JJHardy7

This team is poised to do some damage over the next 3, 4 years not rebuild again. Its interesting to note that we were 9th this year in attendance with over 3,068,458 so woe is not the Milwaukee Brewers. We can compete with most of the other teams when it comes to spending money. I disagree with this. The Brewers had tremendous support this year. What happens next year if the team stinks due to injuries, etc? The market isn't big enough to sit and count on say 2.8 million fans every year. I think 3 - 5 years from now that could be the case if this team keeps making the playoffs. You are correct the Brewers have to be smart with their money and part of that is that if the right moves are made the next few years I'd imagine the Brewers fan base will grow and we can somewhat bank on high levels of attendance year in and year out because the team has been competitive for 5 years. I think part of the point you might be missing too in regards to trading Hardy (a move I'm not a fan of until we know what he could bring) is that it is easier and cheaper to trade for pitching than it is to sign a pitcher. A team can really overpay for a mediocre pitcher (Suppan) in the free agent market or a team can package guys like Hardy to get pitching that will be cheap and just as talented or more than the free agent market.

My dark horse canidate is Crabbe at second base. I have no idea how his defense is so maybe someone, (JJHardy I'm looking at you for help here) could enlighten me. I like his defense at second base. I personally think he's at least average for a starting 2b in the bigs and probably better at defense than most backup 2b. The main issue/question with Crabbe is can he be a super sub and play SS? The Padres had him there briefly, but he hasn't played SS all that much in the Brewers organization. He has played OF a bit in Nashville (Kremblas pretty much played almost everyone he's had there for a few games) and I think that helps his value a bit. I don't think he could be a 4th OF, but in a jam he could fit in there for awhile. I do not think he'll be on the 2009 opening day roster though. The Brewers had a few situations arise in the past and Crabbe never was called up. It starts to make me wonder how much longer he'll be in the Brewers organization. I'd personally like to see him up in Milwaukee and be given a fair amount of time -- his career OBP in the minors is almost .100 points higher than his batting average. Even in the bigs last year (small sample alert - 34 at bats) his OBP was over .100 points higher than his batting average.

I have never spoken to Hardy, nor do I know his intentions, but the security of getting set up for life NOW plus having the strong possibility of having another big payday in around 5 years should be somewhat appealing. This is the big unknown. Not every player is going to be like Braun and sign a potentially below market deal for security. I wish the Brewers would've extended him last off-season since I think his cost went up quite a bit. why is it so crazy to think of Escobar as a starter in 09? our team couldn't live with a sub-par offensive player for the season? I know I've posted this other spots, but expecting a AA player to make the jump to the bigs as a starter from day one is kind of a stretch. The Brewers need more OBP guys IMO and Escobar's high OBP was driven by and large by his batting average. I've also said a lot of this depends on how the rest of the Brewers lineup shakes out (ie what to do at 3rd, what to do with Weeks, Cam, Hall, etc). You have to think that Kendall will be back and will be hitting in the 7th or 8th hole. If Escobar struggles we pretty much have 3 automatic outs at the bottom of the lineup and we potentially would have to hit Weeks, Cam, & Hall/3b in the top 6 spots every game. That's what I'd be worried about.

The reason I'm stating these facts is because this poster seems to always have something negative to say about players. This poster has no idea how hard it is for them to play their best after sleeping on a hard floor, or having to worry about where they will live, or how they're going to pay for their restaurant food on their meager salary. If you are referencing wvpowerblkwel, I don't quite get it. That poster posts all positive things and avoids negative talk. It's a sport and IMO it's ok to point out strengths and weaknesses because it's regarding the player's performance and not the player as a person. Like I said wvpowerblkwel really doesn't go out of their way to bash players. Every situation in the minors is different and it seems your experience wasn't all that great. I'd be much more upset at the West Virginia organization than wvpowerblkwel or any other host parent. Players usually can sign up for host families or apartments prior to arrival. It seems odd that this happened, but again I'd blame the organization and not others.

We'd probably expect Weeks to hit something like .250/.355/.415 next year (conservative guess). If the Brewers could find a replacement at 2B that could hit like that and play even average defense, I'd take that upgrade. I have no idea where you are going to find a 2B like that, though. Besides free agents there are trade options also. I think Weeks will stay, but there should be a backup plan. Your projection on Weeks is fine, but what about the defense? I'll admit Fielder doesn't help him, but I feel like we've been saying for years Weeks will improve and 'if next year he breaks out'. I think this will be his last shot to show any 'potential' that may have existed at some point in the past on a consistent basis.

Escobar's OBP is high because of his BA. If/When that improves, he has a chance to hit there. My guess is he's eventually a solid #2 hitter.

Yes, playing at 2nd would help develop his skills. And honestly, the big difference between 2nd and SS is the relationship to first base. Fielding balls is the same. If you have some other reason, fine, but saying that it will harm him in some way is far-fetched in my opinion. You really like Escobar so you never want him to play at 2nd - okay, but that doesn't mean it wouldn't be good for him and the team. Well if you want to put Escobar at 2b for next year and beyond he should start there next year. I think there is a difference in terms of the angles both getting to the ball and making the throw. Is it a huge difference? Probably not, but the reason why it hurts Escobar's development is because he wouldn't be playing SS (a position that IMO he will be among the best in the NL on defense from day one) and he won't get to experience hitters trends at SS. I think that's an important piece to being a good defender. I still have several questions about Escobar's bat in 2009 in the bigs. I don't think it's accurate to project him hitting .275. Like I've stated before depending on how the team is made up they could get by with Escobar hitting .250/.280, but that's questionable until they make moves. Hardy doesn't have range issues. The reason Weeks doesn't play SS is because he isn't a very good infielder. IMO he does. I don't think it's severe enough that he's a bad defender, but I honestly think he would be a gold glove type defender at 3b in due time. JJ's range isn't going to get any better so for the long-term of his career a move to 3b would make sense. I just don't know if JJ feels that way right now. I don't see anything wrong with leaving Escobar at AAA for all or some of next year, but Weeks is average and seems to perform poorly defensively in high pressure situations. Well I guess it boils down to the topic of this thread. Do you want to give up on Weeks? I'm not a Weeks guy at all, but I guess I'd keep him around. Now if you want Weeks gone I think there are other options out there than moving Escobar or Hardy to 2b. I just think Escobar could be a real special player and I don't want to rush him. I know like TheCrew07 pointed out he's had plenty of at bats, but I personally think he needs to develop in terms of 'filling out'. I think this way he can come to the bigs with more legit power from day one and that will make pitchers be a bit more careful with him. I think that's an important piece of the puzzle because to be honest AA pitchers weren't afraid of him and thus his OBP was driven mostly by his batting average.

The problem with those guys was that none of them was good for more than 2 years max. Every team gets a decent player off waivers. Those are pretty good players for the short-term though. Those three players played a huge role in their time in Milwaukee. The sad thing is that Kolb and Turnbow were both fan favorites and turned into goats. As far as waiver wires go, I'd like to see in the past few years how many teams have had waiver wire closers with the success that Kolb and Turnbow had. I'm going to guess that list is small and maybe only includes the Brewers. My comment was that pitch said 'stole one for once' and that's not right IMO. They've been there and done that. I don't think it will happen often though in the next few years because the Brewers simply won't have the spots for waiver type players on the 25-man roster.

I have the same disclaimer as wisconsinfan Team - (A -) - I think this team did win more games than they should have. They have a crazy record in one run games or something like IIRC. When the team was hot, they looked like a potential 100 win team and when the bats got cold they looked like a .500 team at best. Offense - (C+) - The offense wasn't horrible it's just that most players performed at a level lower than most/I expected. The lack of plate discipline by almost every starter on this team was frustrating. This has to be one of the number one improvements in 2009. Defense - (B) - Most errors and bad plays boiled down to 3 players (Hall, Weeks, and Fielder). That needs to be improved, but Braun made a nice transition to the OF and Cameron probably helped out quite a bit there too. Kendall was also a solid defender. Pitching - (A-) - I think this was the biggest worry going into the season and based on that I give a pretty high grade. I never thought I'd post a grade this high after Yo's injury. The bullpen was actually pretty good and like every player/team there were some bad stretches. I'm not a Sheets guy by any means, but he stayed healthy most of the year and IMO that's one of the main non-CC reasons why the pitching was solid. Going from Sheets when he's on to a #6/7 type starter would have hurt the team big time. Kendall(B+)- He's a number 8 hitter and his bat didn't shock me at all. I was very surprised by his improved throws on would be base stealers. I think he's also one of the main reasons why pitchers had success especially CC. I think it flies under the radar, but CC moved to a new league facing guys he never faced or rarely faced and Kendall was there to help him out in that regard. Fielder(C+) - This isn't a knock on Prince's play as much as it's my feeling that he's not 100% commited to being a great baseball player. I think the weight thing flew around here awhile and to me it's clear he's gained weight and that has not helped his play. He's the exact opposite fielder a team needs when having issues at 3b and 2b. After his huge year, I somewhat thought Prince would show up in great shape, but it didn't work out. Weeks(D+) - Everyone kept saying this was his year. I think if we go to the predictions thread Weeks may indeed have been the biggest disappointment. I find it frustrating that Weeks continues to be a 'well this month, that month, and this past week' Weeks played well. If Weeks would've 'put it together' this team probably is much closer in the division race. His defense also continues to hurt the team. Hall(F) - All the Hall to 3b excitement quickly went away. I disagreed with moving Braun off 3b, but I think I disagreed more with inserting Hall there. I just think it was somewhat foolish to think it'd be an easy transition after playing CF for a year and IIRC never/barely taking infield practice. His defense was frustrating (made some great plays and blew easy plays) and his bat was horrible. I don't really blame the Brewers for giving him the contract they did, but he's nowhere near that player. I think he's going to be very hard to move. Hardy(A) - I don't know what more he could've done this year. He proved at least for this year that last year wasn't a fluke and he actually was able to help carry the team on offense for short periods. IMO he has one of the better approaches at the plate. IMO the Brewers really need to hang on to this guy since he's the opposite in many ways of the team's problems (nice bat, good discipline, and actually can play some defense). Braun(B+) - I really like Braun, but his plate discipline needs to improve. I think it will over time. I also think Braun's injury really held him back at times and without that injury he'd have been among the top players for NL MVP. Cameron(B+) - Showed some real nice power and although IMO he's lost a step in the field he's still clearly a very good fielder. He is part of the 'problem' in terms of home run or bust at times and I think it'll be interesting to see if he comes back. On most teams it's a no-brainer, but based on how this team is constructed I'm not sure if it's a slam dunk. Hart(D+) - He had a pretty good first half, but his performance in September and the playoffs was embarassing. I don't know which playoff game it was, but he had an akward swing and appeared to almost fall over crossing the plate. I also think Hart is one of those 'soft' players that many here complain about. I think Hart could potentially be the offensive version of Turnbow. Kapler(A) - He needs to be on the team next year. I was real surprised by his play. He also seems like a good locker room guy. Counsell(B+) - I know Counsell gets crap around here (and I've added to it), but he's a nice bench option. He has a good approach and plays solid defense. I don't know if I want him back since he's getting up there in years, but if he's not back as a player I give him a front office gig or coaching job somewhere in the organization. Rivera(A) - I saw him play quite a bit in Nashville last year. I thought it was very questionable that they kept him as the backup catcher (I guess it didn't matter since he barely played!), but when he did play I thought Rivera was pretty solid. He seemed like an AAA player that didn't care at all last year and like I've posted before about other players I think it becomes a mental thing. In other words, it's a 'what else do I have to do' or 'I'll never be in the bigs with this organization' type of thing. I think Rivera should be back next year and he should play a bit more. The one thing I really like about Rivera in comparison to Kendall is that he provides a lot more pop. Branyan(B) - Branyan is what he is and that's not a bad thing. I hope he's back next year as an option off the bench. It will be interesting to see how it all pans out. The one thing I do worry with Branyan is that IMO he plays better when he plays most days and he's part of the 'problem' on offense in terms of home run or bust. The one think the muscle has going for him is that his OBP is pretty good and that's not because of his batting average. I'll get to pitchers later...

I would do it to put him on the field and to eliminate Weeks from the lineup. The reverse of what you say is true. It would develop his skills and he would lose nothing by spending a year or so there. Playing 2nd isn't like learning catcher or CF. So playing 2b would help develop SS skills? The two positions are very different IMO and there aren't all that many elite players that have played 2b and SS. If you want Escobar brought up in 2009 or 2010 he should be playing SS. Escobar's range is a huge asset and playing at 2b somewhat negates that. I'm not a Weeks guy, but Weeks OBP is actually related to him taking pitches...Escobar's is because of his high batting average. That will most surely go down in the bigs along with his OBP. I really like Escobar, but there's no way I ever take him off SS. If Hardy isn't moved/traded, Escobar should be in AAA until the situation is resolved. But you hate moving people around. Do you even know if JJ could play 3rd? And he profiles well at 2nd? If Escobar's defensive development was improved by playing a year at 2nd, then you'd be for it I guess. IMO Hardy's arm and range issues does profile well at 3b. I think he could play it and the Brewers have a glaring hole at 3b if Gamel can't crack it. I don't like moving people around, but the Brewers have an all-star SS and a top prospect who will be at least starting the year in AAA. Escobar should no way be moved because playing 2b for a year even is going to negate any improvement he could've had at SS. If the two are so interchangeable, why don't we try Weeks at SS? If both players are kept on the team, one of them will have to move off and Hardy's bat profiles at 3B whereas Escobar's won't (at least right away). The main issue though with moving Hardy is he's about to have a nice contract. He's an all-star SS, but would be average or a little above average at 3b. Will he agree to move to any position? I respect your desire AKA Pete to get Escobar in the lineup, but I disagree that either one of them should be moved to 2b.

He's always had a very live arm so maybe the Crew "stole" one, for once, off the waiver wire. Dan Kolb, Turnbow, Wise, etc.

JJ, You think that's worse that this year's Weeks, Hall, Kendall, Cameron, Hart? I fear adding Escobar to that mix - obviously they all wouldn't be starting together every game, but IMO it would bring the offense down a level and the way it ended this year the Brewers need to figure out how to score more runs without hitting home runs. Like I've said, if other moves are made I'd be more fine with Escobar starting. I just think adding him to the mix you have posted could lead to this team depending even more on home runs to score runs.

I would like him to be more disciplined and walk more and SO less, but all in all there's great reason for optimism in my opinion. You make some good points TheCrew07. Are you worried about him in the lineup as it stands today though? I'm a little worried that his OBP was high because of his BA. Again, I think he'll be a very good player. I just don't know how he 'fits' in the lineup as it stands right now. If we move Hardy to 3B, dump Cameron (not that he's bad he's just a player that we already have similar bats -- his D is where he is different), and maybe re-sign Durham to provide a backup plan to Weeks, I think Escobar may fit in the role. I don't want to rush, but if we do put him in the bigs I want to be able to hit him 7th or so. I think this way if he hits that's gravy, but if he doesn't not much is expected. I would hate to see a lineup like this: 1b - Fielder 2b - Weeks SS - Escobar 3b - Hardy C - Kendall LF - Braun CF - Cameron RF - Hart I think depending on who is 'hot' or not and if Hart comes back you'd have Weeks, Escobar, Kendall, Cameron, and Hart that either don't hit well or are streaky (I'm assuming Escobar will struggle a bit making the jump so this isn't knocking his minor league career).

I don't think moving Hardy to 3B lowers his value at all. Another team can still move him back to SS if that's their need. He'd be moving to 3B to make room for Escobar not because he can't play the position. Teams aren't going to forget he was a pretty good SS. The value that it does potentially hurt is the money JJ could possibly lose by moving to 3b. JJ would make more money being at SS than he would at 3B IMO. Now if he plays 3B and leaves via trade (before an extension) or free agency it won't hurt his value if he's moved back to SS.

Does anyone know if Nelson can play any outfield positions at least somewhat decently? It depends what you mean by 'decently'. If you want him to be your 4th OF, I'd probably pass. A 5th OF, backup 1st, 3b if there's an in-game injury, and left-handed PH is more likely his role. He's not bad for his size, but due to his size and lack of speed he doesn't get to everything. There's worse OFs out there, but if Brad is going to be a starter IMO it'll be at 1b if it happens.

This year he literally blew last year's numbers out of the water, and he's starting to develop some power and could realistically be a 15ish HR guy when he's done filling out. He's made a believer out of me and I suspect many others. He's not a 5 tool stud, he's a 4 tool stud, but that's good enough for me. I agree with what you're saying. I question though when 'he's done filling out'. IMO unless he has a great off-season he's another year away. I hope people noticed the difference between most Brewers and guys like Gamel and Escobar. They're still young and have some room to grow which hopefully will increase their power. I'd be happy with a .270/.320/.400 line next year as batting 8th I think he'd pickup a couple of extra walks. If he hits like that, I'd be fine with it. I'm not trying to rip on Escobar. From what I've seen of him he's going to be a good player. I just think that line above is a little optimistic. I think .250/.300/.375 is more likely and that might be a bit much. TheCrew07 - I'm not trying to get in a circular debate with you. I enjoy your points. Do you think there's not a huge difference between AA and MLB pitching? And with the roster as it is now, where does Escobar hit? I'd imagine Kendall will be the 8th hitter next year.

Not one bit, but he's nearing the end of the development cycle in the minors, and he did spend more than a year in AA (only getting better), so I have no doubt he could make the jump if a good deal came around for Hardy or Weeks I understand the differences with the players. I just think bumping a guy from AA to the bigs is the wrong move if the team wants to try and make the playoffs next year. A year ago there were several questions regarding Escobar's bat and now one year later those are all gone? If Hardy is moved, then maybe Escobar is the best option. I just think putting Hardy or Escobar at 2b is a mistake. I guess I also wonder what are the expectations for Escobar? If Cameron, Kendall, Hall, and Weeks are in the same lineup as a young guy like Escobar that could be a horrible offense. I'd be much more at ease with it if we had more OBP guys and it'd be fine to hit Escobar 7th or 8th and whatever you get is a plus from the bat...I just think the offense needs to improve and not potentially take a step back while Escobar makes what I would consider an incredible jump from AA to the bigs. I agree TheCrew07 that Escobar is getting better. I just think the pitching Escobar faces in the bigs might lead him to struggle for a bit. Why not let him play in AAA and continue to develop? Again, if Hardy is moved and some of the other moving parts work out I could possibly see Escobar at SS opening day. If Escobar isn't expected to do much, that's fine. If Escobar is playing with Cameron, Kendall, Hall, Weeks, and Hart (the way he finished the year), the offense could be pretty bad. I'd much rather ease Escobar to the bigs by letting him face AAA pitchers or bat in a lineup that doesn't have as many holes.

I don't know. There's been a few guys that have moved around and seemed to be OK. Initial guys who come to mind are Pujols, Miguel Cabrera, Braun. They moved positions as fairly young players, and it didn't seem to hurt them. Didn't Jose Reyes move to 2nd initially when he came to the majors? He started off moving to accommodate the great Kaz Matsui. Granted, Matsui wasn't good, so Reyes moved back, but it's not unheard of to do. I just wonder whether it would be a benefit to the team to do it defensively. Thankfully, I'm not the GM. Pujols, Cabrera, and Braun are all now playing 'less important' positions than a SS. Reyes is a decent comparison, but I've never thought Matsui was all that good and Hardy is in a different league and situation IMO. Escobar needs to at least see some AAA ball IMO and if that's true there's no way they'll move Hardy during the season should Escobar get called up. I still think this entire Weeks debate has so many moving parts it's hard to really see what's going to happen. I think the Brewers will continue to be patient with Weeks until/if Taylor Green is ready at 2b. The main logjam in this discussion boils down to Hardy. He's set for a pretty big pay day and that decision IMO will weigh heavily on Weeks' future. If Gamel doesn't work at 3b and is moved, there's a huge hole there. Plug Hardy in there, put Escobar at SS, and Weeks could be on this team for a good portion of the future.

You wouldn't be "wasting" anything by playing Escobar at 2nd for a year or so. I wish people would say the real reason they don't want a young kid to play at 2nd. Why would you move Escobar to 2nd for a year or so and then move him back to SS? That would not be developing his skills and he could come back at SS worse and it could take time for him to get back to where he was. I hate the notion of moving guys all around. It hinders development at whatever the final position is. I've yet to see someone do an honest breakdown of JJ's range either. People just look up a flawed statistic and declare him bad. He makes plays on the other side of 2nd and in left field. Hall often ranged too far to his left and interfered with plays. That negatively affects JJ's defensive ratings. If people want the rating to go up, the answer isn't to get rid of JJ. How does he rate in OOZ? Can a player do really well at that and have poor range? The answer is no. JJ should be at 3b in the future. If you're so willing to move him to 2b, you'll have to convince JJ to make less money when his contract is up or over pay for Hardy to play 2b. There's no way JJ is going to accept the move there without being paid like a SS. I personally think it's more difficult to find a 3b (see the Brewers the past few years) than it is to find an average 2b. There's a lot of moving parts in this thing (what the Brewers do or don't do with Hall, Weeks, etc in terms of trades and what the Brewers really think about Gamel at 3b), but Hardy seems to profile pretty well at 2b and I would not want to hinder Escobar's defensive development by using him at a position for a year or so and then move him back to SS.

But wouldn't that be an asset, considering Prince's butchery at first? Escobar's range could make up for Prince's lack of range. As long as Prince is at 1B, it will negate to a certain extent any defensive positives the defense may have. Prince is just a bad 1B and will eventually be in the AL. If the plan is to move Prince in say 2 years, why waste Escobar at 2B? I still think Hardy at 3b, Escobar at SS, and Weeks/FA/Trade/Maybe Green? in 2010. Escobar isn't ready to be playing everyday given some of the constraints the offense already has. There's no need to rush Escobar. I do find it interesting that some have complained about rushing Weeks up -- wouldn't this be the same thing for Escobar? AA to Bigs is a pretty big jump. Keep Escobar in AAA and he'll be up eventually in 2009 if there's an injury or he's flat out raking.

How soon could the Brewers sign CC? I think the first few days he can sign with them will be a pretty strong indication if he'll be back or not.

I don't want to get rid of Weeks this off-season because that creates a hole where we don't have anyone in the minors ready. We'd have to trade or sign a 2B and I am 100% against putting Escobar or Hardy at 2B so to me that's not even possible. Rickie has frustrated me for a long, long time. He seems to strike out or ground out at some of the worst times and other times he's patient takes pitches and looks like he has a clue at the plate. I also think Rickie is one of those players that people will say, 'well he was great from this time to this time or after this time and on Wednesday nights'. I don't mean for that to come off as harsh, but Rickie just has to be more consistent. I think the major problem I have with having Rickie on the team is that we don't have a lead off hitter and by default Rickie might have to fill that role -- and personally I think he'd be much better off hitting somewhere else in the lineup. I think this could be a major reason why Cam's option is not picked up and we find a lead off guy who plays CF. I'm not saying that should happen, but if we don't make a major trade our lead off hitter would have to come from 3B -- that doesn't seem likely.

Me and you are a group of 2 on the 2B move, Joe. I will not join your group. A great arm can play positions where a great arm is needed. That being said the Brewers already have some holes on defense/offense. If they were stacked, I could see moving Hardy to 2b, but 3b is one of the most unknown positions on the team going forward. I'll agree to disagree with your moving Hardy to 2b, but I have a question. Do you expect Hardy to accept the move as he's nearing free agency? Or do you overpay him to move to 2b?

I think Joe Bateman will be added to the 40-man. I have a feeling a team would take a flyer on him. I guess it boils down to how the Brewers view him.

Thanks kramnoj. I don't know how much those stats mean, but it is something I was wondering.