2006 2nd rounder Brent Brewer quits baseball (football at Tennessee); Latest: plea deal on assault charge

[Mass Haas]

As we hinted at earlier in the transaction thread --

 

Tom H. in the J-S

 

Brewer won't be one

 

The most appropriately named player in the Brewers' system no longer is playing. Shortstop/outfielder Brent Brewer decided to quit the game and was placed on the restricted list at Class AA Huntsville.

 

A second-round pick in the 2006 draft who signed for $600,000, the 22-year-old Brewer never fulfilled his potential. He batted .240 in 427 games with 472 strikeouts in 1,584 at-bats, and committed 145 errors.

 

Brewer turned down a football scholarship to Florida State to sign with the Brewers, but farm director Reid Nichols said he made no mention of giving that sport a try upon deciding to quit baseball.

 

"He just said he was burned out," said Nichols. "He said he was going to hang it up and go home. He felt like he didn't want to play anymore.

 

"We moved him to left field in Huntsville to try to challenge him and get him more interested. We tried to coax it out of him, but he said he was tired of playing. It was disappointing to me because I got to know him. There were some family issues, too. He just never seemed to fit in. He was kind of a loner.

 

"I heard about the football thing, but he never mentioned a burning desire to do that. I did hear that he had thought about it. I wouldn't turn him away if he asked to come back, but I'm not counting on it."

***

 

Brewerfan had email confirmations from those in the know at the University of New Mexico this past offseason about Brewer's football-related visit there, but never could really confirm things with a link or such that we felt super comfortable with, given agent Josh's insistence it didn't happen. In hindsight, it sure seems Josh had his hands full trying to inspire an unmotivated athlete who apparently had family distractions.

 

Initially this was posted in the transaction thread, but since a few responses are anticipated, we'll kick off its own thread, and see where it takes us.

 

Young, immature, extremely toolsy and raw second-round shortstops (see Josh Murray, Brent Brewer) don't seem to to be the Brewers' "thing". The two were drafted five years apart, yet it's amazing how much Murray sticks in my own craw nine years later...I need to get over that one.

[TooLiveBrew]

http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/frown.gif

 

Best of luck, Brent.

[TheCrew07]

Not surprised by this at all, he just never put it together. I hope he gives football a try, he still has time to pursue at least a college football career and get a secondary education. I'm not sure what to make of the "family" issues, and Lucroy's comments regarding Brewer always stuck with me, he didn't seem to be a popular guy in that WV clubhouse. I bet X is severely disappointed, and it's too bad that Josh wasn't more forthcoming, the whole situation just became very unfortunate over the last 8 months.

[craigharmann]

I had a feeling this was coming after it was "hinted" at, and there wasn't any follow-up. I hope that Brent succeeds in whatever he chooses to do in life, and I hope that he doesn't look back and regret this decision. As for the Brewers, you win some, you lose some. Seems sometimes the losing some has outweighed the winning some recently, but hopefully in the next few years that changes.

[brewmann04]

wow another early season pick that has really been a bust.

[Never Outhustled]

I wish he could have put it together, but its almost better to have the guy completely flame out and never hurt the big league team then get gifted a spot on the big league club and suck, like Alcides Escobar. I also see no reason to wish him the best, as he never seemed to give us his best effort. What was puzzling was that he was hitting well enough at Huntsville to get regular playing time there, and yet he still quit.

 

As Lance Armstrong said in Dodgeball " I guess if no one ever quit when the going got tough, they wouldn't have anything to regret for the rest of their lives."

[logan82]

Holy crap. I guess he should have made the switch to football.

[dadofandrew]

then get gifted a spot on the big league club and suck, like Alcides Escobar.

 

Alcides is above average offensively for a SS, and has been inconsistent defensively, and is just 23. I wish we had more guys suck at an above average level..

[logan82]

How do you figure Escobar is average? His offense this year is .250/.303/.378/.681 and his defense is about average at best so far. The average NL SS is .272/.331/.385/.716.

[dadofandrew]

I was just using SS average for the majors yesterday, and I thought it was 695. 700 is nice round number I like to use for the defensive minded spots (C, SS).

[logan82]

Low .700's OPS sure, but his OBP sucks even for an average SS. They at least put up a .325 OBP. At this point Escobar is barely cracking .300.

[Mass Haas]

What was puzzling was that he was hitting well enough at Huntsville to get regular playing time there, and yet he still quit.

He struck out in 45% of his AA at-bats (18 of 40).

[Invader3K]

It's a pretty big stretch to say Escobar was "gifted" a spot on the MLB roster. He busted his butt in the minors, played very well at AAA, and also played well at the MLB level during his short stint last season. Not really seeing how that is being gifted a position.

 

A guy like Brewer is frustrating because he obviously has talent, but seemed uninterested in fully utilizing it. I also get tired of hearing about guys in our system having "family issues," or "personal problems." Just seems like a weak excuse. Everyone has family problems at various points in their lives, but it's up to the individual to leave that stuff at the door when they go to work, as they say.

[battlekow]

This isn't the place for a discussion of Escobar's merits, guys. Let's keep it on-topic.

[ecjimg]

He should have to take Bernie's place for the rest of the season.http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/laugh.gif

 

 

[JoeHova]

I can't blame Brewer for the decision to quit/retire. He's played 5 years and it's got to be frustrating to have not improved in that time. In fact, his best OPS at any stop was .724 in the Arizona League the year he was drafted. On the one hand, he made it Huntsville, which means he was only 2 levels away from the majors. On the other hand, he has a career .650 OPS and appears to have been moved off of shorstop. That said, I hope he made this decision due to a desire to do something else and not solely out of frustration.

[pete]

I wonder if over time the shine will come off of Jack Z's reputation. I also wonder if success rate by scouts is tracked anywhere but in the backrooms of the big club.

 

Having said that, I still think its a good idea to take shots with high upside prospects.

[twobrewers]

Love the post, X.

[BrewerBrent]

As a fellow Brent and a brewer fan, I couldn't help but root for him. Sad day.

[MJLiverock]

Wow, some pretty harsh comments for the guy. Things weren't progressing, he has probably been playing baseball his whole life and finally realized the dream is over and or just tired of toiling away in the minors. I can't fault a guy for that. There is no reason someone has to keep hanging around scraping by in the minors for years until they are forced out or just become "that guy", you know the guy who is still in college for the 10th year at age 28, the Crash Davis character, the guy who never gets on with his life. Brewer may well get a chance to play college football or even just go to college while still young.

 

If he was an accountant and wasn't doing very well at it and decided to make a career change people wouldn't bash him about. The Brewers took a chance on him like all drafted players, the majority don't pan out, realizing it on your own isn't anything to be ashamed of.

 

The X post makes me laugh on two points. How was Escobar just handed everything? Because the Brewers traded Hardy who is hitting so well for 10x the salary?

 

Citing the Lance Armstrong qutoe is great too, of course it could be modified to say, "Don't quit when the going gets tough, buy better PEDs."

 

 

edit: acutally Hardy gets paid 12.5x Escobar to suck

[craigharmann]

Is Josh, his agent, still posting on here? It would be very interesting to get a bit of the insight into what Brent is going to do now.....play college FB?

[Mass Haas]

MJLiverock, as Al pointed out, how much of his $600,000 signing bonus do you think Brent gave back to the Brewers when he quit?

[TooLiveBrew]

Do you really believe he should be forced to pay some of it back? Isn't there risk with any draftee not panning out, whether from injury or whatever else, that the organization inherently assumes?

[Invader3K]

The whole draft system should be fixed. The idea of "signability" and signing bonuses are kind of stupid to begin with.

[MJLiverock]

MJLiverock, as Al pointed out, how much of his $600,000 signing bonus do you think Brent gave back to the Brewers when he quit?

None of it. Just like every other draftee who doesn't pan out. That's the risk of paying bonuses. Is Jeff Suppan paying back money to the Brewers? He isn't living up to his performance for the money. Are the Brewers giving more bonuses to Corey Hart since he was a late round pick and probably didn't get much of a bonus when he initially signed?

 

Why on earth should it matter how big his bonus was 4 or 5 years ago? The guy wasn't panning out, had been demoted, was pretty much just going to be an organizational soldier if that in the future. Should guys like that just keep sticking around forever until the team finally just releases them? The guy is 22 and pretty much has no future in baseball why go through the misery of it (riding around on a bus being that sad sack who just doesnt' know when to quit from small town to small town for next to nothing for pay isn't glamorous or all that much of a career if you have no shot at the majors). Had the Brewers just cut him loose would anyone care about the bonus? Getting on with his life while still young enough to do so is probably a pretty good decision on his part. Not everyone wants to play minor league baseball until they are 30 and finally get released with no job skills, no education, and no experience with anything except playing baseball. Why do you think a lot of guys build it into contracts to have the team pay for college if things dont' work or if they are smart sock some of that bonus money away for college scholarships forgone.

 

I know the Brewers just cut the Cuban SS they signed a few years ago, I doubt he paid his bonus back and no one cares that he didn't work out.