been thought to be too minor league oriented, but I'm not mad or upset that Swindle is gone (unless we get him back now). I always felt he was an 'interesting' pitcher. I would like to get him back to AAA just because of what he throws, but I really don't know if he's a MLB pitcher or not.

The difference, Ajay, is that it is a tax funded building for a private for profit enterprise. Exactly. Good post homer. I can 100% understand why some don't want a dime going to the stadium and why some do...that debate was a long time ago though. Without getting too political, sales tax revenue suffers big-time in a bad economy and projects that use this money suffer. I guess I don't really like the methodology being changed for paying for a portion of the stadium...they should've thought about this possibility before it was built. On a side note, the state I live in probably isn't going to build a new stadium for the Sounds because of the decline in sales tax. The state more or less has no personal income tax and the property taxes are very low (ie 2,000 sq ft house = < $1,500 property taxes).

I hope you're not stating that Cabrera is a AAAA player. I think he'd fit alright in the Brewers OF right now...

We have been over the strikeout thing numerous times and if you are still focusing on strikeouts I can only conclude that you just don't believe a strikeout is almost identical to any other out. I can understand how it is frustrating to see strikeouts. On a scale of 1-10 a strikeout is probably about an 8 and a DP a 10. A ground out or fly out seems to have at least a little bit of success so they probably seem like a 3. I know a groundout or a flyout seem like more desirable outcomes, and they are in select circumstances. Most of the time, they are the same. I don't mean to get back in that discussion at all...I know it's been here many times before. I guess I just look at it as an indicator of making contact, but like I said to me there really isn't one end all way to determine how good of a hitter a player is in relation to its fit on a consistent offense. And there are also different types of strikeouts too...guys that just can't make contact on certain pitches, guys that are very patient and work the count, etc. I don't mean to get into that, but I'm trying to say a combination of some sort might be able to determine how to build a 'consistent' offense. Guys that walk at a high rate is one piece of it, but eventually you need guys that can bring them home.

What makes you think this? The huge split in BA/OBP only points to guys who walk a lot. If you're walking a lot, you're taking more pitches and working the count. That's not a bad thing, but I would guess chances are you'll be more prone to strikeouts. I know OBP is getting more and more common....which is a good thing, but I think some hybrid of average, OBP, and Ks mgiht be a better way to analyze it. For all I know something like that already exists. A player with good plate discipline who can put the ball in play with authority may not have as high of an OBP as a guy that works the count and doesn't always put the ball in play. Strikeouts aren't the end of the world, but I still can't see how Cameron can be considered a 'good' hitter. I know he has common stats that prove that, but he can at times really lack the ability to make contact. To me, that means he'll walk more, but that doesn't make him a better fit for every offense. I hope that all makes sense.

Congrats AT!

That's fair enough and very well could be true. I guess his key is being able to switch up his off-speed stuff and like you said his delivery is key. I didn't mean to be a jerk or anything...just like some kind of reasoning and you provided that. Like I said, I'm on the fence about him. His key is to be able to throw off-speed stuff with accuracy most of the time and that's just not easy.

I'm not a huge stat guy, but I still and always will think that a higher batting average is better than a lower batting average. If Cam had the same OBP, but a .300 batting average he'd be awesome. OBP is huge, but I still will never 100% buy into that specific stat as the end all because you move one base on a walk. Ideally IMO, you have a hitter that will hit pitches that are strikes and not swing at balls. There isn't a stat that can properly calculate that. That's a 'consistent' lineup. Guys with lower averages and high OBPs will strikeout more than guys with a higher BA. I know batting average is a thing of the past around here, but I really don't buy that 100%. I think more focus should be placed on the combination of average and OBP. Would you really want a guy hitting .250 with a OBP of .350 over guys that hit at a better rate and still have discipline? I will never get the notion that OBP is everything...Mike Cameron is one of the easiest guys to point out in this. I know this is whole the strikeouts and pitches, etc, etc that most don't want to get into, but the simple answer IMO is hit for a high average and take pitches that are out of the zone. A guy hitting .300 with a .350 obp is a ton better than a guy like Cameron IMO. That guy probably puts the ball in play more and that in itself leads to a greater chance of extra base hits. How often does a pitcher walk 4 guys in an inning? Eventually you have to put the ball in play and that's why BA still does matter to a certain degree. OBP isn't the answer to everything.

I just found it foolish that the boys at the Bristol Co. thought it would have been better handled if Prince charged the mound because that's "part of the game". I just don't understand(not that I want to in the first place) how it's better to attack a guy on the field in front of women and children rather than in the bowels of a stadium in front of a couple of overweight security guys. Though I find it exciting, I've never felt good about seeing two teams throwing punches at each other on the field. Women and children? Really? When is the last time something that would offend women and children to a huge degree happen in a MLB game? We all know the routine...you charge the mound...benches and bullpens empty...and really nothing happens. I can only wish now that the 'charging the mound' would've happened. Going after a guy after the game in a clubhouse is a punk move. Sorry, but it is. It doesn't make Fielder or the Brewers look good. We can post 'points' all day about why it wasn't intentional to hit Manny (and I do believe that), but Prince's reaction is the entire reason why national networks are taking the story the way they are. Going after a guy after a game is uncommon and to be honest somewhat scary. We can rip on ESPN all day, but given Prince's national status now it's embarrassing. Do you think Pedroia is going after guys after games? Braun? Longoria? This kind of thing probably happens every 5 years or so and it makes Prince look bad. I don't blame him for being mad or anything, but the more I think about it he just made a very, very poor decision. I don't care who ordered it or whatever. Prince is supposedly a professional...it's time to act like it.

I said this in an April post and it met some banter because I said it without numbers/professional expertise but Swindle is simply not a major league pitcher. That being said, I'd take his job anyday of the year. I don't recall your comment, but to me you usually should have reason behind something. If it's because he's a soft-tosser or something like that, fine. I just don't like when people say so and so will do this....because! I've seen Swindle pitch more than a few times and to be honest I'm not sure about him. I think he could make it, but I've been 'sold' on other guys than him. I think the best scenario for Swindle is to use his offspeed stuff exclusively for awhile and see what happens. Why did you say Swindle wasn't a major league pitcher? I don't doubt your opinion or anything, but saying someone is or isn't something without saying anything else usually doesn't carry a lot of weight IMO...either does the few innings Swindle has pitched in the bigs this year.

RFA (like Sessions) usually garner some pretty decent hauls. Joe Johnson comes to mind, he was signed and traded to Atlanta for Boris Diaw and two 1sts. The main reason is because any team can match. UFA's on the other hand rarely get anything other than a trade exception, which is still useful, but not nearly as much as picks/prospects. Oh I agree. There can be levels of success with the sign and trade, but I just feel there should at least be some kind of compensation like the other leagues have. Let's say one team wants Sessions and will pay him $8 million a year over 6 years (I know this won't happen...it's just an example). And based on how the NBA cap seems so screwed up with teams have little room this team is the only one that will meet the demands. The Bucks could match it to trade him, but if the one team is the only one with the cap room/willing to pay that much I just don't see how you can get the value back you should be getting. I'd love to see teams have to give up first round picks as compensation to sign guys that are determined to be that good. I think it would really change the game in a good way.

Well, the NBA does have the 'sign-and-trade' option, which is pretty decent in the grand scheme considering you get a NBA-level player(s) in return. Compensation success in MLB/NFL relies on the draft picks actually panning out. True, but most of the time that's used it's 'at least we get something' type of a deal and I think that benefits situations where max money is an issue...it's not this year. I don't know what the clause is (trwi7 probably knows), but the team with the rights to a player can pay more than any other team...that just hasn't factored in this year yet due the cap limitations.

I agree homer. One thing I don't like the way the Bucks are operating (or maybe its a huge flaw in the NBA) is that they didn't get compensation for CV and we'll see what happens with Sessions. MLB and the NFL have compensation in place for losing free agents. The NBA needs something similar.

To me, I think he threw more breaking stuff in the minors, but that's just an observation and not a fact. I just think Kendall and him may need to get on the same page. It's pretty easy to hit a slow fastball in the majors if you're not mixing your breaking stuff in. http://www.fangraphs.com/pitchfx.aspx?playerid=539&position=P

I think this opinion is kind of ridiculous. A player could just as easily get hurt in the 1st inning as the 9th. I think you're really grasping at straws to justify some anger at Ken Macha. Why? How many teams have come from behind from that in the 9th? I know it's easy to say it now because of what happened, but in that type of blowout I'd prefer guys go to the bench because of injury risk and getting the bench guys some time. The game was over. The small chances the Brewers have of making the playoffs are gone if Braun or Fielder get hurt. It's still up to Prince though IMO to grow up a little bit. It is nice to see he cares, but I wouldn't want to see some fight breakout after a game. It's just not necessary. I guess you can't say that Prince doesn't care though...

Post #1090.

Man, i just do not understand people advocating the firing of Hammond....he has done a pretty decent job, save for a couple hiccups..... I agree. I think it'll be fair to judge him after the '10 - '11 season. There are some young pieces on this team. If Brandon Jennings is a flop though, Hammond could be in a lot of trouble. I do think BJ will be a very good player in the league, but time will tell I guess.