TheCrew07

Matt Gamel is waving at you from the end of the bench.

Steve interviews Minor League Pitching Coordinator Lee Tunnell. They discuss developing pitchers, where they start, and how they progress. They also discuss Bucci at length, a different take on his promotion to AA than we had originally heard. I highly recommend this excellent interview, it's longer than the usual interview, but very informative.

Chris interviews the Executive Director of the Boys and Girls Club of Green Bay discussing the excellent relationship they have with Taco Bell

Huntsville scores 1 2 in the 1st against J.D. "The Real Deal" Durbin... yes that's a self proclaimed nick name. After his first professional inning which was scoreless he came back into the dugout and told a teammate, "See, I told you I was the real deal!", it stuck.

Brett interviews Lookout's skipper John Valentin about his Dodger prospects, the Yankee/Red Sox rivalry, and the Dodgers organization.

Its in alphabetical order for 26-50 Wow I didn't even notice that... Peralta has a better fastball, he throws a slider, then a change or curve, I'm not sure which. Scarpetta is fastball, curveball, change.

I cannot say anything good about my boy because every single time I do he goes on another BB binge... let's just say I'm happy for him.

The difference is everything aligned perfectly for the Brewers to back into the playoffs last season. For some reason people seem to forget how tenuous that playoff appearance was, it took a 2nd epic collapse by the Mets and CC going every 4th day for it to happen. The same talk of WS favorites popped up around here last year after acquiring CC and it wasn't anymore true than it is this year. I love Yo, but for goodness sake he pitched 24 innings last season, how far can we reasonably assume he'll go? Is it worth jeapordizing his future to ride him this season? Right now he's the only established talent we have in the rotation, and for the team's future. He's far too valuable to treat like he's a 27 year old work horse pitcher, he hasn't had a chance to build into it, All I ask is that people take a step back and try to be as objective as possible. This season entirely hinged on Yo and Parra coming into it. As good as Yo is, he's still not very economical with this pitches, and Macha has pushed him to high pitch counts trying to save the bullpen, but it looks like the organization is reconsidering that based on the some of the comments made during the broadcast in Yo's last start. That would be a positive development from my perspective at least. I ask why does this year have to be the year? We can have the same core next season if we want it, some vets like Cameron and Kendell will be gone but we will have Fielder, Weeks, and Hart through 2011 and Hardy through 2010 if we wish. We could even have the same pitching staff if we want it. The big difference would be that Yo would have had a season to get his feet under him and we'll know exactly where we stand with Parra by season's end. After 2007, 2008, and 2009 I think it's pretty safe to say that this offense is all it's ever going to be, there will be extreme peaks and valleys through out every season. I think that's true of any offense around the league, but my gut feeling is that the Brewers are extreme in that sense. I thought that maybe Yost rode the guys too hard leading to an epic collapse in both 2007 and 2008, but now I'm beginning to think that's just the kind of team this core has become. When a pitching lapse coincides with the slumping offense, things get real ugly for 2-3 weeks, or in this case, well over a month. When the team had it's really hot month to turn the start of the season around, when the hitting was down the pitching was up (Yo hitting HRs to win 2 games), and when the pitching was down the offense scored enough runs to win. I still believe that hot stretch skewed perspective of what this team really is... this is an average to slightly above average team, certainly not a team that's 1 player from the WS. I'm uncomfortable with St. Louis being used as an example because while their pitching that season was absolutely horrible as a team during the regular season, once they got to the post season and shortened the rotation their pitching was the best of any playoff team which included Suppan having his career year. If I was confident that Yo has over 180 innings in his arm this season I'd feel better about making a solid move for pitching. He's already pitch 109 innings this season, I honestly have no idea how far he can go, or if it's in his best interest to be allowed to push himself that far. Last year I thought we'd be able to shorten our rotation to Sheets, Sabathia, and at worst Bush, but I was hoping Parra would have continued to pitch well, I never even considered Yo. Who can we can count on to shorten our rotation to this season? In a nut shell the difference between this year's team and last year's team is entirely the starting pitching. Yo isn't working late into games on reasonable pitch counts, Bush and Parra became ineffective for a while, Looper and Suppan have been about what we should have expected. I'm not sure how the Phillies' rotation from last season keeps getting dragged into the conversation as they were actually very good. Hamels was a stretched out ace (something Yo is not at this point), and they had 4 starting pitchers with ERAs in the mid 4s or better, Moyer actually pitched like a solid #2.. In fact, they finished right behind Milwaukee in total pitching last season, but they've had one of the NL's top offenses forever. I'm not surprised by the lack of patience around here, but I am a little surprised by the lack of objectivity regarding our current team and the direction the organization is headed. I completely understand that many people around here don't care to follow the minors at all, but we really have it going on down there, Jeffress aside. We're well positioned for the present (we're competitive) and for the future, a little patience with Yo and Parra and we might be in a better position next year than we are today. I know people tend to frame competitive windows around the position players, but I think history bears out that the true competitive window revolves around a team's pitching. Just a quick look at the playoff teams the last 10 years make it pretty obvious, the one notable exception was St. Louis, but in the post season they matched up very well pitching wise with that shortened rotation. Teams tend to have the most success when they have their best pitching... the Phillies and Brewers make a pretty good case last season... 2 offenses that had done pretty well in previous seasons (very well in the Phillies case), but we made it the year our pitching was the best it's been, and they won the World Series in the year their pitching was the best it's been.

Messy delivery? He doesn't have a consistent arm slot, so he doesn't repeat his delivery well, but it's hardly messy? Willis' delivery would be messy to me... what does "messy" even mean?

Peralta is going to sneak into the top 75 by next year, Scarpetta has an outside chance if he keeps limiting his walks, the difference in their fastball velocity and walk totals are really the only difference between the 2 pitchers. Jeffress will be out of the top 100 given his demotion and suspension. Braddock could sneak into the top 100, his ratios are silly and he's projectable, but relieving won't help his cause. Looking at those lists at least Wallace and Alonso are still the only 2 players from the division in the top 25, and how is Hosmer still in the top 50 and rated ahead of Vitters? In some ways BA's lists are like the the AP top 25 poll in football, where you start means more than what you've actually done. If you're initially rated highly and you stink, it will take you forever to fall off the list... On a side note, I've been following the minors way too closely the last couple of season season, I know too many names.

I don't disagree with your assessment of value over the course of the their controlled time at all, but that's not really the point. Boston could use a bat and additionally could use a SS to bridge the gap, in addition to 2 draft picks if they don't resign him. Hardy is one of the top young SS in the game, as far trade value, they are relatively equal. I also agree that pitching is King, but much like Hughes in NY, people wonder he's not good enough to pitch in your rotation and someone like Penny is a better option? I'm trying to be as unbiased as possible here, maybe the Brewers have to send a lesser prospect as well, but it shouldn't take much more than Hardy. I could make the same argument you made about Hardy for Halladay... the Brewers would be huge losers WAR wise in that trade, even if Halladay is an 8 WAR player there's no making up that giving away 6 years of 3 top prospects, just 1 of those players has the potential to be more valuable in their controlled years than the 12 WAR we'd get. In your opinion what would be a fair return for a player with a limited MLB track record like Buchholz? Delmon Young was good enough to pull Matt Garza. Garza actually had 26 starts in MLB (near a full season) and was a similar upside player to Buchholz. Granted Young was a top prospect himself, but his power and patience have never materialized. Young did have 5 more years of cost controlled service time before FA, but he hasn't had a WAR over 1 in any season, and a WAR over .5 in any full season, and has a negative WAR overall.

It looks like Ellington hit a GS in Helena... no box score update, I'm switching audio to that game as usual. edit. Nope, a 3R HR.

Wisconsin wins 1-0, Scarpetta and Nieves each allow 1 hit, nice defensive plays by Lawrie (ball up the middle), Kemp (staying on the bagon Lawrie's play) and Sanchez (sliding catch) in addition to the play where Sanchez/Lawrie erased the runner stretching a double helped the cause.

Huntsville's pitching just horrid tonight, the Stars are now down 9 to 5. Much like Dillard, I'm not sure I like the idea of trying to recycle pitchers who stunk as SP, had success as RP, and putting them back in a starting role. All it's doing is backing up the train of legitimate prospects coming up the chain.

In Nashville Green and Littleton aren't exactly setting the world on fire tonight, Nashville with just 2 hits losing 8-0 in the 5th. Huntsville has come back to tie the game at 5s, Lucroy also has a 2B in addition to Green's excellent night at the plate. Helena scores 2 runs in the 1st, up 2-0 early.

Scarpetta done, Nieves in, that's 3 consecutive scoreless outings for Cody, lowering his ERA to 3.09...

Scarpetta his given up 1 hit, a 2B, which Sanchez and Lawrie erased trying to stretch into a triple. He just K'd 2 more hitters in the 5th.

Steve interviews catching prospect Shawn Zarraga. If you have the time, this is a must listen, what an amazing story of how he ended up playing baseball in the states. They discuss catching, Shawn's path to professional baseball, Aruba, that Shawn is Tri-lingual, and Shawn's following at home. How the Brewers end up with so many great stories in the organization is truly amazing.

Sanchez now has 9 outfield assists on the season... not too shabby.

Chris interviews Dan Merklinger about his fantastic performance last night in the rain, his career thus far, and the baseball program at Seton Hall. I didn't realize so many quality big leaguers have come out of the program.

Scarpetta really has it going on, locating and mixing in his Change Up early.

Ahh I should have qualified that better, I didn't mean to compare 2011 to 1982.. I was comparing teams in the modern era. Again you're hung up on star power in the the lineup... last year's team still had Kendell and Hall, and a team that collectively slumped at the start of the stretch run. We're positioned very well for the future position wise, Hardy and Fielder or not... Sabathia was just one player, and Bush was also very good in the second half. However our 2011 rotation has a chance to be as good as the Rays rotation was/is, we've never have this many legit arms in the system since I've been following it. The only problem is they are all bunched together in A and A+ (with the exception of Braddock). A rotation full of pitchers similar to Yo is a very good thing. The 2008 team was pretty top heavy, I think our teams down the road will have better balance and better pitching over all. For example in no particular order other than Yo being proven so I put him by himself at the top, the rotation could end up... Yo Parra\Braddock Rogers\Peralta\Scarpetta Watten\Frederickson\Rivas\Bowman\Adams Arnett\Odorizzi\Butler\Periard Why wouldn't we be excited about the potential down the road? With a little luck we could even have some pitching surplus to move for a position of need if a position prospect really tanks it. Pitching is power. Even if we only hit on 1 player from each group, we're in awesome shape as an organization,

Not that Rottino is any great prospect, or ever was, but he's been disappointing this season given he was better in his previous 2 stints in AA than he is now. I was hoping he'd perform well enough to get a shot someplace... As far as tonight's game goes, you'll see the E in the box score, but he actually double clutched the throw before letting it go, it was a ball he should have eaten given the double clutch.

I'm not sure about WS favorites in 2009, but I like our chances in 2010 with your proposal X. As I previously mentioned I have no idea how to project out Yo through the end of September, Parra and the rest of the rotation aside.

First off it was just an example of a possible lineup, I specifically asked not get hung up on the names or positions, that's all way too murky yet. Gamel may stick at 3rd, might end up in the OF, 1B... I have no idea. We enough have significant positional talent that profiles to be league average or above, that through sheer number of prospects I feel very good about the future. I fully understand not every prospect produces, but even if Gamel is only a 25 HR guy at his peak, the 20 HRs we'll pickup from the C position will approximately make up the difference between Fielder and his replacement player.. My comment about no holes top to bottom is only "ridiculous" if you believe prospects have no value, there is no hitter I brought up in that post that profiles like Kendell, not a single one. The guy I'm least comfortable projecting is Cain, but Colby compares to him to Randy Winn. If Cain ends up as Randy Winn I'm alright with that. The Brewers have done an excellent job of indentifying and developing MLB bats, we got the most we could of the first wave, if the second wave can manage to be slightly less productive we're in shape. Part of my opinion of the future is based on the organization's recent history of success developing those bats. Even a guy like Hall whom I personally never cared for (I was a Hardy guy) had his 2 years in the sun. I'm banking on a positive track record and good results thus far in the minors. As far as Gamel goes Money's comments about him sold me. Those don't follow the minors won't truly understand how sparing he is in his praise of a player, so when he jumped all over Gamel being compared to Wade Boggs, but with significantly more power, I was sold. I might over value him, other's may under value him, time will tell, but I think he's a .900 OPS player once he settles in. Furthermore AAA really has nothing to do with any prospect's readiness or value, that topic has been beat to death. AAA is a great place for hitters to learn how to hit pitchers that know how to pitch, but for the most part the pitchers in AA actually throw harder, a comparison of Chris Cody's career path to that of Yo is a good example of what I mean. AAA rosters are mostly full of depth for the MLB team, not developing prospects, you might want to reconsider your notion of prospect progression.