Jayson Stark is trying to kill me

[yoyomayoma]

Why? Everything has pointed to Young or Weeks. Now this:

 

espn.go.com/mlb/columns/s...60464.html

 

Some of the things Ulice and Melvin have some about preferences to college pitchers had me thinking this was a possibility but if Young goes to TB (and my guess is he will) I'd much rather see Weeks. I don't think Sleeth is a bad pitcher but I think Weeks fills a huge hole and is also the best player available.

[Crew Believer]

I find this top ten to be a joke. I guarantee 3 things that stark says won't happen:

 

1.Milwaukee will draft Weeks or Young

 

2.Jeff Alliston will go higher than this article says

 

3.Tim Stauffer will be a top 10 pick

[PrimetimeHater]

Although I root for Paul Maholm to go high, I have a very hard time believing that he will go that high, unless the Cubs are going cheap.

[DHonks]

I've kind of hoped for Sleeth since I heard Loewen signed. I would like to either draft a college pitcher or high school position player, although I have to say that Alliston sounds awefully tempting.

[scoop53714]

dhonks you are usually right on the money with your posts but this one suprises me. Do you really think Weeks or Young can be passed over for Sleeth?

 

Explain why. What do you know that we dont?

[Member]

dhonks you are usually right on the money with your posts but this one suprises me. Do you really think Weeks or Young can be passed over for Sleeth?

 

I am going to speak for DHonks and let him correct me if I am wrong. Reading his post, I think he's for drafting Young if he is there, but not Weeks, simply because he favors HS position players and college pitchers over college position players.

 

Please note the players in bold were added by me and were not in DHonks original post.

 

I've kind of hoped for Sleeth since I heard Loewen signed. I would like to either draft a college pitcher [sleeth] or high school position player [Young], although I have to say that Alliston sounds awefully tempting.

 

I don't have any problems drafting Weeks, because he is a consenus top-2 pick. But, there is something about him that reminds of Kenny Felder. Nothing I can put my finger on, which is reason number 818 I'd never make a good GM. But that picks worries me.

[PeaveyFury]

Nothing I can put my finger on, which is reason number 818 I'd never make a good GM. But that picks worries me.

 

I think there's always a little doubt/worrying surrounding most players (except for the Prior types). I have the same bad feeling about Young for some reason, perhaps because of his brother's mediocrity, but it's definitely unfounded since I've never even seen the guy play.

 

Unlike the Bando years, I'm confident that the Brewers will choose who they truly feel is the best player available at #2.

[DHonks]

Well BlazinWings, I think you're pretty accurate there. I guess my post was in general I would prefer college pitching or high school hitting. My reasons are more based on the past than what I know. High school pitching for the Brewers.....D'Amico, Wunsch, Neugebauer, Gold. College pitching for high Brewers recent draft picks...Sheets, Peterson, and Steitz (far too early to tell with him). Now those high school pitchers have gotten 3 to the bigs, but D'Amico is probably the only one with a chance of long term success. More recently, I think Jones has been spectacular, but I still would feel safer avoiding a high schooler.

With hitters, I look at college players Antone Williamson, Chad Green, Geoff JEnkins, etc. With high schoolers we see Fielder, Hardy, Krynzel, Hart, etc.

So while I don't have an advanced knowledge of this year's draft picks, some things scare me about Weeks.

1) nobody knew of him 3 years ago

2) he has no position. I've read that most clubs view him as a CF, but I really don't want to draft a 2b to convert him to CF. What if he has Sanchez-itis in the OF and can't track them? Why was he playing 2b already? In college you stick the best athletes (especially those under 6') at SS and CF, and he already has been given up on at SS. If he's that fast and that good, then how come they couldn't improve his skills at SS during fall practice? I guess those are some questions that scare me. I guess it stems from the school of thought I heard that you don't draft 2b, you move people to 2b--so why was his school sticking him at 2b defensively?

As for why I prefer Young or Sleeth, it's because young talented outfielders are lacking in our system. We have decent ones. If he signs quickly, he could be hitting behind Prince by mid July. With Sleeth we get a very good pitcher who everyone is high on. Sounds to me like another Ben Sheets. Sure he's no Mark Prior, but Sheets isn't bad. And as we know based on looking at our minor leagues, you can never have too much pitching. If there's a chance he can pitch half a season in A-ball (or even go to AA), then we'd be adding another power arm that's just a phone call away from Milwaukee.

Well, those are my thoughts...and thanks for the compliment about my posts scoop.

[The Big Cheese]

Boy, no offense at all DHonks but if you were the Brewers GM, you would make the Detroit Tigers, very, VERY happy.......and the same goes for Jayson Stark...

 

You know, if Weeks is such a question mark, then why isn't he plummeting on draft boards?? Maybe its because all the scouts who get paid for a living to evaulate talent see the same thing that I do, a potential franchise type middle infielder who has epic bat speed, outstanding eye (leads the nation in hitting), unbelievable athleticism, great speed on the base paths (27 for 27 in SB), tremendous power potential (hit a home run in the College World Series today...and that ain't the SWAC), a tireless work ethic, a burning desire to get better, great character, etc.

 

I find it hard for you to be so concerned after hearing about positives such as those, because if the guys who do this for a living are saying these things, shouldn't that make you feel at least a little more comfortable about taking him?

 

Question marks are just that, question marks. Don't sit here and tell me that Sleeth, Stauffer, Harvey and even Delmon Young don't have just as many, if not more then Weeks. What if Weeks turns into another Alfonso Soriano and we pass on him?? I wouldn't be able to watch another baseball game again.

 

The thing the Brewers have to realize is that everyone has Weeks as a consenus top two player, so if they take him and he doesn't work out, who can really fault them? I sure won't. But if they don't take him and he turns into a superstar for the Tigers....oh boy, that franchise down there in Brewtown will never be able to get me off their backs...

 

 

...and you can put that in writing...

 

 

From lifelong Brewer fan, "The Big Cheese"

[scoop53714]

The thing that intrigues me about weeks can be summed up in two words, "bat speed". In case you missed all my blabbering about royce claytons lack there of, you probably dont know that I like guys who possess superhuman bat speed. Having never even seen a highlight of weeks I am reduced to trusting the reports I hear and the reports are that Weeks has freakishly good bat speed. Me likey.

[DHonks]

a potential franchise type middle infielder who has epic bat speed, outstanding eye (leads the nation in hitting), unbelievable athleticism, great speed on the base paths (27 for 27 in SB), tremendous power potential (hit a home run in the College World Series today...and that ain't the SWAC), a tireless work ethic, a burning desire to get better, great character, etc.

 

okay, I'll address some of these. First of all, I'm not a huge believer in the idea of a "franchise type" 2b. SS, OF, 3b, 1b, SP...yes. 2b or catcher no. 2b is kind of the position I would never worry about, because there's even more guys that can play 2b in the bigs than power arms for bullpen fodder (which people regularly say are a dime a dozen).

The athleticism and speed are nice, but what about defense? He can't play SS, and he'll probably wind up in the OF.

Great work ethic? Maybe on offense, but I still can't understand why with his tools he isn't being billed as a top defender, too.

As for the home run...don't pay attention to one or two games. I'll remind you that Antone Williamson had a multi-homer game (I believe 3 homers) in the College World Series his junior year of college.

I understand your enthusiasm, I just really can't stand the idea of drafting a 2b. I also agree with those who said that we already have a 2b of the future in Cruz. Scoop loves bat speed, and there's no doubting Cruz's batspeed. Like I've said, I'd rather have a HS hitter or college pitcher, unless the hitter can be compared to Burrell, Texeira, or Blalock in recent drafts. And I also am intrigued by Alliston. If he can learn to throw at about 90 mph, he could be a dominant #1 pitcher.

[scoop53714]

whoa whoa whoa,

 

"And I also am intrigued by Alliston. If he can learn to throw at about 90 mph, he could be a dominant #1 pitcher. "

 

You would have melvin pass over one of the consensus top 2 to draft a pitcher who doesnt hit 90 on the guns?? Say it aint so man.

[squarepusher]

The point is moot..... The Brewers will be drafting Rickie Weeks, assuming Tampa Bay does not....

 

Anyone wanna wager?

[xisxisxis]

The point is moot..... The Brewers will be drafting Rickie Weeks, assuming Tampa Bay does not....

 

Anyone wanna wager?

 

I think that it will be Weeks if he is available and the only thing I ask is that they pick him as a 2B. While it won't be the end of the world if they select him as a CF, I think it sends a bad signal to David Krynzel who is having the kind of year that you don't draft someone who's played 99.99% of his games NOT at CF, as a CF. Krynzel may never make it to the majors, but why make a statement by drafting Weeks as a CF. That would piss me off.

[biedergb]

Although we had Richie Sexson, Brad Nelson and even Cory Hart playing 1st base last year, but we still drafted Prince Fielder, and it didn't appear to effect anyone's performance. I believe that the Corey Hart 3b experiment was started at about the same time, so I don't believe that played a role. I think these guys all know that the team needs to draft quality players regardless of position. I think Krynzel realizes that as long as plays like he is now, he'll be our future CF, and drafting Weeks as 2B or OF will not change that.

[bjkrautk]

there's even more guys that can play 2b in the bigs than power arms for bullpen fodder (which people regularly say are a dime a dozen).

 

I've gotta say, I'm starting to come around to DHonks' line of thinking. I'd rather have an Keith Ginter (or Mark Loretta, since they're farily similar) -type at second and either Stauffer or Sleeth, than Weeks and a mediocre pitcher (I want to use Glendon Rusch as an example...but he's so bad this year that it puts a negative spin on his career numbers; Paul Wilson is a decent example of a back-of-the-rotation guy).

 

Admittedly, I was high on Kyle Sleeth for most of the season, so that also probably factors into it, but I wouldn't be outraged if either he or Stauffer (who doesn't quite have the same projectability, but would be able to jump into the majors quickly a la Ben Sheets) were the #2 pick. Still, though, if Delmon Young is available at #2, he should be the pick (assuming work ethic doesn't run in the family).

 

There's just something about drafting the 'hitter without a position' -type player that doesn't sit well with me (...that sort of 'how can he be so good on one side of the ball, and so not good on the other side' line of thinking); maybe it's because the last highly-touted 2b with some defensive lapses that the Brewers had didn't pan out well in Milwaukee (Ronnie Belliard ring a bell?).

 

I can't target any one specific reason why I'm not sold on Weeks, but there are a lot of things that concern me about him. I know that Stauffer and Sleeth have some questions as well (a relatively low ceiling for Stauffer, and some mechanical flaws & a down finish this year for Sleeth), but they just don't concern me as much as Weeks does.

[tigersfanatic1]

I think you are making a big deal out of nothing. Eery year, so called "experts" make their mock drafts and in reality the draft ends up being totally different. For instance, I looked at the 2002 mock draft on this site and it was totally different than the actual draft. nobody would have ever gussed that Kazmir, a top five talent, would have fallen to pick number fifteen. In reality, these guys are making educated guesses. They are speculating because there is no way that organizations will let the word out on who they prefer to draft. Alos, don't get lost in the hype. If you've never seen any of these players, just trust the Brewer organization to choose the player on the board that they think is the best fit for the future of the organization. Some Brewer fans were unhappy that Fielder was drafted so highly, but now he looks really good.

[DHonks]

it's pretty darn late, and it seems I've stirred up some controversy, so I'll just address Scoop.

 

You would have melvin pass over one of the consensus top 2 to draft a pitcher who doesnt hit 90 on the guns?? Say it aint so man.

 

No, what I was saying is that if he's as smart a pitcher as Jones, I'd have a hard time passing on Alliston. Jones was a hard thrower (97 I believe) in high school. Yet reports show he now regularly hits 90-92. I think we all know he can hit 97 still on occasion, but the key is that he knows how to pitch. He knows how to get guys out. And he knows that strikeouts don't mean anything in most situations. I'm saying that--based on his numbers--if Alliston is a SMART pitcher who realizes he doesn't have to juice it up there, then I'd have a hard time passing up on him. While I'd be more inclined to choose the college righty (Sleeth, assuming Young goes #1), I think it I were to have knowledge about Alliston's personality and mentality, that I could logically consider him a potential pick for the Crew. As bjkrautk said, it's hard to make a pick at an offensive machine with no position. Give me a hustling 2b and a good pitcher over a very good 2b and a mediocre pitcher any day of the week. Good pitching almost always beats good hitting over the long run.

[Danagger]

Soriano? pretty close to the franchise. Although when you have 9 quality starters, I guess he isn't.

[SoCalBrewfan]

It's certainly odd to have a 2b such a highly-rated player...there are only a few 2b that I can think of who were high draft choices...Todd Walker, for example, went #8 overall in 1994. No 2b has ever been taken first overall. More recently, Chase Utley was #12 overall in 2000...he was the only top-50 pick drafted as a 2b in 98,99, 00. But things may be changing a bit, as teams look for more offense out of the middle IF, and as college players figure prominently in some teams' strategies. In 2001, Chris Burke went at #10 (he may still be a SS but many doubt it), Mike Fontenot was #19, Michael Woods was #32, Richard Lewis was #40. (And Scott Hairston was a heckuva pick at #98.). Last year, Russ Adams was #14 (though some think he's a SS), and Micah Schilling went at #41. All of those guys but Schilling were college players....they all were known for their bat.

 

Me, I'm still hoping for Young. But I would take Weeks over Sleeth or Stauffer...and I'll probably be happy no matter what.

[OhioScout]

Tigerfanatic is right.

 

Baseball America's indirect goal is to make everyone think they know more than they actually do. Some of the things they say are just wrong. They are journalists, not scouts, with information from isolated sources. Don't take them so seriously.

 

The draft is going to go in directions that you don't expect it to.

[xisxisxis]

The draft is going to go in directions that you don't expect it to.

 

Gee I could of sworn that this was all decided days before the draft and every pick is a foregone conclusion. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/tongue.gif

 

Serioiusly, I doubt most people on this board think an exact order will be followed since we got Mike Jones in 2001 and we weren't expecting him and last year Kazmir went shooting by when everyone predicted he would go in the top 5. After the elite players the draft seems to have dramatic turns and twists. One factor, which was hard to predict the influence, was how having Boras as a representative would affect a players draft position (down almost always, but how far?). It appears he represents few players at the top 40 (don't know the exact #, colbyjack always has this one down pretty good and might be able to give us an updated #) so there may be a few less factors influencing the rollercoaster on Tuesday and Wednesday.