SB Nation - Carlos Corporan

The Brewers' Rule 5 Draft Eligible Players

TheJay — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:15:08 -0000

As noted in my FanPost of Sunday night, the deadline for filing major league and minor league reserve lists is fast approaching. Eligible players not added to the major league 40-man roster by November 20 can be selected in the Rule 5 draft.

What does it take to be eligible?

If 19 or older on the June 5th before he signed his first contract, a player is eligible for the fourth Rule 5 draft after signing (usually after four years in the minors).
If 18 or younger on the June 5th before he signed his first contract, a player is eligible for the fifth Rule 5 draft after signing (usually after five years in the minors).
Any player who is eligible for one Rule 5 draft is eligible for all subsequent Rule 5 drafts.

(see ESPN Transactions Primer , Baseball America Rule 5 Draft column, MLB Rules summaries)

You may recall some Brewers being added to the 40-man roster last offseason to protect them from the Rule 5 draft. Omar Aguilar, Alexandre Periard, Mark Rogers, and Cody Scarpetta were the fantastic four. At the risk of undermining the above statements, Scarpetta actually became eligible for the draft through a little-known technicality: the Brewers voided his original contract because of an injury and later re-signed him, making him immediately eligible (link). That comes up probably once in a February blue moon.

I have attempted to make a comprehensive list of Brewers farmhands who are eligible for the Rule 5 draft. Obviously not all (or even most) of these players are realistic candidates to be selected. In addition, some of these guys may be minor league free agents. If you think I've made a mistake or missed someone, post a comment. Notable names are above the jump while you must click and scroll for the rest. Ages listed are for the 2010 season and levels listed are where the player spent the bulk of 2009:

Zach Braddock (22, LHP, A+/AA - one of the last draft-and-follow players, he did not sign until the spring of 2006 at the age of 18. This gives him one more year before becoming eligible.)
Lorenzo Cain (24, CF, AA)
Chris Cody (26, LHP, AA/AAA)
Nick Green (25, RHP, AA/AAA)
Taylor Green (23, 3B, AA - another draft-and-follow guy, brewerfan has him signing June 1, 2006. Since he did not turn 19 until November 2005, I think that puts him in the 18 and younger category and means he is not eligible until next offseason. Lorenzo Cain was in a similar situation last year.)
Dave Johnson (27, RHP, AAA)
Mike Jones (27, RHP, A+/AA/AAA - former #1 pick finally reached AAA, did not do well)
Brendan Katin (27, RF, AAA)
Mike Ramlow (24, LHP, Inj/A - yet another draft-and-follow, injured most of this season)
Amaury Rivas (24, RHP, A+)

The Brewers currently have 33 of 40 roster spots filled. I am not 100% sure of Green's exemption from the draft but the Brewers certainly have roster room if I'm wrong. We'll all find out together on Friday. Assuming Green does not need to be protected, I think only Lorenzo Cain and Amaury Rivas really need to be added to the roster. I don't think the other guys are tempting enough for any team to commit a 25-man roster spot in December. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the current talent and/or upside just aren't there.

As promised, the rest of the Rule 5 eligible farmhands.

Erick Almonte (32 in 2010, 1B, spent 2009 in AAA)
Patrick Arlis (29, C, AAA)
Mike Burns (31, RHP, AAA/MLB)
Chuck Caufield (26, LF/RF, AA)
Anderson de la Rosa (25, C, A+)
Ryan Delaughter (23, RHP, R - converted outfielder threw 5 innings in Arizona rookie ball.)
Chris Errecart (25, 1B, A+)
Jim Henderson (27, RHP, A/A+ - Canadian added veteran presence to low-minors bullpens.)
Robert Hinton (25, RHP, AA)
Mark Holliman (26, RHP, AA)
JR Hopf (27, C, AA)
Shane Justis (27, 2B, AA - was selected in minor league portion of last year's Rule 5 draft.)
Brandon Kintzler (25, RHP, AA - not sure how it works for these indy-league guys. Not sure it matters.)
Brock Kjeldgaard (24, 1B, A - converted pitcher known for power, strikeouts.)
Joe Koshansky (28, 1B, AAA)
Rafael Lluberes (25, LHP, A+)
Martin Maldonado (23, C, A+)
Michael McClendon (25, RHP, AA)
Sean McCraw (24, C, A)
Johnny Raburn (31, 2B/SS, AA/AAA)
Tike Redman (33, OF, AAA - former Pirate spent about as much time in Nashville as Jon Knott.)
Jose Romero (24, LHP, R - injury-marred career, presumably.)
Ivan Rusova (23, RHP, R - who? The Giants somehow drafted this Cuban in the in 26th round in 2005.)
Juan Sandoval (29, RHP, AA)
Adam Stern (30, OF, AA - O Canada!)
David Welch (27, LHP, AA - the lone representative from Australia.)

The following players would have been Rule 5 eligible but are already minor league free agents according to Brewerfan. A few names from the above list (i.e., Redman) probably belong down here, too:

Drew Anderson (29, LF, AA - he actually spent September 2006 in the majors.)
Chris Capuano (31, LHP, Inj/R)
Carlos Corporan (26, C, AAA - hitting only 1.000 in major league play.)
Ruben Flores (26, RHP, A - acquired for Bill Hall.)
Lindsay Gulin (33, LHP, AAA)
Ryan Houston (30, RHP, AAA)
Jon Knott (31, RF, AAA - spent about two weeks in a Nashville uniform.)
Wes Littleton (27, RHP, AA/AAA - best known for "saving" a 27-run game with the Rangers.)
Kevin Melillo (28, 1B/3B, AA)
Sam Narron (28, LHP, AAA)
Freddy Parejo (25, RF, AA)
Josh Wahpepah (25, RHP, AA)
Chase Wright (27, RHP, AAA - outrighted off 40-man roster on August 26.)

That's a lot of links about a bunch of guys no one will remember a few weeks from now. :)

Looking back at Community Projections: Catchers

KLSnow — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:00:33 -0000

by Darren Hauck - AP

Jason Kendall is very proficient at getting hit by pitches, but that's about the only thing Brewer catchers did really well in 2009.

View full size photo »

Now seems like as good a time as any to start a series looking back at our expectations for 2009, who met or exceeded them, and who fell short. We'll start today with a look at catchers, to get them out of the way.

Performance:

Jason Kendall
Projected: .251/.333/.324
Actual: .241/.331/.305

Mike Rivera:
Projected: .260/.315/.406
Actual: .228/.326/.342

Surprisingly enough, we as a community were a little optimistic on Kendall, at least as optimistic as one can be while projecting a .659 OPS. While it was a narrow underperformance, Kendall underperformed our expectations in all three slash stats.

Sadly, Mike Rivera also fell short of our expectations. A year after performing exceptionally well in limited opportunities, Rivera was still used sparingly (although slightly more often), but failed to recapture 2008's magic.

Playing time:

Player	Projected %	Actual %	Diff
Jason Kendall	77.2%	79.8%	+2.6%
Mike Rivera	14.4%	22.5%	+11.1%
Angel Salome	7.5%	0%	-7.5%
Vinny Rottino	.6%	0%	-.6%
Brett Lawrie	.3%	0%	-.3%
Carlos Corporan	0%	.2%	+.2%

It looks like most of us expected the Brewers to try out some other options at catcher this season. Both Kendall and Mike Rivera gained playing time over our expectations, mainly at the expense of Angel Salome, who some of us projected to play as much as 40% of the time.

Two of sixteen projectors thought Vinny Rottino would sneak in some plate appearances this season, and one reader, before Brett Lawrie's move to second base, projected perhaps the most ambitious promotion in Brewer history. Neither of those happened, of course.

We also completely failed to project the possibility that Carlos Corporan would see fill in duty this season. His one plate appearance resulted in a hit, but his overall contribution is pretty negligible.

Overall:

	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Projected	.253	.327	.343	.669
Actual	.240	.331	.313	.644
Difference	-.013	+.004	-.030	-.025

Probably misusing MLE: Where could the Brewers have done better?

KLSnow — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 14:00:20 -0000

Looking for some idle speculation on the first Brewer-free Sunday afternoon since February? Here's something to play with.

Because of Jeff's brilliant work over at Minor League Splits, we can take any Brewer above rookie ball's minor league stats and get their MLE (major league equivalent), a baseline estimate of how they would have performed in the major leagues this season.

So without further adieu, here's a look at how Brewer minor leaguers might have performed in the majors in 2009, and how it compares to the players the Brewers actually used in their place.

Catcher

Player	Team (Level)	Avg/OBP/SLG	MLE A/O/S	MLE OPS
Jonathan Lucroy	Huntsville (AA)	.267/.377/.416	.219/.307/.327	.634
Angel Salome	Nashville (AAA)	.288/.338/.420	.249/.285/.342	.627
J.R. Hopf	Huntsville (AA)	.249/.318/.363	.206/.258/.291	.549
Corey Kemp	Wisconsin (A-)	.269/.364/.379	.182/.239/.245	.484
Carlos Corporan	Nashville (AAA)	.217/.262/.285	.192/.230/.250	.480

Brewers used: Jason Kendall, who hit .241/.331/.305 (.636 OPS), and Mike Rivera, who hit .228/.326/.342 (.668 OPS)

This is likely the most obvious position where you can make a solid argument that one of the minor leaguers should have played over the guy the Brewers trotted out there. Kendall had a nice finish to 2009, batting .271/.370/.391 after August 7, but still only out OPS'ed the hypothetical performance of Jonathan Lucroy by two points, with Angel Salome not far behind him.

Beyond Lucroy and Salome, it's a long way down to the next level, though. Corey Kemp's 2009 performance was pretty impressive in Wisconsin, but he's easily the third best catcher in the system above rookie ball right now, and he's still a long way away.

Follow the jump for the other positions!

First Base

Player	Team (Level)	Avg/OBP/SLG	MLE A/O/S	MLE OPS
Joe Koshansky	Nashville (AAA)	.218/.319/.441	.189/.267/.358	.625
Erick Almonte	Nashville (AAA)	.295/.367/.365	.253/.307/.301	.608
Kevin Melillo	Huntsville (AA)	.249/.344/.392	.207/.280/.309	.589
Steffan Wilson	Brevard Co. (A+)	.272/.352/.420	.208/.266/.308	.574
Brock Kjeldgaard	Wisconsin (A-)	.248/.340/.454	.167/.221/.278	.499

Clearly, none of these guys are even comparable to Prince Fielder, who posted a 1.014 OPS this season.

In fact, the complete lack of a viable first baseman in the upper levels of the minors is a little startling. If something were to happen to Fielder, the best internal options to replace him would almost certainly be in the big leagues now: Mat Gamel and/or Casey McGehee.

With that said, Steffan Wilson's performance in the pitcher-friendly Florida State League is notable, and Brock Kjeldgaard had a decent offensive season overshadowed by the fact that he led his league in strikeouts for the second straight season.

Second Base

Player	Team (Level)	Avg/OBP/SLG	MLE A/O/S	MLE OPS
Hernan Iribarren	Nashville (AAA)	.307/.360/.396	.269/.310/.335	.645
Shane Justis	Huntsville (AA)	.271/.339/.376	.225/.278/.309	.587
Eric Farris	Brevard Co. (A+)	.302/.344/.388	.238/.270/.304	.574
Brett Lawrie	Wisconsin (A-)	.275/.342/.438	.192/.232/.282	.514

These are the only four players above rookie ball who played a full season with second base as their primary position. The Brewers used Rickie Weeks (.857 OPS) and Felipe Lopez (.810 OPS) primarily at second, and obviously there's no comparison.

The upside is pretty low among the upper level guys: Iribarren had a nice season in AAA, but likely projects as little more than a utility/backup type in the majors. 2009 was Justis' first season as a Brewer. He's 26 years old in AA.

With that said, there's a lot of upside in the lower levels. Eric Farris had a very good season for Brevard County, and added 70 steals in 76 attempts. With that said, he's been leapfrogged in the organization by Brett Lawrie, who continues his rapid ascent toward the big leagues.

Third Base

Player	Team (Level)	Avg/OBP/SLG	MLE A/O/S	MLE OPS
Adam Heether	Nashville (AAA)	.300/.398/.506	.256/.334/.409	.743
Mat Gamel	Nashville (AAA)	.281/.368/.479	.242/.309/.388	.697
Taylor Green	Huntsville (AA)	.267/.344/.372	.220/.276/.308	.584
Zelous Wheeler	Brevard Co. (A+)	.263/.365/.383	.199/.273/.283	.556
Juan Sanchez	Wisconsin (A-)	.249/.308/.318	.172/.207/.221	.428

The Brewers used Casey McGehee (.859 OPS), Craig Counsell (.766 OPS), Bill Hall (.606 OPS) and Mat Gamel (.760 OPS) at third.

Behold Adam Heether. While most of the talk about Brewer minor leaguers this season revolved around guys like Alcides Escobar, Gamel, Salome, Lucroy and Lawrie, Heether quietly outhit all of them. And while Craig Counsell had an incredible and unlikely bounce back season, Heether's MLE line is nearly comparable. He also played five positions this season to keep his bat in the lineup while Mat Gamel played third.

Behind him and Gamel, Taylor Green had a season to forget, and Zelous Wheeler's ability to get on base made him valuable in the Manatees' lineup. Sanchez was one of the last players drafted in the minor league phase of last year's Rule 5 draft, and played all over the diamond for Wisconsin and Brevard Co. despite never having played above the Gulf Coast League.

Shortstop

Player	Team (Level)	Avg/OBP/SLG	MLE A/O/S	MLE OPS
Alcides Escobar	Nashville (AAA)	.298/.351/.411	.259/.301/.345	.646
Sergio Miranda	Brevard Co. (A+)	.297/.355/.380	.229/.272/.292	.564
Yohannis Perez	Huntsville (AA)	.262/.314/.353	.221/.259/.287	.546
Michael Garciaparra	Huntsville (AA)	.216/.302/.261	.184/.249/.223	.472
Brent Brewer	Brevard Co. (A+)	.226/.290/.291	.176/.224/.231	.455

The Brewers used J.J. Hardy (.659 OPS) and Alcides Escobar (.701 OPS)

Alcides Escobar's AAA performance and J.J. Hardy's service time status combined to be just enough to get Escobar into the big leagues for good back in August, and we'll see what happens from there.

Meanwhile, there's not much in the system behind Escobar. The next viable shortstop prospect behind him may very well be 2009 draft pick Josh Prince, who hit .263/.373/.313 between Helena and Wisconsin this season and stole 38 bases in 50 attempts. The Brewers have to be close to running out of patience with Brent Brewer, who repeated Brevard Co. in 2009 and was actually significantly worse in his second attempt.

Outfielders

Player	Team (Level)	Avg/OBP/SLG	MLE A/O/S	MLE OPS
Brendan Katin	Nashville (AAA)	.244/.306/.506	.214/.262/.413	.675
Drew Anderson	Huntsville (AA)	.290/.368/.439	.241/.303/.350	.653
Logan Schafer	Brevard Co. (A+)	.312/.374/.441	.242/.288/.335	.623
Caleb Gindl	Brevard Co. (A+)	.284/.366/.469	.217/.277/.345	.622
Adam Stern	Huntsville (AA)	.280/.350/.374	.233/.288/.303	.591
John Raburn	Huntsville (AA)	.263/.370/.345	.218/.301/.267	.568
Chuck Caufield	Huntsville (AA)	.248/.312/.337	.210/.259/.280	.539
Lee Haydel	Brevard Co. (A+)	.278/.307/.343	.219/.241/.262	.503
Freddy Parejo	Huntsville (AA)	.239/.280/.314	.204/.237/.259	.496
Michael Vass	Wisconsin (A-)	.240/.307/.384	.164/.204/.249	.453

The Brewers used Ryan Braun (.938 OPS), Mike Cameron (.795), Corey Hart (.753), Frank Catalanotto (.728) and Jody Gerut (.672) in the outfield this season. And if they'd had to dig much farther into the organizational depth, it likely would have been a problem. Brendan Katin can mash a mistake, but his exceptionally low plate discipline (35 walks, 164 strikeouts, .305 OBP) will likely keep him from ever being a serious prospect.

Meanwhile, the top two outfielders in the Brewer system might both have played for Brevard County this season, as Logan Schafer won the FSL batting title and Caleb Gindl provided the power behind the Brewers' most successful affiliate this season. Among the top prospects, Schafer is also the only true center fielder: Adam Stern also played primarily in center this season, but was terrible defensively.

Lorenzo Cain, meanwhile, had a terrible 2009 season, and didn't even make the top ten to appear on this list. Before suffering a knee injury and after returning, Cain posted a .213/.287/.317 line between multiple levels this season, posting a .448 MLE OPS. Hopefully Cain reports to camp healthy next spring and prepared for a huge bounce back season.

Friday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Fri, 15 May 2009 14:19:44 -0000

More photos » by Morry Gash - AP

7 months ago: Milwaukee Brewers' Bil Hall, left, is embraced by teammate Mike Cameron after hitting a two-run home run during the second inning of a baseball game against the Florida Marlins, Thursday, May 14, 2009, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

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Some things to read while upgrading someone's cell phone.

It may not have looked like much. An eighth inning pinch-hit appearance ending in a strikeout. But with that K, the Mat Gamel era is upon us, and everyone seems to be talking about it:

He made Baseball America's list of ten potential impact rookies.
"The fact the Brewers recalled him a week prior to the start of any inter-league games signals he is up for good," according to FakeTeams.
He was eulogized in Nashville.
And his plane nearly ran out of fuel on the way to Milwaukee.

On the other side of the coin we have Brad Nelson, the organization's former #1 prospect who still has not announced whether he'll accept his assignment to Nashville. KIMT, his local TV station, was in town covering Nelson when he got the news Wednesday night.

Trevor Hoffman was one of the big stories in yesterday's game, pitching his ninth consecutive scoreless appearance en route to his eighth save. Adam McCalvy has a look at Hoffman's early dominance. Meanwhile, Brett Christopherson of the Appleton Post Crescent reminisces about Hoffman's days in the Midwest League.

Mike Rivera returned to the team yesterday, and Carlos Corporan was sent back down to Nashville to make room for him. Corporan appeared in just one game during his brief stint in Milwaukee, making him one of just three players to make one career appearance as a Brewer, and the first position player to do it. Obviously, Corporan is hoping to make more appearances at some point.

Marlins pitcher Josh Johnson had a rough outing yesterday and was pulled early. Today the Miami Herald is reporting Johnson was removed with weakness in his shoulder. It's not believed to be serious and he's expected to make his next start.

Yovani Gallardo will take the mound tonight, but the Brewers almost missed out on him entirely. The Official Site relives the 2004 draft, when the Brewers drafted Gallardo in the second round.

Speaking of the draft, Minor League Ball is preparing for their mock draft on June 6, and you can check in here or here to voice your opinion on what players or types of players the Brewers should be pursuing.

One can only hope this year's draft class will be as good as the class of 2002: eight pitchers from that class started games in the majors last night. Dave Bush (drafted #55 overall by the Blue Jays) is one of 23 pitchers drafted in that class that are currently experiencing success in the big leagues.

Meanwhile, Brett Lawrie checks in from the Midwest League with a blog post on the adjustment to playing every day, frustration and Guitar Hero Metallica.

Will Prince Fielder's physique prevent him from having the career he could have had? Fielder has slimmed down a bit this season, but this FanPost at Beyond the Box Score suggests Fielder's career will draw to an end early. A note in the comments mentions that Fielder's listed height and weight would give him a 35.4 BMI, about 11% higher than Kirby Puckett, the closest comparison. Or course, no one knows how close Fielder (or Puckett) actually were to their listed weights.

There's nothing holding Mark DiFelice back this season. After pitching a scoreless eighth yesterday, DiFelice is now 4-0 with a 2.02 ERA in 35.2 major league innings, and ESPN is projecting him to make the All Star Team. Not bad for a guy who didn't make it to the big leagues until 31 and had to go to the WBC to get noticed in spring training.

This is the kind of story that gets a team's fan base a reputation: If you're near something that you shouldn't vomit on, feel free to skip this story about the "negotiation" for Chris Coghlan's home run ball from Wednesday. (That story is all over the place now, but I found the link via Tom H.'s Twitter)

Buried in Scott Miller's latest column is this note: The Brewers are 17-6 since April 19, the best record in all of baseball.

With interleague play coming up, Baseball Reference has a look at 17 home/road matchups that haven't happened yet. The Brewers have visited every AL ballpark and hosted 13 of 14 AL teams, but are still waiting for the Rays to come to town.

Around the league:

D-Backs: Designated infielder Josh Wilson for assignment.
Nationals: Returned Rule 5 pick Terrell Young to the Reds.
Rockies: Placed Glendon Rusch on waivers.
Tigers: Placed Nate Robertson on the DL with a lower back strain.

So how many of these disabled list stints are legit? Yesterday, Shysterball wondered about some recent disabled list shenanigans, and Jayson Stark of ESPN followed up on it. He seems to have arrived at the conclusion that a doctor, given a reason to, can find something wrong with just about anyone. All of this came out on the same day the Astros placed Geoff Geary on the DL with ~~chronic ineffectiveness~~ biceps tendinitis.

Following up on something I mentioned yesterday: Umpire Paul Schrieber apologized for making contact with Magglio Ordonez on Wednesday. It doesn't look like he'll face any significant consequences for his actions.

How much of a major league curveball's action is real, and how much is simply an optical illusion? The Book blog has a pretty cool visual aid to help explain it.

Braden Looper is turning out to be a pretty good signing for the Brewers, but was he the best signing of a free agent starting pitcher this offseason? Jorge Says No! makes a pretty good case for Baltimore's Koji Uehara.

Speaking of transactions, El Lefty Malo has a look at players the Giants have traded away that have gone on to success in other organizations, including Carlos Villanueva. Villanueva was acquired for Wayne Franklin and Leo Estrella.

We, or maybe just I, complain a lot in this space about the MLB Blackout policy, but MLB.TV has been awarded a patent for the system they use to enforce it online.

Unfortunately, I'm still watching Baseball Tonight, but fortunately, I wasn't watching last night when Eduardo Perez dropped this chunk of knowledge:

And one thing I can tell you: baserunning, hitting, pitching -- and especially the bullpen -- is not only important in the National and the American League, but all around baseball.

I've heard the MLB Network alternative is better, but I have yet to see it for myself.

Oh, and apparently being a major league player has one more perk we didn't know about: When you're injured, you can hit on radiologists.

Drink up.

Thursday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Thu, 07 May 2009 13:50:57 -0000

More photos » by Al Behrman - AP

Reds' SS Paul Janish prepares to throw much harder than Jeff Suppan.

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Some things to read while programming a robot to carry pineapple.

Karma or coincidence? Before last night's game, Tom Groeschen of the Cincinnati Enquirer was one of many to mention the fact that the Reds were leading the NL in team ERA. A few short hours later, both of the following were true:

Bronson Arroyo was the first pitcher since 1900 to allow nine runs while recording three or fewer outs twice in his career. (Thanks to TheJay for the tip.)
Shortstop Paul Janish, the Reds' starting shortstop, pitched the ninth.

Janish, though, hit 92 on the gun and struck out two Brewers while allowing five runs in the inning.

J.J. Hardy was last night's MVP, going 2-for-4 with a three run home run and a walk. He's raised his batting average from .156 to .209 in the four games since he returned from his break over the weekend. FakeTeams says he's due for a correction after posting a .172 BABIP in April.

Last night's blowout gave the Brewers an opportunity to give Jason Kendall a few innings off and let Carlos Corporan make his major league debut. Corporan responded by picking up his first MLB hit and run. Cute Sports has the congratulatory post. Chuckie Hacks says Brad Nelson is next. Tyler Maas of Bugs and Cranks is trying to figure out why he's still behind Nelson, who grounded into a double play last night to extend his hitless streak to 19 at bats.

Bill Hall was the only Brewer position player who did not appear in last night's game. Hall was scheduled to start but was held out due to rainy conditions. It's supposed to rain again today and tonight, but Hall wants to play anyway.

After Braden Looper takes on the Reds tonight, the Brewers will open a three game series with the Cubs, with Randy Wells officially announced as the starting pitcher for game one. He'll face Dave Bush, who hits batters more often than all but eleven pitchers in baseball.

Today's minor league notes are both Timber Rattler related: Baseball America has a story on Brett Lawrie, who is playing very well in the Midwest League despite being the youngest player on the Rattlers. If seeing Lawrie isn't enough to get you to go to Fox Cities Stadium, perhaps Jim Gantner and Ken Sanders can change your mind.

If you don't Twitter, this paragraph is irrelevant. But if you do Twitter, you may be interested in the Twitter pages of Gord Ash, Tom H. and The Official Site. And, of course, you should also be following Brew Crew Ball, but you knew that, right?

MLB FanHouse is starting to see the light and has moved the Brewers up from 25 to 15 in their most recent power rankings.

Around the league:

Astros: Designated infielder Jason Smith for assignment.
D-Backs: Placed Tony Clark on the DL with a wrist injury.
Mets: Placed Oliver Perez on the DL with patella tendinitis in his right knee.

Former Brewer and Astro Sean Berry, now working as hitting coach for the Astros, has been diagnosed with kidney cancer. (h/t FanShot). Thankfully, the cancer is in his kidney and was detected early, meaning doctors may be able to remove it with relatively minor procedures. Best wishes to Sean for a speedy recovery.

Oh, and the Nationals might be the worst team ever to have every position player above average.

Drink up.

Brewers 15, Reds 3

KLSnow — Thu, 07 May 2009 03:05:55 -0000

More photos » by Al Behrman - AP

Ryan Braun, mere seconds after telling Manny Parra, "You're not very good tonight either, but it's ok."

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W: Manny Parra (1-4)
L: Bronson Arroyo (4-2)

HR: J.J. Hardy (4), Ryan Braun (5), Prince Fielder (5), Brandon Phillips (5), Jay Bruce (7)

MVP: J.J. Hardy (+.179)
LVP: Craig Counsell (-.035)

Win Expectancy Graph
SB Nation Coverage

This one was over early. J.J. Hardy connected for a three run home run to cap a five run first inning, and Ryan Braun hit the Brewers' first grand slam of the season in the second to give Manny Parra a 9-0 lead.

Parra pitched out of trouble consistently, including bases loaded jams in both the third and fourth innings. All told, he allowed two runs on eight hits and four walks in six innings en route to his first win.

All told, the Brewers managed 20 hits and five walks in the game, including the first major league hit for Carlos Corporan, who singled off of Reds shortstop Paul Janish in the ninth inning, and Fielder's fifth home run, which was also hit off Janish as part of a five run ninth inning. Five Brewers had multiple hits, including Craig Counsell, who went 4-for-6 with two doubles.

Friday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Fri, 01 May 2009 13:04:40 -0000

More photos » by Darren Hauck - AP

For $110, you could own the Baseball Reference page of doubles machine Mike Cameron.

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Some things to read while on the phone with tech support.

The newfound Brewer plate discipline paid off again last night, as the Brewers couldn't hit Max Scherzer, but they could force him to throw 107 pitches in six innings, exposing the weak underbelly that is the D-Backs bullpen. AZ Snakepit has a rant about last night's bullpen usage.

Mike Cameron was one of several heroes for the Brewers last night. After hitting two more doubles (nine in April), Cameron's OPS is up over 1.100. On top of that, his B-Ref page is available, if you have $110 burning a hole in your pocket. Certainly, Cameron's page is becoming a free agent at the best possible time.

You know who might have that $110 laying around? The Brewers. They just signed a new deal with FS Wisconsin. FSWI promises to carry 150 Brewer games for an undisclosed number of seasons in exchange for an undisclosed amount of money.

Even if you don't have $110, you can still chat with Yovani Gallardo at 3 pm today.

Carlos Coporan had a rough trip to Milwaukee yesterday but was excited to be on the end of the bench for last night's game. Corporan isn't expected to play much while he's in town, but Ken Macha's quote in regards to Jason Kendall playing every day showed a potential lack of confidence:

"It’s 15 days. He’s caught a lot of games before, so it’s not going to kill him," Macha said of Kendall, who is hitting just .169 after going 1-for-4 in Thursday’s 4-1 win. "I would prefer to give him a day off, so we’ll see how things go. He hasn’t had very good at-bats, either. … Maybe getting a streak with a bunch of games in a row is going to help his at-bats — I hope."

Earlier this week I mentioned that minor leaguer Pedro Lambertus had been placed on the suspended list but no other details were available. Today, news has come out that Lambertus was suspended after testing positive for Boldenone, an anabolic steroid used in the treatment of horses. (Also noted in FanShot) Doug Melvin expressed disappointment in Lambertus for making the mistake.

Yesterday I mentioned Bob Uecker's jokes about Twitter. Big League Stew picked up the ball and asked their Twitter followers for things Bob Uecker would say, with some pretty good results.

Ob the subject of broadcasters, yesterday was Trenni's birthday. Happy belated birthday to her. Hopefully she had a better day than the chorizo, who has been forced to take some swine flu-related precautions.

The only transaction notes I have today both involve former Brewers: the Rays signed Joe Bateman (Also noted in FanShot) and the White Sox are getting ready to call up Scott Podsednik.

If you're a major league general manager looking to make another transaction, Fire Jim Bowden has a list of nine free agent pitchers to consider, including two former Brewers.

Are the Cubs starting to experience the snowball effect? A day after losing in extra innings to the Marlins, Phil Rogers is piling on to the Cubs' offseason moves.

Here's a rule you may not have known: in the event of a sac fly, the runners can advance as soon as the ball touches a fielder, even if the fielder bobbles the ball before catching it. The rule came into play last night in Kansas City.

Oh, and if you like getting surprises in the mail, this may not be a bad idea.

Drink up.

Thursday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 14:16:45 -0000

More photos » by Darren Hauck - AP

If you're a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates, it's possible this is the last thing you saw before becoming one of Yovani Gallardo's eleven strikeout victims yesterday.

Browse more photos »

Some things to read while wondering if the apocalypse would be that bad.

A day later, Yovani Gallardo's performance from yesterday is still drawing notice all over the place. Some highlights:

Chone Smith was reminded of a Steve Carlton performance from nearly three decades ago, and reminds us all that this performance wouldn't be possible in the AL.
Babes Love Baseball has a comment from Ken Macha after the game.
Chuckie Hacks wondered about Gallardo's ceiling and noted that he now has as many total bases (10) as Jason Kendall.
View From Bernie's Chalet says Gallardo's starts are becoming must-see.
Gallardo's performance inspired Tyler Maas of Bugs & Cranks to include him on the list of the 10 best active hitting pitchers.
Matthew Pouliot of Circling the Bases thinks Gallardo could win a Cy Young Award sometime in the next few years.
Charlie from Bucs Dugout tipped his cap to Gallardo.
Sully Baseball asks if eleven strikeouts weren't enough.
Baseball Musings says it's the first 1-0 game won by a pitcher's home run since 2002 when Odalis Perez did it, and just the eighth in the last 50 years.
The Bucky Channel is having a hard time coming up with words to describe the performance.

After the game yesterday the Brewers made a roster move, placing Mike Rivera on the DL with an ankle sprain and calling up Carlos Corporan to take his place. The Brewers had one empty spot on their 40-man roster, so no one had to be removed to make room for him. Corporan is seen as a good defensive catcher, but more or less anyone who knows how to put on the equipment and warm pitchers up in the bullpen can do what the Brewers are asking for from a backup catcher.

So, put yourself in the shoes of a Pirates fan for a moment. You've just seen your team swept at Miller Park, your fifteenth consecutive loss to the Brewers, and your lineup was dominated by Yovani Gallardo yesterday. What do you do now? I guess you could keep complaining about Ryan Braun, like Raise the Jolly Roger is doing.

After one month of baseball, Dan Szymborski of Baseball Think Factory has updated his 2009 ZiPS projections, and now projects Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder to finish second and third in baseball with 45 and 41 home runs, respectively. He also projects Braun to finish tied for second with 133 RBI.

Meanwhile, Dave Bush is leading the league in a less prestigious stat. Bush became the first pitcher in the major leagues to hit three batters in one game Tuesday night, and now leads the league with 5 hit batsmen.

Also via Plunk Everyone, Rickie Weeks needs six more HBP to take over the all-time lead at Miller Park. Geoff Jenkins is the current leader.

Dave Bush's three hit batsmen Tuesday weren't nearly as rare as Corey Hart's three walks, a new career high. The last time Hart walked three times in the same game was in a 24 inning contest in AAA.

Jorge Julio, on the other hand, has demonstrated the capacity to rack up walks at a much faster pace. Anthony Witrado has a story on Julio's relationship with Bill Castro, and what they've been working on since Julio's disastrous appearance in Philadelphia. The early results are good.

Maybe the Brewers will be underrated all season. Despite having won 7 of 8 games, getting back over .500 and moving into a tie for second place, MLB FanHouse moved the Brewers down from 24th to 25th in their power rankings. What a joke.

On the subject of jokes, Right Field Bleachers posted the audio of Bob Uecker's discussion of Twitter during yesterday's game. Good stuff. If you Twitter and you're not yet, you should be following BCB.

Here's a promotion the Brewers should use: Choose your Bobblehead night. The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers are letting the fans vote to pick the bobblehead given away on September 3. Rattler Radio lists the candidates, which include some classic Rattlers as well as Brett Lawrie and Cutter Dykstra.

Around the league:

Cardinals: Are expected to place infielder Brendan Ryan on the DL today with a hamstring strain.
Indians: Placed Travis Hafner on the DL with a sore shoulder.
Nationals: Acquired reliever Logan Kensing from the Marlins for a low-level pitching prospect.
Orioles: Ryan Freel, acquired from the Reds this spring, is unhappy with his role with the team and would like to leave.
Rockies: Placed infielder Jeff Baker on the DL with a sprained hand.
White Sox: Released reliever Mike MacDougal.

When I unveiled my NL Central predictions a month ago, I was called out for underrating the Cubs, who (at least in some eyes) could not possibly be considered anything less than a lock to dominate the NL Central. Obviously the season isn't over, but as the Cubs close April in fifth place and View From The Bleachers is calling for changes, I feel pretty good about my assessment.

Oh, and now that Joe Torre has batted his pitcher eighth, can we go back to calling it a good idea?

Drink up.

Handicapping the next set of cuts

KLSnow — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 13:00:11 -0000

The Brewers are likely close to the point where they need to trim down camp a bit. With starting pitchers getting stretched out and regular position players getting more time, there's just not as many innings and at bats to go around as there used to be, meaning a few of the less-likely candidates to open the season on the roster will probably be making the journey over to minor league camp in the next few days. Here are my odds for the candidates:

Chris Narveson - 1:1

Narveson has made three appearances in camp, but was lit up in his last one, giving up five runs (four earned) in two innings, including two home runs. All told, Narveson's upside just isn't that high and he's likely ticketed for a spot near the bottom of the rotation in Nashville.

Sam Narron - 3:2

Narron has yet to allow a run in camp, scoreless over five innings. But he's walked four and given up five hits in those five innings, while striking out just two. Narron is roughly the fifth best left-handed reliever in camp, behind Stetter, Swindle, Chase Wright and Lindsay Gulin.

Lindsay Gulin - 2:1

Gulin gets a slight advantage over Narveson because he hasn't had a bad outing in camp, and over Narron for having a much better K/BB ratio (8:2). Gulin has pitched in three games (five innings), and has allowed just one run on three hits. Gulin is 32 and has pitched 11 minor league seasons. Last year he pitched well in Nashville, and the Brewers may want to send him down so he can start getting stretched out.

Omar Aguilar- 4:1

Possibly the organization's top relief prospect, Aguilar could be a victim of the numbers game in camp, with no less than 17 other pitchers (not counting the three listed above) needing innings. Aguilar has allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits and two walks while striking out five this spring.

Carlos Corporan 8:1

At present, he's one of the few healthy catchers in camp, but with Vinny Rottino back from the WBC and Angel Salome and Mike Rivera getting ready to come back from injuries, by this time next week the Brewers will be back to having five healthy catchers plus Corporan, who is not considered a prospect and has virtually no chance of making the team.

Trot Nixon 10:1

Not that long ago, the Brewers had a shortage of outfielders. Now, when Ryan Braun returns from the WBC and Tony Gwynn makes his debut, the Brewers will have Braun, Cameron, Hart, Chris Duffy and Brad Nelson, all of whom would appear to be ahead of Nixon in the race to make the team, plus Tony Gwynn and Lorenzo Cain, who both could use some extra time for evaluation purposes.

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.