Will Middlebrooks

[trwi7]

Yo was in the mix for a cy young? I have no memory of that.

 

He finished 7th in 2011 but he wasn't really close to any of the top 4 that year.

[TURBO]

I'm not sure I really consider that being "in the mix."

[trwi7]

I'm not sure I really consider that being "in the mix."

 

I don't either. Just pointing out that's the closest he's come.

[sveumrules]

Regardless of if you consider a 7th place finish in the mix for a Cy Young or not, I think we can all agree that comparing Thornburg to Gallardo is a stretch. While their K & BB rates were pretty similar in the minors; Yo gave up fewer home runs and had a superior ERA/WHIP while being 2-3 years younger than Thornburg at each level. Not that they are infallible by any means, but prospecters have always pegged Thornburg as a backend starter or bullpen arm whereas Yo was considered one of the best starting pitching prospects in his class with Phil Hughes and Homer Bailey.

 

As for Middlebrooks, unless the Red Sox are willing to give him up for a song, I'll pass. The guy is a product of the Red Sox Prospect Hype Machine all the way. Taylor Green has a better triple slash than the guy.

[Austin Tatious]

The Bosox have about 4 advanced arms that they are excited about so they may want a next generation arm, maybe more like a strong single A prospect? How are they looking on young outfielders? I am in the camp that I wouldn't give up too much for Middlebrooks. He could be a AAAA player and product of the NE media bias.

 

We've heard for the past couple of years that the the Brewers' system is completely barren and look at Khris Davis, Gennett, Thorny, Kintzler, and Peralta right now, with Fiers, Nelson and others in the wings. Meanwhile, you hear about some of these Yankee or Redsox prospects like they just split the atom and they aren't all that. The baseball media apparatus is heavily slanted toward the northeast so when Brewer prospects are downgraded and northeastern prospects upgraded, you can disregard it to an extent.

[TheCrew07]

We've heard for the past couple of years that the the Brewers' system is completely barren and look at Khris Davis, Gennett, Thorny, Kintzler, and Peralta right now, with Fiers, Nelson and others in the wings. Meanwhile, you hear about some of these Yankee or Redsox prospects like they just split the atom and they aren't all that.

 

I don't think you quite understand what's actually been said. The Brewers have a ton of depth in their system, but no one who could be comfortably projected to be an impact player coming into the 2014 season. Peralta hasn't been a prospect for years, Kintzler is a BP arm, Davis and Gennett are replaceable talent, Nelson is a #3 best case with his control, Thornburg is probably a #3 and lost his prospect status last year, and Fiers' time as a prospect was done before Peralta's. I liked all of those guys in the minor leagues and routinely stuck up for Davis, but none other than Peralta can be projected to be above average MLB players. If Peralta continues to make incremental improvements he could end up being special but we'll have to see.

 

We have plenty of guys that could be average MLB starters best case but no "stars" in waiting, especially in the upper minors. Meanwhile our stars get older and less dynamic by the year.

 

We don't have any top of the rotation starters in the minor leagues above R ball at this time. Nor did we have any impact position players in the system above Helena prior to the season, though Taylor and Coulter are making a case for consideration and are rising given their seasons thus far. I like everything about Taylor's improving game and I love what Coulter has done at the plate, though his defense behind the plate is atrocious outside of his strong arm.

 

I think many Brewer fans just aren't all that objective because these players are "our guys" but to compare our prospects against the Cardinals prospects as an example:

 

I would take Wacha over Peralta. Wacha has one of the best 2 pitch combinations in baseball, this one isn't all that close at this time.

 

I would take Miller over Nelson. Miller has the ability to dominate MLB hitters just on his FB alone and is younger. This one isn't close at this time.

 

I would take Thornburg over Martinez. Martinez has the bigger arm (can reach 100 MPH) and is younger but I like Thornburg more, I'm probably being a bit of a homer but I'll take present production over upside in this case. This was a tough call.

 

I would take Wong over Gennett. Wong is a better all around hitter, is a better defender, and runs better than Gennet. This is also not close.

 

I would take Taveras over Davis. Taveras is a better defender, has a stronger arm, is a better hitter, has more power, and runs better than Davis. Taveras is/was one of the best prospects in all of baseball, again not close.

 

I would take Rosenthal over Kintzler. Rosenthal throws harder, has a good enough repertoire he could be a starting pitcher, and is much younger. This was a no brainer.

 

I would take Lynn over Fiers. Lynn throws harder, has a true plus secondary pitch, and is 2 years younger. I like Fiers' pitchability but Lynn will stick in the rotation and Fiers' long-term home is probably the bullpen, again not close.

 

Martinez/Thornburg is as close as I can come, the disparity in talent between the prospects on both sides is monumental, it really can't be overstated.

[danzig6767]

We've heard for the past couple of years that the the Brewers' system is completely barren and look at Khris Davis, Gennett, Thorny, Kintzler, and Peralta right now, with Fiers, Nelson and others in the wings. Meanwhile, you hear about some of these Yankee or Redsox prospects like they just split the atom and they aren't all that.

 

I think many Brewer fans just aren't all that objective because these players are "our guys" but to compare our prospects against the Cardinals prospects as an example:

Some Brewers fans may over-exaggerate the quality of the Brewers young talent, but i think you are also way over-exaggerating with this statement. You would be hard pressed to find many posters here who don't think the Cardinals clearly have better overall young talent than the Brewers between both the big league clubs and farm systems.

 

That said, i do agree with the thought of many Brewers fans that guys like Peralta, Davis, Thornburg, and Nelson can all easily end up being much better big league players than they were ranked as prospects for a variety of reasons. They just don't have star potential except for potentially Peralta. I had serious doubts about him mainly because of his high walk totals throughout the minors, but he's really surprised me by reigning in the free passes. When he consistently throws strikes, the stuff is there to be really good. He's throwing a changeup sometimes and if he can ever get to a point when he can consistently throw that for strikes also , Willy will be a beast to hit against.