SB Nation - Marcus Giles

Braves non-tender Kelly Johnson

gondeee — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 19:55:47 -0000

In an unfortunate move, the Atlanta Braves were unable to find a trade partner to take second baseman Kelly Johnson. Because Johnson would have made too much money through arbitration, the Braves decided to non-tender him a contract, making him a free agent.

Back at the beginning of the off-season, in early October, I called this move of non-tendering Johnson. Back then I said it was reminiscent of the situation the team faced with Marcus Giles a few years ago. The club simply does not value the player as much as he would be making through salary arbitration.

Still, it's a shame we couldn't get something for Johnson. I guess the Braves are a bit gun-shy after the Soriano Surprise of getting stuck with contracts they don't want. I wonder if they were able to trade Derek Lowe before this decision (thusly freeing up payroll), if they would have made a different decision on Johnson. I guess we'll never know.

We'll miss you Scooter.

Talking Chop Round Table: Braves Second Basemen

gondeee — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 19:44:34 -0000

As part of season reviews for major league players and top prospect ranking for minor league players, we here at Talking Chop thought it would be a fun idea to get all of our bloggers together with the help of Google Docs and debate the various aspects of each position in the Braves organization.

The participants are, yours truly (gondeee, indicated by MG), yondaime4 (indicated by MF), royhobbs (indicated by DH), and cbwilk (indicated by CBW).

Here is the round table for second basemen in the Braves organization:

MG: I think the Braves are going to release Kelly Johnson this off-season. I think they'll try and trade him, but it will be just like Marcus Giles several years ago, where no one wants his salary, so they'll end up non-tendering him.
CBW: It's funny you mention this, because I was thinking about writing up a post comparing the two. Johnson's 2009 was actually a lot worse than Giles' 2006. Giles hit .262 with a .729 OPS that year while Johnson managed just .223 with a .692 OPS this year. Johnson is only making 2.825 million compared to the 3.85 million Giles made that year, but the problem is still the same, nobody gets a pay cut when the hit arbitration, in fact, they all get pay raises. Johnson's situation is worse, because his replacement is obvious in Martin Prado. The Braves got rid of Giles under the hope that Johnson could play second base and recover from missing a year to Tommy John surgery. I really dont' see any way that Johnson comes back, unless he's willing to sign a Minor League deal after getting non-tendered and come to ST to earn a job. Speaking of, Atlanta should be a desirable destination for Minor League free agents who play second base; they'll probably doubt Martin Prado too.
MF: This is sad to me because I have always liked Kelly, ever since he was a 19 year old power hitting shortstop prospect for Macon in the Sally league. I think cutting ties with him now could bite us hard in a couple of seasons but I don't know what else we can do with him that keeps him on the team but not making a but load of outs. That was the problem with this team this year and ultimately the reason we didn't make the playoffs: in the first half of the season we gave away more outs than I care to think about. We can't keep him around if he is going to make those outs, he will just have to rebound elsewhere.
CBW: Definitely agree with the sentiment about liking Kelly for a long time. He was so impressive with Macon and Myrtle Beach. At the time, the guy he really reminded you of was Chipper. His stance was a little less crouched than it is now, and was fairly identical to Chipper's. He had all the tools as well, the surprising speed and general knack. But around AA those things kind of tapered off and he just kind of became another guy. I hope he rebounds for his sake, cause I generall like the guy, but I still think it's going to take some AAA time before a team gives him a shot at being a starter in the Majors again.
MF: I would put serious money on him getting a job with KC or Washington if we non tender him. And that isn't even a joke. One of those guys will go after him.
DH: I was saying the exact same thing with my friend who is a Nats fan. And to no surprise, he says he'd be thrilled to see Kelly Johnson on his team, and I can practically already see him wearing their uniform already. In response to everything else, I'm afraid that I must agree that Johnson's probably done in Atlanta. I remember the old 90's ideology of drafting the best athletes, and in some respect, I thought Kelly was a product of that line of thinking. He has good pop with the bat, a good eye when he wants to be patient, and has decent speed. I kept my mouth shut on the board during the heated Johnson vs. Prado wars, but in the long term, I think Johnson is the better option. Prado may be younger, and might certainly have turned a corner in his career, but I'm still a little bit weary with him.
CBW: Johnson would look right in that lineup. If he played like he did this year, he'd certainly help them go for three number one picks in a row. Sometimes you have to wonder what they're doing in DC; Ian Desmond is one of the worst defensive infielders I've ever seen, but everything I read says their fairly intent on trading Guzman and going with Desmond as their SS. It just baffles me how bad one organization can be.

MG: Martin Prado will improve next year, I stand by that. He now has an entire off-season to prepare himself to be a full time player, where he may not have expected that last off-season.
CBW: I don't understand why some people still doubt this guy. He was a solid .300 hitter with a .747 OPS in the Minors and has been better as a Major Leaguer, hitting .307 with an .810 OPS. Everyone wants to knock him for the amount of time he's spent as a part-time player, but I think the fact that he's maintained and improved upon his success as a part-time player only makes what he's done more impressive. It's not easy to come off the bench and not play every day when you're young and used to being full time in the minors. For some reason he's gotten this reputation as a poor defender, which I just don't see. What he is is a solid, all-around classic second baseman. He's relatively young, and very cheap, and not having him as the starting second baseman in 2010 would be silly. I don't know if he's going to get better, but if he just repeats what he did this year for the next few that'd be fantastic.
MF: Prado hit for more power than I thought he would, but CB is right, his ML performance is right in line with his minor league stuff plus that little bit of power. I'm not sure he will improve next season, but I wouldn't be afraid to expect more of the same. And we are going to need him because as Martin points out, there is no immediate help for 2B.
CBW: I definitely think one of the big offseason needs is to bring in another Infante-like backup, a veteran who's dependable and can play around the infield, cause, as you pointed out, there's no safety net. A guy I've always liked is Mark Loretta. His offense took a huge dip this season, but you're not looking for him to be the main guy off the bench. He'll be 38, but he's still dependable around the infield and is a great presence in a clubhouse. I'm sure there are plenty of guys who fit this bill, but he's the first one that comes to my mind.
DH: As I mentioned above, I'm not 100% sold on Prado. Part of the reason is also his health - joking aside from Kelly line drives, he played most of 2009 with balky knees and ankles. I certainly enjoyed the improvements demonstrated by him throughout the year, and I also agree that I was surprised at the power he flashed from time to time, but I think it's just some part in the back of my mind that is worried that he won't be as effective if he's the starter out of the gate. One question I have is, who's going to inevitably spell Martin Prado? Given the fact that he himself will spell 1B or Chipper a lot of the time, Prado will occasionally need a day off.
CBW: You have to wonder if somebody else won't be brought in to be that backup guy. If they do indeed get rid of Johnson like we all seem to think they will, they'll be asking Prado to become the everyday second baseman, and most teams aren't going to ask one of their starters to be a backup or slide around positions. It seems like you could find a more valuable corner guy with some pop, since you need to replace Norton as well, and just let Omar Infante back up Prado.

MG: Our minor league second base depth is beyond pitiful.
CBW: It's not great, no. When you're mentioning guys like JC Holt and Michael Fisher you know things aren't going well. Holt is 26 and hasn't even played every day the last few years, while Fisher was 24 playing for Myrtle Beach and didn't play that well. Neither are really prospects. The middle infield is a dry spot for the Braves at the moment. I'm actually of the opinion that our best second base prospect is shortstop Myke Jones. His body and his arm look more suited to second, but since he hasn't played there yet, I can't really put him there.
MF: Coming into this season I wouldn't have worried too much about our middle INF depth in the minors simply because we had good players locked up for a while going forward in KJ, Prado and Escobar, but now we just have Prado and Escobar and I am a little worried about what we have coming up. I mean there isn't even any potential in there. Everyone was excited about Robert Brooks last year and he actually might be our best second base prospect right now but I didn't rank anyone this year who missed the season for injuries. We will just have to wait and see with him. Otherwise there is nothing here. Maybe the best option long term is moving Mycal Jones there? But I'm not really sold on him.
CBW: I had completely forgotten about Brooks. I might have had him on my list instead of Holt, because at least if he didn't have a career ending injury, there's the potential that he becomes good, while we pretty much know what Holt is. Still, I wasn't very sold on him last year; yeah, he was great for the Orlando Braves, but he was old for the league. I'm guessing that the plan was actually for him to be at Rome, but he still would have been old there. So, if he's healhty, he's probably starting 2010 at Rome, and he'll turn 22 in May, so, for me, he really needs to come out of the gate and dominate or else I'm going to look at him in the same light as Campusano.
MF: Completely off topic here, but you know who I thought would be great, and then we traded and I thought would bite us in the butt but never amounted to anything? Richard Lewis. I think he was the last college guy we took with or first round pick (supplemental) and he struggled for a couple seasons and then exploded in the AFL right before he went to AA. Then we traded him to the Cubs for Juan Cruz and he knocked 60 XBH in his first season there between AA and AAA and I thought we had been hosed. And then he never made it to the majors. Not even for one AB. How does that happen?
CBW: It's funny, you look at his career, and was always old for whatever league he was playing in, but aside from those 99 games in AA for the Cubs in 04 he never dominated, or even really played that well. We had a lot of busts early in the draft around the late 90s early 2000s, but really I think a lot of teams did. I had forgotten that Richard played Indy ball last year; I think I missed him by a week or so when I saw Camden. It was funny, but I actually talked to Lewis the day he got traded from the Braves. It was during ST and I had talked to him a little in the morning, then he left early, then came out and was saying goodby to everyone. I asked him what was up and he told me about the trade. Kind of interesting to hear about a trade directly from one of the guys involved.

MG: Campusano intrigues me, but I'm not quite sold on him yet, though he gets the top spot almost by default. I want to give it to Travis Jones, but I can't, though I still think there is a good bit of hope for him.
CBW: I was really surprised you guys both had Campusano ahead of Jones. Campusano is only a year young, but he's playing two levels below Jones. He's old for his league and not exactly dominating the way he should be. And, when you see him in person, his body just isn't impressive. He strikes me as a guy who needs to move out to left field; of course, his production out there would just be poor. Jones is a little old for his league, but nowhere near as much as Campusano. Despite low averages and too many strikeouts, Jones has shown some ability to dominate at both Rome and Myrtle Beach, so that's already more than Campusano has going for him. He's going to have to repeat AA as a 24 year old, so he'll definitely be old for his level, but we already know neither he nor Campusano are big time prospects anyway. But still, I can't see putting Jones after Campusano, so I'm curious to hear the reasons you guys had for doing so.
MF: I might reconsider on Jones now that I am looking over things more. In my head I had his season as being worse than what it was and I always take hitting stats in the Southern League with a grain of salt. Especially when you play half your games in Pearl. So, I don't have much justification for ranking Campusano ahead of Jones. Especially with the playmaking ability that Jones flashes with his speed. On top of all that Jones was great in the second half of the season with an .819 OPS and 10/12 on SB attempts. Maybe he is a little better than I was giving him credit for. I stand corrected CB.
CBW: Well, if we can get gondee to change his mind too, can we get the ranking changed to flip flop these guys? I don't know what the plan is, but if the discussion bears out something different, I don't see why not.
MF: It is in stone man, there is no going back now. Not now, not ever.
CBW: ...that's...depressing.

MG: CB, you have got to tell us why you think so highly of Jim Linger.
CBW: Well, I knew I was definitely reaching to put him first on my list, but I was completely shocked that neither of you even had him on yours. When the position is as thin as second base is for the Braves, I figured it couldn't hurt to go out on a limb and take a completely unproven guy. When he signed in 2007, he was considered the best amatuer talent in Australia at the time. The team ultimately decided he didn't have the range, arm, or instincts for shortstop, but at 5'11", 195 pounds he's got a solid, strong body for second base and seems to be making strides there. His 2009 season, was nothing amazing, hitting .273 with a .688 OPS for the Orlando Braves, but he's only 18, he walked a fair amount, and he didn't strike out much. Australians always take a while to develop, and I see a kid with a good body and a ton of upside who was highly though of when he signed. Frankly, nobody else at second base in the system strikes me as a true prospect, so, if only by default, I had put Linger at the top of my list.
MF: I kind of take the Sickels approach to ranking players in that I generally don't give a guy much credit until they have made it into full season ball or have universally praised tools. This year the only real exceptions to that I have are Teheran and Bethancourt. So Linger is a guy I didn't know much about and you have the heads up on having seen him.
CBW: And I really barely saw him. It was like, oh, there's that Australian kid. I watched him take some infield, at shortstop, and a little bit in the batting cage. I definitely don't have any great insight on the guy, I just thought he was worth taking a leap with at a thin position.

Braves Top-5 Second Base Prospects

cbwilk — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 12:00:21 -0000

Braves second base prospect Travis Jones.

View full size photo »

The Braves have been fortunate enough to consistently fill their second base position with homegrown talent over the last three decades. Aside from small stretches by Brett Boone and Quilvio Veras, the mantle of starting second baseman has passed from Glen Hubbard to Mark Lemke to Marcus Giles to Kelly Johnson and now to the newest in the string of Atlanta-developed second sackers, Martin Prado. The position has remained solidly, if not spectacularly, filled and the next wave of prospects hints at more of the same. Atlanta's current bevy of second base prospects is fairly lacking in top flight talent with huge celings, but it's a group of solid players who all seem likely to reach their personal potentials.

1. Travis Jones B/T: R/R Born: 11/10/1985 Ht: 5/9" Wt: 190
Jones takes the top spot among Braves' Minor League second basemen despite a bit of a down year for AA Mississippi. As a 22 year old playing for Myrtle Beach in 2008, Jones managed to club out 29 doubles, 16 homers and 78 RBIs along with swiping 17 bases while compling a .248 average and a .789 OPS. This season his OPS dropped to .706 as his home run power seemed to vanish, but his other numbers held firm, as he hit for a .249 average to with 22 doubles and 23 stolen bases.

Mississippi's park has become known as a pitcher's park, as notoriously hard to hit home runs in as Myrtle Beach's park, and that coupled with the natural trials of the adjustment to AA, considered the hardest adjustment in professional baseball, led to Jones' first half struggles. In 228 at bats before the All-Star break he hit just .224 with a punchless .637 OPS, but rebounded amiably after the break hitting .290 with a .819 OPS in 138 at bats.

Jones is a solid, reliable defender who combines good instincts with plus range. He doesn't have the arm to play shortstop, nor the body to play third, and he's played neither position as a professional, so there isn't much of a chance that he'll be able to work his way into the Major Leagues as a utiliy infielder. But, the power/speed combo that he showed in 07, 08, and the second half of 09 suggest that he has the tools to be an everyday starter for a Big League team. He'll begin next season as a 24 year old, so there's not much chance that he'll develop into a high octane, incredibly exciting player, but he's certainly in the Braves mold of a dependable, solid second baseman.

Due to his second half surge, a great Spring Training could propel Jones to AAA Gwinnett, but it's more likely the Braves allow him to repeat his success at AA, at least for the first half of the season. Either way, he'll need to continue to work on keeping his swing correct and aiming for doubles instead of home runs. His history suggests he's never going to hit for a high average, but he still gets on base at a good clip and has shown a knack for situational hitting. Jones doesn't have the highest ceiling in the Braves' farm system, but his combination of slugging and speed make him a valuable component in a lineup and he could help Atlanta as soon as the end of the 2010 season.

2. Yoel Campusano B/T: R/R Born: 12/14/1986 Ht: 5'11" Wt: 200
Campusano, who has alternately been known by the first names Joel and Albaro, comes in at second on the list after garnering Rome's Player of the Year honors by hitting .288 with a .730 OPS. Despite this accolade, 2009 wasn't exactly an outstanding season for him, since at 22 he was several years too old for the league and didn't dominate in the way that a player that old should have.

Despite a slightly stocky body, Campusano has a fair amount of quickness and is a solid defender. He began his career as a shortstop, but as his body has filled out he's found himself better suited for second base. But, while his body is well suited for second, it limits him offensively; despite his build, he's not blessed with much power, and he doesn't have the speed to steal enough bases to make him a dynamic hitter.

Like Jones before him, Campusano is a fairly polished player. He's too old to imagine a huge boost in his tools, but he's been steady enough to suggest he won't regress much either. He'll go into 2010 as Myrtle Beach's starting second baseman and look to continue to build on his Minor League resume.

3. JC Holt B/T: L/R Born: 12/8/1982 Ht: 5"9" Wt: 175
Holt will be 27 entering the 2010 season, so he's hardly the typical prospect, and, despite consistently being a year or so old for the level he was playing at, he's never dominated, compiling a .711 OPS in his six Minor League seasons. But, he's working on his versatility to make himself a more attractive player, going back to the outfield, where he excelled in college, and playing nearly as many games in left field this season as he played at second base.

An August knee injury cut short his 2009 season, but Holt was working mainly as a part-time player even before that, compiling a .282 average and .697 OPS in 302 plate appearances. While he's never been a terror with the bat, he does supplement his lack of power with speed, stealing an average of 25 bases over the last four seasons. He uses his speed well, both at the plate, where he regularly bunts for base hits, and in the field, where he has plus range both in the infield and the outfield. But, his small frame (that he's listed at 5'9" tall is a comical lie) doesn't allow for much of an arm, so he's not likely to be an adequate defender at third base or shortstop and while he'd certainly have the range for center, his arm would be a liability there.

Holt is a completely finished product; you know what you're going to get out of him, an average somewhere in the .270 to .280 range, a low .700 OPS, and around 25 stolen bases. He'll spend 2010 once again refining his skills in Gwinnett, hoping for an injury that will allow his particular set of skills to be useful in the Major Leagues. He's unlikely to be protected on Atlanta's 40 man roster, so a team looking to stash his speed and versatility at the end of their bench might find him attractive.

4. Michael Fisher B/T: S/R Born: 3/22/1985 Ht: 6'2" Wt: 188
Fisher's inclusion on this list is a clear sign that Atlanta is not deep at second base in the Minor Leagues. Despite being several years old for the league at 24, he put up a poor showing at Myrtle Beach, hitting just .238 with a .590 OPS. He showed almost no power, slugging just .296, and doesn't have the speed to make up for it. Add on to that the 18 erros he made and things aren't looking good for Fisher's future.

He'll be entering 2010 as a 25 year old, so at this point Fisher can't be looked at as anything more than organizational filler. He's likely to return to Myrtle Beach if only to supplement the roster and aid the younger players. Even if he is able to make a dramatic turnaround in his career, he'll need to prove himself at AA and AAA before he can be counted on for Atlanta's future.

5. Jim Linger B/T: R/R Born: 9/6/1990 Ht: 5'11" Wt: 195
Linger sneaks onto the end of this list based on potential alone. When he was signed out of Australia last year he was considered the top amateur talent in the country and represented his homeland in this year's World Cup Tournament. His introduction into professional baseball was a little rough, but not without its promise, as he hit for a .273 average and a .688 OPS in 142 plate appearances for the Orlando Braves in the Gulf Coast League. While these numbers aren't spectacular, he did show improvement as he acclimated to playing in America, ending the year hitting .303 with a .748 OPS in 76 August at bats while collecting both of his home runs and 6 of his 8 RBIs on the season. Originally signed as a shortstop, he has settled in at second base as a pro, utilizing his rangy frame and athleticism to make himself a plus defender.

Australians often take longer than players from other foreign countries to develop as the level of play isn't as competitive, so it's not out of the question that Linger will be slow to develop. With a good showing in Spring Training, he could find himself as Rome's starting second baseman in 2010, but it's more likely that he'll stay in Extended ST and begin playing with Danville in June. Either way, Linger is young enough that there's room to be patient with him and his combination of athleticism and potential make it plausible that he could be at the top of Altanta's second base prospect pile come this time next year.

(All photos by CB Wilkins, except Campusano by Chip Jett)

Top-5 Off-Season Questions for the Atlanta Braves: #5

gondeee — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 00:42:03 -0000

More photos » by Mark Avery - AP

Ryan Church and Kelly Johnson may not find themselves in the Atlanta Braves plans for 2010.

Browse more photos »

We conclude our look at the top-5 questions facing the Atlanta Braves this off-season.

Question Five: To Tender or Non-Tender

One of the repeated questions I was asked on blog-talk radio shows this season was how long Jeff Francoeur was going to be in a Braves uniform. My repeated answer, and one that I put in post after post on this blog, was that he would not be in a Braves uniform through the end of the season, but that the Braves were unlikely to just release him. The logic followed that the Braves had built this guy up too much to just "waive" him goodbye, they had to get a warm body for him. Enter the Ryan Church trade. Church gives the Braves a player that they can cut ties with without the big media frenzy and the fairweather fans screaming, "but not Francooerrr." By trading him during the season, at least there was the distraction of games to be played to misdirect attention.

So there you have it, the Braves will release Ryan Church this off-season. Church is a third-year arbitration case who made $2.8 million last year, and would likely get a raise to over $3 million next year regardless of his 2009 numbers. That's way too much for an oft-injured fourth outfielder.

The Braves will also release Kelly Johnson this off-seaosn.

Wow, I really said it. This is a very similar situation to the Marcus Giles situation several years ago (which actually was the impetus for moving Kelly to second base). Giles was coming off a poor season in which the Braves had a tight payroll and through arbitration he was due a big raise. The Braves tried and tried to trade him, but every other GM knew that the Braves couldn't afford him, and they didn't want to give up players and more money by trading for him. This is exactly the situation we find ourselves in with KJ. Yes, Cox came out and gave Kelly a vote of confidence, but I bet you can find a similar quote from Cox at the end of the 2006 season about Giles, and Marcus had a much better year that season than Kelly did this year.

As much as many Braves fans like Kelly, the fact is he just hasn't lived up to his promise, and the Braves can't pay him many millions just to see if he finally will next year. Yes, the Braves will try and trade him, and we'll hear plenty of rumors, but that ain't happening, and the Braves will release him.

Brooks Conrad will also be non-tendered. As good as he was for a few weeks during his mid-year call-up, he was only 1-for-18 as a pinch hitter -- that one hit was a three-run game-winning homerun in his first at bat as a Brave. The Braves may offer him a minor league contract and another invite to spring training, but not a major league contract or a guaranteed spot on the 40-man roster.

Brian Barton, gone. Greg Norton, mercifully gone. Buddy Carlyle will probably get released, but with an eye towards a minor league contract and an invite to spring training. Ditto for Jorge Campillo.

Eric O'Flaherty, he'll be back, as he was a pleasant surprise. I can't see the Braves parting ways with any other pitchers, other than the ones listed above and the annual parting of the ways with Vladimir Nunez. I get this feeling that there will be a lot of new faces added to our bullpen or potential bullpen mix this off-season. Bobby Cox needs more relievers he has confidence in, and I feel there will be a lot of auditions going on in spring training.

Matt Diaz will be offered a contract, and will get a hefty raise -- this is one of the reasons I think he'll be a prime trade candidate. He's good, but the Braves covet a power bat, and they may be able to match up with a team who would prefer the Diaz approach to hitting. I would rather keep him, but as I said in the first post today (question one), I don't see how he fits in the outfield with Heyward and a power bat that would presumably play left.

That's all for the top-5 questions, I hope you enjoyed them. I initially thought these five questions would be just one post, but they sort of spiraled out of control, so thanks for reading (if you've gotten this far).

Monday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 13:51:36 -0000

Some things to read while making a parking space.

Ryan Braun could return to action in the major league portion of Brewer camp within the next day or two. Yesterday, he took Brian Fuentes deep in a minor league game with the Angels. Craig Counsell also went 3-for-4 in that game and should rejoin the team soon.

Trevor Hoffman played catch yesterday and is showing signs of improvement, but will still almost certainly start the season on the DL. Carlos Villanueva will be called upon to close until Hoffman is ready. The Brewers will also have an extra arm in the bullpen on Opening Day, as Dave Bush will get his work in as he makes final preparations for his start in the fifth game of the season.

On the field yesterday, Mark DiFelice pitched the first three innings of a 1-0 victory over the Giants and won a spot in the bullpen to start the season.

Mitch Stetter, who also pitched a scoreless inning yesterday, talked with Tom H. about how much he learned working with Brian Shouse, and his preparations for the 2009 season.

Alcides Escobar was also profiled over the weekend. He's likely headed back to the minors, and could be sent down as soon as today or tomorrow.

It could always be worse, though: Adam McCalvy is reporting that Omar Aguilar has joined the crowd at Obliqueapullooza and Alexandre Periard may require shoulder surgery.

On rankings/projections/predictions:

Mike Fahmie has the Brewers winning 78 games and finishing fifth in the Central. Crappy Brewer prediction aside, I can't imagine a world where four NL Central teams that aren't the Brewers win more than 78 games this season.
The Giants Baseball Blog predicts the Brewers will finish third in the Central.
The Toronto Star has the Brewers 14th in their power rankings.
The Daily Hick predicts the Brewers will win 72 games and finish fourth.
MLB FanHouse has...well, I guess this is a preview...right?
Sports Fan Goods expects the Brewers to "struggle mightily and finish towards the bottom of the NL Central."
Intellectual Thicket's Baseball Mogul projections have the Brewers winning 78 games and finishing tied for fourth in the Central.

Still looking for a summer job? The Brewers are hiring for a Community Relations Internship and a Stadium Operations Internship.

In other camps:

A's: Added two catchers over the weekend, trading for Blue Jays minor leaguer Curtis Thigpen and signing Eric Munson. Also, Justin Duchsherer will have elbow surgery but no one seems sure what doctors will find while they're in there.
D-Backs: He was healthy enough to pitch yesterday and will pitch once more before Opening Day, but the team is expected to hide Max Scherzer on the DL until they need a fifth starter.
Giants: Acquired C Ronny Paulino from the Phillies for lefty Jack Taschner, then traded him to the Marlins for catcher Hector Correa.
Mariners: Brandon Morrow is expected to be the team's long term closer, so Tyler Walker was released. They also acquired utilityman Chris Burke from the Padres for cash.
Mets: Released Ron Villone.
Phillies: Released Marcus Giles.
Rangers: Claimed Joe Koshansky off waivers from the Rockies.
Red Sox: Brad Wilkerson has left the team.
Tigers: Will place Dontrelle Willis on the DL to start the season with an anxiety disorder.
Twins: Worked out a deal with the Yankees to keep Rule 5 pick Jason Jones.

So yesterday both the Brewers and Giants held back their respective starting pitchers, Yovani Gallardo and Randy Johnson, an act of gamesmanship to prevent either pitcher from showing too much to their first regular season opponent. This move worked out relatively well for the Brewers yesterday but is it worth the effort? I'll go ahead and say no.

Holding back young talent to keep their arbitration clock from starting is always a bad decision, but it's even worse when you're trying to contend. The Braves, potential frontrunners in the NL East, may start center fielder Jordan Schafer in AAA, even though he's winning the competition for the starting job.

How much do April games matter, anyway? Baseball Analysts unveils Championship Leverage Index to answer that question and many others.

How much difference does it make when a pitcher's velocity goes up and down? Tangotiger says a 2.5 mph increase in velocity is good for a drop of about .25 in ERA. That's pretty significant.

A lot of factors have to be considered when designing a new stadium, but apparently the Yankees missed one. YES Network and ESPN are reportedly going to request changes to the ballpark, which is not conducive to TV cameras.

Oh, and sometimes you need to be more careful while pouring out a beer.

Drink up.

March 2, 2009 - Monday Phillies Breakfast Links

WholeCamels — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 13:32:49 -0000

Brad Lidge experiencing tightness in his forearm. Repeat after me: Flags fly forever.

Brett Myers set to start today, cites modified beer-drinking as his weight loss secret. Oh, that's our Brett!

Chan Ho Park had a nice outing yesterday. All the 5th starter candidates have done well so far. Marcus Giles did pretty well yesterday, too.

Jimmy Makes-a-Wish (I defy even Mets fans to hate on this).

Adam Eaton signs with the Orioles. Good luck with that, guys.

A quick look at the 2009 Cy Young candidates (featuring Our Cole Hamels).

The Fightins Number 5 moment of the 2008 regular season.

Beerleaguer reminds us that real baseball is still 34 days away...

Todd Zolecki gives you the lineups for today's "A" and "B" games.

Monday, February 23, 2009 - Phillies Breakfast Links

WholeCamels — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 13:08:58 -0000

Is it lip service? Or are they actually considering Carlos Carrasco for the rotation? Looks promising for him.

A feature piece on Marcus Giles. If he bounces back he'll be a great weapon for the Phillies.

Jason Donald wants to be like Chase.

Matt Stairs and his hardy birch bat. "Canadian wood is better." This guy is the king of double-entendre, I think.

In surprising news, people want to pay to see the Champions play. Who would've thought?

Ha ha Rays.

Phillies Prom Night: just like yours, but minus the unplanned teen pregnancy.

Shane Victorino: Not Italian (via The Fightins).

Wednesday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 15:35:21 -0000

Some things to read while waiting for bread to rise.

Perhaps the biggest Brewer news today is the ending of news: The Brewers reportedly aren't actually interested in Derek Lowe or Mark Mulder. It's always possible Doug Melvin is just throwing reporters off the track in an effort to look mysterious, but it seems more likely that Boston Globe reporter Nick Cafardo, the same guy who reported the Brewers were "close" to signing Braden Looper, has led us off the trail again. As noted in the comments in Rumorville, it may be time to stop giving any value to rumors that start in the Boston Globe.

Also included in the first link, though, was the first real optimism I've seen this offseason in regards to potentially bringing back Ben Sheets. FanGraphs projects Sheets at 3.4 wins next season, and thinks someone should sign him for 2 years/$28 million with a vesting option for a third year, which is relatively close to what 67% of readers voted for over a month ago. Brewers Bar thinks Melvin should start a conversation with Sheets ASAP. On the flip side, The Grand National Championships expects a healthy return from Chris Capuano, the emergence of Todd Coffey as a closer, and sudden precipitation involving $100 bills.

Meanwhile, Melvin appears to have Trevor Hoffman on speed dial. News popped up in Rumorville yesterday that the Brewers have been talking with Hoffman about closing in Milwaukee. The Dodgers offered Hoffman a one year deal, but can't guarantee him the opportunity to close, which Milwaukee might. Tom H. thinks the Brewers could learn their fate with Hoffman as soon as today.

More fun with rankings: Tiger Tales has Hardy tied for fifth place among defensive shortstops, right around a win above average. That seems a little low.

Around the minors:

Jonathan Lucroy was one of three catchers to receive an invitation to spring training yesterday. Carlos Corporan and Martin Maldonado were both also invited.
With a few hours left in the voting, Cole Gillespie leads Cutter Dykstra by 25 votes in the race for #10 in our Community Prospect Rankings. A new poll will open at noon today.

There's only one other former Brewer on the hot stove today: The Rays are reportedly trying to scrape together the cash to sign Gabe Kapler. It seems like they already have enough outfielders, though.

Elsewhere on the hot stove:

Cardinals: May not have as much money to play with as previously reported.
D-Backs: May be interested in former National Chad Cordero.
Indians: Signed Carl Pavano to a one year deal.
Mariners: Signed Tyler Walker to a one year deal for $750,000.
Mets: Are believed to have made an offer to Tim Redding.
Nationals: Are reportedly interested in signing Randy Wolf, so he can teach their young pitchers how to win. Commence banging head on desk.
Orioles: Signed Japanese pitcher Koji Uehara.
Padres: Have expressed interest in both David Eckstein and Omar Vizquel.
Phillies: Signed Chan Ho Park and Marcus Giles to deals for 2009.
Rays: Signed Randy Choate to a minor league deal.
Reds: Reportedly will re-sign Jerry Hairston for 2009.
Yankees: Signed Angel Berroa to a minor league deal, and also signed Jason Johnson and designated Shelley Duncan for assignment.

For a lot of aging veterans (including Ray Durham), the market never really opened up this winter. As a result, a player like Garret Anderson could end up accepting a non-roster invite to spring training.

Sometimes winning a sweepstakes isn't the best possible outcome. The Transaction Oracle isn't real excited about Derrick Turnbow's 2009 chances. The whole thing is worth a read, but the money lines are, "Absent a miracle, I think I'd rather have hepatitis than Turnbow," and their prediction of a 73 ERA+.

If you thought NL hitters would see an increase in their stats when Shea Stadium was torn down, think again: It turns out Citi Field may be even more of a pitcher's park.

Apparently Reds OF Chris Dickerson is spending his offseason increasing his value...to planet Earth. Follow the link for more on what Dickerson wants the Reds to do to go green.

That's all for today. I'm off to the gym.

Drink up.