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

[Boomer5]

If you are evaluating signings like this for their 2016 performance, that will be an exercise in futility. This is going to be a very bad MLB roster.

 

This is a roster designed to be inexpensive and drafting 1-3 the next few years.

[FVBrewerFan]

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

 

Guys, seems like you're searching for a fight that isn't there. I don't see too many people that have an issue with this move, consensus has been that the Middlebrooks signing is fine.

[And That]

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

Don't you usually have to read about WAR?

 

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

Clearly there's a market for a podcast where the host just reads WAR statistics for a few hours. The nerds would go wild for it.

[monty57]

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.

 

My guess is that he is being signed as a AAA project, and I'm perfectly fine with that. Maybe Stearns will be a "feet to the fire" type of guy that tells Middlebrooks he can ride a bus and eat Ramen noodles until he starts laying off of bad pitches. Who knows, if Middlebrooks finds some plate discipline, this could be a steal of a pickup. If not, then it's good that we didn't give up anything for him.

[MNBrew]

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.

I don't think the Brewers would be even close to considering releasing Rivera. I wonder where that would've come from??? After Arcia, he's been the best SS prospect in the system for a few years. His star may not shine as brightly as Arcia's now, and he may never have been a stud prospect, but he's been at least solid in terms of prospect status and some degree of performance to merit that recognition.

[brewcrewdue80]

Again, with the Walsh add. Maybe you get somebody who speaks his approach and it rubs off. To me Middlebrooks is the only prospect of all the 3b options to have the batting profile potential you'd want from your 3b. Think he's the only one that can crank 20HRs plus. Everyone else I'd have a hard time seeing 15HRs from maybe tough to see 10HRs from. I'm envisioning an entire infield that accumulates less than 60HR on the entire season from starters. Middlebrooks maybe gets them to 75-80 if he pans out.

[502 to Right]

This is a waste of time because Middlebrooks is a turd. But the price is so minimal I'm not going to criticize it.

[Jenkins5]

This is a waste of time because Middlebrooks is a turd. But the price is so minimal I'm not going to criticize it.

 

Always take a shot on a former top prospect with big power about to hit his prime. He is able to find it again, we got a steal.... if he doesn't and can't hit for crap as he has past 2 seasons....you release him. All positive. Either he regains form, improves enough to be solid bench bat & playing 1B/3B, or he's gone for nothing

[MNBrew]

Again, with the Walsh add. Maybe you get somebody who speaks his approach and it rubs off. To me Middlebrooks is the only prospect of all the 3b options to have the batting profile potential you'd want from your 3b. Think he's the only one that can crank 20HRs plus. Everyone else I'd have a hard time seeing 15HRs from maybe tough to see 10HRs from. I'm envisioning an entire infield that accumulates less than 60HR on the entire season from starters. Middlebrooks maybe gets them to 75-80 if he pans out.

If any of these guys prove to have the bat of a Jeff Cirillo, I'd gladly take that because it assures strong overall production in spite of below-stereotypical power.

[502 to Right]

This is a waste of time because Middlebrooks is a turd. But the price is so minimal I'm not going to criticize it.

 

Always take a shot on a former top prospect with big power about to hit his prime. He is able to find it again, we got a steal.... if he doesn't and can't hit for crap as he has past 2 seasons....you release him. All positive. Either he regains form, improves enough to be solid bench bat & playing 1B/3B, or he's gone for nothing

 

Middlebrooks couldn't muster an OPS higher than .666 in the Pacific Coast league last season. That's not "big power." That's a waste of time. I don't care what Middlebrooks hit in the minors in 2011. He's a turd now.

 

Again, I'm not criticizing the move because he's basically free. But people who have any expectation that this is going to lead to something valuable are going to be disappointed.

[pacopete4]

Again, I'm not criticizing the move because he's basically free. But people who have any expectation that this is going to lead to something valuable are going to be disappointed.

 

 

I think there is a big difference in what you are saying and what a lot of people on this board are saying. People who are happy we took a shot on this guy are not getting their hopes up like you might be imagining but more so just happy we took a shot on a guy who plays a position of need for the Brewers, that obviously at one point, there was a gleam of hope that he could be a good player. And if somehow this guy figures it out, he's now figuring it out in a Brewers or Sky Sox uniform. It is really that simple.

[RobertR]

It's not like Middlebrooks came from an organization that didn't value plate discipline. Coupled with no defensive value I find it hard to see any upside.

 

Again no real cost, other than perhaps an opportunity cost of signing someone else with more realistic potential, so I don't think anyone is actually upset. Just the definition of a meh signing.

 

Although, on a baseball aesthetics level, I think I'd be more positive if the Brewers were targeting good fielders. That would probably make the losing more tolerable and be better for developing pitchers.

[jerichoholicninja]

Isn't Middlebrooks basically Jean Segura? Highly rated prospect, had a few hot months at the beginning of his career, and been terrible since. I have no problem with the signing but I doubt anything good comes of it.

[CheezWizHed]

Clearly there's a market for a podcast where the host just reads WAR statistics for a few hours. The nerds would go wild for it.

 

Well, my daughter isn't a huge baseball fan yet (though she can recognize Bob Uecker's voice), but I'll let you know if she needs that at some point.

[RobertR]

Jean Segura has a modicum of defensive value and value on the basepaths. He's disappointing but he's certainly a cut above Middlebrooks. He's a major leaguer, albeit not a particularly good one.

[StearnsFTW]

This is a waste of time because Middlebrooks is a turd. But the price is so minimal I'm not going to criticize it.

 

Always take a shot on a former top prospect with big power about to hit his prime. He is able to find it again, we got a steal.... if he doesn't and can't hit for crap as he has past 2 seasons....you release him. All positive. Either he regains form, improves enough to be solid bench bat & playing 1B/3B, or he's gone for nothing

 

Middlebrooks couldn't muster an OPS higher than .666 in the Pacific Coast league last season. That's not "big power." That's a waste of time. I don't care what Middlebrooks hit in the minors in 2011. He's a turd now.

 

Again, I'm not criticizing the move because he's basically free. But people who have any expectation that this is going to lead to something valuable are going to be disappointed.

 

Pretty much. I'll be disappointed if he takes abs away from Villar, for instance. Other than that, I'm not too worried about it. We basically have no one else worth worrying about blocking at 3b at this point.

[jerichoholicninja]

Jean Segura has a modicum of defensive value and value on the basepaths. He's disappointing but he's certainly a cut above Middlebrooks. He's a major leaguer, albeit not a particularly good one.

 

I wasn't comparing them in terms of talent but career trajectory I guess.

[1992casey]

I'll be disappointed if he takes abs away from Villar, for instance.

 

Cecchini is the one that I'd be concerned about.

[SRB]

Jean Segura has a modicum of defensive value and value on the basepaths. He's disappointing but he's certainly a cut above Middlebrooks. He's a major leaguer, albeit not a particularly good one.

 

Segura is a replacement level SS, and Middlebrooks is more or less a replacement level major-league 3B. He's not exactly Yuni B out there.

[Mass Haas]

Jon Heyman tweet --

 

will middlebrooks gets $1.2M if in majors on brewers deal. if not in majors 7/1, WM may be released for spot on other team.

[Boomer5]

It's not like Middlebrooks came from an organization that didn't value plate discipline. Coupled with no defensive value I find it hard to see any upside.

 

Again no real cost, other than perhaps an opportunity cost of signing someone else with more realistic potential, so I don't think anyone is actually upset. Just the definition of a meh signing.

 

Although, on a baseball aesthetics level, I think I'd be more positive if the Brewers were targeting good fielders. That would probably make the losing more tolerable and be better for developing pitchers.

 

This signing is as they say what it is. Middlebrooks is just here so they can field a major league roster. His one time prospect status gives the casual fan some hope the team is trying to win at the MLB level when we all know the goal is to draft very high the next few years. Oh, and he is cheap.

 

His signing is nothing to get excited about and certainly being so low risk, its nothing to be upset about. If by some change of scenery he has a decent first half of 2016, he can be flipped at the deadline. Nothing wrong with that.

 

If we want the first pick in the draft in 17 and 18, and that is clearly Stearn's goal, these are guys we are going to sign.

[JohnBriggs12]

It's not like Middlebrooks came from an organization that didn't value plate discipline. Coupled with no defensive value I find it hard to see any upside.

 

Again no real cost, other than perhaps an opportunity cost of signing someone else with more realistic potential, so I don't think anyone is actually upset. Just the definition of a meh signing.

 

Although, on a baseball aesthetics level, I think I'd be more positive if the Brewers were targeting good fielders. That would probably make the losing more tolerable and be better for developing pitchers.

 

This signing is as they say what it is. Middlebrooks is just here so they can field a major league roster. His one time prospect status gives the casual fan some hope the team is trying to win at the MLB level when we all know the goal is to draft very high the next few years. Oh, and he is cheap.

 

His signing is nothing to get excited about and certainly being so low risk, its nothing to be upset about. If by some change of scenery he has a decent first half of 2016, he can be flipped at the deadline. Nothing wrong with that.

 

If we want the first pick in the draft in 17 and 18, and that is clearly Stearn's goal, these are guys we are going to sign.

 

Besides the fact that the first pick in the draft should never be the goal, the problem with Middlebrooks is he's worse than the guys who were already in the system that would compete for the major league 3B job namely Villar and Perez who are both young players with a bit of upside.

 

Even accepting the rebuilding mode that the Brewers are in, I find it disconcerting for a constant revolving door of players who after a while become nameless and faceless. Even losing teams have players that fans root for. Rogers was one of those guys especially having come through the system as a low round pick. Now we're deprived of seeing what he could do with four or five hundred AB's and from his standpoint though he's going to a winner, he may never get an opportunity to show what he's capable of with regular playing time.

[Boomer5]

It's not like Middlebrooks came from an organization that didn't value plate discipline. Coupled with no defensive value I find it hard to see any upside.

 

Again no real cost, other than perhaps an opportunity cost of signing someone else with more realistic potential, so I don't think anyone is actually upset. Just the definition of a meh signing.

 

Although, on a baseball aesthetics level, I think I'd be more positive if the Brewers were targeting good fielders. That would probably make the losing more tolerable and be better for developing pitchers.

 

This signing is as they say what it is. Middlebrooks is just here so they can field a major league roster. His one time prospect status gives the casual fan some hope the team is trying to win at the MLB level when we all know the goal is to draft very high the next few years. Oh, and he is cheap.

 

His signing is nothing to get excited about and certainly being so low risk, its nothing to be upset about. If by some change of scenery he has a decent first half of 2016, he can be flipped at the deadline. Nothing wrong with that.

 

If we want the first pick in the draft in 17 and 18, and that is clearly Stearn's goal, these are guys we are going to sign.

 

Besides the fact that the first pick in the draft should never be the goal, the problem with Middlebrooks is he's worse than the guys who were already in the system that would compete for the major league 3B job namely Villar and Perez who are both young players with a bit of upside.

 

Even accepting the rebuilding mode that the Brewers are in, I find it disconcerting for a constant revolving door of players who after a while become nameless and faceless. Even losing teams have players that fans root for. Rogers was one of those guys especially having come through the system as a low round pick. Now we're deprived of seeing what he could do with four or five hundred AB's and from his standpoint though he's going to a winner, he may never get an opportunity to show what he's capable of with regular playing time.

 

The goal of Stearns is to build the 2011-2013 Astros. He cant make it anymore obvious if even a guy like Rogers is up to be traded for prospects.

[trwi7]

Besides the fact that the first pick in the draft should never be the goal

 

If we're rebuilding, the goal should absolutely be getting the first pick in the draft, the slot value that comes with it and improving our minor league system and young core for what is hopefully years of contention.

[Boomer5]

Besides the fact that the first pick in the draft should never be the goal

 

If we're rebuilding, the goal should absolutely be getting the first pick in the draft, the slot value that comes with it and improving our minor league system and young core for what is hopefully years of contention.

 

Exactly. This is a tear down to build up scenario. The MLB roster is irrelevant to most anything that will happen by 2019+ other than perhaps some combination of Maverick, Arcia, Jungmann, Nelson.