TheCrew07

Victor Roache makes the list and not in a good way. Prospect Hot Sheet (May 16): Hunter Harvey Continues To Shine In The Team Photo Not-So Hot

Cards' Grichuk, Taveras put on laser show St. Louis prospects combine for three home runs in loss to Omaha

Why would the Brewers trade Braun to go after a pitcher in Price they couldn't control past his last year of arbitration in 2015? Who are the Brewers going to outbid for his services in 2016?

Ratterree pops Peoria Rattler right fielder homers, doubles, and drives in two By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers PEORIA, IL - The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers kept rolling with a 4-3 win over the Peoria Chiefs on Thursday night at Dozer Park. Michael Ratterree had a hand in three of Wisconsin's four runs. Tristan Archer, Zach Quintana, and Chris Razo made those four runs stand for Wisconsin's third straight win. The game didn't start on time due to rain, but after a rain delay of 98 minutes, the Rattlers gout out to the early lead. Ratterree started the Wisconsin second inning rally with a one out double. Omar Garcia was hit by a pitch to put another runner on base. Paul Eshleman's grounder up the middle hit second base and bounded into center. Ratterree scored and Garcia wound up on third base. Steve Halcomb's grounder to third was bobbled and instead of a potential inning ending double play, the throw was to first to get Halcomb as Garcia scored the second run of the inning. Wisconsin (19-20) loaded the bases in the top of the third inning. Ratterree knocked Chris McFarland home from third base with a sacrifice fly to center to give the Rattlers a 3-0 advantage. Ratterree had a hand in the fourth Wisconsin run of the night, when he lined a solo homer with one out in the sixth inning to left field. Ratterree's sixth home run of the season gave the Rattlers a 4-0 lead. Peoria (23-16) cut that lead in half with one swing of the bat in the bottom of the sixth. Mason Katz hit a 3-1 pitch from Archer over the wall for a two-out, two-run homer. Archer got the final out of the sixth inning to conclude his night. The right-hander allowed two runs on five hits with three walks and three strikeouts. He turned the 4-2 lead over to the bullpen. Quintana worked a scoreless seventh, but allowed a two-out bloop single to Jake Stone that let a run score and slice the Rattlers lead to a single run. Razo took over in the bottom of the ninth and retired the first two batters. An error kept the Chiefs alive and brought Ronald Castillo to the plate. Castillo, who had three hits in his first four at bats of the game, sent an easy grounder to first on the first pitch he saw from Razo and the game ended as Eshleman fielded the ball and stepped on first for the final out. The Timber Rattlers ended Peoria five-game winning streak with the win and also ended a streak of their own with the victory. In their five previous road series of 2014, Wisconsin had dropped the first game in each of those series. That streak stopped with the win over the Midwest League affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday night. Game two of the series starts Friday morning at 11:00am. Anthony Banda (1-4, 4.35) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Peoria has Bob Kaminsky (0-1, 2.16) set to start for them. Tune in for the action on AM1280, WNAM or IHeartRadio starting with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 10:40am. HOME RUNS: WIS: Michael Ratterree (6th, 0 on in 6th inning off Blake McKnight, 1 out) PEO: Mason Katz (5th, 1 on in 6th inning off Tristan Archer, 2 out) WP: Tristan Archer (2-1) LP: Blake McKnight (1-3) SAVE: Chris Razo (2) TIME: 2:23 ATTN: 1,561 (1:38 delay) Wisconsin Boxscore Beat the Cards! Tristan Archer was effective though not dominating through his 6 innings allowing 2 ER on 5 H, 3 BB, and 1 HR against 3 SO while throwing 53 of 92 pitches for strikes. Zach Quintana actually lowered his ERA allowing the 1 run in 2 IP and Chris Razo bounced back from a tough outing on May 8th to record what should have been a 1-2-3 9th inning for the save but an Angel Ortega error led to him facing an extra batter. Clint Coulter caught for the 22nd time but had a tough night all the way around with an error and passed ball pushing his season totals to 5 and 4 respectively. Michael Ratterree (2-3,2B,HR) is starting to heat up as he has a modest 4 game hitting streak but 3 of those 4 games were multi-hit efforts. Rob Kaminsky was a pitcher I had some interest in but turned out to be the Cardinals first round selection last June. This will be his 3rd start after joining the team from extended spring training. Here's his post 2013 scouting report from BA: I watched the 5/14 game while I waited on the rain delay and Barrett Astin located similarly to last the time I saw him pitch but the big difference was with 2 strikes he went to his off-speed and sat hitters down. He's not overpowering hitters but when he mixes in his slider (I'm guessing slider from the camera angle and swings) like he did on Wednesday night he can be very effective. Wisconsin Recap Wisconsin Gameday

Sounds Open Homestand With 4-2 Loss Nashville Sounds http://www.milb.com/assets/images/6/0/2/75633602/cuts/VelezThrowbackHiFive_ikk97iwz_9qmx625h.jpg (Mike Strasinger / Nashville Sounds) NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Nashville Sounds were limited to a season-low two hits by three Oklahoma City hurlers in a 4-2 loss to the RedHawks on Thursday evening at Greer Stadium in the opener of a four-game series. Oklahoma City starter Nick Tropeano (2-3) allowed only one hit over his six innings of work, a two-run Eugenio Velez homer, to pick up the win for the visitors. Rhiner Cruz followed with two hitless frames before Kevin Chapman gave up a Caleb Gindl single in the ninth but successfully worked out of a first-and-third, two-out jam to pick up his second save of the year. RedHawks designated hitter Erik Castro broke a scoreless deadlock between Tropeano and Sounds starter Ariel Pena with he slugged his first home run of the season, a two-out solo shot to right in the top of the fifth inning. A pair of walks came back to haunt Pena in the sixth as Oklahoma City stretched its lead to 3-0. Domingo Santana and Jon Singleton drew consecutive free passes before both later scored on catcher Max Stassi's two-run double to the left-center wall. Sounds center fielder Kevin Mattison nearly corralled the ball for a spectacular inning-ending catch, but the ball was jarred loose from his glove as he jumped into the wall. The RedHawks attempted to add a third run in the frame but Gindl cut down Stassi at the plate from left field as he attempted to score on Kike Hernandez's single. Pena (2-3) took the loss for the Sounds after allowing three runs on five hits in his 5 2/3 frames. He walked four batters and struck out seven during his 105-pitch effort. Tropeano kept the Sounds out of the hit column for the first five-plus innings before Velez spoiled his no-hit and shutout bids with one swing of the bat in the home half of the sixth. After Mattison reached on a wild pitch following a strikeout, Velez swatted a two-run homer to right to make it a 3-2 contest. It was the veteran's fifth big fly of the year. Santana added an insurance run for Oklahoma City in the top of the eighth when he belted a one-out solo homer to left off Brent Leach, which snapped the southpaw's stretch of 12 1/3 scoreless innings over 10 appearances. The teams continue the series with another 7:05 p.m. meeting on Friday night. Right-hander Mike Fiers (6-1, 1.59) will man the bump for Nashville and face Oklahoma City right-hander David Martinez (4-2, 3.94). Nashville Boxscore Not much to be excited about in this one. Ariel Pena flashes brilliance like in his May 4th start, but has far too many of these high walk and pitch count outings, which ultimately set him back as a pitcher. Of his 7 outings so far this season; 3 were fantastic, 2 were high walk but decent earned run outings, and 2 were awful. If you combine all of that you get a below average 4.67 ERA with a stat line of 34.2 IP, 31 H, 20 R, 18 ER, 4 HR, 18 BB, and 39 SO. Nashville Recap Nashville Gameday

T-Rats still under rain delay, Chris is going to check back in at 19:50, I was thinking it seems like I haven't listened to the Rattlers in forever. Then I remembered the last time they weren't on TV was last Saturday... so it has been a while.

I wasn't aware of this, extremely interesting article if you have the time. Reds' Garrett remains on two-sport path Southpaw splitting time between Cincinnati system, college hoops

That's true but you can also mitigate the risk by moving one of the players with a history of injuries if someone wants him. Given the state of the Brewers' farm system and the expiring contracts over the next 2 years I don't believe the Brewers can go the safe/conservative route and maintain success. Then again I never have. If you have excess pitching and teams are desperate for pitching then the market is in the perfect position to be taken advantage of. The rash of TJ injuries around MLB this season could be a tremendous opportunity for the Brewer organization if played properly, and I'm one to take advantage of opportunities when they present themselves regardless of my original plan. This has been single my biggest problem with Melvin and the Brewer organization since 2006, the vision has been extremely singular in nature and I feel we've missed the opportunity to add talent that would better fit the organization's long-term needs over the years. This could be an opportunity to get out in front of the market and fill some long-term organizational needs like the Rays have done. There's no reason you can't buy and sell in the same season, I don't see why it has to be an either/or proposition, it's not like because the Brewers are in it they should only be buyers. In fact I would argue the Brewers should really never be buyers of short-term solutions given the lopsided nature of MLB free agency. I'm not into holding onto depth simply for depth's sake if there are possible moves of greater value to be made.

The pools are completely separate, Colby among others in the industry have lobbied in the past for the pools to be combined so the teams could spend on amateur talent how they wished but that hasn't become a reality. I linked the pool money in the 2014 International Signing Thread but here it is again. The Brewers have $2,611,800 for their International signings, inking Lara for 3.5 million would blow their pool just by himself. The Brewers have a pretty awesome draft pool at $7,605,600 with the competitive balance pick.

Astin & Brennan pace Rattlers win over Quad Cities Wisconsin wins 5-1 behind 3-run double by Brennan and 7Ks from Astin By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers GRAND CHUTE, WI - The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers got one big inning on Wednesday night and it was enough to beat the Quad Cities River Bandits 5-1. Taylor Brennan broke a 1-1 tie with a three-run double in the fourth inning. Starting pitcher Barrett Astin allowed one run over six innings and picked up his fourth win of the season. The teams traded runs in the first inning. Brett Phillips doubled to start the game for Quad Cities (18-20). A sacrifice bunt moved him to third base. Jack Mayfield drove in Phillips with a grounder to short and the Bandits led 1-0. Wisconsin (18-20) responded with an unearned run in the bottom of the first. Chris McFarland reached second base on a throwing error after a infield grounder. Clint Coulter lined a single to left-center to drive in McFarland with the tying run. The Rattlers broke the tie with four runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Coulter started the rally with a single. Jose Pena and Michael Ratterree drew consecutive walks to load the bases with no outs. Brennan unloaded the bases with a double down the line in left. All three runners scored and the Rattlers were up 4-1. Angel Ortega drove in Brennan with a two-out double to make the score 5-1 in favor of Wisconsin. Astin made that lead hold for Wisconsin. The Rattlers starting pitcher struck out seven walked one, and allowed three hits over six innings while not allowing another run after the top of the first inning. His seven strikeouts were the most for him in a game as a professional. Rodolfo Fernandez took over in the top of the seventh inning and worked three scoreless innings - with help from his defense - for his first save of the season. Quad Cities had a runner on first and two outs in the top of the seventh and Brett Booth drove a pitch deep to left-center. Omar Garcia made a long run, dove to make an amazing catch, and held on to the ball for the final out as he landed hard on the warning track near the River Bandits bullpen. The Bandits loaded the bases with one out in the top of the eighth inning. Fernandez got the last two hitters of the frame with a strikeout and a grounder to second to strand the runners. Fernandez tossed a routine 1-2-3 inning in the top of the ninth to close out the game. Wisconsin took two of three games from the River Bandits and went 4-2 on their six-game homestand. The Timber Rattlers begin a four-game series at Dozer Park against the Peoria Chiefs in Illinois on Thursday night. Tristan Archer (1-1, 4.30) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Blake McKnight (1-2, 7.23) is set to pitch for the Chiefs. Game time is 6:30pm. Tune in for the action on AM1280, WNAM or IHeartRadio starting with the pregame show at 6:10pm. WP: Barrett Astin (4-2) LP: Evan Grills (1-1) SAVE: Rodolfo Fernandez (1) TIME: 2:10 ATTN: 3,501 The postgame from Chris includes the usual assortment of pics, interviews, and highlights, including Omar Garcia's awesome catch mentioned in the game story. Postgame Post – May 14, 2014 Wisconsin Boxscore I didn't get to watch any of this game but I do have it DVR'd so when I catch up I'll post some additional thoughts, Barrett Astin's 6 innings look to be intriguing. Clint Coulter (2-4) and Angel Ortega (2-3,2B) had the multi-hit games for the T-Rats in this one. Clint was the DH again today for the 2nd day in a row, he's now caught just 21 of the Rattlers' 38 games. You have to wonder if that pace is going to pick up or not as the season progresses considering how much work he has to do defensively yet. Wisconsin Recap Wisconsin Gameday

Cubs' Almora amasses career day at plate Inspired by father, club's No. 3 prospect cracks three doubles in rout

Because Thornburg shouldn't be a reliever by default, both he and Nelson are more talented than Fiers. The Thornburg situation is exactly how legitimate starting pitchers end up getting wasted as closers... they fit an immediate need so the team is short sighted and eventually the team ends up having to scrounge around to fill out the rotation while they have a perfectly good starting pitcher giving them 60 innings based on some completely arbitrary criteria. Yes I know and understand the whole "proven" concept, but it's simply garbage to me. Give the better talent a chance to shine and if the player doesn't cut it then move on to your next best option. My opinion of the closer concept aside, the idea shouldn't be to take the Papelbon route to being a closer, it should be the Gagne route.

1 of them, the other has been on ignore for years. Furthermore I was referring to He's a very solid and cheap pitcher but two freak hamstring injuries have convinced everyone he's an injury prone fluke. Which might be what 1 or 2 posters have said, but is not the consensus opinion. I've elaborated on this numerous times earlier in the thread. His age, stuff, small window of team control remaining, and lack of innings pitched makes him expendable... not because of what he is, but because of what he isn't. I don't mind posting a detailed explanation once or even twice, but I'm not wasting time typing up those long posts essentially explaining the same opinion for a 3rd time only to have it continually misrepresented by those who won't take the time to read such a post and skim it at best. Estrada is someone you walk away from, not someone you build around, and the idea should never be to build around 30 somethings. We also have to find a way to get Thornburg and Nelson experience in the rotation before we absolutely have to rely on them in 2016. There's a plethora of reasons to move on from Estrada beyond "2 freak hamstring" injuries, multiple posters have covered the reasons why but the same throw away lines about a lack of respect keep coming back around. That actually suggests that those who post such things are aren't actually reading and taking the time to understand the counter argument, not the other way around.

Suter throws mid 80s, he's your typical crafty lefty from everything I've read. Cravy used to run his FB up to the mid 90s but apparently doesn't throw a 4 seam anymore, here's his most recent scouting report, I've liked him for a long time but he didn't put it together until last year.

Link on the main page was broken... 2014 Top 100 Draft Prospects List

All of the draft preview articles are subscriber content. 2014 Draft Preview: Lefthanders 2014 Draft Preview: Righthanders 2014 Draft Preview: Catchers 2014 Draft Preview: Second Basemen 2014 Draft Preview: First Basemen 2014 Draft Preview: Third Basemen 2014 Draft Preview: Shortstops 2014 Draft Preview: Outfielders

Starting soon... 2014 Draft Top 100 Prospects Chat

Quite a bit of Coulter video at the link - TC07 Stock Watch: Coulter crushing for Rattlers Brewers backstop is healthy and mashing in the Midwest League http://www.milb.com/assets/images/9/6/4/75363964/cuts/640_Coulter_Emily_Jones_MiLB_ljtaip63_rjmg9aro.jpg Clint Coulter has already set a career high with eight homers this season. (Emily Jones/MiLB.com) Once a week this season, we're going to break down the prospects who have done the most to move the needle on their prospect stock, mostly highlighting players on the rise, but also pointing out a few who are struggling against expectations. Note: All stats are through games played on Monday. Trending up Brewers C Clint Coulter, Class A Wisconsin He doesn't like to use recycled phrases, but to explain his stellar numbers to date, it's really the best Milwaukee's 2013 first-round (27th overall) pick can do. "It's kind of a cliche to say I've simplified things, but really, that's what it is," the 20-year-old Coulter said. "You have to let your eyes see the ball, be short to it and swing at good pitches." That simplification has worked. Coulter's numbers to date have been outstanding this season. Through Monday, he's hitting .301 with as many walks (23) as strikeouts. He's slugged eight homers, including one in three consecutive games last week. All of this comes after Coulter was limited to 70 games strung across three levels in 2013. The cause of his struggles was mostly injury. Coulter struggled with an injury in the cartilage of his right wrist that only healed with rest and rehab in the offseason. He also strained his MCL abductor and spent six weeks on the disabled list with an oblique strain. Amid all of that, Coulter was trying to get used to facing 90-plus-mph fastballs on a regular basis -- a big adjustment from his days playing high school ball in Washington. In all, he hit .244 with seven homers, 60 strikeouts and 20 walks in the 250 at-bats he took. Coulter credits his success thus far to a clearer head and more experience against the quicker pitching, but he's also made some visible adjustments to his swing since last year, too. The first two videos below are of Coulter with Wisconsin in 2013. Of note is that Coulter uses a fairly standard leg lift to start his swing, and as he pulls his hands into his load, he tilts the barrel of the bat toward the pitcher. His load is relatively short, though. This year, Coulter has ditched the standard leg lift and is instead using a sort of double toe tap. The move is keeping him from drifting toward the mound, keeping his head stable and in better position to see the ball steadily from the pitcher's hand on its path toward the plate. He's also quieted his hands even more, using a minimal load and letting his natural strength and bat speed generate power. "I was always kind of a quiet guy," Coulter said of his swing. "The first year, I got in trouble when I tried to go out and get the ball. I had more movement in my stride and everything. Being quiet, moving less, I'm a big believer in being able to see the ball. If i can see it, I can recognize breaking pitches but also get good pitches to hit."

Estrada gets no respect here for some reason. He's a very solid and cheap pitcher but two freak hamstring injuries have convinced everyone he's an injury prone fluke. That's not even close to what's been said.

2014 MLB Draft: Prospects 201-300

Roomies Bryant, Bruno stay hot for Smokies No. 2 prospect hits Southern League-leading 11th homer in 10-7 win

Interesting... Wong keeps delivering following demotion Cardinals No. 2 prospect goes 4-for-5 with homer, batting .344 in PCL

Polanco gets four hits in shortened game Rain keeps Pirates' top-ranked prospect a home run from the cycle

College Stat Roundup: Week 13 May 13, 2014 by Clint Longenecker

Rattlers stop Bandits win streak Wisconsin beats Quad Cities 10-4 By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers GRAND CHUTE, WI - The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers built an early 6-0 lead and pulled away with some late runs to beat the Quad Cities River Bandits 10-4 Tuesday night at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium. Chris McFarland and Michael Ratterree each drove in two runs for the Rattlers while Tyler Alexander and a pair of Wisconsin relievers kept the River Bandits from mounting a comeback. Johnny Davis started Wisconsin's first inning rally with a single. He stole second and went to third on a throwing error. Clint Coulter knocked in Davis with a single and the Rattlers had the lead. Michael Ratterree lined a two-out triple to right-center to drive in Coulter. Taylor Brennan put a cap on the inning with an RBI single to send Ratterree home for a 3-0 advantage. Opponents had scored first in the first four games of this Wisconsin homestand. Davis started another rally for the Rattlers (17-20) in the bottom of the second. He reached on a two-out single and stole second. Chris McFarland cracked a double off the wall in center to get Davis home. The double extended McFarland's current hitting streak to ten games. Ratterree crushed a home run to the beach beyond the wall in right-center with one out in the bottom of the third inning to put the Rattlers up 5-0. Angel Ortega was at second base with two outs and McFarland at the plate in the fourth. He took off for third base on a pitch to the plate that got away from River Bandits catcher Brett Booth. The ball bounced to the Wisconsin on deck circle and Ortega never slowed as he got to third. Ortega raced for home and scored without a play for a 6-0 lead. Alexander gave up a pair of singles to start the top of the sixth inning. Then, he retired the next two hitters. It looked like Alexander may get out of the sixth without any damage, but a grounder to first off the bat of Ronnie Mitchell was missed for an error and two runs scored. Tyler White followed with a long home run to left and the Bandits (18-19) were within 6-4. Harvey Martin came on in relief and - after a double by Booth - got the final out. Alexander's scoreless innings streak was snapped at ten innings, but he set new single game marks as a professional for innings pitched (5-2/3) and strikeouts (7). The Wisconsin bats went back to work in the bottom of the sixth to rebuild their lead. Rafael Neda walked to start the inning. Paul Eshleman, who was just activated off the disabled list a few hours before game time, followed with a triple to right-center to score Neda. Ortega singled in Eshleman and the Rattlers were up 8-4. In the eighth, Davis was at first with two outs. He stole second, his third steal of the game and fourteenth of the season, to get into scoring position. McFarland singled and Davis scored his third run of the game. Coulter sent a towering fly deep to left that was dropped for a two-base error and McFarland scored the final run of the game on that play. Taylor Williams, who took over on the mound for the Rattlers in the top of the seventh, pitched three scoreless innings and struck out five to record his first professional save. Wisconsin snapped Quad Cities' six-game winning streak with the win on Tuesday night. The final game of the series is scheduled for Wednesday night. Barrett Astin (1-1, 4.30) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Evan Grills (1-0, 3.64) is set to start for the River Bandits. Game time is 6:35pm. The final game of the homestand is a WIXX Bang for Your Buck Night. Enjoy Cher-Make hotdogs, Pepsi products, and Miller beer for $1. Plus, Cars.com will be giving away Bam Bam Stick noisemakers. If you can't make it out to the ballpark, you can still follow the action in several ways. MyNEW 32's Sports Showdown has the television broadcast starting with their pregame show at 6:00pm. The radio broadcast may be heard on AM1280, WNAM or IHeartRadio starting with the pregame show at 6:15pm. The game is also available to subscribers of MiLB.TV. HOME RUNS: QC: Tyler White (1st, 1 on in 6th inning off Tyler Alexander, 2 out) WIS: Michael Ratterree (5th, 0 on in 3rd inning off Edison Frias, 1 out) WP: Tyler Alexander (3-3) LP: Edison Frias (1-2) SAVE: Taylor Williams (1) TIME: 2:49 ATTN: 3,895 Wisconsin Boxscore Wisconsin Recap Wisconsin Gameday