Prospect Injuries -- Latest: A Caleb Gindl Update

[Never Outhustled]

What logical explanation is there for sitting on an injury for 6 months?

I could say the Brewers are penny pinchers and only spend money on the one expense that is made available to the public, the major league payroll.

 

However, every time I suggest this, I get yelled at. So I'm not saying it.

[wvpowerblkwel]

Let me just say one more thing when it comes to their "apparent approach" with some of their minor league guys. Reference my post above on three very exciting prospects, I mean Braddock was just incredible when he started here. Look at the Brewers recent draft success in producing and keeping/or trading prospects since 2005. It seems they have lost focus on how important these guys, especially pitchers since that seems to be what they are trading away all these young kids on! Only Yo has climbed through the Brewers ranks....and with the exception of the Million $ man Mark Rogers, they have either traded away all the position players, or the expected pitching stars wind up hurt or a big bust. Evan Fredrickson from last year was incredibly a waste of money from what I saw in Charleston. I am rooting hard for the guy nonetheless. Bryson, traded and labrum surgery, Wil Inman traded, Stever Garrison traded and cut on, Zach Braddock, lots of time back and forth to AZ, finally an MRI, finally surgery, Jeremy Jeffress, anyone know his status lately, Alex Periard, addressed earlier...the list goes on and on. All the kids mentioned, I saw pitch, I saw potential MLB guys. I have watched the Brewers low A guys for 4 years, and have been right on the money with every guy I have seen that I felt like had big league potential in my gut! That means Bobby Bramhall is either getting traded or cut on before the season is up (GOD I HOPE NOT!) I just don't understand why has been closers, rent a pitchers, and broken down bullpen guys like Linestink are thought more highly of than developing more YO's? Somebody help me!!

[Never Outhustled]

Evan Fredrickson from last year was incredibly a waste of money from what I saw in Charleston.

Wow, thats really unfair. The guy was going through a dead arm period. He pitched well in Helena. He's a fireballer pitching without his velocity.

Wil Inman traded, Stever Garrison traded

That was a pretty genius move. They dealt 2 overvalued guys, got a rental and draft picks. The draft picks are already rated higher than Inman and Garrison are per BA.

 

Only Yo has climbed through the Brewers ranks....

Manny Parra is really good, and shouldn't be forgotten.

 

I just don't understand why has been closers, rent a pitchers, and broken down bullpen guys like Linestink are thought more highly of than developing more YO's? Somebody help me!!

The Brewers were 2nd in the NL in pitching last year, and that staff put them in the playoffs. I'd say they did a whole lot right.

 

I have watched the Brewers low A guys for 4 years, and have been right on the money with every guy I have seen

I think you've forgot your opinions on Lucroy and Brewer just to name 2 off the top of my head.

I appreciate your 1st hand insight, you understand prospects well, but bagging on one of the best ran organizations in baseball seems a little off to me.

[TheCrew07]

My father's MRI was a little over $400 up here in Green Bay, that's what I get for just googling "MRI Average Cost" or something similar, I remember it was a bunch of question/answer sites, I should have done more research on the cost. $400 is probably less than they spend on a scout's expenses over the course of a week during the season with travel, hotels, meals... It's so cheap relatively speaking, I'm not even sure how to qualify the apparent reluctance... what's $400? They could do every pitcher in the organization every year for that amount of money. Actually that would make sense, they could baseline all of the shoulders and elbows when drafted/acquired. Hell, they could probably get a volume discount...

 

The reason I bring up the baseline concept is it's a good way to track the effects and recovery of concussions, more a football thing, but it's the injury we're most concerned with. If I were in baseball, I'd be worried about shoulders and elbows and be looking for a way to monitor the health of those joints. If they didn't want to do the entire organization every year it would still make sense to baseline the joints so there is a comparison available and maybe they spot some issues early, what's another $800 before you sign an injured kid to a contract?

 

X the Brewers do many things very well, but I believe it's fair to say that diagnosis and treatment of injuries isn't one of them... For example there was no reason for Jones to go through what he's gone through. Sure some of that is probably on him, there's any number of ways he could have negatively impacted his own recovery, but the organization should have been there to shut him down. How many pitchers keep coming back for after having major shoulder and Tommy John surgery? I remember after Jones' first surgery there was some rhetoric out of the organization that he wasn't mentally enough to pitch through the discomfort... I believed it, but after seeing him go throw multiple surgeries since and his determination to make it back, I was wrong to accept was reported. Especially when Rogers ended up on a very similar course... There's simply no way I would question Mike's toughness or his determination. This isn't about pitchers getting injured, I believe pitching injuries are inevitable... this is about one injury leading to another, players on the field when they should be rehabbing, and so on... basically in my opinion questionable diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation.

[Never Outhustled]

X the Brewers do many things very well, but I believe it's fair to say that diagnosis and treatment of injuries isn't one of them...

True, but what team is good at keeping pitching prospects healthy and and always has its pitchers make %100 recoveries from surgury?

 

Actually that would make sense, they could baseline all of the shoulders and elbows when drafted/acquired.

The Brewers actually do MRI their high draft pick pitchers, at least they did with Rogers. I agree with doing it more often, but Melvin has to work within a budget. Its hard to say whats more cost effective without having all the numbers in front of us. Melvin did overhaul the entire organizations training staff a few years ago, and we saw positive results at first. The last year has been questionable again.

[TheCrew07]

I didn't intend to make it appear like I was limiting my injury assessment to the pitching staff, as I noted I believe pitching injuries are inevitable, that was intended for pitchers and position players alike. Position players would include off the top of my head Weeks playing hurt 2 years ago, Gamel playing hurt, Green trying to play hurt, and Braun playing hurt (at least in a pennant race so forgivable)

[wvpowerblkwel]

Not bagging on anyone. It's just always fun to see how the X responds to anything I write. My only point was I don't understand how come only a kid with a million $ signing bonus is entitled to good health care! Sorry if I had a problem with Frederickson, but I'm just speaking on what I saw. Dude couldn't keep it out of the backstop on several outings...but I did say I have hope for him and will be rooting for him. As for Brewer and Lucroy, I wish the guys well and it looks like as agent 39 sez, this will be Brent's year. I didn't say I was a pro scout, I was merely saying that I watch these guys first hand and from that is what I form my comments, but I guess I did use the word every so my mistake, I wish to strike that from my comments but in the interests of being responsible for the things I say, I won't edit it from my comments! As for Parra, he was before I began following the Brewers so I guess I just missed that one. Man am I gonna miss the stimulating conversation around here!

[biedergb]

Now, I'm not defending the Brewers practice of handling prospects with pain, but just to keep in mind that the cost of the MRI is probably not the factor that is determining when/if a players gets one given that their costs are $500-1500, which is small especially compared to the costs of surgeries, bonuses, etc. I'm sure pain is a common complaint, and given the normal wear/tear that a pitcher's arm will have from HS/College and minor league use/abuse (pitching is not a normal action), an MRI is probably hard to interpret as there is almost certainly some abnormalities.

 

Maybe the Brewers put too much faith in the trainers and team physicians (or their minor league equivalents) to evaluate for the 'red flag' signs/symptoms that would warrant further evaluation. Or maybe the team doesn't want to be on the hook for the surgery which could be recommended based on the MRI results, and rather try the conservative approach first to avoid that cost (except for players with huge monetary investments already). But I'm fairly sure it's not 'nickel and dime'-ing the MRI test itself.

[Mass Haas]

From Adam McCalvy's blog post, linked here:

 

"Wisconsin native right-handed pitcher R.J. Seidel, is out for the year with a knee injury. He slipped on some ice during the winter and "tore up" his knee, Melvin said, and underwent surgery. Fellow pitching prospects Zach Braddock and Alex Periard will also miss the start of the season with injuries. Periard was sidelined all spring by a sore right shoulder, but Melvin was not sure of the nature of the left-hander Braddock's injury, but he did have offseason surgery. Both Braddock and Periard should be able to pitch in 2009."

 

"Playing time at Huntsville opened up for Vinny Rottino because prospect Taylor Green is "taking longer than we thought" to return from offseason wrist surgery, Melvin said. The Brewers don't expect him back until June, and Green may be asked to return to the Arizona Fall League at the end of the season."

 

Yikes...

 

Read the blog post entry in full for updates on Mike Jones (back to Brevard) and Rottino...

[battlekow]

Always nice to get some good news on a Monday to make it a little cheerier. Oh wait.

 

I don't see why we'd expect Periard to escape surgery at this point.

[brewmann04]

That why you keep drafting Pitching because you can never have enough. Hopefully the Crew adds alot of Quality arms in the June draft.

[brewmann04]

i wish the best of Luck To Jones and Rodgers and they can finally have a healthy Year,and regain their one time Prospect Status.

[Never Outhustled]

I'm curious to find out whats ailing Josh Romanski. It would be nice to get a 4th round pick on the mound sooner or later.

[Mass Haas]

From the "Among the Missing" thread on this forum --

RHP Corey Frerichs -- 2.82 ERA, 92 K's in 73.1 IP at West Virginia -- he'll be 23 in May

 

Turns out Frerichs is rehabbing a blown-out ACL in Maryvale. We'll learn more shortly about how and the timing and such, but needless to say, it will be a while before we see him. Good luck to him along the way.

 

Wow, is it just me, or have the kids already topped the major injury frequency from all of 2008?

[TheCrew07]

Could you do your magic and find about Romanski like X mentioned? I know I wasn't the only one who wanted to see his name in a box score as something other than a DH?

[Mass Haas]

RHP Corey Frerichs -- 2.82 ERA, 92 K's in 73.1 IP at West Virginia -- he'll be 23 in May

 

Turns out Frerichs is rehabbing a blown-out ACL in Maryvale. We'll learn more shortly about how and the timing and such, but needless to say, it will be a while before we see him. Good luck to him along the way.

Injured it in spring training -- just bad luck on this one.

 

We'll see what we can learn on Romanski and a few others -- injury info is tough to come by, believe me (and that's no disrespect to the Brewers, they're following proper protocol).

[Mass Haas]

Good news about Taylor Green in Josh's latest agent post

[Kevbo74]

and Vinny Rottino says: "Take your time, kid.."

 

any word on Lorenzo Cain's expected return date? Was it just a 7 day rest?

[battlekow]

I asked McCalvy about Cain and he said, "I don't know exactly what the timetable is for Cain, but he did remain in extended Spring Training in Phoenix to rehab. That seems to me like a sign it could be a few weeks."

[pogokat]

anyone want to compile all the various injuries her into one post that i can copy and paste into the lead and we can update?

[Mass Haas]

In his latest blog entry, agent39 mentions Lorenzo Cain --

 

Lorenzo Cain had his first in game action yesterday in Arizona. The plan is to get him 20 AB's before shipping off to Huntsville (so I've heard). It was his birthday yesterday so obviously that was a pretty good present.

[Kevbo74]

Agent wrote: "Taylor Green is massively ahead of schedule and hopefully will be back by the end of the month or early may at worst."

 

are we still looking for Green to be coming back pretty darn soon? (not that Huntsville actually plays any games)

[TooLiveBrew]

Great news on both those guys; thanks for sharing people http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

[Mass Haas]

Tommy John surgery unfortunately for Romanski.

 

Mike

LHP Josh Romanski is last season's 4th round pick out of the University of San Diego. See you next spring, Josh. Good luck with the rehab.

 

I'd imagine Adam McCalvy will get a quote from Gord Ash within the next few days...we could also use an Alex Periard update, that silence is deafening.

[jimmyjeromehardy7]

Also, any word on Capuano? I remember reading early in ST that he hoped to be pitching by now or sometime in May I thought. But I also may have heard he had a setback late in ST.