Which prospect gave you the most hope...yet didn't make it?

[LouisEly]

Hmmm.....

 

I'll start with the seven career ABs given to Steve Stanicek. I know El Paso and Denver were hitters parks, but how a guy who hits .343 with 40 doubles and 25 HRs in AA and then follows that up with .352 with 40 doubles and 25 HRs in AAA (and was the 11th overall pick in the 1982 draft) gets seven career ABs I don't know.

 

Next is the three career ABs given to LaVel Freeman. Again, I know that the Brewers had a trio of hitters parks in Stockton, El Paso, and Denver, but anyone who hits .395 and slugs .627 in AA followed by a decent (.318 BA/.461 SLG) AAA season and is a first round pick (#26 overall in 1983 should get more of a shot than that.

 

How's .331 / .454 / .471 with minimal strikeouts grab you?

 

How does my buddy Jak Kraus' line in 1997 split between Helena and Ogden grab you - .390/.487/.610 with 38 BB and 15K in 246 ABs? Followed that up with... well, let's say a lot of personal distractions early in 1998 caused him to struggle early but finished with .314/.422/.454 with 46 BB and 33 K in Beloit the next year before a broken arm in a collision at 1B ended his season. Left the team the next year because they were playing a high draft pick ahead of him and he wasn't making much money with a child to support. Yes, he was one of those 23-year-olds but I'll put that line up against any rookie line by anyone, and finished his career with 90 BB and 59 K in 831 plate appearances with a .429 OBP.

 

Lastly I have to go with a 21-year old who in rookie ball in 1985 hit .447; no, that wasn't his OBP - that is what he hit. The next year split between Stockton and El Paso hit .301 with 24 HRs and .540 SLG. Todd Brown hit .330 in 1987 in El Paso but the power wasn't there, and bounced around in 1988 at three spots his last year in pro baseball.

[logan82]

Would Antone Williamson fall into this category or does he fall into the "bad pick never a prospect category?"

[LetsGoBrewCrew]

Dave Krynzel is the one for me. Speedy CF, could bat leadoff if he didn't K so much. Lefty bat in the lineup. He had some pop from time to time. A series of stupid decisions ended his career prematurely. I still remember that catch where he robbed a home run at Miller Park. I want to say it was in May for some reason against the Cardinals. I can't seem to find it on Google (granted I didn't look that hard). I thought that was it. Hes going to be good. Then he breaks his collar bone racing motorcycles in Las Vegas and doesn't tell the Brewers....

[pitchleague]

I always liked Jayson Durocher. Had a pretty good season in 2002, I believe. Then got hurt and was pretty much never heard from again.

[Menace II Sobriety]

This guy is not a Brewers prospect but I was wondering how many of you guys remember this guy and how he was the hot pickup in fantasy leagues 5-6 years ago the way Amezaga was this year. Bo Hart http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bo_Hart. He set the league on fire the first 2 weeks of the season covering for an injured player. I thought it was Eckstein but I am wrong.

[berniebrewer4life]

I have always loved pitching prospects, and Nick Neugebauer was no different. I still think about what our rotations could have looked at with him and sheets leading it off. That kid has electric stuff.

[Rightomac13]

For me it was the heartbreak that was Tom Wilhelmsen. His 2003 season in Beloit as a 19-year old along with Manny Parra still sparks a positive memory in my teenage mind and it was right when I got into this site for the coverage of the minors. Wilhelmsen pitching was the reason I made the hour drive with my dad down to Beloit to catch a Snappers game and I was lucky enough to sit right behind Parra charting him from the first row. When I heard that he was suspended for a year for drugs I was shocked and then to find out that he was never able to kick that habit made it even more troubling. But then again, I have gotten my hopes up on pitchers so much in the past (Neugebauer, Jones, Hendrickson, Eveland, Capellan, Jackson, De la Rosa) that I've learned to not get that hope with a pitcher ever again.

[foamboy1]

SZ called my guy. Cristian Guererro. I also expected Josh Murray to put it all together. Couple of disappointing, major flameouts.

[brewers4eric]

I got sucked into the stats that the Denver Zephyrs produced when they were a Brewers affiliate. Jim Olander was one of my favorites. I always hoped that Steve Kiefer would pan out after the Moose Haas trade with the A's. On the pitching side, I can still recall Chris Saenz's one game performance with the Brewers. Injuries must have taken their toll.

[brewerfan82]

I'll go with Dave Krynzel. He was just fun to watch and I was really hoping he'd turn into a Grady Sizemore type. I'll always remember that homerun he stole in left center field after setting up in right center. The guy was wicked fast!

[craigharmann]

By the way, if anyone is interested, Krynzel is in the minors with the Orioles.

[Outlander]

From the Brewerfan era Enrique Cruz, Noochie Varner, Chris Saenz, Ben Diggins and Tim Bausher stand out for me. WIll Inman is high on that list too if he never makes it.

[jwaltz]

Neugebauer for me. The guy had a heck of an arm and terrific stuff. Unfortunately injuries ended it. If Manny Parra doesn't turn it around he'll be up there too. Mike Jones was on the list but he's still got a shot at making it.

[prophet]

i know i'm jumping the gun on both these guys, (since they are both still prospects and young guys), but i'm going with Mark Rogers and Jeffress. Rogers because of the high pick, i just expected him to be in AAA at the least by now, but injuries have killed him. Just got a bad feeling that he has Mike Jones written all over him. And Jeffress because he is the most frustrating prospect I can remember. He's got tons of raw, untapped potential but his problem (control) is so evident. The problem is, he loves weed so much that he can't work on his control because he spends more games suspended than actually pitching.

 

If those guys don't count, then i'm going with Eveland. Loved the guy, then hated the guy, then loved, then hated....etc.

[CheezWizHed]

I'm going to dip further back pre-BF.net and say Glenn Braggs. He made the big leagues, but did nothing there. Was supposed to come up to help Yount/Molly/Ganter, but just fizzled out. The guy was ripped, but couldn't hit a lick (looks like Tarzan, plays like Jane?).

 

And he was my first autograph.

 

More recent memories include Guererro, Little Ben, and Neugs. But its the first that hurts the worst...

[Flood Pants]

I recently played through an old version of Out of the Park Baseball, in which Dave Krynzel and Brad Nelson (real names not used in the game, but their equivalents) both developed into all-star talent. It reminded me of how highly regarded they were in the scouting world when they were in the low minors.

 

I'll second Enrique Cruz, and his rule-5 partner Matt Ford. Ford had a very solid half a year in the majors. Cruz was pitifully bad his year in Milwaukee, but hit well enough in the minors for the Brewers to spin him for Brian Shouse.

 

Others: Ben Diggins, Chris Saenz (remember his one major league start? complete game shutout, then sent back down never to see the majors again.) Pete Zoccolilo (sp?)

[battlekow]

Will Inman. I suppose every Internet-age prospect-follower has a Will Inman, a pitcher who taught them the lesson that stats aren't everything. Inman's not really a perfect choice, since he was still pretty highly regarded, but I was convinced that he was criminally underrated. Plus, I talked to him a couple times and got the sense that he was a pretty regular dude. I was/am rooting for him big time, but it seems like his ship has probably sailed at this point. Hard to believe he only turned 23 this Saturday. I hope he can at least make it to the big leagues for a cup of coffee.

[DHonks]

I really hoped Jim Rushford would develop into a John VanderWal type off the bench. He was a fun guy to root for.

[EdgarDiazRocks]

well I WON'T say Fermaint because he is exactly what he was when I found him, an entertaining talented slouch. The bump in the middle where he was good was the aberration.

 

I WILL say that when Glenn Braggs failed to develop into Griffey JR east a little piece of my soul was removed.

 

Friend sent me a link to see what Glenn is up to now. Note despite the tight frame he manages to work that W.S. ring in there a few times.

[clancyphile]

Mine:

Possibly pre-BF: Brian Passini - this guy was a lefty who posted a 2.91 ERA in El Paso, then nobody heard of him

Shane Nance - routine outings of two innings or so... felt the Brewers should have tried to put him in the rotation.

Matt Ford - looked great then got hurt

Jeff Pickler - felt he had been badly underestimated by the Brewers

Cole Gillespie - More over the Felipe Lopez trade than a failure to make it.

[greeg35]

The Gold, Neugebauer combo for me. I'll throw in D'Amico--he kind of made it; but not like I thought he would.

[pingman]

+1 on Braggs ....although he had a couple of decent years in the bigs he never came close to meeting his expectations....

 

David Green..... he was THE MAN in all minor leagues but never lived up to the hype.... although he was one of the key figures in that huge trade with the Cardinals that landed Ted Simmons & more

[PlayerHader]

I recently played through an old version of Out of the Park Baseball, in which Dave Krynzel and Brad Nelson (real names not used in the game, but their equivalents) both developed into all-star talent. It reminded me of how highly regarded they were in the scouting world when they were in the low minors.

 

I'll second Enrique Cruz, and his rule-5 partner Matt Ford. Ford had a very solid half a year in the majors. Cruz was pitifully bad his year in Milwaukee, but hit well enough in the minors for the Brewers to spin him for Brian Shouse.

 

Others: Ben Diggins, Chris Saenz (remember his one major league start? complete game shutout, then sent back down never to see the majors again.) Pete Zoccolilo (sp?)

I believe he went 6 shutout innings against the Cardinals. It was a Saturday, I was in Menomonie, and the game wasn't televised. I have no idea why I remember that day so well.

I'm going to go with Cristian Guerrero again. He was the Brewers one hope to be a big time prospect when I first started monitoring the minors, and as we know, it turned out to be all hype.

 

[paul253]

I forgot about Ben Diggens. Who did we trade to get him again?

[Mass Haas]

I forgot about Ben Diggins. Who did we trade to get him again?

July 23, 2002

 

Dodgers acquired Tyler Houston and RHP Brian Mallete from the Milwaukee Brewers for RHP Ben Diggins and LHP Shane Nance