TheCrew07

I completely understand people wanting to acquire MLB ready or very near MLB ready talent who are as close to sure things as prospects get. However and I admit to having a tremendous bias towards pitching, and I admit to constantly pushing the idea of trading for young pitching, but again if I'm the GM there is no way I'm moving a 22 year old phenom to keep a bloated 42 year old who's pitching over his head for his age and is gone after this season. Next season the Mets could have Wheeler, Harvey, deGrom, and Syndergaard in the rotation together, that's special. Yes they could use an upgrade in CF but again, is acquiring Gomez a net positive for them? Is 1.5 years of Gomez worth the 6.5 years Syndergaard? If we look at the proposed trade in the vacuum of the current moment in 2015 it can make some sense, but in any wider view of the situation it really doesn't. The Mets will become a significantly better team when all of their players are healthy again, that would be the time for them to make a move, as in 2016. It would make more sense for them to keep the young and inexpensive pitching which they have and spend their FA money on upgrades for position players over the next several years. Syndergaard is exactly the type of prospect we should be looking to acquire, only 2 years ago. I would have happily sent Toronto whatever they wanted for that same package of prospects coming back in 2012. You want Gallardo and Lohse? Sure! Just like I wanted to trade Ramirez to the Dodgers during the 2012 and include Corey Seager in that deal as a PTBNL when he was coming out of rookie ball. The idea shouldn't be limited to acquiring a player only after he makes a name for himself but rather getting the most talent (not the most immediate MLB production) out of a deal. I would trade Gomez for Syndergaard this second without a thought, it's done, but I don't think it's a viable deal, I think that's a steal from our perspective. In today's climate if a GM is willing I think a prospect like Noah is going to cost Gomez +, something like Gomez, Tyler Wagner, and Jorge Lopez, it would have to a quantity deal because we don't have young pitcher with similar upside. Or maybe something like Gomez, Wager, and Devin Williams where the Mets are getting back a short term CF, a potential #3, and a kid with some nice upside in A ball. I would still make that deal, that's how badly I want young impact pitching. However, I would rather target Seattle or a similar team with some impact prospects who have maybe underperformed or have gotten hurt. I'd rather ship Gomez and get multiple potential impact prospects than have to send anything with him to acquire a single prospect, so for example with Seattle I'd go after Walker, Hultzen, and Edwin Diaz. Hultzen of course had shoulder surgery, which scares the hell of out me, but I'm a bit of a risk taker when it comes to mining talent. Maybe they'd also want Gomez +.... fine. I'd do Gomez + Nelson, or Gomez + whatever minor league pitching they want.

This shouldn't be surprising but I'm actually eying up my usual assortment of HS pitchers given the Brewers' draft position skewed heavily in favor of LHP since I wasn't and still am not thrilled with Medeiros pick. Kodi has a very steep mountain to climb from a control standpoint at this juncture in his career. I will of course be livid if the Brewers make a high floor college selection along of the lines of a Jungmann who's a #3 best case and more of a 4/5 type. I'd like HS RHP Ashe Russell, HS LHP Kolby Allard, or 4yr LHP Tyler Jay. Jay is currently a closer for the Illini in the B1G (yes I know) but he's just so easy to dream on with a FB that tops around 97 and really good secondary stuff. I'd have a hard time passing on Brady Aiken if he was there hoping he'd stay healthy enough to pitch at least 6 years for the Brewers. I'm still going back on forth on him, for me it's all about the medicals and without being able to see them I have a hard time committing, but I wouldn't be disappointed if the Brewers took a chance. I also find 4yr LHP Nathan Kirby intriguing statistically and stuff wise (hits 94 with the FB, plus slider and change), but I fear he's more of a #3 because his FB location is spotty and as I've mentioned many times I just don't trust the Brewers to make significant strides with a player of that type. I have no doubt he could move fast and be a mid rotation guy, I'm just not sure the #2 upside is there. The pitcher I'm most intrigued by because of his pitchability and stuff is HS RHP Triston McKenzie but there's no way I can justify taking him at #15. I gotta believe a dude that scrawny (he's something like 6' 4" 160lbs) can add some muscle and bump up to 93-94 or better with with the FB. For some reason I just really like the kid, maybe it's the smooth athleticism he pitches with but he would be my competitive balance pick. All of these guys have delivery quirks I'm not thrilled about but that's just the way it is.

The Cardinals sure made some puzzling moves but it all worked for them again... somehow that organization has turned everything into gold over the last 10 seasons. There's just no way I would have given up Shelby Miller... personally I would have much rather kept Miller, Wacha, and Martinez especially with their 2 mainstays from the past, Wainwright and Carpenter, either very old or retired. Tyrell Jenkins was kind of their version of Jeremy Jeffress, a enigmatic performer with a big arm, but I would have had a hard time giving up on him as well, even with Alex Reyes (who by the way is putting up video game #s). Then again, I'm always looking to build the rotation first and come from the background of never having enough pitching.

It's too bad Clint is following basically the exact same template as last year, I would have rather he dominated for the better of the part season, which he may still do. I wonder what the deal is with that...

Well the only pitcher I remember avoiding TJ was Thornburg and he hasn't exactly been setting the world on fire since he returned this year. The Brewers treat surgery as a last resort, which is fine from a health standpoint, but it certainly drags out these issues much longer than necessary in my opinion. I'd rather have them get under the knife and return to action as soon as possible. In the past it's been rest and rehab for 2-3 months and then TJ surgery anyway, so instead of losing 1 year, the player loses a year and a half.

I would agree that it's pretty easy to find averagish pitching, the Brewers have been doing that for years. It is not so easy to find cost controlled impact pitching which is what they have, all of their young pitchers are better than anyone on the Brewers staff. I just have a very difficult time justifying giving up a rotation like the Braves had in the 90s for one bat, regardless of current ability, who's likely moved through the peak of his career. A team would basically have to be desperate to give up that kind of MLB ready talent, and while I realize and agree with the notion that baseball and fans are mostly impatient living in the moment, I don't see the Mets as a team that's going to try and spend their way to success. They've been there and done that to disastrous results. On the individual side Harvey is just back from TJ surgery, Wheeler just went under the knife, and DeGrom had TJ surgery before getting up to the majors. I would agree that maybe you part Noah Syndergaard if everyone else is healthy as you see yourself in the position of having an embarrassment of riches, but they haven't been and currently aren't healthy. Harvey is already 26 and DeGrom is 27, is not like we're talking about a bunch of 21 and 22 year old players either. If you were the GM would you keep 42 year old Bartolo Colon and trade 22 year old Noah Syndergaard just to acquire Carlos Gomez? The Mets aren't a good offensive team, only slightly better than the Brewers at 12th in OPS, but runs prevented are just as, maybe more important that runs scored. If you have a chance to be the best rotation in the NL, maybe the best 1-2-3 in baseball moving forward, why would you give up that tremendous advantage up to move up 1 or 2 slots in team OPS? I don't see how moving closer to the middle is a net gain? You're falling back to middle pitching wise and moving up from a hitting perspective, but would you be better off as a team?

Sox Rally, Walk-Off In 7-6 Win Over Express Chris Nelson Swats Game-Winning Three-Run Triple To Split Twin Bill By Ed Pearsall / Colorado Springs Sky Sox http://www.milb.com/assets/images/2/8/4/125063284/cuts/05_13_051_pk_t8rruoj6_fngyfvbf.jpg Chris Nelson rounds first after his walk-off triple cleared the bases to give the Sox a 7-6 win in game two on Sunday. (Paat Kelly) COLORADO SPRINGS, CO - The Sky Sox sent 3,501 fans home happy after a 7-6 walk-off win over the Express in game two of Sunday's doubleheader at Security Service Field. The Sox late-inning loss in game one of the doubleheader would not affect the offense's fortitude in game two as they would jump out to a quick 2-0 lead against Express starter Jose Monegro in the home first. Matt Long lead off the frame with a walk, promptly stealing second base before advancing to third on a Yadiel Rivera groundout. Shane Peterson followed with a strikeout before Ben Guez was hit by a pitch. Guez stole second base, giving Colorado Springs two runners in scoring position with two down and Pete Orr coming to the plate. Orr's penchant for driving in runs continued, plating both runners on an RBI single. Orr would also steal second, for good measure, giving the Sox three on the inning against Round Rock catcher Brett Nicholas. Colorado Springs tacked on another run in the home second. Donnie Murphy and Robinzon Diaz would get into scoring position on a one-out double and single respectively before Matt Long's 4-6 force out at second scored Murphy to extend the early lead to 3-0. Sox starter Nick Additon (1-3, 6.55) cruised through his first two innings before hitting walls in the third and fourth. Round Rock would pull within one thanks to a two-run home run to right-centerfield by Rougned Odor. The long ball was Odor's second two-run shot of the day, hitting his first off of Tyler Thornburg in game one. The Express tageed Additon for four more runs in the fourth as Ariel Pena failed to limit the damage in relief of the lefty starter. Pena came on in the fourth with two runners in scoring position after Additon's wild pitch allowed Micahel Choice to score the game's tying run. Round Rock would tally three more runs in the frame on the strength of three more walks and two singles before Pena got the inning's leadoff hitter, Chris Gimenez, on a weak groundout to Orr. In all, Additon would be charged with six earned runs on five hits and three walks over his 3.2 innings of work, striking out three along the way. Round Rock reliever Ricardo Rodriguez (1-0, 4.50) took over in the fourth after Monegro tossed three innings of three run ball, allowing four hits and a walk while striking out three. Rodriguez worked a scoreless fourth before allowing the Sox fourth run in the home fifth. Matt Long lead off the frame with a double before Rodriguez issued two, one-out free passes to Shane Peterson and Ben Guez to load the bases. Pete Orr followed with a sacrifice fly to deep left field, scoring Long and cutting the Sox deficit to two runs. The RBI represented Orr's third of the game and would not be the last time his impact was felt in this one. Tim Dillard (1-0, 1.17) would round out the arms used by Rick Sweet as he tossed two scoreless innings to keep the Sox within two heading into the seventh, and final, inning. Still trailing by two, the Sox offense had a tall-task ahead of them heading into the game's final frame as they faced flame-throwing right-hander Luke Jackson (2-2, 5.27), needing three runs to avoid a twin-bill sweep. Colorado Springs' lineup would prove to be up to the challenge. Jackson would load the bases after a fielding error allowed Shane Peterson to reach, a walk to Ben Guez and an infield bunt single by none other than Pete Orr. Jackson would be replaced by Express closer Jon Edwards as former, and newly added, Sky Sox third baseman Chris Nelson strolled to the plate. Nelson cashed in, drilling Edwards' third pitch of the at-bat to the right-centerfield gap to clear the bases and cap a three-run rally to give the Sox a thrilling 7-6 walk off victory. With the win, the Sox improve to 15-23 on the season and split the doubleheader as Round Rock falls to 25-13. The Sky Sox will look to build on the exciting finish on Monday evening as they take on the Express in game four of this extended five-game set. Drew Gagnon (1-4, 6.47) will lead the charge against Express right-hander Anthony Ranaudo (3-0, 2.87) with first pitch set for 6:35 PM MDT at Security Service Field. Sky Sox Game 2 Boxscore I was shocked at the attendance, the T-Rats drew more people today... and it rained. I looked up Colorado Springs' attendance just to see where they finished in the PCL last year and they actually drew better than Nashville but were a disappointing 12th out of 16 teams. Regardless they pulled off a double header split with a nifty come from behind victory here. Peter Orr at age 36, still chasing the dream and stealing bases... Sky Sox Game 2 Recap

Sox Drop Opener With 6-2 Loss To Express Round Rock Rallies In Four-Run Seventh to Claim Game One By Ed Pearsall / Colorado Springs Sky Sox http://www.milb.com/assets/images/5/1/8/125047518/cuts/05_17_057sm_pk_dk8wk6wp_qxhyg32p.jpg Logan Schafer's first Sky Sox home run tied the ballgame at two in the fifth inning in Game One on Sunday. (Paat Kelly) COLORADO SPRINGS, CO - The Sky Sox and Round Rock Express would participate in a tight back-and-forth battle until the game's final inning in what would be an eventual 6-2 loss on Sunday afternoon in game one of a day/night double-header at Security Service Field. Each of the game's starters matched zeros through the game's first three frames as the offenses combined for just three hits in that span. Sox starter Tyler Thornburg (0-1, 3.70) would work through an extended third inning without allowing a run despite loading the bases on a two-out double by Rougned Odor and consecutive free passes to Tomas Telis and Jake Smolinski. Express centerfielder Jared Hoying came to the plate with an opportunity to give his team the lead. Continuing to impress, Yadiel Rivera snagged Hoying's screaming line drive that seemed ticketed for centerfield, saving at least two runs to keep Round Rock off of the board for the time being. Colorado Springs' offense would take advantage of the nifty play in their half of the third, breaking through against Express starter Jimmy Reyes for the game's first run. Nevin Ashley lead off the frame with a triple off of the centerfield wall before scoring on Ben Guez's one-out double off of the left field fence. By inning's end, the Sox held a 1-0 lead. Thornburg would run into trouble again in the next half inning, allowing two runs in the top of the fifth on a one-out, two-run home run by Odor. Now trailing 2-1, the Sox wouldn't waste much time responding in the fifth. With one out in the frame, Logan Schafer drilled reliever Roman Mendez's (1-0, 2.25) offering over the right field wall to tie the ballgame at two. The long ball was Schafer's first since joining the Sox and it could not have come at a better time. Yadiel Rivera added a two-out base hit and stolen base to give the Sox a runner in scoring position and a chance to take the lead. Ashley could not come through however, popping out to second to end the inning knotted at two. Thornburg would work a scoreless sixth before letting the game get away in the seventh as two doubles and two walks allowed the go-ahead run to score before the right-hander was pulled with two down and runners on the corners. Rob Wooten came in to relieve Thornburg, allowing a three-run home run to his first batter Jared Hoying. Hoying's round-tripper gave Round Rock a four-run inning and 6-2 lead that they would not relinquish in the shortened seven inning ballgame. While he managed to avoid the big inning until that fateful seventh, Thornburg was not his sharpest as he allowed five runs on eight hits and five walks while striking out just two over 6.2 innings of work. Of the right-handers 102 pitches, just 52 of them went for strikes. Spencer Patton took the mound in the bottom of the seventh for Round Rock to close out the game. The righty reliever would get off to a rocky start, allowing consecutive doubles to give the Sox runners on second and third with none out, before setting down the top of the Colorado Springs order to nail down the 6-2 win. The Sky Sox fall to 14-23 on the season after the game one loss as Round Rock improves to 25-12. Nick Additon (1-2, 5.52) takes the mound for Colorado Springs in game two of Sunday's twin bill. The Sox southpaw will face off with Round Rock right-hander Jose Monegro (NR) in his Triple-A season debut. Sky Sox Game 1 Boxscore Sky Sox Game 1 Recap

Kane County beats the rain and the Rattlers Cougars top Wisconsin 12-2 in rain-shortened game By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers http://www.milb.com/assets/images/5/7/8/125012578/cuts/5_May17_Nehaus_WEB_9qi3l7gu_l07kdy83.jpg Tucker Neuhaus had a pair of hits, including a double, and scored a run for the Timber Rattlers on Sunday. (Wisconsin Timber Rattlers/Ann Mollica) GRAND CHUTE, WI - The Kane County Cougars scored twelve runs on twelve hits in a game shortened to seven innings by rain to beat the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 12-2 Sunday afternoon at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium. The win gave Kane County a three-game sweep of the Timber Rattlers. Wisconsin (9-28) got off to a great start. Starting pitcher Cy Sneed retired the Cougars in order to start the game. Then, Monte Harrison and Dustin DeMuth singled to start the bottom of the first inning. Harrison took third on the single and DeMuth took second on the throw to third. But, Touki Toussaint, the #1 pick of the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2014 draft and Sunday's starting pitcher for Kane County struck out the next two batters and got a grounder back to the mound to strand Harrison and DeMuth. Kane County (18-19) loaded the bases with one out in the third inning on a pair of bloop singles and a bunt. Sneed got the second out, but Marty Herum tripled down the right field line to drive in all three runs. Herum scored moments later on a wild pitch for a 4-0 lead. The Rattlers answered in the bottom of the third. Harrison drew a walk, stole second, and went to third on a ground out by DeMuth. Harrison scored on a grounder to first by Carlos Leal and the Rattlers were down 4-1. Sneed got the first out of the top of the fourth, but Kane County loaded the bases again. Stryker Trahan reached first on a popup that was lost in the sun. Ryan Gebhardt sent a grounder to third that hit the base and bounded into left field for a double. Sneed hit the next batter to load the bases. Fenery Ozuna's flyball to shallow center was dropped and Trahan scored while everyone else moved up a base. Sneed got the second out. But, Victor Reyes tripled to right-center to drive in three more runs and the Cougars were up 8-1. Toussaint allowed the first two batters of the fifth inning to reach base. Tucker Neuhaus doubled, his second hit of the game, and Brandon Diaz walked to chase Toussaint from the game with 90 pitches before he could qualify for the win. Nick Baker entered the game and got Harrison to ground into a force play at second. Baker threw wildly to first on a pickoff throw and that allowed Neuhaus to score. The Cougars added to their lead in the top of the seventh against Wisconsin reliever Luke Curtis. Colin Bray doubled when a fly ball to left-center dropped after the outfielder tripped and fell going after the ball. Reyes was next and he lined a one-hop double off the wall in left to drive in Bray. Curtis got the first out, but Grant Heyman hit a triple to right-center to knock in Reyes and knock out Curtis. Joe Munoz greeted reliever Josh Uhen to the game by hitting a two-run home run on the first pitch he saw and it was 12-2. The Wisconsin grounds crew rushed the field after the final out of the Kane County seventh inning was record and managed to get the tarp on just before heavy rain showers hit the area. There was a one hour rain delay before the game was declared a final. Wisconsin ended their seven-game homestand 1-6 and they are 1-14 in May. The Timber Rattlers begin an 11-game road trip on Monday night with the first game of a four-game series at Community Field in Burlington, Iowa against the Burlington Bees. Kodi Medeiros (0-2, 5.65) is the scheduled starting pitcher for Wisconsin. Burlington will send Jeremy Rhoades (3-1, 2.41) to the mound. Game time is 6:30pm. Catch all the action on AM1280, WNAM starting with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 6:10pm. The broadcast may also be heard on Tune In Radio and IHeartRadio. WP: Nick Baker (2-1) LP: Cy Sneed (1-5) TIME: 2:13 (1:00 delay) ATTN: 5,425 Wisconsin Boxscore So facing Touki Toussaint during a very lopsided and frustrating game got me once again thinking about all of the different players various posters wanted to take at #12 overall last year, where of course the Brewers ended up drafting Kodi Medeiros. I wasn't as high on Toussaint as others due to his control issues which is if I'm honest with myself the thing I look for first in a 1st round pitcher. Toussaint is pretty much the same guy right now, mid 90s heat, a wicked curve which breaks 2 to 8, and control which comes and goes. Since we're currently in a rain delay I took the liberty of looking up the careers of the rest of the 1st round pitchers we discussed prior to the draft in their draft order, all stats are taken from br.com and I leave individual early judgements to you: Kodi Medeiros #12 : [pre]Year Age AgeDif Tm Lg Lev Aff ERA G IP H R ER HR BB SO WHIP H9 HR9 BB9 SO9 SO/W 2014 18 -2.4 Brewers ARIZ Rk MIL 7.27 9 17.1 24 21 14 2 13 26 2.135 12.5 1.0 6.8 13.5 2.00 2015 19 -3.0 Wisconsin MIDW A MIL 5.65 7 28.2 23 21 18 0 15 35 1.326 7.2 0.0 4.7 11.0 2.33[/pre] Tyler Beede #14: [pre]Year Age AgeDif Tm Lg Lev Aff ERA G IP H R ER HR BB SO WHIP H9 HR9 BB9 SO9 SO/W 2014 21 0.6 Giants ARIZ Rk SFG 3.24 4 8.1 8 4 3 0 4 11 1.440 8.6 0.0 4.3 11.9 2.75 2014 21 -0.4 Salem-Keizer NORW A- SFG 2.70 2 6.2 8 2 2 0 3 7 1.650 10.8 0.0 4.0 9.4 2.33 2015 22 -1.1 SanJose CALL A+ SFG 2.41 6 33.2 32 16 9 2 7 17 1.158 8.6 0.5 1.9 4.5 2.43[/pre] Sean Newcomb #15: [pre]Year Age AgeDif Tm Lg Lev Aff ERA G IP H R ER HR BB SO WHIP H9 HR9 BB9 SO9 SO/W 2014 21 0.6 Angels ARIZ Rk LAA 3.00 2 3.0 3 1 1 1 1 3 1.333 9.0 3.0 3.0 9.0 3.00 2014 21 -0.9 Burlington MIDW A LAA 7.15 4 11.1 13 9 9 1 5 15 1.588 10.3 0.8 4.0 11.9 3.00 2015 22 0.0 Burlington MIDW A LAA 1.83 7 34.1 25 9 7 1 19 45 1.282 6.6 0.3 5.0 11.8 2.37 2015 22 -1.1 InlandEmpire CALL A+ LAA 1.80 1 5.0 4 1 1 0 1 7 1.000 7.2 0.0 1.8 12.6 7.00[/pre] Touki Toussaint #16: [pre]Year Age AgeDif Tm Lg Lev Aff ERA G IP H R ER HR BB SO WHIP H9 HR9 BB9 SO9 SO/W 2014 18 -3.2 Missoula PION Rk ARI 12.82 5 13.1 24 22 19 5 6 15 2.250 16.2 3.4 4.0 10.1 2.50 2014 18 -2.4 Diamondbacks ARIZ Rk ARI 4.80 7 15.0 14 12 8 0 12 17 1.733 8.4 0.0 7.2 10.2 1.42[/pre] Brandon Finnegan #17 (currently back relieving in KC): [pre]Year Age AgeDif Tm Lg Lev Aff ERA G IP H R ER HR BB SO WHIP H9 HR9 BB9 SO9 SO/W 2014 21 -1.7 Wilmington CARL A+ KCR 0.60 5 15.0 5 1 1 1 2 13 0.467 3.0 0.6 1.2 7.8 6.50 2014 21 -3.4 NorthwestArkansas TL AA KCR 2.25 8 12.0 15 9 3 2 2 13 1.417 11.2 1.5 1.5 9.8 6.50 2015 22 -2.5 NorthwestArkansas TL AA KCR 3.27 4 11.0 9 9 4 1 10 11 1.727 7.4 0.8 8.2 9.0 1.10[/pre] Erick Fedde #18 Has not played due to TJ prior to the draft. Grant Holmes #22: [pre]Year Age AgeDif Tm Lg Lev Aff ERA G IP H R ER HR BB SO WHIP H9 HR9 BB9 SO9 SO/W 2014 18 -3.2 Ogden PION Rk LAD 4.91 4 18.1 19 10 10 1 6 25 1.364 9.3 0.5 2.9 12.3 4.17 2014 18 -2.4 Dodgers ARIZ Rk LAD 3.00 7 30.0 20 11 10 2 7 33 0.900 6.0 0.6 2.1 9.9 4.71 2015 19 -3.0 GreatLakes MIDW A 3.58 7 32.2 30 15 13 2 17 40 1.439 8.3 0.6 4.7 11.0 2.35[/pre] Luke Weaver #27: [pre]Year Age AgeDif Tm Lg Lev Aff ERA G IP H R ER HR BB SO WHIP H9 HR9 BB9 SO9 SO/W 2014 20 -0.4 Cardinals GULF Rk STL 0.00 4 6.0 4 0 0 0 0 9 0.667 6.0 0.0 0.0 13.5 2014 20 -3.2 PalmBeach FLOR A+ STL 21.60 2 3.1 11 8 8 1 4 3 4.500 29.7 2.7 10.8 8.1 0.75 2015 21 -2.2 PalmBeach FLOR A+ STL 0.00 1 5.0 5 1 0 0 2 2 1.400 9.0 0.0 3.6 3.6 1.00[/pre] Foster Griffin #28: [pre]Year Age AgeDif Tm Lg Lev Aff ERA G IP H R ER HR BB SO WHIP H9 HR9 BB9 SO9 SO/W 2014 18 -2.5 Burlington APPY Rk KCR 3.21 11 28.0 19 10 10 2 12 19 1.107 6.1 0.6 3.9 6.1 1.58 2015 19 -3.0 Lexington SALL A KCR 5.00 2 9.0 8 7 5 0 3 5 1.222 8.0 0.0 3.0 5.0 1.67[/pre] Luis Ortiz #30: [pre]Year Age AgeDif Tm Lg Lev Aff ERA G IP H R ER HR BB SO WHIP H9 HR9 BB9 SO9 SO/W 2014 18 -2.4 Rangers ARIZ Rk TEX 2.02 6 13.1 12 3 3 0 3 15 1.125 8.1 0.0 2.0 10.1 5.00 2014 18 -3.7 Hickory SALL A TEX 1.29 3 7.0 4 1 1 1 3 4 1.000 5.1 1.3 3.9 5.1 1.33 2015 19 -3.0 Hickory SALL A TEX 0.40 5 22.1 24 3 1 1 3 22 1.209 9.7 0.4 1.2 8.9 7.33[/pre] Back to the game, Monte Harrison had a horrible day in CF with 2 critical misplays, though he was better at the plate. Tucker Neuhaus has been a consistent bright spot offensively since he's come back, he played 2B for the 2nd straight day. Wisconsin Recap

Why on earth would the Mets give up any of their awesome young pitching? I realize organizations make those kind of decisions all the time but I just can't fathom giving up the most valuable commodity in baseball for much of anything.

Sox Pitching Stalls In 10-4 Loss To Express Round Rock Collects 17 Hits In One-Sided Contest By Ed Pearsall / Colorado Springs Sky Sox http://www.milb.com/assets/images/2/8/8/124875288/cuts/pete_orr_wiq9qho3_r7y2immm.jpg Pete Orr collected an RBI triple in the fourth inning, cutting the early deficit to 5-2 before the game got away in the fifth. (Paat Kelly) COLORADO SPRINGS, CO - The Sky Sox fell victim to a few crooked innings in their 10-4 loss to the Round Rock Express in front of 3,318 fans at Security Service Field on Saturday night. Jed Bradley (1-3, 9.87) got the spot start for the Sox, tossing two innings before handing the ball to the game's originally scheduled starter Taylor Jungmann. Bradley looked strong through one batter, striking out the recently demoted Rougned Odor on three pitches. Unfortunately that would be Bradley's lone punchout as the lefty would struggle over his next 1.2 innings, allowing a total of five runs on seven hits. Making his debut with Round Rock, former Braves utility-man Tyler Pastornicky would torch Bradley for a double and RBI triple in his first two at-bats respectively, scoring the game's first run along the way. Following Pastornicky in the order, Express right fielder Jake Smolinski would also fare well against Bradley, collecting RBI singles in each of his first to plate appearances. After quickly falling behind 2-0, the Sox responded with a run of their own in the home half of the first thanks to the top of the order. Matt Long welcomed Round Rock right-hander Jerad Eickhoff (3-2, 4.99) with a leadoff single before Yadiel Rivera drove him home on a long RBI double to the left-centerfield gap. The RBI marks the first of Rivera's Triple-A career, checking that milestone off in just his second start since being called up from Double-A Biloxi to replace the recently-promoted Luis Sardinas. Trailing 5-1 after two frames, Taylor Jungmann took over to bring order to the ballgame as he would keep Round Rock off the scoreboard over the next two, giving the offense a chance to climb back into ballgame. The Sox would do just that in the fourth, tacking on two more runs on two hits. Ben Guez collected a leadoff single before being scored by Pete Orr on an RBI triple to the right-centerfield gap. Nevin Ashley followed with a deep fly ball to center, plating Orr with a sacrifice fly and cutting the Round Rock lead to 5-3 by inning's end. Jungmann would run into a wall in the fifth, allowing five runs on five hits and a wild pitch. All of the runs would be scored with two outs before the big righty worked out of the frame by setting Smolinski down on strikes. Despite the rough inning, Jungmann would strike out the side with each batter going down swinging. Jungmann went two more scoreless frames, finishing his day having allowed five runs on ten hits and two walks while striking out five over five. Eickhoff settled down after the two-run fourth, tossing three more scoreless innings en route to a strong seven inning performance in which he allowed just three runs on five hits while striking out one. Colorado Springs would add one more run on the eighth as, after leading off with an infield single and advancing to second on a balk by Express reliever Francisco Mendoza, Rivera came around to score on a Shane Peterson RBI single. In stark contrast to Friday night's hit parade, Rivera and Peterson recorded the Sox only multi-hit games as they were outhit 17-7 by the relentless Round Rock attack in the 10-4 loss. The Sky Sox will look to get back on track on Sunday as they prepare to play this same Express team in a day/night double-header. Tyler Thornburg (0-0, 2.55) takes on Round Rock right-hander Phil Klein (1-0, 1.69) in game one with first pitch set for 1:35 PM MDT at Security Service Field. Game two of the twin bill will begin approximately 30 minutes after the final out of game one is recorded. Nick Additon (1-2, 5.52) makes his way back to the starting rotation as he faces off with fellow lefty Jimmy Rodriguez (2-1, 0.51). Sky Sox Boxscore That's the quote of the year right there. Many posters have commented on this AAA team being uninspiring to follow, and I concur as there's not just not many (really anyone) to draw a huge of amount of interest from prospect followers. Yadiel Rivera is a breath of fresh air from that perspective, he's one of the most interesting placements in the entire organization at this time. Sky Sox Recap

I hadn't flipped on a Brewers game in about a week, but I made the mistake of turning on this game while I did my minor league stuff... what a disaster this game is. Garza's ERA has ballooned to almost 6 after this debacle. I was curious so I looked at the Brewer rotation and the only starter with an ERA under 4 is Peralta (3.80), for all the whining about the offense this team has pitched just as bad, they are 15th in team ERA coming into today's action, only better than Colorado. Typically I view pitching by runs allowed and in that category they are dead last with 179.

Wisconsin drops 4-2 decision to Kane County By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers http://www.milb.com/assets/images/0/6/2/124789062/cuts/5_May16_Monte_nwatt59x_p172dca5.jpg Monte Harrison had a pair of hits, drew a walk, and scored two runs for the Timber Rattlers on Saturday afternoon. GRAND CHUTE, WI - The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers had plenty of chances on Saturday afternoon against the Kane County Cougars, but it was the visiting team that picked up the 4-2 win at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium. Victor Reyes had three hits, scored twice, and drove in a run to lead the Cougars to their second straight win in the series. Kane County (17-19) got to Wisconsin starting pitcher Devin Williams for a pair of runs in the third inning. Victor Reyes tripled to start the inning. Colin Bray knocked in Reyes with a sacrifice fly. Later in the frame, Marty Herum and Grant Heyman had back-to-back doubles to get the Cougars a 2-0 lead. Wisconsin (9-27) looked primed to tie the game and more as they loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the third. Jake Gatewood and Monte Harrison singled and Dustin DeMuth walked to put a Rattler on every base. Kane County starter Brent Jones got a strikeout and a force out at home plate for the first two outs. Then, he hit Elvis Rubio on an 0-2 pitch to force in a run to give the Rattlers a run. Jones escaped the jam with the lead on a strikeout for the last out. Greg McCall singled with one out in the bottom of the fourth. Then, Harrison singled with two outs and DeMuth walked again to load the bases against Jones again. But, the Rattlers couldn't push a run across the plate as Jones got a flyout for the last out. Williams, the #8 prospect in the Milwaukee Brewers minor league system according to Baseball America who was making his Midwest League debut, left after four innings. He allowed two runs on six hits with no walks and struck out three on 55 pitches. The Cougars added to their lead with single runs in the fifth and sixth innings off reliever Angel Ventura. Reyes started the fifth inning with a single, went to second on a sacrifice but, and took third on a groundout. Herum made it 3-1 with a two-out single to left. In the sixth, Joe Munoz singled with one out. Ryan Gebhardt singled with two outs to put runners on the corners. Reyes was next and he would strike again with an RBI single to put the Cougars up 4-1. Jones left after five innings and six strikeouts. The Kane County bullpen started with two scoreless innings - including three strikeouts - by Cody Geyer. Rubio started the Wisconsin eighth inning by drawing a walk against Luis Ramirez. Brandon Diaz drew a one out walk to bring the tying run to the plate. But, Ramirez got out of the eighth inning without allowing a run. Gian Rizzo kept the Rattlers within striking distance as he retired all six Kane County batter he faced in two scoreless innings out of the Wisconsin bullpen. The Rattlers got the winning run to the plate in the bottom of the ninth. Ramirez walked Harrison and DeMuth to start the inning. Sthervin Matos flew out to the track in left field for the first out and that allowed Harrison to tag and go to third. Kane County closer Zac Curtis took over for Ramirez at this point and threw a wild pitch to allow Harrison to score and DeMuth to take second. Then, Curtis walked Tucker Neuhaus to bring the winning run to the plate. Curtis would get a strikeout for the second out. Alan Sharkey lined a pitch to the gap in right-center, but the ball hung up for Ryan Hutchison to run down for the final out. Wisconsin stranded thirteen runners and went 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position in the game. Harrison had a pair of hits, scored both runs, and drew a walk for the Rattlers on Saturday. The Timber Rattlers conclude their series with the Cougars and their homestand on Sunday afternoon. Wisconsin will send Cy Sneed (1-4, 1.38) to the mound as their starting pitcher. Kane County has not announced their starter for Sunday. Game time is 1:05pm. Sunday is Bark in the Park. The left field berm will be set aside for our canine friends. Admission is free for our four-legged friends. Plus, the first 1,000 humans Sunday's game will receive bobblehead of the adorable Hank the Dog from Fox Valley Animal Referral Center and Fromm Family Foods. Additionally, fans may play catch on-field courtesy of Rasmussen College starting at noon. Timber Rattlers players will wear their special Brewers-themed jerseys for this 107.5, The Fan's Brewers Sunday. Players will be available for a postgame autograph session sponsored by Tundraland Home Improvements, too. If you can't make it out to the ballpark, there the radio broadcast is on AM1280, WNAM starting with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 12:45pm. The broadcast may also be heard on Tune In Radio and IHeartRadio. Subscribers may watch the game on MiLB.tv. WP: Brent Jones (2-3) LP: Devin Williams (0-1) SAVE: Zac Curtis (6) TIME: 3:02 ATTN: 4,177 Postgame Post – May 16, 2015 A nice Devin Williams pic leads things off in this edition. Wisconsin Boxscore Sometimes I'm a putz, I swear I set my DVR last night for this game knowing that I was going to be invested elsewhere during the day, only to get home and find that I messed up and didn't record the game. Which means that unfortunately I don't have any observations regarding Devin Williams to offer. Though I guess the good news is that I get to dive right into Orphan Black when I'm done here. The 3rd was especially unsatisfying, the Rattlers actually had more walks (9), than hits (6), but topped double strike outs with (11). Wisconsin Recap

No it's pretty much the same theory as piggy backing, allowing starters to pitch late into the game, apparently the 7-9th innings are significantly different than the 1-3.

He's good out there, Reed has always profiled like a corner OF, he just doesn't have the range for CF. His only issue has always been a lack of power which since he's limited to the corners defensively, has limited his ceiling to "4th OF". If he can hit for more power he's one of the most intriguing prospects in the system because he literally does everything else very well.

Cravy, Four-Run Third Propel Sox To 6-2 Win 12 Hits, Bullpen Support Cravy's Solid Outing for First Series Win By Ed Pearsall / Colorado Springs Sky Sox http://www.milb.com/assets/images/0/0/4/124714004/cuts/05_15_018sm_pk_2_wzri474o_tmpb0781.jpg Making his first Triple-A start, shortstop Yadiel Rivera provided a two-hit spark en route to the 6-2 victory. (Paat Kelly) COLORADO SPRINGS, CO - The Sky Sox displayed great resilience and patience in Friday night's 6-2 win over the Memphis Redbirds in front of 4,425 fans at Security Service Field. Sox starter Tyler Cravy (3-4, 5.14) overcame a tough, two-run second frame to toss five strong innings, allowing just the two runs on four hits and two walks while striking out five. Two of the hits and walks given up by the right-hander came in that long Memphis second as eight total batters came to the plate. The Sox offense would provide Cravy with plenty of support thanks to an impressive third inning display. Redbirds right-hander Boone Whiting (0-2, 7.77) would struggle with command all night, issuing seven free passes in his 3.2 innings of work. No frame was more unforgiving than the third however as the Sky Sox tallied four runs on three base hits and three walks, sending all nine batters to the plate. Playing in his first game with Colorado Springs since being called up from Double-A Biloxi, newly-minted Sox shortstop Yadiel Rivera notched his first career Triple-A base hit in the inning with a one-out single. Rivera, ranked the 13th best prospect in the Brewers' system according to Baseball America, would reach third on the play as Memphis third baseman Scott Moore overthrew first, allowing Matt Long to score the Sox first run of the game. Consecutive walks to Matt Clark, Ben Guez and Pete Orr forced in a run, tying the game 2-2. Nevin Ashley would come to the plate with two outs and the bases loaded, taking advantage of the RBI situation with a two-run single to score Clark and Guez and extend the lead to 4-2. Although they tacked on a run in both the fifth and eighth thanks to RBI singles from Logan Schafer and Guez, the four-run frame would prove to be all of the offense that the Sox would require as the bullpen shut down the Redbirds lineup the rest of the way. Ariel Pena, David Goforth and Corey Knebel combined for four innings of scoreless ball, allowing just two hits and two walks while striking out a total of four. Five different hitters collected multi-hit games in Colorado Springs' 12-hit effort with Rivera and Guez each scoring two runs a piece. Logan Schafer showed signs of breaking out as he recorded a single, double and RBI as a member of the night's two-hit club. With the win, the Sky Sox improve to 14-21 while dropping Memphis to 13-22 on the season. The victory also represents Colorado Springs' first series-victory of 2015 after splitting three of their last four four-game sets. The Sox will look to build on the strong series when beginning a five-game stretch against the Round Rock Express on Saturday evening. Taylor Jungmann takes the ball for the Sox as he faces off with Express righty Jerad Eickhoff (2-2, 5.32) at Security Service Field with first pitch set for 6:05 PM MDT. Sky Sox Boxscore We're undergoing of a bit of a renaissance here in the system this year with talented hitters who had previously under performed but appear to have experienced an epiphany, Yadiel Rivera is one of those players. I'm having a very hard time tempering my enthusiasm for what he's been doing, especially after watching him flail away at everything in WI. Rivera and Arcia could be the best defensive middle infield Milwaukee has had in my lifetime, I was born in '75 and don't remember much before '81 though. The usual suspects continue to perform for the Sky Sox on the hitting side. Sky Sox Recap

Kane County edges Wisconsin 2-1 Fourth inning homer is enough for the Cougars By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers http://www.milb.com/assets/images/3/9/0/124683390/cuts/5_May14_Leal_0hainits_ow9g9yvo.jpg Carlos Leal drove in a run in the bottom of the first inning for the Timber Rattlers on Friday night against Kane County. (Wisconsin Timber Rattlers/Ann Mollica) GRAND CHUTE, WI - The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers were looking for their second straight win, but the Kane County Cougars had other ideas on Friday night at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium. The Cougars won a close 2-1 contest over the Rattlers in the first meeting of the season between the teams. The Timber Rattlers (9-26) scored in the first inning on a two-out rally. Brandon Diaz doubled with two outs and none on base. Carlos Leal followed with an RBI single to right to drive in Diaz for a 1-0 lead. Kane County starting pitcher Markus Solbach allowed a run over his six innings, gave up a total of four hits with no walks and struck out five. The Rattlers got two-out singles from Sthervin Matos in the fourth and Jake Gatewood in the fifth for their only other hits in the game. The Cougars (16-19) took the lead in the top of the fourth inning against Wisconsin starter Joshua Torres. Cody Regis singled to start the inning. Then, Grant Heyman hit a home run to the Wisconsin bullpen in right-center. The two-run blast gave Kane County a 2-1 lead. Torres would work six innings for Wisconsin and allowed six hits, but Wisconsin's defense turned three double plays behind him in his Midwest League debut. He walked none and struck out two. Wisconsin's offense only got one base runner against a trio of Kane County relievers in the final three innings. Monte Harrison drew a two out walk in the eighth inning, but that was it. Zac Curtis pitched a perfect ninth inning to close out his fifth save in five opportunities this season. Game two of the series is set for Saturday afternoon. Devin Williams, the #8 prospect in the Milwaukee Brewers organization, will make his Midwest League debut as the starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Kane County has named Brent Jones (1-3, 3.10) as their scheduled starting pitcher. Game time is 1:05pm. Trick or Treat with the Timber Rattlers by dressing up in costume on Saturday afternoon and enjoying Halloween in May presented by YouthGo! Who you gonna call to have some fun at this game? Why, the Ghostbusters, of course! They will be at the game to meet and greet fans. If you can't make it out to the ballpark, there are several ways to catch the action. MyNEW 32's Sports Showdown will televise the game beginning at 1:0pm. The radio broadcast is on AM1280, WNAM starting with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 6:15am. The broadcast may also be heard on Tune In Radio and IHeartRadio. Subscribers may watch the game on MiLB.tv. HOME RUN: KC: Grant Heyman (2nd, 1 on in 4th inning off Joshua Torres, 0 out) WP: Markus Solbach (3-2) LP: Joshua Torres (0-1) SAVE: Zac Curtis (5) TIME: 2:31 ATTN: 3,506 Postgame Post – May 15, 2015 Wisconsin Boxscore The T-Rats have had an interesting week with the facility, last night the lights went out causing a 20 minute delay and tonight the sprinklers came on between innings and the base ump got sprayed pretty good... always good to stick it to blue when you can! The Rattlers had 5 players in the line-up tonight hitting below .200... As note in the the transaction thread Monte Harrison returned from bereavement and was back in CF. I liked what I saw from Joshua Torres, the pitch he gave up the HR on was on the outside corner around the knees, not a bad pitch at all, sometimes you just gotta tip your cap. Looking forward to Devin Williams' debut tomorrow, thankfully it will televised as well. Tucker Neuhaus' first AB was awesome, the TV crew pegged it at 15 pitches, I lost count. He should have walked but was wrung up on a low pitch, it wasn't really even that close. The defense in this game was pretty awesome, Alan Sharkey had a nice game with some tough plays and an unassisted double play. Carlos Leal continues to shine, he actually double clutched on the steal and still threw a perfect strike to gun the runner. Wisconsin Recap

Rattlers end losing streak emphatically Wisconsin beats Clinton 9-3 at home By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers http://www.milb.com/assets/images/7/4/0/124494740/cuts/5_May13_Matos_972w9wmh_sehsmorr.jpg Sthervin Matos went 3-for-4 with two doubles, two runs scored, and three RBI to lead the Rattlers to a 9-3 win on Thursday night. (Wisconsin Timber Rattlers/Ann Mollica) GRAND CHUTE, WI - The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers defeated the Clinton LumberKings 9-3 on Thursday night at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium. Sthervin Matos led the way with three hits, two runs scored, and two RBI. The victory ended Wisconsin's twelve game losing streak. Matos started the scoring for the Timber Rattlers (9-25) in the bottom of the second inning. Carlos Leal drew a leadoff walk and Matos followed with a double to drive in Leal. Luis Aviles made it 2-0 with a two-out RBI single to score Matos. Clinton (15-19) rallied to tie the score in the top of the third against starting pitcher Luis Ortega. Joe DeCarlo completed a string of three straight singles with one out to drive in the first run of the inning. Ortega walked the next batter to load the bases. Then, Estarlyn Morales singled again to knock in the tying run. Wisconsin grabbed the lead back in the bottom of the third. Brandon Diaz drew a leadoff walk and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Francisco Castillo. Diaz stole third on ball four to Leal and scored when the throw bounced into left. Leal wound up at second on the play. Matos would double again to knock in Leal for a 4-3 advantage. But, Clinton made it close again in the top of the fourth. Ortega issued a leadoff walk and gave up a two out single. An error later in the inning let a run score, but Ortega struck out DeCarlo to end the threat. The Timber Rattlers got a little breathing room in the bottom of the fifth with a two-out rally of their own. Elvis Rubio and Leal singled. Then, Matos drove in Rubio with another single. Alan Sharkey made it a 6-3 lead with a single to score Leal and send Matos around to third base. Then, the game took a turn to the weird. Just after Leal scored, the lights at the stadium went out due to a tripped breaker. The game restarted seventeen minutes later. Once play resumed the Rattlers stole a run. Sharkey broke for second and got caught in a rundown on purpose. He stayed in the rundown long enough for Matos to break for the plate and score the third run of the inning. Milton Gomez took over for Ortega in the top of the fifth inning and worked four scoreless innings. He allowed three hits, walked two, hit a batter, and struck out two to pick up the victory. Wisconsin added single runs in the seventh and eighth innings during a steadily increasing rain. Francisco Castillo tripled to lead off the seventh and scored on a sacrifice fly by Rubio. In the eighth, Sharkey walked and would eventually score on a single by Gregory Munoz. Tyler Linehan came on to pitch the ninth inning and struck out the first batter, but walked the second. The left-handed reliever got the final batter of the game to ground into a game-ending 1-6-3 double play. The victory was the first for the Rattlers since April 30. They collected ten hits, drew seven walks, and went 5-for-13 with runners in scoring position to stop the long losing streak two games shy of the team record. The Timber Rattlers continue their homestand on Friday night with game one of a three game series against the Kane County Cougars. Joshua Torres is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers and will be making his 2015 debut. Markus Solbach (2-2, 3.09) is the scheduled starter for the Cougars. Game time is 6:35pm. The first 1,000 fans to attend the North Shore Bank Family Night Friday will receive a Scooter Gennett Timber Rattlers T-Shirt from Baycom. The T-Shirt features the Timber Rattlers logo on the front and Scooter's name on the back with his number when he was a Rattler in 2010. Children 14 and under may participate in Kids Run the Bases thanks to Molina Healthcare after the game. If you can't make it out to the ballpark, there are several ways to catch the action. MyNEW 32's Sports Showdown will televise the game beginning at 6:30pm. The radio broadcast is on AM1280, WNAM starting with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 6:15am. The broadcast may also be heard on Tune In Radio and IHeartRadio. Subscribers may watch the game on MiLB.tv. WP: Milton Gomez (2-2) LP: Pat Peterson (4-2) TIME: 3:02 (:17 delay) ATTN: 2,277 Postgame Post – May 14, 2015 If you don't listen to another interview this year, listen to the pre-game interview linked by Chris with Rick Tomlin. Wisconsin Boxscore It's over! I talked about Luis Ortega's inconsistencies in an earlier Link Report and generally speaking walks are what gets him into trouble. He never seems to walk a guy with 2 out, rather he walks the first batter(s) of the inning and then settles down. Milton Gomez gave up 9 runs on 4/18, since that time he's given up 1, 1, 2, 3, and 0 this evening. I'll be honest in that I don't know if he has a MLB future in any capacity, but he's been slowing bringing his stat lines back to respectability. He's had such an odd career, repeating the DSL, then repeating the AZL, and now this year jumping past Helena. In case you missed it above Carlos Leal made a super heads up play getting all the way to 2nd on a walk with a steal attempt on the same play. The ball bounced into very short left field and Carlos hustled and took that extra base, which was huge at the time. His power #s are not great from a HR perspective, but he's smacked 6 2Bs and 1 3B in addition to that 1 HR, giving him 8 XBH on the season so he's not devoid of power. Basically in addition to what I've already said I'm pointing out again that there are not many holes in his game. I'm still marveling at him jumping all the way to WI as a hitter in his first season as a position player. Jake Gatewood returned to the line-up and showed good range again, he's been a pleasant surprise defensively. Sthervin Matos is an enigma to me, he's either extremely hot or cold, he has no in-between, he's had such a roller coaster season so far. He had been slumping miserably with 4 hitless games last week and had been 3-12 so far this week, then just explodes with 2 doubles and the single tonight sparking the offense. The rain was really coming down by the end of the game and T-Rats just kept battling, I was proud of the boys tonight. Wisconsin Recap

Chris touched on it in yesterday's post game blog post and once again the Rattlers score in one inning and turn around and immediately give a run (could be runs) back in the following half inning.

I think Monty hit on the key concept that we've been beating around for a couple of years now, but phrased it in a nice way. Why does it have to be "now" or "later"? I've never really understood that. Why isn't it possible to win now and build for the future at the same time? If you give up a player here or there the MLB roster isn't significantly impacted and you've brought back more talent into the organization. I'll go back to the mythical Hardy trade (the off season before being dealt for Gomez) one more time: If you assume Hardy is a 4 WAR player for a season and you replace him with a young SS who's a 2 WAR player, then all you need is a 2 WAR pitcher in that deal and you've broke even in that first year. It's reasonable to expect young players to ascend so maybe both those young players are 3 WAR players the following year, and now we're way ahead. The year after maybe a 3 and 4 WAR respectively... and so on. Far too often people will focus on the loss in production between Hardy and in this case Escobar, and argue that the MLB team just got worse and "you can't do that when you are trying to contend". However if the young pitcher replaces a MLB pitcher who's 0 WAR or worse then 2 holes are being plugged for the next 6 years. So if you look at the 2009 Brewers and replace Hardy with Escobar and then any of the bad pitchers: Looper, Suppan, or Parra with someone like Buchholz as a team the Brewers would be at least as good in 2009 and better in 2010, 2011... maybe making the trade dominoes fall a different way. It doesn't matter what player you trade away if you get enough value back to make the team (as a whole) better. It's about total wins given up vs total wins acquired. Selling shouldn't be viewed as "giving up" but rather re-positioning talent. It's no different than say sacrificing your bishop and a pawn to nab the opponent's queen in chess. The game isn't lost with a temporary downgrade in talent if you gain a long-term advantage. And please don't get hung up on Buchholz as the pitching example, I know he's been brutal the last 2 years and had surgery. I'm just trying to illustrate the difference between what the "perception" and "reality" really is. I'm just using real players to give my argument "faces" if you will.

When Taylor, Haniger, and Reed shared the same OF Haniger played CF before Reed.

Rattlers fall in tenth to Clinton Wisconsin rallies to tie in ninth, but sees losing streak reach 12 By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers http://www.milb.com/assets/images/7/3/6/124299736/cuts/5_May13_Gregory_Munoz_wp1m5nm4_3of3t50x.jpg Gregory Munoz went 2-for-6 with a double and two runs scored on Wednesday night. (Wisconsin Timber Rattlers/Ann Mollica GRAND CHUTE, WI - The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers scored four runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to tie Wednesday's game with the Clinton LumberKings at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium. But, Kristian Brito singled with two outs in the top of the tenth to drive in the run to beat Wisconsin 6-5 and send the Rattlers to their twelfth straight loss. Clinton (15-18) broke the scoreless tie with two runs in the top of the fourth. Chris Mariscal singled and Taylor Zeutenhorst doubled. Brito singled with one out to drive in Mariscal. Zeutenhorst scored on a grounder off the bat of Daniel Torres. Those were the only two runs allowed by Wisconsin starting pitcher Kodi Medeiros. The lefty allowed five hits over five innings, walked one, and struck out eight. The eight strikeouts by Medeiros matched the most he has had in a single game as a professional. The Timber Rattlers (8-25) got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fifth inning. Gregory Munoz reached on an error, moved to second on a wild pitch, and took third on a single by Brandon Diaz. Tucker Neuhaus drove in Munoz with a sacrifice fly to pull the Rattlers to within 2-1. But, Clinton responded in the top of the sixth against reliever David Burkhalter with a run. Burkhalter struck out the first three batters of the inning, but Taylor Zeutenhorst - the second batter of the inning - reached when strike three got to the backstop. Brito lined a two-out double to right and Zeutenhorst scored from first for a 3-1 lead. The LumberKings made it 5-1 in the top of the seventh. Aaron Barbosa reached on a one-out single and Erick Mejia got on first after Burkhalter dropped a flip to first from Alan Sharkey for an error. Burkhalter got the second out, but walked Mariscal on a 3-2 pitch to load the bases. Zeutenhorst followed with a two-run single and the LumberKings were up four. Wisconsin rallied in the ninth against Troy Scott. Munoz reached on an error by Brito. Neuhaus, who had extended his current hitting streak to eleven games with a single in the seventh, drew a walk. Dustin DeMuth followed with a single to right and Munoz scored. Sharkey was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Elvis Rubio was next and his slow grounder to short wound up scoring both Neuhaus and DeMuth when Brito missed the throw to first. Sharkey wound up at third on the play as the tying run. Francisco Castillo tied the game when his sinking line drive to center was caught by Barbosa. Sharkey tagged on the play and scored the tying run. In the top of the tenth, Mariscal doubled off Mark Williams to start the inning, but he was still at second with two outs and a 1-2 pitch due to Brito. The Clinton first baseman lined a single to right and Mariscal scored without a throw. Munoz reached on a one out single in the bottom of the tenth, but the Rattlers left him stranded. The Timber Rattlers stranded 13 runners and went 4-for-17 with runners in scoring position. However, three of their four hits with runners in scoring position moved runners from second to third without scoring a run. Wisconsin has lost twelve straight games. The team record of fourteen straight losses was set by the 2007 team. The first 1,000 fans to attend the game will receive a poster featuring Wisconsin infielder Dustin DeMuth, the 5th round pick of the Brewers in 2014, courtesy of Dunkin Donuts. Thirsty Thursday means 16oz soda, beer, and Arty's Old Fashioned drinks are available for just $2. If you can't make it out to the stadium, there are numerous ways to catch the action. Time Warner Cable SportsChannel will televise the game starting at 6:30pm. The radio broadcast is on AM1280, WNAM starting with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 6:15am. The broadcast may also be heard on Tune In Radio and IHeartRadio. Subscribers may watch the game on MiLB.tv. WP: Troy Scott (1-0) LP: Mark Williams (0-1) SAVE: Jarrett Brown (1) TIME: 3:43 ATTN: 3,940 Wisconsin Boxscore Gah! A 4 run rally only to come up short again, I missed a heck of a game. Lots to digest here as 4 players had multi-hit games and 2 young pitchers were on the hill. Wisconsin Recap

It's surprising that with so many teams on the road across MiLB every year this doesn't happen more often. Best wishes for all of the Braves' players affected. Mudcats Cancel Series In Myrtle Beach After Accident May 13, 2015 by Vince Lara-Cinisomo

I don't think it's outrageous to believe that the Brewers could ultimately end up at or around .500 this year, but that's not just not my measure of whether or not the team is competitive, nor do I view that as any reason to stick with the status quo. My personal bar is set much higher than that, if we aren't a 90-92 win team on paper I'm just not going to be excited. Even in 2011 it was hard for me to stay up because there was literally no depth at all behind the MLB roster so I spent all year fearing that a couple of players would get hurt and have it all come crashing down.

I found this little tidbit interesting: