When do some of the AA studs get to try AAA?

[Hate those Rodents]

I realize there's a legit arguement that there is little difference between the two. Still, we have about five guys mashing there and Hammond hopefully ready to take the next step as well. I have to assume, that if these guys all stay in AA all year, that the front office is not planning on any of them helping the big league squad at least at the start of the year. Am I wrong here? Does anyone have a guess as to what Melvin and Co. are thinking the next 1-2 years will look for the progressions of LaPorta, Gamel, Escobar, Salome, Brantley, and Hammond?

[battlekow]

I think that something interesting to take into consideration is what to do with Lorenzo Cain. In my opinion, he deserves a shot at AA to see what he can do, but Gillespie and LaPorta are firmly entrenched as the incumbents. I suppose it depends on the organizational philosophy; if they really do consider AAA a dumping ground for mediocre veteran talent, then maybe they want to bump up the lesser of the two prospects (Gillespie) and keep LaPorta stable and working on his defense in a productive, positive environment. If they really do see AAA as a step up, then obviously you bump up LaPorta. But Cain needs a promotion.

[PrimeTime955]

Alcides Escobar:

After this season JJ hardy has 2 seasons of Arbi left before he becomes a free agent. As much as I like JJ, I don't see him as a Brewer once he hits free agency. With the emergence of Escobar, it really makes no sense to pay JJ free agent money to stay here. So there is really no need to rush Escobar right now if he's not going to start in Milwaukee for 2-3 seasons. Let him continue to hit at AA this season. Start him in AAA next season, and in 2010 start the year in AAA, JJ traded in the middle of the season and Escobar takes over or he spends the whole season as a backup MI in Milwaukee. I could also see JJ being traded with 1 year of Arbi left and Escobar given the job in spring of 2010.

 

Matt LaPorta:

Well, he's obviously not playing left field in Milwaukee any time soon. So the positions he has left, RF and 1B. The Brewers prefer to keep him in the outfield so lets say we keep him there. Mike Cameron has an option year next season that the Brewers hold for like 10 million. Option 1, the Brewers pick up Cam's option, keep Corey Hart in right field next season. In that case you leave LaPorta in AA for 2008, AAA in 2009 and in 2010 when Cam is gone, Corey goes to CF and LaPorta goes to RF on opening day, every day. (LaPorta would probably be up mid 2009) Option 2, which I think is the most realistic, if you really think that LaPorta is ready, move him to AAA mid 2008, if he mashes there, then you know you don't have to pick up camerons 2009 option, move Hart to CF and start LaPorta in RF in 2009. It probably adds offense and is about 9.5 million dollars cheaper.

 

Mat Gamel:

Gamel is a hard call because I'm not sure how far his defense has come yet. Since following Brewers minor league baseball (not that long, I'm only 22 years old), I've never seen someone put up Gamels numbers through 55 games. Bill Hall is signed for 2 more seasons after this one and has a club option for 2011. Bill is a guy who I can see getting traded down the road at some point. More realisticly, I see Gamel at some point getting bumped up to Nashville in 2008. Then I see Fielder getting traded either in the offseason before 2009, or at the 2009 trade deadline for pitching. Gamel makes the move from first to third or LaPorta moves to first and Gamel moves to RF. I know everyone says his defense is getting better but I don't see him sticking there. Just an opinion. If we don't trade Prince then either Gamel or LaPorta gets traded. I don't see an option where all 3 of these guys will be with the organization in spring training 2010.

 

Angel Salome:

I think Salome needs to take each level year by year. I'm not 100% sold on his catching abilities yet but the talent is there. He's going to hit no matter where he is. Full 2008 in Huntsville, 3/4 2009 in Nashville, call up to Milwaukee at the end of 2009, hopefully starting in Milwaukee in 2010. Kendalls contract expires after 2009. Salome needs to start almost every day. Get Kendall up at the end of 2009 to learn from Kendall what it takes to be a big league catcher. Like the cubs did with Soto and Kendall last season.

 

Michael Brantley:
Brantley is so young that I think you need to take it slow especially with our outfield depth. He's not as advanced as Gillespie or LaPorta yet and he's not good enough to have someone ahead of him get traded to make room for him. I could see Brantley used in a trade by the Brewers to help aquire pitching. I don't see a reason to advance him faster then a level per season at this point.

 

Cole Gillespie:

Can't remember who said it on this board but Cole needs to hire a hit man to get to Milwaukee. I have loved Gillespie since we drafted him but where is he going to play? He is another player that may end up in a trade for some pitching.

[TheCrew07]

I don't think Salome needs to catch everyday, he hasn't at any stop thus far in his career. He's only catching 2 out 3 days at AA right now, and if what X posted was true about him working everyday with Charlie Green during his suspension, then that would explain his much improved defense. I often wonder how much time the minor leaguers really get to work on improving their defense during the season? A catcher would get to work on game calling pitch by pitch, but it not's the same for a fielder. In Salome's case, he was air mailing throws and giving up way too many passed balls, I'm not sure you can necessarily work on that during a game. To me that's a repitition muscle memory thing where he'd need a coach drilling balls in the dirt over and over for the passed balls, and to have value he'd need to get out of his stance and make 40-60 throws a day (I say that only because that's how many throws I require my QBs to make between long and touch passes everyday, I have no idea what would be a good number for a catcher). The more he throws on top of his regular catching duties, it stands to reason the greater the risk he throws his arm out, much like a pitcher.

[homer]

I'm sure there will be some promotions after the draft - the Brewers typically move guys around at that time.

[PrimeTime955]

07, maybe I should rephrase. I shouldn't have said every day. I meant that he needs to be the primary catcher on whatever team he's on. He doesn't need to be bumped up to see only 1/3 of the starts. He needs to be the one getting the primary action. No catcher should be playing every day. Including Jason Kendall.

[JohnBriggs12]

Gamel made 53 errors last season in 128 games (1 every 2.4 games). This year he's more than cut that in half (11 errors in 55 games). If he can keep progressing with the glove, I see him up in Milwaukee in late May 2009, just as Braun did last year and platooning with Hall.

 

I think LaPorta is the guy who's going to used in the trade to get the young stud pitcher. If not LaPorta, then Hart. I don't think we'll every see an all righthanded OF of Braun, Hart and LaPorta.

[JJHardy7]

I don't think we'll every see an all righthanded OF of Braun, Hart and LaPorta.

 

Do you not think we'll see all those guys together? Or not a right handed OF? We have an all RH OF this year.

[uwisfan]

2007: 17% errors

winter: 12%

2008: 7%

 

then you break down april vs may this year and the trend looks very promising. Bill Hall is at 9% errors right now

[Brian the Automator]

Generally, promotions like these happen after the minor league all-star break. Given that Gamel and LaPorta aren't necessarily on a fast-track from a need point of view, I would expect this to be the case.

[homer]

You guys jinxed Gamel - he committed error #12 tonight.

[dadofandrew]

I don't think it would surprise anyone to see Laporta as an everyday player to begin '09. Hart and Braun are unlikely to not be there, so I see an all RH OF.

 

Looking well ahead (and a bit ignorantly, as BA predicts such things assuming no trades will be made), I could easily see Brantley or another prospect from AA breaking in as a reserve in '10 and then taking over when Prince moves on and Matt moves to 1B.

 

Comparing Gamel to Prince and Braun at AA, stats and age, at some point in '09 makes sense.

 

If Mat and Matt do both debut, I would think they would bring in a veteran LH bat to play defense late (Randy Winn?) and rest Laporta versus tough RHP's, and maybe a RH 3B to do the same...though I would not mind seeing Dillon in that role, or any role, for that matter.

[PrimeTime955]

I don't think it would surprise anyone to see Laporta as an everyday player to begin '09. Hart and Braun are unlikely to not be there, so I see an all RH OF.

 

Looking well ahead (and a bit ignorantly, as BA predicts such things assuming no trades will be made), I could easily see Brantley or another prospect from AA breaking in as a reserve in '10 and then taking over when Prince moves on and Matt moves to 1B.

 

Comparing Gamel to Prince and Braun at AA, stats and age, at some point in '09 makes sense.

 

If Mat and Matt do both debut, I would think they would bring in a veteran LH bat to play defense late (Randy Winn?) and rest Laporta versus tough RHP's, and maybe a RH 3B to do the same...though I would not mind seeing Dillon in that role, or any role, for that matter.

If they are both in Milwaukee next season, where is Bill Hall going?

 

[battlekow]

If they are both in Milwaukee next season, where is Bill Hall going?

Away.

 

[bamberger]

I would expect two or three promotions at "mid-season" of AA even though more might be ready.

 

Since mostly position players are involved, I hope they promote simply based on readiness for AAA and availability of starting positions there. Frankly, there are few at AAA that I wouldn't replace with a quality prospect. Their AAA guys are being trained primarily as possible major league utility players. I think a number of the Huntsville hitters are ready for the challenge. Under no circumstances would I hold a player in AA because of anticipated nonavailability in Milwaukee for a year or two. Get them to AAA. Its better to stay there at the highest possible challenge than to hold them back arbitrarily.

 

As to pitchers, while they could use starters, nobody's outstanding at AA. Therefore, openings at AAA are probably the key. Hammond among the starters comes to mind because he's been in AA awhile, but he's not an automatic. He seems back on track after a bad partial-2007 season. Aguilar could maybe be advanced to AAA for a look-see in August, but there's no rush. Ryan certainly merits consideration, too. Hinton would be another possibility.