SB Nation - Dave Krynzel

Friday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:25:35 -0000

by Jim Prisching - AP

The Braves would love to unload Derek Lowe's contract, but don't sound all that interested in taking on Corey Hart in exchange.

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Some things to read while moving Christmas dinner.

When something shows up in two separate sections of the site, it's usually best to assume it's true, so the fact that there are posts about it in Rumorville and the FanShots must mean there's some truth to the rumor that the Brewers and Braves have discussed a trade that would send Corey Hart to the Braves for Derek Lowe. However, Mark Bowman of MLB.com says the Braves aren't interested in Hart, which makes two of us. Meanwhile, Jorge Says No! reiterated a trade idea they mentioned a while back: Hart for Kenshin Kawakami.

As of 12:01 this morning, the market is officially open for free agents to negotiate with other teams. Tom H. has an overview of the market, with the Brewers tied to the usual names: John Lackey, Doug Davis, Jarrod Washburn. Randy Wolf's name was also mentioned.

The Pinstriper has predictions for all of this offseason's Type A and B free agents, and thinks the Brewers will sign Doug Davis and re-sign Jason Kendall. Meanwhile, they have Mike Cameron, Braden Looper, Felipe Lopez and David Weathers signing with the Padres, Astros, Dodgers and Pirates, respectively.

While the BBWAA has left the Brewers out in their voting for most of their major awards, one pitcher still collected an award from another source: Manny Parra won Joe Posnanski's NL Les Sweetland Award for being the NL's worst pitcher in 2009, while Jason Kendall narrowly missed winning the NL LVP.

At least in this scenario, Kendall wouldn't be back: Wisconsin Sports Tap thinks the Brewers should step into the future and give Jonathan Lucroy the catching job in 2010. I've covered why I think it's a bad idea.

Two Brewer staffers, manager in the Brewers' media relations department John Steinmiller and manager of marketing promotions Caitlin Moyer have started a blog to keep fans updated on what's going on at Miller Park during the offseason, and they have a post on some planned renovations in and around the park, as well as the renaming of some parking lots (h/t Adam McCalvy). Miller Park Drunk took a look at the new parking lot map and wonders how Paul Molitor ended up getting the faraway lot.

As noted in today's Fall/Winter League Update, Alcides Escobar had a pretty good night in Venezuela last night, going 4-for-4 with a solo home run. If you're looking for more about it and happen to speak Spanish, here's a game story from ElImpulso.com.

For many Brewer fans, it's been a long few decades of waiting for the Crew to put a winning team back on the field, but we've held strong. A Girl's View of the Brewers tells the story of her Brewer fanhood.

Around the league:

Cubs: Re-signed John Grabow to a one year deal worth $3.75 million.
D-Backs: Acquired Aaron Heilman from the Cubs for a pair of minor leaguers.
Royals: Signed pitcher Brad Thompson to a minor league deal.

I know I mentioned it earlier this week, but I'm going to mention Lookout Landing's Faces series again because today's installment features former Brewer first round pick Dave Krynzel.

The deadline has passed for players to be added to 40-man rosters to protect them from the Rule 5 Draft, so we can start looking at players who might be available. One such player is former Brewer farmhand Cole Gillespie, left unprotected by the D-Backs. Gillespie hit very well in AAA for the D-Backs after being acquired as part of the Felipe Lopez deal, and will probably get a shot to make a team as a fourth outfielder next spring.

We spend a lot of time discussing minutiae during the offseason and most of it doesn't amount to much in the end, but this is why we do it: Jonathan Mayo of MiLB.com has a look at players who have gone from minor league free agent to big league contributor. It doesn't happen often, but it is possible to strike gold.

Miller Park Drunk is starting a season-by-season review of the decade that was for the Brewers, but you're forgiven if you're not too excited about reliving the 2000 season. It's about as exciting as Ryan Braun modeling more Remetee stuff.

Does a change up lose its effectiveness when a batter sees it multiple times? That's the question Max Marchi of The Hardball Times is taking on, by looking at batters who see multiple change ups, both in the same AB and over multiple ABs, and the pitchers who throw them.

On this day in 1969, the Seattle Pilots fired Joe Schultz, the first manager in franchise history, after just one season. Dave Bristol took over and managed the club for their first three seasons in Milwaukee.

Also, on this day in 1989, Robin Yount won his second American League MVP Award, this one as a center fielder. Yount received just eight of the 27 available first place votes but edged out Ruben Sierra by 28 points.

I couldn't find a Brewer birthday again today, so we'll have to settle for wishing a happy birthday to Rick Monday, who turns 64. Thanks in advance to FtJ, who will likely point out a birthday I missed in the comments.

And finally, a programming note: I'm leaving in a few hours to go deer hunting for a few days. I'll still be writing the Mug next week, but I'm moving Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday's Mugs to the afternoon so I can still hunt in the mornings. I'll be back with a regular Mug a week from today.

Drink up.

All Assumptions-Are-Dangerous Minor League Free Agent Team

Jeff — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 06:07:19 -0000

Dave at Fangraphs passed along a link to this year's crop of minor league free agents. A popular thing to do with this information is pick out a handful of guys that would make interesting and potentially worthwhile pick-ups. This is not that. This is a full team made up of guys who, years ago, were supposed to go on to do some big big things, only to end up on the fall 2009 list of mlFA's. Consider this just another reminder that you should never ever ever take a prospect's future for granted.*

C: JR House
1B: Ryan Shealy
2B: Josh Barfield
SS: Antonio Perez
3B: Dallas McPherson
LF: Wes Bankston
CF: Joe Borchard
RF: John-Ford Griffin
DH: Josh Phelps

BENCH-C: JD Closser (does Ben Davis still count?)
BENCH-INF: Eric Duncan
BENCH-OF: Dave Krynzel
BENCH-UTIL: Donnie Murphy

SP: Jerome Williams
SP: Greg Miller
SP: Kenny Baugh
SP: Humberto Sanchez
SP: Bobby Brownlie

RP: Jose Capellan
RP: Wes Littleton
RP: Casey Fossum
RP: John Van Benschoten
RP: Chad Orvella
RP: Clint Everts
RP: Andrew Brown

If there were a 26th spot, I'd give it to Dee Brown, but it would just be so damn easy to include him that I had to find an alternative. Also among the free agents are formerly established Major Leaguers like Chris Capuano and Chad Cordero, along with the astonishingly driven Jolbert Cabrera. Jolbert just wants to win. Come on, Yankees. Take the plunge. Win one for Jolbert.

If there were a 27th spot, I'd give it to Mark McGonigle, because, really? McGonigle?

* never take any player's future for granted

The Milwaukee Brewers' Last Trade With Each Team

TheJay — Sat, 09 May 2009 15:48:24 -0000

More photos » by H. Rumph Jr - AP

A long time ago, in a league 98 miles away, this guy was part of the Brewers' last trade with the Yankees.

Browse more photos »

One of my favorite parts of each year's team media guide is the page listing the Brewers' last trade with all the other major league teams. Maybe it's because it's so esoteric, maybe it's because of all the "some-team-wanted-him?" thoughts it prompts, or maybe it's the idea that for years Brewers and Mariners management had a bitter blood feud getting in the way of amicable trading. I don't know. Either way, let's take a trip down memory lane, transaction-style:

(note: PTBNL below stands for "Player to be Named Later," defined here)

The Milwaukee Brewers' Last Trade With...

Arizona Diamondbacks - 11/25/2006
Traded LHP Doug Davis, LHP Dana Eveland, and OF Dave Krynzel for C Johnny Estrada, RHP Claudio Vargas, and RHP Greg Aquino
Atlanta Braves - 12/7/2005
Traded RHP Wes Obermueller for RHP Dan Kolb
Chicago Cubs - 8/31/2004
Traded OF Ben Grieve for LHP Andy Pratt and cash
Cincinnati Reds - 1/14/2000
Traded OF Alex Ochoa for OF Mark Sweeney and a PTBNL (RHP Gene Altman)
Colorado Rockies - 12/13/2004
Traded RHP Marcos Carvajal in exchange for cash
Florida Marlins - 11/25/1996
Traded RHP Eddie Collins for LHP Joel Adamson
Houston Astros - 9/11/2007
Traded RHP Dennis Sarfate for cash
Los Angeles Dodgers - 3/26/2007
Traded OF Brady Clark and cash for RHP Elmer Dessens
New York Mets - 11/20/2007
Traded C Johnny Estrada for RHP Guillermo Mota
Philadelphia Phillies - 7/28/2006
Traded RHP Wilfrido Laureano for 3B David Bell
Pittsburgh Pirates - 12/7/2007
Traded RHP Marino Salas and RHP Kevin Roberts for RHP Salomon Torres
St. Louis Cardinals - 8/22/2003
Traded RHP Mike DeJean for two PTBNL (RHP Mike Crudale and RHP John Novinsky)
San Diego Padres - 7/25/2007
Traded LHP Joe Thatcher, RHP Will Inman, and LHP Steve Garrison for RHP Scott Linebrink
San Francisco Giants - 7/20/2008
Traded OF Darren Ford and LHP Steve Hammond for 2B Ray Durham
Washington Nationals - 9/4/2007
Traded a PTBNL (1B Andrew Lefave) for LHP Ray King

The AL teams are after the jump.

Baltimore Orioles - 7/16/1999
Traded a PTBNL (RHP Al Reyes) for RHP Rocky Coppinger
Boston Red Sox - 7/31/1998
Traded IF Eddy Diaz for RHP Joe Hudson
Chicago White Sox - 12/13/2004
Traded OF Scott Podsednik, RHP Luis Vizcaino and a PTBNL (IF Travis Hinton) for LF Carlos Lee
Cleveland Indians - 7/7/2008
Traded OF Matt LaPorta, LHP Zach Jackson, RHP Rob Bryson, and a PTBNL (OF Michael Brantley) for LHP CC Sabathia
Detroit Tigers - 7/1/2007
Traded RHP Jose Capellan for LHP Chris Cody
Kansas City Royals - 3/27/2007
Traded RHP Ben Hendrickson for a Marxist Empire
LAnaheim Angels - 7/31/2002
Traded OF Alex Ochoa and C Sal Fasano for C Jorge Fabregas and 2 PTBNL (RHP Pedro Liriano and IF John Raburn)
Minnesota Twins - 11/15/2002
Traded RHP Gerry Oakes and RHP Matt Yeatman for RHP Matt Kinney and C Javier Valentin
New York Yankees - 8/23/1996
Traded IF Pat Listach and LHP Graeme Lloyd for OF Gerald Williams and RHP Bob Wickman
Oakland Athletics - 5/23/2007
Traded RHP Alec Zumwalt for cash.
Seattle Mariners - 5/19/2005
Traded C Pat Borders for cash.
Tampa Bay Rays - 4/22/2008
Traded OF Gabe Gross for RHP Josh Butler
Texas Rangers - 7/28/2006
Traded OF Carlos Lee and OF Nelson Cruz for RHP Francisco Cordero, LHP Julian Cordero, OF Kevin Mench, and OF Laynce Nix
Toronto Blue Jays - 1/6/2006
Traded RHP Brian Wolfe for 3B Corey Koskie

This information comes out of the Brewers' 2009 Media Guide. I believe all listed trades include someone on the 40-man roster for one of the teams. Any errors are mine in transcription or not diligently checking MLB's work.

Wednesday's Final Frosty Mug of 2008

KLSnow — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 15:11:31 -0000

Some things to read while wondering if blogging has given me a negative body image.

No transaction news again today, but Right Field Bleachers has the case for the Brewers signing Joe Crede. If signing Crede means returning Hall to his super-sub role, I'm for it.

As of this writing, Brett Lawrie leads Jonathan Lucroy by 53 votes in the race for prospect #5. He's also his hometown's biggest 2008 news story. Voting for prospect #6 will open at noon today. Voting for Langley's biggest news story of 2009 likely won't open until sometime next December.

Yes it is a slow news day, so I'm playing "Where are they now?" with Baseball America's minor league transactions. Some of these have been mentioned in the Mug previously, but if you knew all of them you may want to consider adding an offseason hobby:

Chad Moeller and David Krynzel are both Orioles now.
Laynce Nix is a Red.
Justin Lehr and Ozzie Chavez are Phillies.

Would you rather have Ben Sheets or Oliver Perez in your 2009 rotation? Amazin Avenue makes the case for Sheets, and so far 78% of voters agree.

Yesterday I mentioned the Pirates as one of the three "finalists" to acquire the services of Derrick Turnbow. The Marlins are also a finalist.

Elsewhere on the hot stove:

Cubs: Could be close to signing Milton Bradley.
D-Backs: Signed Chris Snyder to a three year extension worth 14.25 million.
Mets: Have reportedly offered Derek Lowe a 3 year deal worth $36 million. (Noted in FanShots)
Orioles: After losing out on Mark Teixiera, plan B may be Richie Sexson.
Rockies: Have reportedly reached a deal with the Cubs to acquire Jason Marquis for Luis Vizcaino.

So who will the Yankees overpay next offseason? Rob Neyer takes a look at pretty thin field of free agents, but predicts Matt Holliday will play left field for the Yankees in 2010.

That's all I've got for today. Drink up, and be safe.

A Brief History of Recent 11th Overall Picks

Russ Oates — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 13:00:07 -0000

One of the things Purple Row has always followed closely has been the amateur draft in June. It will be no different in 2009.

The Colorado Rockies return to the top half of the draft in 2009, after picking 25th in 2008. The Rockies would have had the 10th pick in the draft, but the Nationals failed to sign their first-round pick, RHP Aaron Crow. As a result, the Nationals obtained a second first-round pick. That 2009 pick is slotted right after his 2008 selection. He was ninth overall, so the Nationals have the 10th pick in 2009 (as well as the first overall pick).

Now, let's look at how the 11th overall pick has fared since the start of the decade. As I wrote in last year's look at the 25th pick, this review is not meant to determine how the Rockies' selection will pan out. It can, however, help us see how other teams approached this slot.

Breakdown:

College - 4

High School - 5

2000 - Dave Krynzel, Brewers, OF, High School - Dave Krynzel was at one point the center fielder of the future for the Brewers--it didn't prove true. He did well all the way through Double A, though a second half slump occurred at that level in 2003. He stayed at the Triple-A level in 2004 and 2005, but saw time with the Brewers in both years. During the 2006 offseason, Krynzel was involved in a six-player deal with the D'Backs. He hasn't seen the majors since 2005 and played in only 4 games for Tucson in 2008 before being released.

2001 - Kenny Baugh, Tigers, RHP, Rice - Beware Wayne Graham-coached pitchers. Wayne Graham is the head coach for the Rice University Owls and if you look at the track record of pitchers drafted during his tenure there, you'll see that many of his pitchers wind up having surgery. Baugh is one of those guys. Baugh actually pitched quite well that summer in low-A and Double-A ball. He quite possibly could have seen Detroit that same year, but in August he had shoulder problems. He missed all of 2002 before returning in 2003. Though he pitched well enough, his stuff was never like it was before the surgery. Baugh was shipped to the Padres during the '05-'06 offseason, and he never pitched for them after injuring his shoulder. Baugh moved to the Marlins' organization in 2007 and spent the end of May to the end of July moslty in the bullpen.

2002 - Jeremy Hermida, Marlins, OF, High School - Right now, Hermida stands as the most successful 11th overall pick from this decade. 2008 was a bit of a letdown for Hermida after his 2007. He had a 3.3 VORP in 2008, down from his 27.3 VORP the previous year. His EqA went down to .256 (slightly below average) from .300 in 2007. The Marlins have already started to look for suitors.

2003 - Michael Aubrey, Indians, 1B, Tulane - Aubrey made his major league debut in 2008 (15 games over two stints). His lack of power for a first baseman (48 in six seasons, 15 his season best) has held him back, but if given playing time he'd likely be an average first baseman.

2004 - Neil Walker, Pirates, C, High School - Walker would play well at one level and then receive a promotion. He would struggle at the new level, return there the next season, and then receive a promotion. You should know what happens next. Walker has since moved to third base. Repeating Triple A in 2008, Walker had a .684 OPS, but did have 16 homers. The Pirates drafted Vanderbilt's Pedro Alvarez back in June.

2005 - Andrew McCutchen, Pirates, OF, High School - McCutchen is on the verge of playing in Pittsburgh--if that's a good thing. He's steadily advanced up the ladder, spending all of 2008 in Triple A. As a 21-year-old, he hit .283/.372/.398. McCutchen, who plays center field, has speed, stealing 34 bases in 2008. He did, however, get thrown out 19 times.

2006 - Max Scherzer, Diamondbacks, RHP, MIssouri - Hey, we know this guy with heterochromia. He's going to be a good 'un.

2007 - Phillipe Aumont, Mariners, RHP, Canada/High School - Aumont should stay a starter as long as he can, but he did spend time as a reliever in 2008. Aumont is a very raw product, and Mariners fans will need to be patient with him.

2008 - Justin Smoak, Rangers, 1B, South Carolina - Smoak hit .383 with 23 homers for the Gamecocks in 2008 before being drafted by the Rangers. He played in 14 games after signing and should move fairly quickly, being one of the more polished hitters in the draft.

Hermida and Scherzer have had the most success. I'll predict that McCutchen and Smoak will join those two as proven major leaguers in the future. Aumont is too far away from making any predictions yet, and Walker, while added to the 40-man roster in November, will have to move off of third for Alvarez or move to another team if he hopes to play in the majors. Even then, it's not a good bet to make that he'll be a successful major leaguer.

Thoughts? Questions? Comments? What should future installments be?