The future of Jeremy Jeffress

[Never Outhustled]

Jeffress has now thrown 7 shutout innings in AA, without a walk.

I can't wait to see him in Milwaukee this September.

 

Me too. He could be our version of Neftali Feliz.

[HiAndTight]

Jeffress has now thrown 7 shutout innings in AA, without a walk.

I can't wait to see him in Milwaukee this September.

 

Me too. He could be our version of Neftali Feliz.

I'd prefer him to be our version of Stephen Strasburg, but I suppose that's a bit ambitioushttp://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif.

 

Seriously though, I would prefer to see him start, and I think he'll go back to starting next year with Nashville. It's simply a matter of when the light goes off for him. It's the same for a lot of powered armed young pitchers. They've got the weapons to dominate, it's an issue of learning how to pitch, how to attack, and having the confidence to do so.

 

Jeffress coming up and throwing some nice clean innings in Sept could go a long ways to helping him gain that confidence for the Brewers next year.

[paul253]

I can't wait to see him in Milwaukee this September.

 

In my opinion he's done nothing to earn a September call-up. The fact that people are so excited he's gone 7 innings without a walk shows just how little confidence we actually have in his control.

[TooLiveBrew]

It's not about 7 innings. Jeffress has been dominant this season. 25 IP, 10 BB, 34 K, and a filthy 0.96 WHIP. Is it a tiny sample? Yes. But do the stats fall in line with the scouting reports on his dominant ability? You bet. Given that he's on the 40-man roster, and a humongous part of the organization's future, I think he'll get called up in September... also as a reward for keeping up good behavior and working hard.

[Invader3K]

In Huntsville in 4 games so far, he has a 0.00 ERA. Small sample, but not bad to see at all.

[HiAndTight]

I can't wait to see him in Milwaukee this September.

 

In my opinion he's done nothing to earn a September call-up. The fact that people are so excited he's gone 7 innings without a walk shows just how little confidence we actually have in his control.

Not really, it shows how excited we are to see a power arm that can hit triple digits and finally appears to be figuring things out, albeit in a small sample size, but nonetheless, success in a small sampling is preferable to failure, is it not?

 

And you're the one throwing out the 7 innings. I don't believe anyone's said, "because of the 7 good innings". No, it's an accumulation of his efforts this year, what we know of his ability and the fact that he's now a reliever and not a starter.

[paul253]

And you're the one throwing out the 7 innings.

 

"Jeffress has now thrown 7 shutout innings in AA, without a walk."

 

No I wasn't the one who threw out the 7 innings. Look I'm rooting for Jeffress as much as the next guy. All I'm saying is let's see him do it consistently before we promote him to the big leagues. He's had control problems ever since he signed. I'm not going to look at his first 25 innings this year and proclaimed him fixed. And there is also some talk about doing it as reward for his good behavior, which I find ridiculous. Good behavior for not failing a third drug test? What about the other 100+ guys in the system who've never failed a drug test, where is their reward for good behavior?

 

All that being said, it is nice to see Jeffress having this much success and I hope he can continue it as a starter.

[TooLiveBrew]

All I'm saying is let's see him do it consistently before we promote him to the big leagues. He's had control problems ever since he signed.

 

Which have all but vanished this season. Jeffress is on the 40-man, is as big a flamethrower as there is in all of baseball, & has been dominant this season. He's the organization's best pitching prospect, to boot. Why would the Brewers not call him up in September? I don't want to see the Brewers operate like Ken Macha and make a player 'prove himself', I want to see them be aggressive with the guys that have the talent to handle being challenged. Jeffress has MLB caliber stuff right now, the team isn't in contention, and I think it would be wise to not only get Jeremy MLB experience, but allow him to continue pitching once the MiLB season is over. He hasn't been able to log many IP this season between the suspension & his temporary switch to relief, so the more IP he can get, the better.

[kramnoj]

Why would the Brewers not call him up in September?

 

Service time. Time spent in the majors this year, in a lost year, is potentially less time spent in the majors in a competitive year.

 

I don't know how the Brewers will build a contending team next year, but if they are able to do so, I would rather Jeffress be available in mid April if he's ready and be able to get more of a 7th partial year rather than have to delay his appearance until mid May or so.

[TooLiveBrew]

It's a good point, kramnoj. I just view this season as unique due to Jeffress's lack of innings, so I would rather delay his potential start in MLB next season for the sake of getting him more work this season. Besides, like you mentioned, the chances of the Brewers being a serious contender next season aren't great.

[pete]

I want to see them be aggressive with the guys that have the talent to handle being challenged.

 

That sounds like Macha.

[battlekow]

Haudricourt confirms that Jeffress will be called up tomorrow when the rosters expand.

[TooLiveBrew]

Woohoo! I can't wait to see him pitch. As a reliever, he might be able to give Chapman a run for his money on the radar gun.

[bthurley19]

I was just skimming the first few pages of this thread and it is amazing how far Jeffress has come in a relatively short amount of time. Seems he is making better decisions and the move to reliever has really paid off. As I'm sure most of you are as well, I'm really hoping he makes a move back to starter next year and can be in the Milwaukee rotation mid-season or so. If not, the back end of the rotation with Braddock, Axford, and Jeffress would be nasty for years to come.

[TooLiveBrew]

The Brewers came out & said this move was temporary, and that he'll be starting again in 2011.

[trwi7]

Melvin is on WSSP and says they're leaning towards returning Jeffress to starting next year.

[Invader3K]

Melvin is on WSSP and says they're leaning towards returning Jeffress to starting next year.

Good to know.

[battlekow]

Jeremy Jeffress makes successful major league baseball debut

Joe Chandler/The Gazette-Virginian

 

Jeremy Jeffress has had his share of ups and downs since becoming the Milwaukee Brewers’ 16th pick in the 2006 First-Year Player Draft.

 

Wednesday night he saw the reward of his hard work.

 

The hard-throwing former Halifax County High School star hurler made his Major League Baseball debut with the Milwaukee Brewers in Cincinnati, facing three batters in a scoreless eighth inning in the Brewers’ 6-1 loss to the Cincinnati Reds.

 

After giving up a leadoff single, Jeffress induced the second batter to hit into a ground-ball double play. The third batter Jeffress faced topped a ground ball to second base that resulted in a routine out to retire the side.

 

“I thought I did pretty well,” Jeffress said yesterday.

 

“The second batter hit into a double play and the third batter hit a ground ball. It went well.”

 

It has been an eventful week for Jeffress. He was with Class AA Huntsville (Ala.) when he received a call from Milwaukee Brewers officials Tuesday afternoon wanting him to report to the team Wednesday in Cincinnati.

 

“I couldn’t stand up on my two feet,” Jeffress remarked.

 

“I was standing up and they told me that they were calling me up. I asked them were they serious. I sat down. They said they were serious. It was the biggest shock. It felt great.”

 

Jeffress hustled to get his things together and joined the Brewers, who were concluding a series with the Cincinnati Reds.

 

“It was like a dream come true,” Jeffress explained.

 

“Everybody here was friendly. I knew a couple of the guys on the team They told me don’t change anything. The said to just do the same thing I was doing in AA and I would fit in just fine.”

 

The next big shock for Jeffress came when he was told to go to the mound in the eighth inning of Wednesday night’s game.

 

“I was just nervous,” Jeffress recalled.

 

“While I was running out to the mound, I was looking around at the whole field. It was the biggest thing that I had seen in my life. When I stepped onto the mound, all things just went back to what I’m used to – a baseball, a glove, a catcher and a batter.”

 

Being put into action right away was not something that was totally unexpected.

 

“I was expecting it just a little bit,” he said.

 

“A couple of the guys told me that as soon as they had gotten called up they got shot right into the game, just to get those butterflies out of their system. I was kind of expecting it, but if it didn’t happen, I wouldn’t have been upset.”

 

Jeffress has spent this season primarily as a relief pitcher. He logged a 2.23 ERA in 23 relief appearances with the three minor league teams that he has played for this season.

 

Before being called up, the hard-throwing right-handed pitcher had a 1.23 ERA and 15 strikeouts against two walks in 11 outings with AA Huntsville.

 

The role of a relief pitcher apparently suits Jeffress very well.

 

“I love the pen,” Jeffress said.

 

“It’s a great spot for me. I come to the field every day ready, knowing that I could be asked to throw. I would prefer to stay in the pen, but I will play whatever position they need me to play.”

 

The former South Boston resident started the season having to finish out serving a 100-game suspension handed down last year, when he tested positive for a “drug of abuse” for the second time.

 

Jeffress completed a rehabilitation program in Milwaukee during the off-season and was sent down to the Minor League ranks to start working his way back. The Brewers added Jeffress to their 40-man roster in June. The Brewers would have had to have done that by the end of the season or risk losing their pitching prospect to December’s Rule 5 Draft.

 

Placing Jeffress on the 40-man roster also protected the Brewers’ investment in the young player, who netted a $1.55 million signing bonus in 2006. Major League players are not tested for marijuana use and are subject to a different set of rules. Another positive test for marijuana under the Minor League testing program and Jeffress would be banned from baseball for life.

 

Jeffress has worked hard to overcome his obstacles and has his mind set on proving skeptics wrong.

 

“I’m feeling good,” Jeffress pointed out.

 

“It was a tough obstacle to overcome. It was kind of hard, but it was easy at the same time. I kept my eyes on the prize and stayed focused.”

 

Jeffress said the unwavering love of his family, his family’s faith in him, and the love and support of his church family helped him get back on and stay on the right path.

 

“I love my family,” remarked.

 

“They’ve supported me each step of the way and have helped me through all of my trials and tribulations. I really appreciate that very much. My church family loves me very much and I love them. I have a great family and everybody is sticking behind me. It’s wonderful.”

 

Now, Jeffress, a youngster who grew up playing baseball in South Boston’s recreation baseball leagues before joining the middle school and high school baseball teams, can say he’s a Major Leaguer.

 

“It feels wonderful,” he said.

 

“I’ve been at the bottom and worked my way back and it feels awesome that I can finally say I’m a Major League player. This is every kid’s dream. The steps I’ve taken and the knocks that I have had have been hard for me, but I’m glad I overcame them.”

[TooLiveBrew]

“I love the pen,” Jeffress said.

 

“It’s a great spot for me. I come to the field every day ready, knowing that I could be asked to throw. I would prefer to stay in the pen, but I will play whatever position they need me to play.”

 

Wow, I knew it was his idea to move to the 'pen this season, but I had no idea he felt this way about it. His agent might need to review some career earning potential charts with him. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif