SB Nation - Johnny Estrada

Making Your '00 Face: Final position player

KLSnow — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 22:00:18 -0000

With the '00's almost behind us, it's time to take a look back and work together to make a BCB All Decade team for the '00s. Each day, we'll tackle a new position, and we'll have our 25 man roster complete sometime around the 1st of the year.

Here are the players we've selected so far:

First Base: Prince Fielder
Second Base: Rickie Weeks
Shortstop: J.J. Hardy
Third Base: Bill Hall
Corner Outfield: Ryan Braun
Center Field: Mike Cameron
Corner Outfield: Geoff Jenkins
Catcher: Damian Miller
Bench IF: Craig Counsell
Bench C: Mike Rivera
Bench COF: Carlos Lee
Bench OF: Scott Podsednik

#1 SP: Ben Sheets
Closer: Francisco Cordero

Voting for our #2 starter opened yesterday and will close at 4 pm tomorrow. Today, we'll select our final bench player. Because we have a backup at every position among our first four bench players, our final bench spot can be filled by any of the remaining candidates at any position. Follow the jump for their stats, then cast your vote in the poll below.

NOTE: Because Thursday and Friday are holidays, this poll will remain open a little longer than usual. You have until Saturday at 4 pm to cast your vote.

Brady Clark

Seasons as a Brewer: 4, 2003-2006
Slash line as a Brewer: .284/.361/.393
UZR (Fielding) as a Brewer: -1.1 runs
WAR as a Brewer: 5.8

Jeromy Burnitz

Seasons as a Brewer: 2, 2000-2001*
Slash line as a Brewer: .242/.352/.480
UZR (Fielding) as a Brewer: n/a**
WAR as a Brewer: 4

* - Burnitz was also a Brewer from 1996-1999, but those stats aren't reflected here.
** - FanGraphs only has UZR data dating back to 2002, so Burnitz has no data.

Henry Blanco

Seasons as a Brewer: 2, 2000-2001
Slash line as a Brewer: .222/.303/.268
WAR as a Brewer: 0.6

Johnny Estrada

Seasons as a Brewer: 1, 2007
Slash line as a Brewer: .278/.296/.403
WAR as a Brewer: -1

Jason Kendall

Seasons as a Brewer: 2, 2008-2009
Slash line as a Brewer: .244/.329/.315
WAR as a Brewer: 2.1

Russell Branyan

Seasons as a Brewer: 3, 2004-2005, 2008
Slash line as a Brewer: ..248/.351/.526
UZR (Fielding) as a Brewer: -9.1 runs
WAR as a Brewer: 1.7

Jose Hernandez

Seasons as a Brewer: 3, 2000-2002
Slash line as a Brewer: .261/.324/.434
UZR (Fielding) as a Brewer: +4.7 runs*
WAR as a Brewer: 5.8

* - FanGraphs only has UZR data dating back to 2002, so only Hernandez's 2002 season is included here.

Mark Loretta

Seasons as a Brewer: 3, 2000-2002*
Slash line as a Brewer: .281/.348/.374
UZR (Fielding) as a Brewer: -2.7 runs**
WAR as a Brewer: 1.8

* - Loretta was also a Brewer from 1995-1999, but those numbers aren't included here.
** - Again, FanGraphs only has UZR data from 2002 forward, so only Loretta's 2002 season is included here.

Ronnie Belliard

Seasons as a Brewer: 3, 2000-2002*
Slash line as a Brewer: .251/.327/.384
UZR (Fielding) as a Brewer: -6.9 runs**
WAR as a Brewer: 2.9

* - Belliard was also a Brewer in 1998 and 1999. All stats here only reflect his performance from 2000-2009.
** - FanGraphs only has UZR dating back to 2002, so Belliard's 2000 and 2001 performances are not reflected in this total.

Keith Ginter

Seasons as a Brewer: 3, 2002-2004
Slash line as a Brewer: .257/.344/.448
UZR (Fielding) as a Brewer: -0.9 runs
WAR as a Brewer: 3.1

Eric Young

Seasons as a Brewer: 2, 2002-2003
Slash line as a Brewer: .271/.340/.392
UZR (Fielding) as a Brewer: -6.7 runs
WAR as a Brewer: 2.6

Junior Spivey

Seasons as a Brewer: 2, 2004-2005
Slash line as a Brewer: .256/.337/.400
UZR (Fielding) as a Brewer: +8.2 runs
WAR as a Brewer: 1.2

Richie Sexson

Seasons as a Brewer: 4, 2000-2003
Slash line as a Brewer: .276/.366/.536
UZR (Fielding) as a Brewer: -10.6 runs*
WAR as a Brewer: 10.2

* - FanGraphs only has UZR data since 2002, so this number does not reflect Sexson's 2000 and 2001 performances.

Lyle Overbay

Seasons as a Brewer: 2, 2004-2005
Slash line as a Brewer: .289/.376/.464
UZR (Fielding) as a Brewer: -12.3 runs
WAR as a Brewer: 4.6

Making Your '00 Face: Backup catcher

KLSnow — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 22:00:18 -0000

The concept here is pretty simple. Each day, I'll give you a list of candidates: For position players, it's the full list of players who appeared in at least 100 games at the position during the '00s. Here are the players we've selected so far:

Voting for a our first bench spot opened yesterday and will close at 4 pm tomorrow. Today we need to select a backup catcher. I've narrowed the list a little, removing three players who did not receive significant support in our initial vote:

Henry Blanco

Seasons as a Brewer: 2, 2000-2001
Slash line as a Brewer: .222/.303/.268
WAR as a Brewer: 0.6

Mike Rivera

Seasons as a Brewer: 4, 2006-2009
Slash line as a Brewer: .260/.333/.423
WAR as a Brewer: 0.6

Johnny Estrada

Seasons as a Brewer: 1, 2007
Slash line as a Brewer: .278/.296/.403
WAR as a Brewer: -1

Jason Kendall

Seasons as a Brewer: 2, 2008-2009
Slash line as a Brewer: .244/.329/.315
WAR as a Brewer: 2.1

Poll

Who should be the backup catcher on our BCB All Decade Team?

Henry Blanco

39 votes

Mike Rivera

186 votes

Johnny Estrada

37 votes

Jason Kendall

173 votes

435 votes | Poll has closed

Making Your '00 Face: Catcher

KLSnow — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 22:00:16 -0000

First Base: Prince Fielder
Second Base: Rickie Weeks
Shortstop: J.J. Hardy
Third Base: Bill Hall
Outfield: Ryan Braun

Voting for center field opened yesterday and will close at 4 pm tomorrow. Today we'll unveil the candidates at catcher:

Henry Blanco

Seasons as a Brewer: 2, 2000-2001
Slash line as a Brewer: .222/.303/.268
WAR as a Brewer: 0.6

Raul Casanova

Seasons as a Brewer: 3, 2000-2002
Slash line as a Brewer: .241/.311/.406
WAR as a Brewer: 0.1

Eddie Perez

Seasons as a Brewer: 1, 2003
Slash line as a Brewer: .271/.304/.420
WAR as a Brewer: -0.1

Chad Moeller

Seasons as a Brewer: 3, 2004-2006
Slash line as a Brewer: .204/.257/.319
WAR as a Brewer: -4

Damian Miller

Seasons as a Brewer: 3, 2005-2007
Slash line as a Brewer: .257/.324/.391
WAR as a Brewer: 1.2

Mike Rivera

Seasons as a Brewer: 4, 2006-2009
Slash line as a Brewer: .260/.333/.423
WAR as a Brewer: 0.6

Johnny Estrada

Seasons as a Brewer: 1, 2007
Slash line as a Brewer: .278/.296/.403
WAR as a Brewer: -1

Jason Kendall

Seasons as a Brewer: 2, 2008-2009
Slash line as a Brewer: .244/.329/.315
WAR as a Brewer: 2.1

Poll

Who should be the catcher on the BCB All Decade Team?

Raul Casanova

4 votes

Henry Blanco

11 votes

Eddie Perez

5 votes

Chad Moeller

9 votes

Damian Miller

392 votes

Mike Rivera

20 votes

Johnny Estrada

22 votes

Jason Kendall

70 votes

533 votes | Poll has closed

Washington Nationals: C Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez And Jesus Flores.

Ed Chigliak — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 05:07:06 -0000

More photos » by Tony Gutierrez - AP

The Washington Nationals will introduce new catcher Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez tomorrow afternoon (12/11/09) at Nationals Park. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

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Yahoo!Sports.com's David Brown did not include the Washington Nationals' free agent signing of veteran catcher Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez on his list of the best moves of the recently-concluded '09 Winter Meetings entitled, "Indianapolis Jones and the Winter Meetings: The top 10 deals", but they do earn honorable mention under the subheading, "Best of the rest", where Mr. Brown writes that, "It's easy to knock the Nats," for signing the 38-year-old, 14-time All-Star, Gold Glove-winning catcher to a 2-year/$6M dollar deal to act as a mentor/backup to a hopefully-healthy Jesus Flores, because, at least to Mr. Brown, "...it makes little sense."

Everyone got a good laugh, even Jim Bowden himself...

(cont.)...

Everyone got a good laugh, even Jim Bowden himself, out of the new XM MLB host openly questioning the signing by comparing it to the Nationals signing Paul Lo Duca and Dmitri Young, and praising Rodriguez's agent Scott "Maximum" Boras for getting, "...a two-year guaranteed contract for a 38-year old catcher with an on-base percentage of .280," but what I found humorous, in the transcript of the conversation between Bowden and co-host Steve Davis as it appears in D.C. Sports Bog writer Dan Steinberg's article entitled, "Jim Bowden criticizes Pudge Rodriguez deal", is how Mr. Bowden goes on to describe Rodriguez's motivation in accepting the Nationals' offer:

"Six million dollars at the end of your career, that's all it is. You don't sign there if it's not, because [they're] the only team that came to the table with $6 million and two years guaranteed."

You mean, sort of like the way Mr. Bowden lured Adam Dunn to DC? When Adam Dunn, believing he wasn't ready for semi-retirement as a DH in the AL, was expecting 4-years/$56M, found no suitors, and settled for the Nationals' 2-year/$20 million dollar deal, a little over a week after a "baseball source" let the rest of the baseball world know, in SI.com's Jon Heyman's article entitled, "Nationals still waiting on Dunn", that Dunn had an offer on the table that he would consider if there were no better offers...(Anyone? Anyone? Please?)...even though as Mr. Heyman put it, "...the Nationals' offer sat there so long (he) sent a clear message he'd prefer to go somewhere else."

But back to Yahoo!Sports.com's David Brown's opinion that the signing of "Pudge" Rodriguez makes no sense for DC...MLB.com's Bill Ladson cites an anonymous source in an article entitled, "Pudge deal with Nats awaiting physical", who says that the signing of a catcher capable of playing everyday and providing solid defense, if not much offense any more, makes sense with Jesus Flores recovering from a stress fracture in his shoulder, the result of a foul-ball direct-hit and a torn labrum which was discovered when Flores attempted to return to the lineup late in '09 just to hit though he wasn't healthy enough for full-time action. So this time around, according to Mr. Ladson's "source":

"[The Nationals] want to go slow with Flores...By June, Flores and Rodriguez may split time, or [Riggleman] may go with the hot hand. We know this -- Rodriguez is not going to play 100 games."

In 2007, Flores, who had to remain on the 25-man roster since he was a Rule 5 pick, proved to be a little more advanced than expected, playing 79 games as a backup for Brian Schneider, who started 129, and hitting for a .244 AVG with a .310 OBP, .361 SLG and a .671 OPS. In 2008, Washington brought Paul Lo Duca and Johnny Estrada in because they were unsure Flores was ready for the full-time job, but he outplayed both veteran catchers and was the clear-cut starter when he was injured in a collision at the plate with Chase Utley that ended his season in early September. 2009 was a wash for Flores, as he was injured in early May by the foul ball that caused a stress fracture in his right shoulder, which effectively ended his season, before the torn labrum officially ended it after three games in the second week of September.

With Flores on the DL in 2009, the Nationals were left with Josh Bard and Wil Nieves splitting time behind the plate. Bard hit .230 with a .293 OBP, .361 SLG, a .655 OPS, 18 doubles, 6 HR's and 31 RBI's. Defensively, Bard made 5 errors, allowed 3 passed balls and posted a .988 FLD%, while throwing out 27% of the runners who attempted to take bases on his arm. Nieves provided pretty much the same thing he had in the previous season, putting up a .259 AVG, .313 OBP, .299 SLG and a .612 OPS with 6 doubles, 1 HR and 26 RBI's in 72 games, over which he committed 6 errors, allowed 4 passed balls and had a .986 FLD%, with 28% of stolen base attempts turned back...

Rodriguez's projected stats for 2010 according to the Bill James Handbook 2010? (Over 113 G): .266 AVG, .302 OBP, .397 SLG, .699 OPS, 20 doubles, 8 HR's and 40 RBI's, .22 K/BB. Defensively in '09, even in his "declining years", Rodriguez had a .992 FLD%, with 5 errors in 115 games, over which he threw out 22 of 53 runners who attempted to steal, (32%)...The Bill James Handbook has Jesus Flores hitting .265 in 116 games and 431 AB's in '09, with 22 doubles, 13 HR's, 75 RBI's, a .323 OBP, .415 SLG and a .738 OPS. (0.33 BB/K)...and over his career, he's caught 161 games, with a .990 FLD%,10 errors, 13 passed balls allowed, (12 of which were thrown by Daniel Cabrera, just kidding), and a 31% career CS%, having thrown out 38 of 123 runners who have dared...

Clearly the Nationals will be going into 2009 with the best catcher tandem, in Rodriguez and Flores, they've had since moving to Washington ? (Sorry, Schneider!)...And they're much better off than they were last season with Bard and Nieves...as long as Flores can stay healthy...Still don't think it make sense?...WAR? According to Fangraphs.com: Pudge was worth (+0.8) in '09, and the Fangraphs.com Fan Projections have him at (+0.6) in 2010...Jesus Flores in '09 (+1.0)...(+0.7) in '09 for Bard...Nieves in '09 (+0.3)...How's DC GM Mike Rizzo's approval rating after the Winter Meetings?

• Washington Post writer Alexa Steele put up a post at the Nationals Journal Thursday night entitled, "Free agent signing set for Friday", which announced that the Nationals would introduce their new catcher in a press conference Friday afternoon (12/11/09) at 1:00 pm in Nationals Park.

Poll

What Is DC GM Mike Rizzo's Post-Winter-Meeting Approval Rating?

Tuesday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 15:30:24 -0000

More photos » by Darren Hauck - AP

Pretty much everyone except Doug Melvin seems to think the Brewers should offer arbitration to Felipe Lopez.

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Some things to read while not getting what you hoped for.

The Brewers have until 11 pm tonight to finalize their plan to offer or decline arbitration to five free agents, and while Tom H. seems to think the Brewers will extend an offer to Felipe Lopez, Adam McCalvy is reporting the team is "leaning against" making the offer to any of the five (FanShot).

All of this is another episode in the "Doug Melvin Moments" series I think most of us are getting increasingly sick of. Doug, we get it. Times are tough for the ever-so-downtrodden small-to-mid market GM with the job many of us would kill for. If the system is really so unbearable, you're welcome to quit and be replaced by someone who will spend more time working with the tools they have and less time bitching about the ones they don't.

Assuming Melvin does eventually get off his soapbox and get back to the task of improving the team, Wisconsin Sports Tap has a guide for prospective new Brewers that can help them avoid becoming the next Jeff Suppan, Bill Hall or Johnny Estrada.

With that said, it might be a while before we have news on Mark Mulder. Roguejim uncovered a story yesterday that sheds some light on Mulder's rehab and situation, and raises the possibility that Mulder will decide not to come back if he's unable to perform at a level he's accustomed to.

We're also probably just about done discussing Kevin Millwood. Rangers beat reporter T.R. Sullivan had this to say about the rumors:

The Rangers wouldn't mind adding pitching but they don't want to subtract it so they are not trying to move Kevin Millwood. Word is the Brewers were interested but Rangers general manager Jon Daniels and Doug Melvin haven't spoke in weeks, That might change at the Winter Meetings but the Rangers still need Millwood's arm far more than they need to move his salary.

Adam McCalvy opened up the mailbag yesterday and answered reader questions on the possibility of a Prince Fielder extension, Dominican prospect Santo Aybar, Lorenzo Cain and Caleb Gindl.

Elsewhere in the minors:

Lisa Winston of MiLB.com has a review of the season for the Brewer minor leagues, and a look at the attempt to build pitching depth in the system.
Project Prospect has Jonathan Lucroy ranked ninth on their list of baseball's top 15 catching prospects. Angel Salome was not ranked.
The Baseball Chronicle has Alcides Escobar as a backup infielder on their 2010 All Prospect Team. Escobar is on the bench behind Rays prospect Reid Brignac and Cubs SS prospect Starlin Castro, who is playing out of position at second base.
Rattler Radio has photos of the construction at Time Warner Field, where they're hard at work adding the new beach seats, boardwalk and bullpens.

Up for some arbitrary list-making today? Miller Park Drunk has a list of the top ten Brewers of the decade. It's worth a click for the picture, if nothing else.

John Axford might have an outside shot at winning a spot in the Brewer bullpen next spring, depending on how rest of the offseason goes. In the meantime, he spent yesterday talking to college students about life in the big leagues and the importance of education.

On the transaction log:

Cardinals: Re-signed catcher Jason LaRue and signed infielder Ruben Gotay to a minor league deal.
Mets: Signed catcher Chris Coste, and re-signed infielder Alex Cora to a one year deal worth $2 million.
Pirates: Signed reliever Wil Ledezma to a minor league deal and released catcher Robinzon Diaz.

Wondering what it might take for the Brewers to acquire Edwin Jackson? Here's a hint: The Mariners reportedly turned down an offer from the Tigers would have sent Jackson to Seattle for pitchers Brandon Morrow and Shawn Kelley. So apparently the price is pretty high.

If the Brewers are serious about making an effort to sign Justin Duchscherer, they may have competition within the division: MLB Trade Rumors says the Pirates are one of the interested teams.

The Brewers probably won't be players in the Roy Halladay sweepstakes, but odds are the competition will heat up soon. Halladay has reportedly told the Blue Jays he won't accept any deal after reporting to spring training in February.

With the Winter Meetings coming up, we have more Rule 5 Draft notes: Baseball Time In Arlington has a look at the top ten unprotected pitchers, including former Brewer farmhand Will Inman.

Yesterday I mentioned the voting for the third baseman on the Timber Rattlers' 15th Anniversary team, and left a comment on Rattler Radio asking about the fate of top contender Bo Robinson, who had a few promising seasons in the Mariner organization before dropping off the map in 2002. Within 24 hours the answer was the subject of this week's Mehring Monday. Impressive turnaround time, to be sure.

I'm a few days behind on this one, but I recently discovered Cooperstown Chatter, the MLBlog run by the Baseball Hall of Fame, and this post on Rollie Fingers' 1981 MVP season. It's almost as impressive as Matt Stairs having a street named after him in Fredericton, New Brunswick.

By the way, if you've ever been to the Baseball Hall of Fame, or you haven't but would like to go someday, you can become a fan on Facebook. As an added bonus, Facebook fans get to help in the voting for this year's broadcaster induction.

On this day in 1967, Seattle was awarded an American League expansion franchise. I guess that makes today the Brewers' date of conception?

Happy birthday today to Tom Filer, who posted a 4.32 ERA in 39 appearances as a Brewer during the '88-'90 seasons and turns 53, and to Julio Machado, who spent parts of the 1990 and 1991 seasons as a Brewer before being arrested for murder in Venezuela. He turns 44.

Oh, and I haven't actually watched it yet (no sound on the computer where I write the Mug), but this video has Rammstein and Cookie Monster, so what could possibly go wrong?

Drink up.

Washington Nationals: Rule 5 Draft History.

Ed Chigliak — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:05:58 -0000

More photos » by Alex Brandon - AP

Jesus Flores, taken from the NY Mets' system in 2006, is by far the biggest impact player the Nationals have selected in the Rule 5 Draft. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

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The Nationals And The Rule 5 Draft...

The Washington Nationals, who hired Davey Johnson as a "senior advisor to the general manager" Mike Rizzo last week, as reported in an article by MLB.com's Bill Ladson entitled, "Nats name Johnson advisor to GM", brought Johnson to DC once before, back in 2006, as a consultant to then-GM Jim Bowden, and it was Johnson, Mr. Ladson wrote, who, "...told the Nationals to select catcher Jesus Flores in the 2006 Rule 5 Draft." Jesus Flores was the Nationals' first Rule 5 pick. (ed. note - "From the Major League Phase at least...the Nationals selected 3 players in the Triple-A Phase in 2005; Josh Perrault, now in the Orioles' system, who just gave up the game winning HR in the AFL Championship Saturday; Jose Sanchez, a RHP from the Giants' system, and infielder Brandon Powell from the Royals, but Washington refrained from taking a player in the Major League phase of the '05 Rule 5).

Flores came out of the NY Mets' system. The Mets reportedly left the then-22-year-old backstop, (regarded by some as the best catcher in their system), available thinking he was too green for teams to take a chance on, though they moved him to the Triple-A roster (he'd played the '06 season at Class-A) to make him drafting an even more troublesome proposition, since the team selecting him would have to pay $50,000 and keep the catcher on their major league 25-man roster all season. Later in the Major League phase of the '06 Rule 5 Draft, the Nationals selected right-hander Levale Speigner from the Minnesota Twins with the 17th pick...(and then hit the Twins up again, taking LHP Justin Jones in the Triple-A Phase...)

Speigner would not last through the '07 season on the Nationals' 25-man roster, as Rule 5 Draft rules demand, so the Nationals were forced to work out a deal with the Twins to keep the pitcher, sending OF Darnell McDonald to Minnesota so that they could send Speigner down into their system, but Jesus Flores stuck around, playing 79 games as Brian Schneider's backup, and in 2008, stealing the starting spot from veteran free agent signings Paul Lo Duca and Johnny Estrada.

In 2007, the Nationals selected 1B Matt Whitney from the Cleveland Indians with the 7th pick in the Major League Phase of the Rule 5 Draft, and then took OF Garrett Guzman from the Minnesota Twins with the 16th pick. Whitney was returned to the Indians when he didn't make it out of the Nationals' camp, with then GM-Jim Bowden telling MLB.com's Bill Ladson, in an article entitled, "Nationals retain rights to Guzman", that the Nationals, "'...wanted to make a trade for him...But given the fact that we have [first baseman] Chris Marrero coming...the price [was too high to keep] Whitney." Guzman was sent to Triple-A Columbus after the Nationals again made a deal with the Twins for future considerations or cash...(ed. note - "We'll delicately exit Guzman's history there...")

The Nationals selected RHP Terrell Young from the Cincinnati Reds' organization with the first pick of the Major League phase of the 2008 Rule 5 Draft, but the 23-year-old injured his shoulder and Washington returned Young, recouping half of the $50,000 dollars they'd paid the Reds to take him. With the first pick of the Triple-A Phase, the Nationals selected OF Ricardo Nanita from the White Sox, who split time in 2009 between the GCL Nationals, Double-AA Harrisburg Senators and the Mexican League...

As far as losing players, the Nationals announced last week that they'd added three pitchers, Juan Jaime, Atahualpa Severino and Aaron Thompson to their 40-man roster so they'd be protected, but as Washington Post writer Dave Sheinin noted in a Nationals Journal post entitled, "Nats add three to 40-man roster, but not Wilkie", they left right-handed pitcher Josh Wilkie (who just pitched in the AFL) unprotected. In 2005, RHP Chris Booker was selected by the Detroit Tigers, signed away by the Phillies, claimed off waivers by the Kansas City Royals and then returned to Washington.

In 2006, IF Alejandro Machado was selected from DC's system in the Major League phase of the Rule 5 Draft and seven players were taken in the Triple-A phase. (ed. note - "You get a gold star if you remember RHP James Henderson, LHP Ricardo Morales, C Salomon Manriquez and IFers Billy Webb, John Labandeira, Brandon Powell and Jose Contreras...and recognizing Powell's name from a few paragraphs above doesn't count...") In '07, just 3 players from the Nationals' Triple-A roster were taken, RHP Brett Campbell, LHP Juan Cedeno and SS Marcos Cabral. In 2008, the Orioles grabbed RHP Josh Perrault, and the Reds grabbed RHP Luis Ortega.

What to expect from the Rule 5 Draft this year? The Nationals, once again, have the No. 1 pick. MiLB.com's Jonathan Mayo, in an article on the Rule 5 preparations around baseball entitled, "Teams shuffle rosters before Rule 5 Draft", refers to the Rule 5 Draft as the "ultimate needle in a haystack search", though he reports that there are some interesting possibilities amongst those available:

"Early Draft picks from 2006 who can be had in the Rule 5 Draft include White Sox first-rounder Kyle McCulloch, the Reds' Sean Watson and the Indians' Steven Wright. From the 2005 Draft, there are some hitters such as John Drennen, the Rangers' John Whittleman and Koby Clemens of the Astros, who led the Minors in RBIs, albeit in the Class A Advanced California League."

Kyle McCullough is a 24-year-old right-hander out of the University of Texas, who's (28-35) with a combined 4.31 ERA and 5.3 K/9 innings pitched over 4 seasons in the White Sox' system. Sean Watson was the Reds' 2nd Round pick in 2006, he's another 24-year-old right-hander who's been working as a reliever in Cincy's system the last two seasons. The Indians' Steven Wright, as Mr. Mayo refers to him, is a 25-year-old '06 2nd Round pick by Cleveland, who split time between Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus this season. John Drennen's an OF who was an Indians' 1st Rounder in '05, John Whittleman's a third baseman selected in the 2nd Round of the MLB Draft by Texas in 2005 and Koby Clemens is of course, that Koby Clemens, son of Roger, who spent the '09 campaign catching in the Class-A California League where he hit .345 with a .419 OBP, 45 doubles, 22 HR's and 121 RBI's...

Who knows...the Nationals could get lucky and find the next Everth Cabrera, (who went to the Padres last season); Joakim Soria, (who the Royals took from the Padres in '06); Josh Hamilton, (who was drafted by the Cubs from the Rays' system and then traded to Cincinnati before overcoming all sorts of problems and finally breaking out); Dan Uggla, (who the Marlins took from Arizona in 2005); or even another Jesus Flores...I wouldn't hold my breath...but it will be interesting to see what the Nationals' new front office comes up with...

Friday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 14:05:21 -0000

More photos » by Darren Hauck - AP

Ryan Braun, Mike Cameron and Jody Gerut celebrate a victory against the Padres Thursday.

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Some things to read while reevaluating your Oregon Trail strategy.

Jon Heyman is reporting the Brewers and Diamondbacks have until mid-day today to reach a deal that would send Doug Davis to the Brewers, but Doug Melvin says he's not engaged in conversation with the D-Backs at this point. Obviously, Melvin has thrown us off the trail before, but it seems unlikely a deal will get done in this case.

It's a huge day today for Mike Rivera, who will get his second consecutive start, the first time that's happened since the last two days of the 2006 season. Rivera's two home run day yesterday raised his OPS from .617 to .736 and spurred several blogs to call for him to see increased playing time: Cute Sports, The Bucky Channel and badgermaniac (in the FanPosts) all made the case.

Is Ken Macha starting to feel the pressure a bit? He had an interesting exchange with Tom Haudricourt while talking with reporters before yesterday's game. With Bill Hall DFA'd, Billy Castro gone and J.J. Hardy in AAA, Jason Kendall and Brad Fischer might be the only scapegoats left before the blame falls squarely on Macha.

Speaking of Hardy, Dave Cameron of FanGraphs has a look at his service time situation, and hopes the Brewers will call Hardy back up before it becomes an issue. I've come out against service time manipulation before, and I'm against it again here. I understand it's legal and whatnot, but Hardy has been a valuable member of the team for quite some time now, and screwing with his payday this way just seems unethical.

Meanwhile, Zach Sanders of Baseball Digest Daily has a look at what to expect from Alcides Escobar. He doesn't expect Alcides to hit much (.637 OPS), but expects him to pick up 12-15 steals and play exceptional defense. Baseball America listed Escobar as the PCL's most exciting player, best infield arm and best defensive SS.

The multi-home run games by Prince Fielder and Mike Rivera overshadowed Ryan Braun, who also homered yesterday. Casa de Machado profiles Braun's five tools.

By the way, as a consistent reader of many Brewer blogs, here's a quick guide to starting a new one:

Pick a favorite obscure former Brewer. Robert Machado, Ruben Quevedo, Chuckie Carr and Gary Sheffield are all taken. Scott Podsednik, Alex Sanchez, Brady Clark and Everett Stull are all available.
Pick a place they're likely to be.
Combine the two and start blogging.
If those steps were too hard, here are some suggestions: Podsednik's Palace, Alex Sanchez on the Waiver Wire, Jogging to First with Johnny Estrada.

Jeff Suppan will make his first rehab appearance Saturday in Appleton. Once he's ready to return to the majors, he'll need to rack up some innings to become the 55th pitcher since 1954 to qualify for the ERA title while allowing a .500 slugging percentage. He could also become just the fifth to do it while allowing a .900 OPS.

The Brewers are hoping to generate some run support for Yovani Gallardo today, and are expected to try Jason Bourgeois in right field. It will be Bourgeois' first career start, but he might get several more against lefties as the only right handed outfielder on the bench.

The Brewers held steady at #24 in Beyond the Box Score's Power Rankings.

Around baseball:

Mariners: Placed Adrian Beltre on the DL with a bruised testicle.
White Sox: Placed second baseman Chris Getz on the DL with an oblique strain.

I use Baseball Reference a lot for my work here on the site, probably 8-10 times daily or more. As a result, I've sponsored a couple of pages (Claudio Vargas and Yovani Gallardo, most recently), and I try to encourage you to do the same when given the opportunity. If you've always wanted to help out B-Ref but don't have the cash to spare, I'd encourage you to check out this opportunity to help them by entering some data from the 1930's. It's easy work, but it's time consuming.

Or, if you have some cash that's burning a hole in your pocket, you could spend $85 per person to camp on the field at Miller Park. This is a cool idea but the price is way out of line...two people could stay somewhere really nice for $170/night.

While you're there, though, you could run atmospheric tests to attempt to determine why a ball hit at Miller Park carries less than the league average.

Sometimes a pitch count is just a number. Tigers beat reporter Jason Beck twittered last night that Justin Verlander hit 99 on the radar gun with his 119th, 120th and 121st pitches, and hit 100 on #123. Incredible.

Manny Parra had a pretty rough outing yesterday, but somehow escaped with a win, meaning we're all due for a reminder that it could be worse. On this day in 1977, Brewers starter Bill Travers allowed 14 runs on 18 hits and four walks in 7.2 innings of work as the Brewers lost game two of a doubleheader to Cleveland, 14-5. Travers' game score for that outing was -13, the lowest by a starter in franchise history.

Happy birthday today to Mark Loretta, who played 796 games over seven positions as a Brewer between 1995 and 2002 and turns 38 today. Also, happy birthdays to David Manning (37) and Chris Saenz (28), whose storied Brewer careers combined to cover three games.

Drink up.

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.

Monday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 16:14:39 -0000

Some things to read while savoring the experience of typing a sentence.

My apologies for being unable to write Friday. A lot has been said about the Hoffman deal since Thursday, so it's time to bust out the bullet points:

Michael Street of Baseball Digest Daily says Hoffman will be good but not great, and likely won't stay long in Milwaukee.
Eric Karabell of ESPN says Hoffman's run as a Brewer may not be pretty, and compares Hoffman to Todd Jones at the end of his career, but thinks he'll still accumulate around 30 saves.
Bleacher Report thinks Hoffman will post a 2.09 ERA with 42 saves and the Brewers will win 94 games and the NL Central.
Tyler Maas of Bugs and Cranks is welcoming Hoffman with open arms.
Dave Cameron of FanGraphs projects Hoffman as a +1 win or less pitcher in 2009, and thinks the Brewers will be back in the market for a closer for 2010.
Between the Green Pillars has a point/counterpoint on the move, but is generally in favor.
In-Between Hops likes Trevor Hoffman in the closer's role much more than Jeff Suppan.
Big League Stew has inducted Hoffman into the Hall of Familiar Players Wearing Unfamiliar Uniforms.
It is about the money, stupid thinks the combination of John Smoltz, Andy Pettitte and Trevor Hoffman's offseasons may signify the end of sentimentality.
The Grand National Championships says those who compare this deal to the Gagne deal have a case.
Brew City Sports wonders if the Brewers are prepared for the extra equipment the Hoffman signing may require.

So where does this leave the Brewer offseason? Two Fisted Slopper ranks the Brewers among the 20 teams whose offseason plans didn't work out. Quevedo at the Buffet estimates the 2009 payroll at about $74.3 million, as it stands right now. View From Bernie's Chalet thinks the likelihood of re-signing Ben Sheets increases as time goes by.

Let's talk projections for a moment:

Bleacher Report lists Yovani Gallardo as a breakout candidate for 2009.
Replacement Level Yankees Weblog projects the Brewers to win 83.4 games and finish third in the Central. They give the Brewers a roughly 24% shot at the postseason. (h/t BBTF)
In the FanShots, reader jhmoore gives the Brewers a 59% chance of winning 85 or more games.

Here's something you know: Prince Fielder is pretty strong. Here's something you may not have known: He maximizes his power through a strong hip rotation, as broken down with video at Baseball Intellect.

Two minor league notes today: First, as noted in this Fanshot, Lisa Winston of MILB.com recently interviewed Lorenzo Cain. There's nothing groundbreaking in there, but it gives you a feel for the personality of one of the faster-rising Brewer prospects. Also, as of this writing Omar Aguilar leads Brad Nelson by nine votes in balloting for Community Prospect #13. Balloting closes at noon today, and I'm hoping to open the voting for #14 sometime around noon.

On the hot stove:

Braves: Will reportedly sign Kenshin Kawakami.
Cubs: Are reportedly close to a deal with 40-year-old Japanese pitcher Ken Takahashi.
Dodgers: Signed Shawn Estes to a minor league deal.
Marlins: Have reportedly been talking to Pedro Martinez about coming to Miami.
Mets: Newsday is reporting the Mets will likely sign either Oliver Perez or Derek Lowe. They also signed Tim Redding.
Nationals: Have reportedly packed up shop and left the free agent market.
Orioles: Ken Rosenthal is reporting the team may be interested in signing Jim Edmonds to play first base.
Rangers: Michael Young has reportedly asked to be traded after being told he'll be moving to third base for 2009.
Rays: May be done signing position players but may have interest in Gabe Kapler if B.J. Upton won't be ready by Opening Day.
Red Sox: Have reportedly signed Takashi Saito and re-signed Mark Kotsay.
Royals: Signed Willie Bloomquist to a two year deal worth $3 million.
Tigers: Signed Taiwanese pitcher Fu-Te Ni to a minor league deal.

More on Willie Bloomquist: Just how little value does he have? Joe Posnanski estimates that a lineup of nine Willie Bloomquists would score more than 400 runs less than a lineup of nine Adam Dunns.

How do you define clutch? It appears the folks over at Fire Jim Bowden may need a new formula, because their calculations show Johnny Estrada was the clutchiest National in 2008.

Oh, and I don't know about you, but I would have been glued to my TV for the series premiere of Turnbow: Texas Ranger.

Drink up.

And Then There Were Three...The Washington Nationals Stay In The Race For Mark Teixeira...(It's Alright To Admit You Want To Be A National, Tex!!!)

Ed Chigliak — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 03:17:21 -0000

If published reports at ESPN and MLB.com are to be believed, and these things are truly hard to judge with all the misinformation and obfuscation out there...

The Baltimore Orioles have fallen back behind the pack in the race to impress free agent first baseman Mark Teixeira with numbers and years, as both MLB.com's Lyle Spencer, in an article entitled, "Red Sox seen in lead in Teixeira derby", and ESPN.com writer Buster Olney in an article entitled, "Sources: Teixeira to Orioles unlikely" report that only a desire on the part of Teixeira to provide some sort of home town discount could keep Camden Yards a possible destination for the 28-year-old switch hitting Maryland-native, who is then left with a choice between the warm sun and winning ways of Anaheim's Angels, Boston's big fanbase and recent winning tradition and miraculously, the largest contract available...which is apparently being offered up by your own Washington Nationals...

MLB.com's Lyle Spencer speculates that the Orioles' unwillingness to move up from their original seven-year, $150 million dollar offer is behind their dropping in the rumored rankings of teams still in pursuit, and who can blame Baltimore when Teixeira alone won't lift them up above either three or four of their AL East rivals (depending upon how you view the current Orioles' roster and system)...The Angels are in it, for 8-years and mystery money, but everyone keeps mentioning Teixeira's east coast leanings...The Red Sox, having been burned by Manny Ramirez on the last 10-year deal they gave out, are seemingly not going to go to the 10-year/$200 million dollar heights I thought would have immediately drawn Teixeira to Boston...And the Yankees are on the outside threatening to do to the Red Sox, Angels and Nationals what they did to the Braves in moving in on A.J. Burnett before Atlanta could pull together a deal...So, Washington's Nationals, and their reported 8-year and $160 million offer...are still under consideration...

But wait...Baltimore Sun writer Dan Connolly, who I've been checking in on since reading his article earlier this week, writes today, in an article entitled, "MacPhail: 'We have flexibility' on Teixeira offer", (in which Mr. Connolly's quoting the Orioles' GM Andy MacPhail), that the O's original offer isn't a "take-it-or-leave-it" type of offer, and in Mr. MacPhail's own words, as reported by Mr. Connolly:

"If they came back to us and told us what it would take and we thought that it made sense for us, then yes [the original offer could be altered]..."

MLB.com's Mike Bauman in a "Baseball Perspectives" column entitled, "Red Sox could counter with Teixeira", offers the same advice that ESPN.com's Buster Olney was proffering yesterday, as Mr. Bauman writes that acquiring Teixeira might be a "public relations windfall" for the Nationals (or Orioles), but in Mr. Bauman's opinion:

"...it could be argued that both of those clubs are currently far enough off the pace that they should spread the money around and build up a sufficient base of talent, rather than investing it all in one player..."

What I'm really worried about is the negative press that could pour down upon the Nationals should they come up short in their efforts to acquire Teixeira, or if they should, say...come within $700,000 to $1 million dollars in their final offer and then balk...(ed. note - "That's an Aaron Crow reference, for any non-Nationals' fans who might be following along.")...or even worse, if Washington should not only fail to ink Tex, but also neglect to make any other real improvements on a roster that lost 102 games last season...One hundred and two...unless trading for "The Hammer" Josh Willingham and Scott Olsen was DC's big move of the winter?...What if Adam Dunn doesn't want to come to Washington? What if the Mets ditch Castillo and bring Orlando Hudson in to play second in Citi Field? What if the Nationals get done waiting for Teixeira to decide what he wants to do and end up with only the '09- equivalent of Paul Lo Duca and Johnny Estrada left to choose from on the free agent market?

Last Night...In The Winter Leagues...

Jesus Flores was 0 for 1, striking out in a pinch hitting appearance for the Navegantes del Magallanes in a 3-1 win over Caribes de Anzoategui in Venezuelan Winter League action, and the Nationals' and Navegantes' backstop is now hitting hitting just .228 with 5 doubles, 1 HR and 10 RBI's in 26 games...Ronnie B!!! Ronnie Belliard was 2 for 4 Tuesday night as the Dominican Winter League's Tigres del Licey took an 8-2 win over Aguilas Cibaenas, with Belliard starting at third, scoring twice, walking and sporting a .365 AVG after the win...(Anderson Hernandez was 0 for 3 with a walk and a K, but he's still batting .365 for the Tigres, which just so happens to be the best AVG in the Dominican Winter League as of last night...he also leads the league in doubles with 19 in 46 games, and in triples with 6 so far...) (ed. note - Free Agent Fact: "Daniel Cabrera pitched 2.1 innings for Licey, allowing 6 hits, 1 run and 2 walks with 2 K's.") (Update...Hernandez was 2 for 4 Wednesday, Belliard - 1 for 4 in a loss...)...and finally, in the Liga de Beisbol Profesional de Puerto Rico, DC prospect Garrett Guzman started in left for the Criollos de Caguas Tuesday night and he went 1 for 2 with a double, his 7th, an RBI and a run scored in a 10-3 Caguas' win over the Cangrejeros de Santucre. Guzman's now hitting .289 over 28 games in which he's collected the 7 doubles, 2 triples, 2 HR's and 16 RBI's. Guzman's teammate, Justin Maxwell, was 0 for 1 in a pinch hit appearance, and is now hittting .213.

What say you, Teixeira?

SB Nation - Johnny Estrada

Making Your '00 Face: Final position player

Who should be the final position player on the BCB All Decade Team?

Making Your '00 Face: Backup catcher

Who should be the backup catcher on our BCB All Decade Team?

Henry Blanco

Mike Rivera

Johnny Estrada

Jason Kendall

Making Your '00 Face: Catcher

Who should be the catcher on the BCB All Decade Team?

Raul Casanova

Henry Blanco

Eddie Perez

Chad Moeller

Damian Miller

Mike Rivera

Johnny Estrada

Jason Kendall

Washington Nationals: C Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez And Jesus Flores.

What Is DC GM Mike Rizzo's Post-Winter-Meeting Approval Rating?

Tuesday's Frosty Mug

Washington Nationals: Rule 5 Draft History.

Friday's Frosty Mug

The Milwaukee Brewers' Last Trade With Each Team

Monday's Frosty Mug

And Then There Were Three...The Washington Nationals Stay In The Race For Mark Teixeira...(It's Alright To Admit You Want To Be A National, Tex!!!)