When does Salome get moved up?

[yoshii8]

I think its fair to say that after 200 ab's w/ a .962 OPS, as a 22 year old catcher in AA, that Angel Salome has to be considered one of the best catching prospects in all of baseball. Should he be moved up to AAA this season? His defense is not bad, but could be improved, he is throwing out runners at a 25% clip, and has only 7 passed balls. If he keeps playing at this level could he be our starting catcher at some point next season?

I would like to know from people who have seen him play recently, how close he really is to becoming the Brewers catcher?

[trwi7]

I don't think they'll move him up. They want Rottino to keep catching at AAA last I heard so it makes sense to let Rottino keep doing it in Nashville and let Salome do it in Huntsville.

[Tedaldtada]

Although he is more than deserving, I feel like we should keep the Huntsville boys (er, men!) together the rest of the season.

[TuesdaysWithRillo]

I would keep Salome in his comfort zone in Huntsville and move the bunch up to Nashville for 2009. No reason to rush any of those guys right now.

[DHonks]

Salome, like Gamel, needs to work on his defense. I'd expect both to stay in AA all year. LaPorta to AAA is more likely, the same for Brantley.

[JoeHova]

I thought Brantley was a poor defender as well? Not to mention LaPorta, why would bad defense hold back two of the guys, but not the other two? I'm just curious what the rationale would be.

[splitterpfj]

I don't expect to see any of these guys in AAA this year, the organization loves to keep their guys together coming through the minors. I think they'll all play in Huntsville this season, unless someone is called up to Milwaukee to cover an injury.

[yoshii8]

Has anybody seen him play recently, I'd like to know how he looks behind the plate. Is defense the reason why he doesn't get much national media attention as a top player, he has hit well at every level.

[DHonks]

Joe, my rationale was that Brantly is supposedly advanced as a defender. He's likely a bit weak for CF, but solid in the corner outfield and 1b spots. At least that's from my understanding. Also, LaPorta and Brantley play positions where defense isn't quite as important. With Salome and Gamel, every throw or fielding attempt is very important.

[BrewCrewForever]

So Salome could be our starting catcher come 2010? Or could we see him in 2009?

[And That]

If he were to be called up to the big leagues right now, Salome would have to be either a DH or a diminutive/not good first baseman. He has the tools to be a good major league backstop, including a very strong arm, but basic things like footwork, blocking balls and calling a game are still lacking. Much as with Gamel, he won't be promoted for his bat. And frankly if he doesn't work out defensively as a catcher, he'll have to be traded to an AL team because his body type is really only suited for catching and they don't have the DH in the NL.

[BrewCrewForever]

So And That, do you think he could be ready on defense by the 2010 season to be our backstop?

[And That]

It's certainly possible, but defense is kind of a fickle skill from prospect to prospect. For some the light bulb turns right now, for others it's a dimmer switch that turns on slowly, and for others the electricity just doesn't work. And you can't say for certain what will happen to guys that haven't figured it out yet. I hope he does figure it out sooner than later obviously.

 

Salome might hold more value to the Brewers as a trading chip with defensive potential in the short to mid term. The Brewers are in the fairly unique position of having three (including Lucroy, and counting Lawrie) catching prospects amongst their top 10-15 overall prospects, and then there's still Lou Palmisano and Vinny Rottino on the next tier, with some decent depth in Andy Bouchie, Shawn Zarraga and other guys behind them.

[JoeHova]

Yeah, they have some catching depth, but Salome is the most advanced. Wouldn't dealing Lucroy make a little more sense?

[And That]

It depends if how sure you are about Salome's ability to catch at the major league level. If you have any serious doubts about it, you might trade him before other teams begin to have the same doubts.

[JJHardy7]

Has anybody seen him play recently, I'd like to know how he looks behind the plate. Is defense the reason why he doesn't get much national media attention as a top player, he has hit well at every level.

 

I've seen him play a few times this year. I'd have to agree with And That. I noticed his footwork needs to improve, but he's not lacking any physical skill. I think one of the reasons he doesn't get national media attention is because of his suspension. If he keeps doing what he's doing, I'm sure we'll hear a lot of national attention going into the 2009 season for Salome.

[bork]

If I recall correctly, recent box scores indicated 9 passed balls for Salome and 14 for Rottino. That's about the only defensive stat that we can really follow.

[homer]

He's also thrown out 17 of 75 base runners (22.6%). Not good.

[futurebrewerfather]

I thought I had heard he had a cannon for an arm. Am I remembering that wrong or does his throwing out less then 25% have more to do with his footwork? I would think footwork, and to a lesser extent, calling a game is something that can be taught over time. A strong arm and power bat are something you either have or don't have, so I'm still hyped on him. But I think although he seems to have more upside and star potential, he could also bomb, whereas LaCroy seems to be more of a sure thing, but without the superstar potential. i.e Do you want to be conservative or roll the dice for the big payoff? (That reminds me a little of having a solid 1B a few years ago, but deciding to roll the dice on a upcoming Rookie First Baseman)

[bullox]

Let's not forget that pitchers are relied on also when looking at the thrown out %. If everyone gets a huge jump and is halfway to 2nd base before the pitcher releases the ball, that will hurt Salome's chances to throw the runner out.

[JoeHova]

I thought I had heard he had a cannon for an arm. Am I remembering that wrong or does his throwing out less then 25% have more to do with his footwork? I would think footwork, and to a lesser extent, calling a game is something that can be taught over time. A strong arm and power bat are something you either have or don't have, so I'm still hyped on him. But I think although he seems to have more upside and star potential, he could also bomb, whereas LaCroy seems to be more of a sure thing, but without the superstar potential. i.e Do you want to be conservative or roll the dice for the big payoff? (That reminds me a little of having a solid 1B a few years ago, but deciding to roll the dice on a upcoming Rookie First Baseman)

 

 

Luckily, they don't really need to make a choice. Catching is at such a premium that trading either one of them until it is clear that the other one is a good ML starter isn't really worth it. I'd hang onto both and let them compete over the next couple years. You don't want to give up on one of them too soon and have him become Dioner Navarro or Jason Varitek. Sometimes catchers take awhile to fully develop, so hanging onto them both would seem the safe bet, imo, especially because neither one has the profile to bring in a premium player by themselves. Using either one as a piece in a package would be potentially franchise crippling, imo, unless we want to be doomed to another decade of Kendall-like retreads.

[futurebrewerfather]

I'm certainly not proposing trading either one of them at this point. We need to be sure of what we have in them first. The only way I'd move one of the two is if it was a requirment to get something big in return, and even then, I'd have to think it over awhile. I was more comparing the two from this early point in their careers, my thoughts are Angel has more stud potential, but LaCroy is more a sure major league starter someday.

[And That]

LaCroy is more a sure major league starter someday.

Just to clarify... his name is Jonathan Lucroy.

 

[JoeHova]

I'm certainly not proposing trading either one of them at this point. We need to be sure of what we have in them first. The only way I'd move one of the two is if it was a requirment to get something big in return, and even then, I'd have to think it over awhile. I was more comparing the two from this early point in their careers, my thoughts are Angel has more stud potential, but LaCroy is more a sure major league starter someday.

 

 

I would tend to agree with that, because Lucroy is apparently a little more well-rounded, while Angel maybe has the better tools (rocket arm, good bat). Not to take away from Lucroy's tools, of course. Having two 22 year old catchers with career OPS's of .850 or better is pretty exciting.

[coach32sm]

Angel will have to be put on the 40 man roster after this season or be lost to Rule 5. I'm guessing since that will happen they will bring him up for a taste in September. Money plays funny tricks with organizations (Jay Bruce being called up in June) Angel has demonstrated his abilities as a player both offensively and defensively as well as a leader at each level. I think he would have gotten a call in September anyway. As far as his talent....there is no question that he will hit, he will hit as Pudge use to. His defense is not as bad as everyone is making out. He has one of the strongest arms in all of baseball. His problem is he "rushes" and his transfer gets all messed up at times, he is working very hard at relaxing and letting his natural talent take over and letting his arm do the work and not his brain. He is a great athlete with real good feet and hands. His hands are the size of the State of Utah but has extremely soft hands behind the plate. He is quick as a cat as well. Don't always look at the numbers with catchers. Sometimes pitchers do a real bad job of holding runners on, sometimes catchers get the passed ball when it should be a wild pitch, especially when you get a reputation. I have heard games on the internet when I heard the announcer say it was a wild pitch and then the next morning in the box score Angel was charged with a passed ball. I will be going to Chatanooga for a few days to see Angel before I leave for overseas to coach, I'll give you a better idea of EXACTLY where Angel is and needs to be, and probably lots of pictures. You will see Angel as your future backstop for many years. Look at his numbers offensively since he's been in the organization. With his arm athleticism , work ethic and desire to be great, he will be a Gold Glove Catcher as he was in HS and has the potential to be. Jean Carlos Rodriguez was drafted by the Phillies and will make his debut tomorrow (hopefully) with the GCL Phills. He led us to a great 46-2 season and a win at Shea Stadium for the NY Championship, June 8 Talk to you soon. "COACH"