Link Report for Sun. 7/1 - Wow, July already!

[Outlander]

I really hope that the Brewers give the hot hitting Jeff Bianchi a chance this year as the Shortstops in the majors don't have any future with the Brewers. Bianchi is only 25 and it would be nice to see if he can play at the big league level.

[brewmann04]

I agree Outlander but some worry about his arm strength.

[Outlander]

Is this because of the surgery he had or was his arm strength always questioned? It's just hard to watch Izturis/Ransom/Maysonet everyday knowing there is no future for any of them and they are all hitting around the Mendoza line.

[Mass Haas]

Nashville has added audio clips to their Sunday game summary.

[JohnBriggs12]

Free Jeff Bianchi

[TheCrew07]

Top Pitching Performances Over The Weekend, June 29-July 1

 

The Reds top pitching prospect coming into the 2012 season Daniel Corcino makes the list.

 

• The Double-A Pensacola pitching staff leads the Southern League with 9.2 strikeouts per nine innings, and with a rotation headed by Daniel Corcino, Tony Cingrani, Kyle Lotzkar and J.C. Sulbaran it's easy to see why. Cingrani notched 15 strikeouts his last time out for the Blue Wahoos, and Corcino followed on Friday with a strong eight-inning performance in which he allowed one run on five hits while striking out seven. Corcino surpassed that 73 game score only one other time this season, when he recorded an 88 on June 16 when he completed eight no-hit innings.

[TheCrew07]

Top Batting Performances Over The Weekend, June 29-July 1

 

2 divisional mentions:

• While West Virginia teammate Alen Hanson receives most of the attention because he's a 19-year-old, switch-hitting shortstop, some scouts prefer center fielder Gregory Polanco as a prospect. The 20-year-old Dominican displays strong instincts in the outfield and could grow into power (perhaps turning a few of those five doubles into homers) as his 6-foot-4 frame matures. Polanco is batting .308/.369/.507 with 11 homers and 17 doubles in 292 at-bats, an excellent showing in his first taste of full-season ball.

 

Brett Jackson is also listed though there were no comments regarding him.

[TheCrew07]

International signing is underway and the Brewers haven't surprised thus far by jumping in on any of the top prospects, in fact the division has been pretty quiet thus far.

 

Here's the Top 20 International Prospects Tracker

 

In a related subscriber piece Team By Team International Forecast Ben Badler had this to say about the Brewers:

Milwaukee Brewers

 

Milwaukee's top prospect coming into the year was Wily Peralta, a Dominican righthander the Brewers signed for $450,000 seven years ago. While the new $2.9 million bonus pools may help the Brewers compete for players in the mid-level price range, they haven't been tied to any of the high-profile players in Latin America, so it's uncertain what direction Milwaukee may go this year. Jose Martinez is a defensive-oriented Venezuelan shortstop whose name has popped up in connection with the Brewers, but Milwaukee hasn't emerged as a favorite for any of the bigger names on the market.

[TheCrew07]

The Cardinals and Cubs have jumped into the fray, the Cards signed 3 players not in the top 20 and the Cubs signed the #19 prospect.

 

The signings are being updated with stories on the prospect blog and also on BA's main page on the right hand side under Top Stories.

 

My only commentary here would be that it's disappointing to see a cash strapped teams like the Rays and Twins doing more to invest on the front of end of the talent spectrum than the Brewers are. Investing that $2.9 million wisely on the front side can have the potential to save 10s of millions on the back end signing expensive FAs, the same impact as making the proper selections and signings on draft day.

 

edit. Twitter users can follow Ben Badler for more up to date information.