Will Middlebrooks Signs, MLB Camp Invite (Latest at Post #95: assigned to AAA; could've opted out)

[gregmag]

My biggest fear with this type of signing is if he has a hot spring and the Brewers release a player with some potential only to watch Middlebrooks turn back into a pumpkin once the season starts. That's the downside to just throwing things against the wall to see what sticks.

I was thinking about this, and reillymcshane said something similar above. I think the answer is that you just have to be smart. You sign someone like this so that your staff can get a close look at him and work with him some. The fact that a downstream stupid move (overrating him and giving up assets) becomes possible doesn't make the initial move (signing him to a technically risk-free deal) a bad one. It just means you have to trust that you'll make intelligent downstream decisions.

[BrewBalls]

More than likely he will be cut before the end of spring training. No harm in at least bringing him in to gauge his current abilities.

[RobertR]

Yeah but spring training is a lousy time to gauge most players abilities. I hope the spring training invite is merely a formality and he's targeted for AAA unless there are massive amounts of injuries.

[sveumrules]

Where are all these guys going to play? There's only so many spring training games and it's not like results in Arizona mean anything anyway. Stearns is really scraping the bottom of the barrel for names. Not a good sign.

 

Of course he's really scraping the bottom of the barrel for names, the team is undertaking a massive rebuild. How is this signing any different than when Melvin picked up Dan Kolb or Brady Clark or Doug Davis or Derrick Turnbow or Casey McGehee or John Axford off the scrap heap and turned them from nothing into MLB contributors?

[RobertR]

Will Middlebrooks is different than that bunch. He's been given ample opportunity to prove he's not a major leaguer. And boy has he proven it.

 

If he's minor league depth, no big deal. But he currently looks as useful as Yuni B.

[1992casey]

The fact that a downstream stupid move (overrating him and giving up assets) becomes possible doesn't make the initial move (signing him to a technically risk-free deal) a bad one. It just means you have to trust that you'll make intelligent downstream decisions.

 

Of course, we've seen our share of downstream stupid moves, so even though the regime is new and deserves a fair shake, it's natural that fans might be apprehensive about the possibility.

[sveumrules]

So far Middlebrooks has hit 231/274/399 (wRC+ 80) in 1,164 plate appearances.

 

From 2004-2007 Jose Bautista hit 240/329/395 (wRC+ 89) in 1,210 plate appearances.

 

Worst (most likely) case scenario is he is our 3B at AAA, best (extremely unlikely) case scenario he figures it all out and we have an asset of some worth. Seems like a win/win to me for a team that's destined to lose a bunch of games.

[Jenkins5]

Will Middlebrooks looked like he was going to be a flat put stud. He came up and smoked the ball pretty good at first. For whatever reason he regressed greatly. There is no risk. I am always a believer that talent just doesn't vanish. With good coaching, he could always rebound or at least become productive. Casey McGehee was a nothing with no one really thinking he'd amount to much...give gave a couple of real productive years for use. Alex Gordon prior to his age 27 season was looking like he may not be very special or anything more than average at best. Age 27 until today has lead him to be the highest WAR LF in baseball I believe over the past 5 years. Bautista was trash....Then he is what he is today.

 

Overall no risk, he can play both 1B/3B....bring in as many people as possible to compete in Spring and hope one sticks.

[reillymcshane]

Middlebrooks had a decent half season as a rookie, but even then, the signs of danger were evident. The guy walked 13 times in nearly 300 plate appearances. Teams quickly learned the guy won't take any walks, so they just started avoiding throwing him what he wanted. Unfortunately, the guy has never adjusted, and he's been awful. His inability to walk traces all through his minor league career - so what you see is probably what he is.

 

There are a million guys like Middlebrooks - talented, but unable to adjust to major league pitching. I am really skeptical of guys like Middlebrooks. He's had lots of chances in the majors to adjust, and has failed. That said, if the club sees something in him or simply wants to just see him up close for a spelll, I can't argue about it. As noted, I just don't want to see time and resources wasted on a guy who I don't think is part of the team's future. Still, you never know - maybe something will go on in the guy's head.

[yfinn6]

Middlebrooks had a decent half season as a rookie, but even then, the signs of danger were evident. The guy walked 13 times in nearly 300 plate appearances. Teams quickly learned the guy won't take any walks, so they just started avoiding throwing him what he wanted. Unfortunately, the guy has never adjusted, and he's been awful. His inability to walk traces all through his minor league career - so what you see is probably what he is.

 

There are a million guys like Middlebrooks - talented, but unable to adjust to major league pitching. I am really skeptical of guys like Middlebrooks. He's had lots of chances in the majors to adjust, and has failed. That said, if the club sees something in him or simply wants to just see him up close for a spelll, I can't argue about it. As noted, I just don't want to see time and resources wasted on a guy who I don't think is part of the team's future. Still, you never know - maybe something will go on in the guy's head.

 

Sounds like Jean Segura, but with Segura's decent portions of seasons (combined with his defense) making him more valuable overtime with respect to WAR.

[jerichoholicninja]

If Doug and Ron were still around I would assume he would be the opening day 3B with Pressley in CF and probably Pedro Alvarez at 1B. With David and Craig running the show who's to say at this point.

[dacbrewers]

There is no reason to pick up Middlebrooks. He had a few hundred ok at-bats and has been a complete dumpster fire since. I'd give him a minor league deal at best and even that is probably a giant waste of time.

 

I agree totally...why the spring invite? We may have around 100 guys in major camp come spring.

[Boomer5]

Change of scenery candidate. Doesn't cost us an asset to see if he can develop some plate discipline.

 

He isn't blocking anyone so no harm bringing him in.

[dacbrewers]

I don't understand why Rivera can't play 3rd...At least he has better range than most of the guys available in free agency. Is he automatically slated to play 2nd or SS in the next couple of years?

[Funketown]

At this point I would prefer a platoon of Perez and Villar over adding a AAAA player like Middlebrooks.

 

AAAA is generous given his last two minor league stints (sub-300 OBP, sub-400 SLG)!

 

It's a minor league deal for a guy who a couple of years ago looked to have some promise. Might as well take a look, which seems to be the BF.net groupthink on this one.

[superfly]

Complain complain complain. GM's just can't do anything right.

[MKE81]

Complain complain complain. GM's just can't do anything right.

 

There's a ton of legit GMs in here. Just ask them what they think of a player and if they don't like their WAR then that player is useless and the GM sucks. These guys don't even need eyeballs because WAR says it all

[superfly]

Complain complain complain. GM's just can't do anything right.

 

There's a ton of legit GMs in here. Just ask them what they think of a player and if they don't like their WAR then that player is useless and the GM sucks. These guys don't even need eyeballs because WAR says it all

 

The funniest part is it wasn't long ago people on this forum wanted to TRADE for Middlebrooks. Now its a year later and bringing him in for FREE isn't a good idea. What changed in a year? His swing still has holes, and he'd be a project. He's younger than another guy the forum GM's love (Jason Rogers), except he has over 200 more MLB games experience under his belt.

 

There's zero downside to the move. Who's he blocking...another AAAA player? Hernan Perez? Elian Herrera? Jonathan Villar who belongs at SS? This is a 90+ loss team for goodness sake, there isn't anybody blocking anybody except Braun and Lucroy !!

[AKCheesehead]

I don't have a problem with this signing, although if we are giving him serious consideration, then my preference would have been to keep Dominguez over acquiring Middlebrooks.

[Outlander]

Not much downside, also not much upside either, just kind of pointless. Don't know what Jason Rogers has to do with anything except they are the same age unless you are saying Middlebrooks should play 1B over Rogers. Rogers is obviously the better hitter there and much cheaper going forward.

[MNBrew]

If all Middlebrooks proves he's worth is the value of creating one more obstacle in Hernan Perez's path back to the Brewers' clubhouse, I'm all for it.

 

I'd rather have him playing 3B at AAA than anyone else who never was even a name that merited consideration re: prospect status -- as in, someone who was never considered to have much of an upside in the first place.

[And That]

These guys don't even need eyeballs because WAR says it all

Don't you usually have to read about WAR?

[pacopete4]

These guys don't even need eyeballs because WAR says it all

Don't you usually have to read about WAR?

 

Not if someone reads it to you.

[patrickgpe]

My biggest fear with this type of signing is if he has a hot spring and the Brewers release a player with some potential only to watch Middlebrooks turn back into a pumpkin once the season starts. That's the downside to just throwing things against the wall to see what sticks.

it would be sad to see the brewers returning Walsh or releasing Rivera to make room for Middlebrooks on the 40, but if the brewers want to dump peterson, more power to them.

[CheezWizHed]

These guys don't even need eyeballs because WAR says it all

Don't you usually have to read about WAR?

 

Not if someone reads it to you.

 

Braille. Text to voice apps. Plenty of opportunities for blind people these days.