SB Nation - Adam Stern

Braves Rule 5 Preview

cbwilk — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 13:00:35 -0000

Crafty lefty Edgar Osuna could intrigue a team as a LOOGY or a back of the rotation starter.

The Rule 5 Draft has really never helped nor hindered the Braves. They rarely select a player, unless they clear a spot on their 40 man roster before the draft they won't be able to select anyone this year, and the few players they do select tend to get traded away in Spring Training (Jamie Walker and Chris Spurling are good examples). They also rarely lose a player who isn't returned; Adam Stern, who was a part of a World Series Championship with the Red Sox in 2004 after being selected in the Rule 5 Draft from the Braves was the last player they actually lost for good and he played very little in the Majors, either during the 2004 season or after. So, in reading this preview it's worth keeping in mind that the Braves might not premantently lose any players through the Rule 5 Draft, regardless of what happens today.

Most Likely To Be Selected

Edgar Osuna, LHP: Osuna was recently named the 11th best Braves prospect by the bloggers here at Talking Chop, three spots ahead of Jose Ortegano, fellow lefty and good friend, who was protected on the 40 man roster. He's the epitome of a crafty lefty, working a fringe fastball with a plus plus changeup and pinpoint control. Of the available players, Osuna seems like the most likely to be selected, particularly with his success at AA Mississippi and the fact that he'll be just 22 in 2010. His stuff would play well if he were used as a situational lefty out of the bullpen and he could even make waves at the back of the rotation for a bottom of the standings team.

Matt Young, OF: Though he was named the top center field prospect by Talking Chop, Young didn't appear on the top 25, mostly because he will be 27 next season and has only played a handfull of games above AA. But, while he may not be an ideal prospect, he could be exactly what a team is looking for in the Rule 5 draft. He has absolutely no home run power, but he hits a fair amount of doubles and a ton of triples. He also steals bases, setting team records for Mississippi the last two years, and gets on base at an above .400 clip. Though his arm is below average, he has the range to cover centerfield and began his career as an infielder so a team looking to store him could find many uses for him off the bench. His inability to play right field, he could cover the ground but never make the throws, might scare some teams off, as might his inexperience above AA, but he could be an interesting, and cheap, option for a bad team.

Possible, But Unlikely To Be Selected

Barbaro Canizares, 1B: Canizares, who made his Major League debut with the Braves in 2009, recently passed through waivers without being claimed, making it unlikely that he will be selected, since teams oculd have had him on their roster without the limitations created by the Rule 5 draft. Things change in the course of a few weeks, so it's possible that a team could choose to take him and use him as a power bat off the bench, or even the right handed part of a platoon at first base or designated hitter, but it's more likely that they'll see him for what he is, a 30 year old defensive liability who lacks the power to justify being a DH and who wears down as the season goes on.

Brian Barton, OF: No stranger to the Rule 5 Draft, having been successfully plucked from the Indians by the Cardinals in 2008, Barton could be an interesting option for a team looking for a 4th or 5th outfielder. Despite only appearing in one game for Atlanta, he played well enough for Gwinnett to suggest that he could thrive off a Major League bench again, but, as with Canizares, it seems unlikely for a player who's already passed through waivers unclaimed to get selected in the Rule 5 Draft.

Erik Cordier, RHP: 2009 was Cordier's healthiest season and while he doesn't have the near 100 mph stuff he had when the Royals made him a 1st round selection, he still has a strong, live arm and he could intruige some teams as an option out of the bullpen. But, given that he doesn't throw as hard as he used to and that's he's had some problems with walks (5.5 per 9 innings in 2009), he probably won't be picked.

Kevin Gunderson, LHP: Named the 6th best relief prospect by TC, Gunderson's funky delivery could intrigue teams looking for a lefty out of the pen. But, he was fairly ineffective against lefties last season, allowing a .321 average to them. The fact that the Braves chose to protect Lee Hyde, a lefty who's barely been able to take the field for the majority of his career, ahead of Gunderson on their 40 man roster, is telling, and may be why he remains within the organization.

Ryne Reynoso, RHP: After getting his feet wet as a reliever, Reynoso has been a consistent starter for Myrtle Beach and Mississippi the last two years. He's an interesting player, but he doesn't have the kind of top notch stuff that teams typically look for in the Rule 5 draft.

Eligible, But Unlikely To Be Selected

2B JC Holt and 3B Van Pope both have AAA experience, but neither have hit enough to merit much interest. RHP Michael Broadway and LHP Tim Gustafson both have interesting arms, but netiher have the stuff or the petigree that teams look for. OF Jon Mark Owings is basically coming off a lost season because of a rotator cuff injury. and didn't show enough constistent contact to indicate that he could handle Major League pitching right now. OF LV Ware and OF Luis Sumoza are both too far away from the Majors to merit much interest.

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. :)

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, 11 Sep 2009 14:29:45 -0000

by Morry Gash - AP

Craig Counsell is clearly upset about not being mentioned in today's Mug.

View full size photo »

Some things to read while keeping your screen clean.

With the day off yesterday, both Anthony Witrado and Adam McCalvy took an opportunity to look ahead to the offseason, with Witrado even breaking out some statistical analysis in what might be his best story as a Brewer beat writer. In his story, McCalvy notes that the Brewers appear to be leaning towards starting Casey McGehee at third base next season, and will likely have to make a decision after the season regarding Ken Macha.

You can add Miller Park Drunk and Quevedo at the Buffet to the list of blogs calling for Macha's head. This is the first managerial season of Macha's career where he's not involved in a pennant race. It may also turn out to be his last managerial season.

Could Javier Vazquez become an option for the Brewers once again? Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution is speculating that the Braves may have too much money invested in pitching, and could look to move Vazquez this winter. MLB Daily Dish thinks Kenshin Kawakami may make more sense for the Crew.

In the minors:

Brewer farmhands Brett Lawrie (1-for-5 with a run scored), Adam Stern (2-for-4 with a walk and a run), Nick Bucci (five scoreless innings) and Jim Henderson (picked up the win, faced four batters, struck them all out) made their first appearances for Team Canada in their 9-1 win over South Korea in the first round of the Baseball World Cup yesterday. Stern and Lawrie batted #1 and 2 in the Canadian lineup.
Chris Capuano is expected to start tonight for Helena in their season finale. Cappy did not allow an earned run in his previous two Helena starts, each of which lasted two innings.

On Power Rankings:

The Brewers held steady at #22 at Beyond the Box Score.
Yahoo dropped the Brewers one spot to 19th.

Just one transaction note to pass along today:

Nationals: Claimed pitcher Jesse English off waivers from the Giants and designated catcher Luke Montz for assignment.

There's definitely something to be said for busting out of a slump emphatically. Matt Stairs, who had been 0-for-30 since the All Star break, came up in the ninth inning for the Phillies last night and hit a grand slam. And if you thought the occasional intentional walk to Jason Kendall was bad, here's something worse: On September 5th, nearly two months removed from his last hit, Stairs was intentionally walked by the Astros.

Raul Ibanez also hit his 29th and 30th home runs last night, giving the Phillies four hitters with at least 30. That seems great on the surface, but Walkoff Walk reports that none of the eleven previous teams to accomplish that feat won the World Series.

On this day in 1987, Teddy Higuera allowed a fifth inning home run to Tigers third baseman Tom Brookens, ending his franchise record 32-inning scoreless streak. The Brewers won anyway, 5-2. On this day in 1998, the Brewers won a wild one in Chicago, 13-11 over the Cubs. Sammy Sosa hit his 59th home run in that game: Of the 66 he hit that season, 12 were against the Brewers. No other team allowed more than six.

I wasn't able to find any Brewer birthdays again today, so you'll have to settle for wishing a happy birthday to Ellis Burks, who turns 45.

It's a slow news day and a short Mug today, so you should use the extra time to go check out the new SBNation.com.

Drink up.

Wednesday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 13:47:50 -0000

by Jeff Roberson - AP

Todd Coffey walks around the mound as Matt Holliday rounds the bases following a three-run home run Tuesday.

View full size photo »

Some things to read while pursuing other opportunities.

Walking Albert Pujols to get to Matt Holliday didn't work out so well for the Brewers last night. Todd Coffey is accepting blame for the loss, but David Brown of Yahoo wonders why the Brewers didn't just take their chances with Pujols.

I promise I'll limit myself to one paragraph on J.J. Hardy today, so if you're sick of hearing about him, feel free to skip ahead. He denied being asked to take ground balls at third, and says it makes sense for him to be traded this offseason. Miller Park Drunk is helping Alcides Escobar fill in the void by giving him some tips regarding interaction with the ladies.

I'm not banging my head against the desk yet, but I'm keeping a space clear in case I need to start. Adam McCalvy's game preview for today has a look at the catching situation for next season, and Jason Kendall says he'd like to return. Of course, Mike Rivera also says he'd like to play every day.

Buried in the "Notes" section of that preview might be the bigger news: Ken Macha is adjusting his rotation to bump Yovani Gallardo back a few days. Gallardo will now pitch on Saturday instead of Thursday. The move will get him one less start in September, hopefully saving his arm for a more competitive 2010 team.

We've been talking a fair amount about Prince Fielder lately, but Ryan Braun had a pretty good August too, and earned a spot on MLB Notebook's August All Star Team.

In the minors:

The Brewers have two prospects in the top 25 in Project Prospect's rankings of position prospects. Alcides Escobar (#14) is the no-brainer, but for the first time I can recall, it's actually Caleb Gindl joining him in the top 25. Mat Gamel and Brett Lawrie both earned honorable mention.
Lawrie is one of four Brewer prospects who either have left or will leave their minor league teams to play for Team Canada in the Baseball World Cup. He'll be joined by pitchers Nick Bucci and Jim Henderson and center fielder Adam Stern.
Glancing at Baseball America's Minor League Transactions, I noticed the Brewers released pitcher Tom Wilhelmsen. Wilhelmsen was a former 7th round pick and top prospect for the Brewers, but as a commenter noted in this Mug, he eventually fell out of the organization due to a substance abuse issue. Wilhelmsen was re-signed out of the independent leagues earlier this season, but his second run with the Brewers lasted less than a month.

With last night's loss, CoolStandings dropped the Brewers' playoff chances to 0.1%. They're so far out of the playoff race, they don't even appear in Baseball Musings' Massive Tie Scenario.

Around baseball:

D-Backs: Acquired pitcher Kevin Mulvey from the Twins as the PTBNL in the Jon Rauch deal.
Dodgers: Designated outfielder Jamie Hoffman for assignment.
Rangers: Designated pitcher Thomas Diamond, their #1 pick in 2004, for assignment.
Rays: Designated reliever Joe Nelson for assignment to make room for Sean Rodriguez, acquired from the Angels as the PTBNL in the Scott Kazmir deal.
Red Sox: Designated outfielder Jeff Bailey for assignment.

There are dozens of major league debuts and returns being made this week as rosters expand, but it's possible the best story is happening in Houston, where Aaron Boone has returned to the active roster just five months after undergoing open heart surgery.

On this day in 2002, Kerry Wood struck out four Brewers in the fourth inning and hit a two run home run as the Cubs beat the Brewers 17-4 in game two of a doubleheader. The Brewers won game one behind two solo home runs from Ronnie Belliard.

Happy birthday today to Wes Littleton, who has split 2009 between Huntsville and Nashville and turns 27 today, and to Rick Manning, who turns 55.

That's all I've got for you today, unless you're interested in meat market specials.

Drink up.

Tuesday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 13:56:03 -0000

More photos » by Gus Ruelas - AP

Manny Parra is congratulated by second baseman Felipe Lopez and catcher Mike Rivera as he waits to be relieved during the ninth inning Monday.

Browse more photos »

Some things to read while removing the technology from your tarot cards.

If you went to bed at a reasonable hour last night, you missed some late-night drama for the Brewers, ending in a bases loaded, two out confrontation between Trevor Hoffman and Manny Ramirez with the game on the line. Ken Macha was holding his breath in the dugout, but Hoffman retired Ramirez to end the game and bring the Brewers back to .500 on the season.

The Brewers played the ninth inning last night without Ryan Braun, who left the game with tightness in his elbow after uncorking a wild throw in the seventh. Braun says it doesn't hurt to hit, so don't be surprised if he's held out of today's game and used as a pinch hitter.

It was fitting, in a way, that the final out of last night's contest was hit to Bill Hall, playing his first career game in right field. Hall went 0-for-3 but drove in a run with a bases loaded walk last night, and told Adam McCalvy before the game that the Brewers need him to step up. Meanwhile, Ian Casselberry of Bless You Boys wonders if Hall might be a candidate to fill the vacancy at third base in Detroit.

If you were at last night's game, you might have seen Kenny Mayne. You'd know him if you saw him, because he's very tall and was wearing a Seattle Pilots jersey. I'm not sure I've ever even seen one.

Yovani Gallardo takes the mound tonight for the Brewers. He's been much better over his last three starts, and is crediting a mechanical adjustment for the improvement. After Manny Parra was able to go eight innings last night, a long outing by Gallardo would give most of the Brewer bullpen two days off, which would be nice.

Adam McCalvy has a look at the soft underbelly that is the Brewers' upcoming schedule, and reminds us that the Brewers won 20 games in August last year on their way to the playoffs. Now that the team has played reasonably well for a couple of games, I feel better talking about beating up on weaker opponents in August. I wasn't comfortable having that conversation while they were struggling to beat the Nationals and Padres.

National pundits continue to pile on the Brewers for failing to make a major splash at the trade deadline. Today, it's Jon Heyman listing the Brewers among trade deadline losers. With that said, I do have a handful of notes on a move the Brewers did make:

Tyler Maas of Right Field Bleachers gives us a look inside his grieving process on the loss of Vinny Rottino.
FanGraphs rated Vinny 35th among 35 minor leaguers traded at the deadline (and ranked Roque Mercedes 33rd).
Claudio Vargas' B-Ref page has a new sponsor.

Baseball Digest Daily continues to unveil their defensive rankings, with J.J. Hardy coming in third among shortstops and Bill Hall checking in at second among third basemen.

In the minors:

Jeff Sackmann and Sean Smith have come together once again to apply the TotalZone defensive metric to minor league players. Alcides Escobar and former Brewer prospect Cole Gillespie are among the leaders at their positions, while Huntsville CF Adam Stern brings up the rear at 23 runs below average. (h/t Chone Smith)
Corey Patterson appears to have signed his minor league deal and was in uniform for Nashville last night.
The Brewers promoted SS Josh Prince and pitcher Mike Fiers, both 2009 draftees, to Wisconsin and demoted Michael Marseco to Helena.

On Power Rankings:

The Brewers dropped six spots to #23 in WhatifSports' rankings.
The Hardball Times Dartboard has the Brewers at #20.

Around baseball:

D-Backs: Signed Daniel Cabrera to a minor league deal.
Dodgers: Acquired minor leaguer Harvey Garcia from the Pirates to complete the Delwyn Young deal.

How good would Gabe Kapler look in a Brewer uniform right now? Tommy Rancel of DRaysBay says the Rays made the right decision by picking Kapler up last offseason. I'd feel a lot better about the bench right now if Kapler had Jody Gerut's spot.

Perhaps if I report on it every day, I can help Major League Baseball's umpiring situation reach its tipping point. David Weathers was ejected from yesterday's game for the Reds, and after the game Reds beat reporter Mark Sheldon (@M_Sheldon) had this quote in his Twitter:

Weathers on his ejection by HP ump Paul Emmel: "I said 'why are you staring at me?' He said 'you're outta here.'"

Looking for a few extra hours of work and the opportunity to do it for a prominent baseball analyst? Keith Law is looking for an intern to do some databasing work. I'm not sure if I'm qualified, but you might be.

On this day in 1973, Johnny Briggs led off the game and went 6-for-6 as the Brewers beat the Indians, 9-4. Only one other Brewer (Kevin Reimer in 1993) has ever collected six hits in a game, and Briggs is both the only one to do it in a nine inning game, and in six plate appearances.

It's a big day for Brewer birthdays today: Happy birthday to B.J. Surhoff, who played in 1102 games as a Brewer between 1987 and 1995 (10th most all time), and turns 45 today. On the other end of the spectrum, Troy O'Leary, who played in 46 games as a Brewer in 1993 and 1994, turns 40. Scott Linebrink, who threw 25.1 innings for the 2007 Crew, turns 33.

If you've finished the Mug and you're still looking for something to read, here's my open letter to the ice cream truck.

Drink up.

Tuesday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 14:24:49 -0000

More photos » by Jeff Roberson - AP

Prince Fielder and his untucked shirt hold his trophy after winning the Home Run Derby in St. Louis, Monday. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Browse more photos »

Some things to read while your insurance premiums go up.

By the time you read this, tickets will likely already be sold out for the reduced price outfield loge seats for the Padres series in August. Prince Fielder hit 23 home runs last night on his way to winning the Home Run Derby, meaning those tickets will sell for $5 while supplies last. By the time I cleared the "virtual waiting room," tickets for the Wednesday game were no longer available. $48 seats one section over are still around if you want them.

My most sarcastic condolences go out today to ESPN and everyone else who was gravely disappointed that Albert Pujols, the national media's chosen star for last night's festivities, didn't actually win. The sentiment expressed by media coverage of the event is best summed up by Mike Bauman of MLB.com:

Every Home Run Derby takes on a life of its own, although in recent years, those lives seem to last longer and longer. This one was characterized by Pujols being the preordained star of the show and by what appeared to a widely varying amount of power among the contestants.

Here are some other notes on Fielder from today:

He actually hit most of his derby home runs with Ryan Braun's bat. Before that, he had been using one belonging to Rickie Weeks. I've lost the link somewhere, but Fielder said he last used one of his own bats sometime in May.
Viva Cerveceros and Baseball Digest Daily both say Fielder doesn't have to worry about a post-Derby slump.
Ryan Fagan of The Sporting News noted that Fielder and fellow finalist Nelson Cruz were minor league teammates in Nashville back in 2005.
David Pinto was worried about Fielder's decision to hit without a helmet.
Prince also drew notice for several expletives after misses that had to be muted out via seven second delay. Fielder must read Lifehacker, because they had a note yesterday on how expletives can help relieve pain.
Jeff Passan of Yahoo chronicled what he called "a lukewarm derby" and an awkward press conference question afterwards.

So what is Prince Fielder's value? FanGraphs started a series yesterday ranking major leaguers by their trade value, and Prince Fielder checks in at #50. We're The Team To Beat ranked Fielder #33 among position players (and Ryan Braun #11, with Yovani Gallardo #11 among pitchers) (h/t BBTF).

Moving on to tonight's game, Ryan Braun will bat cleanup and make his first start in right field. Braun will almost certainly be a better defensive right fielder than Raul Ibanez would have been, but it still could lead to some interesting moments.

Should the Brewers trade J.J. Hardy for pitching? Would your answer change if they got two major league starters in return? Dave Cameron of U.S.S. Mariner thinks the Mariners should offer Erik Bedard, Jarrod Washburn and cash to the Brewers for Hardy. I'd make that trade.

In the minors:

Adam Stern, Shane Justis, Drew Anderson, Jonathan Lucroy, Donovan Hand and Rob Hinton represented Huntsville in the Southern League All Star Game last night. The six Stars led the North to a 7-0 victory, with ten pitchers combining on a four-hit shutout.
Lorenzo Cain continues his rehab in Appleton. He says his knee is still around 80%, but I was at the game yesterday and he didn't seem to be having any trouble with it.
Rotoprofessor rated Alcides Escobar second on their list of Top 15 Prospects for the second half.
Brendan Katin is on pace to hit 36 home runs for Nashville, which would break the franchise record of 34. Katin hit 19 homers in AAA last season.
Chris Narveson accepted his assignment to Nashville and will join the team on Thursday.

The Brewers' change in ownership and winning trend have created some major growth in team popularity. A recent Harris poll ranked the Brewers as baseball's 14th most popular team, up from 24th in 2005. (h/t The Biz of Baseball)

The Brewers held steady at 11th in Inside the Majors' most recent power rankings.

If you've always wanted to spend millions on a beach house in California, you missed your chance this week. Jason Kendall sold his Manhattan Beach home for $5.45 million. He had originally listed it for $7.3 million, but lowered the asking price by a million to cover grit damage done to the carpet and hardwood floors.

Just one transaction note to pass along today: The Indians released Matt Herges, who they had designated for assignment last week. I'm really surprised they weren't able to work out some kind of deal.

While I was happy to see Prince Fielder succeed last night, part of me feels bad for Brandon Inge, who got shut out in the first round. He had a pretty good sense of humor about it, though.

I don't feel as bad for the guy with the mohawk and #5 shaved into his head that spent half the night last night trying to mop Albert Pujols' face with a towel. If you're curious, though, Mark Townsend of Bugs & Cranks knows who he is.

With most franchises, this would be surprising and disappointing, but with the Royals, it's to be expected: Dayton Moore, the Royals GM who just acquired one of the worst defensive shortstops in baseball, doesn't understand defensive metrics.

Happy birthdays today to Mike Burns, who turns 31, and former Brewers Jose Hernandez (40) and Derrick May (41).

And finally, on a sad note, today is the tenth anniversary of the crane collapse that killed three men working to construct Miller Park. Next time you head out to catch a game, be sure to take a moment to think of them and their families.

Drink up.

Game Recap, Jays Lose to Team Canada

Tom Dakers — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 00:09:28 -0000

In a game that made it hard to figure out who to cheer for Team Canada beat the Jays 6-4. Maybe let's talk about the two teams separately.

Team Canada:

It looks like the Canadian team will have a really good offense, maybe leaning a little too much on the lefty batters. Is it a Canadian thing that most of our best batters swing left-handed. I know that there are far more lefty golfers in Canada than there is in the US. In Canada about 25% of us swing lefty while in the states it is less than 5%. The explanation I agree with is it is a hockey thing, most of us on this side of the border swing a hockey stick long before we swing a golf club and many (half?) hockey players are left-handed shots. So it is natural for us to pick up a golf club the same way. Maybe the same is true with a baseball bat.

Anyway the Team Canada bats looked good today, get 8 hits and taking 7 walks. Of note, Corey Koskie looked good at the plate, he was 1 for 3 with a double, a walk, a hit by pitch and 3 runs. Leadoff hitter and shortstop Chris Barnwell was 1 for 3 with 2 walks. Justin Morneau was 2 for 3 with an RBI and Pete Orr was 1 for 3 with 2 RBI. Back-up catcher Luke Carlin hit a 2 run double.

The defense for Canada might be a problem. In the outfield we had Joey Votto in left, Jason Bay in center and Matt Stairs in RF. I'd like to think Adam Stern will play center in the tournament games, moving Stairs to DH and maybe Kosie (who DHed today) to 3B.

Pitching looks to be the weak link for the Canadian team, but it was pretty good today. Scott Richmond went 2.2, gave up 4 hits, a walk, a strikeout and 2 runs. Chris Begg followed him with a good 2.1 innings, striking out 4 while giving up just a run. First round draft pick Phillippe Aumont, Jesse Crain, Steve Green and David Davidson (what were his parents thinking) each pitched an scoreless inning except for Green. Green gave up a homer to Aaron Matthews (who?) but got lucky on a call where Mark Teahen, playing RF, trapped a ball against the RF fence but got credited with a catch.

Blue Jays:

Mike Maroth didn't impress, he walked 3, hit one batter but only gave up 2 runs in 2 innings. Fabio Castro didn't have a great showing either giving up 2 hits and 2 walks in 2 innings. Bill Murphy also gave up 2 runs in 2 innings. Rick Bauer gave up 1 run in his 1 inning of work. But TJ Beam and Robert Ray looked good, pitching a scoreless inning each. Ray in particular has looked good this spring.

Batting wise Scott Campbell went 2 for 3 with an RBI. Johnny Mac, Inglett, Jason Lane and Adam Loewen each went 1 for 3. Russ Adams was 1 for 2 with a walk and run, but he didn't look good in the field, playing second base.

Doing less well were Michael Barrett (0 for 3 with 2 strikouts), Buck Coats (0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts), Ryan Patterson (0 for 2), Brad Emaus (0 for 2) and Kevin Ahrens (0 for 2).

Tomorrow the Jays play Team USA. Brad Mills is to start for the Jays and Casey Janssen and Lyle Overbay will get their first game action this spring.