Very very early projection of next season's rosters

[DHonks]

Cappy as a 3 or 4-man for 1 year at $5 million, with a series of team options.

 

As for the last starter, I say we get whoever we can, and just go for it all with our offense next year. If Weeks, Hart, and McGehee continue this season's successes, and Braun and Fielder have bounceback years, we're golden!

[dadofandrew]

I don't see Cappy getting $5M based on 10 good starts or so. I'd say $2-2.5M is fair. However, if he could put togetehr 175 IP with a similar ERA, he might get that 3y/$15M deal. That's why I said he might be plenty happy just taking one year and hoping to sign a last multi-year deal.

[LouisEly]

Great job, and thanks for all the work you put into it. I won't comment on the ML roster, but just looking at the minors:

 

1) Based on how Lamontagne finished the year as a starter, I would be surprised if they don't let him fail as a starter before moving him back into the pen. I could easily see him moving Wright or Bowman into the pen. Small sample, but 25 H and 30 K in 33 IP at AA with a 3.51 ERA I think is worth giving a shot, given how valuable starting pitching is.

 

2) If they don't think Dykstra can develop the arm to stick at 3B, I could easily see them having him leapfrog A+ (like Farris leapfrogged AA) and be the starting 2B at Huntsville. Given the logjam at 2B, I think he'll be given every opportunity to stick at 3B though.

 

3) I wouldn't sell Mike Walker short. His .413 OBP tied with Komatsu for second in the organization behind Dykstra's .416. FWIW, he was a higher draft pick than Hopkins too.

[dadofandrew]

Thornburg was added without comment to Wisconsin, but as I also asked, they have DH's every day at A and A+, correct? That's another everyday spot, for all intents and purposes.

[And That]

Al, Thornburg has always been in the Wisconsin rotation. Haven't changed anything with that. Only changes I made were mentioned.

 

Milwaukee doesn't use a DH, so I don't use DHes for projections. Most of the guys that DH rotate through it and play regularly in the field. Erick Almonte, Angel Salome, Steve Felix and Kevin Berard were the only players to get more time at DH than all other positions combined. So, it's really not an everyday spot for anyone in particular.

 

I think Walker will play everyday, just as a guy that rotates through 1B, 3B and DH, like he did with Helena.

 

Lamontagne turns 25 before camp breaks next year, so that works against him... with so many starters in the upper minors, they may want to try to get a reliever or two fast-tracked to Milwaukee. Then again, they may see enough in him to keep him as a starter for the time being. I think it could go either way.

 

If Lawrie is moved again, we might see Dykstra back to second and in Huntsville. With his OBP skills, they need to find a place for him to be sure.

[dragoon84]

I agree with most of the projected rosters. However, I think we can get ourselves a true #1 for Fielder. I like Gallardo a ton, but I see him as an excellent #1B or #2 starter. He just doesn't strike a whole lot of fear into me, as a great #1 should.

[And That]

Yah, like I mentioned, I doubt Fielder ends up donning a Brewers uni next year, but the only source I use for projections are players currently under 2011 contract with the club.

[CheezWizHed]

I agree with most of the projected rosters. However, I think we can get ourselves a true #1 for Fielder. I like Gallardo a ton, but I see him as an excellent #1B or #2 starter. He just doesn't strike a whole lot of fear into me, as a great #1 should.

 

I guess it depends on how you define a "#1 SP". If you mean one of the top 30 starting pitchers in baseball, yes Gallardo is a #1. But I think you mean an "ace", which (subjectively) would be more like the top 5-10, then no, I don't consider Yo to be there yet. But it took Sheets 4 years in the MLB before he got to the "ace" status.

 

Fielder probably won't get us a current #1 SP (unless its a similar circumstance of one year left before FA or injury issues, or...), but he could easily net us someone that could become a #1. So do you want pitching for now or pitching for later?

[Never Outhustled]

These rosters will look much different because AAA will be filled with minor league FA's, as always. Most of last years Huntesville team will repeat that level.

It will be interesting to see if they seperate Dykstra and Gennet and let Dykstra move back to 2B. Another question is where they put Farris if he's still here. I'm guessing he moves down to AA.

Also, will Kentrail Davis stay in RF, or will they try him in CF again. It would be odd to see a player that thick playing CF.

[paul253]

I'm starting to think more and more that Mark Rogers will be the #5 starter in Milwaukee, maybe the #4 to separate him and Gallardo. And then the rest of the rotation will be filled with either 3 lefties out of Parra, Narveson, Wolf and Capuano, or two of them plus someone that Fielder is traded for. The problem there is that there is no number two and a few borderline number threes in there.

[BrewCrewForever]

I think Rogers could and should be in the rotation. But they would have to skip a lot of his starts to keep him around 150-160 IP in 2011. Which I think will be his limit since he went 126 in 2010. One of my biggest hopes for the 2011 roster is that some of the guys play above their career norms. Seems a lot of teams get guys to do that, but we hardly do. At least recently.

[BKsToolbox]

So do you want pitching for now or pitching for later?

I believe you are correct in saying "pitching for later" because we are going to get nothing that DM will view as fair value for Prince. I believe they are already pimping the media out, "Oh, all the CHW offered was Hudson for a one to one trade." Melvin will not trade him for the sake of trading him...we shot ourselves in the foot by having our FO believing this was actually a team that could make a playoff push. We will see Prince back all year, I will bet my bottom dollar on it.

[BKsToolbox]

DHonks wrote:

 

As for the last starter, I say we get whoever we can, and just go for it all with our offense next year. If Weeks, Hart, and McGehee continue this season's successes, and Braun and Fielder have bounceback years, we're golden!

 

And let the Kool Aid sipping begin again...This team is far too inconsistent for me to believe they will be anywhere near the top of the second weakest division in baseball...I am sorry boys and girls, (first time being PC!) with the logic you are buying into from what Mark A. and DM are selling...Small sample size, I know this... but just take a look at this for me.

 

http://espn.go.com/mlb/st...ching/split/45/league/nl

 

1. The Brewers went 14/13(?) in September with the 2nd best pitching rotation statistically, with our "power" office we could only finish above .500 that month considering we played STL, CHC, HOU, NYM, and FLA?? Now, we did not play ANY of our September call ups during this period. (and I personally do not consider Cain as one either but I digress.) This organization is turning more and more into the NY Mets...we just keep throwing money at the problem and pray that it will heal itself, but it won't. We must wait for and hit on a couple of these promising guys in A ball.

 

On a side note, I used to believe it was hard to find true "prospects" in low/high A until a good friend made me realize something, in order to dominate at AA and AAA, you better have hoped to be a step ahead of the competition in A ball. I feel we have a nice, solid core of young pitching coming up from the obvious Odorizzi, Bucci, Peralta (Command will lead him to the pen) Heckathorn, Hall, Lamontagne, and my biggest rule breaker Tyler Thorburg *I really really like what I have read and his peripherals even with a small sample size* You would HAVE To believe the Brewers hit on at least 2 of these guys to be 3-5 type starters and dab in the FA pitching when you are reluctant to trade the abundance of OF (Schafer, Komatsu, Gindl) who by 2012 would make great trade chips to put us over the top and actuall, possibly, make a playoff run.

 

 

While I will be a first to admit that it excites the hell out of me that the younger guys we threw into the fire help their own, and hopefully making DM realize that young is better than old EVEN if it results in a team that loses more than wins and I expect the same results next year. The window will be open back up in 2012 gentlemen and I would love to hear your thoughts on this.

 

This is the most I have ever written about the Brewers, and I kind of enjoyed it. I have just released my inner-nerd. Thank you all. Be nice on my grammar, I was a science major at Marquette. haha

[brewfan1]

Unless Garfield has somekind of serious injury coming out of Spring Training, I can't imagine that he won't be bumped up to Brevard. The club really believes in Garfield and likes the way he conducts himself on and off the field. While Garfield's hitting is a work in progress, he is still very advanced defensively for his age. He will need to prove that he can throw out a greater % of runners, but if you look at the way that Wisconsin handled their pitchers this season, you will see that both catchers had trouble with runners due to the pitching staff concentrating on throwing strikes and not holding runners on well at all. When an organization has a P/C team such as Garfield and Oddorizzi, they will usually move them together, especially after the only no hitter that was called and thrown in the entire system this season. Garfield has already put weight back on and is doing very well in Arizona (Junior Fall League) with Dykstra, Gennett, K.Davis, C. Davis, Dennis, Morris etc... and all the while still catching Odorizzi. Garfield is still only 19 and will continue to grow and put on mature muscle mass as he gets older. It's all about nutrition and being that Garfield just completed his first full season (reaching organizational goal of catching 100 plus games) he now has an idea of true travel on the road and why eating correctly is so important to maintain optimal weight, strength and conditioning. I also imagine that Todd Durkin (Fitness Quest 10) has an awesome plan to build Garfield better for next season.

[molitor fan]

Glad to have someone else on the Garfield bandwagon.....19 year old catchers in the midwest league that completely handle the entire staff as Garfield did are exceptionally rare. While his stats have not popped off the page yet, I think patience with him will be rewarded.