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OF Gabe Gross traded to Tampa Bay for minor league pitcher Josh Butler

sargennm

By sargennm,
in Milwaukee Brewers Talk

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brewtank34 Draft Eligible

brewtank34

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It's going to be nice having Gwynn's speed and baseball inteligence back. I'm going to miss Gross's walk up song..."I can only imagine" by Mercy Me...Great song.

 

Good Luck Gross. Oh, how I can't wait till Cameron's back!!!!!!!!!!!

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AJAY ACL Brewers

AJAY

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Didn't he just score the winning run a few minutes ago? Anyway, I think Gross' questionable defense prevents him from being an everyday player here. He was my choice to be moved if someone had to go.
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sargennm Draft Eligible

sargennm

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I guess this also means we're sticking with 14 pitchers for the next week until Cameron returns.

From a Web site called www.draysbay.com

#17 - Josh Butler, RHP

Talk about a tale of two seasons. Butler had arguably the best numbers of a very talented Columbus Catfish staff, but got called up to Vero Beach toward the end of June and simply got rocked, missed nearly a month of starts, came back and was slightly more effective.

The University of San Diego product was a surprise 2nd-rounder in 2006, as his draft stock had been falling in concert with his productivity, which sparked concerns over his durability. At his best, Butler throws a low-90s fastball with good sinking actions as well as two serviceable breaking pitches and a changeup. But something really got out of whack in Vero Beach: In 49 innings there, he allowed 9 homeruns. In his previous 357 innings(combined college and pro), he allowed a total of 13.

Before the 2006 draft, BaseballAmerica mentioned that a taxing delivery might be to be blame for his decline over the course of his junior year. The report was that he didn't incorporate his lower body enough, and that's practically inviting an arm injury. Judging from the poor 2nd-half statistics and the time missed, I'd say the concerns over his delivery are as alive as ever. Part of the decline can be chalked up to being promoted a level, but the sharp HR rate increase makes me think it's something else, such as not finishing on his delivery and leaving more balls up.

2007 was the second straight year Butler underwhelmed toward the end. I can probably be accused of saying this too much, but I think it applies to Butler perhaps more than anyone: I think he should make a move to the bullpen. If it is a durability issue, limiting his innings could help. Also, if efforts are made to clean up his delivery, pitching in shorter spurts might allow him to better focus on incorporating those changes.

Then again, perhaps his poor finish was a result of the injury(I can't for the life of me find out why he missed those 3-4 starts). He was dominant in his final outing(7 innings, 2 hits, 7 strikeouts), so it might be best to see if a fully healthy Butler can be successful in Vero Beach as a starter. Either way, VB is almost certain to be where he opens 2008, and he's still got plenty to prove.
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bjkrautk First Round Pick

bjkrautk

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Any insight on Josh Butler? Career minor leaguer?

 

What's funny about you asking, is that a quick google search pointed me right back to Brewerfan.net.

BaseballCube stats. 2:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio, and an (early) second-round pick in the 06 Draft. Seems like a pretty good return, but it'll probably be a year or two before he pitches in Milwaukee....if he makes it that far.

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DougJones43 First Round Pick

DougJones43

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Gross is gone, and he's taking about half of the team's walks with him. But it will be great to have TGJ and the wet newspaper he swings back! Also, it is very likely that Gabe Kapler will continue to hit like he has been, and we really aren't at all short on left-handed bats.
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