JJHardy7

I'll say the same thing I say about all draft grades in every sport, they are meaningless until 4 or 5 years down the road when you can get some historical perspective on how the picks turned out. I agree 100% on this when it is evaluating a draft. I like the grades though before we know anything (like now)...it pretty much says the Brewers didn't reach. IMO the 'bad' grades in any sport are from reaching/overvaluing, etc. I know some may not like the picks, but the Brewers didn't reach. I don't know enough about these guys, but I'm somewhat excited to see how they do. I think BPA is the way to go. I would've like a SS, but it seems in the major sports baseball is the least likely draft to have success by drafting for need. If these guys develop and are blocked, we'll trade them for a position of need. Overall, it is interesting that a team that was built more or less by bats and trading the bats changes to pitching. I have no clue what is riskier, but it will be interesting to see if this is just a one year thing or if we'll truly be in the BPA mode.

How many projected #1 starting pitchers were in this draft?

Question (since I'm far from knowing this)...what is the difference between our first two picks? Are they similar players? Again, as someone who loves minor league baseball, but really has no clue about scouting, etc I would have hoped for one 'safe' pick and one 'high ceiling' type of guy. Did we draft two 'safe' type of guys? Just asking since it looks like that, but I really have no clue besides reading scouting reports, etc.

Thanks for the feedback. And Baez is off the board...who do we want now?

Probably a dumb question...but why is the DBacks pick unprotected? Is it from a type A free agent loss?

Let's not forget Taylor Green had some pretty nice seasons (in low A and high A so who knows how much stock to put into that) before getting hurt. I believe he broke his wrist? Not saying he is the answer, but Casey shouldn't be part of this team's long-term plans. If he is, I hope it is as a bench player and even at that I'm not sure I like it. It's nothing against Casey, but even if his bat comes around his range isn't all that great. For a team that needs defense and we keep asking for it, Casey isn't part of the solution IMO.

I'm actually happy Dillard is staying. It's time to see what we have in him in the bigs with his new throwing motion. Maybe it'll work...maybe it won't.

Not a contradiction at all. Guys who swing less will walk more when a pitcher is struggling with control. So a pitcher facing Counsell generally has control issues? I think Counsell's OBP has a ton to do with his eye for the strike zone and him fouling off pitches. I don't have the stats, but I'd guess he doesn't swing and miss all that often. He also will take pitches. If it was this easy, why not send Gomez up every time and tell him never to swing the bat. Counsell is not terrible. Again, it's nice we can worry about our bench so much. It means we are winning!

Looking at it from a different view, the fact that both guys were not picked up by other teams I think shows their value in the eyes of others. I'm not sure if all the other MLB teams are not as smart as bf.net (I kid, I kid). I do understand the frustration. It is a long season though. I personally would prefer Boggs in AAA now to hopefully get some regular playing time. I am happy we still have him. As far as Nieves vs. Rivera, that is puzzling. I do like the fact that we can get worked up about this as fans (and it is part of being a fan no doubt). I just am happy we don't have to worry about things like a #2 SP or something like that. I think we'll eventually get the bench figured out. I think the next few weeks are critical to figure out how our team is going to look (i.e. injuries, more sample sizes, etc). I do really hope we add some power to the bench. That has to be a must at some point in the season...at least I hope.

Maybe a stupid question...but...is there a site that shows a batter's average swinging speed (i.e. has Counsell's bat slowed down)?

Dang...I'd like to see Dillard. I hope he gets a few chances to get some work before getting sent back down. I'm interested to see if his new delivery will work in the bigs. Can't complain too much though if we get the sweep!

Who is going to pitch the 9th? Dillard?

I have been in fear of saying this for awhile and hope I don’t get kicked off bf.net for saying this. I know he has many detractors. I know we keep saying the guy has potential and he’s not reaching it/won’t reach it, etc. I think Gomez could potentially be a nice fit long-term on this team. I’m not saying we should give him a huge contract or anything like that…but for a team that many here think struggles on defense and has limitations he’s a nice fit. We say we want an all-defense shortstop since Betancourt is a liability at times. What is the difference with Gomez though? He is a pretty good defensive player IMO and yes he does struggle at time with the bat and makes some base running blunders. Isn’t he what a team like the Brewers need? I’m not saying he should be the number 2 hitter or anything like that, but in the ideal world if he plays the defense he can and provides sparks on offense from time to time…what’s wrong with him? Again, I’m not saying Gomez is an all-star or will come close to being that, but if we are looking for defense so much Gomez is a nice fit. He’s still young and might develop, etc. He was critical in today’s win and I just want to give him some love on the bf.net board. I know there will be detractors and such and that is fine. That’s what being a fan is all about, but at the same time I don’t think it’s fair to constantly complain about this team’s defense and then complain about Gomez. He’s not perfect, but I do think he could play a critical role in this team’s future. (edit: font size --1992)

Somewhat of a random thought...it seems to be the Brewers are using a lot more shifts this year compared to years past...is this true? Is this to help cover up some potential weaknesses in Yuni? I'm pulling for Yuni, but I just hope he can be a shade under below average at defense. Just wondering if the shifts are meant to help hide his weaknesses a bit.

Well...2006 - 2010 Tex: 13.7 Prince: -31.4 2006 - 2008 (pre Tex to NYY) Tex: 15.9 Prince: -25.7 logan - confused if I'm missing something, but this pretty clearly indicates that what people are maybe seeing (at least with Fielder) is correct. He's been worst or second worst over these periods. Tex has been top 5. Seems to be a pretty decent gap between the two.

Who said a contract like that for Pujols would be a good idea? Nobody is saying that, but the market is the market. I know we can break down all kinds of fun stats and worries, but the chance to have a future HOF play his entire career in Milwaukee in this day and age is something I'm very excited about. Just think of 5 - 10 years ago. An elite player WANTS to spend their entire career in Milwaukee and the first contract he signed and potentially the second is below market. That is very cool. I don't think Ryan gets enough credit for the type of athlete he is. How many players have moved to the OF their 2nd year in the bigs and been studs? I'd imagine a small list. Braun obviously isn't a stud fielder, but he should get a little better with more experience and there's no reason to think he can't handle 1B if/when it is decided he should move there.

Fielder has good feet and he's quick than you'd think but he's not a good fielder. I suppose if he just had to get to the base he'd be a good defensive player but he has to catch and scoop the ball too. I agree with this. I don't agree with Gammons thoughts though. Prince is pretty decent IMO at sharp hit balls towards him and gets to the bag at a decent clip. My biggest issue with him on the defensive side is his range when receiving balls from 3B, SS, and 2B. His scoops aren't that great, but I think his big issue is his lack of height. Is he a decent/good 1B for his physical size? Maybe...I could maybe buy that. The problem is his physical lack of range makes him below average compared to most MLB 1B IMO. I don't know how you really quantify that, but if you watch the Brewers day in and day out that's a pretty easy thing to judge IMO.

Sorry for my ignorance...but wouldn't any team in the bigs been allowed to add George to their 40 man? Is this correct? I think George has value, but it is somewhat telling if no other major league team wanted to add him to their 40 man, right?

So...did George make it back to Nashville? If he did, I don't really feel the need to get worked up about this at all. He's still in the organization.

I second TLB's comments. If Mark A. is a Dodger fan, then it can't be 0%. I don't know if finishing a house with a guy of Mark's wealth means all that much. Now would be the ideal time to sell the Brewers. Hopefully that doesn't happen, but you couldn't fault/blame him either. Hopefully rumors are put to rest soon.

I still rate the Anthony Mason trade as one of the worst blunders in Wisconsin sports history. Do you mean the Ray Allen trade? And tongue in cheek...I think this kind of explains why the Bucks aren't popular. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif The Bucks need to win in order to be popular in the state. They've probably lost a lot of younger fans the past few years due to the lack of winning. Hopefully they can turn it around. I still think the Bucks would be a likely candidate to relocate, but they were 23rd in attendance? Wow...so you're telling me they're not the worst... NBA is kind of in a sad state and lots of teams are struggling. I wonder how many games will be lost due to a lockout with the CBA soon expiring.

Did you just start watching baseball this season? This may sum up how the Yuni haters see his play. A bad hop play is seen as the worst ever. So you either have seen very little baseball or just look for ways to kick the guy. I don't want to sound like a jerk, but I was kind of thinking the same play. Every player is going to make mistakes...Yuni's = him sucking or doing something the worst ever. He's not great and I get that he has ranked pretty crappy at defense. I'm just hoping he can be motivated or something else that we haven't seen. Is that realistic? Perhaps not, but I'll try and not rip on him just based on his reputation. I'm hopeful he'll be good enough for the time being to not cost us games, etc. Is it disappointing we didn't do something in the off-season? Sure, but that doesn't mean Yuni sucks every time he makes a mistake. Blame Doug...not Yuni.

Jennings is basically a d league level player I think this kind of discredits any other substance you are bringing to the table. Just saying something over the top doesn't make it true. It was a tough year for the Bucks...no doubt. I wonder what a 100% healthy Bogut does for Jennings as well. Seems like teams could gear up against him when they wanted and really didn't have to worry about getting beat elsewhere. I do like some of the moves the Bucks have done. They just seem to always sign one or two silly deals that hold the team back and aren't good enough at drafting the right players. That is not a good equation. I'm willing to say this team struggled this year to a certain extent because of injuries, but the roster once again needs to be looked at. I know it's not a major issue, but I wish we would have kept Meeks. He is cheap and would be one of our best shooters on the team. Trading away chips like that for next to nothing and then over spending does not lead to success. It seems that after last year's run Hammond was given whatever he wanted. I liked him after last season, but didn't get some of the moves he made. They weren't back brackers, but you can't miss in trades, free agency, and the draft and be competitive. If you miss on one or even two once in awhile you might make it.

We all know my stance on Gamel...I haven't been to any games or anything, but if he's really becoming lazy and not doing extra work that is very disappointing. That just wasn't the case in the past. He'd be putting in time and was open to moving positions. And...let's not look at an isolated fact like him talking to an attractive woman and saying he's lazy/not working hard. That's not fair. Maybe he is now lazy and such, but taking one isolated incident just doesn't seem fair. I could say that Greinke is dumb for his injury and that Braun keeps getting hurt he's not getting it either...but to me that's just not fair. I still wish for the best for Mat, but whether he's now lazy, bad luck, etc. I'm just not sure it's going to happen in Milwaukee. If his attitude lacks right now, he needs to fix that and fix it fast. I don't blame him for being a bit down, but he can't let that show or let that idea live...or else you turn off your fan base real quick.

I still don't think they let Cappy walk. I think DM probably laid out what he thought the rotation would look like and I'm sure Cappy knows more than anyone injuries can happen. He probably just wanted more of a guarantee. Can't blame DM for helping him out and being honest and also can't blame Cappy for doing what is best for him. I wish him all the luck in the world.