TheCrew07

PG continues to update player profiles, some recent posts: Light shining on Ferguson Draft Focus: Greg Deichmann

Differences With Pro Ball Help College Ball’s Brand People may not be aware that HS, College, and Professional leagues all have different specifications for the baseball. The baseball itself is not the main focus of the article though. I should add the title is a bit misleading... the focus of the article is the difference between the type of ball and scheduled played, not the ball itself. I just found the paragraph about the baseball itself interesting.

Streakin’: Aramis Garcia

2014 High School Games To Watch

Brewers Find A Dutch Treat Subscriber article by TH.

Weeks was a FA contract extension, that's completely different than locking up a player prior to arbitration.

I'm sorry but that's garbage. With all the money in baseball teams can easily afford to provide healthy meals, training facilities, health care, and a decent living wage during the season. I've literally posted on this topic dozens of times in the past, but I'll say again that cause and effect are being overlooked by many. When you have young athletes who are malnourished and sleep deprived, is it any wonder that so many turn to alternative sources for "pick me ups"? MLB created its own drug culture by conditioning players to depend on outside influences through the minor leagues. The only players who have ever been somewhat immune were the the bonus babies. Oh and for the record I'm both a Republican and a capitalist, but I'm also a coach and the "development" which happens in the Minor Leagues has been and continues to be garbage, it's largely trial by fire, the system is crap and needs to be overhauled.

College Draft Prospects Stat Roundup: Week 2 (VIDEO)

I'll raise you Jeff Suppan, Jeffery Hammonds, Randy Wolf, David Riske, Eric Gagne, Braden Looper, Doug Davis, Trevor Hoffman... Where did the organization hurt itself more? Wasting millions upon millions with dead money on proven veteran FA contracts or through the draft? Veterans carry just as much risk as prospects do, they are far from sure things in themselves... I already pointed out the Blue Jays who gave up 2 of the better arms in the minor leagues to finish in 5th place; with oldies in the rotation who couldn't post ERAs under 4. Veteran acquisitions are far from sure things, past performance is not indicative of future success, especially with pitchers as age and injuries can derail a guy in a hurry. I get that you've switched philosophies and now just want the big league club to be competitive, but there is only so much money to go around, and for the Brewers to compete long-term building through the draft isn't something the Brewers "want" to do, it's an absolute necessity to stay competitive. As far as 2nd round picks... like JJ Hardy, Yovani Gallardo, Tyrone Taylor? I don't think giving up a 2nd round pick is the end of the world, especially if you can flip the player for similar or better talent than that 2nd round pick. However if that kind of trade doesn't happen and you don't make the playoffs then what exactly did giving up that pick accomplish? Now you didn't finish any better than you did the year before and lost an opportunity to make the organization stronger with a draft pick. As always there is risk & reward on both sides of the equation, there are opportunity costs regardless which option is chosen. 40 HRs from Cruz? That's just pure hyperbole... he's only played 1 full season in his career, may have been getting a bump from juicing, and regardless his maximum career HR output in a single season was 33 as 28 year old. I would have agreed with that assessment of his potential in his prime, but we're 5 years removed from the best single season output of his career, and he never got to that next level HR wise. I'd probably project him for something in the mid 20s... 25, 26, 27, somewhere in that range, which is still plenty. Yes I know that he hit 27 in only 109 games last year, but in 2012 when he played in 159 games he only hit 24. I think that's just a really tough division to compete in; one of the best, if not the best run franchise in the entire game and 2 marquee big market teams, that's a steep hill to climb to the top of on a regular basis or even in a single season. I don't think their additions have vaulted them to the top, I think they are still firmly in the middle of the pack. If Gausman can ascend now that he's gotten his feet wet and become a legit #2 pitcher I think that would make a much bigger difference for the organization than what they did over the winter. However there's a chance that Gausman will join Matusz permanently in the pen, and I would be disappointed for them if that was the case. However assuming he converts back to a starter and if Bundy comes back strong and continues to ascend that could be a heck of a top of the rotation for 2015, or for the playoffs in 2014. You'd have 2 legit #2s in Tillman and Gausman and a potential true #1 in Bundy. I just have a hard time believing in Gonzalez and I have no idea what to make of Jimenez. Wei-Yin Chen is more of a pitchability guy, but regardless who'd be in the 4/5 spots in that rotation it would be pretty darn good. Like I said, the Orioles really didn't hurt themselves spending their free money, they can deal with Jimenez if he becomes an albatross at the back of their rotation. However I just don't see Cruz as some savior, he's just potentially a nice step up from what the Orioles had in RF before, assuming he's healthy and productive of course. I just think for them to move up the ladder it's going to come down to their pitching, moving up from a middle of the pack team (in the AL) to that next tier, and I'm not sure Jimenez is any kind of answer on that front.

Negotiations can and sometimes do fall apart before the deal is signed, but that's not the "if" factor here. The Brewers have historically done next to nothing internationally, only signing extreme value players for the most part like Escobar, and Aoki (which was more lucky than good since they didn't even scout him in person). Rolando Pascaul was the biggest bonus baby the Brewers had ever signed prior to 2013, and the organization has never even spent over a million on a single player. Wily Peralta ($450,000) is the only player out of Latin America with a significant bonus who's made it to MLB. They've also never gone way over a slot value in the early rounds or exceeded a pool value since I've been following the Brewer's minor league system. The Brewers have chosen to spend the overwhelming majority of their player budget on the MLB club, right up to the red line, which left little wiggle room for them to creatively pursue raw impact talent through other means. Many of us have been hoping the Brewers would change their tact on this issue and look to spend their money in a different way, trying to go after long-term solutions rather than short term patches. Last year's international signing period was a good start, if this deal actually does happen I would be thrilled that the organization is finally making a serious effort to expand its talent base. After all, I've been clamoring for this kind of change for years, it just seems almost too good to be true. I mean what's next? The organization actually starts cycling talent and turning over the MLB roster? I just don't want to count my chickens before they are hatched, I'm cautiously optimistic at this time.

You continue to oversimplify issues to the point of absurdity. The only 1st round pick they really missed on since 2007 was Hobgood who signed for big money and the very next year reported completely out of shape and had lost about 6 MPH off his FB. What is the Brewer's record on 1st round picks in that same time frame? I've been following Baltimore's minor league system for a long time as they've been focused on developing pitching. Weiters, Matusz, Machado, Bundy (when he returns from the DL), and Gausman will all help the big league club this year. Maybe it's just not that easy competing in the same division as an extremely well run franchise in TB and 2 big market clubs in NY and Bos? Baltimore has gone about it the right way but for some reason they just struggle developing pitching, even guys that were can't miss like Matusz... The Orioles always seem to be on the cusp of a homegrown impact rotation and every year different pitchers fall apart for different reasons... there are too many arms to make it a coincidence, their development plan for pitching has just been awful, no way around it... which strikes pretty close to home those of us who follow the Brewers' minor league system, we can relate. The Cardinals are the best team in our division and should maintain that distinction for some time. The Pirates are loaded with talent up and down their minor league system and have a solid MLB club, their best days are still in front of them. The Reds are about where the Brewers were in 2010 and the Cubs are on the rise. Chicago has the best group of hitting prospects anyone has had in a long time with CJ Edwards and Pierce Johnson in AA... by 2016 they will make some noise. Where do the Brewers fit in the central long term? Likewise look at the Orioles, where have they been, and where they are going? The Rays constantly cycle talent which keeps them extremely competitive, the Red Sox and Yankees just buy whatever they need to plug the holes their farm systems aren't able to fill, and the Jays were on the rise but got impatient and sold off a ton of talent to finish last in the division again. The simple truth is that without the pitching to compete Baltimore is going no where in that division, they will always be a 4th or 5th place team. It's the same for the Jays who tried to go "veteran", ended up with a rotation of all players >=28 years old, and not single guy managed to put up an ERA under 4. The Orioles were already in the mix, they were 85-77 last year, the same record as the Yankees, and I don't see Jimenez and Cruz making them a 90-92 win team. The answer for the Orioles isn't any different than it is for us, to be relevant year in and year out they will need to figure out a way to develop their own pitching. They've worked harder at it than the Brewers, but have gotten similarly poor results. Essentially all the Orioles did was spend their "free money" from the national TV contract, so in that sense they didn't really hurt themselves at all, regardless of what happens long term with Jimenez as you can't build a rotation around someone who's 30+ years of age. However I don't see how signing Cruz and/or Jimenez makes them significantly better than they were last year. Once again their top 10 prospect list is loaded with pitching, they just need to stay patient and take hard look at what they've been doing with their arms to figure out the issues in their pitching development strategy or nothing is going to change for them.

The rest of the position by position rankings: 2014 Position-By-Position Rankings Index Position-by-Position Rankings: Catchers (VIDEO) No Brewers. Position-by-Position Rankings: Corner Outfielders (VIDEO) Mitch Haniger at 14, Victor Roache at 27. Position-by-Position Rankings: Center Fielders (VIDEO) Tyrone Taylor at 16. Position-by-Position Rankings: Righthanders (VIDEO) Jimmy Nelson at 35... there were 65 total pitchers ranked. Position-by-Position Rankings: Lefthanders (VIDEO) No Brewers. Position-by-Position Rankings: Relievers Johnny Hellweg at 5.

A somewhat happy compromise by the NCAA for once, most people thought Wetzler would be done if they ruled against him. Oregon State’s Ben Wetzler Suspended 11 Games By NCAA

Texas Tech just took out highly ranked Indiana last weekend. Under The Radar: Texas Tech Here's an earlier article that I didn't link yesterday. College Top 100 Draft Prospects By The Numbers The rest of the information you are looking for is in the the 2 2014 Draft threads.

Position-by-Position Rankings: First Basemen (VIDEO) Hunter Morris falls all the way to 18th... yikes. No other Brewers on the list. Position-by-Position Rankings: Second Basemen (VIDEO) No Brewers. Position-by-Position Rankings: Shortstops (VIDEO) Orlando Arcia the last player in at #30. Position-by-Position Rankings: Third Basemen (VIDEO) No Brewers.

The problem here is that due roster limitations a team can really only afford to platoon a single position, the rest of the backups have to be flexible enough to play multiple situations. If you have some interchangeable pieces like in the OF for example you can have multiple platoons, but in this case we are talking about trying to platoon both 1B and 2B. Platooning the entire right side of the IF with players who can't play another position severely limits RR's options any particular day. Many posters here already don't like the guy, but how can he make intelligent moves like double switches without the position players available to make that change? The only way platooning 2B makes sense from a roster construction standpoint is if one of the scrub 1B wins the job outright and isn't a platoon candidate. There just aren't enough spots on the 25 man roster to have 2 backups (platoon partners) who only play 1 position, unless you want to run a bit shorthanded all year in the bullpen. If that's the case, then the organization better seriously reconsider having defined roles where each guy pitches 1 inning regardless of what's happening and move to a more flexible bullpen format. It would be time to run a guy multiple innings if you can and then give him the next day off, so the relievers are getting the proper amount of rest but there is still the maximum number of bodies possible available for each game. Otherwise RR will run into situations multiple times throughout the season where the same 3-4 relievers have all pitched 4 days in a row. It's not like we have a rotation full guys who regularly go 7-8 innings and can give the bullpen a break. Last year's IP/Start (in decimal): Lohse - 6.02 Peralta -5.73 Gallardo - 5.83 Estrada - 6.10 (21 starts) Garza - 6.47 (24 starts) Thornburg - MLB 6.14 (7 starts), MiLB 5.44 (22 starts) Nelson - MiLB 5.73 (28 starts) This situation isn't just as easy how to get the most production out of 1 position, it's about getting the most production out of the entire team. If the pitching doesn't hold up then does 2B really matter? Personally I'm going to set my pitching up first and then do the best I can with the position players. You can tolerate substandard production from multiple positions if the pitching is good enough... but if Braun or Ramirez are out for an extended time again then none of the rest of this really matters.

Yep he'd be done if the NCAA rules him ineligible.

Wow, best of luck... too bad neither the Brewers or Royals were able to help him out with such a serious issue on a personal level, forget about baseball and being a #1 pick. There were hints as to there being more behind the story of Zach Braddock as well, all that talent and out of baseball at age 23... too bad.

For Gilbert Lara discussion please see his thread here. Worth a look for curiosity sake: Incredible Video: Cuban Player Charges Mound With Bat, Swings At Pitcher In Chaotic Brawl Informative article about spending throughout the calendar year, not just July 2. How Teams Spend On International Players Throughout The Year A nice write-up on winter league ball. Caribbean Series Caps International Season Subscriber: Ten Breakout International Prospects To Watch In 2014 Scouting The Cubans Who Participated In The Caribbean Series I believe this was previously linked elsewhere: International Spending Rises Despite Bonus Pools FYI. 2013 International Spending By Team

PG's Draft Page PG already has much more content flowing than does BA, as always there is data available for not just the 2014 draft, but upcoming drafts as well. Here is a sample of the content: Draft Chat from 1/10/2014 2014 Top 500 HS prospects 2014 MLB Draft: Top 300 Prospects Top 200 Junior College Prospects They have also started in on the individual player updates which will be too numerous to keep up with in this thread, check PG often to see if your draft favorites have been covered (premium content). A sample of the players currently highlighted on the site would include Foster Griffen, Bradley Zimmer, Cobi Johnson, Greg Allen, and Jack Flaherty.

BA's Draft Section This article was posted today, very interesting that the Phillies would elect to go after a player and agent, excellent insight into the negotiation process is provided. Phillies Accused Ben Wetzler Of NCAA Rules Violations Here are the first set of draft preview articles previous linked in the draft pick thread: Early Draft Preview: College Best Tools (VIDEO) Early Draft Preview: High School Best Tools Subscriber Preview: Early Draft Preview: Improved Pitching Boosts 2014 Class This article kicked off the HS scouting season: Prime Prospect Pair: Forrest Wall vs. Nick Gordon [VIDEO]

Geez I sure wish we could have pulled off a trade with the Dodgers that included personal favorite Corey Seager, all the up way up to #37 for his debut on the list... makes me sad. The division with the exception of the Brewers represented itself very well on this list, as it has on previous lists. I will occassionaly still link Gallo prospect articles as I do for all players whom there was debate over or were traded away, he's certainly an interesting guy to discuss who tends to get extreme opinions. He's a bit like Billy Hamilton that way in either you love his one exceptional tool and want to see what he can do or you think he's a novelty with no real MLB future as an every day player.

I guess we see things much differently. 1 & B. Sure if you count a plethora of mid to back of the rotation starters, but that's not the object of the game. The object is to have enough talent in front of your true #3 pitcher that he's actually your #5. That's a rotation that can match up against the best in baseball. We have quantity, but we don't have quality, at least as far starting pitching goes, and that's what the game is all about. I actually like the relief prospects we have up and down the organization, but we're woeful from a starting pitching standpoint, and we're especially thin on lefties whom are legitimate starting options. 3. Whom exactly is a legitimate everyday starting C, SS, 2B, or CF anywhere in the system today? I like D'Vo, Taylor, Arcia, McFarland, and Jenkins but none of those guys are legit prospects at this time. D. Once again, where are the legitimate everyday MLB players in the farm system at any of the corners at this moment? We have plenty of bodies to throw at 1B and hope something sticks, but there's no 1st division starter in that bunch, and that's a problem around baseball as well. I think one of those guys will end being a decent contributor, but which one? In fact, when are any of them going to get an extended shot to prove anything? We have no legitimate 3B above R ball, the only halfway legit LF prospect is Roache, and his defense is horrible even in LF. I like Haniger for RF, but he's got quite a bit to prove as well. 1-2 drafts to fix a bottom 5 system with the current scouting staff in place? If it was that easy wouldn't we have a top 5 system with all the drafts from 2009-2013? There's no conspiracy here, our farm system is that bad, every team around MLB has sleeper prospects like ours... in fact that's the entire problem, too much depth and too few potential difference makers. Of all of the top prospect lists which have come out, we had exactly 1 player make exactly 1 list, that's awful by any measure. I like our prospects as much as anyone but let's at least be realistic about what we have. There's talent, but that talent has to take giant steps forward this season or we're going to be having the same conversation next season, which by the way, we had at this point last year. We were talking about Coulter, Arcia, Taylor, and Roache having to step up and have big years to turn the farm system around.... well fast forward 1 season and here we are having the exact same discussion. I love upside, but at some point the results have to approach the physical potential or there is nothing to be excited about. This isn't about rooting for "our guys", I think if you ask anyone who's been a link reporter they'd agree with me that you can't do that job; read all those stories, closely follow all of those teams, and study the players you are covering in detail without becoming overly attached to the prospects. It's even tougher if you meet them and get to know them a little bit... objectivity can be very difficult to maintain. It's also not about unnecessarily cracking on Bruce Seid and his scouting staff either, I actually enjoy Seid's interviews and find him very engaging, I honestly like him on personal level. Unfortunately the farm system is in the state that is, and he's ultimately responsible for the system, the results to this point have spoken for themselves. Mike Sherman is a great guy in person and he went out of his way to help out the WFCA and promote football in the state, but he was under water as a GM for the Packers and he had to go. Likewise I don't think Melvin and Seid are bad people, I just the think the franchise was stuck in neutral for a long time and now were slowly sliding back down from where we came. The farm system is basically in the same state that it was in like 2001, we've come back full circle. We graduated 1 entire wave prospects to MLB and they were very successful, we traded away the 2nd wave for various patches along the way plugging holes for the 1st wave, and a 3rd wave never materialized. I'm sorry but this group of Gennett, Davis, and company isn't going to put the team over the top... we're replacing 4 WAR or better players with guys we hope will be 2 WAR, we're losing ground at those positions and aren't making up enough difference elsewhere to maintain even what we had, which wasn't enough to get to a WS.

Yes, for years now.

Same day subscriber piece: Early Draft Preview: Improved Pitching Boosts 2014 Class I would love it if Brady Aiken was on the board for the Brewers pick. He fits the Brewers big bodied mold and is mostly filled out so there's not much projection left, but if he could add 2-3 MPH to his low 90s FB as he matures I'd be pretty excited. He looks to be a solid #2 candidate at this point and he's a LHP, though I guess we'll know more as the season progresses. If I get some time tomorrow I'll break out the 2014 draft stuff by the 2 primary sources I use for that like I did last year, I'll make a thread each for BA and PG. I'll plug Perfect Game right now though, as if you are looking for scouting reports those are already available for any player in their database (very basic ones for free), BA won't get scouting reports up until much closer to the draft. Looking at the draft I want a pitcher in the first round. Usually I'm a BPA guy but most of the best bats who will be available in these early projections are OFs, and I certainly wouldn't want to pass on Mike Trout to draft Jed Bradley, but I'd have a hard time spending another high draft pick on the OF at this point. My opinion could certainly change as the draft approaches and more information becomes available on each guy, but on the surface I'm leaning pitcher. Of the college hitters that would possibly be the board C/1B Kyle Schwarber is a guy that intrigues me and if he didn't play at Indiana (yes Arnett fallout) I'd probably be firmly on his bandwagon. Max Pentecost is also an interesting C, though I'm always wary of "breakout" type players. On the HS hitting front there isn't a guy who I'd be comfortable with today from scouting reports, once the HS season is mostly complete I'll have a better grasp of that group.